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Southern Smoke brings heat to Governor’s Square Mall in Tallahassee

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It’s officially National Barbecue Month, and one pit bringing the heat to Tallahassee is Southern Smoke, located in the Governor’s Square shopping center.

The new barbecue spot in the mall’s food court offers smoked and grilled treats using family recipes sourced from southern states including Louisiana and Tennessee.

“We have a passion for food, we always have,” said Tamara Tatum, co-owner of Southern Smoke. “This adventure comes with passion and where it leads us, you know, God knows.”

Tatum said the inspiration to start the new joint aligns with her and her husband Raymone Tatum’s love of food, recounting how they spent many date nights trying new recipes and visiting restaurants in the entire United States.

This is the couple’s first brick-and-mortar location, which previously operated as a food truck in Texas called Ricky’s Barbecue.

For a year, the Tatums tried to set up shop in a location that attracted regular foot traffic. The couple visited local shopping centers and kept an eye on the vacant storefront that previously housed Sugar Cane and Spices Island Fusion.

“We thought, oh, this could be really good, or this could be really bad, but when we talked to management they said, ‘Hey, that would be great,’” Tatum said. “We got a lot of confirmation and confirmation that it would be a good idea.”

For the past two months, the family has been serving their prized dishes, including the smoked brisket, which consists of a half pound of meat, two sides, with a slice of honey sriracha cornbread, all for $19.99.

In addition to the smoked dishes, the restaurant offers a generous variety of side dishes to choose from, including pit-smoked baked beans, vegetables, macaroni and cheese, potato salad and smokehouse chips, essential for any smokehouse.

Other offerings include sandwiches, desserts and specialty meals, “The Rattler” and “The Seminole,” named in honor of neighboring universities Florida A&M and Florida State.

“The Rattler” is made with smokehouse chips with cheddar jack cheese, pulled pork, pico de gallo and spicy smoked barbecue sauce. “The Seminole” is made with two pulled pork sliders, two ribs, four wings, a smoked sausage, cornbread and barbecue sauce.

“We sell kale at the mall,” Tatum laughed, recalling the times she spent in the mall’s small kitchen whipping up home-cooked comfort food that would normally take all day.

Smoking food: a labor of love

Smoking the meat every day is a labor of love that the entire Tatum family has taken on.

To help prepare some of the specialty meats, a 750-gallon smoker and a 350-gallon smoker filled with cherry, hickory and mesquite wood pellets are used to smoke some of the meat off-site , which they then take to the store.

Excitement about the new barbecue spot is already circulating on Instagram and Facebook, with customer comments on the plates saying they are tucking into the platters in their cars before they can even reach their destination. A photo of the store also ended up on a post on rapper Real Boston Richey’s feed.

One Facebook user commented: “The best potato salad I’ve ever had in my life and they feed you. Plus the team is great.”

“We are very grateful to everyone who has been very supportive,” Tatum said. The family’s main goal at this time is to “gain the visibility and trust of the community.”

The Southern Smoke team has received feedback from those who have visited the food court to see how they can satisfy everyone’s taste buds, which has helped them develop their menu and items such as burgers.

“We really are on a mission to connect ourselves strongly within the community,” Tatum said. “Also to ensure that we provide quality food, reasonable prices and good food.”

If you go

Where: Governor’s Square Mall Food Court, 1500 Apalachee Parkway

When: 11am – 7pm Monday to Friday; 11am – 8pm Saturday; Sunday afternoon – 6 p.m

Kyla A Sanford provides dinners and entertainment for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at [email protected]. A new restaurant opening, special offers or events coming up? Let me know!

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