‘Tale of smoke and spice.’ Former en Rama chef and BBQ pitmaster to open new restaurant

The Sixth Avenue space that recently said goodbye to James Beard-recognized The Table has found bullish new caretakers: Tacoma-born chef Reginald Jacob Howell and barbecue pitmaster Denzel Johnson.

After buying the business and equipment from The Table’s chef-owner Derek Bray, Howell and Johnson will open Grann Restaurant at 2717 6th Ave. Fresh off a sold-out pop-up featuring some of their planned dishes, the duo has promised a few more special events as they flex toward an early 2025 debut.

The concept is highly personal, intertwining facets of both chefs’ family backgrounds and their culinary careers.

“It’s the tale of smoke and spice,” said Howell, who joined a TNT Diner panel discussion with two other local hospitality professionals in 2022.

With Johnson’s experience grilling and smoking — especially with his uncle’s roving Hawaiian restaurant that was an early vendor at events like Bite of Seattle and Taste of Tacoma — there will be smoked meats, but also smoke in other forms, infused into barbecue sauces and vinegars.

There will likely be a from-scratch pasta and several vegetarian options, marrying flavors and ingredients from Indian, Creole and Caribbean cooking — “spices for days,” Howell said.

Known as 253degrees on Instagram, the native Tacoman learned to love food in his grandmother’s kitchen and, in recent years, has eaten his way through India with his wife, Sabrina-Julius Howell. “Travel with a purpose! Big things coming,” he wrote in a September post.

Johnson was raised in Kent, but some family in Texas influenced his culinary exploration. Through his catering business, Oopsie Fusion Grill, he has found fans of specialties, such as teriyaki ribs and jerk-spiced brisket.

Grann is a “play on grandma or gran-gran,” explained Howell, who led the kitchen at en Rama for several years before moving to upscale sports bar, Legion, in Bellevue and then Arleana’s, a Caribbean-French restaurant in Kirkland. “A lot of inspiration comes from the women in our life, our aunties. We want to honor that aspect and bridge tradition.”

Supporters of their Kickstarter campaign have a chance at honoring their own grannie at Grann: The chefs will select a few dishes that will take star turns as specials, with the family’s name “proudly displayed” on the menu.

INDIAN, CREOLE, BARBECUE

One night last summer, a couple hundred people got a taste of Grann-to-be: outside, seated at long tables on the pavement of Broadway Avenue during Grit City Gala, the annual fundraising dinner for Tacoma Farmers Market. Howell developed that menu with longtime market vendor and multi-decade Sixth Avenue restaurant owner Surinder Singh of Gateway to India.

It started with panipuri, the Indian street snack of a hollow semolina ball that you lightly crack and spoon in tiny chopped potatoes, onion, chickpeas and an almost juice-like sauce. There were melon-masala wings, batata vada (chickpea-battered potato) and a play on Texas caviar. It wrapped with a kulfi paleta from the upstart Chill Paletas.

I attended this event, as a personal outing on my own dime, and remember looking at the people around me and saying, “I wish I could have this food in a full-service restaurant.”

Indeed, it was a peek into an idea that Howell and Johnson had been teasing out for years. After becoming friends at the University of Washington-Tacoma more than a decade ago, they were called upon to bring the heat to birthday parties and other gatherings.

“‘Alright, what are you cookin?’” Howell recalled. “It started getting more fun. Actually, we’re onto something.”

“The food is too good not to share,” said Johnson, who sold his food truck just before pandemic upheaval in early 2020 but kept up his catering business while working a 9-to-5. He described his style as “fusion barbecue with a Northwest flair.”

An Oct. 6 pop-up at Guillotine in Seattle showcased panipuri with “a burst of smoked BBQ flavors and a tangy twist,” smoked beef cheek biryani, a peri-peri potato salad and goat gumbo. In addition to spiced barbecue sauces, they also plan to pickle plentiful achar that can “add just the right amount of heat to each dish.”

From the bar, they anticipate a modestly sized cocktail list with thoughtful nonalcoholic options, both incorporating Indian street drinks such as mango lassi and Southern favorites like sweet tea.

They don’t anticipate major renovations but will update the space to make it their own, painting and bringing in some grandma-style patterns for the sound-dampening panels on the ceiling.

“The focus is on the food and the vibe,” said Howell. “Our goals are set high.”

GRANN RESTAURANT

▪ 2717 6th Ave., Tacoma, instagram.com/grannrestaurant

▪ Details: Southern barbecue with Indian and Creole influence, target opening early 2025

This story was originally published October 23, 2024 at 5:00 AM.