Chef Joshua Luce of local catering company Gold Land BBQ has landed a brick-and-mortar at The Creamery Marketplace in downtown San Luis Obispo.

The new storefront celebrated its grand opening Memorial Day weekend, and online reviews give the business perfect scores. One Yelp client from Paso Robles said, "In my opinion [Gold Land's] the best classic Santa Maria-style BBQ on the Central Coast."

• Photo Courtesy Of Gold Land BBQ
• SHARE A TRAY Select from a variety of slow-cooked meats, sweet and savory sides, and sauces at chef Joshua Luce's new storefront Gold Land BBQ in San Luis Obispo.

The rustic-style eatery offers takeout and delivery service Wednesday through Sunday. Customers can peruse the menu in person or order online.

• Photo By Cherish Whyte
• FIRED UP Gold Land BBQ proprietor and chef Joshua Luce, left, and shop assistant Landis Turley greet guests at the newly opened eatery on Higuera Street in downtown San Luis Obispo.

"Our origin story as Gold Land BBQ is live-fire catering and events on the Central Coast with Santa Maria-style barbecue as the foundation," Luce said. "With the brick-and-mortar, we're touching on more influence and flavors from across the classic American barbecue trail.

"The Creamery is such a great venue and next step for our brand with an entire ecosystem of storefronts and, of course, the communal dining area with the perfect picnic tables to enjoy and share beautiful trays of barbecue."

At the new location, Luce offers a rotating selection of meats smoked to tenderness overnight and slathered with "proprietary sauces and rubs to highlight the regional flavor," he said.

The current menu features sliced brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork, chicken, and barbecue sandwiches with a choice of meat. Traditional sides include ranch-style beans, creamed corn, potato salad, and vinegar slaw. For dessert, try banana pudding.

"The menu is focused in a way to offer up a collection of the top greatest barbecue hits," Luce said, adding that "we will absolutely run specials as we evolve over time."

Vegetarian options are forthcoming as well.

Guests can use limited indoor seating for up to 10 at the 575-square-foot eatery as well as picnic tables lining The Creamery's central courtyard. Or consider hauling your feast to nearby Central Coast Wines, owned by Luce's wife, Miya. Select from hundreds of local and international wines to pair with your meal.

A native of Atascadero now residing in SLO, Luce brings years of industry experience to his growing enterprise.

• Photo By Cherish Whyte
• AL FRESCO DINING The Creamery Marketplace, built in 1906, provides a picnic oasis at the intersection of Higuera and Nipomo streets in San Luis Obispo. Gold Land BBQ joins more than a dozen restaurants and shops at the renovated historic space.

"My background in food service comes from almost two decades of chef-driven concepts," he said. "My cooking career started in the mid-2000s in NYC during the Michelin Guide boom, and I've worked in fine dining restaurants, luxury and boutique hotels, and opened various independent properties as an executive chef and culinary consultant in Southern California."

After obtaining a degree from New York City's French Culinary Institute in 2007, he worked his way up the ranks at Big Apple standouts Jean-Georges, Picholine, and Alain Ducasse.

Closer to home, he landed positions in Los Angeles as sous chef and executive sous chef at The Peninsula Hotel and Ace Hotel, respectively, before joining Neighbor in Venice Beach in 2017 as its executive chef.

"I started Gold Land BBQ in 2019 as a pop-up in Los Angeles," Luce continued.

"At that time, I noticed a concentration of 'low and slow' influence on places in SoCal and wanted to represent the flavor and foodways that I grew up with on the Central Coast."

Low and slow cooking involves using low heat over an extended period of time. This allows collagen in the meat to break down, resulting in a tender and succulent texture and richer taste profile.

• Photo By Cherish Whyte
• BRING HOME THE GOLD Purchase chef Joshua Luce's homemade barbecue sauce and rub, along with other logo merchandise, at his new eatery Gold Land BBQ at The Creamery Marketplace in San Luis Obispo.

Luce jumped at the chance to honor his hometown's live-fire, Santa Maria-style barbecue tradition—grilling meats over coastal red oak—and "has incorporated many humble techniques and ingredients, handed down from generation to generation by the ranchers and vaqueros that settled this area centuries ago," he said.

"From that point forward, my goal with Gold Land BBQ has been to pinpoint our local region, nestled halfway between LA and San Francisco, as another stop on the American BBQ trail along with the classics—the Carolinas, Memphis, Kansas City, and Central Texas," Luce added.

For the last two years Gold Land has been operating as an events and catering company serving a variety of private and public gatherings throughout the county. Gold Land also started its own line of Original BBQ Sauce and Rub, which Luce said they ship nationally to showcase "in a new way what the Central Coast has to offer."

"The opportunity presented itself to open a brick-and-mortar location in The Creamery Marketplace, and we couldn't be more enthusiastic about becoming a permanent part of the downtown SLO ecosystem," he said. "The basic idea with the storefront is to pull taste and influence from some of the other great American barbecue regions I've previously mentioned but also to evolve into something more distinct and unique over time. We recommend coming in early to the shop as we do sell out often later in the evening."

Luce said he's excited to be expanding his business and remains committed to a simple and consistent career mission: "Stay focused on delivering the best possible culinary experience through a combination of well-studied technique and outstanding quality product."

Luce hopes customers will check out his "new li'l barbecue joint in the county."

"The current part of my journey has led me back to my roots," he said, "and I'm thrilled to be full circle as a small business owner in the community that I was raised in." Δ

Flavor Writer Cherish Whyte is eagerly awaiting the chef's plans for a veggie barbecue plate. Reach her at [email protected].