We were lucky to catch up with Christopher Blatchford recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Christopher thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

Given that BBQ is traditionally a very meat-centric food genre, I’d say we’re pretty different from the industry standard at our core. We want to make an American tradition live up to the realities of the 21st century. From the multi-day and sometimes week-long processes for making, brining, steaming, and smoking all of our house-crafted vegan proteins to making all of our sides 100% from scratch, we know exactly what goes into every morsel we serve and can attest to the quality and love put into every bite. While our food’s composition and core ingredients differ from traditional BBQ, our dedication to honoring pit smoking doesn’t. We’ve studied the greatest pit masters of all time to honor and enhance the tedious and intricate processes that goes into crafting perfect smoked BBQ.

We’re hoping that by working towards a more sustainable, veggie-based, and cruelty free future we can forever change the industry standard of BBQ to VBQ. Our focus is to help the public transition without compromising flavor, texture, or taste.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Blatch, the Vegan Pitmaster of Blatch’s Vegan BBQ. With the help of my partner Joy, we operate Utah’s first Vegan BBQ based in Salt Lake City. We are a unique eatery, operating out of a converted 1800s home in the historic Avenues district. But what’s more unique is our food, Vegan BBQ. Our digs’ are so legit, we recently won the Best Overall BBQ from Best of SLC 2023, and are nominated (results still pending) in several categories for City Weekly’s Best of Utah.

So, Vegan BBQ? How’d we end up here? BBQ is an American tradition and over the years I realized they sucked for plant based individuals and lacked inclusivity. So, I set out to change this. I started showing up to BBQs with my hand-crafted veggie proteins, not just simple tofu or mushrooms as you’d expect but true mad-scientist creations. Take, for instance, my labor of love, the from-scratch Vegan Brisket. The journey to perfecting this recipe took me through a whopping 50 iterations, each one better than the last.

Once I started showing up with my Vegan BBQ (or VBQ), it would disappear before the traditional options and my friends started calling me “selfish” for only sharing it with them. Early on due to the implications of COVID on the restaurant industry, Utah passed a regulation that allows home chefs to sell their offerings assuming they get all the proper licenses, certifications, and inspections. Initially, I thought this would be a small side hustle. I never imagined I’d be converting my 1800s home into a thriving VBQ take-out restaurant.

I’m an unapologetic connoisseur of flavors, always eager to craft dishes that break new ground. Every Wednesday, I unveil chef specials and limited-edition items that promise a tantalizing dining experience. Picture Coconut Crusted Seitan, Nashville Hot ChickenLESS Sandos, Loaded Mac and CheeZe, and my best-selling Vegan Rueben. My culinary adventures don’t stop there – I also delve into the world of house-fermented hot sauces, pickles, and purple kraut, along with 40-day smoked salt, cocktail citrus, a comprehensive range of condiments, garlic confit, candied jalapeños, and an array of exquisite spice blends. Rest assured, I’m always on the move, creating and innovating.

In the year 2023, it’s crystal clear that maintaining a meat-centric diet is neither sustainable nor cruelty-free. Given the grim conditions of mass meat farms and the undeniable health benefits of embracing a more plant-based lifestyle, it’s a no-brainer. BBQ is an integral part of American culture, and if I can make it more sustainable, healthier, and more flavorful while reshaping the very essence of the genre, count me in – because we’re already making it happen!
We’re out here killin’ it, with out killing anything.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

If you had asked me 3 years ago if I would be running a vegan BBQ, I would’ve thought you were smoking more than just BBQ. It started with me realizing traditional BBQs sucked for those eating plant based diets, I began crafting and making my own BBQ main dishes (like smoked jackfruit and vegan brisket) as an alternative for parties we went to. Friends of friends started talking and they suggested I try selling some as others deserved to enjoy VBQ too. Welp, with the passing of unique legislature in 2021, the full conversion of our historic home to a take-out restaurant, and continued innovation of new items and products we’ve come a long way. From showing up with a pound of VBQ for some friends to being able to dish up 150 ChickenLESS sandos in record time – it feels like the sky is the limit.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

We make everything we serve and sell 100% from scratch and in-house, but how did I learn to make delicious VBQ? By making a lot of really bad VBQ. As I’ve developed my core recipes, I never once looked at another recipe prior to starting a new product and I just didn’t stop reiterating it until I thought it was perfect and even then, I’m always trying to find ways to make each item better.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.blatchsbbq.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blatchsbbq/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blatchsbackyard
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/blatchs-backyard-bbq-salt-lake-city

Image Credits
“Blatchs BBQ.png” – Initial Photo with Chef and Smoker: Courtesy of Sean Buckley on behalf of Visit Salt Lake. All other Photos taken by Blatch’s internally.