We had the good fortune of connecting with Andrew Reyna III and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrew, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
As a child, growing up I enjoyed watching Julia Child and Wolfgang Puck on PBS. I would often imagine that I was cooking on a make shift stove my grandfather built in my grandmother’s back yard. It really inspired my love and passion for cooking. Food was a major love language in my family.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Everything I cook I use from locally sourced famers. I use only post oak wood from East Texas to give my bbq its rich tasting Smokey Texas barbecue flavor. All the sides are made from scratch, which cost more but I don’t believe in cutting corners. It definitely was not easy especially when you’re outside in the Texas heat, things can get a bit overwhelming but hard work and dedication are going to take me where I want to be in my profession. I learned that not everybody is you’re friend and you have to take the good with the bad. I want the world to know everything that I did, I did purely from having a good heart. Now I can show my children and start traditions that will last a life time.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The first thing I would want my friend to experience is the beauty of the Cedar Ridge Preserve. A little fresh air and light hiking is always good. After have a post workout meal at my favorite food spot called the Ly Food Market who has the best home style thai and Lao cuisine. Other notable places to visit would be the DMA of course as well as the Nasher Sculpture Center which is my favorite place to put in my air pods and sketch. Clyde Warren Park is close and anyone visiting Dallas must try a Fletcher’s Corn Dog and other food trucks that set up there.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to give sole credit for my cooking abilities to my older sister, Beatrice. Watching a little girl no more than two years older than me making a meal out of nothing. But we worked with what we had and would pretend we had our own cooking show on Food Network as we experimented with what little ingredients we had on hand.

Instagram: @drewsbbq212

Facebook: Drew’s BBQ

Image Credits
Andrew Reyna III , Javier Torres

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.