Today we’d like to introduce you to Hans Seitz.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Hans. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have known my friend and now business partner, Kevin Kehoe, for over thirty years. We met working in a restaurant in the Coconut Grove called Who’s in the Grove where the name Sparky was born. Sparky was a kitchen nickname that was used as a slight and an endearment equally. If you burned the croutons, you were Sparky. If you did a great job, you got a “way to go Sparky!” Needless to say, the name Sparky stuck and Kevin and I have called each other Sparky ever since.
One summer Kevin got a chance to work a well-known barbecue book author (name purposely withheld). He gave me a copy of the book and that was when it all really began. That book turned out to be a springboard for our exploration of the method of cooking called barbecue. We spent the summer eating barbecue almost daily calling each other boasting of barbecue experiments gone well. Low and slow had trumped our classical training and we were hooked.
Kevin moved away for a while and food trucks had just become a thing. We both began researching food trucks as a business and realized that they were extremely expensive to build and run. Not only do you need the truck but you also needed a commercial and state inspected commissary to operate the truck. That said we decided to pool our money and open Sparky’s Roadside Barbecue in its brick and mortar location.
It hasn’t been the easiest road but today we have received many great accolades and even a few television appearances. Michael Simon’s Burgers, Brews and ‘Que on Cooking Channel recently featured Sparky’s and we just finished shooting for the Food Paradise to appear on Travel Channel.
Parade Magazine cited us as part of a new school of barbecue that was making a comeback after barbecue fell out of favor in the eighties. https://parade.com/54779/parade/best-of-the-new-school-restaurant-critics-favorite-barbeque-joints/.
Sparky’s was also cited in the top Twenty-eight barbecue spots in the Country in the New York post. We are number 21 and thrilled that we are even listed in the top 50! https://nypost.com/2017/07/10/the-28-best-bbq-restaurants-in-america/
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. We opened at the height of the recession in Downtown Miami. A number of the buildings that had just been built were pretty much empty and Downtown Miami was still a ghost town after five. One of the things that we did have going for us was that we were an American Restaurant of which there are few. We joke saying that we are also the US Embassy in Downtown. As a result, we only serve American Craft beer. Over the years people have moved into the buildings but the struggle has been to get those people to support the businesses in their own neighborhood. I wish I had a nickel for all of the people that have asked me how long we have been opened to hear that they had been in the neighborhood longer and never head of us. I always reply that maybe they might try taking a walk from time to time. Slowly but surely Downtown is getting cooler and less intimidating. A few new bars have opened up and things are getting better by the day…
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Sparky’s Roadside Barbecue, contrary to its appearance is not just a barbecue joint. We are known for our delicious barbecue, food, and service. We are most proud of the fact that we make everything from scratch except for the ketchup and fries. All of our rubs, sauces and even the bacon that we use in our collard greens, baked beans and on our burgers are made in-house. We cure our own ham for Sparky’s version of the Cuban sandwich, The Expatriate Sandwich. We are most proud of the fact that we put as much effort into our food as most fine dining restaurants.
We are known for many things. We have been mentioned in many top ten lists for our ribs, wings and even for our Cuban sandwich… in Miami! Besides having been recognized for all of our great items we have one sandwich that stands out, The Tyler Sandwich. My son, at seven in the morning on the way to school told me that we should make a sandwich that had pulled pork, barbecued brisket and be pressed like a grilled cheese sandwich. That day, back in the Sparky’s Lab we added caramelized onions, barbecue sauce, and The Tyler Pressed Sandwich was born. It’s our most popular sandwich.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Miami is a great place to open a restaurant. It has a great food scene albeit pretentious but I think that pretentiousness has helped us out tremendously. I say this because Sparky’s is a place where you can let down your hair and drop the airs. Our menu doesn’t have paragraphs describing items. Our philosophy is to take the best ingredients and craft them into something delicious. We don’t have to explain our brisket it is what it is…just delicious.
Can our city improve? Yes. We could use easier modes of transportation. We are one of the few major cities that I have lived in that doesn’t have an efficient mass transit system that doesn’t rely on buses. This forces everyone to get in their car more than they have to. In the buildings that surround Sparky’s, people go to their garages, get in their cars and leave the area. I would venture to say its one of the top reasons why people don’t support their neighborhood businesses. For being in a big city, you really do need a car and you really shouldn’t.
Contact Info:
- Address: Sparky’s Roadside Barbecue
204 NE 1st Street
Miami, Fl 33132 - Website: BBQ305.com
- Phone: 305-377-2877
- Email: sparkybbq@gmail.com
- Instagram: sparkysroadsidebarbecue
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SparkysRoadsideBarbecue
Image Credit:
Photos of Sparky and Sparky – Julia Rose, Food Photos – Sid Hoeltzell
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