Columbus B. Hill was a pivotal figure in Colorado鈥檚 culinary history. He was a Black man originally from Missouri 鈥� and he was possibly in the late 1800s. His food was so good that it was served to thousands of people at official functions at the state Capitol.
But even among hardcore barbecue fans, very few people know his name. And his legacy wasn鈥檛 always well cared for. In 1923, Hill was buried in Denver鈥檚 Riverside Cemetery without a headstone.
Denver author and has been on a mission to change that.
He devoted an entire chapter to Columbus B. Hill in his book . He championed Hill鈥檚 into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame in 2023. And last September, he honored Hill with a memorial dedication at his burial site.
Adrian Miller joined ITN鈥檚 Erin O鈥橳oole a few days before that ceremony to share the story of the 鈥渂est barbecue man in the West.鈥�
We鈥檙e revisiting that conversation as part of In The NoCo鈥檚 new Holiday Book Club, which will continue each week this month.
