Matthew Desautels opened 520 BBQ and Grill in Essex in early March in the former Little Caesars at 90 Center Road. The counter-service restaurant seats 25 and serves a classic menu of dry-rubbed, slow-smoked meats: pork ribs, pulled pork, brisket and sausage. Sides include coleslaw, hush puppies, and mac and cheese.
Desautels, 46, said he named his restaurant in homage to his former U.S. Army unit, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Division, where a fellow soldier from Alabama introduced the native Burlingtonian to barbecue.
“I was like, ‘Where has this been all my life?’” Desautels recalled.
He became a hobby smoker and dreamed of opening his own restaurant. Desautels was working for the federal government in North Carolina when he decided to take an offered job buyout. He attended a barbecue course in Georgia, bought a concession trailer in South Carolina and came home to Vermont.
Last year, Desautels did events in Essex, Westford and Jericho before searching for a brick-and-mortar location. He saw an opportunity, he said, “to bring some good Southern-style barbecue to the area.”
520 BBQ and Grill is currently open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday, 4 to 8 p.m. Desautels is gradually staffing up and waiting for state approval of his liquor license; he said he expects to expand hours. Learn more on Facebook or call 802-662-5144. ➆
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