For James Beard Award-winning chef JJ Johnson, cookouts are about more than just the food.
The final event of this year’s Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival, The Cookout: A Hip Hop Celebration was hosted by Johnson, along with Run-DMC’s Rev Run and radio host Angela Yee, and highlighted Black American and diasporic African and Caribbean cuisines in New York City. Between the hip-hop music, dancing festivalgoers and culinary diversity, the event honored something larger than food itself.
“The thought process is, ‘what would you bring to the cookout?’” Johnson said in an interview with WSN. “Every chef here represents a significant part of Black culture, you see that in the food and that is why they were selected.”
A proper celebration of the diverse range of Black culinary influences in the United States, The Cookout — held on Oct. 20 at the Brooklyn Army Terminal — featured dishes from 25 up-and-coming and veteran Black chefs. In New York, like in many states, enslaved Black people played an essential role in creating what we know as American cuisine.
The mac and cheese from Shaw-nae’s House, a soul food restaurant on Staten Island, was the culinary manifestation of a delightful, warm hug from a host welcoming you to their barbecue. Each tender noodle was coated in a gooey, slightly smoky cheese that clung together in a way that made each bite feel hearty and comforting. Chef Shaw-nae Dixon learned to cook from her grandmother, church and local soup kitchens — her mac and cheese, which costs $8 in store, offers the comfort and warmth that can only come from a recipe passed down through generations.
Fat Fowl, a “new age Caribbean” restaurant in Brooklyn — less than a 10 minute walk from the NYU Tandon School of Engineering — was a standout vendor. Chef Shorne Benjamin, who is an NYCWFF regular, is known for blending his classical French training with his Jamaican heritage. Fat Fowl’s oxtail grilled cheese was a highlight; Enveloped in a thin layer of crunchy bread, the oxtail nestled in the melted cheese was rich and filled with umami flavor, complemented by the sweetness of the side of the plantains. The grilled cheese is $21 at the restaurant, but the luxurious taste makes it worth every penny. I left the festival in a slight food coma, dreaming of one more oxtail grilled cheese.
“The energy in the room at The Cookout is amazing,” said Johnson. “People are dancing on the table, there are breakdancers, but the best part is that everyone is having a great time.”
Other vendors that caught my eye included Contento, an Afro-Caribbean restaurant in East Harlem, whose booth was enveloped in thick smoke from the grills. Chef Asia Shabazz channeled her West African and Caribbean roots into the spiced jerk chicken served with a side of cabbage. Also notable was the Tomahawk ribeye with cilantro rice from Pat LaFrieda, which was juicy, charred and tender.
As vendors eagerly handed me bowls of mac and cheese, quarters of burgers and chicken sandwiches with biscuits in place of bread, the message was clear. The Cookout was more than just a boisterous, boozy bash — it was a place where the sauce from beef tenderloin drips into the cracks of your palms and licking it off afterwards is welcomed, and where Black chefs and artists thrive in the spotlight.
Contact Adrianna Nehme at [email protected].