Junior’s Smoked BBQ is Moving

Amaranth Bakery and Café. Photo taken October 27th, 2016 by Aubryana Bowen.

Amaranth Bakery is one of Allison Trice‘s favorite places to visit. Soon, it will house her business.

Trice, who co-owns Junior’s Smoked BBQ with her partner, Kevin Junior, is a longtime patron of the bakery, 3329 W. Lisbon Ave. She raves about its cookies, scones, croissants and pot pies — and pretty much everything else.

“There is nothing that they can’t do. Nothing,” Trice said. “All other bakeries don’t compare.”

After more than a decade spent patronizing the bakery, Trice and Junior are moving in. The pair, who have operated Junior’s at Sherman Phoenix Marketplace for roughly two and a half years, will exit that location this month and relocate to a shared kitchen at Amaranth.

In the new space, they’ll collaborate with bakery owners David Boucher and Stephanie Shipley to split use of the kitchen. The arrangement works well, Trice said, since Amaranth doesn’t use the space full-time. “So this is like a win-win for both of us.”

Junior’s will initially use the space to prepare food for farmers markets, festivals, pop-ups and other events; however, the long-term goal is to open a full-scale restaurant.

Trice said the shift will allow for more independence — a key advantage for Junior’s, which maintains a strong emphasis on catering and other mobile events, especially during the summer months.

“That was one of the reasons that led us to be leaving this space,” she said of Sherman Phoenix. “We really like being here, it’s just that we really want to have our own building or our own space where we had more autonomy and more control.”

Another draw was the bakery’s residential surroundings. Trice said she’s looking forward to being “nestled in a neighborhood” — Walnut Hill, to be exact.

“It’s just more quaint,” she said, noting the area’s ample parking and outdoor gathering space. “It’s inside of a community.”

Trice said the move will, of course, be beneficial to the barbecue business, but she’s also excited at the prospect of giving back. Specifically, uplifting a new area of the city.

“We’re trying to be a positive aspect to that community, to bring the community up and to be more connected to the community.”

That philosophy is one that has carried over since the earliest days of Junior’s. The business first came about in 2012, during a particularly difficult era for the owners.

Junior was experiencing kidney failure and told Trice it was his dream to learn how to properly smoke meat. “At the time — which most people don’t believe — he could not smoke meat,” Trice said. “He would burn it.”

For Father’s Day that year, Junior requested a commercial-sized smoker. Trice delivered. “We did it for family and friends, and then everybody was telling us we should open our own restaurant,” she said.

The pair started off selling at farmers markets and quickly attracted a loyal following across the city. After several years of growth, they opened Junior’s at Sherman Phoenix.

In the meantime, Trice donated a kidney to Junior. She said the decision was an easy one. “I donate plasma and all that, so it’s not shocking. If I’m helping someone else, I would help him as well.”

Although the business has evolved far beyond its original form, pop-ups remain a vital part of its operations. This year, the Junior’s will appear as a vendor at the South Shore Farmers Market, West Allis A La Carte, Summer Soulstice and the Milwaukee Night Market.

And while Junior’s serves mostly meat, plant-based eaters would be remiss to pass over the business’s market booth. Trice, who follows a mostly plant-based diet, sells a variety of her own dishes under the title Junior’s Veggie Soul.

Her offerings include barbecue jackfruit, stuffed poblanos, vegan smoked beans, barbecue tofu, curries, chilis, homegrown greens in a variety of flavors and much more.

Trice strives to keep her menu homestyle and affordable, two specifics she previously found lacking in local vegan options.

Junior’s will have its final day in business at Sherman Phoenix on Friday, May 24. The following day, the restaurant plans to host a customer appreciation event, where it will offer free food while supplies last.

After that, customers can find Junior’s Smoked Barbecue at South Shore Farmers Market starting June 15. The business also plans to appear at festivals including Brady Street Fest, Strawberry Festival in Cedarburg, Locust Street Days and others.

Amaranth has operated in the Walnut Hill building, owned by Shipley, since 2006. Originally built in 1912, the structure maintains much of its historic feel, enhanced by tin ceilings and a decorative facade.

Junior’s will use Amaranth as its home base and commercial kitchen throughout the summer, with tentative plans to open a public-facing restaurant at the site later this year.

For now, Trice and Junior are navigating the licensing process and preparing for the busy months ahead.

Future updates will be available via Facebook.