#109 - Johnny Ray Zone

Los Angeles. A city of food, culture, diversity. So many foods are represented here. I traveled most recently to eat at the LA Food Bowl. While I was there I went to a small plaza in China Town to eat hot chicken.

If you haven’t heard of Howlin’ Ray’s, it is a mecca for Nashville style hot chicken. The owner, Johnny Ray Zone didn’t just open a chicken place out of nowhere. He went to Prince’s, Boltons and many of the other spots in Tennessee to learn. In the same way that Texas Barbecue is traveling the globe, he transplanted Nashville into California. I watch a lot of food trends and I can say that hot chicken is going to grow as fast as BBQ.

I think we live in a time where people are afraid of copying. We live in a time where cultures are defensive and we all need to be more open minded. When someone like Johnny brings a food to a new place it is an homage to the originals. The same way people in LA are creating Texas BBQ at a level you can find in Texas.

Intention and authenticity are important to me and Johnny Ray is someone to watch if you want to see great intentions. He puts his staff above himself in many ways which is dead on with some of my favorite BBQ joints. It’s not just about good food, it’s about the place, the experience, the staff. There’s not many people that love their staff as much as Johnny.

There’s a reason that people wait, just like in BBQ, for hours in a line at Howlin’ Ray’s. It’s been on my list for years to go. When I sat down at the bar my heart was beating. They saw I liked my Hot sando so they asked if I wanted to try X-Hot. Why not, right? If you saw my live stream you know I put that away as well. Once I had proven myself they handed me a Howlin’ wing. Howlin’ is the hottest chicken they make, in fact they give you gloves to eat it.

I tell you this story because I don’t think this interview would have happened unless I had proven myself. I wanted to have the experience and get the respect of the Howlin’ Ray’s line cooks before I ever asked Johnny fo ranything. A lot of work goes into this show and it’s not just writing emails and editing. I’m out here working to be a part of these scenes. To cover the story righteously.

So enjoy this interview with Johnny Ray Zone the master behind Howlin’ Ray’s.

Thank you for listening and if you liked the show please leave a 5 star rating on apple podcasts. It helps the show grow and get discovered. If you didn’t like the show you can write me at yoni@bestbbqshow.com. Tag us in all of your meat posts and if you see people getting a little too friendly with their bbq, remind them #dontsqueezeyourmeat!

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