North Carolina Chef Ricky Moore Brings The Community Together With A Picnic On Juneteenth

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.

The Event

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, 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.

Take the green seasoning in the recipe: Moore likens it to the “holy trinity” of Cajun cooking—onion, celery, and bell pepper. Although its formula varies across the Caribbean, green seasoning is generally composed of onion, peppers, scallions, garlic, and chadon beni—an herb related to cilantro that is often sold as culantro and has a bold citrus flavor. If you’re not up for all that chopping, he says Walkerswood (a Jamaican food brand) makes a good store-bought alternative.

The Participants

Alongside his own cooking, the roster of talented chefs bring their own tastes to the picnic. Moore considers it one way to pay his success forward. “There’s enough room for everyone to be recognized,” he says, calling himself a cheerleader for the local culinary up-and-comers.

The 2024 Durmnik lineup also featured Sweet-and-Sour Watermelon Salad from Sera Cuni of The Root Cellar Cafe & Catering in Chapel Hill and Cafe Root Cellar in Pittsboro. This refreshing combo calls for cubes of melon and the pickled rind.

To wash it all down, Adrian Lindsay of Missy Lane’s Assembly Room in Durham mixed up the spirit-free cocktail A Mockery, which is infused with hibiscus tea, cherry juice, and sage. The hibiscus lends it a holiday hue, as red drinks are an important symbol of Juneteenth, tied to West African beverages made from this flower or kola nuts.

Moore hopes to continue to grow the event each year and include more people. But at the end of the day, he says, “If I’m able to have a platform to showcase folks and everybody gets a win, that’s super fulfilling for me.”