How chicken sausage links became a centerpiece to South L.A.’s black food culture. Story by g_sny.
Shortly after the griddle is flipped on at Mama’s Chicken in Hyde Park, the day’s parade of customers starts to trickle in. Pickup orders are called out from a worn formica counter in back: biscuit sandwiches, hot cakes, wings, cheeseburgers, tacos, red beans and rice.
Unsung as it may be, chicken sausage plays an indispensable role in the city’s African American food culture, quietly popping up in soul food, barbecue and Cajun-Creole cuisine. Among a generation of black Angelenos, chicken sausage isn’t just a mild-mannered substitute for pork, it’s a nostalgic comfort food that smacks distinctly of home.
“Our family has used Pete’s since before I was born, before the restaurant was even open, I believe,” says third-generation owner Ryan Legaux. Sliced into the bubbling vats of gumbo and jambalaya, the peppery links have long been a headliner among the restaurant’s time-capsule repertoire. According to Darryl Holmes’ goddaughter Jennifer Sanderson, sometime around 1980 there were two neighboring families, the Holmeses and the Hookses , who sold sausage out of their Crenshaw homes. Darryl Holmes was originally from Texas. He served in the Army before moving to L.A. and while stationed in Germany met his wife, Pia.
Why has the bird remained on top? Several owners spoke to a loyalty toward chicken sausage’s particular texture and flavor. “Throw them on the grill and, boom,
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