We recently connected with Kevin Aydelott and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kevin, thanks for joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

I came up with the name The Cultivated Pig as more of a reflection of myself more than anything. I’ve been a Chef and have worked in the F&B industry for over 15 years now and have been classically trained in various cooking styles. So my cooking and food are very refined but if you were to see me on the street I don’t necessarily look refined. So, The Cultivated Pig is kind of a play on words for how I am. We are a live fire restaurant and although our food is simple, the technique s and ingredients we use are very refined or cultivated if you will.

Kevin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

The Cultivated Pig started out as a competition BBQ team but we grew tired of the injections and sugary sauces needed to win. We really just wanted to get back to our roots of Texas Style BBQ by letting the smoke and fire flavor the meat. We are a scratch kitchen except for a few things, we make everything in house from our spices to house-made sausages to our sauces and even our own sauerkraut. We don’t take any short cuts and it shows up in the delicious flavors of our food. We have a loyal following of customers who love that we make everything from scratch and we take pride in knowing that what they are eating are great ingredients and good quality products hand crafted with love and care.
One example of how we take pride and care in our work is that we have been trying to get a variance from the state to sell Biltong. It has not been an easy process to get done but we feel that if you put the time and effort into making things right then it really shows in the taste of the food. For those who don’t know what Biltong is, for lack of a better word it’s South African beef jerky but, it’s nothing like beef jerky. There are a few companies out there that are doing it right but for the most part it’s hard to find a good product in this area. So we decided to start making our own. It makes a great bar bite and pairs well with craft beer. Especially, lamb biltong.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

The cofounder of The Cultivated Pig has been my best friend for over 25 years. We met back in West Texas and have been close ever since. Jimmy Fox has been everything from a BMW mechanic to an IT director. He also has started his own business writing Oil and Gas software in West Texas. He actually moved to Florida way before I did. When I asked him to join me in this business venture he didn’t hesitate. Although he has not worked in the F&B industry before this venture he’s a quick learner. In many ways it’s a win win for our business because him not knowing the ends and outs of the industry, gives us a fresh set of eyes and helps to innovate in ways that most other restaurants can’t or won’t.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

The start up capital for the business was basically a loan from my 401K. We have basically boot strapped everything since day one. We started out with a small sum of $16,000 only, which most businesses need more than that to get started.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thecultivatedpig.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/thecultivatedpig
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecultivatedpig
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thecultivatedpig/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thecultivatedpig
• Other: TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@thecultivatedpig

Image Credits
Food pics of the Smoked Pastrami Rueben and Hot dog credit to Mike Parish