As she grills and chops vegetables like she does every day at Coops Pit BBQ, Tris Cooper spoke to Local 10 News on Wednesday about her dedication to her family-owned business.
“We go to work at 3 o’clock, we get up at 6 o’clock and we do this because it’s what we have to do. When you’re driven by your passion, it’s not work,” Cooper said.
But last Monday, Memorial Day, was different: Cooper says he caught the attention of none other than food critic and social media personality Keith Lee, who currently has more than 2 million followers on Instagram and 16 million on TikTok.
“My family and I were driving through Miami, Florida, and we saw a barbecue food truck driving by — and when we say driving, we mean smoking all over the block,” Lee told her followers in an Instagram Live video.
And in true Keith Lee fashion, the review went viral.
“Whole chicken, chunks of ribs, coleslaw on the side, greens and baked beans,” Lee said of Cooper’s dish. “Really tender and juicy. I love the sauce too. Oh my goodness! It’s too sweet for me!”
“He sweetened the beans. Yes, he was right. I said, ‘Oh man, he’s got great taste,'” Cooper said.
After asking for more food, Lee surprised Cooper by giving him $3,000, an act that astonished Cooper.
“I said, ‘Really, what for?’ Because I was like, ‘Whoa, dude,’ and he did. Lee said, ‘Put $3,000 on this card,’ and before I got it I said, ‘Hey, can I see your ID?'” Cooper said.
“He was like, ‘This food is amazing,'” Cooper says. “I took a photo with him and it just took off from there.”
Kelvin Cooper, Toris Cooper’s brother, who has run the family business for 30 years, said he never expected anything like this.
“We’re grateful to be here and look forward to continuing to serve the community,” Kelvin Cooper said.
“No matter where you are, we are the Cooper family, Cooper’s Pit Barbecue, and we appreciate it,” Toris Cooper said.
For more information on Coops Pit BBQ, click here.
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