In 1492, on Columbus's first trip to modern day Cuba, he encountered many things, including the Taino people and one particular pleasure:

Barbecue.

"Columbus's crew witnessed these indigenous people cooking hundreds of pounds of fish over the indirect heat of embers," writes Dr. Mark Johnson in An Irresistible History of Alabama Barbecue.

Then, "the entire community gathered, seemingly without regard for social status or wealth, for the feast."

The experience has continued for centuries, making barbecue a cultural and culinary powerhouse across the South.

Including right here, in St. Elmo.

On Dec. 4, please join us for a fabulous evening of barbecue history, stories and conversation.

Food as a Verb is proud to present Dr. Mark Johnson — food historian, author and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga professor — in our ongoing Little Coyote Speaker Series.

On Thursday, Dec. 4, Dr. Johnson will join Chef Erik Niel to speak on the history, impact and beloved power of Southern barbecue.

The evening is called "Real Smoke: a Brief History of Barbecue."

Tickets can be found here.

"I refer to barbecue as a food, a cooking technique and a social event," Dr. Johnson writes in his An Irresistible History of Alabama Barbecue, which details a treasure of stories — political, racial, cultural — on barbecue's impact.

He's got all the qualities of a favorite professor: good stories, a true thoughtfulness and an engaging curiosity that's contagious.

The event begins at 4.30 pm, with Dr. Johnson's opening talk at 5 pm and a Q+A to follow. Little Coyote servers will offer a full menu.

The author of the forthcoming American Bacon: the History of a Food Phenomenon will give an opening lecture, then we'll shift to a discussion with Chef Niel, whose Little Coyote was recently named a Bib Gourmand from Michelin Guide.

Members of The Table received special, early access last week, so tickets — found here — are limited.

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• Society of Work has spaces available. Come join us; Food as a Verb has had an office at the North Shore co-working space for more than a year.  

We love it.

"Whether you need a focused place to work, a private office or a conference room for the day, Society of Work has got you covered," Mary Stargell, co-owner, told us.

Society of Work offers private and open-space offices at The Edney Innovation Center — including offices with windows — and Somer Station on the North Shore. There are openings for one, teams or 2-3 or teams of 3-4 people.

Email hello@societyofwork.com for more info.

"If you've been thinking about expanding into a new office, waiting for a window office or have a friend who you're ready to share space with, we've got move-in ready office space for you!" Mary said.

• Finally, a warm welcome to Liz Simmons, the new executive director at Crabtree Farms.

"Our roots run deep," she said in a press release, "and our mission remains clear: to expand access to locally grown food, provide farm based education and cultivate community."

A good friend spoke quite highly of Liz. Crabtree, our city's largest urban farm, has the potential to become a 21st century leader in helping Chattanooga understand the impact of local food.

Recently, the Farm has seemed unsteady, if not confused or inconsistent. Crabtree has the power to shape, influence and feed both policy and people in profound ways.

We wish Liz a sturdy and strong leadership season and Crabtree the very best.

Story ideas, questions, feedback? Interested in partnering with us? Email: david@foodasaverb.com

This story is 100% human generated; no AI chatbot was used in the creation of this content.

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