Business Profile: Northern Smoke, Carmel
By Sean Faye
Ever since the summer, when a sign for the new BBQ joint popped up, passersby have been eager to sample the new establishment in Carmel. They were in luck last month as Northern Smoke made its long awaited debut to rave reviews.
“I’m glad they’re here, we needed a different type of restaurant in Carmel,” Kent residents Susan and Sam Bender said while chomping down on ribs and a pulled pork sandwich. “This place is a much needed addition to the neighborhood and a nice variation to pizza.”
The restaurant opened on November 20.
With a menu boasting traditional favorites like ribs, pulled pork and beef brisket, Northern Smoke also tries to put some variations on their menu as they offer their own versions of Philly cheese steak sandwiches that come with a choice of pulled pork, chopped brisket or pulled chicken, hot dogs where you can get such selections as the “Gut Buster” which is topped with tater tots, chopped bacon, pulled pork and Sriracha mayo or the “Skinny Dog” which is topped with Balsamic vinaigrette chutney and shredded lettuce and even quesadillas where you not only have their suggestions but have the opportunity to make your own.
“I plan on introducing more items that you wouldn’t normally see in a barbecue restaurant,” owner Christopher DeRuzza, a Tuckahoe resident who was raised in Bedford. Village, said. “I’ve been getting feedback from everyone I can to get some ideas.”
DeRuzza said his meats are barbequed with a dry rub and he prefers not putting sauce on his meats. “If the stuff’s done right you really don’t need the sauce,” he said. Pulled pork and brisket “are my two favorite things.”
It takes a long time for meat to be prepared at Northern Smoke. The meats are marinated with a dry rub of spices for six to eight hours and the meats smoke for up to 17 hours, DeRuzza said, adding he uses hickory and cherry wood. “It’s not an overbearing smoke,” he said.
For years before he opened Northern Smoke, DeRuzza barbequed at his home. “It’s something that you just get a passion for. Once you get into it you can’t stop,” he said.
As the night wore on, more and more customers began flooding the restaurant. Some patrons came for take-out while others decided to stay, including a young group who bravely ordered the “hog sampler,” which contains piled high pulled pork, a full rack of spare ribs, sausage, bacon, three large sides and cornbread.
“We’ve been waiting for this place to open for a while and it’s excellent,” CrotonFalls residents Richard and Mary Koser said. “It has an impressive variety. We will be back and plan on bringing friends.”
DeRuzza is a self-proclaimed lover of barbecue and has been working towards opening his own place for several years. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in 2003, DeRuzza decided to continue his education to get a better feel for the business aspect, earning a degree in hotel and restaurant management from FloridaInternationalUniversity in 2005.
DeRuzza’s education did not end there. He began working at the Melting Pot in White Plains where he learned a lot about customer service and what it took to run a restaurant from all aspects.
Though Northern Smoke’s location on 166 Stoneleigh Avenue has failed in recent memory, DeRuzza is still confident that the trend will be broken and his unique style will thrive in the community.
“I’m nervous but it’s a good nervous,” DeRuzza explained. “It keeps me on my toes and makes me want to excel and get better.”
If opening night was any inclination, Northern Smoke has some packed nights ahead of them, and a great chance at success. For more information, call 845-669-8600 or visit nsbbq.com.
Neal Rentz contributed to this story.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.