Hear the passion and drive behind some of your favorite restaurants directly from the business owners.
Follow Your Fork Video Series
“When we’re talking about BBQ, especially in Texas, the first thing we gotta talk about is brisket,” says Herb Taylor, co-owner of Ray’s Real Pit BBQ in Houston, TX. They take the process seriously, using slow-smoking techniques that founder Rayford Busch got from his mentor, Third Ward legend Mr. River Falls, on the art of barbecuing.
Not skimping on the hours-long technique has paid off for Ray’s, as they are one of the most beloved BBQ spots in Houston. “For us to be a part of this community, to be a part of Houston, to be a part of this Black culture, it just means the world to us because we are a product of our environment.”
We invite you to watch the story of Ray’s Real Pit BBQ Shack and Follow Your Fork to the various flavors and regions representing Black & Diaspora cultures throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Click here to find the best BBQ in your city and here for more Houston eateries.
“Our culture is badly underrepresented,” said Takela Corbitt of the North Hollywood neighborhood where her upscale Southern-style restaurant, Blaqhaus, is located. “I started looking for business opportunities to bring some of the things I enjoyed the most about our food and our culture and us gathering as people to my neighborhood.”
We invite you to check out Takela’s story and Follow Your Fork to the various flavors and regions representing Black culture throughout the U.S. and Canada. Click here to find for more Southern inspired Black-owned restaurants and here to find more LA eateries. Also be sure to check out this feature on another pair of Black women doing their thing in the culinary business.
“With a food truck, you have a lot of prep time. You have tons of hours where you’re trying to get things together just for that three or four hour day,” says Lisa Wyche, owner of Houston’s Gumbo Xpress food truck.
But despite the amount of work that goes into serving up the perfect bowl of gumbo every day, it’s worth it to maintain their status as one of the most authentic gumbo spots in Houston.
“Everything is original. No store-bought roux,” Wyche says. “We try to do it home made all the way.”
We invite you to watch the story of Gumbo Xpress and Follow Your Fork to the various flavors and regions representing Black & Diaspora cultures throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Click here to find the best Creole cuisine in your city and here for more Houston eateries.
“What we want to do is keep it traditional. Authentic,” said Tiffaney Odewale, co-owner of Houston’s Jollof Rice King. “We want people to taste it as if they were in Nigeria.”
We invite you to watch Jollof Rice King’s story and Follow Your Fork to the various flavors and regions representing Black & Diaspora cultures throughout the U.S. and Canada. Click here to find the best African cuisine in your city and here for more Houston eateries.
Interested in learning more about the cultural and culinary connections between Africa and the Diaspora? We’ve got this breakdown of 5 different types of West African Rice, a primer on the basics of Egyptian cuisine and watch this video of a traditional Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony with Addis NOLA.