Today we’d like to introduce you to Thomas Witte.
Hi Thomas, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in Cypress, TX. I moved to Austin in 2004 to attend Texas State University and worked in the Service Industry throughout college. I graduated in 2008 with a bachelor’s in fine arts studying communication design. I continued to work in the service industry while also freelance designing. I met my now wife working at a restaurant in Downtown Austin, and we continued to work together for many years in the service industry until she graduated Nursing School and became an RN. I worked as a Graphic Designer for a Company for about 6 years while working extra shifts at the restaurant to help get my wife through college. I lost my design job with the back and forth with my other jobs schedule. I decided to sell my house in Austin as my wife was pregnant with my daughter, and we wanted to move a bit outside the growth of Austin and raise her in a smaller community like her parents were from. Bastrop was the perfect fit as we were closer to our family in Houston but would still be close to our friends in Austin and my wife’s Work. I tried starting up my design business, but my passion for design had been a bit crushed by my previous job. I have dealt with depression my entire adult life, and up until the past few years, it was never something I talked about outside of a few people. I don’t know how to explain my story without this part of my life as it led me to where I am today, so I will give the most condensed version I can. Dealing with depression on my own led to many good and bad coping mechanisms I didn’t even realize were what I was doing at the time. I have always been a joyful person as well. I love being around people, making people laugh, and seeing people happy. Making others Happy is what makes me Happy.
Unfortunately, a few tragic events occurred in a row, and I didn’t know how to make myself happy, and one of the bad coping mechanisms I used was alcohol. I had always used alcohol as a clutch to where if I were feeling down before seeing friends or family, I would have a drink beforehand to get my spirits up and get into a “happy” mood. This worked for a long time until it didn’t work. The addiction had taken over, and I couldn’t dig myself out. I was too embarrassed to ask for help and let people discover what I had become. I hid it for a long time until the sickness became too much and came pouring out anyway. I sought help immediately and failed immediately. I got back up and went into a place to take serious time to stop what was happening to me. I learned much about addiction, mental health awareness, self-care, and self-love during my stay. I also met amazing people from all walks of life. One of my roommates had spent most of his life homeless, and speaking with him and others opened my eye to the whole world. I’ve always tried to help those less fortunate, but talking with them one-on-one got me thinking. I got out of there and was on a mission to be strong for myself and others, to change my life, and hopefully change others for the better. With 30 years of restaurant experience between my wife and I and my love of BBQ with 15 years of Smoking and 20 years of Grilling, I had come up with a plan. I’ve wanted to give back my whole life, but I have never been able to do it on any large scale. Instead of thinking and drinking, I decided to take my art background and my love of BBQ, and I spent the next 4 years with every free moment making BBQ, watching BBQ on tv and youtube channels, reading BBQ in books and forums, asking BBQ questions, and tasting lots of BBQ while developing Smoked Love.
Smoked Love is a charitable non-traditional BBQ food trailer in Bastrop, Texas. Smoked Love offers smoked barbecue dishes, including beef, pork, chicken, seafood, vegetables, and fruit. We work with local farms and non-profits to bring as many fresh ingredients as possible to unique and fun dishes while giving back to the community. I started a Facebook page and started finding local non-profits I could help raise awareness of and give back to, as well as local ranches to get as much local product as possible. We are working with non-profits to give back to those in need and those who deserve it, like firefighters, police, teachers, and more. I started by donating meals to events around town and anything I could help. As a little following started to appear, I started running free test kitchen dinners, which turned out to be a success, so the page grew, and I started to grow too. Reviews kept coming back great, and I spent the next year learning the ins and outs of opening my place, running my own business, getting a food trailer, making a menu, and all the paperwork! I’m still sober and have no plans of looking back, as it’s been one of the best and worst things to ever happen to me.
I hope to help others in recovery or suffering from addiction with my story and food, and I have been working with a few people who recovered for our catering events as we are still small but hope to grow. We have done private events, weddings, and large christmas parties with our partners, and We are opening up to the public here in Feb. 2023 at Chestnut Grove Park in Downtown Bastrop, TX. I can’t wait to serve up some of our non-traditional BBQs to all of you! Food is Love, and we are smoked love. For the Love of BBQ and Our Community
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a very bumpy road but without the Roller coaster, I wouldn’t be were I am or who I am today. Moving out of Austin after 15 years, starting a family and changing career paths all came at once so there was a lot to figure out. With 15 years of restaurant experience I had the base idea of what needed to happen in order to start my dream but there was so much learn on the business side as well as cooking for larger groups. The two most important things I’ve learned is to take it one day at a time, I can only accomplish what I can today and worrying about what has to be done in a week from now does no good. Focus on today and your goals for today. This also helps the BIG picture or dream less frightening when you take it one day at a time. The other lesson I learned is that with every mistake comes a learning lesson. When something goes wrong, at the time it can feel so frustrating or worrisome but if you don’t let it and view it as a lesson learned for next time; your business will grow in strength and the way it runs. It’s hard to succeed without failures along the way so embrace them and grow from them.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have been an artist my entire life, exploring different art forms from painting, drawing, designing, disc golf design, acting, directing, writing, cooking, and smoking. I have always loved art in all its forms, from cinema to music to traditional art forms to the art of smoking. My wife and I have always been big foodies, which is part of the reason why we have worked in the restaurant industry for so long. What sets us apart is unlike other traditional BBQ joints in our area, we serve a wide variety of Smoked Dishes from pork, beef, chicken, and turkey to Seafood, Vegetables, and Fruit. Our Smoked Dishes are Unique, and with our rotating menu, you will find something new almost every time. We have things like Bacon Weaved Smoked Stuffed meatloaf, Asian Smoked Salmon, Pulled Jack fruit Sliders, Smoked BBQ Bacon Chicken Clubs, and many more! Oh, and Our Homemade BBQ Sauce is quite delicious if I say so myself. It’s probably world-famous yet.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
My heart and open-mindedness and the understanding that we all thrive when we work together, not against each other I’ve also been known to be humorous, so that helps.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
My heart and open mindedness. My experiences in life have give me the understanding that we are all human beings who thrive when we work together, not against each other. We all come from different families, backgrounds, life experiences, and we are taught different ideologies. But what we do have in common is human connection and the need to be a part of something more than just ourselves. I’ve personally spent a month with the most diverse group of people you could think of and watched them open there hearts and stories to each other as if they had known each other for a lifetime. It’s inspiring to see what people can do when we set aside our differences.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.smokedlove.com
- Instagram: @smokedlovebbq
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/SmokedLoveBBQ
