1320 Smokey Park Hwy, Candler, NC 28715
“But I just make sandwiches”
With roots in the Northeast, Vermont, Massachusetts grew up in West Virginia
A Jack of all trades who has a PhD, taught US History, conducted trivia nights at bars
Somehow found himself opening up a BBQ joint in Candler
Teaching himself to cook through trial and error and books and experience
Someone who cares deeply about BBQ culture and what experts have to say
With all his insight, and knowledge, and expertise
“But I just make bbq sandwiches”
But those sandwiches have deep origins and heritage, and the impact those sandwiches have is unmeasurable
Watchin people roll by
Wonderin where they're goin
Hey, what's your job
What are you knowin
Nestled just west of Asheville
Wants to make his kids proud of him, pass down the restaurant to his boys
He wants this place to become a “bbq joint” with the patina of smoke rings on the walls, the earned wear and tear
A Janky, sticky, dirty place that has heard and seen everything
Decades of use, thousands of people coming through
Wants a legacy
Wants to be remembered for not only the amazing bbq, but for the experience he provides for the guests
Back-breaking work
Where some choose pits, grills, ovens
Doc uses a pellet cooker
Sure there could be better, more effective methods, but this is what works for him
Staying afloat by doing catering, and weddings
Over 40 weddings a year
Word of mouth has been his best way to bring BBQ to the masses
Relying on the tourism and folks driving from the Smokies to the Blue Ridge Mountains along the Smokey Park Highway
Knows his menu has to adapt to trends
A delicate balance of the authentic Appalachian cooking, and new trends and flavors
Drivin to the grocery store
Pull my money out
Passin by the liquor store
Throw my money down
Smaller staff
Late hours
Staff quitting
Struggling to hire
Passion, dedication, craft, love, blood, sweat and tears truly fuels the operation
Every day is a struggle
A constant struggle to produce high quality, affordable BBQ that can both be for the tourists and the locals
With the tightrope of such a task, yes, there are some concessions and realities that set in
Overcome with emotion and a fight between the head and the heart Doc wrestles with conflict
Where his meat is sourced from
The environmental concerns that go into burning of the wood
The necessity of income and flow of money to value what success is
Food waste
Cutting corners in the cooking process
Ultimately how he fits in the ecosystem of it all.
Relying on tourism and adjusting the menu to be attractive to customers
“How am I gonna sell today”
Boosts morale of his staff as well as customers by putting motivation sayings on post-its in the restroom
Letting others write their own message
A way of opening up community and shared experience incongruous to the “take-out” environment that has been forced on many restaurants in the city
I'd get it one piece at a time and it wouldn't cost me a dime
You'll know it's me when I come through your town
I'm gonna ride around in style, I'm gonna drive everybody wild
'Cause I'll have the only one there is a round
Ain't life grand
Ain't life grand
But Doc sees things a little differently
Aware of his roots, his authenticity to not only the BBQ culture, but of his place in Western North Carolina and Southern Appalachia
“BBQ in the mountains seems out of place”
A craving for something that pulls from many different styles
From Eastern North Carolina, to Central, to Lexington, to even Kansas City
An amalgamation of styles trying to find its own identity
But that pursuit of “Southern Appalachian Home-Cookin’”
Is it truly authentic
Is it “Southern”
Is it “Home Cookin’”
Is it made by “Mountain Folk”
Romanticizing a hillbilly elegy
A hyperlocal “Y’all” when you get serve
Nostalgia for an experience they never had
“But I got to remember I just make BBQ sandwiches”
My wife's got the blues
Now I've got them
Gonna bring her a kiss
Make those blues run
So the very next day when I punched in
With my big lunchbox and with help from my friends
I left that day with a lunch box full of gears
I've never considered myself a thief
But GM wouldn't miss just one little piece
Especially if I strung it out over several years
But this is where we don’t put sugar in the cornbread
We acknowledge our shortcomings
We acknowledge our role and responsibility to the customers to our local culture to our roots
We acknowledge the concessions we make in order to keep the restaurant afloat
We acknowledge playing into the aesthetic
Ain't life grand
Ain't life grand
Meals are a way to preserve humanity
A space that bonds and builds
BBQ is primal
Human over fire cooking meat
Keeping it simple and from the earth
“Know what I’m touching”
Knows where it came from
Doesn’t necessarily agree from where it came from
But knows where it came from
Pushes himself to not accept “less than”, or “good enough”
“Always trying to make “our” thing”
“Have to be perfect or it’s not good”
I got it one piece at a time and it didn't cost me a dime
You'll know it's me when I come through your town
I'm gonna ride around in style, I'm gonna drive everybody wild
'Cause I'll have the only one there is around
BBQ is more than just the meat
Its the time
The attention
The care
The staff
The cook
The guests
It's a full-bodied experience
It's a gathering space
A temporary healing to the world around you
“But I got to remember I just make BBQ sandwiches”
Just trying to make a living
“Ultimately, I’m trying to make a good sandwich”
Sun came out the other day
Through those dusty clouds
And in my mind I was a child
And it felt good!
But you root for him
The underdog
A place you want to succeed
A place you know is salt of the earth
A place that is “arrogantly shabby”
A place that you leave nourished
A place that makes you feel
A place where time slows down
Where fast food is slow food
With real people cooking real food
Sharing stories
Struggling to get by
But does it for the love, the craft, and to be remembered
A Deep Dedication to the community, and family, building a legacy, providing a deeper experience
A place where tie-dye sounds of the 70s through 90s play through the speaker
Where the free-spirited music of Widespread Panic, Grateful Dead, Phish fills the air alongside the smell of the pork
Where sides are equally as important to the meat
Where there are vegan and vegetarian options
Where “fried cabbage” is perpetually the special of the day
Ain't life grand
