A Juneteenth Menu From Chefs Omar Tate, Ben Bynum, and Kurt Evans
Photographs by Mamadi Doumbouya, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Shannon Maldonado1/8Picnic Tomatoes
Chef Omar Tate calls this simple but high-impact dish “picnic tomatoes” because that’s where his mom always served them. She’d slice thick slabs of juicy heirlooms, slather them with mayo and Italian herbs, then line them up on her antique blue glass platter before leaving the house. In transit, the salt would pull out the tomato’s juices which would then mingle with the mayo. The result? A beautiful mess of juice and cream—kind of like a BLT without the bacon.
Photographs by Mamadi Doumbouya, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Shannon Maldonado2/8Honeysuckle Red Drink Punch
Tate draws on his childhood Kool-Aid-making memories and a bit of grown-up kitchen chemistry for his version of the traditional Juneteenth Red Drink, a blend of sugar, citric acid, and powdered dried strawberries and cherries. “It’s a natural version of Kool-Aid,” he says of the tangy-sweet booze-free beverage. “I serve it to my pop-up dinner guests in individual powder packets to stir for themselves as an exercise in destigmatizing Black food traditions.”
Photographs by Mamadi Doumbouya, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Shannon Maldonado3/8Creamy Shrimp on Crackers
Fun fact: Philadelphia cream cheese doesn’t actually come from Philly (it was invented in New York in 1872 and its name came from a marketing strategy meant to piggyback on Philadelphia’s reputation for thriving dairy farms) but it’s still a delicious and highly versatile ingredient. Tate uses it in his shrimp salad instead of the typical mayo for added body and flavor. Hot tip: Poach your shrimp and make your dressing in advance to save time, but don’t mix them until an hour before serving, or the shrimp will get tough.
Photographs by Mamadi Doumbouya, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Shannon Maldonado4/8Ruth’s Lima Beans With Smoked Turkey Tail
Chef Kurt Evans attributes his family recipe for deviled eggs to his mother, Delores, “the queen of the side dish.” At family gatherings, which were always large (he was one of six kids) they went a long way on a budget. Here, eggs are stuffed with a creamy mixture of dijon, mayo, fresh celery, paprika, and sweet relish, which adds texture and contrast. Keep the eggs from rolling around the platter by adding a dollop of filling under each one.
Photographs by Mamadi Doumbouya, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Shannon Maldonado5/8Classic Potato Salad
Potato salad is practically a requirement at all cookouts; the only question is who gets to make it. Here, chef Ben Bynum gives the classic potato-and-mayo combo a “sweet-meets-zingy upgrade” with pickle relish, turmeric, and powdered sugar. Oh, and don’t forget the double mustards: classic yellow for color and dijon for flavor.
Photographs by Mamadi Doumbouya, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Shannon Maldonado6/8Sticky Barbecue Chicken
Photographs by Mamadi Doumbouya, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Shannon Maldonado7/8Beef Hot Links With Chowchow and Gold Sauce
Tate usually makes his sausages from scratch (and always with beef, in accordance with his Islamic faith) but when short on time he endorses store-bought Johnsonville’s beef hot links dressed up with a mustard-based Carolina gold sauce. Garlicky quick-pickled chow chow goes on top for a punchy, crunchy bite and stacks of squishy, untoasted white bread go on the side—a kind of edible plate ideal for soaking up flavor.
Photographs by Mamadi Doumbouya, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Shannon Maldonado8/8Brown Butter Peach Cobbler
No dessert is more essential to a Black summer gathering than cobbler. Bynum packs his full of cut-up yellow Jersey peaches macerated with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The batter is simple—milk, sugar, flour, leavening—but pouring brown butter on the bottom of the casserole dish and adding the batter one ladle at a time creates a ripple effect, which post-bake yields constellations of crunchy caramelized bits.
