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If you’re looking for the definition of a surprise of a man, you will find it in Wes Berry. Ask any Western Kentucky University student, and he or she will know him simply as Dr. Berry, an Associate Professor of English Literature. However, Berry doesn’t just spend his spare time grading papers. He is also well known as a passionate connoisseur of all kinds of food...especially barbecue. Wes grew up in Glasgow, Kentucky, where his mom cooked country homemade meals of all kinds. When he was in grade school, he was known as the kid who required a full trip to the grocery store just to fill his stomach for one meal. Since then, he’s traveled the world and widened his taste and knowledge of cooking methods. While he’s found that he enjoys cooking the foods of the Japanese and Chinese cultures, his roots have stayed in Kentucky. Wes has explored the many traditions of Kentucky cooking and has found that barbecue interests him the most. He recently published The Kentucky Barbecue
Sir-PRIZE...
Wes Berry
Wes Berry, professor, author, barbecue connoisseur Wes signs copies of his book KY BBQ
Book, which is compiled of research covering over 170 barbecue restaurants in the Commonwealth. Originally, Wes meant for the book to be a road map to the best barbecue places in Kentucky for visitors. Once he began his research, Wes realized that the real story was found in the people who owned these restaurants rather than the food itself. While he did love the more famous barbecue places, such as Moonlight in Owensboro, Wes found that his favorite restaurants were the “mom ‘n’ pop” shops about which rarely anyone knew. The Cookbook Digest describes Wes’ book as “a love letter to the landscapes, people, and rich barbecue traditions of the Commonwealth. Berry asserts that Kentucky’s barbecue is worthy of recognition and exploration.” Beyond barbecue, Wes and his wife have found a love for raising their own food and eating only off of their land. They own several acres of land, which are now proudly filled with a garden, pigs, rabbits, chickens, and lambs. When Wes is on summer break from being a professor, he spends his days in the sun, working on the land and with the animals. He also recently bought two Great Pyrenees puppies, which his wife and he plan to raise to guard their livestock. While Wes may still enjoy quiet days spent in his office reading over papers, his equivalent passion is found through food. His personality is both intelligent and earthly and is definitely a surprise--but a good one at that. By Allison Sawyers