Flying for Food: The Butcher Block Edition

Matt Moore's grandfather Abraham Samuel Dennis was in his early twenties while stationed at Kessler Field in Biloxi, Mississippi, serving as a mess sergeant in the United States Army Air Corps. As the fall season brought about a welcome drop in sticky Southern temperatures, so too came rumors which would soon deploy his unit to a base little known to most Americans. Trace Moore's culinary roots by flying a Piper Cherokee in search of good butchers and food stories.

Matt Moore

Friday, November 10, 2023 at 04:59 PM ET

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In flight snacks are critical to keep the pilot working well. [Andrea Behrends]

Key Takeaways:

Inspired by his family's immigrant history and their post-WWII grocery store where his grandfather served as a butcher, the author is writing a new cookbook titled "Butcher on the Block."
He uses his personal aircraft, a Piper Cherokee, to fly across the U.S. and internationally, exploring diverse butchering traditions and culinary stories for his book.
The article intertwines personal heritage, the craft of butchering, and the author's passion for aviation as a means to discover and document unique food cultures.

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As my mother was told, in the fall of 1941, my grandfather Abraham Samuel Dennis was in his early twenties while stationed at Kessler Field in Biloxi, Mississippi, serving as a mess sergeant in the United States Army Air Corps. As the fall season brought about a welcome drop in sticky Southern temperatures, so too came rumors which would soon deploy my grandfather’s unit to a base little known to most Americans.

Its name was Pearl Harbor.