{"id":314371,"date":"2026-05-13T22:37:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T22:37:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/314371\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T22:37:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T22:37:20","slug":"this-chopped-winner-is-back-in-oakland-with-some-of-the-bays-best-smoked-brisket-and-ribs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/314371\/","title":{"rendered":"This \u2018Chopped\u2019 winner is back in Oakland with some of the Bay\u2019s best smoked brisket and ribs"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s early Tuesday morning, and Rashad Armstead is loading the back of his truck with hefty packages of pork ribs, five-pound bags of cheddar cheese, and a box of jumbo yams.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After stopping at three local restaurant supply stores to gather all the ingredients, Armstead meets his mom, Cecilia Armstead, who helps him prep at his new restaurant in downtown Oakland. He starts the slow cooking process of marinating and smoking the brisket, and marinating the chicken and ribs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The next morning, he is up at 5:30 to start the smoker again and make the side dishes \u2013 mac and cheese, collard greens with smoked turkey, purple cornbread, and honey buttered yams.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Armstead is not new to barbecue \u2013 he started as a vendor at the Ashby Flea Market in Berkeley in 2015<\/a> and opened Crave BBQ in Richmond\u2019s Hilltop Mall as well as Grammie\u2019s Down-Home Chicken & Seafood in Oakland. He later competed on Chopped<\/a>, winning his episode in 2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"The smoked ribs are one of the signature items at Saints Smokehouse. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

In November, Armstead quietly opened Saints Smokehouse to the public as a weekend pop-up. He is currently operating Wednesdays through Saturdays. Soon, he hopes to officially open his restaurant, a project that has been in the works for four and a half years.<\/p>\n

Armstead is also running things mostly solo \u2013 self-financing the restaurant, planning inventory, shopping for ingredients several times a week, and using the two custom-built Southern Pride smokers. Doing a lot of the work himself helps keep costs down \u2013 his plates cost$18-$25 ($18 for pork ribs that come with a chunk of blue corn bread and a side dish, and $25 for half a smoked chicken). In addition to his mom, he has the help of three staff members.<\/p>\n

\"\"On a Wednesday in May, a line formed at Saints Smokehouse before the door opened at noon. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

When he started in November, some people close to him advised him to invite social media influencers to attract business. Armstead refused, instead opting for a slow and steady build-up. He also noted that he started as a restaurateur before social media was a thing. Pay-for-play was a no-no. \u201cI\u2019m not concerned about the grandiose or going viral,\u201d he said. \u201cI just want to bring good food to Oakland.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd all of it is too much pressure,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

So far, his strategy is working.<\/p>\n

Just before noon on Wednesday, there\u2019s a small group of people waiting outside the doors. One woman playfully pretends to pound on the window. One of Armstead\u2019s staff members rolls up all of the shades covering the tall windows to reveal seats and tables on one side and an open kitchen on the other. Armstead unlocks the door, and the group streams in. Soon, there\u2019s a line.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people are finding out through friends and co-workers. That\u2019s the kind of momentum I prefer over social media and having content creators coming in,\u201d Armstead said about the word-of-mouth growth. In late April, Visit Oakland<\/a> released a short Instagram video showing his restaurant and dishes. Since then, the lines have grown longer.<\/p>\n

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\nSide dishes at Saints Smokehouse include potato salad, collard greens, smoked gouda Mac and cheese, and sweet yams. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

The edges of the brisket and ribs are seasoned, with smoky flavors infused by hickory and mesquite wood (he also uses apple, cherry, or pecan wood for smoking the chicken). The meat is tender and stands on its own; the addition of the slow-cooked housemade barbecue sauce is the icing on the cake. The sauce, a secret recipe he won\u2019t share, pairs well with almost everything on the menu \u2013 cornbread, mac and cheese, wings (wings are $1 each on Wednesdays).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

And lately, he has been selling out before 3 p.m. He\u2019s finding himself back at the restaurant supply store and Jack London markets several times a week now.<\/p>\n

He finds inspiration from his great-grandmother, an Oakland culinary pioneer, and other family members.<\/p>\n

Armstead\u2019s great-grandmother is Sarah Rawls<\/a>, who opened her first restaurant in West Oakland and eventually produced and hosted a popular talk show in the 70s and 80s called Down Home Cooking.<\/p>\n

\"\"In 2019, Armstead appeared on the Food Network show Chopped and won the competition. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for East Bay Nosh <\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I have to revive her legacy,\u201d Armstead says. Rawls passed away in 1993, when Armstead was six years old. And even though no one else in his family is in the food business, he was also influenced by his \u201cdad, all my uncles, and people that taught me over the past years. My family\u2019s thing is food. Everyone is a good cook. If you can taste my food and taste my mom or grandma\u2019s potato salad through mine, I\u2019m telling you where I come from.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he\u2019s fully up and running, he hopes to add more menu items, like desserts, additional appetizers, and burnt ends. He\u2019ll extend the hours and hopes to open earlier to serve coffee and breakfast. He may add smoked lamb shank and housemade hot links. He plans to get a liquor license to open up the bar area and have live music. He will add more staff as well.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Armstead is adding to the hours, staff, and menu at Saints Smokehouse gradually, building toward a grand opening slated for June. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

Currently, he\u2019s trying to catch up with the demand. Some days, he sells desserts like slices of lemon pound cake or banana pudding. (One of his winning dishes on Chopped was a dessert dish.)<\/p>\n

He\u2019s open to having the public see, and be a part of, this journey.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not trying to paint a picture of perfection,\u201d he said. \u201cIn the world we live in, people want things fast, but that\u2019s not the business I\u2019m building. Food is my art. I\u2019ve been doing it most of my life. I\u2019m really trying to create something special here. Not everybody is going to love it, but the right people will love your food. Those are the customers you gotta show up for.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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