As I began my assignment to photograph The Original Ronnie’s BBQ for the Food Issue, I had no idea I’d be spending 15 hours with one of the most interesting and friendly guys in Richmond.
Ronnie Logan’s BBQ joint is only about five miles outside of Richmond, but it’s a world away from the traffic and congestion of the city.
“You come out here to exhale,” he says with a smile.
Logan’s work begins at dawn on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as he fires up the smokers. His day ends when the sun goes down. He takes everything in stride, often gently dispensing wisdom to people who show up looking for help. For example, one gentleman’s water well went dry. Miraculously, well drillers pulled in to buy lunch and Ronnie connected the workers and the man.
Logan, 71, moves slowly and methodically but there’s a reason for that. He works seven days a week. He knows how to pace himself. He recently spent 10 hours in the cold repairing “Big Red,” his beloved cooker he purchased in 2007. He took $17,000 from his 401K settlement to purchase the cooker and “never looked back.”
As Logan pushes a cart full of ribs and chicken, he says he’s doing this for his grand babies. “A good man will do anything to take care of their family. They will work at a job they can’t stand,” he says. “But I have an opportunity to do something I love to do, and I am blessed for it.”
