The owners Tommie Battles and his wife Sue are not newcomers to the business. Tommie began his career after completing his chef's training at the Le Cordon Blue culinary school. He began working as a chef in both German and Italian Restaurants. After marrying his wife, Sue, they decided to open up restaurants of their own, featuring Continental Cuisine and later Cajun Cuisine. Tommie's passion for smoking meat began early on, learning from his father who was also a pitmaster in the Memphis area.