On the first Monday of this month, chef Kevin Mitchell—an instructor at the Culinary Institute of Charleston and co-author of The University of South Carolina Press’ Taste the State series—opened his Facebook series of salutes to pioneering Black culinarians with a tribute to his mentor Joe Randall. “Chef Randall made a huge impact on not only me, but so many others in the industry,” Mitchell wrote. Twelve days later, Randall died at the age of 79.
The Food Section invited Mitchell to share his memories of Randall and recount the achievements of a man who tirelessly championed historic African American foodways and inspired young Black chefs to carry cuisine forward.
Randall’s Celebration of Life service is scheduled for this Saturday, February 28, at St. Paul CME Church in Savannah. The 11 a.m. service will be livestreamed and shared on Adams Funeral Services’ Facebook page.
There are people whose impact cannot be measured by the titles they earn. People whose presence shapes communities, whose words carry wisdom, and whose spirits leave a lasting feeling of love in the hearts of everyone they encounter. Chef Joe Randall was unquestionably one of those rare individuals.
Chef Joseph G. Randall, affectionately known as “Uncle Joe ” and the “Dean of Southern Cuisine” to chefs and others from around the country, was not only a chef. He was a storyteller, a teacher, and a guardian of Southern foodways whose influence will continue to shape kitchens and classrooms for generations to come.
Born on July 23, 1946, in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, Randall enjoyed the unique fare his mother, a Virginian, prepared at home. But his uncle Richard Ross was a caterer and restaurateur in Pittsburgh. It was with his “Uncle Dick,” owner of Ross’ Restaurant in Large, Pennsylvania, that a teenage “Joe” worked as a busboy and dishwasher. There, his passion for food began to grow, and he was hooked.
In 1964, Chalet Restaurant in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania hired Randall. Within two years, he’d relocated to the Harrisburger Hotel, where he served as Robert W. Lee’s apprentice. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Lee was the first Black executive chef in Harrisburg.
When the hotel restaurant closed, Randall took a job across the street at the Penn Harris Hotel, working underneath executive chef Frank Castelli. From Castelli, he learned the discipline and craft of classical European cooking. The experience cemented his belief that the story of Black chefs has never existed in isolation but has always been connected to the wider world of cuisine.
For more than two decades, Joe Randall worked across many areas of the hospitality industry. He served as executive chef at sites including the award-winning Cloister Restaurant in Buffalo, New York, and Fish Market Restaurant in Baltimore, Maryland. Randall also taught at three culinary schools and three universities, including at the Kellogg Ranch of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Everywhere he went, he guided a new generation of chefs toward their own paths.
In 1977, he met the love of his life, Barbara. They married in 1978 and were blessed with three children: J. Christopher, Kenneth, and Cari.
It was in late 1988 that our paths crossed. I was an 18-year-old student at the Culinary Institute of America, working on a paper about Black chefs. I read several articles about Black chefs in Restaurants and Institutions magazine, and one story caught my attention. That story was about Joe Randall.
A good friend, Jason Wallace, had Randall’s number and gave it to me, encouraging me to call him.
Still, I was nervous. He didn’t know me from a can of paint. I finally worked up the courage to call him and explain I wanted to interview him for my paper. He graciously sat down and talked with me for over an hour, sharing a powerful story about the legacies of Black chefs.
He opened my eyes to a rich lineage of culinary giants, sharing the names of Patrick Clark, Darryl Evans, Edna Lewis, Robert W. Lee, Leah Chase, Earlest Bell, Johnny Rivers, and so many others with a sense of pride and reverence. I was completely captivated by the depth of his knowledge and the vivid stories he told. He reminded me that this journey would require discipline and sacrifice, but that persistence and perseverance would always light the way forward.
From that day forward, Chef Joe became a mentor and, over the years, most importantly, my friend. Chef Joe not only cared about me as a young man becoming a chef, but also as a man. Whenever we spoke, he’d ask how I was doing, about my family, and then we would talk shop.
By the 1990s, he had become one of the most prominent Black chefs. He could be seen in his uniform whites, handsomely emblazoned with Kente cloth, which he had customized for his professional attire. For him, it revealed his great pride in being an African American. Soon, chefs began wearing Kente cloth on their chef coats as well. It made him proud to see chefs showing pride in their heritage. He knew he was making a difference in the ways Black chefs carried themselves and how they saw themselves.
In 1998, Chef Joe co-authored the groundbreaking book A Taste of Heritage: The New African-American Cuisine, which was inducted into the James Beard Foundation Cookbook Hall of Fame in 2023. This book was filled with recipes from Black chefs; friends who shared his vision of seeing Black chefs recognized in the culinary field.
In 1999, Chef Randall was hired by the Savannah College of Art and Design. While there, he crafted curriculum around Southern food, but the school chose a different path.
Creating that curriculum inspired him to teach, and in 2000, he opened Chef Joe Randall’s Cooking School, teaching people from around the world; he described it as “a chef’s dream.” He would say all the time that he loved sharing the beauty of Southern cuisine. It was his way of “putting the South in your mouth,” which became one of his favorite catchphrases—and he had several.
In 2016, he was featured in the National Museum of African American History and Culture alongside chefs Edna Lewis, Patrick Clark, Leah Chase, and Hercules Posey. His colander and a copy of his book are on display there. I remember the day it happened. He was so excited to be honored not only for his contributions but also for being honored alongside people who inspired him.
After over 35 years of a storied career and receiving many accolades, he retired from the industry, closed his famed school in 2016, and converted it into the African American Chefs Hall of Fame. A multi-course dinner was held to celebrate, with some of America’s top Black chefs in attendance. Several chefs were inducted, including Robert W. Lee, Patrick Clark, Leah Chase, and Edna Lewis, all of whom made a lasting impression on young Black culinarians. I was honored that he wanted me to cook alongside him and help celebrate his illustrious career.
What has stayed with me most is his kindness and humility. No matter when I needed an ear, he was always there with advice, a kind word, a story, and one of his favorite sayings, “Keep it simple and make it taste good.” So today and every day, I honor the legacy of the Dean of Cuisine and my Uncle Joe.
Chef, thank you for all you have done for our industry, for food, for culture, and for chefs everywhere. As long as I breathe, your legacy will live on. Take your seat at the table next to the icons who have shaped me into the chef that I am. Rest well. You deserve it. I love you.
Kevin-this is such a beautiful tribute to a man who left his mark not only on the people he touched but on the world as a whole. His presence as a role model, teacher, mentor, and friend have made the world a better place for all of us mere culinary mortals who stand in appreciation of his accomplishments as a chef and above all, as a treasured human being.