On WakeMed Raleigh Campus, every other Thursday, the delicious smell of BBQ permeates the first floor. It’s then that you know Hazel has been busy at work making her (almost) famous BBQ chicken and ribs.
I was asked by our Chief Operating Officer Tom Gettinger and Director of Food and Nutrition Services Jessica Marchand to find out the secret to Hazel’s scrumptious chicken. I am pleased to report that she would share a little information with us but refused to divulge the secret ingredients.
I learned her BBQ chicken recipe has been adapted from her grandmother Viola Langston, who hailed from the Johnston County area. After wooing the Café 3000 staff, Hazel began serving her BBQ chicken to patients and visitors about seven years ago. Her new-found notoriety, however, only came after the yummy chicken was branded Hazel’s BBQ chicken.
Every other Thursday, which is also payday for our 8,500 employees, Hazel goes to work mixing vinegar, ketchup and other ingredients to create a tangy, sweet sauce, marinating chicken and then cooking it to fall-off-the-bone doneness. If you are lucky enough to get one of the 400 to 500 pieces served during just one lunch service, you know why Hazel is a shooting star of Café 3000.
Maybe if we are lucky, one day Hazel will share the recipe with us.
Until then, mark your calendars because tomorrow is BBQ chicken day in the cafeteria.
You must be logged in to post a comment.