Texas BBQ with an Ethiopian twist: Meet the Arlington couple who created a nationally acclaimed fusion

ARLINGTON, Texas –

Tucked away in a humble mall in Arlington is a culinary creation of love.

IN Barbecue Smoke’N AshTexas BBQ takes an unexpected twist: Ethiopian flavor.

Back in 2018, restaurant owners Fasika and Patrick Hicks opened the restaurant and began serving traditional barbecue dishes like pork ribs and brisket.

They decided to get creative and started mixing BBQ with spices from Ethiopia, Fasika Hicks’ home country.

“I think it immediately became a real hit,” Fasika Hicks said.

There is probably no other restaurant in the world serving Tex-Ethiopian BBQ.

The couple’s journey to fusion began when Patrick Hicks bought a trailer to pursue his passion for barbecue.

“I just started selling BBQ on the side of the road and it sort of expanded all the way here,” said Patrick Hicks.

“Every weekend we had several customers line up, they were looking forward to it,” Fasika Hicks said.

They had so many fans that the couple opened their restaurant a few steps from the side of the road where their first regulars appeared.

“We just planted our seeds right here in this parking lot and they just bloomed,” said Patrick Hicks.

It was more like an explosion.

The couple’s restaurant was shown first at Texas Monthly. Then, last year, The New York Times named Smoke’N Ash one of America’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2022.

“I said, “Wow, what’s going on here?!” Fazika Hicks said. “It’s just amazing. I can not explain it. I would like our parents to live to see this, because everything we have learned, we have learned from them.”

Early on, the couple focused on mastering traditional Texas barbecue dishes.

Over time, Fasicka Hicks began serving Ethiopian side dishes such as Shiro Wat (an Ethiopian chickpea stew) and Injera puffed flatbread.

There was a new lifeWhen customers had an idea that changed the rules of the game for the restaurant.

“What started with customers asking, “Can I have your Ethiopian BBQ Meat Plate?”

This is how the flavors of Texas barbecue and Ethiopian combined.

“This there was an amazing mix and we never thought it was possible,” Fasicka said.

Merging was born out of love.

Patrick Hicks, a Waco native, grew up watching his family’s love of barbecue.

The couple met in the 90s, six months after Fasika Hicks immigrated from Ethiopia to the US. She landed in North Texas, but the house stayed with her.

Their passion for cooking and food quickly became their love language.

“We work so hard and I know where she came from… we’re just happy to be together,” Patrick Hicks said, holding back tears.

“He was the first person to understand my English when I arrived here,” Fazika Hicks said.

This love is also shared with regulars who become fast friends like Mike Hogan.

“Patrick cooks Texas BBQ the way Texas is supposed to, but some of the things he does are very unique. His chicken and ribs are the best in North Texas,” Hogan said.

That’s why it celebrates the restaurant’s national recognition.

“I know how hard they work and how much love they put into everything they do,” Hogan said. “I was so proud that I opened the New York Times and said, “I know this place! I know these people!”

Hicks created a fragrance that is now sold throughout the country. They attract clients from all 50 states and plan to move to a larger location.

In addition to sharing their bold tastes, the couple hope to inspire.

“For me, this is an opportunity for the American dream,” Fasika Hicks said. “That’s what’s important to me because when I first moved here, I never thought I’d one day be one of the best in America… let alone open a restaurant here. But with hard work, a good attitude and just optimism, anything is possible.”

These are the ingredients that created their recipe for success.