Igniting Blan’s culinary experience

0

BLANCHESTER — A local barbecue food truck will now have a brick and mortar spot in the village.

Ignition BBQ, located on 113 E. Main St., will have its first run beginning Feb. 17 from 3:30 p.m. until 10 p.m., or until they run out of food.

Marlon Smith, founder and one of the owners, told the News Journal the early days of the business will be operating two days a week as they get used to their new facilities.

Smith’s BBQ journey started in 2016 with him “running underneath tents and canopies.”

“I did a lot of charity work around here in Blanchester, a lot of benefits. Then I just kind of started branching out and doing other events,” said Smith.

A few years back, Smith and his associates obtained a food truck and ran it for a couple years. After taking last year off from the food truck, they saw an opportunity to open next to the movie theater in Blanchester on East Main Street. Smith said that the space, owned by the theater, used to be a coffee shop.

Smith, 43, who worked as an IT professional, started learning the BBQ game back in 1994. He’s worked in the restaurant business for “quite a while” through his teenage years and most of his mid-20s.

“I grabbed a lot of culinary experience. I’ve done some schooling. It’s always been one of my fortes that I’ve really enjoyed,” he said.

When it comes to the food of Ignition, Smith described it as “his own thing,” but he has learned from the many different styles/techniques of BBQ.

He told the News Journal he takes a lot of flavors and styles that others have used and adds some of his own spin to them.

“We’re all wood smoke though. I don’t use any propane or charcoal, we are all sticks,” he said.

The thing he’s most excited about is adding to the community of Blanchester and providing it with good fresh food.

“We’ve got the same restaurants on every corner around town and there’s hasn’t been anything really different in years,” he said. “So, for me, it’s gratifying to be able to see the smile on everyone’s faces when they’re eating the food and to bring fresh food here and improve the food scene.”

Reach John Hamilton at 937-382-2574

No posts to display