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Friday, March 29, 2024

UF fraternity chef opens up his own barbecue restaurant

<p>Louis Lee stands in front of his new restaurant, LL’s Bar-B-Que, at 3807 E. University Ave., holding a photo of himself when he first started working as the Pi Lambda Phi chef.</p>

Louis Lee stands in front of his new restaurant, LL’s Bar-B-Que, at 3807 E. University Ave., holding a photo of himself when he first started working as the Pi Lambda Phi chef.

It looks like an oasis at the edge of the 278-acre Morningside Nature Center in east Gainesville.

Inside the green building where three small tables line the front window and coffee steams on a side counter, Louis Lee is hard at work in the kitchen.

Lee wanted to open his own restaurant for a long time. His dream became a reality Saturday morning with the grand opening of LL’s Bar-B-Que, a classic southern barbecue restaurant located at 3807 E. University Ave.

Lee is no stranger to cooking. He has worked as a chef for UF’s Pi Lambda Phi fraternity since 1981 and spent his summers in Maine cooking for a camp.

He said he was inspired to open his own restaurant from the positive feedback he’s received over the years for his cooking.

“Everywhere I go, people like my food,” he said. “So I figured, let me try it.”

LL’s Bar-B-Que is open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and is closed on Sundays.

Lee said he takes an old-fashioned approach to cooking barbecue: He uses only wood and a smoker instead of gas to cook.

For breakfast, he serves up egg sandwiches (starting at $1.65) and omelets (starting at $2). Later in the day, he serves everything from burgers ($4.50) to fried chicken (starting at $2.99), ribs ($11 for a half slab) and — Lee’s favorite — the pork calzone ($4.99).

Shreya Patel, a 20-year-old UF business administration junior, works as a cashier at LL’s Bar-B-Que.

“I want to work here because LL is like a pillar in his community,” she said. “This is just what he wants to do, and I just want to be here to watch it lift off the ground and be a success.”

Will Knapper, a 21-year-old UF mechanical engineering senior and Pi Lambda Phi brother, attended the grand opening along with pledges and brothers to show support for his fraternity’s chef.

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He said Lee is the most respected person in his fraternity house.

“He’s just been through so much, and he’s such a hard worker and a dedicated person that I just can’t see this place not doing well,” he said. “And he makes great food, so that helps, too.”

Louis Lee stands in front of his new restaurant, LL’s Bar-B-Que, at 3807 E. University Ave., holding a photo of himself when he first started working as the Pi Lambda Phi chef.

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