Wisconsin Chef Turns Job Loss into Pop-Up BBQ During Pandemic

A man in Racine, Wisconsin, did not let the coronavirus shutdown stop him from making his career goals a reality.

When Chef Emerson Holliday found himself without a job due to the pandemic, he applied for unemployment checks like so many others, according to the Journal Times.

For several years, the Gateway Technical College-trained chef put off opening his own restaurant with the excuse that it was too expensive and too risky.

However, when the pandemic hit, Holliday ran out of excuses and realized he had the free time to make his dream come true.

“When everything shut down, I just had to do something,” he recalled, adding that he had two choices.

“I could just sit around and play video games, or I could invest it into what I’ve always wanted to do,” Holliday continued.

In May, he opened a pop-up restaurant called Dragon Pit BBQ that served barbecue standards such as gumbo, pulled pork sandwiches, smothered fries, and also vegan options.

“Holliday also sells Big Em’s Paradise Powder, a mixture of South American and West African spices inspired by Holliday’s father,” the article noted.

Wednesday on Facebook, the chef shared a photo of himself doing what he loved most:

Holliday bought his smoker online and hauled it around town with his SUV to serve customers.

“It’s honestly some of the best food I’ve had and we’re lucky to have this in our area. Top-notch all around and spending money here is supporting great people behind the food,” one reviewer wrote on Dragon Pit BBQ’s Facebook page.

The chef said Racine was the perfect place to start his business because “there’s a diverse palate here … a melting pot of flavors … we understand this home-cooked food idea,” adding that he hoped someday to open a permanent space for the restaurant.