MANASSAS — It took him a minute to scrounge up the courage to ask this first question.
Malachi, all but 12 years old, sat next to Okras Cajun-Creole restaurant founder Charles Gilliam, one of the most recognizable businessmen in Manassas.
Armed with a list of questions and fresh off a pep talk ahead of what would be his first-ever interview, this Potomac Local student reporter looked up from his sheet of paper lying on the table, looked to the restaurant owner on his left, and then fired away.
“OK, so what made you want to make a good restaurant,” asked the Mayfield Intermediate School student.
“Well, I recognized that what we serve is a very different kind of food. You’re not going to find it anywhere else around here, and only at a handful of other authentic cajun-creole restaurants,” replied Gilliam.
He went on to educate the student reporter about southern culture and hospitality.
“The Louisiana culture… it’s a lot different than just cajun. People in Louisiana, like all the good people of the south where I grew up, are pretty good. And, even the bad ones, they go to church on Sundays and have a good heart,” said Gilliam.
The sixth-grader listened intently as Gilliam spoke. Now more at ease and comfortable with his subject, he interjected when the notion struck him.
“What does alligator taste like? I see you have that on the menu. I’d try that,” he said. Later, he did, as Gilliam ordered some freshly fried Alligator bites to the table, served in a round bowl with a side of tangy remoulade sauce.
The food and the interview experience were all made possible by the Martin K. Alloy Boys and Girls Club of Manassas and Potomac Local, whose publisher Uriah Kiser is volunteering with Malachi as part of the club’s “Real Big Kid Event” annual fundraiser.
You can donate to Prince William/Greater Manassas Boys and Girls Club “Real Big Kid” event. To support this worthwhile effort, select #6 Potomac Local publisher Uriah Kiser.
Between now and the event on Friday, April 26 at Old Hickory Golf Club in Woodbridge, Malachi, his father, Darrin Johnson, and Kiser will interview elected officials and business leaders like Gilliam so that the student reporter can get a sense of the community in which he lives.
While on a tour of the Okras restaurant, Malachi learned Gilliam had moved to Northern Virginia after working in a restaurant in Savannah, Ga. He found a job at a restaurant in Centerville, but it wasn’t what he was used to.
“I would walk around with a coffee pot in my hand to give people refills and, for the first time, I saw people use their hand to cover their cups as if to say ‘don’t talk to me.’ That’s not the kind of restaurant I wanted,” he said.
Since it opened in 1998, Okras has called the corner of Center and Battle streets in Downtown Manassas home. It’s built a following of food faithful who not only visit the restaurant, but also the many events and festivals Okras hosts throughout the year.
For Malachi, it was the first time he had ever visited Okras. It was also the first time he’d ever eaten Alligator. He told Gilliam he hopes to return to his restaurant with his family.
Okras is located at 9110 Center Street in Manassas and is open Sunday through Thursdays from 11 a.m until 10 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m. to midnight.
Be sure to follow Malachi during his travels during the Real Big Kid Event, and see his interviews here on PotomacLocal.com and our Potomac Local Facebook page. The “Real Big Kid Event” is the annual fundraiser for the Greater Manassas Boys and Girls Club, and you’re encouraged to donate to the cause. Malachi, his father, and Kiser make up the Green Team.
