Pitmaster Carey Bringle is honored to cook for Ali Allouche
If you ask Carey Bringle, aka The Peg Leg Porker, how he lost his leg, you’re liable to hear all sorts of stories depending on his mood. I’ve heard him say he was swimming near Pickwick Dam and got bit by an otter. The infection cost him his leg. Not true. He’s also said that when he decided to name his competitive barbecue team The Peg Leg Porkers, everybody agreed to cut off one of their legs in solidarity, “And like a dumbass, I went first!” Funny but false. The real story is that when Bringle was in high school, he lost his leg to osteosarcoma at the age of 17. Bringle has never let that slow him down in his quest for domination in the world of competitive barbecue, plus running the restaurant and a whiskey biz. That's a testament to his strength, and the fact that he maintains such an upbeat attitude about his battle with cancer is a demonstration of his character. (Although I really wish that otter story were true … )
So when Bringle heard that a young 18-year-old man named Ali Allouche was in the same battle with osteosarcoma and that Ali was spending his first year in remission on a quest to eat in a restaurant in all 50 states, Bringle knew he wanted to take part. Allouche spent his entire junior year of high school undergoing chemotherapy and passed the time in the hospital watching culinary travel shows. He was particularly inspired by Anthony Bourdain's travels, and plotted a plan to eat in one restaurant in every U.S. state. When he received a clean bill of health and the OK to undertake the trip, Allouche set up a GoFundMe campaign to help with expenses. The campaign was a wild success, and the final $4,000 that put him over the top was from no other than Bourdain. (Another good thing to remember about the late chef, traveler and TV host.)
After graduating, Allouche set off on his journey with a camera crew in tow to document the trip for a documentary titled Ali Eats America. Nashville and Peg Leg Porker will be the final stop on his tour on Wednesday, July 24, as Bringle and his friends chef Hal Holden-Bache from Lockeland Table, chef Trey Cioccia from The Farm House and Black Rabbit, and chef Tyler Brown from Southall cook for Ali and his family in the private loft space at Bringle’s restaurant.
While the dinner will be a private event, you can follow along with Ali and his journeys on Instagram @alieatsamerica and keep an eye out for that documentary. If I know Bringle, he’s liable to steal a scene or two at the end!
