When the inaugural Baton Rouge Soul Food Festival takes place later this month, Chicken Shack owner Joe Delpit will be given the Pioneer Award in acknowledgment of his contributions to the soul food industry.
Delpit is the son of Chicken Shack founder, Thomas Delpit, who opened the business in 1935. The restaurant, which now has multiple locations and a food truck, is considered to be oldest continuously operating establishment in the city.
“We sell over 800,000 pounds of chicken a year,” Delpit told Business Report in a 2015 feature on the restaurant and it’s “knuckle-suckin’ good” chicken.
The Soul Food Festival takes place on the weekend of May 19-20 at the Riverfront Plaza downtown. The family-friendly festival will feature live music and a judged soul food cooking competition.
In addition to his business accomplishments, Delpit has a rich political background. He was the first black metro councilman in Baton Rouge, and he also briefly served as Mayor Pro Tempore. He then served as a state representative for four terms, beginning in 1975, and later was appointed to the Greater Baton Rouge Port Commission.
