Sushi Chef on a Roll Spinnin' a Dusty Groove What's Going on at Marvin

MUSIC Black classics at the Dusty Groove Want Evelyn “Champagne” King’s only — from a back-alley office on 53rd soul music, we originally only carried upbeat “Smooth Talk” recording? How Street.” Hyde Park is on Chicago’s South older work, but have since gone on to about Willie West & The High Society Side and was once the home of President carry a huge amount of neo-soul artists Bros.’ funky, laid-back “Lesson of Barack Obama. The brick-and-mortar – whose work we find as exciting as that Love”? Well, good luck finding these version of the Dusty Groove opened in of Marvin Gaye, Roy Ayers and other musical gems online. iTunes can’t 2001 at 1120 N. Ashland Ave., which is in a favorites from the ’70s,” says Wojcik. help you. Nor can Rhapsody. In fact, largely black area of Chicago. It’s easy to see why Dusty Groove’s aficionados of the soulful sound of The main musical focus at the customer base is very African-American. yesterday’s black recording artists must Dusty Groove is the black recording On why the store caters to this market, often times feel as if they have an itch artist, performing solo or in groups, Wojcik explains. “… Our energy for the that can’t be scratched. who has set the standards in jazz, funk, business came out of years of working Sushi chef on a roll at WHPK, a station in Chicago that’s got a wonderful reputation for community Spinnin’ a Dusty Groove building on the south side.” Wojcik was a DJ on the station who learned What’s going on at Marvin about African-American artists from the older DJs, and from the listeners, who were always very vocal about what they The Coretta Scott King Awards wanted. Shayla Wilson on her high horse African-American cuisine Evelyn King Willie West For years, Dusty Groove’s website (www.dustygroove.com) generated 90 Dusty Groove in Chicago is the go-to source for classics from black recording artists of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. percent to 95 percent of its business. But the Chicago store now generates 20 But fans of King’s 1977 release, soul, Latin and hip-hop – mostly from percent of its sales. Willie West et. al’s 2010 track and other the ’60s through the ’80s. But more Wojcik is optimistic about Dusty R&B/funk/soul recordings do have a genres are being added; for example, Groove’s outlook. “Despite the rise of source for music that can be difficult to the store is a huge retailer of Brazilian file sharing and online music, there’s acquire on CD and vinyl. Yes, vinyl. music because some customers were still no real replacement for a physical Turns out independent record very vocal about buying newer work. “In format — the heft and sound quality stores aren’t dead. A few are still in of a well-made vinyl pressing, or the brick-and-mortar form and some are attention to detail and amount of music strictly Internet enterprises. And then you can get from a great CD package, there are retailers like Dusty Groove too. And I’d say that in the past year, America, which has a physical presence we’ve probably grown more than ever as well as a virtual one and sells new before. ... We’ve even started selling and used releases that are largely from 78s — those old, super-heavy, 10-inch African-American artists. singles that predate 45s. ... But our fate “Dusty Groove originated on the is always in the hands of the customers Web,” says owner Rick Wojcik. “We and we pay great attention to their wants started out in 1996, in the Hyde Park The store specializes in vinyl records and tunes and needs. If we didn’t, we’d never have neighborhood, running the store online you won’t find on other Internet sites. survived this long ...” Cover photos: Top, sushi is a passion for African-American chef Maria Baggett; center, vinyl isn’t dead at the Dusty Groove; bottom This publication brought to you by: right, shrimp and grits is an icon for African-American Lowland cooking; “Serenity” by Aileen Ishmael. Unity is a celebration of food, art and culture. Published six times per year, Unity is exclusively distributed to clients of Thompson Hospitality and Compass Group, both world leaders in foodservice. To contact us, send an e-mail to [email protected]. © 2010 Thompson Hospitality and Compass Group. Produced by Philatás, www.philatas.com. EDITION NO. 50 AFRICAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE www.thompsonhospitality.com scholarships. Wilson enrolled in Smoked Duck Maki the highest-level training program Yield: 4 sushi rolls (24 pieces) available at Intermont and earned a key spot on the dressage team, which 4 4-inch-by-7 inch pieces of nori is sanctioned by the Intercollegiate 1 ½ cup prepared sushi rice Dressage Association. 