Meet Sara Brisco | Restaurateur, Artist, Builder & Creative Director

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

Hi Sara, what do you attribute your success to?
I think we are successful because we operate with the “come as your are” mentality. We are a creative bunch of humans that have never settled on what’s trending. We are always trying something new. We like to play with our food, sometimes even throw it… My personal success? The people around me. All of them. Even the assholes.

What should our readers know about your business?
The Forge is technically a restaurant/bar. In reality, it is a cultural hub where artists, musicians, and creatives come to play. I was an art major, not exactly a respected degree in the business world. But I really began to understand the poetry of space and how we move thru it, our physical relationships to every object around us , how art makes us feel. I like to think of the Forge as an art gallery that hits all the senses in a totally authentic environment.

I also think we have been successful because we’ve mastered the art of “making lemonade when you’re given lemons”. Our late, great, fearless leader, Mr Brooks Gremmels was the master at this. He created Hog Fest and the hog queen pageant in response to the the area being over run with wild hogs. The Hog Queen Competetion to this day is some of the most ridiculous fun we have!

As far as challenges, I say surviving the pandemic as a restaurant was one of the more difficult. We quickly became hoop jumpers… But like the lemons, we went to work. We built an outdoor stage between two beautiful live oaks, put in an outdoor bar, built 2 fully plumbed out houses, 3 pods and created a space for our community to meet, outdoors & 6 feet apart!!! It really woke our outdoor space.

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.
Id have them come during one of the local festivals. Motorized Barstool Races, Hog Fest, Burning Ben, Edom Arts Fest or June Bug. Its hard to choose but Id say my favorite is June bug music and Arts. We named it June bug after learning the Mayans believed the June bugs were the eyes of their ancestors. We figured live art, live music, local artisan foods and beautiful people are what wed want to share if we had that fleeting moment to pay homage. Besides, there’s really nothing better than hanging out under the shade of our live oaks and pecan trees, listening to singer songwriters, adding a thread to the community loom, watching a glass or pottery demonstration, while someone dances with fire, and a lyre dancer dazzles your mind with acrobatic skill. The Forge serves up the best burgers around with Grass fed beef from our neighbors at Happy cattle, we’ve got the best artisan pizza crisped up in our gas brick oven & for dessert homemade ice cream from Debs Double Barrel, we use fresh ingredients from local farmers and our onsite garden is full of fresh herbs and veggie treats. While in town wed definitely drive the 7 miles down the 279 artisan Farm to Market to explore the artist shops in Edom. The drive is beautiful and Edom has the coolest shops around First Stop Joes Birdhouse! Joe is one of the best characters to talk to and his shop is full of really cool stuff. Next door is Hip Horticulture with a really unique cactus selection, then Potters Brown Arts Collective, a working pottery that hosts classes and has some of the best clay art around. Further down the street is Zeke. He’s one of this Art towns founding fathers and the best jeweler in East Texas! There’s also great coffee, art and gifts at O3, The Art House has all kinds of magic, & The Old Fire House, and the Experience will round out your artful day. In Ben Wheeler there is an old record store, a knife smith, and yes you can take a class, a bakery, and a few boutiques. There are five restaurants along the trail so you wont get board with the food. Moores Store is super family friendly, Log Cabin is a beautiful little eatery with beer and wine, Terra Sana at Vintage Cork has your Italian fix, and Redbird Cafe is a great spot run by a local family. The Forge is your farm fresh spot with thoughtfully prepared foods and something for everyone. Ben Wheeler and Edom are sister citys. Edom with the Arts District and Ben Wheeler your Entertainment district.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
WOW! What a question. Ive got 100 thankyous… & then 100 more… to my Mother who allowed us to dream and my father who taught us to work.
“Dreams without works are dead” so I went to working.
To my high school philosophy teacher who introduced us to Plato.
To Plato’s Cave, and with it, the consequences of illumination and education.
To my buddy R. Compton who taught me to balance my spiritual, intellectual & physical self.
To my buddy Craig who taught me to never seek balance or id always be fighting. Rhythm he’d say.
To Mr White, who taught all us creatives that we to were worthy and then believed ferociously in us.
To Marty Ray, who is the definition of pure love, and the most nurturing professor I ever had.
To My sister, for her sage advise and endless inspiration as an educator.
To My life partner, Lisa Rush, who has filled our world with beauty and love.
To Brooks, who created the playground of Ben Wheeler.
To the Forge team. For keeping the playground alive.

Website: https://theforgebenwheeler.com

Facebook: The Forge Bar and Grill

Other: forgebooking@gmail.com