Black History Month begins at Bernard’s; the rodent declares more winter; a different local podcast

It’s the beginning of Black History Month, so expect to see a segment each week in this newsletter highlighting a Black entrepreneur from the Downtown East area. 

First up, I’d like to introduce you to James Bernard, founder of Bernard’s Chicken Loaf, and his son Joseph Bernard, who took over and kept the family business growing and thriving after his father passed away. 

Joseph Bernard in the restaurant - photo published in 1962. Photo provided by the East Baton Rouge Public Library Digital Archive.

James opened the restaurant in 1903 at 2401 North Boulevard. It eventually moved down the road to 1332 North Boulevard. The building was one of many that’s been demolished. But for well over 60 years, that restaurant was a shining example of excellence in the community.

At the time, Bernard’s was one of only three restaurants/eateries owned by an African American. 

“Bernard’s Chicken Loaf restaurant was frequented in large numbers by Whites even though it was segregated and was owned by African Americans. Despite the segregation, many white individuals would frequent the restaurant often and sit down there and eat there,” states an article published in The Advocate in 1952. 

Bernard Chicken Loaf restaurant (1942) from "Old South Baton Rouge" (UL Press, 2009), from the Sepia Socialite, 1942.

Bernard’s was one of the first restaurants to serve chicken loaf in Baton Rouge, and one of the few in the nation at the time. 

What is chicken loaf? 

Good question. There are not a lot of descriptions out there, but modern recipes have it like a meatloaf, but with chicken. Now, you’re probably thinking that this is a cheaper version of the meat dish, but you’d be wrong. 

For most of American history, poultry and eggs were “luxury” foods. It was actually more expensive than beef or pork. Why? Because a chicken requires grain for food, and grain was not cheap at the time. Cows can just eat the grass and pigs are basically just trash compactors that eat whatever’s thrown their way. 

It wasn’t until the 60s that the pecking order changed for chickens. For that reason, chicken loaf would have been a pricy endeavor, so that made it a bit of a status meal.  

“I’ve served every governor since 1915,” James Bernard said in an archived Advocate article. 

I was able to find a reference to the meal being served at Huey P. Long’s inauguration. They served 400 of Bernard’s chicken loaves because it was a fan-favorite. 

“Operating a full 20 hours each day, Bernard has numerous calls at all times for orders to be delivered to late workers, to parties, and to homes. Many orders are filled for lunch boxes, picnics, etc. 

The business expanded over the years. In the 40s, they added homemade ice cream to the menu, which was still pretty rare at the time. The equipment was expensive and top of the line. 

Joseph was incredibly active in the community and many people who lived in the neighborhood were among the employees at the restaurant. 

The restaurant was located across the street from the Prince Hall Masonic Temple. During the time of segregation, there were no Black gymnasiums, so when the Temple Roof Garden wasn’t hosting music performances, they would set up a basketball court and local semi-professional teams would compete against each other. The teams were sponsored by local businesses. Bernard’s team was called the Colonials. 

I haven’t found any information about when or why the restaurant was shut down and the building was torn down. The restaurant celebrated its 60th anniversary on October 5, 1963, so it was sometime between then and Joseph’s death.

Joseph passed away in 1977. He was 76-years old. He died at his home located at 1108 Park Boulevard and is buried at Roselawn Memorial Park. 

Although parts of the story are slipping away as time marches on, the lesser known contributors to history are just as important, if not more so! I’d love to add more to this story, so if you have anything to contribute, send it my way! 

IT’S GROUNDHOGS DAY! 

That damn rodent predicted six-more weeks of winter. Well, I suppose we didn’t have much of a winter until a few weeks ago, so perhaps that’s appropriate. 

The weather finally held out enough to permit the first ride of 2022! The occasion was made extra special when photographer Collin Richie took some pictures of us before the ride started! The photos are going to be part of a collection of stories about group bike rides in Baton Rouge! 

We call these our “meta” photos. We took a selfie, while Collin took our picture and then Brittany took a selfie of all of us taking pictures.

After the photo session, we went to take a look at the new transportation mural on Highland Road. It was created by artist Bryson Boutte on commission from the Walls Project. I’ll have more on that project in a later edition.

Lafayette-based artist Bryson Boutte working on the new mural located on Toussaint Customs and Collisions at 1824 Highland Road.

We were able to see the beautiful mural, even in the dark, thanks to Lorrie Ingram. She took this picture from her yellow jeep, which occasionally joins us for rides and serves as our caboose. Because of her, we were able to safely ride down Highland Road, even though a CITY BUS thought it was a good idea to pass our group in the turn lane.

RELOADED

I’ll have an episode of Do The Thing later this week, but first I wanted to share with you the work of another local podcaster. He’s an incredible interviewer who talks to creatives in the community about their work and the public art around us. 

IT’S MY DAD!!! 

My father, Bruce Morgan, had the idea of doing a podcast long before everyone jumped in the game. He’s always a bit ahead of the game. 

It became a segment on WHYR, the local public radio station. Although he’s unplugged his microphone, the episodes he produced live online and many are still just as relevant today as they were the day they were produced. 

The episode I’m sharing this week focuses on the public art in Galvez Plaza. Historian Charles Elliott and documentary filmmaker Bennet Rhodes explain the significance of the works and what time they represent in history. 

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