It started with a pit.
Leon built the first smoker in 1994. Ruth said a plate needed good sides. They were both right.
A gravel turnoff. A family table.
Leon worked road construction before he started cooking for neighbors on weekends. The first counter was a folding table. Ruth brought beans, slaw, and potato salad, and people started asking what time they’d be back. The tin roof came next, then the screened porch. June grew up filling cups of tea; today she takes the catering calls. The pit is bigger now, but the work is the same: dry hickory, patient heat, and a clean tray at eleven.
Leon has tended this pit for 32 years. Ruth and June handle food-safety training and the counter. Credentials are a replaceable owner slot, pending verification.
Three Tates. One pit.
