Tamez Barbecue is the brainchild of Alejandro Tamez, who cooked here in town at Farm 255, then followed Whitney Otawka to Greyfield Inn on Cumberland Island (twice!) and helped open the beloved upscale Mexican restaurant Cinco y Diez. He also cooked with Sean Brock at Minero in Charleston, SC, in Denmark at Baest and in Mexico City at Quintonil, one of the world’s 50 best restaurants.

Tamez says he’ll be focusing on Texas-style “wood smoking on offset smokers, seasoned simply with mostly salt and pepper, focused on technique and execution.” He adds, “During all my time cooking, I always loved barbecue and the simplicity of it. I’ve done it mostly as a hobby and ‘on the side’ parallel to my other cooking, and I’m pleased to be able to bring my vision of Texas barbecue to the Athens community, [where] after all this time I still call home.”