Bob Garner, minister of barbecue culture at The Pit and the barbecue master of North Carolina, hasn’t always been so involved in the bar becue scene.
Garner started his career as a journalist and worked in television for most of his life. In the mid ‘90s, Garner said he cooked pigs for fun, but it was just a hobby. Because he enjoyed barbecue and its culture so much, he received a job assignment to profile famous barbecue restaurants.
After working on this proj ect for a while, Garner, at the age of 50, changed his career. His career in barbecue took off, and he began review ing almost every restaurant in North Carolina that sells barbecue.
Garner’s most current proj ect is serving as the minister of barbecue culture at The Pit, located in the heart of downtown Raleigh. Accord ing to Garner, The Pit is not your grandma’s barbecue joint, but the food is cooked traditionally. The restaurant serves microbrews and offers valet parking. Garner stum bled into the role by reputa tion and has been working alongside the staff ever since.
“My job [as minister of cul ture] is much more cultural than it is technical,” Garner said. “I do everything from developing new variations of recipes from the original menu, to training staff and taking plates out to the table. Customers faces are shocked to see me and it gives me a conversation starter that al lows me to do what I love the most, interact with custom ers.”
According to Garner, spending time talking to customers is a major part of his job because he is such a recognizable figure in the industry.
Garner’s current work at The Pit in Raleigh has re cently expanded to Dur ham, where he said he has been working to develop new menu items for the upcoming business. Garner said he feels right at home in Durham. Ac tually being in the kitchen and coming up with new, original sauces and recipes has been a refreshing change for him, according to Garner.
Garner said he is getting back to his roots and doing what he has always loved, which got him into the in dustry in the first place. He said he is looking to incor porate the southern charm of The Pit into the new space and turn it into a rooftop bar that embodies the cultural experience that you get in the restaurant.
The rooftop bar will feature fun barbecue appetizers and, according to Garner, will hopefully appeal to the young and hip in Durham.
Now in his 60s, Garner is still going strong and a lead ing contributor about restau rants for NC Weekend, a TV show on UNC-TV.
Garner said he is also working on a new book about foods that make you “say MMM,” which features foods often loved in North Carolina, including fried fish, oysters and collard greens. Garner’s latest work will be out next fall.
Garner said he had success in a career he never saw com ing. According to Garner, his life took a drastic turn, but he wouldn’t change it. Educating people about what barbecue is supposed to be is what Gar ner says he plans to do for the rest of his life.
