John Henry Williams — Legend of the Lodge

John Henry Williams at Red Bridges Barbecue in Shelby, North Carolina. (Photo by Denny Culbert/ The Barbecue Bus)

Listen to Rien's interview with Mr. John Henry Williams on the play button below.


John Henry Williams is living North Carolina barbecue history. His sixty-six-plus years working for the same establishment just might set the record for longevity. When Red and Lyttle Bridges began serving sandwiches from a Shelby-town cattle feedlot in 1946, sixteen year old John Henry cooked the pork shoulders. In the 1950s, when Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge opened in a modernized location, he served cars as a curb boy. And now, on Sundays, this legend of the Lodge can be found behind the counter making sure everything is done the exact same way, a seven-decade-old formula that resides only in his memory. John Henry still delights in his devotion to Bridges Barbecue: “It’s a real good place and I love it, bound to, to be here sixty-six years.”

- Rien Fertel/ The Barbecue Bus