Slap The Apple Claimed

Gem story was written by: Marcus Mulenga

It’s a bright, sunny day, and the unmistakable scent of barbecue smoke hits your nose. You follow it to the source, where you discover a blazing grill cooking up some fish and ribs, with some spaghetti on the side. And who’s the grill master putting this delicious meal together? None other than our next Gem! Introducing Chester Moore Jr., better known as Prince of the South, was born and raised in Memphis, where barbecue roots run deep! Chester has been in the kitchen ever since he was a kid. Barbecuing is in his DNA, with all the Moore men passing down this skill to future generations. The women in his family also taught him some family recipes that he’s attached to his cooking belt, or “apron”, you could say! By the time Chester was ready to fry his first hamburger, he knew he had found his passion. Even today, cooking continues to be important to his family. His son has his own barbecue business, and Chester is training his young grandson to be a future grill master as well.

After a brief stint in Louisiana selling food to the night crowd, Chester decided to switch things up and head to Florida, where he met a roadblock to the progression of his career. It seemed like no one in his area was interested in hiring him to do barbecues. But it turns out that he was simply in the wrong location. So he marketed himself to the right people at the right place, and now Chester is more determined than ever to “bring some Memphis love to Orlando Florida!” This experience taught him an important lesson that he has applied to his other entrepreneurial endeavors…and there are a lot of them! In addition to being a grill master, Chester is also a landscaper, radio host, life coach, deacon, t-shirt seller, mentor, marketer, and family man! Yes, this Gem truly does a little bit of everything, which is actually by design. He’s learned that to establish wealth, you have to “take pieces out of different pies.” You also have to be able to deal with financial losses, which are an inevitable part of the journey. One time, a very lucrative opportunity presented itself for Chester’s barbecue business, Slap the Apple, to feed 3,000 people at an event attended by Tyler Perry and the cast of Meet the Browns. Chester spent $1,200 preparing for the occasion, which unfortunately got rained out. He lost every penny he had put into that. But he dried off his tears and didn’t give up on his passion.

And as it turns out, on another occasion hosted by United Health Care, Slap the Apple was able to feed 600 people in just under 4 hours! It’s like his momma always said: “once you get that brain to working, it’s full speed ahead!” With this mentality, COVID did not slow Chester down at all. With many restaurants closed and most people stuck at home staring out at their unattended lawns, outdoor barbecues and landscaping were in high demand! In line with this, when offering marketing assistance to aspiring entrepreneurs, Chester encourages them to capitalize on any opportunity they can find. As he puts it, “when there’s a market for it and it’s what you do, make that money!” Of course, money isn’t the only thing that drives Chester. His support system consists of his family, friends, church, and 5 close advisors who have helped him consolidate everything he is involved in into three main categories: barbecue, landscaping, and radio. They keep him focused and inspired to not only build wealth for himself but also to give back to his community. He is especially focused on offering mentorship and job opportunities to young men in order to teach them positive ways to provide for their families.

When he’s not frying up something on the grill, talking on the air, or shaping up someone’s lawn, Chester enjoys hosting winner-take-all horseshoe and domino tournaments. Music is also a big interest of his. He delights in listening to the smooth tones of Michael Jackson, Kenny Lattimore, and Anthony Hamilton, and he also likes old-school hip-hop artists like 8Ball & MJG, Queen Latifah, and MC Lyte. And every now and then, Chester hops into the booth to record some rap hooks. It’s his way of reminding these young cats that it was his generation that first embraced hip-hop! More important to Chester than any business endeavor is his faith in God. As he puts it, “my Father is the King of Kings, so I’m the Prince of the South!” You can tune in to his radio show, Peace on the Streets, every Wednesday from 9 am-11 am, and be sure to book his famous barbecue for your next event! Finally, make sure you check out Chester’s friends over at Landscape Nursery; consider it a decree from the “Prince”!