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.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 2023-Ausgabe von Southern Living.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 2023-Ausgabe von Southern Living.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Forging a Legacy - A Fredericksburg, Texas, couple is creating a new class of heirloom cast-iron cookware
When Jay Mallinckrodt pitched the idea of crafting cast-iron cookware to his wife and business partner, Heather, in 2020, she was hesitant. I immediately said no, she recalls with a laugh. But I finally agreed as long as we made something that we would actually want to use ourselves. Like many others during the initial throes of the pandemic, their multigenerational family operation, Heartland Enterprises (which specializes in machining parts for jet engines and gas and oil equipment), was seeing a lull. “No one was flying; no one was drilling, says Jay. So we had time to try something different.
A Butterfly Haven - In the Texas Hill Country, a conservationist is helping monarchs adjust to the changing world
Twenty-four years ago, Monika Maeckle bought a small property on the Llano River in Central Texas as an escape from fast-paced San Antonio. A journalist and marketing professional by trade, she didn't at first realize the value of the location on which she and her husband would later build their ranch. She also had no idea how this decision would eventually transform her life.One October evening a few years later, a friend invited Maeckle to their nearby house, which sat on a watershed with several large cypresses. All these butterflies dropped from the sky and started to gravitate toward the trees, she recalls. Stronger people who could swing a big 12-foot-long pole began trying to capture them, and we waited. By the end of the evening, we'd tagged a couple hundred butterflies, and I left there enchanted.
Oktober Feast!
While I respect your right to serve spooky food in October, you won't find any gory grub at my house this month. Instead, I'm hosting a gathering that's inspired by biergartens across the pond. The focus of the menu is a fondue made with Gruyère cheese and crisp Riesling-like beer-cheese dip but more elevated. It's served with a smorgasbord of dippers such as smoked sausage, grapes, apples, and a few amped-up store-bought snacks, like Mustard-Glazed Pretzel Bites and Smoked Paprika Potato Chips. (Just one taste, and you'll want to add this spice to every bag you open.) Pour yourself a Cider Shandy, and get ready for a good time. Prost, y'all!
The Roast With the Most
Embrace the changing seasons with a cozy pork supper
Roll With It
Company's coming? Bake a batch of these apple-stuffed delights
VIRGINIA PASTORAL
IN MIDDLEBURG, THE COMMONWEALTH'S MOST STORIED SMALL TOWN, OCTOBER WELCOMES A HOST OF TREASURED TRADITIONS
TAKING ROOT
Turn the season's freshest veggies-beets, parsnips, sweet potatoes, carrots-into colorful fall sides
THE FAMILY PLACE
When it came time for a young Georgia couple to make an 1800s farmhouse their own, they took it apart piece by piece-then rebuilt it into a home ready to welcome the next generation
Loving Life in Fayetteville
This Northwest Arkansas college town is easy to love and hard to leave
The Road That Raised Me
This lesser-known drive offers the most breathtaking views in the Smoky Mountains
