When it comes to a soul food meal in families of color, collard greens will always be on the list! With a variety of flavorful additions, every chef has their secret seasonings.
Locally, E.B. Johnson has been known as the “The Greens Man.” For more than two decades, Johnson has been selling prepackaged greens to customers near and far in Duval County. To prepare for the Thanksgiving holidays, the Blue Zones Project and the Greens Man, partnered for a Collard Greens Cook-Off and Festival. the event created a free family-friendly celebration day of health, culture and community.
Held at the Clanzel Brown Center, the cook off competition rallied ten competitors to cook their very best to win the $500 prize. This southern showdown welcomed local chefs, home cooks and community legends to compete for the coveted title of Collard Greens King and The People’s Champ!
This flavorful competition pitted entrants against each other as attendees stood in line to sample a taste of collard greens and cast their votes to find a winner.
“These are some good greens, juicy and very tasty,” said onlooker Lisa Oakley.
This year’s winner was Andrew Jackson High graduate Jerrika Strickland. Strickland says her passion for cooking came from watching her grandmother cook with love, pride and tradition.
“My friends and family are always bragging about my cooking,” said Strickland. Known as the family Chef J, her old school grandma collard green special ingredients recipe won the competition!