Blake Stoker owns Blake’s at Southern Milling in Martin. Photo credit: Jeff Adkins

While a student at Mississippi State University, West Tennessee native Blake Stoker, now owner of Blake’s at Southern Milling, started a side hustle serving barbecue from a trailer. As he finished his degree, he built his barbecue brand with creative menu items like his signature sandwich, the Bubba Cole (featuring smoked brisket, turkey and pimento cheese), and educated himself on the fine art of wood-fired barbecue.

“Instead of taking trips to the beach or mountains, I was traveling to Texas to visit barbecue places I was reading and hearing about,” Stoker says.

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See more: Go Back in Time at Pecan Grove Bed and Breakfast in Martin

Following college, Stoker returned with his barbecue trailer to his hometown of Dresden. Soon after, his dream of a brick-and-mortar restaurant led him to move up the road a bit to Martin, where he oversaw the renovation of his new restaurant location inside the old Southern Milling building in the heart of downtown.

In the spring of 2022, he proudly opened the doors of Blake’s at Southern Milling, an impressive 6,500-square-foot restaurant, bar and event space that offers a down-home feel with a side of big-city sophistication.

“It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” Stoker says.

The Smoked Turkey Sandwich with Pimento Cheese is one of the many options on the menu at Blake’s at Southern Milling. Photo credit: Jeff Adkins

Blake’s at Southern Milling BBQ

Blake’s stayed true to the architecture of the original mill, preserving features like the support beams in the main dining hall, 95% of the original bricks, and vintage signage and artwork including old Southern Milling calendars.

Summer is the perfect time to take a drive to this college town in northwestern Tennessee and feast on one of the Texas-style Southern barbecue selections or relax with an elegant weekend brunch on the patio featuring dishes like Pulled Pork Eggs Benedict. The barbecue is the main event, but don’t miss out on the Southern sides like deviled eggs or white cheddar mac and cheese.

The 27-year-old entrepreneur says his philosophy on barbecue is “keep it simple.” All barbecue at Blake’s comes from on-site, wood-fired pits that run 14 to 16 hours a day, allowing Stoker to pack the menu with everything from pulled pork to racks of ribs to brisket – all lightly seasoned with a salt, pepper and garlic salt rub. The brisket trim is used to create the amazing smashburger topped with house-made bacon bits and frickle (fried pickle) sauce.

See more: Tennessee’s Best BBQ Off the Beaten Path

Stoker, who got his start preparing meats on a Big Green Egg, has a staff of 60 to 65, serving loyal locals and food travelers from as far as Chicago and Texas.

Even though Stoker focuses on simplicity, he also throws in some flare with his elevated menu selections like the Blake’s Original Brisket Grilled Cheese with a Fried Egg, Smoked Cream Cheese, or Country Charcuterie featuring jalapeno cheddar sausage and pimento cheese.

“There is so much attention to detail that goes into every meat,” Stoker says. “I like to experiment with texture and flavor combos.”

In the spring of 2022, Blake Stoker proudly opened the doors of Blake’s at Southern Milling, an impressive 6,500-square foot restaurant, bar and event space. Photo credit: Jeff Adkins