BrooklynQ
01-06-2006, 12:53 PM
I don't know this guy form Adam - but sounds like he could have been a brethren.
Barbecue was more than just a business to Suffolk man http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/space.gif By FRED KIRSCH, The Virginian-Pilot
© December 27, 2005
SUFFOLK — Herb Brinkley didn’t have a secret recipe for that Carolina barbecue he cooked up that folks could kill for.
Herb never timed or measured anything. He would cook 300 to 400 pounds of pork butt or shoulder at a time until it seemed just right and then eyeball how much vinegar, red pepper and salt to add.
For more than 50 years, barbecue lovers all over Hampton Roads found their way to Herb’s BAR-BQ on Carolina Road. A plate of barbecue, slaw and hush puppies or one of Herb’s heaping sandwiches was at least a four-napkin deal.
“Other than his family, this was his joy,” said Brinkley’s son, Bert. “There was nothing he’d rather be doing.”
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Robert H. “Herb” Brinkley Jr.
1928-2005
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Herb’s BAR-BQ in Suffolk was a little slice of heaven for barbecue lovers all over Hampton Roads. Brinkley bought the business in 1951 and was still cooking up his Carolina-style barbecue Dec. 17. Those wishing to share their memories to be included in a book are urged to get in touch with the family.
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Brinkley, who died Dec. 19 at age 77, got his first taste of the business working there when it was owned by the O’Berry family. He wasn’t quite 23 when he bought the business in 1951.
Herb eventually put up a larger building, but not much changed over the years. “It was sort of like being back in the 1960s,” Bert Brinkley said. Back in the day, Herb’s featured curb service.
Lawyers in suits, farmers in overalls and all manner of folks in between called themselves regulars.
“It was just a great atmosphere,” said Richard Harrell, who lays claim to eating more Herb’s barbecue than any other mortal. “He and Mildred made you feel like family.”
The easy going Brinkley’s love of young people made it a hangout for teenagers and a place where they could find a friend and mentor.
Julie Shockley began working at Herb’s at 15 and still works part time, 18 years later. “He was like a second father,” Shockley said. “He would tell me to find something to do that I loved. When I went to cosmetology school, he gave me the time off to go to class.”
In the beginning, he and Mildred worked seven days a week. He’d slip out the back door of his house, walk the 100 or so yards to Herb’s, arriving at 7 a.m. and staying till 9 or 10 p.m. In the end, he cut back to four days.
Herb retired in 1994 and then again in 1997, each time turning the business over to others to run. But he still cooked the barbecue. Eventually, he’d come back full time to everyone’s delight. He made his last barbecue on Dec. 17 .
Said Julie Shockley: “The best thing about Herb’s barbecue was that Herb made it.”
Reach Fred Kirsch at (757) 446-2484 or postscripts@pilotonline.com.
Barbecue was more than just a business to Suffolk man http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/space.gif By FRED KIRSCH, The Virginian-Pilot
© December 27, 2005
SUFFOLK — Herb Brinkley didn’t have a secret recipe for that Carolina barbecue he cooked up that folks could kill for.
Herb never timed or measured anything. He would cook 300 to 400 pounds of pork butt or shoulder at a time until it seemed just right and then eyeball how much vinegar, red pepper and salt to add.
For more than 50 years, barbecue lovers all over Hampton Roads found their way to Herb’s BAR-BQ on Carolina Road. A plate of barbecue, slaw and hush puppies or one of Herb’s heaping sandwiches was at least a four-napkin deal.
“Other than his family, this was his joy,” said Brinkley’s son, Bert. “There was nothing he’d rather be doing.”
http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/space.gif
Robert H. “Herb” Brinkley Jr.
1928-2005
http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/news/fkps1227.jpg
Herb’s BAR-BQ in Suffolk was a little slice of heaven for barbecue lovers all over Hampton Roads. Brinkley bought the business in 1951 and was still cooking up his Carolina-style barbecue Dec. 17. Those wishing to share their memories to be included in a book are urged to get in touch with the family.
http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/epilot/epilotPromo6.gif (http://welcome.hamptonroads.com/epilot/index.cfm) See Pilot obituaries as they appear in the paper on ePilot
- View pictures and in-memorium ads
- E-mail obituaries
- Print copies
Log in (http://welcome.hamptonroads.com/epilot/index.cfm) or learn more (http://welcome.hamptonroads.com/epilot/index.cfm)
It's free to Pilot subscribers http://media.hamptonroads.com/images/homepage2000/LogoVP.gif · How to place an obituary (http://home.hamptonroads.com/feedback/submit.cfm?id=41)
· Search obits since 1990 (http://welcome.hamptonroads.com/archives/)
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Brinkley, who died Dec. 19 at age 77, got his first taste of the business working there when it was owned by the O’Berry family. He wasn’t quite 23 when he bought the business in 1951.
Herb eventually put up a larger building, but not much changed over the years. “It was sort of like being back in the 1960s,” Bert Brinkley said. Back in the day, Herb’s featured curb service.
Lawyers in suits, farmers in overalls and all manner of folks in between called themselves regulars.
“It was just a great atmosphere,” said Richard Harrell, who lays claim to eating more Herb’s barbecue than any other mortal. “He and Mildred made you feel like family.”
The easy going Brinkley’s love of young people made it a hangout for teenagers and a place where they could find a friend and mentor.
Julie Shockley began working at Herb’s at 15 and still works part time, 18 years later. “He was like a second father,” Shockley said. “He would tell me to find something to do that I loved. When I went to cosmetology school, he gave me the time off to go to class.”
In the beginning, he and Mildred worked seven days a week. He’d slip out the back door of his house, walk the 100 or so yards to Herb’s, arriving at 7 a.m. and staying till 9 or 10 p.m. In the end, he cut back to four days.
Herb retired in 1994 and then again in 1997, each time turning the business over to others to run. But he still cooked the barbecue. Eventually, he’d come back full time to everyone’s delight. He made his last barbecue on Dec. 17 .
Said Julie Shockley: “The best thing about Herb’s barbecue was that Herb made it.”
Reach Fred Kirsch at (757) 446-2484 or postscripts@pilotonline.com.