Even though he is no longer with us, Justin Wilson remains one of my all-time favorite chefs. I love how he combined great recipes with his down home humor. Among my favorite recipes of his is his hot cabbage slaw, bacon potato salad, and hushpuppies – makes my mouth water just thinking about them!
Justin was born in Roseland, Louisiana in 1914. He was the son of Harry D. Wilson, the Commissioner of Agriculture for Louisiana. In his early career, Justin was a safety engineer. As he gave safety lectures, he learned the art of storytelling out of necessity. He was very serious at first, but realized his lectures were putting people to sleep. He found when he added a little of his Cajun humor, they listened.
Friends finally encouraged Justin to make a record to more people could enjoy his humorous stories and it sold a million copies. All in all, he recorded 27 albums. He also composed the background music for his cooking show and recorded an album of Christmas music.
Justin became so popular as a humorist that he was voted one of the 100 most influential southerners of the 20th century by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. But, most of you probably know Justin best for his cooking shows. I can remember watching him add a “cup” of wine to his recipe and almost emptying half of the bottle. Justin wrote seven best selling cookbooks including “Justin Wilson’s Easy Cookin’,“ and “Justin Wilson’s Outdoor Cooking with Inside Help.” He also wrote two books of his humorous stories, which turned out to be best sellers as well!
Justin died on September 5, 2001 at the age of 86. His daughter Sara continues to run the company that bears his name. His web page offers recipes, gift baskets, food items, books, tapes, cookware, and videos.