PRESERVING TRADITIONS

IN A SMALL NORTH CAROLINA TOWN, GABRIELLE EITIENNE USES FOOD TO MARRY THE PAST AND PRESENT, WITH DELICIOUS RESULTS

- BRIGID RANSOME WASHINGTON

AS A CHILD GROWING UP ON HER FAMILY'S LAND in the Central North Carolina community of St. Mary's, Gabrielle Eitienne knew that a special event was taking shape by the aroma of barbecue sauce simmering in the kitchen. The recipe, passed down from her great-grandfather Andrew J. Woodard, is no ordinary sauce. "It is part of my family's story and spirit," explains Eitienne. "It's not something that we make every day, and it remains one of the most tangible and tasty reminders of the man he was."

Made from an apple cider vinegar base, the sauce is a legacy from one of the most principled and pioneering members of her clan. Woodard earned substantive money by smoking and barbecuing the hogs of his neighbors and friends. As a little girl, Eitienne heard the bright and bombastic stories of her great-grandfather's businesses (he had a day job at a lumber mill and also ran a wildly popular juke joint for some time) from her mother and other relatives who had a front-row seat to his culinary enterprises. "People brought their whole hogs over to my great-granddad, and he would give the meat the star treatment," she says. "That was his specialty, and this sauce sings with how skilled he was."

Passing down these anecdotes and recipes isn't just a personal project for Eitienne; it has become her life's work. As a cultural preservationist, she has made it her mission to uphold and amplify culinary traditions and knowledge from the past, specifically Black foodways. "There's so much practical wisdom to discover from how our ancestors lived and from their contributions to society," she says. "I find a strong sense of my identity and purpose from learning about them, their entrepreneurship, land stewardship, and unfailing sense of community." In Wake County, North Carolina, where she now resides, her direct connection to the place is at least four generations deep. And the presence of all the people who came before her remains her North Star.