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Crafted in fire: a sizzling look at southern California barbecue culture

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Content CRAFTED IN FIRE: A SIZZLING LOOK AT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BARBECUE CULTURE by Jonathan Williams A Thesis Presented to FACULTY OF THE USC ANNENBERG SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION AND JOURNALISM UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS (SPECIALIZED JOURNALISM) MAY 2023 ii Acknowledgements I would like to begin by taking the time to thank all the friends, family and mentors that have guided me along the way. To begin, I’d like to thank my dad for all the love and support through carrying on the family tradition. I’d like to thank my mother for loving me unconditionally, no matter what. I’d like to thank my partner for sacrificing her time with me to support me on this journey. To my life coach, and friends who’ve walked with me through this journey, I love you all. Thank you to Michael Moreau, Sal Policino and the entire team at El Vaq at Glendale College. Thank you to Shelby Slade at the State Press. Thank you to Tarek Fattal of the L.A. Daily News for granting me my first freelance opportunity and a second chance. Thank you to the entire team at Outlook Newspapers like Camila Castellanos, Charlie Plowman, Mickey Sullivan. Thank you to Zane Hill at the L.A. Business Journal. I want to say thank you to Ally Salvage, Nicole Chayet-Singer, Joe Jareck, Steve Brenner, Cary Osborne, Mark Langill, Juan Dorado and the inaugural fellowship class at the Los Angeles Dodgers for supporting my decision to leave the organization to pursue my education. I’d like to thank my committee, Dr. Lisa Pecot-Hébert, Professor Sandy Tolan, Professor Oscar Garza for all the guidance during this process. Thank you to Professors Janice Littlejohn, Allan Lopez, Erin Osmon, Jonathan Kotler, Alan Abrahamson, Gary Cohn and Gabriel Kahn for the hundreds of discussions that will change my life. Lastly, thank you to the entire 2023 USC Annenberg graduate cohort. I couldn’t have done any of this without your motivation, your passion and your example. iii Table of contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. ii List of Figures ......................................................................................................................v Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iv Chapter 1 My Story ..............................................................................................................1 Chapter 2 The Pop Up ..........................................................................................................6 Chapter 3 The Brick and Mortar ........................................................................................13 Chapter 4 The Law .............................................................................................................15 Chapter 5 The Birthplace ...................................................................................................17 Chapter 6 The Uncertain Future ........................................................................................25 References ..........................................................................................................................27 Appendices .........................................................................................................................28 Appendix A: Moo’s Craft BBQ Script ..................................................................28 Appendix B: Salt Lick BBQ Script ........................................................................33 Appendix C: Snow’s Craft BBQ Script .................................................................35 Appendix D: Boneyard Podcast Script ..................................................................37 iv List of Figures Figure 1.1 Chapter 1 Header ................................................................................................1 Figure 1.2 My Barbecue Pop Up .........................................................................................2 Figure 1.3 My Smoker .........................................................................................................3 Figure 1.4 Tri Tip .................................................................................................................4 Figure 2.1 Pop Up Header ...................................................................................................5 Figure 2.2 Alec Instagram Embed .......................................................................................7 Figure 2.3 Alec Instagram Embed Two ...............................................................................9 Figure 2.4 Winne Instagram Embed ..................................................................................10 Figure 2.5 Winnie Instagram Embed Two .........................................................................11 Figure 3.1 Chapter Three Header Image ............................................................................12 Figure 3.2 Moo’s Instagram Embed ..................................................................................12 Figure 3.3 Boneyard Bistro Walkthrough GIF ..................................................................13 Figure 4.1 California Food Code Embed PDF ...................................................................14 Figure 5.1 Chapter Five Header Image ..............................................................................16 Figure 5.2 Travel Map .......................................................................................................17 Figure 5.3 Stiles Switch BBQ Front Image .......................................................................18 Figure 5.4 Stiles Switch Inside GIF ...................................................................................19 Figure 5.5 Stiles Switch Slideshow One ............................................................................20 Figure 5.6 Stiles Switch Slideshow Two ...........................................................................20 Figure 5.7 Snow’s Food Image ..........................................................................................22 Figure 5.8 Franklin Photo Collage .....................................................................................23 Figure 6.1 Chapter Six Header Image ................................................................................24 v Figure 6.2 Moo’s Front Image ...........................................................................................24 vi Abstract With recession looming in 2023, “Crafted In Fire” explores the sustainability of the current model within two different sectors: the “pop-up” and brick and mortar restaurant archetypes. It uncovers one of the most primitive cooking methods in the Americas and the areas that nurtures them, including Austin, Los Angeles and Orange County. The project looks at a booming culture in the region, with roots stemming in Central Texas, showcasing the explosion of barbecue flavor and introduces several characters along the way. In California, owners of barbecue brick and mortar restaurants, along with pop-up locations, must navigate stringent L.A. Health Department crackdowns and follow the California Retail Food Code to avoid closure. The story takes the reader from the streets of Los Angeles to the backcountry of Central Texas in cities like Lexington, Cedar Park and Driftwood. It contains text, documentary and podcast elements in harmonious synchrony, sharing a central theme specific to barbecue culture in two different areas of the country. Welcome to Crafted In Fire: A Sizzling Look At Southern California Barbecue Culture. View the website here: https://uscstoryspace.com/2022-2023/jw99577/craftedinfire/ 1 CHAPTER 1: MY STORY FIGURE 1.1 CHAPTER 1 HEADER I can’t remember my first bite of barbecue. What I do remember is the savory texture of a beef rib. The saltiness of pulled pork. The sweetness of a sugary, bite-through pork rib. The sides. Coleslaw. Mac and cheese. Baked beans. I was introduced to barbecue at a young age. My father and I spent time by our red kettle grill in our concrete-surfaced backyard. The rust accents withstood the test of time. He worked quite a bit. As a self-employed, Black man from East Texas, he was my link to the barbecue tradition in our family. Pork spareribs, beer and charcoal. That was the recipe. That’s where my barbecue journey began. I chased the nostalgia of my first bite. I began making my own barbecue with friends, growing up in the 70-degree standard of Southern California. I concocted my own recipes. My friends were the variables and the food I made were the controls. 2 Figure 1.2 My Barbecue Pop Up 1.1: The Spark It was March 2020. A month we all can remember. Prior to that, I was working at a real estate brokerage, with a salary. Then, I was unemployed. During that time of my life, I had no direction. I was unhappy with my job, my lack of responsibilities. I was coasting through life, ambivalent and aloof. So I left the brokerage, actually, the pandemic shutdown operations anyway – and started a business. I wanted to create the same joy in others I experienced early on with my father. I launched the Trent Way Barbecue Company. I invested thousands in two custom grills, an offset smoker crafted by Drew Brahs at Harper Barbecue and a Santa Maria-style rotisserie pit from Red Beard Smokers in Pasadena. I’d consumed thousands of hours of YouTube barbecue-related content. I sent countless direct messages on Instagram to members of the barbecue community – like Alec Lopez of AGL Craft Meats. It was all going to come together. 3 Figure 1.3 My Smoker 4 1.2 The Harsh Reality Figure 1.4 Tri Tip During the pandemic, I catered small gatherings among friends who were still willing to come together during quarantine. I sold them food. I broke even. Barbecue is laborious. Chopping wood in the 90 degree heat. Prepping and trimming pork shoulders and hefty racks of pork ribs, I’d end up with sharp cuts on my hands from the razor- like bones. The pandemic drove my business down. Fortunately, I was able to serve food during a worldwide pandemic and had it much easier than some of my brick-and-mortar counterparts. Not only did restaurants with a physical storefront have to dodge Los Angeles’s tough food and safety regulations, but they could also only serve food from their curbside. Then, 10-15% seating capacity was allowed, sometimes only outdoors. Fear loomed as City Hall’s back-and-forth red tape regarding the stay-at-home orders left restaurants in constant flux. After a few months, The Trent Way Barbecue company stopped smoking pork butts, ribs and tri- tip. I gave up. Physically exhausted from the work and emotionally drained by the pandemic, I 5 was defeated by the hurdles of crafting food for a living. I gained respect for my “pop-up” colleagues who were doing it long before I was, and who remained after I left. 6 CHAPTER 2: THE POP UP Figure 2.1 Pop-Up Header Image A “pop-up” style restaurant is non-traditional. With the advent of social media, these “ghost kitchens” allow backyard pitmasters to run their own business without the high startup costs required for a traditional “brick and mortar” location. More often, these pitmasters bring their own chairs, tables and supplies to street fairs, breweries and night markets around Los Angeles. A “ghost kitchen” or “cloud kitchen” is a delivery-only restaurant without dining areas for customers and has no physical storefront. They utilize food delivery apps like Grubhub, Doordash, etc. The model has been established with an annual growth rate of 13.78%, the National Journal mentioned in its March 2023 press release. Prior to the pandemic, which decimated the restaurant industry, 15% of operators utilized a cloud kitchen, according to Technomic and the National Restaurant Association. By May 2020, the number quadrupled, ballooning to almost 50%. 