This year, Kingsford launched its Preserve the Pit program, an initiative an initiative celebrating Black barbecue culture and fueling its future. This three-part series sheds light on Kingford’s Preserve the Pit fellows while showcasing the skills of three HBCU filmmakers working behind the scenes to bring the stories of Black barbeque culture to life.
Cory and Tarra Davis are the owners of Daddy Pete’s BBQ in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For nine years, the couple has worked hard to deliver slow-cooked Southern-style smoked barbeque to the tables of families throughout the River City. Daddy Pete’s is a true community restaurant that’s known locally for serving Northerners the taste of true Southern barbeque. But Cory and Tarra have big ambitions and want their food to reach people outside of their local zip code too.
In this episode of Preserve the Pit, you’ll get to know this Michigan couple through the lens of Naomi Merlain—a senior at Howard University. Watch as Cory and Tarra explain what feeds their passion for making succulent, tangy, fall-off-the-bone barbeque, why they want to use their business to build a future for their family and how immersive training and one-on-one mentorship from Kingsford’s Preserve the Pit mentors is helping to make their business aspirations into a reality.
And remember, if you’re ever in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and need some barbeque, Daddy Pete’s BBQ is the place to go. (And don’t forget to tell them Complex sent you.)
