Lights, camera, chow down!

Last week, Dukes Bar-B-Que on Whitman Street played host to a television production crew from Food Network. Filming for a future episode of "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" began at 8 a.m. Sept. 18 and lasted several hours.

Although Food Network producers declined to be interviewed by The Times and Democrat, Dukes' manager Ginger Myers talked about how the Garden City visit was arranged.

"They called and asked if they could come here and interview us. One of their chefs, Sunny Anderson (of 'Cooking for Real' and 'How'd That Get on My Plate?'), told them about our hash," Myers said. "Apparently, she has been here eating before. She liked it and recommended it."

Myers said the Food Network show comes on the heels of a South Carolina ETV appearance earlier this summer.

WORG-FM morning personality Stu Wright was also responsible for calling network officials' attention to Dukes, one of his favorite places to eat.

"When I watched 'Diners, Drive-ins and Dives' for the first time, I saw they were looking for local places," Wright said. "I couldn't think of any place with a more local flavor than Dukes. So I got on the Internet and sent it in.

"I was surprised to see that they chose Dukes for another show, but I guess it's all on the same network."

Don't think for one moment that the hospitality Myers and her staff showed the Food Network crew automatically translated into giving away culinary secrets.

Asked how much she was prepared to reveal about Dukes' signature hash, Myers said flatly, "I'm telling them very little."

She said producers were interested in the fact that her 16-year-old son, Jake Moorer, makes the hash.

"They were very impressed with someone that young getting up and working this hard to make the hash. I went through quite a few hash men before I got the good one!" Myers said, laughing.

"They just went in the back room and started talking to Jake," she said. "It's really been like normal, except for the interviews and more people being around. But that's normal around here."

Moorer, a student at Orangeburg Christian Academy, started making the hash four or five months ago. He said it's not hard -- if you follow the right process, which takes about four hours, and the right recipe.

"First, you cut up the meat and put it in for about two hours. Then, you put in potatoes," Moorer said. "In about another hour, you put in onions. Then you grind it up and put in the rest of the ingredients."

Dukes Bar-B-Que has been operated by Myers' family since 1973. She said the hash is made with the same attention to detail that Dukes gives to every item on its menu.

"Everything we make is fresh and homemade every day. We don't have anything that isn't fattening, either," Myers said with a chuckle. "When my father passed away, I took over. He trained me well. He made sure to keep everything consistent and keep the recipes right.

"My son told (Food Network producers), 'If you make the best, there's no reason to go anywhere else.'"

Betty Kittrell of Cope, a Dukes' employee since 1982, put it even more succinctly.

"The food is delicious, and it speaks for itself."

"The Best Thing I Ever Ate" airs at 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays on Food Network. A schedule for the Dukes episode has not been determined.

T&D Staff Writer Phil Sarata can be reached by e-mail at psarata@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5540. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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