20 | VIPPensacola.com
E
ven a blind man could fi nd his
way unassisted to the front
doors of Hot Spot Barbecue
on East La Rua, drawn in by
the unmistakable scent of smoking meat
spilling from the fl ues of big black smokers
that never seem to rest. They do it up
right here, taking the low and slow route
to achieve meats so tender, juicy, and full
of fl avor that one bite will make you an
addict. Barbecuing is an art form, a practice
in patience that seems to standout in high
relief against the frenetic pace of the world
all around. There’s something comforting
about its simplicity—its methods require
nothing fancy or high tech. There are no
touch screens or smart functions at play,
no engineered gadgetry or elaborately
designed systems behind its processes. True
barbecue is the work of elements—of fi re
and wood—coupled with time and care.
And those elements have long outlasted the
advancements of the modern world to offer
a reminder that sometimes life tastes better
when you take it low and slow.
For the Hlubek family—a foursome
made up of Jim and his wife Cheri as well
as Jim’s parents, Paul and Sandi—that
reminder is now a part of their daily lives.
To hear Cheri tell the story, the idea to open
Hot Spot was like the tender meat that fell
off the bone while they themselves were
taking it low and slow, waiting on God to
give them a new direction for their future.
And while their backgrounds in business
may have been diverse, they all shared the
commonality of knowing that the strongest
businesses are all founded on one thing:
serving people and making them happy. So
when God gave them the answer they were
waiting for, they literally went “whole hog.”
Since opening the restaurant in the
summer of 2013, the Hlubeks have been
tending their meats and their “Guests with
a capital G” as Cheri calls them, “because
they really are the main focus for us,”
quickly becoming a local hot spot to get a
great plate of food served with a side of true
hospitality—not only from the Hlubeks,
but from the staff that has become like
family. “We’ve really been blessed with a
wonderful staff, and they’ve been a huge
part of our success,” Jim insists. Getting
P
ATIENCE
, P
RAYER
...
AND
P
ORK
story by
Liesel Schmidt
20-21 CoastalCuisine.indd 1
2/22/17 8:33 AM