Gene “Geno” Lee, proprietor of the Big Apple Inn, in Jackson, Miss., is a fourth generation Farish Street restaurateur, famous for pig ear sandwiches and smoked sausage sandwiches.
The famous delicacies recently garnered Lee and the restaurant some notable recognition. The Big Apple Inn received the Southern Foodways Alliance’s (SFA) 2009 Ruth Fertel Keeper of the Flame Award.
SFA is a food society which documents, studies, and celebrates the diverse food cultures of the changing American South. SFA is based on the campus of the University of Mississippi (UM) at Oxford in its Center for Southern Culture.
Lee and his wife were invited to the twelfth Southern Foodways Symposium Oct. 30 – Nov. 1, on the UM’s campus. It was at the symposium that the Alliance announced that he was their 2009 Ruth Fertel Keeper of the Flame Award recipient.
“The Ruth Fertel Keeper of the Flame Award, presented by the Southern Foodways Alliance at the University of Mississippi, underwritten by the Ferte Foundation, honors the unsung heros and heroines of Southern food culture, those who, by way of hard work, committment to community, and longevity, showcase the importance of traditional foodways,” said John T. Edge, SFA director. “For 2009, the SFA focused on the interdependency of food and music. The story of the Big Apple Inn showcases that relationship.”
“Oh, it was a magnificent event,” Lee told The Mississippi Link Wednesday at his establishment in Jackson’s downtown historic Farish Street District.
“It was so many people there from all over the country: top chefs, food networks, food critics, you name it,” Lee said. Lee said they and all the attendees of the symposium were treated well that weekend. “They even loaded us on eight or nine buses and took us down to the famous Taylor Grocery in Taylor, Miss.” he said. Taylor Grocery is nationally renown for its fried cat fish.
Lee’s award included a large plaque and short film documentary on his business called “Smokes & Ears” by Joe York. The documentary can be viewed at www.vimeo.com Type in “Smokes and Ears.”
This is how the filmmaker describes the documentary:
“Smokes & Ears tells the story of the Big Apple Inn in Jackson, Miss. Known as “Big John’s” by its faithful customers, the Big Apple Inn’s defining duo of pig ear sandwiches and hot smoked sausage sandwiches (known as “smokes”) has kept folks coming back again and again for over 70 years, and counting.”
It features such notable customers as blues great Bobby Rush, civil rights activist and radio station owner Charles Evers and others talking about their love for the smokes and ears.
Lee’s great-grandfather, Juan Mora, founded the popular spot in 1939, and his family has always been connected with the blues on Farish Street.
According to posted information, Lee’s father and Sonny Boy Williamson were fishing buddies.
For more information on SFA, log on to its website at www.southernfoodways.com You will find Lee listed under its Hall of Fame link.
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