7 2.1 A Delicate Balance The Los Angeles County health department is the regulatory body responsible for issuing permits to barbecue pop-ups within the county. When I contacted the public information office at the L.A. health department they said there are several options for permits that allow a barbecue operator to operate at a location other than a permanent food facility: • A barbecue stand with food equipment under a pop-up cover may obtain a permit from the Department of Public Health to operate as a Temporary Food Facility as part of a designated Community Event. All food must be prepared at the Temporary Food Facility or within a permitted food facility prior to the community event. • A permitted food truck may have a trailer with a barbecue if it meets the requirements of a mobile food facility within State law. There is no restriction on where a food truck can operate. • A permitted food truck may also operate at a community event in conjunction with a barbecue located adjacent to the food truck. • A brewery, winery, or other commercial business can obtain a permit to host a catering business for up to four hours per day. This allows a permitted catering business to prepare food at their approved location and establish a temporary location at the host location where they can serve the foods that they prepared at their permitted location. • State law doesn’t allow a stand-alone grill on wheels to be permitted as a mobile food facility and doesn’t allow a food truck to operate a barbecue adjacent to the food truck, except at a community event. According to the officials within the health department, pop-ups can be legal in multiple scenarios: when they are part of an approved community event and have obtained a temporary food facility permit, operating from a trailer that has a valid public health permit, and finally, operating as a permitted caterer or in a setting that has a public health permit, such as a restaurant. However, some pop-ups in L.A. County may not operate with all the required permits. Although the local health code changed in 2020 to loosen the strict rules, operators may have to navigate their business carefully to avoid fines. They can thrive by maintaining a balance of an inconspicuous social media presence and a swath of obtainable permits to maintain a favorable rapport with local health departments. Shutdowns can occur when the business operates without a valid public health permit as required by the California Retail Food Code. The health department said it does not track how many 8 barbecue pop ups apply for permits, or those that have been shut down within the last year, if any. 2.2 Southern California Barbecue Culture Central Texas style barbecue is the epicenter for Texas barbecue. Quite simply, it's usually just two ingredients used to season the meat – salt and pepper. The meat is smoked low and slow, lower temperatures for long hours, using mesquite, pecan or post oak wood. The spread? Smoked brisket, pork spareribs and sausage served atop butcher paper with white bread. Barbecue culture is booming in Los Angeles, with influences and roots stemming back to Central Texas, embedding into the fabric of an explosive culture spreading across Southern California. Figure 2.2 Alec Instagram Embed 9 2.3 Alec Lopez, AGL Craft Meats Nestled in Whittier, Lopez spends his weekends under a gray, weathered Quik Shade to shield him from the elements. In a friend’s backyard, his equipment is a welded rust-tinged fire box, bonded together to a marshmallow-colored 1000-gallon propane tank on top of solid iron legs. The smokestack towers over the trailer it rests on. Surrounded by dirt, a pile of white oak logs leans against two resin sheds. Lopez moved to this location in 2021. His van houses his Cambro food storage unit and catering supplies. His supplies sit atop two five-foot-long tables: a plastic crate of spices including garlic salt, pepper and paprika; brown butcher paper adds a barrier for the pork butts and beef ribs to be seasoned. Wearing food-safe gloves, Lopez delicately shakes the spices onto each cut of meat like an artisan. No surface goes uncovered. When the cuts are ready, he checks his fire. In the cylinder fire box that sports the “Fatstack Smokers” logo, the door opens to a raging fire and a white-hot bed of coals. The dry air rushes into the 800-degree-plus blaze, stifled by a pair of hands and a shovel. Lopez reaches into the box to set a log down, unfazed by the scorching fire. Sweat drips from his face as he nurtures the burn. The shovel and its blade become an extension of his arms, protecting him from the scathing hot metal housing. After nearly 18 hours, the job is done…for now. He admits: “It takes a crazy person to make barbecue.” 10 Figure 2.3 Alec Instagram Embed Two It’s early Saturday morning and racks of baby-back ribs need to be cooked. Several more hours go by and it’s time for the pop-up he started several years ago. Lopez was born in the South Bay to a Cuban father and Mexican mother. Growing up, his father was ingrained in the restaurant industry, working for Fuddruckers, a San Antonio-based burger chain. After a stifled MMA-career and nursing a broken hand, Alec was fired from his job at Trader Joe’s. That’s when his father invited him to work the pits at Pearl’s BBQ pop-up in the Arts District, until it was shut down in 2019. Since then, he’s been running his own pop-up at AGL Craft Meats. “I let the food speak for itself,” Lopez said. His Cuban heritage can be found all over his food, like the savory Sofrito sausage link, housing a dry white wine seasoning, sazón, black pepper, bell peppers, onion and garlic. The pastrami brisket’s deep red contrasts the blackness of the peppery crust. As of March 2023, Lopez will be taking a hiatus from his pop-up, renting out his space and moving to New York to cook barbecue there. Lopez mentioned in an Instagram post he’s doing well, it’s just time for a break: “I just want to get away…sometimes you need a break.” 11 2.4 Winne Yee-Lakhani, Smokequeen BBQ Figure 2.4 Winnie Instagram Embed Dubbed the “Smokequeen” of Southern California, Fullerton native Winnie Yee-Lakhani is infusing her Malaysian roots and Chinese heritage into her food, one crispy pork belly at a time. Like many chefs and restaurateurs, Yee-Lakhani’s businesses were destroyed by the pandemic, losing nearly 50 employees. The 14-year restaurant veteran used her time during lockdown to learn how to smoke meat. At her residency at Smorgasburg, it's a long wait to get your hands on her delectable proteins such as the crispy smoked siu yuk pork belly and char siu. Yee-Lakhani is on her way to opening her first brick-and-mortar location in Orange County. With appearances on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” “BBQ Brawl: Flay V. Symon” and, most recently, “Chopped,” there’s no doubt the “Smokequeen” is making a statement in the Southern California barbecue scene. 12 Figure 2.5 Winnie Instagram Embed Two 13 CHAPTER 3: THE BRICK AND MORTAR Figure 3.1 Chapter Three Header Image 3.1 Moo’s Craft BBQ Figure 3.2 Moo’s Instagram Embed 14 I discovered Michelle and Andrew Muñoz of Moo’s Craft Barbecue almost six years ago. Starting with a pop-up in their San Gabriel Valley backyard, they would have customers lined down the street. Their notoriety eventually caused them to be shut down by the L.A. Health Department, but then they secured a spot at Smorgasburg. Since then, they’ve been praised by Texas Monthly’s BBQ editor, made the L.A. Times “101 Best Restaurants” list in 2022, and were even recognized by former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Most notably, the couple and co-owners received a James Beard semi-finalist nomination. See my full conversation with them here: https://youtu.be/smpIyv8oVFo 3.2 Boneyard BBQ https://open.spotify.com/episode/7dWMxzBBrxwHFB094TUDI3 Aaron Robins’ Boneyard Bistro was one of the first restaurants to serve Central Texas-style barbecue here in Southern California. Based in Sherman Oaks for almost 20 years, the restaurant has been on the forefront of smoked meat in the region and has served the Los Angeles Lakers and large corporate events across the city. Join Andrew and me as we discuss his business, the restaurant, and life beyond the fire. Figure 3.3 Boneyard Bistro Walkthrough GIF 15 CHAPTER 4: THE LAW Figure 4.1 California Food Code PDF Embed It hasn’t always been easy to run a barbecue restaurant in Southern California, especially in Los Angeles. Prior to 2020, the L.A. County’s retail food code presented several hurdles for those wanting to offer fully legal smoked meats. The best barbecue was underground, usually in backyards and inside local breweries. The brick- and-mortar option only allowed for indoor electric smokers. Outside, you couldn’t burn open fires. Even Moo’s Craft BBQ was shut down. The health department once had them throw away all their products for the day, costing thousands of dollars in revenue. 4.1 2020 Changes However, in 2020, the health department introduced special language to cater to barbecue restaurants and pop-ups. The rules have never been more accessible if you’re a backyard pitmaster, trying to open your own barbecue business. Additionally, sidewalk vending became legal on Jan. 1, 2020, requiring a business license and compliance with California tax law. Also, home kitchen commercial sales were legalized, requiring a move to commercial space if the operation made $50,000 or more annually, allowing sales directly to the public. 16 The caveat: the operator must agree to inspections and be subject to random visits from the health department. 4.2 A New Landscape As part of its updates, the health department classified open-air barbecues as “a piece of equipment designed for barbecuing food,” according to the code. Food must be prepared outdoors by cooking directly over hot coals, gas flames, or other methods approved by the department. The equipment should be suitably designed and maintained, near a temporary food facility or a catering business. Lastly, the document states the pit should be near a “mobile food facility that remains fixed during hours of operations at a community event or a permanent food facility. Most notably, the special language nixed the requirement for open-air barbecue pits to “require the enclosure of an open-air barbecue or outdoor wood-burning oven.” Other details include its proximity to where the operation cooks its food, and in a location where customers can’t access the cooking space. Lastly, it can’t be atop a motor vehicle, like inside a food truck. Post-2020, L.A.'s barbecue scene exploded with dozens of local pop-ups appearing all over the county. Some of the pop-ups found their brick-and-mortar homes, such as Moo’s Craft BBQ in Lincoln Heights. 17 CHAPTER 5: THE BIRTHPLACE FIGURE 5.1 CHAPTER FIVE HEADER IMAGE When the Spanish first arrived, settlers encountered a new style of cooking: barbacoa — the original barbecue. Indigenous people had developed a method for cooking meat over an indirect flame. Nearly 600 years later, barbecue in this country is booming and is widely considered one of the most distinctive American cuisines. The “barbecue belt” includes the Carolinas, Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and, finally, Texas, especially Central Texas. Smoked brisket started in Eastern Europe, amongst the Ashkenazi Jewish community. Traditionally a cheap cut, the brisket cut comes from the front of the cow, making it a kosher dish. Now, it is the centerpiece of tradition-bound BBQ spots in Texas, and in Southern California, where smoked meat is flourishing. In Lockhart, Texas, during the 1950s, Black’s BBQ became the first restaurant to exclusively offer brisket to its customers. The offset smoker became a key ingredient in the barbecue process, utilizing a long horizontal chamber while charcoal and wood burn in a scorching firebox attached to one side. The smoker is usually made of quarter-inch thick cast iron and old industrial propane tanks. Offset smokers feature shelves in the cooking chamber to roast briskets, fork-tender pork shoulders and bite-through racks of ribs. 18 Figure 5.2 Travel Map My father spent the first 20 years of his life in the port city of Galveston, Texas. Growing up as a Black man in segregated East Texas in the early 1960s, he moved to Compton when he was 20 to escape the racial persecution he faced in his youth. I had been once or twice to Houston and Dallas, but never to Austin. And never for barbecue in this capacity. Two restaurants were must-visits: Snow’s BBQ in the Central Texas town of Lexington, and Franklin Barbecue in Austin. Snow’s is home to 87-year-old Norma Frances "Tootsie" Tomanetz, who many call the “Queen of Texas Barbecue,” running one of the best ‘cue spots in the country. Franklin’s is headed by Aaron Franklin, who’s made appearances on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” is featured in his own “Masterclass,” and owns what many consider the best barbecue restaurant in the U.S.A. 5.1 The Road to Mecca Naturally, I also wanted to know from the locals. I stayed in Georgetown, about 30 minutes north of downtown Austin and home to Southwestern University, Texas’ oldest college. When I landed, I began asking around for recommendations. I was given two suggestions: Salt Lick BBQ and Stiles Switch BBQ. 19 5.2 Day One: Salt Lick BBQ Salt Lick Video Link: https://youtu.be/YiYTQhhPLRA Nestled in the backcountry of Driftwood, just southwest of Austin, I was teleported into what felt like a winter day in Napa Valley. Surrounded by vineyards, Salt Lick BBQ houses two buildings on the massive property. The dirt road kicked pebbles off the bottom of the Subaru Crosstrek I drove into the massive parking lot. The smell of locally-sourced live oak wood smoke permeated the air as I walked through the wooden doors of the original 1960s-era cobblestone structure that has been modified. That’s when I saw it: the famed horseshoe pit. Its roots are from some of the early settlers in Central Texas, by horse and carriage as they headed out west. Dangling above the pit were blackened briskets with opaque crusts, amber pork ribs and cherry red sausage links. Meat and fire, a simple recipe. At the University of Texas, football season was over. However, on any given Saturday in the Fall, Salt Lick could host nearly 1,000 screaming Longhorn fans wearing the school’s familiar burnt orange and snacking on burnt ends. Salt Lick BBQ manager Erik Zepeda took me on a walkthrough around the property. Then, it was time to eat. He treated me with the southern hospitality you must truly experience to understand. I was graced with the entire menu, from the well-known bison ribs and the juicy chicken legs, some of the best barbecue I’ve ever had. 5.3 Day Two: Stiles Switch BBQ Figure 5.3 Stiles Switch BBQ Front Image 20 When I arrived in Georgetown, I stayed with a family friend. Immediately, I was thrust back into the early 1940s. A town square, flat roads, I’m surprised I didn’t see an old Chevrolet parked in every driveway. Leafless oak trees lined the streets. We dined at a local Italian restaurant, Tony and Luigi’s. Over dinner, my hosts recommended I try Stiles Switch BBQ in the north Austin suburb of Cedar Park. The original Stiles location is in Violet Crown — one of the oldest shopping centers in Austin. The 1993 film, “Dazed and Confused,” starring Matthew McConaughey, was partly filmed at that location. Upon arriving in Cedar Park the next morning, I noticed a familiarity. Unlike the rolling green grass of Driftwood, Cedar Park is home to motels, gas stations and all the amenities of a suburb. Figure 5.4 Stiles Switch Inside GIF You can’t help but notice the off-white water tower, a staple in Central Texas. Every town has one, each with its own charm. As I pulled into the Stiles lot, I was greeted by the scent of burning post oak traveling from the pit in the back. Neon signs line the walls and the black venting snaked across the ceiling. I popped in during the lunch rush and the restaurant filled up. During the holidays, they celebrate “The 12 Days of Meatmas,” when they offer exclusive dishes such as their French dip tri-tip sandwich. 