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| . Mr. Pig | |
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Store Front "It's not the size of your kitchen, it's the size of your imagination," says Paul Sebron, owner of Mr. Pig. When he started the business in 1995, the kitchen wasn't small-it was nonexistent. He set up shop on West Elder Street with a homemade grill and about $300 in food and supplies. Since there was no place for customers to sit and eat his barbecue, he only offered rib tips, an easy finger food. Today, at that same location, Mr. Pig has become a full barbecue restaurant with patio seating and an extensive menu of ribs, chicken, sandwiches, salads, seafood, and a special "catch of the day" every Friday. Owning the restaurant is a dream come true for Sebron-one that he's worked at nearly every day of his life. His first brush with cooking came from helping his grandmother in her kitchen. She was well known in her circle as a cake baker. Family, friends and neighbors bought her cakes for their special occasions and, by the time he was eight, Paul was helping her keep up with the demand. Whenever a customer complimented a cake that Paul had baked, Grandma gave him the credit right away. "She made it cool to be a cook," remembers Sebron. During high school he worked part-time at a Howard Johnson's restaurant, and before he graduated he was running the entire kitchen. Except for one year of selling life insurance, he's been a professional cook ever since. He holds a certificate from the Culinary Institute of America, which he earned in 1987 through the Greater Cincinnati Culinary Arts Academy. He was recruited to Findlay Market by his friend, Tom Jackson, who was the market manager at the time. For Sebron, it was like coming home. His family had been market customers for years. In his early teens, he did the household shopping with his older brother. Every Saturday his mom gave his brother a shopping list and the keys to her Mercury station wagon. They would pick up a bunch of friends on their way down to the market. Sebron remembers they got that shopping done in five minutes if they split the list six ways. Then they had the rest of the afternoon for cruising around. Today, the action is right at the market, in his restaurant, where he says "the name is easy to remember and the taste is hard to forget." Lots of Cincinnatians agree. On four occasions Cincinnati Magazine readers have named Mr. Pig "Best Barbecue." Mr. Pig also caters events of any size. The second Monday of each month, he's at the Barrel House Brewing Company at 22 E. Twelfth St. for Blue Monday, where he serves a "low country Louisiana boil". It's an all-you-can-eat barbecue and seafood buffet with live music. Reservations are suggested. Mr. Pig, 109 West Elder St., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45210, is open Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (513) 651-2251. Visit www.mrpig.us for more information. |
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Paul
Sebron passed away |
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