

photograph by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-Globe

Christina and Kyle Clemons prepare to open up Gold Medal BBQ Co. in the vacant room at 900 New Hampshire St. in downtown Lawrence. Strategies connect with for the restaurant to open up in early August.

Two Olympic sprinters — one particular former and one recent — are opening a barbecue restaurant in downtown Lawrence. That can make it tempting to say there must be anything in the sauce, but I know from knowledge that the only thing barbecue sauce quickens is the will need for additional Soaked Wipes. (Or possibly a walk-through at one of all those vehicle auto washes, if I deal with a comprehensive slab of ribs.)
The sauce, while, at Gold Medal BBQ Co. is expected to be rather exclusive. It is a seventh-place finisher at a latest Memphis in Could party, which is 1 of the premier barbecue competitions in the country, mentioned co-operator Kyle Clemons.
“But I also say that good barbecue does not will need sauce,” Clemons stated. “But we will have sauce that is so very good it will add to it.”
And, rest confident, Clemons has a substantial common for very good. He’s an Olympic gold medal winner, as a member of the 4×400 meter 2016 relay team that competed in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Clemons ran in these Olympics right after finishing a record-placing keep track of and industry career at the College of Kansas in 2013. Clemons is taking a 12 months off from professional track even though he sets up this restaurant, but his company spouse absolutely is not.
Clemons is married to Christina Clemons, who is set to contend in the impending Tokyo Olympics in the 100 meter hurdles. Christina — a previous Ohio Condition observe star — is now based in Lawrence, and is undertaking her instruction for the Olympics at KU, although also assisting open Gold Medal BBQ.
“Right now, it is just about being sharp at this point,” Christina reported of her schooling schedule, which she mentioned has her “only” doing exercise sessions of about three several hours at a time.
(I gained no phrase on whether sampling the barbecue sauce is part of the schooling timetable, but I’m likely to retain my doing work assumption that a specified total of barbecue sauce is very important for appropriate lubrication of my joints and muscle mass.)
Gold Medal designs to open up in early August in the place at Ninth and New Hampshire streets that formerly housed Lark a Fare, and just before that the Port Fonda Mexican restaurant. The cafe will come on the heels of the few opening a foodstuff truck — also named Gold Medal BBQ — in 2019.
Seem for the cafe to consist of a weighty dose of standard barbecue classics, this kind of as pulled pork, brisket, hen and ribs. Kyle explained his recipes simply call for a combine of oak and hickory woods to add the smoke taste to the dishes. The barbecue will have a Kansas City type to it — brisket will be an important ingredient of the menu — but it also will have some Memphis barbecue influences as nicely. Kyle credits his barbecue know-how to his father, who has operated a successful competitors barbecue team out of Arkansas for several years, and has extensive competed in the Memphis barbecue circuit.
“We’re not likely to count just on the wooden for the flavor,” Kyle reported. “We are going to have a really excellent dry rub. The meat will be definitely seasoned. A ton of areas listed here do not dry rub like they do in Memphis.”
In addition to the common dishes, Kyle reported the restaurant would have exclusive days where by it provides smoked turkey legs. Hamburgers also will be a typical aspect of the menu, and the establishment will feature a comprehensive bar.
But he thinks it will be a facet dish that will be particularly popular. Christina helps make a sweet potato casserole that promptly grew to become a consumer most loved on the foodstuff truck.
“She created it for us for the initial time at Thanksgiving, and my grandma walked up to her and instructed her that dish was the discuss of the town,” he explained. “It is sweet, but there is no marshmallows in it. I’m not heading to tell the secret. I want to leave a very little to the creativeness.”
Christina reported the restaurant was scheduling to do numerous matters to get related with the local community.
“We want individuals to come to feel comfy coming in right here,” Christina explained. “We want individuals to sense at residence.”
Effectively, if your house includes two environment-class sprinters. (I would have been a lot more quickly in such a home, because my continuous everyday living aim is to beat all my relatives members to the meal table.) Both Kyle and Christina stated they believed their lives as substantial-degree athletic competition would assist them in the restaurant venture.
“In observe and area we get or get rid of by milliseconds,” Kyle said. “We’re not heading to neglect anything at all.”
They also are not heading to be fearful to press a minor more difficult.
“When you are managing in the Olympics, it is brutal,” Kyle claimed. “You have your place across your upper body. You don’t want to let everyone down. We’re not heading to let anybody down with this both.”