Bon Rappetite: Inside joke goes viral, becomes a cookbook | Food ...

Back in late January, rumblings and blog posts began to appear about what appeared to be the most ridiculous ? and most genius ? new restaurant concept Atlanta had ever seen: Bon Rappetite, the world?s first hip-hop restaurant. Opened in East Atlanta, the website included contact information, restaurant hours, a list of upcoming events, and a menu comprised of hip-hop themed puns, like the Wu-Tang Clams or Lil? Kimchi. This looked too good to be true.

And, in fact, it was.

Bon Rappetite is the brain child of social media marketing firm Baby Robot Industries co-founders Everett Steele and wife Bunny Mcintosh. The website began as an inside joke a year earlier, the result of round(s) of beers and a list of rap-themed puns scribbled onto a bar napkin. Steele and Mcintosh emailed the joke site out to a few friends and then forgot about it.

Next thing they know, Scoutmob stumbles onto the site and posts about it, then Creative Loafing picks it up. Within days, CNN and The Huffington Post have run stories on them, their server is crashing from thousands of hits per day, phone ringing off the hook with diners asking if they take reservations, and their inside joke has its own Urbanspoon page.

Well, what was once only a joke-gone-viral has gotten a little more rizzle. Building off of the interest generated by the faux-site, Steele teamed up with co-writer Chris Hassiotis to turn the puns into real recipes and launch Bon Rappetite: The Cookbook. Now, you can whip up dishes like the Too $hort Rib Tacos or Queen LaPizza at home.

This Saturday, March 31st, Baby Robot is hosting the official Bon Rappetite launch party at the Graveyard Tavern, including free drinks from 9 p.m.-10 p.m. and performances from frequent The Roots guest MC, Greg Porn, Atlanta?s BNMC, Deuce Ducartier, Small Eyez, Stealth, Rogue, Blonju and Ina Escobar, with DJ Mudfish.

The cookbook is available for purchase online for $19.99 and 10% of the proceeds go to benefit the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. So, pick up a copy, learn how to make some Pone Thugs and Hominy or a batch of Ol? Dirty Custard, and show your support for creative hilarity.

- By Jon Watson, Food and More blog

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