Chef Dominique Leach on Soul Food, Barbecue & Building Back from Nothing | In Culinary

Chef Dominique Leach is a pit master, culinary veteran, and Chicago original — and this conversation might be one of the most honest we've had on In Culinary.Recorded live during a cooking demo, Dominique opens up about the stories behind her food: a late aunt whose fish fries raised money for family reunions, a grandmother from Lexington, Mississippi who cooked with her eyes closed and once fed Barack Obama collard greens, and a childhood in Humboldt Park that gave her the soul she brings to every dish.Then she tells the story of the food truck. The Jamaica trip where she blurted out she was launching one. The excitement of going all in. And the night — just months later — she woke up to it burning in front of her home, torched by a Molotov cocktail from someone in her own community.She rebuilt in four months. She kept going. And she's still going.⚠️ Heads up on audio: We ran into some technical difficulties during this recording. The content was too good to sit on, so we made the call to release it as-is. We appreciate your understanding.