Shop is devoted to love of grill
Stuart Dorrill, a co-owner of the Backyard Cook Shop on North Belair Road, points out some of the grilling equipment sold in the shop. The store, which sells cooking gadgets and grills, opened in March. The shop's three co-founders say they all enjoy cooking, especially grilling.
Photo by Quandra Collins
The Backyard Cook Shop might sound like another restaurant, but the owners of the new Evans business say people shouldn't be misled by the name.
"We're not a restaurant," said owner Rob Bennett, of Evans.
"We sell and make grills. We sell (grilling) utensils, spices and rubs."
Items such as keg roasters, sport grills, 55-gallon-drum grills and charcoal starters are some of the instruments that are sold at the shop, which opened in March in the 600 block of North Belair Road.
"Anything specialty is what we sell," said Stuart Dorrill, who co-owns the store with Bennett.
"We want to be the (place for) hard-to-find specialty items. We're very competitive with the styles of equipment. We're more of the gourmet shop line of stuff."
Bennett and Dorrill opened the shop along with their friend Pat Kelly based on their love of cooking.
"It all started off as a hobby," Dorrill said. "It basically boiled down where all of us enjoyed cooking and just grilling."
Dorrill said the business is continually expanding. Bennett agreed.
"Business is steadily increasing," he said. "A lot of the things we sell you won't find in a Home Depot or Lowe's. It's a little better than your everyday shelf stuff."
But Bennett confessed there have been slow days.
"You go through a slow time in the heat of the summer," he said. "But tailgating and hunting season start picking up in the fall."
In addition to selling grills, the shop offers catering. The foods offered include chicken and pork.
For more information, visit www.backyardcookshop.com or call 364-4020.