Highland Hickory was created by owner, proprietor and pitmaster Mike Turallo in 2017 with the mission of bringing delicious, distinctive barbecue to Los Angeles.
Born and raised in St. Louis, Turallo's love of cooking started with large family gatherings as a child, and grew while he worked in several restaurant kitchens in the Saint Louis area during his teenage years.
In 2000 Turallo relocated to Los Angeles where he embarked on a new career: building art installations and film sets. Eventually, he built a shop that then doubled as a spot for entertaining friends and family with inventive feasts featuring wild game and wild caught seafood.
He went on to be sworn in as a licensed judge for the Kansas City Barbecue Society in 2015. Soon thereafter, Turallo designed and constructed his own one-of-a-kind smoker.
The Highland Hickory smoker is a hybrid of an offset, reverse flow smoker and an insulated cabinet smoker. A combination of thick thermal mass and a specially-designed firebox help maintain a consistent temperature throughout a smoking session, while hickory logs provide a sweet, smokey flavor, and give Highland Hickory a signature taste profile unrivaled in Los Angeles.
Despite being in just its first year of operation, the response to Highland Hickory has been overwhelmingly positive, with invitations to participate in Smorgasburg LA, Odd Nights at the Autry, and the West LA Farmer's market. Meanwhile, the business continues to earn its an excellent reputation for catering by providing service for several film productions, corporate events and private parties.
Executive Chef Skip Peterson (Big Wangs, 504, Flat Iron) was recently hired to help further develop Highland Hickory's operations, product lines and branding.
And to help build an even bigger smoker.
CONTACT:
Highland Hickory
(323) 484-8453
Info@highlandhickory.com
Born and raised in St. Louis, Turallo's love of cooking started with large family gatherings as a child, and grew while he worked in several restaurant kitchens in the Saint Louis area during his teenage years.
In 2000 Turallo relocated to Los Angeles where he embarked on a new career: building art installations and film sets. Eventually, he built a shop that then doubled as a spot for entertaining friends and family with inventive feasts featuring wild game and wild caught seafood.
He went on to be sworn in as a licensed judge for the Kansas City Barbecue Society in 2015. Soon thereafter, Turallo designed and constructed his own one-of-a-kind smoker.
The Highland Hickory smoker is a hybrid of an offset, reverse flow smoker and an insulated cabinet smoker. A combination of thick thermal mass and a specially-designed firebox help maintain a consistent temperature throughout a smoking session, while hickory logs provide a sweet, smokey flavor, and give Highland Hickory a signature taste profile unrivaled in Los Angeles.
Despite being in just its first year of operation, the response to Highland Hickory has been overwhelmingly positive, with invitations to participate in Smorgasburg LA, Odd Nights at the Autry, and the West LA Farmer's market. Meanwhile, the business continues to earn its an excellent reputation for catering by providing service for several film productions, corporate events and private parties.
Executive Chef Skip Peterson (Big Wangs, 504, Flat Iron) was recently hired to help further develop Highland Hickory's operations, product lines and branding.
And to help build an even bigger smoker.
CONTACT:
Highland Hickory
(323) 484-8453
Info@highlandhickory.com