in their words
Chicken Hut for the Soul THE AUTH O R WA S
B Y CA RL W. K E NNEY II
I
N AME D T H E B E ST
MOVED TO DURHAM IN 1988 with an extreme craving. My mid-Missouri upbringing left me envious of the people I read about from the South. There were books filled with stories about the days when signs on walls indicated the safe places to drink from water fountains and where to use the bathroom. All of that is true, but there is a side of Southern ways that left folks like me wondering what life is like on the other side of the river. It’s all about the food. That Southern fried chicken, plates stacked with collard greens, candied yams, macaroni and cheese and that chopped pork that people in North Carolina call barbecue (being from Missouri makes it hard for me to call it real barbecue) is legendary in those places far, far away. Keep in mind it was before Food Network launched programming that introduced people West of the Mississippi to “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.” My interest in Southern cuisine came from listening to my uncle Lucious talk about his time in the South when he was enlisted in the military. He painted literary pictures that left my tummy growling in great anticipation of fat biscuits served with gravy and a side of grits. My uncle talked about holes in the wall – those small, nondescript restaurants hidden from most people. You have to know someone who knows someone to find places with that authentic soul food taste. I started looking for a place where the recipes aren’t recipes, but wisdom passed down from countless generations. The cooks there feel cooking from the soul – there are no measuring tools to determine the amount of love that goes into the dishes. My expedition to find Durham’s best soul food began with numerous misfires. They were good, but nothing that left me thinking it was better than I could do. Given that my cooking skills are 28
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legendary among members of my family and friends, I was looking for a place that left me searching for a glass of wine to toast the cook; an experience that left me offering a standing ovation. Where does one go to find a hole in the wall? It’s not the dining section of your local newspaper. It’s not the top 10 list on Yelp or some other site dedicated to helping tourists find the exceptional local dining experiences. If you are looking to find good soul food, be it in Durham or any city in America, go to a black barbershop or hair salon. It was there, at the Imperial Barbershop in Phoenix Square, that my barber, Victor Hughes, told me about The Chicken Hut. Glory be to God. It was like I’d found the Holy Grail and taken a sip of abundant pleasure. My soul cried, “Hallelujah!” with each bite of smothered turkey wings, collard greens and candied yams. This was the experience my uncle talked about back in Missouri. This is the reason people come back to the South after moving up North in search of a better life. You simply can’t do better than this. Peggy Tapp, the co-founder of The Chicken Hut, died April 10. It was her 78th birthday. She was the heart and soul of Chicken Hut, where she served meals at the restaurant and catered after funerals for local black churches. Those meals helped ease numerous broken hearts after the drive back to a church from grave sites. Peggy and her husband, Claiborne, founded The Chicken Hut in 1957, making it the longest-serving black-owned restaurant in Durham. The bright yellow sign, with the name in red letters, is easy to find when you look up at 3019 Fayetteville Rd., but many pass by not knowing what they are missing. Tre Tapp, Peggy’s only son, continues his mother’s work. That’s what soul food does. The art of Southern cooking gets passed down with lessons about life and love, and how food keeps bringing people together. I had to drive close to 1,000 miles to get a taste of good Southern cooking. We call it soul food because it’s good for the soul. It’s something about soul food that makes you want to jump in Grandma’s lap while she’s sitting in a rocking chair. Soul food reminds me of my grandma crooning one of those songs about us going to heaven where the streets are paved with gold. How I miss her.
september 2018
S E RIOUS CO LUMNIST OF 2 0 1 1 B Y T H E
N ORTH CA RO L INA
P RE S S ASSO C IAT IO N. HE IS THE CO -
P RODUCER O F “ G O D
OF THE O P P RE SSE D,” AN UP COMING
DOCUME NTA RY F IL M
ON BLACK L IB E RAT IO N THE OLOGY A ND IS T H E
AUTHOR O F “ P RE AC H A’
MAN “ AN D T H E SE QUE L “BACK S LID E .” H E H A S
LE D CON G RE G AT IO NS IN MIS S OURI A ND
N ORTH CA RO L INA .