21 Some of my favorites included the jalapeño cheddar sausage that was mildly spicy. It walloped me with a smoky richness when I bit through the casing. The brisket was savory and the pork ribs offered hints of pepper, cooked to perfection. Figure 5.5 Stiles Switch Slideshow One Figure 5.6 Stiles Switch Slideshow Two 22 5.4 Day Three: Snow’s BBQ Snow’s BBQ Video Link: https://youtu.be/LqLeUEAeOPA A little more than 50 miles east of downtown Austin lies Lexington. With a population of around 1,000 people, Lexington is a picturesque small town. Established in 1848 as String Prairie, it was renamed in 1850, honoring the first battle of the Revolutionary War. The town has one high school, a town square and, of course, a water tower. Every Saturday, farmers and cattle ranchers come from all over to the livestock auction at 12:30 in the afternoon. Only an hour from College Station, Texas A&M University flags are found on almost every street, hanging from every flagpole. There’s one more reason people travel here from all over the world on Saturdays: Tootsie. "Tootsie" Tomanetz is the pitmaster and a co-owner at Snow’s BBQ, along with Kerry Bexley. A school janitor during the week, on Saturdays — the only day Snow’s is open — the 87-year- old Tootsie spends her time burnishing her legend. She places her hands on top of the pits to check the temperature, shovels hot coals into the classic, cabinet-style pits, and poses for photos with the hundreds of patrons who come for some of the most authentic, Central Texas style barbecue you can sink your teeth into. With the help of the Netflix special, “Chef’s Table,” Snow’s BBQ’s profile exploded after the legend of Tomanetz reached barbecue nerds like me. I arrived just before sunrise on a cold, windy day. When I got there, I packed up my gear and headed into the darkness. The orange hue from the rustic streetlights tinted every exhale. Not surprisingly, there was already a long line of at least 100 hungry customers. At the front, the first customers had arrived at midnight, a not too uncommon procedure for one of the more illustrious positions in barbecue culture. As part of Snow’s tradition, Bexley greeted everyone in the line and handed each person a number. My ripped piece of office paper read “110.” As the sun offered daylight and warmth, Bexley called out a number. Two patrons in line would have a choice if they were selected: they could win a prize or move to the front of the line. The merchandise line buzzed, as did the bar. By 7:30 a.m., the doors opened. Brisket is served, plus pork shoulder steak, pork ribs, sausage, potato salad, coleslaw. The brisket was like a roast, as the bark was much softer than a brisket from an offset smoker. At Snow’s, the famous mop, a mixture of ingredients like water, unsalted butter and Worcestershire sauce, adds tenderness to the outside of every protein. 23 Figure 5.7 Snow’s Food Image 5.5 Day Four: Franklin Barbecue Franklin Barbecue Video Link: https://youtu.be/n0RnGcB1DaQ When I began my own barbecue journey, Aaron Franklin was a name associated with the highest standard. His brisket is legendary, and he is known as one of the kings of Central Texas-style barbecue. I stumbled across his videos on YouTube during my research. Never would have I imagined that’d I’d be sitting inside his restaurant years later, working on this story. I woke up on Sunday morning as darkness held reign over the sky. I jumped in the car and drove into Austin on IH-35. The sun peeked its head over the horizon to the east of the city skyline. When I arrived, I was the fifth person in line. At the front of the line were childhood friends who were from Utah. The third and fourth customers were two Australians, who’d met an hour before they became best friends for the day. 24 Figure 5.8 Franklin Photo Collage Behind me were a couple who had their first date at Panda Express and traveled from Kyle, a suburb just outside of Austin, for another Sunday trip to Franklin Barbecue. The World Cup final was on, mostly as an undercard to the main event, which would be the restaurant doors opening at 11 a.m. As Argentine icon Lionel Messi cemented his legacy, we became a family in the line, reminiscent of movie theater queues in the days before assigned seating. Four hours felt like four minutes. Before we all knew it, the doors were open. Inside the seafoam-and-black-lined facility, newly built after a fire destroyed the old structure, was a simple, analog menu with white letters on every row. Brisket. Pork Ribs. Sausage. Turkey. Mac and cheese. Baked beans. It was all there. There was one more treat — the beef rib offered exclusively on weekends. My 10-year pilgrimage led me here, to the epicenter of Central Texas-style barbecue tradition, where it all began. 25 CHAPTER 6: THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE FIGURE 6.1 CHAPTER SIX HEADER IMAGE With the high cost of overhead, pop-ups and traditional brick-and-mortars rely on affordable goods to stay afloat. With the rising cost of goods, inflation has presented challenges in the barbecue community. Even though wholesale beef prices in August 2022 were 12.6 percent lower than the prior year, they remain elevated by historic standards. Figure 6.2 Moo’s Front Image “In 2022, food prices increased by 9.9 percent. Food-at-home prices increased by 11.4 percent, while food-away-from-home prices increased by 7.7 percent…and all food categories grew faster than their historical average rate,” according to the Economic Research Service of the USDA. “If we did normal margins, normal food cost for brisket, we would probably have to charge … somewhere in the range of, like, 80 bucks a pound,” Aaron Franklin, owner of Franklin Barbecue, told Marketplace in 2021. 26 6.1 Expert Advice Daniel Vaughn is the BBQ editor at Texas Monthly, the go-to source for ‘cue coverage in Texas and across the United States. When asked about the sustainability of barbecue moving forward, Vaughn said he fully understands the high cost of the product. “This is not going to be cheap,” Vaughn said. “This is mostly meat-by-the-pound on a tray … however, that’s not how most people eat barbecue.” On his socials, Vaughn usually posts a photo of a full tray of food — all the proteins and sides you can think of. “I certainly think you can eat barbecue more economically,” he added. Vaughn wasn’t hesitant to express his worry about the small, weekend pop-ups he sees on social media, with lack of access to a large following like the Moo’s Craft BBQs of the past, whether that be in Texas or elsewhere. Vaughn mentioned that if a barbecue enthusiast’s livelihood doesn’t depend on the job, why would they invest their already valuable time on the weekends to support the operation, especially in the down economy we are facing in 2023. Meat prices will rise, as will the cost of other goods. “When meat prices spike and when the cost…of doing business increases,” Vaughn noted, “those are the places that are probably going to give up on it first.” But those people are the foundation of the next generation of barbecue joints in the United States. The next generation of barbecue fanatics with big ideas for a revolution will ultimately suffer. And that could imperil the brick-and-mortar restaurant of tomorrow. 27 REFERENCES Colpaart, Ashley. “Everything You Need to Know about Ghost Kitchens (aka. Cloud Kitchens).” The Food Corridor, 28 Mar. 2023, https://www.thefoodcorridor.com/blog/everything-you- need-to-know-about-cloud-kitchens-ghost-kitchens/. Elliott, Farley. “Once-Promising Pearl's BBQ No Longer Smoking in the Arts District.” Eater LA, 25 Apr. 2019, https://la.eater.com/2019/4/25/18513078/pearls-bbq-closed-arts-district- barbecue-news-closed. “A Guide to Texas Barbecue: 4 Styles of Texas BBQ - 2023.” MasterClass, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/a-guide-to-texas-barbecue%5C. Guszkowski, Joe. “Can Ghost Kitchens Bring Restaurants Back to Life?” Restaurant Business, 21 Sept. 2020, https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/technology/can-ghost-kitchens- bring-restaurants-back-life. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/eh/docs/permit/CaCode.pdf. Magazine, Smithsonian. “The Evolution of American Barbecue.” Smithsonian.com, 18 July 2013, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-evolution-of-american-barbecue- 13770775/. Newsmantraa. “Cloud Kitchen Market to Witness Growth at a CAGR of 13.78% by Forecast 2032: Leading Players: Kitchen United, Rebel Foods, Doordash Kitchen.” Digital Journal, 16 Mar. 2023, https://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/news/cloud-kitchen-market-to-witness- growth-at-a-cagr-of-13-78-by-forecast-2032-leading-players-kitchen-united-rebel-foods- doordash-kitchen.<<THIS LINK IS BROKEN “Summary Findings.” USDA ERS - Summary Findings, https://www.ers.usda.gov/data- products/food-price-outlook/summary-findings/. “These Are the 101 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, https://www.latimes.com/food/list/101-best-los-angeles-restaurants-ranked-2022 Uhler, Andy. “Once a Bargain Buy, Brisket Now Demands Top Dollar.” Marketplace, 18 Oct. 2021, https://www.marketplace.org/2021/10/18/once-a-bargain-buy-brisket-now-demands- top-dollar/. Vaughn, Daniel. “How Franklin Barbecue Came Back after the Fire.” Texas Monthly, 13 June 2018, https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/franklin-barbecue-evolution/. Vaughn, Daniel. “Texas-Ing Their California: L.A. Gets an Influx of Stellar Barbecue.” Texas Monthly, 23 Dec. 2022, https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/texas-barbecue-los-angeles/. YouTube, 25 Aug. 2018, https://youtu.be/MpxBmDqfwe8. Accessed 7 Apr. 2023. 