16 DECEMBER 2022 with George Frasher, owner of Frasher’s Smokehouse A s a self-proclaimed “restaurant junkie,” George Frasher (sounds like Frazier) has tasted cuisines from all over the country – but his favorite (if the “smokehouse” didn’t give it away) is barbecue. For the past 20+ years, he’s been sharing his recipes with the Arcadia area. Read on to learn where and how Frasher became a “bringer of barbecue” to Phoenix. Where are you from originally? I grew up in St. Louis. I could smell the Anheuser- Busch brewery from my house and hear the barge whistles going up and down the Mississippi River. I was very much a city kid. I went to the University of Missouri-Columbia [go Tigers!] and have a four-year hospitality degree with an emphasis on culinary. How did you get into the industry? I started out as a dishwasher and worked my way up to being a cook – basically worked my way through the back of the house. Right out of college, I started working for K.C. Masterpiece. They had six restaurants in the Midwest, so I worked at one there and then opened a new one in Kansas City – that’s where I learned how to do barbecue. I went back to St. Louis and ran a fine dining steakhouse for a couple of gentlemen, one of which was Denny Long, the president of Budweiser for 25 years. He took me under his wing and taught me all the business acumen. I had a lot of mentors teaching me the inner workings of restaurants, from meat purveying to wine, produce, and all that stuff. And then you came to Arizona? My old boss from K.C. was running a barbecue chain in Phoenix called El Paso Barbecue, so he talked me into coming out here. I worked for them for three years and then opened my own place. Have you always wanted to open your own restaurant? Ever since I was a kid! My father and uncle were in the restaurant business. My mother was a teacher, and she didn’t want me to go into restaurants because of the long hours and uncertainty in the industry. When I was five years old, I tried cooking breakfast in bed for my parents, and I set off the smoke alarms [ laughs ]. I was raised to be very independent, and I’ve always loved cooking. For my birthdays, we got to go to “special occasion” places, and the one that stands out still is Tony’s in St. Louis, where I went for my 16 th . It’s a jacket and tie- required place and just being there, it was like, “yeah, this is what I want to do.” You didn’t go to culinary school? No – I went through the business part of the education, with an emphasis in culinary. I would be the equivalent of a cook. I develop our recipes. I mean, I’ll throw down against anybody [ laughs ]. I didn’t go to culinary school, but I’m continually learning! I put myself through baking school three years ago. While I was in Minnesota taking care of my dad for a few months in 2018, I went through three cookbooks, just learning techniques and baking different recipes. What is the toughest part of being a business owner? Balancing the business and inner workings with what I call the fun part, which is actually running the restaurant. Paying the bills and payroll – the paperwork is the toughest part. …your favorite part? The people! I’ve had people get engaged or share their first kiss at my restaurant. I’ve catered people’s weddings. It’s a great feeling. I also love team building and the lifelong friendships I gain with my employees. I’m fortunate to have an amazing staff. My newest cook has been with me for nine years; Ramon has been with me for 22! Also, creating new recipes and dishes. I’m always traveling and educating myself. Before the smokehouse, there was a steakhouse, right? Frasher’s Steakhouse opened in 1999. It was on Scottsdale Road between Thomas and McDowell. Before Frasher’s was the Smokehouse, it was a place called Chuy’s. My landlord had passed away, and I knew I needed a place to land if things didn’t work out with the Steakhouse. Well, they didn’t work out, so I figured I could open a barbecue joint and operate both of them. Frasher’s Smokehouse opened in 2015. The steakhouse had steaks and St. Louis-type dishes, including the gooey butter cake. I didn’t create the cake, but I’m the first to have it be a dish in a restaurant. It was invented in St. Louis, and up there, it’s known as a breakfast dish. I made it into a dessert. You either got it in the bakery, or your mom made it. It wasn’t on a menu until I put it on a menu. Where did the idea for a barbecue joint come from? In St. Louis, barbecuing is your dad, outside, grilling. It’s not the barbecue we know today. Kansas City, Texas, Memphis, and the Carolinas have their own styles. When I got to Arizona, I really got into barbecuing. I judged the Jack Daniels competition, Memphis in May, and the American Royal in Kansas City. I did that while I was opening Frasher’s Tavern in Old Town Scottsdale. Another reason I got into it was meeting Sweet Baby Ray [of the barbecue sauce fame]. He came into the smokehouse the second day we opened and left a business card. I said, ‘who’s trying to sell me sauce?’ and realized it was the man himself. I called him back, and we’ve been friends ever since. Out of all of the places you’ve tried barbecue, which was your favorite? Kansas City is my bread and butter – what I grew up on. However, during a trip to Texas, I ate 50 briskets in search of the holy grail, and I found it at Franklin’s in Austin. That’s the place where you wait five hours to get your meal. Explain the expansion of your restaurants. We opened in 1999 – three concepts under one roof. I broke off the barbecue and opened the smokehouse in 2015. Two days before the Jack Daniels competition in October 2017, the landlords of a building near 32 nd St. and Indian School contacted me and asked if I was interested in opening another restaurant – at first, I said no, but I think it willed itself into my life. It reminds me of an old ice cream parlor, which is what it was originally built for back in, like, 1958. I took a trip to Nashville after hearing about the Nashville hot chicken sandwich. I’d never had it before, so I went there and fell in love with it. I developed my own recipe and brought it back to Arizona – this is how Mrs. Chicken came to be. We were the first to bring the hot chicken sandwich to the area in 2018. Frasher’s Tavern came about after a friend of mine told me about this empty building in Old Town. I told him I wasn’t interested but went and took a look anyway – two months later, the tavern opened. That was 2019, a few weeks before the pandemic. What’s the most popular item at the smokehouse? Our number one selling item here is the burnt ends, but they sell out so quickly that you can’t compare them to the ribs and brisket. Those two are right up at the top. What about the sauces? We have three staple sauces: sweet, which is influenced by Sweet Baby Ray – I’d never tried his until I met him! Our Tennessee tang is modeled after what I grew up using. It was called Maull’s and was made in the 1800s and was the first one sold to the public. The third is a Texas-style spicy sauce. On Saturdays, we do a pork steak, which is indigenous to St. Louis, and that’s the only thing we put sauce on here. We don’t put it on anything else. Phoenix is made up mostly of transplants, right? Barbecue means something different to everybody, whether you’re from 3222 E. Indian School Road 3222 E. Indian School Road • frasherssmokehouse.com In the Kitchen

17 DECEMBER 2022 South Carolina and use mustard or northeastern, where they use vinegar, so we let people choose their own sauce. We have a South Carolina golden sauce that’s also used at Mrs. Chicken in the coleslaw. For my girlfriend’s birthday, I made tiramisu – with the leftovers, I made a coffee-based barbecue sauce. I’ve also made a hatch chili and a huckleberry sauce. What advice would you give to someone who wants to try their hand at barbecuing? Have fun with it! Do what you like for your own palate. For me, I love the history of it, and I wanted to do an homage to the varieties of barbecue and what reminds me of my childhood. Tell me something that would surprise readers to know about you. I’m writing a cookbook! I started writing it right as the pandemic happened, so it’s been on hold for a bit. The name is going to be “Work Hard, Play Harder.” Now that restaurants are getting a little more leveled out, I can start getting back to writing. I mean…after spring training [ laughs ]. We have a lot of holidays and stuff coming up. I also learned during the pandemic that I am really good at cutting my own hair. And – I call my mother every single day. What’s a fun memory you have of your time in the industry? We’ve had a lot of celebrities come through our doors – here and at the tavern. One of my servers at the old Frasher’s met her current husband while working there. He played for the San Francisco Giants. I’ve got