The Story Behind the Smoke and the Toast

After teaching in Memphis for over a decade, I finally decided to actualize my dream of working for myself and cooking for a living. And so Smoke & Toast was born on Father’s Day 2024 at Grind City Brewery, but the journey started long before that.

Back during the COVID lockdowns, my wife Brittney and I—like many others—got into sourdough baking. After months of trial and error in our home kitchen, we landed on a sandwich-ready sourdough recipe that quickly became a staple. From there, the idea for Smoke & Toast took shape: Southern flavors and ingredients that are both familiar and somewhat elevated and house-smoked meats and cheeses served on Bri’s famous sourdough.

Since day one, Smoke & Toast has been about flavor, fun, and creativity. We're known for our unique sandwiches, bad puns, and thick-cut chips—but we’ve done a little bit of everything: four-course Valentine’s dinners, Thanksgiving-inspired German meals, homemade sourdough pretzels, school events, farmers markets, and more.

We’re here to serve food that makes you smile—whether it’s from the first bite or the name of the sandwich. Thanks for being part of our story.