On the northeast tip of the city lies Holy Cow BBQ at 264 26th St., a cacophony of chicken, brisket, pulled pork and ribs from across America. Founder and Pitmaster Rob Serritella was already three decades deep in the food game before learning new tricks for Holy Cow, traveling the country during the development period to find the secrets of regional barbecue.
Going to hotspots like the Memphis, Kansas City, Texas and the Carolinas; Serritella found that each of the country’s regional dishes are based on the ingredients at their disposal, such as whether farmers specialized in cows or pigs, and if they had access to items like collards or okra.
"I met a lot of great people … they were all very helpful as far as inviting me in and teaching me how they did it, showing me kind of how that style of barbecue was done," Serritella said. "Then [I] came back and really tried to put that under one roof with sides and sweets and snacks that kind of complimented all the different styles of barbecue."
The Holy Cow menu serves items like Carolina Pulled Pork, Texas Brisket and the California-inspired "Santa Maria Tri-Tip." When starting out serving barbecue to California audiences, the pitmaster had to turn customer’s heads one dish at a time, including for one of his favorites.
"A lot of it was trial and error, and often just sampling, saying we do Carolina Pulled Pork, and here’s how we do it, and we make this mustard barbecue sauce," Serritella said. "And people would kind of [say] that doesn’t sound good, and I’d [respond] this one’s on me, I promise you it’ll be your favorite sauce ever … and they’d say, wow, this is really amazing, [and] that’s exactly how I felt the first time I tasted it."
With a line 50 people deep on the first day, Serritella calls his Holy Cow run a "good ride," and has been sticking to his mantra of the traditional barbecue.
"I’ve tried to stay more true to what barbecue is, and not bend with trends so much, because I know those are come-and-go," the founder added.
The menu has evolved in ways that enhance the traditional plate, such as extending into more sandwiches and types of protein. Serritella’s other brands, Rooster fried chicken and The Little Pie pastry brand, have also made it onto the menu, including pie options like banana cream and key lime to finish off a meal.
Evolution was also key in Holy Cow surviving the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting to a takeout business model with family and value packs to-go.
"It was challenging," Serritella said of the pandemic. "Product, packaging, people, those three Ps, were not always available every day, so you kind of did your best. I think in Los Angeles certainly, customers were really gracious during that time. It lasted longer than anybody thought it was going to, but people were pretty gracious and understanding."
Now at the 10-year mark, Serritella celebrated throughout September with special $10 items, with this coming week featuring a chicken nuggets or chicken wings dish for the price point. The founder also ran a contest in which the grand prize winner received free barbecue for an entire year.
Looking forward, the restaurant is experimenting with things like more breakfast foods, with Serritella stating even with the strong Santa Monica legacy, he is always focusing on what’s in front of him. He added that whatever the path forward, he’s only as good as his employees.
"We have a great team that works with us …. thank God, they’re still around, and so [I’m] super, super blessed to benefit [from] people that kind of believe in what we do together," Serritella said.
To view the Holy Cow menu, visitholycowbbq.com.
thomas@smdp.com
