Shauna Anderson

Shauna Anderson is a Native American and African-American restaurateur, author, historian, and businesswoman, whose work has been inducted into the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History.[1][2] Her autobiography Offal Great: Memoirs of The Chitlin Queen[3] is in the Smithsonian Anacostia Library and the Maryland Historical Society Library.

Early life

Shauna Anderson was born in Washington, D.C. to Geneva Anderson, a professional singer and piano player and Walter Christopher Holmes, a saxophone player. She was raised by her maternal grandmother, Virginia L. Battle.

Career

She worked as an Economic Statistician with the Internal Revenue Service for 15 years,[4] eventually utilizing the accounting and wealth building skills she learned at the IRS to begin her entrepreneurial ventures.[5]

Anderson started working in the chitlin business in the early 1990s. Her "Hand Cleaned Pork Chitterlings" earned her the moniker "The Queen of Chitlins" by former Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., and Saveur Magazine named Anderson "the source for chitlins" in 2007. Anderson had previously developed her own guidelines for cleaning chitlins when she discovered that Maryland Health Department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture had no regulations for the cleaning process.

In 1995, Anderson opened her restaurant, "The Chitlin Market" in Prince George’s County, Maryland.[6] Her business was depicted on an episode of ABC’s drama “Commander in Chief”, which sparked outrage from city officials. A 2007 news article from The Hill stated that her restaurant became a prop for ABC’s "stereotype of a poor, dangerous black neighborhood,” and the show was denounced by then County Executive Jack Johnson.[7]

In 2006, Anderson sued the county for what she claims were deliberate, concerted efforts to shut down the Chitlin Market.[8] Her legal case was dismissed by Prince George's County Judge Sherri L. Krauser and was investigated by Senator Barbara Mikulski's office.

Anderson is in the process of producing a documentary based on her short-lived business experience on Ager Road and the depiction of her business as “demeaning to the community.” She currently sells chitlins online and directly to restaurants and churches.

Anderson's work has been featured in Saveur Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Jet Magazine and CNN.[9][10]

Books
  • Anderson, Shauna; Place, Elizabeth, Offal Great-A Memoir from the Queen of Chitlins, Hyattsville, MD 2006. ISBN 978-0-9792878-0-0

References
  1. Trescott, Jacqueline (April 23, 2003). "Guts Get Some Overdue Glory: Chitlin Merchant's Gift Feeds Museum's Plans". The Washington Post.
  2. "Chitlin Market and Company records - contents · SOVA". sova.si.edu. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  3. Anderson, Shauna R.; Latrobe, Elizabeth (2007-02-28). Offal Great-A Memoir from the Queen of Chitlins. The Shauna R Anderson Company.
  4. "Shauna Anderson LinkedIn". LinkedIn. 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  5. Lewis, Nicole. "Shauna Anderson is using real estate to create multiple streams of income". Emerge Magazine.
  6. Nicholls, Walter. "Guts to Glory". www.washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  7. Delaney, Arthur. "Queen of Chitlins wages war on PG County Council". www.thehill.com. The Hill. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  8. "Maryland Businesswoman Sues County". Global Wire. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  9. Meyer, Eugene. "Cashing in on Chitlins". www.washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  10. Merida, Kevin (May 5, 2002). ""Gut Instinct Chitlins online seemed like a good idea at the time. And it still does"". The Washington Post.
  • Trescott, Jacqueline (April 23, 2003). "Guts Get Some Overdue Glory: Chitlin Merchant's Gift Feeds Museum's Plans." The Washington Post.
  • Lewis, Nicole. "Shauna Anderson is using real estate to create multiple streams of income". Black Enterprise Magazine.
  • Randle, Leila. "Newsletter May 2003". Soul Family Travels. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  • Nicholls, Walter. "Guts to Glory". www.washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  • Delaney, Arthur. "Queen of Chitlins wages war on PG County Council". www.thehill.com. The Hill. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  • "Maryland Businesswoman Sues County". Global Wire. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  • Meyer, Eugene. "Cashing in on Chitlins". www.washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  • Merida, Kevin (May 5, 2002). ""Gut Instinct Chitlins online seemed like a good idea at the time. And it still does"". The Washington Post.
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