HENDRICKS COUNTY, Ind. -- Now in Lizton, Indiana, you can add some flavor to your day with BBQ done the southern way. Born and raised in Panama City Beach, Florida, former Disney chef, Rob Ecker is now brining that southern charm to the Midwest.
“I got the opportunity to cook great food and be in the hospitality business,” Ecker said on his opening of his new restaurant, Rusted Silo Southern BBQ & Brew House. “I enjoy bringing smiles to people’s faces and what better way to do that than with good southern comfort food, and of course, beer.”
And bring southern comfort food to Indy he did.
“We cook with lots of bacon, garlic, fresh herbs, and seasonings,” explains Ecker. “I really want you to enjoy the menu and all the southern flavors.”
You will find those southern flavors with the touch of bacon in the collard greens, and the broths infused with flavorful vegetables and herbs. Ecker explains he adds everything to the food for a purpose, to create a medley and a balance for each diner.
Ecker was a chef at the Polynesian Resort at Disney World, and the opening hotel chef for the Animal Kingdom Lodge and worked with other hospitality and restaurant chains within the south before his move to Indiana. The chef though, took about ten years out of the food business, only to come back a decade later to do it his way.
“An opportunity came to do something different, and I had the opportunity to do it the way I wanted,” Ecker said.
However, after his move to the Midwest, Ecker noticed something was missing in the BBQ options in the Indy area.
“There are a lot of BBQ styles, even in the Midwest, but something was lacking, and it was an abundance of flavor,” says Ecker.
When asked about his location choice of Lizton, he simply responded, “I didn’t want to be anywhere else.” Ecker believes Hendricks County is a place he can build good clientele and a good family of patrons. So far, he has been exceeding that goal with a consistent flow of guests at the Rusted Silo.
The former liquor store, with a small capacity of 30 people, was an undertaking within itself for Ecker and his wife.
“We bought a 110-year-old barn in Frankfort and took it apart to use it on the interior of the restaurant to draw a southern feel to it,” says Ecker.
You can see that barn house within the rusty tin walls of the Silo, and the dining tables are made from an old dog kennel.
Ecker says so far, since their opening in April, the main complaint from his customers is that the building is “too small.” But this chef and owner says, that is not going to change.
“We want intimacy, and that true feel of stopping by a small southern BBQ joint along the street,” Ecker said about his unique and small ambiance.
At the Rusted Silo Southern BBQ & Brew House, each guest will have a plate full of southern-inspired flavor, and the experience will be a memorable one.
Rusted Silo Southern BBQ & Brew House is located at 411 N. State Street in Lizton and is open six days a week, Monday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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