“I’ve messed up a lot of meat to get where I am. I cooked 30 slabs of ribs Saturday. They were gone in a couple of hours. I also cook chicken and turkey legs. It’s a great feeling when people smile and say, ‘man it’s good.’

This started about twelve years ago when I was cooking with friends on Thursdays. I pursued it,  inviting folks over when I cooked. Asking them what they thought and which seasoning they liked. Rogers’  Smoke Shack grew from there. But my main job is driving a truck. I would love to drive during the week and have a little restaurant in Yazoo City on the weekends.

My mom and dad were givers. People came late at night to our house in the country, saying they were hungry. Dad didn’t give them money, but he fed them. My parents showed me that helping others is a blessing. Losing them was one of the hardest things I’ve been through. Mom died in 2007. Dad died in 2014. I felt lost without them.  But my wife told me, ‘You’ve got a son, a daughter, and a wife. We’re here for you.’

I also have my neighbors; I’m feeding them tonight. The lady at the end of our street is eighty-three–she’s like my mom. I feed her every time I cook. My 11-year-old son checks on her, and they pray together. My neighborhood became my family.”

Davis