Hampton Roads-grown Redwood Smoke Shack purchases former Bennett’s Creek Farm Market in Suffolk
Yes, Bessie the Cow is staying, but she’s getting a new name — Betsy.
That’s the answer to the question Bob Roberts said he’s been fielding since buying the former Bennett’s Creek Farm Market property in North Suffolk. The iconic mascot has been a mainstay on the roof there for five decades.
Betsy will undergo a facelift with fresh orange paint for a pop of color, he said, and added lighting will help her shine. Roberts plans to transform the landmark property at 3881 Bridge Road near Harbour View into his third Redwood Smoke Shack location — or the facility of a “barbecue guy’s dreams,” the pit master said.
Extensive renovations begin on April 1 for an October opening, he said. Half of the 5,100-square-foot building will be demolished and rebuilt with metal framing complete with an indoor pit room for the smokers. Customers will be able to sit, eat and watch the team cooking in the pit room.
Roberts plans to hire 30 to 35 employees for front of the house, food preparation and pit team positions. There will be seating for 56 people inside and 30 on a covered outdoor patio.
Roberts is no stranger to taking over well-loved community spots. In June 2019, he opened his first brick-and-mortar location at the former Dog-n-Burger Grille spot at 2001 Manteo St. in Norfolk. That restaurant, just like the Bennett’s Creek country store and takeout deli, was a community staple for well over half a century.
Hailing from a small rural farming town in upstate New York, Roberts said community has always been important to him. When he first transitioned to a standalone establishment, he set out to create a neighborhood barbecue joint.
Roberts said he became interested in barbecue beyond cookouts and as a cuisine after coming to Hampton Roads in 2009.
“I started playing around in the backyard with a smoker I found on Craigslist for $60,” he said.
Before long, he knew Texas-style barbecue was his favorite. He honed his skills with jaunts to Texas, where he immersed himself in the Lone Star State’s barbecue culture by learning the craft at well-known barbecue spots and helping out at festivals.
That’s when the Redwood barbecue was perfected. The style involves smoking large cuts of dry-rubbed meats low and slow over indirect heat using wood-fired barbecue pits. The selection includes Texas brisket, house-made sausage, turkey, chicken, pulled pork, pork belly, pastrami and beef ribs.
“I like the process,” he said. “It’s not an instant gratification thing the way we do it.”
Roberts started cooking every weekend outside his Churchland home in Portsmouth on a larger smoker he bought with his 2016 tax refund. His then-girlfriend, Lindsey, took the orders and served neighbors who came from far and wide to enjoy a meal in their driveway on cloth-covered picnic tables.
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“People kept coming back with longer lists of orders, and we had notes left in our mailbox,” Roberts said.
In February 2017, they bought a trailer and took their barbecue on the road. The growth of the business and the couple’s relationship grew organically. Roberts proposed to Lindsey in their Ghent restaurant and held a small wedding there in April 2020.
Redwood Smoke Shack’s second location opened in May 2021 at 2476 Nimmo Parkway in Virginia Beach. Roberts’ original smoker sits proudly on display there.
Barbecue was never supposed to be a business, Roberts said. It was just meant to be fun.
“Now, we get to do it every single day,” he said. “And have a good time.”
Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@pilotonline.com