<\/p>\n
Akino West, co-founder and chef of Rosie\u2019s, wins competition to open new smokehouse in Overtown.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of KechThis Inc.<\/p>\n
From the minute the smoked rib fell off the bone, Akino West had the People\u2019s Choice Barbecue Cookoff<\/a> in the bag.<\/p>\n West, alongside his partners Raheem Sealey and Mark Wint who own Drinking Pig BBQ<\/a> in Coconut Grove, competed for the chance to run a restaurant out of the historic People\u2019s Bar-B-Q in Overtown, beating out two other challengers. His winning meal was a tribute to the Southern comfort people loved from his dishes at the beloved but shuttered local favorite Rosie\u2019s:<\/a> a smoked short rib served with mac\u2019n\u2019cheese, collard greens and cornbread.<\/p>\n West is hoping to restore the former barbecue spot to its glory days under a new name (tentatively called Black Pit BBQ) and include photos from the restaurant\u2019s heyday and Overtown\u2019s history. For five decades, People\u2019s Bar-B-Q in Overtown served as a cornerstone for Black culture, fellowship and entrepreneurship. It\u2019s now owned by the Southeast Overtown\/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency who will lease the spot.<\/p>\n George \u201cPop\u201d Lewis Sr., the first Black pharmacist in Miami, owned People\u2019s Pharmacy, which eventually became People\u2019s Barbeque, according to the Miami Herald archives<\/a>. The space, which opened in 1962,<\/a> sits at 350 NW Eighth St. in Miami and had been closed until recently for renovations. The Overtown CRA spent more than $1.5 million<\/a> in renovating the space.<\/p>\n RELATED: \u2018One-in-a-million chance.\u2019 How Beyonc\u00e9 helped this Black-owned hotel during COVID<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve heard nothing but great stories about People\u2019s and their barbecue program and what they\u2019ve contributed to the community,\u201d West said. \u201cI\u2019m hoping to bring some of that history back.\u201d<\/p>\n Originally from Riviera Beach, West\u2019s love for cooking came from his grandmother who he would cook with every morning when he visited her in Pahokee, Fla. But cooking in competitions are what drove him to become a chef. Akino ran Copper Door B&B, a bed and breakfast in a historic building in Overtown, opening Rosie\u2019s inside during the pandemic. He later opened Rosie\u2019s in Little River<\/a>, which was named a Bib Gourmand by the 2023 Michelin Guide. The award-winning chef has worked at several Miami restaurants, including as an executive chef for Red Rooster in Overtown.<\/p>\n His dedication to his craft and his competitiveness fueled his zeal for the win at the cookoff. \u201cIm not sitting behind a smoker for the last 36 hours to lose,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n West and his partners haven\u2019t begun negotiations with the CRA yet, but he hopes the restaurant will be open within a year. But his plans are wide: he wants a southern smokehouse that serves breakfast, lunch and an early dinner, caters to those who are also vegetarians and vegans and host events in the space that will drive foot traffic.<\/p>\n West said the win isn\u2019t just about him: It\u2019s about reinforcing Overtown as a food destination, centering the residents who will patronize the eatery and hiring Overtown residents.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really want to bring in people that are going to be serving the community, people that actually know the community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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