Stints at various eateries pay off
Award-winning sauces, spices help local BBQ chef grow business.
Chris Cavender has a restaurant resume that sounds more like a “Who’s Who” directory of local eateries.
Among his stints: Cavender served as the former executive chef at Jay’s Restaurant in Dayton and Sycamore Country Club in Miamisburg and the co-founder of 1572 Roadhouse Bar-B-Q restaurant near Waynesville.
But it’s his role as a barbecue entrepreneur as founder of UrbanQ Smokehouse specialty food products that has been showering Cavender with accolades most recently. Just this week, his UrbanQ Smokehouse Bayou Classic Creole Q Sauce was named the No. 1 “Cooking Sauce” in the 2019 Fiery Food Challenge ZestFest. And his Smokehouse Blues sauce earned third place in FruitBased Barbecue Sauce category in the same competition.
We caught up with Cavender between batches of sauce to find out a bit more about this local chef and business owner.
Give us a summary of your experience and let us know what you are doing now.
I’ve worked at a lot of restaurants in the Dayton area — Jed’s Steak and Ribs, L’Auberge, the Daytonian Hotel, Peasant Stock, Jay’s Seafood, various country clubs—and owned T W’ s in Miamisburg and Cuvee Wine Bar and Cellar in Bellbrook. I have been at the Ohio Renaissance Park
Roadhouse Bar-B-Q, a seasonal restaurant, started. What’s been your most recent professional chalWhat’s a typical work day lenge, and how did you for you now? push through the chal
Right now is the off-season, lenge? so it’s mainly planning for The most recent profesfuture events, maintenance sional challenge for anyone on equipment over the winin the service industry as ter, and a little off-site caterwell as other industries is ing and consulting. I’m also finding employees. It is a busy selling UrbanQ Smokenever-ending challenge and house products and enter- one that I think will only get ing competitions. During the worse as time goes on, and main season at Ohio Renaisit’s already pretty bad. sance Park, which starts in
May, it’s early-morning smok- ing in preparation for the day, setting up microbrews and getting ready for all the summer events: Celtic Festival, the Ohio Renaissance
Festival and new this year, the Ohio State Steak Cookoff.
April through November is very busy juggling events and planning. for the last 20-plus years and am now there full time (yes, I’m the turkey leg guy), mostly with 1572 Roadhouse Bar-B-Q.
My grandmothers and a faster than other kids his age. large German-based family
“The graduation rates are got me interested in cook- actually higher for CTCs than ing. My two mentors, Deiter it is for a person that would Krug and Dominic Christini at go to regular high school,” the now-defunct L’Auberge, Moyer said. trained me and gave me the
Riley Baker, a senior in extra push to go to culinary Early Childhood Education school. I learned more from and Care is looking forward them than I did at school. to graduation in the spring. I had made sauces and She said she feels like she’s seasoning for 40 years in more than prepared for the the restaurants where I future because of the trainworked. When my sauces ing she’s had at CTC. and rubs started winning
“We get like 800 hours national competitions in in the rooms with the kids 2016, I decided to launch my and at Ohio State Univer- own label, UrbanQ Smokesity, they’re only getting 600 house. It started as e-com[hours],” Baker said. merce only, but we are now Why did you decide to
It was said a lot during in several Dayton-area retail- stay in and settle in the Davidson’s visit — career tech ers. The restaurant came Dayton area? is changing the way Spring- about when the owners of I have worked in four or field readies the next gener- the Ohio Renaissance Park five different states, but have ation of workers. asked what I would do if I always ended up back in had a chance to add a restau- Dayton because of family rant in the off-season. I said and the ease of living in the BBQ , and that’s where 1572 Dayton area. What are your favorite places to eat and/or drink in the Dayton area?
The Pine Club, Pho Mi, Sky Asian Cuisine, and Cobblestone Cafe.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Skyline Chili and Flying Pizza. I’ve been able to make a great living here, and it’s easy to live in Dayton. The food, wine and beer culture is growing but difficult at the same time. It’s always challenging, but I like it that way.