They’ve worked in restaurants across the nation. Now, they’re back home in Summit and brought barbecue with them.
The owners of one of Summit’s newest eateries are utilizing their eclectic experience in the dining industry to put their own twist on barbecue.
Chefs Alison and Abel Beazley grew up in Summit County and made their way both to the West Coast and New England in early adulthood to work in the fine dining scene.
While they went through the same school system, the two didn’t make a connection until working for the same restaurant in Portland, Oregon. They went on to work in restaurants in coastal cities in California before making their way back home to Summit to raise their son, Emerson.
After landing back home in Summit, the two long discussed the possibility of opening their own spot and wanted to focus on casual food after yearslong careers in fine dining. In more recent years, Alison had been working at Black Mountain Lodge at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, where she was able to get very familiar with a smoker. Additionally, the couple frequently found themselves concocting their own barbecue creations at home.
When a storefront opened in Frisco this year, they decided to pull the trigger and chose barbecue as the comfort food they would focus on. Wildflower BBQ in Frisco opened just over a month ago.
“I just think barbecue is something that is accessible. … It’s not going to be too expensive, and it’s something that is great on a rainy day, after you go on a run, or after skiing,” Abel said.
The pair said they really were looking to introduce another high-quality lunch option into Summit County’s food scene. Because of this, they will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., or until whenever they sell out. They said they already find themselves selling out at around 3 p.m. on certain days.
The pair are looking to have their offerings look a little different than most barbecue places by ensuring they have menu items outside of just meat.
Alison had spent some time working in restaurants in Vermont, which she said is the land of farm-to-table dining. The restaurants she worked at placed a lot of value on having good vegetable offerings, and she wanted to do the same with Wildflower BBQ.
“I wanted to have really interesting vegetarian options,” she said. “There’s a lot of vegetarians here and my dad’s also a vegan, so I want to make sure I had something for him too,” she said.
The pair put a southeastern classic on their menu that people don’t find much out West — fried green tomatoes. Able described fried green tomatoes to be a staple in states like Georgia, Florida and Alabama, and the couple wanted something on the menu that people could find in these states where barbecue is king.
When it comes to sauce on barbecue, Abel said in states like Texas that can become a little bit of a divisive topic. Some believe, he said, that sauce is something that is an extra and the meat should speak for itself. Others find sauces to be a pillar of the barbecue experience.
Either way, he said Wildflower BBQ wanted to feature a variety of sauces to appease everyone. The spot has a classic Kansas City-style barbecue sauce, a spicy Texas-style sauce and Carolinas-inspired mustard barbecue sauce and vinegar sauce.
While barbecue is a quick comfort food, the preparation behind it is far from quick, the pair says. They cook their brisket for 12 hours and then let it rest for four hours. Abel said it ends up paying off.
“It’s kind of like the shining star on our menu,” he said.
The Beazley’s son, Emerson, might only be 3 years old, but with two chefs as parents, he knows good food. Emerson’s pick on the menu is the smoked corn dog.
Wildflower BBQ’s sandwich offerings include salt and pepper smoked brisket, a pork belly BLT sandwich and more. Sandwiches range from $14 to $17. Their “other stuff” includes salad, rice bowl and mac and cheese. Prices for “other stuff” range from $13 to $19. Smoked meat plates range from $7 to $11.
Sides on the menu include braised collard greens, coleslaw and curly fries and range from $5-20 depending on size. The spot also has items to share ranging from $55 to $160 in addition to kids menu items ranging from $7 to $9. Dessert options cost $3 and feature a chocolate chip cookie recipe Abel has been working on since he was 6 years old.
Abel said he hopes to offer breakfast burritos on weekends by November. Wildflower BBQ is located at 842 N. Summit Boulevard in Frisco and is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
For more information, visit WildFlowerBBQ.com.
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