Holidays
You’ve admired his art gallery-worthy photographs on Instagram. Maybe you’ve been lucky enough to attend one of his events and sample his amazing food. Did I mention his new Ember Craft sauces and, yes, even bourbon? As creator of Live Fire Republic, David Olson is one of the most influential of the barbecue influencers. From his dad, he learned the importance of family. And how not to grill a steak!
Growing up, cooking outdoors in our family was typically reserved for summer holidays, most regularly featuring paper plates of the classics – burgers, dogs, baked beans, and maybe a chuck eye or top round steak for the most special occasions. That said, my father was a great home cook and fired off the very best Friday night pizzas, but steak is something we never quite saw eye to eye upon. To this day, he loves all grilled meat deeply charred, browned like bootstrap leather, and prepared to the dark side of well-done. To each their own, but for better and (often) worse, this is how I ate steak most of my adolescent years. While I certainly did not learn to cook and enjoy steak from my father, what I’ve come to realize is that no matter the debate about what makes a great steak or why in his opinion my steak could get up and run off the plate if not eaten quickly – cooking in our family it was never really about the steak (or it’s doneness). Whether we were at the ball fields, being put to work in the garage, or by the grill (engulfing everything in an inferno of open fire), it was always about the time spent together. And, now as a father myself, I realize, this is what it’s all about.
Recipe for Cast Iron Beer Cheese.
Derek Wolf: Over The Fire Cooking
From the first time he grilled meat over a wood fire and gave it his signature thumbs up, Derek Wolf has rocked social media, and his four million plus Instagram followers attest to his phenomenal popularity. Which has only grown with his two books: Food by Fire and Flavor By Fire. His latest venture—a charcoal-burning Fyr grill (complete with Fyr condiments and seasoning) which is destined to revolutionize the way we cook over live fire.
My memories of food as a kid aren’t of being in a kitchen with homemade recipes handed down by my Mom or Grandmom. Mine were with my Pops and involved take-out or delivery. On a nightly basis, my Dad, brother, and I would play fast food roulette! Pizza, Chinese, KFC? It was every kid’s dream, and I wouldn’t change a thing. But my story of falling in love with food began much later in life and centered around fire, smoke, and grilling, and had everything to do with simply being TOGETHER. The greatest lesson I learned from my Dad, and do my best to hand down to my boys now and really anyone else I feed, is that good food, fire, and smoke is about bringing people together and building community. That’s all that mattered to my Dad. That we were together. In a parking lot, a backyard, or campsite that is always my goal. If you grill it, they will come! Haha! And everyone is FAMILY!
Recipe for Grilled Ribeye with Cowboy Butter
Matt Groark: The Meat Teachers
“Meat Teacher” Matt Groark is a New Jersey-based high school health and Phys ed teacher who gained international prominence—and a monster 3.5 million TikTok followers—with his Groark Boys BBQ grilling tutorials and motivational content. His latest venture—a handsome cookbook published by Harper Influencers entitled what else: The Meat Teacher Cookbook. Like David Olson and me, he learned less about grilling from his dad than about bonding with one’s family.
My memories of food as a kid aren’t of being in a kitchen with homemade recipes handed down by my Mom or Grandmom. Mine were with my Pops and involved take-out or delivery. On a nightly basis, my Dad, brother, and I would play fast food roulette! Pizza, Chinese, KFC? It was every kid’s dream, and I wouldn’t change a thing. But my story of falling in love with food began much later in life and centered around fire, smoke, and grilling, and had everything to do with simply being TOGETHER. The greatest lesson I learned from my Dad, and do my best to hand down to my boys now and really anyone else I feed, is that good food, fire, and smoke is about bringing people together and building community. That’s all that mattered to my Dad. That we were together. In a parking lot, a backyard, or campsite that is always my goal. If you grill it, they will come! Haha! And everyone is FAMILY!
Recipe for Sweet and Spicy Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges.
Meathead: AmazingRibs.com
Meathead Goldwyn needs no introduction—not to the hundreds of thousands of grilling enthusiasts who bought his seminal book Meathead and his new book, The Meathead Method. Not to the many thousands of loyal members of his Pit Masters Club on Amazingribs.com. Unlike David, Matt, and myself, Meathead’s dad did grill and taught his son to grill like a pro.
When Dad came back from WWII, he was a gunner on B-29 bombers out of Okinawa, he took a job for the summer on Jones Beach, Long Island as a lifeguard where he met a really cute art student from Pratt University. Norma and Jerry were married in 1948 and lived in rickety married student dorms at NYU’s upstate campus in Morrisville while Dad studied Food Technology. When he graduated, he opened a butcher shop in Merrick, Long Island called Merit Brands. I was born in 1949. From an early age I remember him grilling at our home in Levittown. He sold the butcher shop and moved to Sarasota, FL, where he became a stockbroker, and as the space race got underway, he moved to Merritt Island near Cape Canaveral, where the scientists and engineers lived and spent their money. He and I often hung out at the grill together. Flank steak was his specialty and I have a soft spot for it to this day. Somewhere around age 10, he might have slipped me a sip of his beer, which helped cement my love of grilling. Our house was on one of the inland waterways, so he bought a boat, and we went fishing every weekend and many weekday afternoons. Of course, we grilled the catch and the abundant Florida fruits. He died 20 years ago, but I think of him whenever I grill flank steak, fish, or fruit.
Recipe for Grilled Fruit Salad
The Influencers Fathers Day Menu
However you choose to celebrate this Father’s Day—whether it’s grilling a ribeye, sharing a cold drink, or just spending time together—what matters most is the connection. Fire, food, and family have a way of bringing us back to what’s important. So light the grill, honor the dads in your life, and make some lasting memories.
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