Dressed in his tailored suit and looking business-like, Chris George does not fit the image of a barbecue chef. But as the owner and head chef of Crystal City’s big-deal barbecue joint, Memphis Barbeque, he will certainly be feeling the pull of the grill and looking the part of a ‘cue man. That he is so attached to this smoky theme is no surprise: George grew up in Memphis, arguably the site of some of the world’s most acclaimed barbecued foods. Indeed, the annual international barbecue battle, Memphis in May, underscores Memphis’s barbecue importance. For George, his new restaurant venture is a little like bringing his home to D.C. “It is close to our hearts,” he says.

His passion for cooking was sparked long ago, he said. “As a child, I came from a legacy of great cooks,” he says. “My mom and my grandma. I watched them and I learned.” George remembers sitting on the kitchen counter, stirring and asking his mother what goes in the bowl next. “I decided early on that I wanted to own and open my own restaurant.”