Damien Brockway of Distant Relatives is hosting the June 17 meal at the While Brewing food truck
Damien Brockway left his career in fine dining several years ago to open Distant Relatives, a barbecue truck that traces the chef’s ancestral roots and the eating habits of the African diaspora.
Distant Relatives is, on the surface, one of the best barbecue operations in Texas, but hidden behind the billowing waves of smoke is an exploration of African American cuisine, its methods and ingredients.
Brockway will mark the Juneteenth holiday by hosting Matthew Brown, private chef and caterer who operates Comfort Table Kitchen, for a collaborative meal that expands the lexicon that Distant Relatives draws inspiration from. Kasalina Plater of Stellaheart Dessert Co. will create pecan pie bars for the occasion.
Wednesday’s all-day meal will include “dishes that have a historical connection, but also have our own creative twist,” Brockway told the American-Statesman. This will be Brockway’s fifth collaboration with other Black chefs and his first in celebration of the Juneteenth holiday.
The menu will feature crispy chicken, which pays homage to the cuisine of St. Louis, where Brown once lived, as well as ribs made with a dry rub inspired by Memphis, another former home of Brown and a city with history cultural and culinary importance for Africa. Americans.
Brockway was struck to discover similarities between the Memphis herb and spice sauce and the one he uses for chicken at Distant Relatives, and said that when he collaborates on meals like this with other chefs black people, he’s always impressed by how they all seem to speak the same culinary language, even though the accents may vary.
“It makes sense that these things would work together,” Brockway said of the ideas and ingredients the chefs bring from their respective backgrounds. “And then you just have this menu in five minutes. It’s not easy, but there is a certain fluidity. You can visualize it. You know what it’s going to taste like.
The a la carte menu will also include beef brisket with mustard butter, fresh corn grits with pickled okra, watermelon and cucumber salad and turnip greens with rib tips.
Brockway says that although Juneteenth is considered important to African Americans, it is a date that should be important to all Americans, especially in Texas, where the last skirmish of the Civil War took place in May 1865 (Battle of Palmito Ranch at Brownsville). ) and where the last slaves were freed when the news reached Galveston on June 19, 1865, more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
“It’s important for everyone. That was the last bastion of that story and it ended at that point,” Brockway said. “This is the last bastion where we looked at our Constitution and decided that in fact everyone deserves to be free. Not only are these specific people free under our Constitution, but in reality, all people are free.
If you are going to …
What: Collaborative meal on June 17 from Distant Relatives
When: Wednesday, noon to 8 p.m.
Or: 3901 Promontory Point Drive (location of distant relatives at While Brewing)
Cost: Dishes are offered Ă la carte.
African American Eating Habits Reading List
Chef Damien Brockway of Distant Relatives created his barbecue trailer to research his personal history, as well as the eating habits of the African diaspora. The chef, who brings a scholarly approach to his cooking, shared with the American Statesman three essential books that explore African American culinary culture and history.
“The Cooking Gene” by Michael Twitty
“This is someone who is a modern-day public figure who has done a lot of due diligence in tracing academic research and consolidating a lot of information by integrating genetics and genealogy. It’s really important because there’s this stigma that it’s very difficult to trace our history to a certain extent – which is true to a certain extent – but to try, and then make connections, and get into contact with our elders, then hearing stories and tracing it back, and looking at photos and note cards all help preserve our history on a personal level only. It’s a book where you read about his personal journey. I found a link and thought, “Why didn’t I do that?” I’m a chef, I went to college for that. I should have done that. It is important.'”
“High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America” by Jessica B. Harris
“A lot of people think of this in the context of the Netflix series, which is great, which is fabulous. But people need to know it’s a book. And it’s an excellent book. It has tons of details. It starts on the African continent and ends here in the United States and talks about some of the iconic food culture touchstones that we’re talking about.
“Recipes for Respect: African-American Meals and Their Meaning” by Rafia Zafar
“The reason this one is important is because, to my knowledge, it is the only book that focuses more on reception, hospitality and accommodation. It contains food elements. A lot of people think it was all about indentured servitude, but actually the book is about the first groups of black-owned hotels and restaurants in America, that’s what’s truly amazing. »
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Distant Relatives’ Nineteenth Meal and Playlist on Black Eating Habits
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