Ian and Qiana Mafnas are celebrating the first anniversary of their pop-up restaurant Axiom Kitchen Smoked Meats & BBQ, and National BBQ Month, with a community barbecue festival highlighting a handful of their favorite vendors in Long Beach.
The origins of the festival can be traced back to October 2021 when Ian and Qiana got married. Soon after, they wanted to pursue Ian’s passion for Texas-style barbecue as a business and decided to set up as vendors outside the Lakewood YMCA.
Now, Ian and Qiana have a pop-up location every Friday and Saturday at 4137 Norse Way, where they serve up their delicious barbecue including brisket, tri-tip, burnt ends and pork belly. Their rapid rise from street side vendors to community festival organizers shows how far their business has grown in a short span.
“It’s a milestone that we can look back at a year ago and say, ‘Wow we’re still here, we’re still pushing forward, we’re growing and we’re looking to expand,’” Ian said. “It’s just a blessing all around, we’re super excited to be in the position we are [in] and bringing barbecue to the community.”
Since opening in April 2022, Axiom Kitchen has been a family endeavor, with Ian and Qiana showing their eight children the various ins and outs of the food industry.
Despite the presence of great barbecue throughout SoCal, Ian and Qiana acknowledge that the area doesn’t have a renowned reputation for it. Much of the motivation for this festival is to dispel that notion whilst giving local barbecue vendors further exposure and community support.
“We wanted to put something together because there are a lot of really good places in Southern California, Los Angeles, Long Beach that do offer really good barbecue,” Qiana said. “We just wanted to highlight those businesses, give other people an opportunity to get out there, get some media and grow their business.”
This festival will have seven vendors, including Axiom Kitchen, as well as two chefs teaming up to craft a menu of cookout classics such as mouth-watering ribs, brisket and mac and cheese. With each vendor offering their own take on classic dishes, the couple hopes the festival will showcase the diversity of styles and regions in barbecue.
Above all else, the organizers want the festival to emphasize community over publicity, and plan to donate 100% of the profits to a local charity.
“We hope this is the first of many barbecue festivals hosted by Axiom Kitchen to come,” Ian said.
The inaugural Long Beach BBQ Festival will take place on Saturday, May 13 from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Trademark Brewing, located at 233 E. Anaheim St. Entry is free and kids and pets are welcome as well.
I can’t wait.
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