Bell was just a 14-year-old Kansas City kid when he discovered his love of cooking. The now MICHELIN-trained chef worked his way up from a Westin hotel apprenticeship, to studying in France, to now co-owning a restaurant in the heart of Wine Country.
"An idea that I wanted to do pretty early on with the restaurant is ensure that I can kind of blend my chef side with the barbecue side and my roots of Kansas City. And that kind of entailed of, you know, making sure it didn't feel too pretty and too over-the-top, but making sure that there are small touches and elements throughout the restaurant," he said.
Stateline Road Smokehouse is named after the major thoroughfare that divides Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas.
The restaurant isn't Bell's first business venture, though. He launched his barbecue sauce brand, 816 BBQ Sauce about 10 years ago. Since the beginning, Bell knew he wanted to use his product to give back to those in need -- 10% of profits from 816 BBQ Sauce are donated to No Kid Hungry and the Rafiki Foundation.
No Kid Hungry is a national campaign working to solve hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world. The Rafiki Foundation is a religious organization that supports orphans, widows, and faith-based outreach projects.
Customers can try 816 BBQ Sauce at Stateline Road Smokehouse while diving into classic dishes like brisket burnt ends and baby back ribs. Bell also offers vegetarian options including smoked maitake mushroom. There's something for everyone at his restaurant.
"It's a family friendly, even pet friendly space and environment where we have a huge patio in the back where you can feel relaxed but realizing that you'll get something that's slightly more elevated. The barbecue will taste slightly different, a little bit more refined," he said.
While he's excited to serve up more mouthwatering barbecue to the Bay Area, Bell is already getting great reviews from customers. "The response from the community, the locals, even people coming from other states and cities has been really great, really positive."
Learn more about the Stateline Road Smokehouse here
Learn more about 816 BBQ Sauce at this website