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I have recently come across some amazing recordings that I believed were lost to time. But I did a little research and uncovered these amazing treasures. I reached out to author Lolis Elie, and he directed me to the Southern Foodways Alliance. He had donated all of the cassettes to them. There is more to come. Listen below as Dad tells Lolis Elie and Frank Stewart a little about his beginnings in BBQ.
— Michael Quessenberry
Interview with Jim Quessenberry by Lolis Elie and Frank Stewart:
Lolis Elie [00:00:01]: Well, how did you get into this barbecue business? And you can go back before the sauces themselves — the sauce and rub.
Jim Quessenberry [00:00:10]: It’s been basically a hobby all my life, and…
Jim Quessenberry [00:00:16]: Actually, BBQ has been a big part of…
Jim Quessenberry [00:00:21]: Most of our family celebrations — be it Easter,
Jim Quessenberry [00:00:28]: Fourth of July, all your three day weekends, like Labor Day, and Memorial Day, and that type of thing, you know?
Jim Quessenberry [00:00:37]: Even Christmas.
Jim Quessenberry [00:00:39]: Somebody’s always barbecuing something. My brother-in-law over here, he always prided himself on doing a wild goose. I think it’s wild — maybe domestic — he always does a goose for Christmas. And I’m always doing something for Christmas, a big fresh ham or something.
Lolis Elie [00:00:56]: You say fresh ham — you mean green or like…
Jim Quessenberry [00:00:59]: Yeah, green ham. I didn’t know you knew what a green ham was, man. Where you been learning all this shit?
Lolis Elie [00:01:04]: I used to read Green Eggs and Ham, man.
Jim Quessenberry [00:01:04]: laughs
Frank Stewart [00:01:05]: He’s a smart boy.
Jim Quessenberry [00:01:06]: Yeah he is.
Jim Quessenberry [00:01:13]: You’d be surprised how many people don’t know what green meat is.
Lolis Elie [00:01:17]: Oh no, we… the people at Craig’s in De Valls Bluff.
Jim Quessenberry [00:01:21]: Yeah.
Lolis Elie [00:01:21]: I was trying to figure out if they were doing green or slightly smoked, so I got the terminology. But I can tell you where I got it from. The guy at Cozy Corner, Ray Robinson — when you go talk to him, tell him you know us. In fact, we told him we came here to see you.
Jim Quessenberry [00:01:34]: Yeah.
Lolis Elie [00:01:34]: We told him about you.
Jim Quessenberry [00:01:36]: Yeah, I want to meet him.
Lolis Elie [00:01:37]: Also, he has a totally different style from everybody else. If we even talk about food… half the time it’s not about barbecue. It’s one of our stop-off points. If we finish doing Memphis in May, we will crash there for a minute.
Jim Quessenberry [00:01:51]: Yeah, I’m gonna check him out, but I need me a new place to stop.
Frank Stewart [00:01:54]: Oh yeah. He’s efficient. He closes at 7.
Jim Quessenberry [00:01:54]: Oh really?
Lolis Elie [00:02:02]: Yeah.
Jim Quessenberry [00:02:02]: Independent type dude. That’s what I like.
Frank Stewart [00:02:03]: Opens promptly at 10, and closes promptly at 7.
Jim Quessenberry [00:02:03]: That’s great!
Frank Stewart [00:02:03]: He is not open on Sunday and Monday.
Lolis Elie [00:02:03]: Right.