28 APPENDIX A MOO’S SCRIPT Michelle Muñoz [00:00:05] Hi, my name is Michelle Muñoz. Andrew Muñoz [00:00:07] And I'm Andrea Muñoz. Michelle Muñoz [00:00:08] We are the owners of Moo's Craft Barbecue, owners and chefs of Moo's Craft Barbecue. Andrew Muñoz [00:00:13] So I think the biggest challenge initially was kind of scaling up. Yeah, You know, doing it in the backyard is one thing. It's like 4 to 6 briskets. And then as we grew, we scaled and there was a once a week then during the pandemic every other week. So scaling to that wasn't too bad, but scaling from a pop up to a restaurant was a lot different, a little bit more challenging, just to make sure making sure everything was consistent. And then outside of the scaling, you know, just restaurant management, staff, management training, those things have been like the bigger challenges. Michelle Muñoz [00:00:49] Yeah, same. I mean, we've learned so much along the way. We if we know a little bit about us, we didn't have any prior restaurant experience. Barbecue just kind of fell on us because of a passion that we fell in love with and wanted to have more of it. And we couldn't really find it too much in L.A. And I mean, there's still challenges that we're facing to this day. We started before the pandemic, so times were different. We went through the pandemic survive. That opened up during the pandemic. We're constantly always learning, but every day we're faced with new challenges. It's just part of running a business. Andrew Muñoz [00:01:36] Barbecue, not this barbecue specifically, but just like grilling and barbecue was always something that my family did when I was younger. So we knew it was like it was like, Oh, cool. My dad's barbecue. And this weekend it's like family gathering, right? Like a little party or whatever. And like, that was pretty consistent at my house with my dad and like, and like his friends and like, and just like our family, we'd get together and we'd grill. And, you know, I just remember as a kid, like, having fun with my cousins on the weekends and like, not for any particular reason. I mean, obviously we do it for birthdays too, but just, you know, with the weekend, it's time to hang out. It's time to like, just relax. And I just remember that growing up. And then and then also, like, I was I was a little older and I met my wife girlfriend at the time. They have really good barbecues, kind of sort of in the backyard. Her mom would cook really good food. And when her grandma was in town from Mexico and her dad, you know, would always be something really good, her dad was a really good like a backyard griller, you know, like and that was kind of my first experience with more like live fire stuff because her dad hated propane. Yeah. And so, like, you know, he was a charcoal guy. You'd get the coals nice and set. And I remember one time he had me, like, because, like, I would need to go to the store and get some beer. Can you watch my the meat that's on? And I burned everything like he came 29 back and he was like, what happened? And I was like, I'm sorry. So, you know, you know, so I remember that like very vividly. It was kind of funny. And he like, he gave me crap about it every single time you would grill, you know, until, like, you know he passed. But so, you know, barbecue for me is, you know, bringing family and friends together. And now we get to do it with LA. You know, we meet so many people every day here at the restaurant. And a lot of those people over the course of it's been six years have become friends. You know, like we hang out with them when we're not here anymore. We do things with like former employees that are no longer here. We go on like, you know, we did a barbecue crawl and we reached out to a couple of our our former employees, our now friends, and we did a crawl. So it's just community for us. It's a lot of fun. Michelle Muñoz [00:03:53] Barbecue's always been a culture in L.A. and never made a Texas- style type of barbecue culture. Um, barbecuing in Los Angeles means, you know, it's got to be inside. That can mean burgers and hot dogs, but it always has the same value, no matter and the same meaning, no matter where you go. Worldwide, it's about community and it's about family, right? It's about coming together and enjoying, you know, a big platter or a big meal of something and having a good time celebrating. So that's what really brought us into it. For us, it was just more of it's blowing our mind of what Texas-style barbecue is and what it tastes like. It's something that we have never had in L.A. California is always it's known for having barbecue and it's tri tip, but texas style is completely different. Um, and how we started it, it really was just continuing those traditions that we learned from our families, from our moms, our dads. We wanted to have those same traditions have gone to our kids. And that's kind of how you started. Like, my husband was just barbecuing all the time. He became obsessed over this style of barbecue. We were having these gatherings at home were, you know, parents. Our kids were really young or having friends over, family over. And it just organically progressed into one of the loses today. And it's just that community, family, love, togetherness and just having a good time. Andrew Muñoz [00:05:22] People come and then they come back. Like I had someone from all day Texas and so I talked to him really quick and he was just like, Thank you for doing what you guys do. Like, I've been here 25 years and I've never found or never had barbecue this good in L.A. and, you know, like, it just made him really happy. Michelle Muñoz [00:05:41] And it made our day too. Andrew Muñoz [00:05:42] And it makes me happy because I know, I know. Like, what we're trying to do is like, if like, you know, the people are getting it, our customers are getting it. And, you know, and I think that the the line speaks to that. If the food looked good, but it didn't taste good, you know, the lines are going to die down. And if anything, for us, they continue to get longer. So to me, that means like we're trying our best to hold up our end of the deal and make sure the food is as good as it looks, make sure that it's really consistent, make sure that we're not complacent with the product that we're putting out today because we know tomorrow could be 30 better. We want to make sure that we have our our trinity are the staples brisket, ribs and sausage. But we're in L.A., so we're not tied to any, like, strict rules that maybe some of our Texas friends are tied to. So we like the fact that we can evolve and like put specials on the menu that like, speak to our culture and our heritage, but then also speak to like the food that we grew up eating here in L.A.. Michelle Muñoz [00:06:38] But what makes me the most excited and the most proud when I look at the line and I just see the diversity. That's so cool. I mean, we live in a city where there's so much of it, right? We're such a melting pot of it, which barbecue really is for everyone, because everyone, every color, every ethnicity possible. And it'll all come together and enjoy a meal Like that's so awesome. You know, barbecue off of a train sharing. And I mean, barbecue is for the faint of heart. Like, you really have to love it. It's a lot of hard work. So to be able to see people enjoy all that hard work that you put into it and then coming back over and over, it's the best compliment in the world. And I think that that's what even when things get really hard, that's what keeps us motivated to just keep going, keep going, keep getting better. Andrew Muñoz [00:07:34] For the first day we open, we probably second guess it because it was just like it was very overwhelming. It was emotional. We went home. We're like, What did we just do? It was crazy. Like that first day we were actually open, but after we were done, the kitchen was a mess. It was like, you know, we had a whole new team and we were like learning as we went by, went from a pop up to essentially like the big leagues, like L.A. of like so diverse with a restaurant. And, you know, we're an L.A. city, L.A. County, and there's so many very good restaurants. So like, for us, like the challenge was like, well, how do we stand out? How do we like, how do we bring a product that's just as good of a different style of restaurant in L.A. that's also bringing in that because there's a lot of them that are. So we never really lost faith. We always just continue to push forward and do what we did. We felt like as long as we continued to do what we do and try to do the best that we can every day, like people are going to come regardless of the restrictions and and they did and they still do. Michelle Muñoz [00:08:36] I think just that. I think for me in the beginning it was just fear because I've never opened a restaurant in our lives. But then there was a good part of me and Andrew, I think there were like who have come this far right, like we're from a backyard. We outgrew that. We figured it out that we started doing mobile pop ups. We all grew that we figured it out with after our job was to do Smorgasburg, which was our first permanent location, right? We did that for a year. That was our goal. If it works out, we can grow this great. We'll continue to push it. It works. We're busy every single day, every single. Um. And that mechanic. What do we do? This is really scary now. Now, are we really going to be able to keep this going? 2020 proved to us. Curbside service preorders. Even doing it every other week. We still had the support. We were able to put a roof over our heads. We were able to still grow the business. So every phase I see within these past six years have been scary, you know? But we've been able to figure it out and we've been able to keep going. And so I think there's normal in anything you do in life. It's about taking that lead and just never giving up. It's part of life. 31 Andrew Muñoz [00:10:06] Anywhere you're at, like some form of barbecue is just like traditions, right? Like. Like whether it's Texas-style or just American classic barbecue, I think barbecue brings people to their past, like to their childhood, to gatherings. And so, like, when people come here, like, it could be on a Thursday, but like, it's, you know, they celebrate like it's the weekend and they come in day or they come with their friends, their husbands, wives, their kids, and they order like these trays. And I think barbecue is kind of like a feel good food like. So... Michelle Muñoz [00:10:40] It's comforting. Andrew Muñoz [00:10:40] Yeah, it's really comforting. So, like, you come here, you get a nice for a barbecue, you get a good beer and, you know, maybe you forget about, like, your issues for a couple of hours. And that makes it fun. Michelle Muñoz [00:10:49] And I think that that was proof during the pandemic where we were fearing where people were losing their jobs, people weren't. You know, there's so much going on. 2020 proved that people still wanted that comfort. They wanted that love. They still wanted that barbecue. And they still got together, you know, at home and enjoyed. So I think even with those challenges that we might be facing economically, the recession, even here at the restaurant, I mean, facing like price increasing on fried eggs. Andrew Muñoz [00:11:22] Inflation. Yeah. Michelle Muñoz [00:11:24] Supply shortages on supplies, not even being able to get paper good by all of that, you know, affects but it's how you continue to push through and and the guests are coming to continue to support and love our food. Michelle Muñoz [00:11:45] Get the hell out of here. There's no way to get the hell out of here. There's no way. I think we still say that to each other right now. Like, it's it's. It's wild. Andrew Muñoz [00:11:55] And the James Beard thing, like. Like, you know, never in a million years that I think, like when I was cooking in my backyard that we'd be nominated for a James Beard just like, ever, but let alone like a year and a half after we opened the restaurant was a while, like I was asleep. And she's like, I had to wake up. Michelle Muñoz [00:12:13] So we don't PR or anyone that's going to like, send me an email. So I woke up and I wake up to my phone and I'm like, I have all of these notifications and someone have tagged us and congratulations with crap barbecue. And I got up and I must have said, oh, about 50 times that morning. He's like, What's wrong? I'm like, You're not going to believe what just happened. Yeah, so I'm not going to believe it. Andrew Muñoz [00:12:40] It was really crazy, really. It was like. Michelle Muñoz [00:12:44] It's wild. 32 Andrew Muñoz [00:12:44] Yeah, It's still like. I mean, they're still in there. I think they announced the next round and then the final four, the finalist, and, you know, like, I'm happy with being a semifinalist, but you never know what could happen. So we'll see. We'll see... Michelle Muñoz [00:12:57] Just being nominated is an honor. Just to be able to be just recognized to even be in that conversation with all these other amazing restaurants and amazing chefs. It's a huge, huge honor to us. I would say like barbecue has opened doors and opportunities that I we never thought in a million years that we would ever experience. The journey has been a lot. It's been a lot of hard work, but we've earned it. We've learned it, too, and that feels really, really good. 33 APPENDIX B SALT LICK SCRIPT Guest: Erik Zepeda [00:02:11] I'm actually from Austin. You're born and raised, born, raised, like 43 left. So, Carolina barbecue. Fantastic. Mississippi barbecue's delicious. You have kansas City. They have their own style. So for us, it's more about aged beef. Texas back when it was like Mexico was actually just a big old beef area. So that's where all of that started. Guest: Erik Zepeda [00:02:37] I've never been to L.A., I've been to I have been to California before, so I've had some of the regional cuisine. It is delicious. It's its own style, which just developed throughout the state, grew. Guest: Erik Zepeda [00:02:57] Really, this is the main thing that people come to see. Actually, it dates back to wagon trains. People settle in the country. It is based on building fire and then putting a great on top to cook. The horseshoe shaped is actually representative of just building up an earth and burn. Guest: Erik Zepeda [00:03:15] So to keep wind down when cellars were cooking and to prevent flare ups, they would go that we recreated this. This is actually a bigger building. The original building next door is the same thing. The owner came up with his favorite before back when this pasture field held out in Squaw through line of the dirt with his boot, walked around, walked out again, if not line in the dirt. Looked at this guys that are right build it right there and so that's literally how the pit started and then it's son being humorous. So what happens when you lose that meat for anyone? I don't care. We're going to build it anyway. Guest: Erik Zepeda [00:03:51] It's