CROSS POLLINATION: Don Curry
Southern Pitch Food Truck
Don Curry, one-time owner of the Negro a League Cafe, has transitioned
from a storefront in Bronzeville to being mobile—he now owns the Southern
Pitch Fork Food truck.
The first time I met Don, I told him I’d heard of his establishment because I
saw Common’s video, “The Corner.” He laughed and told me how Common
and Kanye West filmed that video directly in front of the Negro League
Cafe. He said they basically shut the entire street down, and his employees
were calling him saying, “Man, nobody is ordering food today; we aren’t
getting any business because of this video.” But after the video, Kanye West
and Common came in and pretty much took care of a few days’ worth of
business. I brought that up again when I saw him. We shared a laugh.
Man, your van looks great. Who did your paint job?
DON: It’s called a wrap. It’s the same thing the rappers do to their cars in
videos. Most food truck owners just pull up in an all-white truck; I wanted to
set myself apart from the competition.
I see you stuck with the Negro League theme. Why soul food, and
what’s the best thing on the menu?
DON: Yeah, it’s working for us. Chicagoans love baseball, and they love
food. I interviewed a lot of Negro League Baseball players and asked them
what they ate while they were on the road, and they said they ate soul
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