a lot of stories, but that’s a good one. Other than meat, what do you like to cook? Desserts. Our chocolate decadent cake at the tavern was inspired by a former Arcadia restaurant where Nook is now. It was an Italian place [La Fontanella]. I went in there and had dinner, came back to my chef at the time and said, “we’re going to change our dessert to something light and fluffy and deep and thick and rich.” He said, “those things contradict each other!” But we pulled it off. Our tiramisu is also super popular. I love inventing new ways of old staples. Who is a big inspiration in your life? Right now, it’s Mack Newton – he’s my workout guru. I never realized how mental everything was and how much stress affects your weight. The restaurant industry is stressful, and even though I feel I handle it well, I noticed the times I was heaviest were when I was stressed. Mack is an eighth-degree black belt. He’s just…an inspiration. What’s next for George Frasher? Working on opening the patio for weekends at Frasher’s now that the weather is nice. I anticipate growth for Mrs. Chicken, whether that’s expanding or franchising. At the tavern, we’re working on getting things back up and running. We actually just got the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence over there, so that’s exciting. Continuing education and focusing on personal health and growth! FDI-1867K-A © 2022 EDWARD D. JONES & CO., L.P. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. > edwardjones.com | Member SIPC Compare our CD Rates Bank-issued, FDIC-insured Serving Arcadia/Biltmore for over 20 years. % % % Minimum deposit Minimum deposit Minimum deposit APY* APY* APY* Richard M Ross Financial Advisor 4040 E Camelback Rd Suite 200 Phoenix, AZ 85018 602-955-7654 3-month If you have $100,000 or more to invest today, call me. FDI-1867L-A © 2022 EDWARD D. JONES & CO., L.P. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. AECSPAD > edwardjones.com | Member SIPC Compare our CD Rates Bank-issued, FDIC-insured % % % APY* APY* APY* * Annual Percentage Yield (APY) effective 11/17/2022. CDs offered by Edward Jones are bank-issued and FDIC-insured up to $250,000 (principal and interest accrued but not yet paid) per depositor, per insured depository institution, for each account ownership category. Please visit www.fdic.gov or contact your financial advisor for additional information. Subject to availability and price change. CD values are subject to interest rate risk such that when interest rates rise, the prices of CDs can decrease. If CDs are sold prior to maturity, the investor can lose principal value. FDIC insurance does not cover losses in market value. Early withdrawal may not be permitted. Yields quoted are net of all commissions. CDs require the distribution of interest and do not allow interest to compound. CDs offered through Edward Jones are issued by banks and thrifts nationwide. All CDs sold by Edward Jones are registered with the Depository Trust Corp. (DTC). Richard M Ross Financial Advisor 4040 E Camelback Rd Suite 200 Phoenix, AZ 85018 602-955-7654 1-year If you have $100,000 or more to invest today, call me. FDI-1867L-A © 2022 EDWARD D. JONES & CO., L.P. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. AECSPAD > edwardjones.com | Member SIPC Compare our CD Rates Bank-issued, FDIC-insured % % % APY* APY* APY* * Annual Percentage Yield (APY) effective 11/17/2022. CDs offered by Edward Jones are bank-issued and FDIC-insured up to $250,000 (principal and interest accrued but not yet paid) per depositor, per insured depository institution, for each account ownership category. Please visit www.fdic.gov or contact your financial advisor for additional information. Subject to availability and price change. CD values are subject to interest rate risk such that when interest rates rise, the prices of CDs can decrease. If CDs are sold prior to maturity, the investor can lose principal value. FDIC insurance does not cover losses in market value. Early withdrawal may not be permitted. Yields quoted are net of all commissions. CDs require the distribution of interest and do not allow interest to compound. CDs offered through Edward Jones are issued by banks and thrifts nationwide. All CDs sold by Edward Jones are registered with the Depository Trust Corp. (DTC). Richard M Ross Financial Advisor 4040 E Camelback Rd Suite 200 Phoenix, AZ 85018 602-955-7654 2-year 4.80 3-year 4.90 4.70 1-year