By William Smith
Fat and Sassy Barbeque, set to open later this month at the former Dillon’s BBQ location at 2111 N. Roosevelt Ave., has a tall order to tackle.
On the one hand, the new barbecue restaurant, headed by Burlington residents Nick and Jaime Baker and their son Brady Huevelmann, will be dishing out classic recipes from Dillon’s. They already have the recipes from the former owner, Daryl Downer.
On the other hand, Fat and Sassy wants to make its mark with original barbecue recipes and signature dishes. Nick, the restaurant’s primary cook, has decades of experience with barbecue. He plans to blend the old with the new, guaranteeing something for everyone.
“We have a retired reserve deputy who will probably go to be one of our main cooks. It’s going to be law enforcement staffed and family staffed,” Nick said.
Nick and Jaime both come from law enforcement backgrounds. Nick has 15 years of experience in law enforcement and currently serves as a reserve officer for West Burlington. He’s also a U.S. Air Force veteran.
“We want to be a very law enforcement, firefighter, and first responder-friendly restaurant,” Nick said.
The Bakers bought the former Dillon’s last year on an agreement that they would take over and start a new restaurant when Daryl decided to retire. Dillon’s was initially part of a small restaurant franchise from the 1980s. Still, the Burlington location was the only one to survive.
The Bakers started renovating the Dillon’s building in early November, using only themselves and close friends as labor. Granite and epoxy tables line the floor of the refurbished restaurant now, making it look like a new building.
“The only thing left original in the whole building is the ceiling. We redid all the paint, all the chairs and tables are new,” Jaime said.
Nick has been a meat smoker for decades, often entertaining large parties of friends and family. Opening his own restaurant fulfills a lifelong dream.
“I mean, Dillon’s was a Burlington staple. We want to be the next Burlington staple,” Nick said.
Dillon’s famed baked potatoes and the famed BBQ sauce will be returning. But that’s not all.
“We’re going to continue with the cream desserts,” Jaime said.
Fat and Sassy will start out with a three-day-a-week schedule: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. That schedule will likely expand at the new restaurant.
That means the food will always be fresh.
“We’re not going to freeze stuff and thaw it out for the next day. We’re going to keep our stuff fresh, and when it’s gone, it’s gone for the day. We’ll be back tomorrow,” Nick said.
The business will be a balancing act for all involved. The Bakers own an insurance agency, and both of them have full-time jobs outside of that. Jaime works as a counselor for the state’s domestic violence program. Their son, who is helping out with the marketing end of the business and other roles, is a real estate agent.
“Everyone is going to try to keep their full-time jobs,” Jaime said.
Nick and Jaime have been married since 2012, meeting the year before when they worked for Iowa’s Department of Corrections. Their house became notorious for local law enforcement celebrations — with Nick at the helm of the smoker.
“We had all the West Burlington police at house,” Nick said.
Some items on Fat and Sassy’s menu will change weekly — depending on what Nick wants to showcase.
“So we might do chicken quarters for a week. As far as ribs, that’s more special. We’ll likely do that twice a month. And we make a really good hamball,” Nick said.
Part of the fun will be growing the business to accommodate local tastes and requests.
The Bakers have stayed in close contact with the former Dillon’s owner while preparing the restaurant, and that influence will definitely be tasted.
“One thing Daryl did encourage us to do was to get a fryer system. Because a lot of people will come in, and their kids may want something like chicken fingers. So we’re going to have some fryer food,” Jaime said.
But the selling point, and the appeal of Fat and Sassy, will be the barbecue.
“It’s going to be homemade food,” Jaime said. “There’s going to be something awesome to try out every week. I think Nick probably makes the best baked beans there are.”
Jaime said she came up with the name for the restaurant by borrowing one of her late grandmother’s favorite phrases.
“She was amazing. She was so funny. If you ever asked her how she was doing, she would say, ‘Still fat and sassy,’ ’’ Jaime said.