it actually has three areas of cooking in the front. It is a high heat sear in the middle. It is just a good old cook and in the back it is just kind of a holding temp and it really is an art to be able to look at a just, okay, I have this much fire in front of me. I need to add, I need to subtract, I need to cool it down. Guest: Erik Zepeda [00:04:10] We actually cool it down over here with we have a conch shell soap and water watch actually toss this on the fire. Adds a little element of smoke to it and it cools down, brings it back up a little healthier. Guest: Erik Zepeda [00:04:25] Oh, in front we have ribs cooking. On the side, we have finished ribs, We got sausage hanging to get some smoke on that will pull it down, let it get some heat to the our left, we have beef ribs and bison ribs right behind going back clockwise. We have our chicken breast. It's in the very back. But it we also have a turkey and pork over in the foil. Guest: Erik Zepeda [00:04:51] One of our lines going out right here during the weekends will actually have two lines going at the same time. Total of four cutters cut in for everybody. Barbecue getting plated up. 34 Guest: Erik Zepeda [00:05:02] Dining room in here. Another main dining room in here. It's called the rock patio. Up ahead, we have a breezeway. Else have additional sections outside. Host: Jonathan Williams [00:05:16] How many people can you see in the restaurant at capacity? Guest: Erik Zepeda [00:05:19] A little over 600 at a time. Mathematically impossible. Would you like to add it to 616898? But yeah, on a good day, we'll see 2000 people. Guest: Erik Zepeda [00:05:30] So yeah, if you want anything remotely related to barbecue and you feel like putting it on your body, we've got you. Guest: Erik Zepeda [00:05:40] We're actually BYOB. We don't sell alcohol in the restaurant. We have local Texas beer and wine. A bunch of the grape actually is from the property. We have websites. We're on Instagram or on Facebook. I don't know if we're on Twitter. www dot salt lick bbq dot com. You can check out our menu, you can get directions, you can order stuff to be shipped. You can order merchandise. 35 APPENDIX C SNOW’S SCRIPT Guest: Kerry Bexley [00:00:08] People are serious about barbecue. It's just it’s been crazy. I mean, literally, we're in a town of a thousand people and the line today, well, I mean, there'll be 20 plus states every Saturday and probably a minimum of 10 to 15 different countries every Saturday, you know, and that's just that's crazy for a little town of this size that you get people from all over the world. Guest: Kerry Bexley [00:00:54] Kerry Bexley, the owner of Snow's BBQ here in Lexington, Texas. I was born and raised here in Lexington. Guest: Kerry Bexley [00:01:01] Well, I mean, when I opened this up in 03' and Mrs. Tootsie agreed to come to work for me, I didn't really realize we were in for this ride. And it's just it's been a crazy ride from that point till the day of where we started and where we came and the notoriety, we received is just amazing. And we've been so blessed in so many different ways, but people are serious about barbecue. Guest: Kerry Bexley [00:01:24] I mean, it's it was kind of interesting to learn in 2008 that there really wasn't that many great places in Texas. That was our first recognition. And and today there, you know, there's hundreds of great places. You know, they come out with a top 50 list and 50 can be just number one to somebody as as being 50. And then it's very true. There's 50 great ones. I mean, they can shuffle around any different personal opinion from anybody. And it's just it's been crazy. I mean, we were in a town of a thousand people, I the land, and they were I mean, they'll be 20 plus days every Saturday and probably a minimum of 5 to 15 different countries every Saturday. Host: Jonathan Williams [00:02:09] What do you think this place means to Lexington? Guest: Kerry Bexley [00:02:12] It brings a lot of revenue down. I mean, bottom line is and the revenue it brings is definitely an asset. Guest: Kerry Bexley [00:02:21] It's putting Lexington on the map, you know, in places where they weren't. It's been annoying. I get stories all the time. There'll be an airport in Washington, D.C., and somebody will see a cap or a t shirt comment about it. Hey, I've been there and it's neat. It is a very interesting person. Guest: Kerry Bexley [00:02:39] She's, she is a hard working lady that, you know, is kind of set in her ways. It's that’s probably my hardest job is managing her. But she's been a blessing and she's great and can be the sweetest, kindest version you've ever met. And like I said, just hard worker. And if you don't get along with her, you probably don't keep up or work on everybody that leaves here. 36 Guest: Kerry Bexley [00:03:08] You know, they talk more of the experience of their day here than they do of the food. And that's kind of what we do. And then, you know, there's a lot of good barbecue today and we want them to have a good time and show how important they are that they're here to us. Guest: Kerry Bexley [00:03:22] I had a couple from California the other day just couldn't understand the hospitality they received the whole time they were here. And I said, you know, the sad part is you should receive that everywhere you go. I mean, that's what I given them is free and the importance that everybody means us to be here. It's we just try to show them. Guest: Kerry Bexley [00:03:41] Well, that's just I mean, that's just a staple of Texas. We're kind, we're friendly, we're courteous, we’re you know, we're helpful. We're going to reach out through a neighbor. I mean, if we have somebody that falls ill in our area, there may be maybe a fundraiser. And everybody turns out and we raise funds for that family on a regular basis. But that's just that's second nature to us is to help others. Guest: Kerry Bexley [00:04:03] The employees we've got is a wonderful group, and that's part of that we go through. They're going to have a good personality and outgoing and and they understand the importance of the customer here. I mean, Ms. Phyllis that works inside on the knife, she's been with me from day one. And, you know, as far as intermingling with people, she had never done a lot of that prior to this. And but our our employees are definitely going to understand our kind of our motto is, is to have the highest quality that we have and and show it amongst everybody. And they can see it, you know, they can see the importance of it when they work here. So, yeah, I mean, it's the bottom line is pretty simple, as you know, for it to be treated well, they should have 100% receive that, but receive a good plate of barbecue. That's our emphasis on consistency and quality has been high and it stays that way and my comparison to L.A. barbecue would be Heritage in San Juan Capistrano that I visited, where they've been here. I've been out there several times. Uh, you know, I think a lot of them are kind of copying the Texas barbecue and trying to take it to other states, kind of their cooking methods. And I think Danny at Heritage is doing an amazing job, and I think his success over there has shown that he puts out a quality product and and a lot of the other ones have picked up on our hospitality gig. And it's like I said, that should be that should just be done that second nature, you know that part of it. Yes. You know, I think there's we here probably next to Texas. California would be the number one state we ship to. We ship a lot of barbecue to California. Host: Jonathan Williams [00:05:46] Cool. Awesome. Thanks Kerry. Guest: Kerry Bexley [00:05:49] You bet. 37 APPENDIX D: The Backroom Of Boneyard Bistro Host: Jonathan [00:00:01] Welcome to Crafted in Fire, A sizzling look at Southern California barbecue culture. Please join me as I sit down with Aron Robbins, head chef and owner of Boneyard Bistro in Sherman Oaks. On this episode, we talk his early days growing up in the San Fernando Valley, his fine dining roots and life beyond boneyard. I'm your host, Jonathan Williams. So I guess, uh, for the record, can you just tell me a little bit about yourself, your name, where you're from, where you grew up in, and we can start there. Guest: Aaron Robins [00:00:41] Aaron Robins I own Boneyard Bistro in Sherman Oaks. Um, I grew up here in the valley, in Encino and born and raised. The barbecue has always been part of my youth growing up. Family did a lot of grilling. We did a lot of going to local barbecue restaurants that were pretty much closer to real barbecue, actually is. I then grew up a lot, spend a lot of time in the summers up in the Central Coast, up in Pismo Beach, eating Central Coast barbecue, and that had a lot of influence on what I do. I bought my first smoker at 12 and graduated from traditional water smoker to my working on an offset at about 18 and honing it in a bit and then went away to culinary school and went down the fine, fine dining path. So worked in some Michelin style restaurants, a lot of fusion and but barbecue was the hobby I always thought did that. And then when we started putting the concept for boneyard together, kind of took the approach of doing both the finer dining and the barbecue and let the customers decide which way they want us to move. So we did both because the customers one wanted both as restaurant got older and grew and dealt with recession, etc. It just is in a constant state of evolution. It just keeps moving. Barbecue is our core. It's what we are. However, when recession goes and people shift spending habits, the barbecue stays. But as we shift, they want you know, they don't necessarily want as high end. They're not drinking as heavy on wine. So we were able to cat we were able to catch the first very first waves of the craft beer revolution. You know, in 2007, 2008, we were already on those, you know, on that wave as we opened originally focused more on wine, wine and barbecue, I think is an unsung hero that just not not heavily looked at, but really is an incredible match. But as the people were spending different craft beers first, you know, the guys that have been doing it for a while were doing it, but it hadn't caught on yet. We caught it and we rode with it and really got known not just for the barbecue. Everything was heading down that path. We built the bar part of the restaurant, put in all the, you know, 42 taps. Beer just was taken off. So we rode with that. But what I learned, interestingly, was when we'd have, like, you know, poker games at the house, whatever, Oh, like all our friends, they were they would drink the craft beer, but they were drinking. They were asking for whiskey. So we really started looking at whiskey as well. And we went down that path as well. So we do American, American whiskeys, bourbons rise and craft beer, mostly American. 38 Host: Jonathan [00:03:39] For someone who doesn't know much about barbecue, you mentioned when you were 12, you got your first smoker. How hard is it for a 12 year old to sit in front of a smoker and manage a fire? And what inspired you to do that? Guest: Aaron Robins [00:03:55] Well, we didn't have iPads in those days. You know, it wasn't that we had TikTok videos. Every 30 seconds was a new thing to watch. So watching and keeping your coals right takes patience. It takes a lot of patience. You, you I just say you don't start with brisket. You start with something that cooks faster. My goal was actually at that time was beef jerky. So I once I figured out how to do that, then it was like, what else do I do with this thing? I put a turkey in there and, you know, a few hours later we had a great meal. I was like, okay, what else are we going to make? Let's do chickens. They're even faster. We're big fans. We really are in the ribs. Let's get some ribs and see what happens. And there you go. You know, all of a sudden it's like, okay, there's a few hours. But I wasn't I wasn't really immediately going after the long cooks like pork, shoulder and briskets. But they got there, you know, and you kind of learned, okay, it's a Saturday, I got to do this. I'm going to put this on. Those little smokers, you know, can actually hold a fire. The water smoker can hold that fire for a while. So it didn't take it wasn't it wasn't like an offsetting offsets, a different animal. You know, you did other things. You know, I have I had homework to do. I do homework and go inside to do that. And we did have video games. But, you know, it was one of those as long as you were, you know, giving it a few minutes every hour. So it was fine. That's fine. But definitely the when I was about 18, I started playing with the offset. Offset was a lot a lot more attention to detail. It wasn't just the the idea of cooking, of making barbecue to make barbecue. It was controlling something that is not wanting to be controlled, especially on like an 80, like probably equivalent to about an 80 gallon, you know, was like an old Oklahoma Joe or something like that. No, the New Braunfels actually. Man to the temperature to stay, was just horrible. If you got it at the right temperature, either the fire would go out or if you gave it a little bit more oxygen, the whole thing would just all of a sudden you're like 350, 400 degrees. It's like, no, no, no, no. And it's burning stuff going through the, you know, from the offset to the main chamber. Like, no, it just was like, frustrating until I finally went, All right, I need to keep a certain level of oxygen. I have to release a certain amount of heat before it gets to the main chamber. And I figured out a way to on the New Braunfels. It had a on top of the firebox you could open it the top as well. And all I had to do was just wedge a little rock or a coin in it to crack it about a third of an inch to pull off 15, 20 degrees. And it stayed. And I could go 45 minutes to an hour without any issue. And then all a little piece and chunk of wood and all of a sudden we're staying and it's like, okay. And then the product level is just shocking. You know, like, oh my God, this is this is a whole different level. But there are so many mistakes, just awful mistakes they can see, just like, oh, that was a really good try. What's for dinner? Because we're not eating this. But you learn, I say on the bigger offset, a lot easier to control. It doesn't jump up and down at the pace, so it's just an easier, more stable situation. You mess up. Do it again. But it definitely was a personal challenge. I mean, it was at that age. Things are not needing as quick of a satisfaction. 