Downtown With Neely j
Acclaimed chef
regales fans at
4Eat and Greet'
BY CHANEL DAVIS
LHE CHRONICLE
Early last Thursday
morning, Sweet Potatoes
was filled with the smell of
home cooking, the sound
of forks scraping plates
and laughter, as several
dozen lucky patrons lis
tened to television person
ality and chef Pat Neely
describe the memories
behind some of his favorite
dishes.
The downtown restau
rant and the nonprofit liter
acy promotion organiza
tion Bookmarks hosted the
"Eat and Greet," where
fans - or friends, as Neely
calls them - got a chance
to chat with the chef and
enjoy a breakfast menu
compiled of recipes from
"Back Home with The
Neelys: Comfort Food
from Our Southern
Kitchen to Yours," a cook
book penned by Neely and
his wife, Gina.
"Friends are going to
get somewhat of the same
down home flair of good
southern, savory comfort
food, but they are also
going to get some incredi
ble stories about the histo
ry of Pat and Gina when
they were first introduced
to the kitchen," Neely
promised.
The Neelys book
includes classic recipes
that have been passed
down through generations,
including strawberry jam,
crunchy fried okra,
Brunswick stew, chocolate
cake and skillet cornbread.
The Sweet Potatoes
staff used the book to make
the food for the breakfast
event - a fundraiser for
Bookmarks
"It is always good to <
meet other people who do
what we do and do it well -
successfully," said Sweet
Potatoes co-owner Vivian
Joiner. "He seems like a
really nice guy, down to
earth and most importantly
he enjoys food. It is a real
treat to have him come in."
The Neelys host a pop
ular show on The Food
Network, "Down Home
with the Neelys," and have
released several other
cookbooks, including
"Down Home with the
Neelys: A Southern Family
Cookbook" and "The
Neelys' Celebration
Cookbook: Down Home
Meals for Every
Occasion." The couple
recently opened their first
restaurant in Manhattan.
Miguel Langford, a fre
quent Sweet Potatoes
diner, said he came across
the event online and
researched Neely.
"He brought me back
home," Langford said of
Nelly's recipes. "I was
raised by my grandmother,
and once I saw the title
'Down Home," that was all
I needed to hear. I really
enjoyed myself and it is a
good feeling to think about
my grandmother and this
food."
Neely Has recently
signed with North
Carolina-based Family
Dollar to help the company
launch a line of quality
food products. He said he
doesn't know exactly what
else the future holds for
him and Gina, but is sure it
will be food-related.
"This industry is
always changing, so you
have no idea where you are
going to be," he said. "1 do
know that I want to be
encouraging to others andv
K
bring something that is
fun, exciting, knowledge
able, supportive and cre
ative to the audience. We
are going to continue to
work hard, be positive role
models, be encouraging
and supportive, hopefully
opening doors for others." ,
The day before the ,
breakfast, Neely was the <
subject of a public Q&A at
the Arts Council Theatre, i
Also last Thursday, he i
signed copies of the new
book during the Twin City |
Rib Fest. Proceeds from
his appearances will help <
Bookmarks hold its annual t
Festival of Books and other i
local programs. i
"It is wonderful to have
him here. It is exciting for j
us for a lot of reasons t
because we are so interest- \
ed in connecting authors
with readers," said Ginger
Hendricks, executive
director at Bookmarks.
"That is our mission. It is
wonderful for us to bring
someone, first, of his
stature, but someone who
can show how literature
and writing is related to
culinary arts."
Photos by Chanel Davis
Pat Neely chats with fans
last Thursday morning at
Sweet Potatoes.
Left: Pat Neely poses
with Sweet Potatoes own
ers Vivian Joiner (left)
and Stephanie Tyson.
Boone remembered
as advocate for
the black press
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
Raymond "Ray"
Boone, the venerable and
dapper founding editor and
publisher of the Richmond
Free Press, was laid to rest
Tuesday in Chesterfield
County, Va.
Boone died Tuesday,
June 3 after a battle with
pancreatic cancer. He was
76.
A military veteran,
Boone was a journalist for
more than 60 years. He
spent some of that time as
a White House correspon
dent. Boone saw himself as
continuation of the legacy
of his journalistic hero,
John Mitchell Jr., the
"fighting editor" of the
Richmond Planet who car
ried pistols and dared
white supremacists to
lynch him for writing
about the injustices of his
day.
A true believer in the
First Amendment and the
U.S. Constitution, Boone
vigorously championed
democratic values, with an
emphasis on justice and
equality for all, never for
getting the harsh segrega
tion he dealt with growing
up in his native Suffolk.
As one of his admirers
put it, "he was the undis
puted, undefeated heavy
weight champion of jour
lalistic pugilism." And he
was active at the Free Press
until the very end.
"He knew what was
going on," said his daugh
er, Regina H. Boone. "He
was talking about what the
headlines should be for the
May 29 edition."
Boone built the news
paper into one of the
largest weekly newspapers
in the state and strived for
lively reporting and strong
opinions. He was involved
in a variety of crusades. He
named his longest running
campaign "Vote with your
dollars," to encourage
readers to use their spend
ing power to reward com
panies that catered to them
and to punish those that
didn't.
He also sought to
brighten the city during the
winter with his "Love
Lights" campaign. Boone
also pushed, poked and
prodded governors, legisla
tors, mayors and council
members to do more busi
ness with Black-owned
and minority firms.
Boone also leaves
behind his wife of 47
years, Jean Patterson
Boone; his son, Raymond
H. Boone Jr.; grandson,
Raymond H. Boone III;
and a host of other family
members and friends.
Boone
The Chronicle (USPS 067-910) was established by Ernest
H. Pitt and Ndubisi Egemonye in 1974 and is published
every Thursday by Winston-Salem Chronicle Publishing
Co. Inc., 617 N. Liberty Street, Winston-Salem, N.C.
27101. Periodicals postage paid at Winston-Salem, N.C.
Annual subscription price is $30.72.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
The Chronicle, P.O. Box 1636
Winston-Salem, NC 27102-1636
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