Stubb was born March 7, 1931 in Navasota, a small town on Texas’ Brazos river; one of 12 children born to a Baptist evangelist preacher and his
wife. Some say that Stubb inherited his love for cooking from his father who would feed his congregation barbecue along with the gospel. Stubb recalls revival meetings followed by potluck dinners featuring beef, pork and even raccoon and possum. When he was still a young boy, Stubb and his family moved to a farm near Lubbock. Stubb spent much of his youth picking cotton.
Stubb found a mentor in West Texas barbecue legend, Amos Gamel. Amos taught his young apprentice the secrets of smoking the meat to unlock its flavor as well as the importance of a complementary sauce. Stubb said that he could smell Amos’ barbecue from five miles away. The smoky aroma would bring a smile to his face every time because he knew he was coming home to the barbecue pit. As he learned the secrets of great barbecue, Stubb would say, "I was born hungry and someday I’m going to feed the world." Unhappy with barbecue that didn’t meet his standards, Stubb decided to open his own restaurant in Lubbock. In 1968, Stubb opened his first restaurant in a ramshackle white stucco building that only held 75 people.
The restaurant is now gone and all that is left is a statute and restaurant sign. There is still a restaurant in Austin, TX. Stop by and take a look of a bit of Lubbock's BBQ history!
Stubbs