39 Host: Jonathan [00:07:31] So you mentioned the barbecue. Obviously, it's it can be challenging. It's it's hard. It teaches you a lot, but eventually a meal does come out. Take me to the moment when you had a chance to share your barbecue for the first time with your family. And what was what were the feelings like? Guest: Aaron Robins [00:07:47] I think that goes back to when I was 12. I think it was like that first turkey slice turkey breast with dinner. I don't remember exactly what it was. I think I remember more of just sometimes I think it was just me being impressed with me. It's like, this came out good. This is really good. I mean, I look, if as much of my recollection, we're going back for, you know, close to 40 years, how crude of a quality product that was. But like, my son's 12 and he's starting to cook. And you look at some of and you just go, I don't understand what you're doing. And then I see him and he's making eggs. And his eggs are coming out better and better. And he's he's really trying to get it at a really specific, you know, like most 12 years old, he's in to ramen and he wants to get that egg just right. I've even done FaceTime video with him and his friends. If I was here walking him through how to cook a steak at that age, any success, even minimal, is a leap in a bound above what you did prior. And it shows you you can do something. I mean, I'm sure there's those people. It doesn't matter what they did, they ruined it and then they found their career in something else. I liked cooking. I always like cooking, even from when I was younger than that, Just because it was barbecue. Barbecue ended up being what I really pursued heavily. I mean, my background is I'm classically trained in French. I worked at a lot, you know, a lot of French, Asian fusion. My knowledge is pretty strong in Asian cuisines. I worked in Mediterranean fusion in Tennessee, where everybody thinks that's trying to learn barbecue. And it's like, No, not at all. I didn't do any barbecue when I was there. You know what? What helps set me apart, though, is because I have such a vast background, I'm able to apply a lot of knowledge that I've acquired in way in to to something, you know, just as simple, you know, just if oh, we're making we're both making ribs, you and I and I have a wealth of knowledge from working in so many cuisines and working as long as I have that, okay, what are we trying to accomplish? I have a bigger toolbox to use. I have more resources available to me. I think one of the things that's setting some of the barbecue apart now in the world is guys who have either have really, really good knowledge. I think people would always ask me about what we do because ours is much more modern. I guess I don't call it modern or we're real true barbecue. But they used to call us when we first opened, you know, 17 years ago, Gourmet barbecue. For L.A. you know it just happened to be real barbecue. We just didn't have a lot of it here. And then we mixed it with an upper end world. We were doing other things besides barbecue that and when we first time, we were really this weird mix of actually quite an upper end bistro with barbecue and just no one had ever seen anything like it. So. What can I say? We did some kind of unconventional items and got a lot of attention for it. Host: Jonathan [00:11:07] You know, you've been on this incredible journey, starting with, you know, your background in French fine dining. So learning from people like Charlie Trotter, mentors that you've had in your life. I mean, but what has barbecue taught you about life and 40 how is it really shaped you into the not only person you are today, but the father and business owner you are? Guest: Aaron Robins [00:11:34] That's a very interesting question. In a lot of ways, barbecue is very similar to life. If you rush it, you'll fuck it up. If you don't have the knowledge or the experience and it gets away from you, you're going to fuck it up. As for children, patience. A lot of it. Things don't always work out as they should. And fortunately, most of the time you can learn from your mistakes. If you're paying attention, you can learn from it. If you continue to fight it and go, it won't always work out well. And sometimes you just kind of let it do its thing and let it do its thing. But you do have to pay attention. So, yeah, it's kind of like that. Yeah, it really it needs your attention, but you have to know how to let it do. Barbecue is like life. It's got to. It needs to go do its thing. It's going to happen one way or the other. If you do everything right, it should come out right. But there's no promises and no guarantees. You could have a great day. And it rains. It doesn't matter. So enjoy the process of it. Take what you can and learn from what you did and apply that to the next step, the next time out. And the other thing. And then the flip side is that my philosophy kind of is, is this every time you do this, every time you do anything. Always give it your best shot. It may not always work out, but if you know you do the best you can and you learn from it, you can do it. But the next time you can always do better. It was actually something that Charlie Trotter said, which was one of the few things I really you know, like I said, it was not my favorite to work with. Guillermo was. You will never achieve perfection. It is never. You simply have to accept you will never get perfection. It is the constant pursuit of perfection that you're after. That's. That's what it's about. My best day of barbecue. And I've had some great ones. I could always go. I don't know what I'm going to hit. Hit it this good again. But. This could have been a hair better. This could have been a little bit different, you know? I mean, there's a God, this is just as good as it's going to get. He's a perfection. There's no such thing. And the reality is perfection is kind of boring. It is Perfection is boring. But we're going to we're always going to try to do that, even on the days we really screw it up and we will screw it up because everybody does. Hopefully it's not a day. Either the critic comes in or something like that. But there's it's just it's part of it. There's just 10 billion things that can go wrong. But that's life. Everything was good. You know, you got pulled over. It was a great day. I got pulled over or I got a flat tire or I tripped over Iraq or that meal wasn't good or my wife's not happy with me about something. Whatever. Every day there's something. So you just do the best you can. You put your best foot forward and you don't give up. You don't stop. Yeah, that's it. Host: Jonathan [00:15:09] You mentioned some things that were, I think really important is, you know, barbecues always, it's it can be such a grind sometimes. And it can also teach you a lot about life and continuing to put your your foot forward despite all of the issues. Right. Like. Managing a fire every day. It's different, right? Every fire is different. It's its own animal. So describe like the itch or the describe the the itch to get back in front of the fire and that strive for perfection that you mentioned, too. It's not something that we can ever achieve. Right. But, you 41 know, describe for me like what keeps you coming back to barbecue, you know, not just as an owner, but as someone who enjoyed making it for such a long time. And now it's your livelihood and your craft. Guest: Aaron Robins [00:16:03] Stupidity? No. There's always something new to learn. And I know that the day that I think I am the king shit at all, that is the day to hang up the hat. There's just. Not everybody is going. Most people aren't going to think the way I do. Everybody thinks their own way. Everybody has what drives them or doesn't drive them. I also there's a creative itch that happens that I can't turn off as much as I'd like to at times. It would be so much easier if all I did was straight traditional barbecue. You know, take out, come to a counter. That's what we have. We run out. We run out. And the guys that do it are fantastic at it and have such respect for running really efficient, smart operations. And I've thought about going down that path so many times. And maybe one day it will become that way. But I know from a business standpoint, I don't know if it's the best model for me, the chef part of my brain, I can't turn off easily. I have to come up with new stuff. The creativity and doesn't turn off as much as at times it would be nice. That's one of the things I've learned even recently more about myself is from a business standpoint, my business is creating probably not the most profitable business in the world, but I can't turn it off. I have to come up with new stuff, even sometimes even the restrictions of being in a restaurant that is focused on barbecue puts a somewhat of a barrier on creativity. Because sometimes I don't want to barbecue. I want I want to completely do something completely different and I get to cook at home and do that once in a while. We have to do a special dinner, but usually I try to. Now I try to work within that and apply some sort of element of barbecue or smoke or something to it. And I seem I feel like I'm finding a out a groove, a lane that is very specific to me. You know, I would love to go spend a couple of days in Texas working at, you know, LA barbecue or, you know, snows or whatever, or just to get a couple days just to kind of learn more and see what what they do that I don't do. I think it would be fun and interesting because I like learning at the same point. I think some of the some of these guys, a lot of I have a lot of guys that come in their own either barbecue places or have barbecue catering, and they come in, you know, they're they're shocked by the barbecue level quality, but then they see some of this other stuff and it's just like, how do you think this stuff up? You know, there's all kinds of influences on me. But I you know, years ago, we seem to be in a certain lane. When we opened up the bar and the economy was bad, we shifted lanes into a fast lane, which was great. As I'm getting older, I kind of miss the other lane a bit, and now it's kind of finding finding, you know, my path again. The whole COVID thing threw everything out the window. I think I was drifting into that lane before COVID had COVID. We had to completely, you know, make a very quick decision on what to do. And the fast lane wasn't the answer. Myleene wasn't the answer. We actually had to take the alternate route. The to go model was closer to the fast lane, but from a chef part of me it was brutally painful. I mean, we were doing things on certain days, just we had creative outlets which our regulars really appreciate. I think that's why we do the business the way we do it is our regular clientele. One night they'll have barbecue, the next night they'll, you know, they may have whatever I'm doing As a creativity. We are our own unique thing here. But, 42 you know, like I said, there's some great guys here in L.A. now doing barbecue. Real barbecue. Yeah. I'm friends with Pacman over at Slab, I think. I think the guys over at Moos just floored me on how good it was, how great the product was. I am so happy for how successful they've been. Heritage was fantastic down in San Juan and the fact that they broke that ceiling open to get the offsets going and it's like these guys, these guys are younger than me. Well, that's experience me and often a lot of ways are somewhat with them. You know, they're kind of heroes in that because they've been doing a lot of stuff that I was doing years ago. They're able to take things to the next level. I mean, back in those days, in my days, I mean, I wanted these offsets. I run that through the building department and health department that wasn't going to fly. You know, hopefully California starts really figuring out and figuring out this is what we do, this is how we do it. You