Celebrating Black Food Makers

Published on February 17th, 2024

RENOWNED BLACK CHEFS & BAKERS ARE SHIPPING THEIR SIGNATURE EATS NATIONWIDE

At Goldbelly, we’re all about lifting up and supporting small food makers – and by ordering their foods for nationwide delivery, you’re supporting them, too. This Black History Month, we’re highlighting some of America’s most beloved Black chefs & bakers.

Rodney Scott

Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ, Charleston

Rodney Scott is one of the most celebrated and well-known names in barbecue, and with good reason. Before he was featured on Netflix’s “Chef’s Table” and won the 2018 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast, Rodney spent decades perfecting the dying art of Eastern Carolina-style whole hog barbecue at his family’s beloved restaurant, Scott’s Bar-B-Que, in tiny Hemingway, South Carolina. When he struck out on his own and opened Rodney Scott BBQ with friend Nick Pihakis in Charleston in 2017 it was an immediate smash, earning heaps of praise and commanding lines around the block that haven’t let up since.

Fasicka & Patrick Hicks

Smoke’N Ash BBQ, Arlington, TX

Smoke’N Ash BBQ founder Fasicka Hicks was born in Ethiopia and her husband Patrick hails from Waco, Texas, and when the pair met in 1997 it was a match made in barbecue heaven. They started selling BBQ from a truck on the weekends in 2012, opened their restaurant in Arlington in 2018, and the following year they had the brilliant idea to incorporate the flavors of Fasicka’s homeland into the menu. The resulting fusion of traditional Ethiopian cuisine and Texas BBQ is a cross-cultural mashup for the ages, leading to it being named one of 2022’s 50 Best Restaurants in America by the New York Times.

Kerry Seaton Stewart

Willie Mae’s Scotch House, New Orleans

For fried chicken lovers, Willie Mae’s sits at the top of the heap. For decades, locals and tourists alike have flocked to this quiet corner of NOLA’s Treme neighborhood to line up for a taste of founder Willie Mae Seaton’s downright magical fried chicken. It was founded by Willie Mae Seaton back in 1957 as a barber shop, beauty salon, and bar (hence the “scotch house”), but in the early 1970s she converted the low-slung building into a full-time restaurant. The building was badly damaged during 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, but the community banded together to help rebuild, and it bounced back stronger than ever. The following year, Willie Mae’s was named an “American Classic” by the James Beard Foundation, a well-deserved honor. Willie Mae passed away in 2015 at age 99, but today her legacy (and recipes) are carried on by her great-granddaughter, Kerry Seaton Stewart.

Edgar “Dook” Chase IV

Dooky Chase, New Orleans

Dooky Chase first opened its doors in New Orleans’ Treme neighborhood in 1941. Founded by Emily and Dooky Chase, Sr., Dooky Chase’s Restaurant soon became a central meeting place for music and entertainment, civil rights, and African-American culture in New Orleans. In 1946, Edgar “Dooky” Chase, Jr. married Leah Lange Chase. Through the vision of Leah, the barroom and sandwich shop grew into a sit-down restaurant. Later known as the Queen of Creole Cuisine, Leah Chase would introduce one of the first African American fine dining restaurants to the country. Today, under the guidance of Leah & Dooky’s grandson Edgar “Dook” Chase IV, Dooky Chase’s remains a true New Orleans landmark and one of the city’s premier restaurants for authentic Creole cuisine.

Arnold Wilkerson

Little Pie Company, New York City

What started out as a side business for Broadway actor Arnold Wilkerson in 1985 became a bona fide smash hit over the years. The world-class pie shop first opened in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, but their baked goods were soon recognized citywide for baking up one of the best pies in New York City. Decades later, pastry chefs continue to bake away in Little Pie Company’s storefront window and seductive aromas waft out the front door, tempting every passerby.

Kevin Bludso

Bludso’s BBQ, Los Angeles

Founded by renowned pitmaster Kevin Bludso in 2008, Bludso’s BBQ in Los Angeles makes exceptional Southern barbecue. The Bludso family has been perfecting the craft of slow-smoked meats for five generations. A rare oasis of true southern barbecue in California, Bludso’s has become beloved by fans and praised by numerous publications.

Stephanie Hart

Brown Sugar Bakery, Chicago

In 2002, Stephanie Hart decided to turn her passion for baking Southern-style cakes into a business, and Chicago’s Brown Sugar Bakery was born. Over the years, her cakes have become beloved as some of the very best in Chicago, and along with a loyal fan base she’s also appeared on Food Network’s “Holiday Baking Championship” and was a semifinalist for the 2019 James Beard Award for Outstanding Baker. A second location has since opened on Chicago’s Navy Pier. Brown Sugar Bakery isn’t just about delicious cakes; it’s also about building community and sharing Southern culture with the Windy City. Hart recently opened a brand new manufacturing facility with the help of two state grants.

Nikita Jackson

Nikki J’s Cakes, Rowlett, TX

NIkita Jackson (also known as Nikki J.), confectioner and cake master at Absolutely Edible Cakes, has been making cakes since she was a junior in high school in her home town of Memphis. She had never made a sweet potato pie when a customer requested one in 2003. Instead of refusing the order, she set about experimenting in the kitchen…and came up with a new and modern twist on the sweet potato pie – a creamy and velvety filling with a hint of real vanilla encased in a perfect graham cracker crust. Nikki was named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Rowlett, Texas, chapter of the NAACP.

Brandon & Lilka Adams

Lloyd’s Carrot Cake, The Bronx, NY

Lloyd and Betty Adams started selling carrot cake from a small storefront called Lloyd’s Carrot Cake in The Bronx in 1985, after spending years perfecting a recipe handed down from Lloyd’s mother. Lloyd passed away in 2007 and Betty in 2020, and today, their children, Brandon and Lilka, are carrying on their legacy by continuing to sell what very well might be the best carrot cake on earth along with a wide variety of cakes and pies, including a stunning red velvet cake. Lloyd’s is a true neighborhood gem, with regular lines down the block and a three-hour wait not unusual on Thanksgiving.

Joanne Canady-Brown

The Gingered Peach, Lawrenceville, NJ

The Gingered Peach was founded in 2014 with the goal of turning out approachable, delicious baked goods with an eye toward nostalgia. Founder and head baker Joanne Canady-Brown makes all of her beloved creations by hand, using only pure butter, milk, eggs, flour, and other real ingredients. Joanne is a beloved neighborhood fixture, and a loyal supporter of the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen.

This is just a handful of the game-changing Black food makers who are shipping their signature foods nationwide on Goldbelly.