A pitmaster who bested Bobby Flay, Lee Ann Whippen, and a sandwich champ, Jennifer Daskevich, have joined culinary forces to bring more 'cue to South Tampa. Their soon-to-open Deviled Pig — coming along at 3307 S. Dale Mabry Highway, where BJ's Alabama BBQ formerly operated — specializes in "meat with an attitude."
The Deviled Pig website hasn't listed a full menu yet, but planned offerings include inventive sandwiches inspired by Tampa food traditions (so the barbecue restaurant's name is a nod to deviled crab, perhaps?), classic side dishes made in-house, "supper packs" of smoked meats, sides and sweets, and some desserts.
As you've probably guessed, Daskevich, who claimed the title of World Sandwich Champion in 2013 through creations like duck confit grilled cheese with fondue, oversees the sandwiches. And the smoked meats? Those are led by Whippen, who took down celebrity chef Flay with her smoked pulled pork sandwich during Season 4 of the Food Network's Throwdown with Bobby Flay series.
Deviled Pig is billed as "a Tampa original," and with two kickass women at the helm, what's stopping it from being a total culinary knockout? Yeah, um, not a whole lot.
This article appears in Jul 12-19, 2018.