can't have rules for one and not apply to some and not others. This is the tools we use. This is what we did. We work with wood, we work with live wood fires. And you know, it's throwing the see and some of these guys learn. Some of them learned a little. Faster than I think you can. And again, I think that comes back to that depth, that range of abilities and and applying things. Mind you, there's definitely some some guys that are just and they're just it's shocking how good they are. I'm on a lot of these blogs from I don't know like in Texas and that smack that they talk about out there and it's like now we have real barbecue here, the real deal and we will rival some of the best in Texas and the best in other states. We're all well traveled. We've all been around. We've all eaten it. A lot of them have spent time. I remember an episode on Food Network of. What's his name? The Alton Brown. And he was talking about meats. And he was like, when you go to the butcher, whatever you do, don't get a roast called a tri roaster, a tri tip. So you don't want that. It's really tough cut of meat to work with it. And I'm just sitting there going, What are you talking about, man? Guess what? There's guys out there enough to work with right now, you know, because they were based there, based in Georgia. There's just so there's so many people that have learned a lot. Another guy, Logan, out here at Zef Barbecue, the guy is he's applying different cuisines and kind of is insane. And there's just a lot of there's a lot of talent that's coming up that's young and exciting. And some of you know, I think I think there's just a lot I don't think a lot of people know how much of that we were actually doing 15 years ago. But that seems to be in today's world of social media and all that. I'm a bit I'm a bit of an old guy. That's why I love seeing Tootsie, getting all the accolades she deserves. But there's a lot of us that are, you know, been doing this quite a while. It's like we know what we're doing. Yeah. Oh, by the way, you're fired. This is how you deal with that problem. This is how you deal with that problem. And if you think you know, not much, you don't. So that's what you learn when you're older. I don't know what I don't know. And if you think you know, you don't. Host: Jonathan [00:23:40] So, you know, well, I definitely want to get into more of of of Boneyard and kind of some of the things you offer and what you want customers to know when they walk through those doors and what you want them to leave with. But you mentioned, obviously, COVID was a dark time for a lot of people and the restaurant industry had hit very, very hard. And that's probably an understatement. But in terms of, um. You know, when things were darkest for you here, either at Bone Yard or really with barbecue or even in your life, I 43 mean, what kept you coming back through these doors or what kept you coming back to barbecue? Guest: Aaron Robins [00:24:17] Boy, you got a lot of good questions. It could have been a shrink. It's a really good question. I'm sure I could give you a much more surface bullshit answer. But I've been in some dark places. I think I have felt a need to prove to myself and others that I can take whatever is thrown at me and still find a way out of it. Still find a way to persevere. I've made a lot of bad decisions in my life. But cooking. Still, it is therapeutic. It gives me a relief, a release, and I'm good at it. Worst comes to worst, I'm going to have a good meal. Now, at this point in my life, you know, I have to I work, I do it. I need to be able to provide for my family. But you don't go into this business because you're all about making a ton of money when you make food and your clients go, Oh, that was amazing. I cannot wait to do this again. This is incredible. God, if you can only make it without any calories, that's what does it. Working with a team, leading a team, getting them to rise up and exceed that what they expect of themselves. Which is very challenging to do when all the cylinders fired. There's just it's just an amazing feeling. But yeah, and you cook for the customer. I mean, you cook for yourself what? You cook for the customer. Especially when I was younger, I was really difficult on not being flexible because I didn't want the customer to screw up their own meal. They were that good at cooking. They would just do it themselves. It's like the wine collectors, the really the guys who seriously collect wine. They don't buy wine at a restaurant, ever. I'm not going to let you put that on and change the dish, you know, now. Okay, You want to screw it up? I see where you're going with it. I'm okay with it sometimes. No, I'm not going to do that. But when they go back. God, man, that was just amazing. Oh, the one. The one that people don't expect from us. They don't expect how well we do steak. I don't know why. I mean, I think most places I mean, yeah, in a lot of places you have just barbecues, barbecue, but a lot of restaurants. It's like you go and it's a barbecue and steak house all in one. It's like we're we're kind of experts at meat and we're, you know, not just like Texas or Kansas City or Southern style barbecue. We're also Central Coast Barbecue. West Coast Barbecue, which is. Cooked right over a live fire and more of a grilled situation. And what we do with steak is shocking in how I can do a pan roasted steak in a it's going to be just a shocking. And so it's especially when we surprise somebody and they're just floored by what we can do. It's that that feeling, it satisfies a bucket. For me, it's definitely a codependency bug. It satisfies. And if that works with everybody, then the money's going to come with it. It just happens. I know what this restaurant can do, but yeah, COVID really did a lot of damage to it because not only was there not the money aspect, but more, and you didn't have the customers in front of you. And I got to tell you, and this is the part of the drives me nuts and it's hard getting society to change right now. The rewiring. I don't want to send food in a box to your house. Because it is not a reflection of what we did. It may have sat for 20, 30 minutes for a driver. It sat in the back of his car for another 30 minutes. It's sitting in an ultra humid environment. It's been sliced. It is becoming so damaged. That it it's just not. And you're paying an exorbitant price for it. Then if you'd just come in and let it and let us take care of that, the dishes and everything. You would have had such a better experience. That part of the game is 44 that's that's the rough part. I just we need as restaurateurs and chefs. Most of us need the face to face satisfaction that we've done our job and done it correctly and exceeded your expectation. Money's just money. It's not love. Host: Jonathan [00:28:57] Some would argue that we're in the onsets of a recession. I would actually argue that we're in a in a recession here. What do you think is next for you here at Boneyard? How are you feeling about the coming months? And what do you think keeps people, you know, coming back through the doors to have barbecue? And what do you hope for them? Guest: Aaron Robins [00:29:23] All right. It's kind of a multilayer question. Recession. Yeah, there's I think it will be not over a recession like we've seen. I don't think it'll be an extremely long lived one unless there's some other catastrophes that happen. I think it's going to be a lot of correction. I think the pandemic fueled parts of it and with no real exit strategy or everyone thought, oh, it's just going to continue and be this money growing on trees type of deal. I think there's been a lot of I think, understanding that with the recession, you basically had a major crash happening and we had really big airbags. So we're going to walk away from it. And now we have to figure out how to. Well, guess what? There still was a crash. There's still things that have to be rebuilt. There has been lots of damage done to the whole system. Supply chain issues caused a lot of pricing spikes. You have constant minimum wage hikes and labor issues. You have low unemployment, yet out-of-control homeless. You have. People working but can't afford a lot of things. Everything out here at least, is kind of really still out of balance. Where Boneyard plays in, I think we are experiencing what a lot of restaurants do. I think some have recovered completely. I think people with a lot of money are going to still have a lot of money. And people who I think there will be people who are always this is a little out of out of their range or this is their special occasion. And those people. This place can definitely be a special occasion and we're going to treat you as such. Barbecue's not cheap. It is probably one of the biggest misconceptions about it is barbecue is cheap. There's nothing cheap about barbecue. When nobody could afford all the prime cuts. Guess what? They buy the offcuts, which drove the price way up. Once it goes up, it usually doesn't come down. It may fluctuate a little bit, but it doesn't. Back in that when we started. Big three, the whole short plates were dirt cheap. That changed. So it's one of the most expensive, least profitable items you can have on a menu as a diner trip. I think as as long as COVID continues to become a manageable part of life. And kind of bows down and people feel confident about going back out and resuming life again. Things will continue on a path remote worked at a lot of damage to the restaurant industry that not a lot of people are talking about. Happy hour for people working remote happy hours getting up from your desk, walking by the fridge, grabbing a beer and going to the couch while you have all these bartenders and servers and restaurant people who are waiting for you to come in at 5:00 to get that beer or that cocktail, maybe have a bite to eat all seven, or have it and then have dinner with some friends. That whole model is not back into effect, and I don't know if it'll completely go back. I think it'll move into something new. For a restaurant like us, it's it's a hard transition because our models are built that way. Generations change. Millennials are different than Gen X 45 or Gen Z, and Gen X is in a different point in their life. So we try to be we're the kind of restaurant that's for everybody. And I think as people are reminding us again and coming back out, it's like, Oh, this is this is really good stuff. I don't think I think we've gotten better and better. So I think we'll be okay. We do have some plans for the future. We're working on some possible expansion, but right now the focus is here and driving and getting everybody back into the seats because that's where we want them to be. And I think once they come in and they get back into that cycle a little bit, realize, especially when, you know, a dozen eggs at the market is nine, ten bucks, guess what? The restaurant's not as expensive as you thought it was. And, you know, we're doing the dishes, we're cleaning up, and you're probably going home with leftovers anyways. So I don't think most people I don't think really realized how impactful it was, how tough it was on the restaurants, but how difficult the reopening was. The reopening was harder than COVID. During COVID, we ran a super lean staff. I hated losing my staff, but it was such a tight, efficient machine, I wasn't going to retire that way. But reopening. We had to spend so much money to re staff to get a fraction of the amount of people. We couldn't even seat that many people. Originally. You had to have such spacing. It wasn't a cost effective model. Without the restrictions, we can be a lot busier and be safe about it. And I think nobody realized how safe restaurants actually were, especially with our big HUD systems moving so much air. I think people start coming in and going out again and kind of get back into that way. I think we all come out of it. There's definitely to be a lot of casualties along the way and PPE has run out. A lot of restaurants that were holding on are not going to hold on. So. You know, but I'm optimistic for the future. But I'm realistic. There's still a tough road ahead. I mean, I remember I remember even reading some heavyweight barbecue places in Texas. They couldn't keep up. They couldn't. They just guys have been around 50 years. Legends couldn't keep up. So and you also got to be aware there there's kids coming up. They're changing the game. There's always a new kid on the block who's got some new idea that you were like, I wish I thought of that. We were that kid, you know, 17 years ago. We're more refined now. So I think we'll be I think we'll be okay. But it's it is tough and we're in a good position. I think it's all really the public going we need to be going back out to our restaurants. We need to be supporting them. We need to we need to go back and enjoy life a little bit. Host: Jonathan [00:36:09] Well, thank you so much, Aaron. This has been phenomenal. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for joining us. This episode was produced, edited and hosted by Jonathan Williams. I'd like to thank my guest, Aaron Robbins, for joining me today. See you next time. I'm crafted and fired.

