Matt Lokay wasn’t always comfortable around fire. But when his dad traveled for work, as he often did, Matt took on the task of running the grill at home.
Back then, he just hoped he wouldn’t blow up anything.
“The ignitor didn’t work, so my mom and I would cross our fingers as we threw the match into the grill to light the propane,” he said.
The aspiring cook — who said he’s always been a “foodie” and shadowed his mother and grandmother in the kitchen — got his first taste of barbecuing at just age 9.