In November 2012 my really good friend Navarro took me to a food cart party in the yard of a restaurant called Sauce on Edgewood. When we walked in there are people everywhere, laughing eating and drinking. We walk in deeper and on big screens and inside is an episode of Chopped, a personal favorite of mine, but I'm thinking to myself how weird is this, I brush it off and grab a beer and a scotch egg (amazing by the way), Navarro and I are stuffing our faces when a woman with denim overalls and a huge smile walks over to us, Navarro leans over and asked me if I know Ria Pell, I said "No, but I love Ria's Bluebird Café". She walks right up to us, and Navarro introduces us, being a hugger, I hugged her, she chuckled and said "I like you already". Of course I say my favorite line "Don't you threaten me with a good time." She excused herself and the crowd is cheering, by this time I'm really confused, but I look up at the screen and this woman is on the screen for the dessert round of Chopped! We walk around some more and I am reintroduced to one of my now closest friends, Ms. Tiffanie Barriere who was working the party with tasty cocktails as usual. After Ria won, the party got even more turnt up, and I ran into Ria again, I hugged her again and told her congrats, it was so nice to be around someone that was so humbled by her success and very cool. After that night I almost seem to run into her everywhere, lol by now the hugs usually ended with her squeezing my booty. She was a chef, wife, sister, friend and fighter in the LGBT community just to name a few things. Sadly about a year after meeting her, she died suddenly. Her death left a dark spot in the entire city of Atlanta that is still there, Sauce is no longer there but Ria's Bluebird recently celebrated another year and still going strong.
I really regret that I didn't get to know her better, but her words and the stories about her still live on. When Tiffanie and I are stomped about a cocktail or event she always quotes Ria KIS Keep it simple.....Rest in peace mama, in honor of you, I will take a shot of Bushmills.
Still in motion
Keyatta
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