Horn Barbecue, the popular restaurant at 2534 Mandela Parkway in Oakland, suffered the double-tragedy of vandalism and fire just days before Thanksgiving 2023. But Matt Horn is recognized as one of America's best chefs and with and his wife Nina Horn, and friends and supporters, he's plotting a comeback course for 2024.
OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- On Sunday of Thanksgiving Week 2023, popular West Oakland restaurant Horn Barbecue was the target of vandalism, with both the building at 2534 Mandela Pkwy and delivery truck "tagged" with graffiti. Then, to add a damaging insult to the cosmetic injury, the Horn Barbecue eatery was set on fire. Horn Barbecue had just celebrated its third anniversary.
"This breaks my heart. It really does. It's tough," said Horn to KGO Channel 7. "I hear a lot of people say, well, 'Welcome to Oakland. This is Oakland.' No business owner should have to deal with their business and having their property destroyed," said Horn. But the good news is that the building was not destroyed and the outside structure is still intact. Horn Barbecue is deep in planning a dramatic comeback in 2024. But, what's building the gantry toward the return of Horn Barbecue, is Matt Horn's talent and celebrity.
Matt Horn Recognized As One of The Best Chefs In America
"Within the heart of every tragedy lies the seed of triumph. Let every word spoken in doubt be overshadowed by the boldness of my next step." - Matt Horn.
Initially selling his special brand of barbecue at pop-ups, Matt Horn, with his wife Nina by his side, and a dedicated team of staff and many friends, has emerged to be seen as one of the best chefs in America. InKind writes, " You can't have a conversation about barbecue without talking about Matt Horn. Horn is a self-taught pitmaster, who has changed the landscape of barbecue in America. It's not an easy feat, especially considering the deep history and tradition of barbecue in cities like Memphis, Kansas City and Austin. But through combining techniques commonly found in Central Texas barbecue with elements from foodways of the Black South, Horn has created his own unique style, referred to as "West Coast barbecue". He views this new barbecue style as a way to bring a national spotlight to Black food and culture, and to honor previous Black pitmasters."
Matt Horn has been recognized as one of Food and Wine's Best New Chefs. In 2021 Horn Barbecue won a Michelin Bib Gourmand and was a James Beard Award finalist for Best New Restaurant. Chef Horn is a YETI Chef Ambassador and Chef Partner for MadeIn Cookware.
In praising Matt Horn, MadeIn Cookware, which has a nationwide commercial featuring Chef Horn and other greats from around America, said "It has been a pleasure to work with Chef Matt in designing our sheet pans, which are used as serving trays for Horn Barbeque. Chef Matt's dedication and commitment to his craft and the Oakland community have been an inspiration, and we couldn't be happier to have him on our team."
MadeIn Cookware even invested in the Horn Barbecue Initiative in 2020. Then, the cookware maker said "Made In cookware has teamed up with Matt Horn and his Horn COVID-19 Initiative. Together we've developed the Made In Sheet Pan, which will be used to benefit Chef Matt's COVID-19 relief efforts and will be used in his Texas-inspired barbeque restaurant in Oakland, CA when it opens."
As YETI Chef Ambassador, Slone Brown tells a story that has a perfect application to where Horn Barbecue is today. Brown tells the story of a hunt that Matt Horn went out with other members of the YETI Crew, for "cowboy camping and pig hunting", and reports the following:
"Arriving back at camp I notice Matt's much more confident handling his mule. While having lunch and throwing ropes, we get to talking about the ride. "I'll be honest," Matt says, "I know I held everybody up when I stopped, but at that moment on the ledge, I really had to overcome my fear. I felt powerless but knew I was going to have to do it. My heart was racing. Then I took a deep breath, trusted, and did it," he says, picking up a rope to try his hand with the roping dummy. "I truly almost got off and walked back to camp." "But you didn't," says pro-surfer Chris Malloy in a proud fatherly way. "You put your head down and did it."
Matt Horn's putting his head down and doing the rise of Horn Barbecue.
All of these awards and efforts, and others, have catapulted Matt Horn to a lofty status as one of America's best chefs, and a West Oakland legend bringing good news to his city, Oakland, California. Horn Barbecue will rise again in 2024.
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Zenophon Abraham, Zennie62Media, Inc., 1 5105177565, [email protected], https://ZENNIE62MEDIA.com
SOURCE Zennie62Media, Inc.
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