Rodney Scott talks barbecue, new Alabama restaurants, overcoming COVID-19

Those who ordered Rodney Scott’s barbecue at the Market at Pepper Place Memorial Day weekend may not have realized it was the James Beard Award-winning chef and Barbecue Hall of Fame semifinalist himself loading their cars with ribs and pulled pork.

Scott would be more recognizable if not for the face mask – though it was well-branded with the Rodney Scott’s BBQ logo.

The logo and, most importantly, the food are becoming more and more recognizable in Alabama thanks to the growth of the restaurants outside of Scott’s original Charleston, South Carolina, location.

Birmingham’s Pihakis Restaurant Group has partnered with Scott to build more restaurants. The first opened in Birmingham’s Avondale neighborhood more than a year ago and will be joined by one in Trussville later this year and one in Homewood next year. An Atlanta location is also in the works.

The Avondale location got a full year under its belt before the COVID-19 pandemic slammed the restaurant industry. Scott said luckily the shift to takeout-only didn’t hurt the barbecue business as much as some others.

“That’s one of the awesome things about barbecue. You can take barbecue and you can reheat it if necessary,” he said. “You can drive it home and it’s not a problem to take it home and enjoy it the same way that you would if it came right off of the fire.”

With the partial reopening of dining rooms and hopefully a slowdown in the spread of coronavirus during the summer, Scott sees light at the end of the tunnel.

“This pandemic, this too shall pass,” he said. “We’re going to be great. Everybody is definitely going to eat again.”

That’s not just a partner in the Pihakis Restaurant Group and the 2018 James Beard Best Chef Southeast talking, it’s also a current semi-finalist for the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame.

“It’s an honor just to be mentioned, honestly,” Scott said. “Just to be connected with some of the greats. That’s huge for me.”

With summer barbecuing season now under way, Scott offered some safety tips for those firing up their grills and smokers at home, which you can watch in the video below. He also shares how he likes to sauce his own meat.

Grilling at home is great, but considering the economic damage wrought by the pandemic Scott encourages people to support restaurants and others in the food industry. Scott was the featured chef Memorial Day Weekend at the Market at Pepper Place, where customers are supporting local farmers and food vendors by ordering items online and picking them up.

Watching customers have their cars loaded with fresh produce, bread, goods and his own barbecue was inspiring, Scott said.

““We will get through this,” he said.