Monday, April 29, 2024

Kitchen Q&A: Mike Johnson of Sugarfire Smoke House

sugarfire smoke house

Sugarfire has won so many awards it’s hard to keep track. We were named Best Barbecue by the Travel Channel, St. Louis Magazine, Feast Magazine, and we’ve won awards at the Memphis in May World Barbecue Championships. We’ve been featured on Pitmasters, Beat Bobby Flay, and Burgers, Brew, and Que. Both The New York Times and Snoop Dogg have complimented our food.

Ribs

sugarfire smoke house

Even as Sugarfire has grown, the Olivette location reminds us of our roots and of how the whole thing got started. Every day, we push the limits of barbecue with our famous daily specials and sides. If it can be smoked, we’ll smoke it, and our flavor combinations are second to none.

Sugarfire Smokehouse founder named state's Small Business Person of the Year - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Sugarfire Smokehouse founder named state's Small Business Person of the Year.

Posted: Fri, 15 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Starters

The restaurant group has also been involved in Pedal the Cause, Operation BBQ Relief, and World Central Kitchen. Let people within the organization do what they do best. For example, co-owner Charlie Downs takes care of the business side of the operations while co-owner/pastry chef Carolyn Downs handles all things sweet.

HEY, YOU ARE about to order from sugarfire in Olivette, Missouri.

Now we’re expanding our reach to share our creations with our favorite cities. The menu at the Florissant location will include Sugarfire's familiar meats—pulled pork, brisket, baby back ribs, and turkey—along with smoked salmon, several salads, and rotating sides. An unusual, don't-miss starter will be the smoked, deep-fried artichokes served with lemon aioli. The mothership that launched an empire of pulled pork and juicy ribs. The home base of roast turkey and smoked salmon.

Starters, Sides, Sauce

In the kitchen, for instance, this might be giving a chef room to experiment with part of the menu's development. The barbecue chain’s first store in North County will also be the first to be women-owned and -operated. Food Huggers is a sustainable food storage company whose silicone sleeves wrap around the unused portions of avocados and other fruits and veggies. It’s located at 1290 North Highway 67, near UHUAL storage. It’s the 14th Sugarfire restaurant and the first one in north county. Frank Schmitz, who had hair down to his butt at the time, wanted to open a coffeeshop in Clayton, but I persuaded him to do a Spanish tapas place instead.

sugarfire smoke house

You see different items, different techniques, and a lot of it ends up in the side dishes and specials that we do at Sugarfire. You'll see French influence or Caribbean influence. If you're serious about barbecue, traveling to national competitions is invaluable. You learn a lot, plus you gain credibility. We're doing Memphis in May this year; we were there last year, too. A place called Ambria, then Un Gran Cafe—both Richard Melman restaurants.

When we first decided to team up to start our barbecue joint in a strip mall, we hesitated a little at the location; wedged between a copy center and a pet store. I mean, where would the smoker go? It turns out, it was the perfect place to launch our BBQ baby that’s gained fans in St. Louis and awards far beyond. Since 2012, Sugarfire Smokehouse has combined Carolyn’s incredible desserts and Mike’s talent for all things smoked and meaty.

These are the best Mother’s Day gifts you can buy …

We also have a private event space next door called Sugarfire Reserve, equipped with a full bar, TVs, a customizable menu, private restrooms and more. If you’re looking to host an event somewhere else, take advantage of our offsite catering, which comes with fine dining options and much more. Years later, we’re still serving up some of the best barbecue in St. Louis from the very same space.

Eight of my guys could be head chefs anywhere in St. Louis. Three used to work at Emeril's, and one worked at Rubicon in San Francisco. They sensed an expansion, plus they're having fun, which is why they're sticking around. I've never been surrounded by so much talent. They do the basics plus different things every week, like smoked duck,  heritage pork short ribs, lamb ribs, lamb loin, veal brisket...

This allows Johnson to focus on the food, including barbecue and savory items. And this Sunday, September 25, Sugarfire will celebrate the groundbreaking of its newest location, at 2204 Michigan in Arnold. One thousand pulled pork sandwiches will be given away at the event, which will benefit the Arnold Food Pantry. The sandwiches will be distributed in exchange for an in-kind donation of any nonperishable food item or cash. Sugarfire’s food truck, “Brisket 1,” will also be serving food in front of the upcoming location. Sugarfire co-founder and pastry chef Carolyn Downs, Charlie Downs’ wife, also has a small ownership percentage.

BARcelona was an immediate success. Frank's now the sole owner and still owns the one in Indianapolis. He'd send me to places to learn; he sent me up the street to Zatarain's for a couple of days to learn all about Creole mustard. Then, I had to report to the staff at line-up—like a hundred of them—everything I had learned.

This industry is about serving people, and it costs nothing extra to be kind." In between your visits to our downtown hub, you might need our meat on the go. Our base on Washington Avenue has dine-in, carry-out, and delivery options. If you’ve got a crowd to feed (or you’re just feeling really, really hungry) Sugarfire can cater your off-site event. See our catering page for more information, and give us a call to set something up. In this location, we’ve taken inspiration from the blues greats featured next door.

I don't ever have a bad day anymore, and I've never said that before. I remember working double shifts during five, six days a week and still owing people money. Many times, it's a crapshoot as a lot of items are very similar. Winning hinges on what your group of judges may be looking for that day and the order of the box you turned in. That said, the best teams usually do end up winning. The other teams—who smoked theirs intact—were flabbergasted.

Where the Meat Daddy was just a meat baby before it was raised up to its current glory. It all started in a strip mall next to a coffee shop. If you need some Sugarfire on the go, the Olivette location has dine-in, carry-out, and delivery options. If you've got a crowd to feed (or you're just feeling really, really hungry) Sugarfire Olivette can cater your off-site event. Our location boasts one of Sugarfire’s largest dining rooms, including a covered patio that provides plenty of outdoor seating when desired.

For a week, we put white truffles on everything, which turned some heads. Not many barbecue places are doing that. Our downtown St. Louis location brings barbecue to hungry tourists, office workers, conference-goers, and folks checking out the National Blues Museum. In fact, the same genius architects who designed the museum on Washington Avenue also helped us create a museum of meat right next door. (Thanks, V Three Studios!) Our location is feast for the eyes and the taste buds.

We really like that combination. Henline admits that as a foodie, she had spent a lot of time enjoying great meals but had never worked in a restaurant environment prior to Sugarfire. She began with the company more than six years ago by handling the company’s financials and now handles the day-to-day financials and corporate obligations. Schuster places a great emphasis on workplace culture, as do her superiors. “We try our best to create a happy workspace by making sure that people feel supported and heard,” she says. “The fact that ownership allows that sort of leadership comes from a place of respect and trust, and that isn't lost on any of us.

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