Save Par Golf Podcast · Save Par Golf Podcast

Episode 167: Warrior Smokehouse

·1 hr 51 min·5 clips

The Punisher stacks a jalapeno popper with brisket, pork, and chicken inside one taco.

Dominic opens by saying Derek is out of town and the recording schedule has been a little messy. He brings on David and Ava from Warrior Smokehouse, also called Warriors Golf Club depending on the day, and the conversation falls into an easy, friendly rhythm. Ava says she is co-owner of Warrior Smokehouse, and David describes her as the partner who handles a lot of the kitchen work. He also talks through the smokehouse side and the way the work gets done with family at the center of it. The setup runs on teamwork, and that shows up right away. Ava's mother is part of the team too, and two other helpers are treated like family. The whole operation sounds built on people showing up for one another. That matters because the business leans hard on pop-ups and catering, and those events take a lot of moving parts. They describe setting everything up in the front yard with tents, tables, chairs, and food service all coming together on site. It has a scrappy feel, but in a good way. The conversation keeps coming back to how personal that setup feels, with the goal of making people feel like they are hanging around the crew instead of buying from a distance. The wildest story is the rain-soaked pop-up. It was pouring hard during setup, and the wind got so bad that one of the canopies broke. Instead of everyone scattering, the crowd jumped in to help hold everything together. Dominic reacts to that like someone who knows how rare that kind of response is. Nobody complained, and the event kept going. They still sold out, which gave them a real sign that the food and the atmosphere were connecting. The episode also gets into the grind behind food work. David and Ava talk honestly about how demanding it is to do this every day. There is a real difference between loving to cook and having to cook for a living, and they do not pretend that gap is small. Dominic keeps that point grounded and practical. He frames the whole thing around effort, love for the craft, and the reality that restaurant work can drain you if the heart is not in it. The conversation never loses its easy, barstool feel. It moves from business details to family pride to the simple pleasure of feeding people well. By the end, the smokehouse comes across as a place built on teamwork, stubbornness, and good food. The episode leaves with gratitude, momentum, and the sense that the operation has already earned its following.

As heard by us

A golf podcast stop that finds its best rhythm in food, family, and a hard-earned pop-up story.

Warrior Smokehouse gives this golf podcast stop a grounded backyard-business feel, with David and Ava laying out how the smokehouse operates, how the crew fits together, and how family members plus a few trusted helpers keep the pop-ups and catering events moving.

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Why you'd press play

When you want golf talk with a side of smoke, rain, and family-run hustle.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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