Hi there, Stacey & Matt Lombardo here…of Farmboys Smokin’ BBQ.
We finally wanted to share our story
……
Farmboys Smokin’ BBQ officially started in November of 2012. Matt Lombardo, of Charleston SC, has been cooking southern-style smoked BBQ for decades. We started off with a smoker with wood chips on our home grill. We then upgraded to our first Lang 84 ft Deluxe Smoker in the fall of 2012. We happened to buy that smoker from a man named Mike Lee, a BBQ caterer and KCBS champion who showed us the ropes of the smoker, some great tips and we also gained a long-term friend! Shortly after, we had our first event at a local bar in Danbury CT called Michaels II Cafe. We gave them some BBQ samples & they gave us a chance! (Little did we know that a decade later, this exact location would be the home of our very first brick-n’-mortar BBQ restaurant!)
Next, we started our website ( http://www.farmboyssmokinbbq.com ) & our BBQ catering business just started growing! By June of 2013 we had almost every weekend booked through October! Matt perfected the homemade sauces, spent his spare time studying various BBQ recipe books, etc. He didn’t sleep much that summer! (When you have a 20 hour brisket cooking and then an event the next day, there’s not much time for rest.) Our family helped us out with lots of catering events, especially those first busy summers. Meanwhile, I, Stacey had been in grad school, studying to become a nurse practitioner (yes, slightly different field but we would go crazy if we worked together all the time!)
In the meantime, we started going to different breweries in CT as a food truck and we started to gain a following there too. We got to serve our BBQ literally right out of the smoker.
In 2013 and 2014 we had the chance to compete nationally in the KCBS and NEBS competitions. We were honored to be awarded Reserve Grand Champs.
We soon started gaining more of a media following, had our very first article by OmNomCT and we were later nominated for best BBQ of CT by OmNom CT. https://omnomct.wordpress.com/2013/02/21/farmboys-smokin-bbq-catering-bringin-a-lil-bit-o-memphis-to-ct/ https://omnomct.wordpress.com/2013/12/18/3rd-annual-omnomys-celebrating-the-best-in-food-in-fairfield-county-2013/
Okay now fast forward to 2021. The pandemic is in full swing. Micheals II Cafe has moved to their new and current location on Stony Hill Rd in Bethel called Michael’s Tap Room. The building where it all began was available and we knew he had to have it! We had never run a restaurant before…. but we were about to learn. Some trial by fire… but none the less! We were going for it! P.s. Thank you to Chris S & Chris B for all your help with getting this place ready for opening day!
During the month of April 2022, we had a few soft opening events as we started to learn our new workflow with our new team. By May 2022 we kicked off our official opening during the Kentucky Derby, which is one of Matt’s favorite events!
Now here we are, almost 14 years after we started…. 2 years into opening the restaurant…. We’re still learning…. still growing… still enjoying the journey! Thank you to our friends, families and loyal customers for all your help and support! Its certainly no easy task to open and run a restaurant and every day has its unique challenges. We’re far from perfect but we’re happy to be here! We couldn’t have done this without you!
Cheers to you all!- Stacey & Matt
P.S. For Upcoming Events- Please check out our facebook page-
http://www.facebook.com/farmboysbbq
Our 2 Year Anniversary/Kentucky Derby kicks off Saturday May 4th!
Mondays, we offer All-Day Happy Hour Food and Drink Specials (and 3-6pm Wed-Fri!)
(closed Tuesdays)
Wednesday nights we have Trivia at 7!
Friday nights we have Karaoke 8:30pm on!
Every other Saturday we have Singo! (Music Bingo— and so much fun!) See you soon!
Farmboys Smokin' BBQ LLC 