A Festive Gathering

On Juneteenth, North Carolina chef Ricky Moore brings the community together with a picnic

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RICKY MOORE still calls himself a cook, despite being a James Beard Award-winning chef. It's a small detail that says a lot about his humble spirit.

As the owner of Saltbox Seafood Joint in Durham, North Carolina, he's become an evangelist for local seafood and the power of collaboration in the kitchen. It's the latter that inspired his annual Juneteenth celebration, called the Durmnik (Durham picnic) because, as he says, "The idea of Juneteenth is community."

This holiday commemorates the reading of General Order No. 3 on June 19, 1865. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued about two and half years prior, this was when the news of freedom first made it to an estimated 250,000 enslaved people in Texas. From then on, the day became one for celebration, although it wasn't established as an official holiday across the United States until 2021.

Moore's Durmnik gathering highlights several North Carolina chefs, and each prepares a dish to contribute to the event's to-go lunch boxes. Offerings include flavors from around the world, which is by design. "When you have a picnic, get-together, or party, you've got a bunch of [different] people bringing something to the table," he says.

Last year, Moore made his Trini-Style "Soused" North Carolina Shrimp, Cucumber, Corn, and Peppers (recipe, page 18), which he describes as the "great-grandmama of pickled shrimp." Served ice-cold, it's ideal on a hot, humid summer day.

The term "soused" refers to marinating an ingredient in a pickling liquid, like these shrimp dressed in a seasoned lime juice brine. It's also a nod to Caribbean souse, a cold dish made with pigs' feet.

Moore says you either love souse or you don't, but he adds that it shouldn't rattle Southerners. "How many times do you go into a corner store [in the South] and see pickled pigs' feet?" he asks, drawing on the connection between the African diaspora and Southern foodways.