Why Barbecue Makes the Ideal Post-Disaster Meal
When the moment calls for comfort food, World Central Kitchen often serves something cooked low and slow. Following severe storms in the southeastern US, several of the restaurant partners who stepped up to prepare meals specialize in barbecue.
WCK teams had a lot of ground to cover as tornadoes touched down in Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas, and Alabama in March, impacting thousands of families. Caleb Cox, who co-owns By the Bridge Bistro & Catering in Greenwood, Mississippi, says that, the moment he got the call from WCK, he put Boston butts in the smoker. The pork shoulder takes 14 hours to reach top tenderness.
Caleb Cox assembles a BBQ plate
“The history of barbecue in the South dates back a long, long time,” Caleb said. So much love and labor goes into a single plate—from the farmer to the processor to the pitmaster who does the actual cooking. “In a moment of tragedy, a hot barbecue sandwich is what people eat here because it brings people together.”
Kaylee Red co-owns the Red’s Rolling Smoke food truck in Amory, Mississippi with her dad Allen. She agrees wholeheartedly: “A lot of people around here, they’re drawn to barbecue. And maybe people who have lost so much, it reminds them of home. It becomes personal when it tastes familiar.”
Red’s Rolling Smoke provided meals to families in Elliott, Mississippi, but Kaylee first met WCK teams in 2023 when a tornado struck her own town. This time, they were proud to be an official partner serving specialties like chicken quarters smoked for as long as 12 hours.
“My favorite part was when I realized we’re doing something bigger than just our immediate community,” she said. “Some people may consider it stressful, but it was really a blessing to be a blessing.”
All around the world, WCK strives to serve communities their own local favorite meals in challenging times, but there are more reasons why barbecue is an ideal meal.
Some people may consider it stressful, but it was really a blessing to be a blessing.
Kaylee Red
Co-owner of Red’s Rolling Smoke
The team at Red’s Rolling Smoke
“A lot of times, traveling to disaster areas, there isn’t a nice kitchen with electricity and gas,” says Mike Johnson, a WCK Chef Corps member and co-founder of Missouri-based Sugarfire Smokehouse. “We have these giant, self-contained smokers that can run on nothing but wood that can hold enough meat for thousands of people at once.”
With the help of his team—Kat, Megan, Miriam, and Montana—Sugarfire provided meals to communities in the greater St. Louis area. Mike has also partnered with our friends at Operation BBQ Relief, whose mission is to harness the healing power of barbecue in communities impacted by disasters. “The smell of the barbecue smoke and the anticipation of a great barbecue meal really puts a smile on a lot of people’s faces for a moment when they’re worried about other things,” Mike said.
(Mike also has his own reason to smile. During one of Sugarfire’s deliveries at a local church, Mike found a trio of puppies nestled in a dumpster in the parking lot. He kept one and named her Josie Andres—a wink at WCK founder José Andrés. The other puppies also found homes with members of the community.)
Chef Corps member Mike Johnson serves meals and meets a new family member
Fellow Missouri WCK Chef Corps member Haley Riley also rallied his team at Salt + Smoke, based in St. Louis. They served dishes like smoked chicken salad with sweet pepper potato salad to families in Rolla, Missouri. As a Chef Corps member, Haley helps WCK get cooking as quickly as possible following crises.
“Professional food service is demanding, fast-paced, and facilitated in highly pressurized environments,” he explained. “Chefs that have evolved in those types of environments thrive in chaos; and that type of personality carries over to crisis and emergency relief situations.”
While Haley helped out in his home state of Missouri, he thinks barbecue can comfort people far beyond the US. “Barbecue is found in many different cultures across the world, and is something that people can relate to and identify with,” he said. “It can also help them recall positive memories that are much needed in situations where the WCK is responding to.”
Chef Corps member Haley Riley of Salt + Smoke
WCK could reach communities across four states so quickly because of its full network of restaurant partners, including the pitmasters and teams behind Bones Backstreet BBQ in Alabama and the Crooked Letter Kitchen food truck in Mississippi.
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