Meet Scott Brigham | Pitmaster

We had the good fortune of connecting with Scott Brigham and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Scott, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I wanted to do something meaningful. I’ve cooked most of my life. When I developed the skills to smoke meat, I realized I had acquired a talent that not many possessed. It was then that I began to review established barbecue businesses. I really believed that I had a superior product to the restaurants I visited. I was also cooking for friends, and receiving praise from them. I began thinking I could create a business from these skills. Friends motivated me to go for it, so I contacted the local health department to get licensing started.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think one thing that sets me apart from others is my passion. Many seem content cutting corners for convenience, speed, etc. This usually results in a decrease in product quality. I am not much concerned with convenience, though I focus heavily on speed of service. I refuse to allow anything to compromise quality.

How I got to where I am professionally was a long and interesting journey. Being creative since my youth made the progression into media and culinary arts a natural process, I guess. This is where I am today. I got a degree in interactive media design, which not only enhanced my content creation but opened doors for me. I’ve always dabbled in cooking. My first few jobs were in food service. But things got serious when my uncle gave my a little smoker around 2017. I researched smoking and began practicing to produce the best food simply so we could eat good. Friends began to buy food for me to cook, and later motivated me open a small business. I did so and got a great response from the community.

It has not been easy. The service industry can be difficult these days. Also, I did not consider some relevant factors before opening. I selected a product that requires a lot of work to produce, probably more than any other food product. I did not consider any of this from a business perspective. I was only considering my passion. So, now I have to find ways to increase efficiency without sacrificing quality. I do not mind at all. I could have opted for a product that offered an easier process to produce. But I am fine with extending my creativity to the process and finding new ways to be more productive while maintaining standards.

The lessons I’ve learned along the way have been many. My last couple answers demonstrate that. But, one of the biggest lessons I had to learn as a business owner is that you should be professional at all times. You can’t treat others the way they treat you. You cannot be harsh with rude people. You can’t demonstrate frustration with mean people. Being in the service industry you simply have to handle each and every situation calmly and rationally. Emotions can never become involved.

What I would want the world to know about me is that I love what I do. I get immense pleasure in seeing the smiling faces, from the excited new guest with their order to the returning friends that are walking up to get in line. The love I get from my patrons far outweighs any downsides to this industry/market/product. The conversations I have are rewarding. The gifts I receive are heartfelt. But the smiles and expressed happiness are the biggest factors. After a day of smiles I go home ecstatic…literally. Full of energy.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The first thing I would do is consider them and their interests, then plan accordingly. If our interests were aligned, I would schedule in things like mountain bike riding at a high end park, college and pro sporting events either live or at a nice restaurant/sports bar. We would have to find time to visit Ruth’s Chris. We would have to spend some time visiting and catching up with others so I would try and get as many together as possible for each days event, just to be efficient with the time. Full Throttle Adrenaline Park would be on the itinerary one of the days. Texas de Brazil would be one of our dinner locations. Dinner just seems to be the best situation for getting people together and having a great time.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Uncle Lou gave me my first smoker, which inspired me to research. He always told me that if I found something I liked doing, I would be dangerous. Uncle Lou gets my shout out.

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