Soul Food Archives - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog

K’Lynn’s Cuisine – Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Gil Garduno — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 23:29:05 +0000

Before permanent signage was mounted, a tethered banner in front of K’Lynn’s Southern & Cajun Fusion in Rio Rancho listed a few of the delicious treasures available in the tiny restaurant: “catfish, BBQ, gumbo, po boys, jerk chicken, carne adovada fries & more!” Yeah, we did a double-take, too. One of those items just seemed a bit out-of-place? If you’re thinking “carne adovada fries” don’t belong on the list because they’re not Soul food, you’d be wrong. Carne adovada fries definitely belong on the list. So does jerk chicken which, by most conventional definitions, isn’t soul food either. The one item we thought to be out-of-place was “& more.” I mean what more could you possibly want listed on the…

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Sugar Jam – Scottsdale, Arizona

Gil Garduno — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 06:01:25 +0000

I often describe my youth in rural, agrarian Peñasco as “bumpkinly naïveté.” I may have been book smart (and insolent) enough to intimidate some of my teachers, but insofar as experiential smarts, I was one pretty sheltered guy. The very first black people I ever saw up close were Drew and Shane Roebuck, gazelle-quick running backs for Menaul High School. I wanted to kill them…not because they were black, but because I couldn’t catch them. You see, I had a reputation as a fierce tackler. It didn’t matter the race, ethnicity, religious affiliation or favorite breakfast cereal, I wanted to tackle everyone in a uniform that didn’t have Peñasco’s blue and gold. In basic military training for the Air…

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Frank’s Famous Chicken & Waffles – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno — Sat, 01 Jul 2023 23:30:22 +0000

If one measure of success is having the wherewithal to pursue those things you love most, Frank Willis has led a very successful life. A towering skyscraper of a man, Frank has had four great loves in his life: family, basketball, music and chicken and waffles. They’ve been his passions and his raisons d’être. Maybe that’s why he’s done them all well. You might remember Frank Willis as a heavily coveted recruit who played basketball for the University of New Mexico Lobos, then the only game in town. At 6’8” and 260 pounds, he was a physical presence down on the post, helping the Lobos win the Western Athletic Conference championship in 1994. Knee injuries kept him from achieving the…

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