Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Chicken and waffles became a popular after-show meal for jazz musicians during the Harlem Renaissance.
- Chicken and waffles is an iconic comfort food dish that likely originated in Harlem, New York.
- I had never eaten chicken and waffles before.
- So on a recent trip to Los Angeles, I stopped by Roscoe's to taste the iconic dish at the chain most known for it.
- Sign up for Business Insider's retail newsletter, The Drive-Thru, to get more stories like this in your inbox.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Chicken and waffles have always been a culinary blind spot for me.
As an Asian American from the Pacific Northwest, my foods growing up were steaming bowls of pho, take-out boxes piled with sticky-sweet chicken teriyaki, and occasionally, Claim Jumper's cheesy potatocakes.
I first learned about chicken and waffles when the dish reached more mainstream popularity in 2011, after then-President Barack Obama made a pit stop at Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles in Los Angeles. His order, the number 9, has since been renamed "The Obama Special."
Marcus Samuelsson, the chef behind legendary comfort food joint Red Rooster in Harlem, New York, traces the origin of chicken and waffles to the Harlem Renaissance. Chicken and waffles became a popular after-show meal for jazz musicians like Fats Waller and Duke Ellington, who often played until after most restaurants closed.
So when luck (and work) brought me to LA, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try chicken and waffles for the first time at America's most iconic chicken and waffles chain.