Dennis Robicheau has been cooking with his father David for as long as he can remember. Now the family tradition has grown into a barbecue restaurant at the former site of Restauration on 4th Street in Long Beach.
“He always threw parties in his backyard barbecues growing up and then I carried the tradition on and we both started talking about it more and more about ‘Oh, it’d be fun to do this,’” Dennis said of their restaurant Shady Grove Foods.
Food has always been an integral part of their relationship. Dennis recalled cooking eggs with his dad when he was 4 years old and barbecuing a steak for him in the sixth grade.
“I always wanted to be in the kitchen when my mom and my dad were in there,” Dennis said.
The father-son pair started their brand Shady Grove Foods over seven years ago with pop-ups and catering at places like Ten Mile Brewing in Signal Hill and Brouwerij West in San Pedro.
“We’ve always got along. We’re both musicians. We both just have had similar interests and stuff,” Dennis said of his father. “So it’s not too much clashing. Sometimes we have different ideas but we tend to enjoy the same things and have the same vision so it works out. It’s fun.”
Dennis described the food made at Shady Grove as “Long Beach barbecue,” alongside Cajun and comfort foods.
“We’re not from Texas. We’re not from Carolina. So we don’t want to do exactly what they do. We want to use ingredients and flavors from our city,” Dennis said.
Their baby back ribs are paired with David’s Sticky Bones sauce made with chili, fish sauce, garlic and caramel.
David also makes the dough for Shady Grove’s brioche waffles, biscuits and cornbread.
Dennis’ personal favorite dish on Shady Grove’s menu is the smoked Cajun meatloaf made with the “Cajun holy trinity” of seasoning: pepper, celery and onion. The meatloaf is served covered with a warm brown sauce, garlic and jalapenos.
Dennis lives in the same neighborhood as the restaurant and used to frequent the location back when it was still the Hotspot Cafe. He said he’s always admired the patio space.
The restaurant is currently in its soft opening, operating on a trial basis during weekends. The new space is expected to be fully operational by the start of July.
Once it’s up and running, Dennis said he wants to get back to doing pop-ups as well.
“When there’s something you’re really proud of and you share it with other people, you never 100% know how people are going to respond,” Dennis said. “So when you see someone get as excited eating it as you were coming up with something, it’s a pretty good feeling.”
Shady Grove Foods is located at 2708 E 4th Street and is open Fridays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. during its soft opening.
