Community Highlights: Meet Voodoo Smokehouse

Today we’d like to introduce you to Voodoo Smokehouse. Them and their team share their story with us below:

In 2008, at the age of 31, our Executive Chef – Chad Browning, was injured in the line of duty and retired out of law enforcement. It was at that time he had to choose a new career path in order to provide for his family. Always enjoying cooking, a new career was born! In 2011, college at AI Nashville was his new stomping grounds, earning him a Bachelor’s Degree in Culinary Management. After starting low on the totem pole as a grill cook for a number of corporate restaurants, he was offered a job with Infinity Hospitality working with his mentor, Tabor Luckey, doing high-end catering and private events. From there on he reached the Title of Executive Chef and was given his own restaurant, the world-famous 12th & Porter in downtown Nashville. 2015 rolls around and, his later business partner, Jordanne Calvin graduates with a Bachelor’s in Music Business and a Bachelor’s in Audio Engineering from the esteemed Belmont University. The pair would go on to met each other while working for Infinity, Jordanne an Assistant Manager, and Chad as Executive Chef, and the rest is history! In late 2017, Chad was diagnosed with stage 3 stomach cancer and needed to start treatments, resigning his position from Executive Chef at 12th & Porter effective immediately. While going through chemo and radiation treatments, he was advised by his physicians that he had roughly 2 years left of his life, so in January of 2018, Chad made the decision to open up his own restaurant, checking off his bucket list. For the next four months, now business partners Chad and Jordanne worked tirelessly creating what would now be an internationally known Trademarked brand. On 4/20/2018, National Smoking Day, Voodoo Smokehouse was officially open in Lebanon, TN. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. College can only teach you so much on paper on how to operate your own business so there was a huge learning curve once physically doing it. Here are some of the things you need to know while in operation: Accounting, Bookkeeping, Financial Reports, Marketing, Branding, Employee Management, Relationships with Vendors, Customer Service, and probably more that I can’t think of. Outside of personal heath reasons, the biggest struggle we had was with marketing our brand. We weren’t a national chain; we were a local one-store barbecue restaurant in the south. We were operating in a town where the other 4 barbecue restaurants had been established for at least the last ten years, so coming in as “the new guys”, trying to capture customers was a challenge. But I think we’ve done fairly well in that department as we had customers coming all the way from Scotland and New Zealand that had our restaurant on their itinerary. 

We’ve been impressed with Voodoo Smokehouse, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
What should you know: At Voodoo Smokehouse, we strive to provide you with original Caribbean-style cuisine directly from our family recipe cookbooks. Every dish brought to your table is made using the freshest ingredients. We pride ourselves on keeping a positive workplace environment and a five-star customer satisfaction rating. So, while you’re here: relax, sit down, and take your taste buds on vacation. Oh, by the way, welcome to the family! 

What sets us apart from others: Being a local hole-in-the-wall barbecue shack that serves local farm-to-table cuisine, Berkshire pigs to be exact. We purchase the hogs on Thursday, they go directly to the processor for Saturday and the meat is on our smoker on Monday; you cannot get any fresher than that! 

What we’re known for: 

Voodoo Wings – whole smoked chicken wings tossed in our Voodoo Dry Rub 

Sand Dollar Nachos – tater tots, pork, and all of your favorite toppings 

The Caribbean Porkbello – The #12 Burger in the U.S. recognized by The James Beard Foundation. A 12oz. smoked pork patty topped with Queso de Papa cheese, Voodoo Sauce, cilantro pepper slaw, and a cilantro-lime aioli on a Brioche bun (mango salsa seasonal) 

Most proud of: 

#12 in the US – The Caribbean Porkbello (2018) – The James Beard Foundation 

Certificate of Excellence – Voodoo Smokehouse (2021, 2019, 2018) – Restaurant Guru 

Finalist – Barbecue (2020, 2019) – Main Street Awards 

Finalist – Chicken Wings (2020, 2019) – Main Street Awards 

Google Certified Veteran-Owned Business – Voodoo Smokehouse – Google 

The Neighborhood’s Favorite Business – Voodoo Smokehouse (2019) – Nextdoor 

Finalist – Barbecue (2019) – Best of Wilson County Reader’s Choice Awards 

Finalist – Chicken Wings (2019) – Best of Wilson County Reader’s Choice Awards 

Feature – Jack On The Go Show – YouTube 

Feature – Talk of the Town – Channel 4 

Published in AAA Living Magazine, Knoxville Voyagers Magazine, The Lebanon Democrat x3, FEAST Week, Remembering 9/11, The James Beard Foundation 

FREE SERVICES Vender for TN Tornados 2020 Disaster Relief, 9/11 First Responders buffet 2018 – 2020, Police/Fire/EMS Week, Taste of Wilson County 

Vender for Toys for Tots Golf Scramble, BMW Motorcycles Expo and the Mile Long Yard Sale 

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
We have been able to be a part of some wonderful opportunities in our endeavors as restaurant owners! What has worked well for us is entering barbecue competitions where we hone in on our skills as a Pit Masters, being a member of the KCBS, using our relationships with First Responders to give back to the community, and really just having an overall welcoming atmosphere where our customers can come eat and have a good time. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: VoodooSmokehouseLLC
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/VoodooSmokehouseCatering

Image Credits
BashingBagpipes Studios