When Marti Hammon moved from Texas to Utah in 1990 she loved everything about it – almost everything. The music and the BBQ. Well, the lack of BBQ. She decided she needed to do something to remedy that problem and started a catering business that soon turned into a restaurant in Huntsville called Lost Texas Café. Fast forward to 2015. Lost Texas Café came to become Lost Texan BBQ in Pleasant View.
When she and her first husband ended their marriage, she decided to stay in Utah. “I love it here. The people, the scenery, I’ve been here ever since,” she said. After getting married to James Hammon, he adopted her love of BBQ and learned how to cook it and make it delicious.
They kept catering and the business was growing, but the two were still working their full-time jobs. They learned about a possible restaurant spot in a strip mall in Pleasant View (1144 W. 2700 N.) that had previously been a coffee shop. “We worked with John Hansen and he was amazing. He helped us and everything worked out. It was low overhead and we were able to bring in our own equipment,” Marti said. “We created a BBQ joint at the end of a strip mall,” she said with a giggle.
Marti and James have been working hard at the Lost Texan BBQ for three full years. James handles all the meats and Marti takes care of the kitchen – working on her famous sides…think twice baked mashed potatoes, homemade mac and cheese, real Texas pinto beans and of course potato salad and coleslaw.
As far as meats they offer up beef brisket of course, chicken, ribs (on the weekends) and top notch pulled pork. It used to be Marti mainly specialized in brisket, but when her son was stationed at Camp LeJeune in North Carolina, the couple discovered the deliciousness of pulled pork – the salty and the sweet combination was something they knew they had to add to their menu.
They make all their sauces in house – a tangy tomato-based Texas BBQ sauce, a Carolina BBQ sauce with ketchup, vinegar and brown sugar and then some spicier versions of each.
But the restaurant isn’t Marti’s only gig. She is also going to college full time and works at the VA Hospital. But it’s all in a day’s work. “We love what we do. We cook our food with a lot of love and a lot of passion,” she said. And it shows by their growing business. She has been impressed by all the local support they receive from some of the bigger businesses near their restaurant plus all the word of mouth business as well.
They have started offering daily specials, which customers look forward to. Tuesday is nacho day; Wednesday is a new recipe: smoked meatloaf which everyone seems to love; Thursday is burnt brisket ends; and Fridays and Saturdays are ribs. They are closed Sunday and Monday.
Marti loves that she serves up authentic Texas BBQ just like you would find in little towns around Texas. “It’s BBQ like you would make in your backyard (in Texas.)” she said with a laugh.
Ask Marti what her favorite part of the business is, and her answer is simple. “The people. Feeding people fills my heart with joy. There is so much satisfaction when people enjoy food,” Marti said. She loves seeing the smiles on people’s faces as they eat and as they leave because they feel good.
