Daily Inspiration: Meet Kyle Segar

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle Segar.

Hi Kyle, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
BBQ started when I was only 5 years old in the deep south of Florida. I learned the art from my father. I first started out carrying the logs for the fire, where the coals had to be just right before the actual cooking began. I learned fire preparation and management for quality low and slow BBQ. Although in the southern states it is mainly open pit style cooking. After moving to Michigan my wife had been employed in the food service industry while our 3 children were growing up and we began competing in BBQ competitions throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsion and Illionois on the weekends. We then began catering opportunities as they presented themselves and soon became overwhelmed with request for our services. We then branched out with a food truck and demand created an opportunity for a second food truck. We soon ran out of space for caterings on the food trucks and in 2022 we branched out with our first Brick and Mortar at 544 E 8th Street in Holland MI.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We have enjoyed many obstacles along the way. Our initial obstacles seem very minor looking back compared to current opportunities for improvement. Our first obstacles were basically food prep area and food storage on the food trucks. Compared to current obstacles like maintaining quality employees and all the extra expenses of a brick and mortar. We thought that as busy as we were on the food trucks it would naturally migrate over to the brick and mortar. Unfortunately, the added expense of a brick and mortar with food cost, and utilities skyrocketing and low foot traffic remain a uphill battle. We currently have great prep and food holding capacity, however the cost of such is marginally profitable..

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My role in the operations range from dish washer to pitmaster and everything in between. I’ve developed the nickname – Dr.. Smoke over the years. (Yes, I do currently hold a PhD) hence the Doctor affirmation. We are known for our style of beef brisket and pulled pork. When new folks visit from out of town or a new local guest comes in for the first time and taste our food, many say they can taste the love in the finished product. It is true we prepare our creations with the mindset of as we are preparing for our own family. When we teach our staff of food quality we propose the simple question, would you eat what your serving? Meaning if you would not eat it, then don’t serve it to our guests. We believe being a Mom and Pop sets us apart from franchise locations because we can adapt quickly to guest request and try our best to accommodate.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
While risk taking has subdued over the years, there was a time where risk taking was all we had. I can recall several events we thought would be spectacular and turned out to be duds. We have had events where we paid more for product and entry cost than we made. You quickly learn how to steer clear of obstacles like that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.holysmokersbbq.info
• Facebook: Holy Smokers BBQ