6 ounces smoked duck, cooled to IDA aims to introduce students room temperature to the equestrian discipline of 8 3 1/3 inch slivers of red bell pepper dressage, one of three Olympic 4 large fresh basil leaves equestrian disciplines defined as precise maneuvers of a trained horse Cut smoked duck into 4 portions. in response to slight movements Cut each portion into thin strips and set from the rider. Once again, Wilson aside. was the first African-American on Place nori, rough side facing the team, studying under world-class upward, horizontally on a bamboo trainers and specializing in stadium Maria Baggett found her niche as a sushi chef through her first love — Southern cooking. rolling mat. (The slats of the rolling mat jumping and dressage disciplines. should be aligned horizontally.) Spread She graduated with honors in 2008. This sushi chef is on a roll about 1/2 cup of prepared sushi across Her aforementioned drive and the nori, leaving the top 1/3 of the nori determination led to championships in If Maria Baggett were not a sushi chef, she would, she says, be a horticulturist uncovered. Tear one basil leaf into 4 Making great strides major classes at nationally recognized specializing in succulents, a novelist, a linguist fluent in at least five languages thin pieces. horse shows. For instance, Wilson has or perhaps a comedian. The wide range of her interests is as vast as her culinary Lay pieces horizontally, end to Equestrianism has a long and illustrious history, dating back to the Bronze competed at Horse Shows in the Sun abilities, but fortunately for the sushi aficionados in her hometown of Memphis, she end in the center of the sushi rice. Place Age, and as author Mary Midkiff writes in her book, “She Flies Without Wings: at Ocala, a seven-week event offering is indeed a sushi chef. 2 strips of red bell pepper horizontally, How Horses Touch a Woman’s Soul,” women and horses have always been drawn different types of competitions and a Baggett got her start at The Chocolate Giraffe, the Mississippi restaurant end to end on top of the basil leaves. to each other. nationally qualifying show. She was and catering company she opened when she was a mere 22 years old, and later Lay duck strips horizontally, end to end Modern-day equestrian Shayla Wilson continues to garner distinctions in awarded two reserve champions for the expanded to The Chocolate Giraffe Coffeehouse. Her specialty then was Southern on top of the red bell pepper slivers. this sport — one that doesn’t typically see women rising to its top. This comes timed divisions. cuisine infused with global accents. A customer’s request despite the fact that, as Midkiff reminds us, Her latest endeavor? “I have for a sushi dinner party piqued her interest in the art form more than 1 million girls and women are Olympic dreams,” she says. “I always and she added it to her restaurant’s menu. involved in horse-related activities in the have different mentors and trainers who Later, she closed her restaurants in hopes of U.S. lead me in that direction.” Equestrian becoming a sushi chef and headed to Memphis to work Growing up in Orlando, Fla., Wilson events have been held at the Olympic at Tsunami Restaurant, a move that surrounded her with had a drive and determination that remains Games since the early 1900s, and seafood and Asian fare and solidified her longings of a with her today. She loved horses from equestrian is the only sport event where career in sushi. her girlhood, homing in on television men and women compete together. From Memphis, Baggett headed to The Golden State shows and picture books that featured Wilson has hopes to eventually become to study at the California Sushi Academy as part of the them. As she grew, she studied with an Olympic equestrian athlete. professional sushi chef program, finding inspiration along renowned trainers and owners, facilitating In the meantime, Wilson is the way. “There is inspiration in everything,” she says. her experiences by exercising and working as a head trainer for Compton “The way a candle smells, the colorful pattern in a scarf, Starting at the bottom of the nori, grooming horses at various horses farms Junior Posse, a nonprofit whose the sound of candies shuffled in a dish … I like to think that by keeping my five use bamboo rolling mat to roll the edge and equestrian centers, and working as Shayla Wilson mission is to “keep kids on horses and senses open, I can translate the pleasant things of life into my food.” of the nori over the rice and fillings.

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