The Smokin’ Barrel has found a new home from which to serve up its tasty food — and it’s right in our backyard.
After starting as a food truck in Melbourne, The Smokin’ Barrel has taken up permanent residence in Kialla.
Brent Carton, his wife, Jess Carton, and his sister Melissa Carton have been dishing up food since opening on Saturday, June 1, where they made 600 meals.
Although American barbecue such as wings, burgers and ribs is The Smokin’ Barrel’s speciality, the team is happy to whip up anything to suit your needs.
“(If you) tell us what you want or call ahead, we’ll try to create something,” Mr Carton said.
“It has an American vibe, but it’s not necessarily American. We do a bit of everything.
“It’s more in the afternoon, towards night that we have that kind of vibe. During the day, we have more of a café feel.”
Mr Carton said the support from the Greater Shepparton community had been “unreal”, and it was nice to see a lot of returning customers and regular faces.
“We did an appreciation post on Facebook and we had about 70 comments and no negative feedback, so that was great,” he said.
“It’s the little things that bring people back, so we’re getting there slowly.”
You may find no food cooked when you first walk in, but there’s no need to panic.
“People might freak out when they walk in here, and they don’t see anything in the bain-marie, but that’s because I cook everything fresh,” Mr Carton said.
“Everything’s local, everything’s fresh every day.
“Once people have a taste, they’ll understand what we’re trying to do.”
Although their experience has been exclusive to the food truck, Mr Carton and his family are looking forward to filling the void of the old Kialla Lakes Milkbar.
“We always do well (at events) up here, so we thought let’s give it a go and just see what happens,” he said.
“(We wanted to) make something new and bring the community back down this way again.
“We’re just trying to bring all the locals back. It should be good to start seeing people come back again.”
The Smokin’ Barrel is open from 8am to 3pm on Sunday and Monday, and 8am to 8pm Tuesday to Saturday. You can find it at 5/56-58 Kialla Lakes Dve, Kialla.