Abstract (if available)

Abstract With recession looming in 2023, “Crafted In Fire” explores the sustainability of the current model within two different sectors: the “pop-up” and brick and mortar restaurant archetypes. It uncovers one of the most primitive cooking methods in the Americas and the areas that nurtures them, including Austin, Los Angeles and Orange County. The project looks at a booming culture in the region, with roots stemming in Central Texas, showcasing the explosion of barbecue flavor and introduces several characters along the way. In California, owners of barbecue brick and mortar restaurants, along with pop-up locations, must navigate stringent L.A. Health Department crackdowns and follow the California Retail Food Code to avoid closure. The story takes the reader from the streets of Los Angeles to the backcountry of Central Texas in cities like Lexington, Cedar Park and Driftwood. It contains text, documentary and podcast elements in harmonious synchrony, sharing a central theme specific to barbecue culture in two different areas of the country. Welcome to Crafted In Fire: A Sizzling Look At Southern California Barbecue Culture.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Williams, Jonathan (author)

Core Title Crafted in fire: a sizzling look at southern California barbecue culture

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Specialized Journalism

Degree Conferral Date 2023-05

Publication Date 04/17/2023

Defense Date 04/14/2023

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag barbecue,Food,food journalism,Los Angeles,OAI-PMH Harvest,recession,Southern California,sustainability

Format theses (aat)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Pecot-Hébert, Lisa (committee chair), Garza, Oscar (committee member), Tolan, Sandy (committee member)

Creator Email jonw12391@yahoo.com,jw99577@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC113015585

Unique identifier UC113015585

Identifier etd-WilliamsJo-11637.pdf (filename)

Legacy Identifier etd-WilliamsJo-11637

Document Type Thesis

Format theses (aat)

Rights Williams, Jonathan

Internet Media Type application/pdf

Type texts

Source 20230417-usctheses-batch-1023 (batch), University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given.

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA

Repository Email cisadmin@lib.usc.edu