The call from the Food Network floored Braunda Smith.
How would she like to appear on the show BBQ Brawl with Bobby Flay?
Smith founded Lucy Cooper’s Ice House in 2018 as a bar with small bites. The concept evolved with a menu chock-full of eclectic shareables: cheeseburger egg rolls, tin can nachos and whiskey brown sugar candied bacon.
Among an assortment of burgers, pizzas, salads and sandwiches, there was only one barbecued item: Lucy’s ribs.
As she listened to the call, shock gave way to elation.
“I was cooking on the line on a Monday by myself,” Smith said. “I was like, ‘Shut up. You’re joking with me right now.’ But I was so excited I started dancing in the kitchen. And my staff thought it had finally happened: I finally lost my mind!”
At Star Hill Ranch in Austin, Smith competed against 11 pitmasters on Season 7 of BBQ Brawl for a chance to be crowned “Master of the Cue.”
Smith will host a watch party for the first episode at Lucy Cooper’s at 8 p.m. May 11. She cannot reveal the outcome, but said, “You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll gasp, I promise. It’s good TV. I know I made San Antonio proud.”
BBQ Brawl features 12 pitmasters — divided into three groups, each with a captain — competing in a series of live-fire challenges. Celebrity chef Bobby Flay selected Smith and three others for his team.
“You’re competing against all these great pitmasters from all over the country,” Smith said. “It’s a different level of intensity. You’re also competing against yourself and asking, ‘Can I bring my ‘A’ game to every challenge?’ And then you look over to your right and there’s Bobby freakin’ Flay.”
The experience left a mark on a chef from Macon, Georgia who came to the kitchen at age 42. Smith was a military wife with her first husband. She tended bar, managed bar concepts and handled social media for a chain of billiard halls with her second husband, Jesse Smith. Then they opened Lucy Cooper’s.
Unexpected opportunities followed. Braunda’s social media posts caught the attention of The Food Network. Invitations arrived to appear on Chopped and Guy’s Grocery Games. Braunda was eliminated in the first round of both shows. But before long, another invite came to appear on BBQ Brawl.
“It was long, arduous weeks of being away from home and the restaurant,” Braunda said. “But man, was it worth it. It was bananas being in that live fire. I cook for a living every day. I’m under that stress and pressure. But it’s a totally different pressure being outdoors and being filmed. It’s a whole different ballgame. I loved it. I’ve got that crazy in me so, of course, I loved it. I thrive in crazy.’”
Crazy is a good word to describe the roller coaster ride of Lucy Cooper’s. The venue became a big hit and expanded to three locations. The Food Network called again and again.
Then, in August 2024, Smith announced the closing of two locations on Highway 151 and New Braunfels. She asked for continued support of the original Lucy Cooper’s on San Pedro Avenue.
The following year, Smith posted that investors had taken hostile actions that led to the two closures. As the restaurant tried to defend itself, Smith added, the investors, Savvy Holdings Texas LLC, filed a lawsuit.
Lucy Cooper lawyer Trey Dolezal said the restaurant was never served and filed for bankruptcy to protect the business and intends to file undisclosed counterclaims “in the next couple of weeks.” Savvy Holdings lawyer Jarrett Ellzey did not respond to an email for comment.
“The bankruptcy case is progressing as expected,” Lucy Cooper lawyer Allen DeBard said via text. “Lucy Cooper’s anticipates reorganizing through the bankruptcy process and emerging financially stronger and remains committed to its customers and providing the exceptional experience its customers have come to enjoy and expect.”
Smith remains upbeat. “Even bad things happen to good people,” she said. “Where’s the silver lining in it for me? I’m still having all these opportunities come my way.”
Excitement is building for the watch party. Smith continues to revel in the afterglow of BBQ Brawl. The competition was fierce, the pressure and heat a thrill.
“I knew what to expect because I had competed on other shows,” she said. “You’re not in a fixed kitchen environment. You’re outdoors and it’s Murphy’s Law. What can go wrong will and how do you pivot out of that? I’m a mom of six and a business owner. I thrive when my hair is on fire and there is chaos around me.”
Smith juggles business, family, legal challenges and television filming with aplomb. She moves fast, cooks fast, talks fast. The Food Network calls her “The Southern Spitfire.”
“I’ve worn all the hats you can possibly wear,” Smith said. “I started my journey in catering. I was a military wife in South Korea doing meal prepping for guys without wives. I bartended for several years. I think I have a gypsy soul. I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.”
