Arianna ChavarriaChairs were scattered across the sand, and pallets of seltzers and beers sat stacked near the entrance of Honkey Tonk at the Beach in Bolsa Chica. Around me a team was setting up a performance stage for the opening weekend of the new eatery. They worked quietly so that the sound of waves filled the space. I sat wondering what it would be like to meet Brenda Castillo, one-half of the married couple behind Heritage Barbecue, the Michelin-rewarded restaurant in San Juan Capistrano that helped define Southern California barbecue. It’s not every day you get to speak to one of the region’s most respected names in food.
Brenda approached me wearing brown cowboy boots and a big smile. “I hope you weren’t waiting too long.” Instantly, the nerves disappeared. Her voice was upbeat and full of excitement.
From serving at Stagecoach to vending at the U.S. Open, the Castillos’ Heritage Barbecue is rapidly expanding and evolving. The Castillos, now considered barbeque royalty, are collaborating with SeaSalt’s concession stand Honkey Tonk at the Beach to provide eats for the beachside venue this summer. In February, the couple opened the American diner-inspired Le Hut Dinette in a bright and airy quonset within Santa Ana’s Logan Barrio neighborhood on 730 N. Poinsettia St.
Brenda handles the bookings and manages the day-to-day of the business while raising three children. Her husband Daniel may be the famed pitmaster, but Brenda is the backbone of the barbecue empire.
Born and raised in Santa Ana, Brenda met Daniel when she was 15 and became a mother at 17. “We became parents young and had to grow quickly,” Brenda said. “That’s why we learned how to hustle and make ends meet.” This year, they celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary.
Before starting a food business, they both worked “normal” jobs. Brenda worked in banking, and Daniel worked at places like Autozone, Whole Foods and spent some time restoring old cars. Eventually, Brenda encouraged Daniel to go to culinary school. “He always cooked naturally, effortlessly,” she said.
The idea of barbeque started on a trip to Texas, where barbeque is known for being dry rubbed with salt and pepper. “I don’t like sauce,” said Brenda. “I don’t like the sweet and savory.” After the trip to Texas, she asked her husband if he could recreate the Texas barbecue at home. Heritage was born.
Their journey as restaurateurs began by serving smoked brisket, ribs and sausage to friends, family and occasionally strangers. Soon after, they realized their expenses were growing, so they decided to start selling their food to the public. Some Facebook and Instagram ads later, they became so popular that they outgrew their backyard pop-ups.
The couple was eventually approached and offered the opportunity to open their own restaurant in San Juan Capistrano in early 2020. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were forced to push the opening date to August 2020. On top of opening a restaurant during the pandemic, Brenda was also nine months pregnant. “It was such a whirlwind, but we needed to keep moving forward because it was our livelihood,” said Brenda.
A little over a year later, they were awarded their first Michelin recognition.
The couple is humbled by the honor but not defined by it. “We crumble it up and throw it to the back of our mind and think what’s next,” said Brenda. “Because if you focus on it, it’s a distraction.”
One thing that had been eating up her thoughts was the new spot in Santa Ana. The original concept for Le Hut Dinette was a brisket-taco wine bar, but the Castillos didn’t want to be pigeonholed into barbecue. When their executive chef, Ryan Garlitos, pitched them the concept of American diner food, they were all in. “We give our chefs free rein… you want to do something cool? Let’s do it all week.”
Le Hut now dishes out comfort food classics like patty melts but with an elevated Castillo touch. Think: patty melts with caramelized onions and American cheese but with prime brisket patties smashed with milk bread from 61 Hundred Bread (their neighbors in the quonset) and smothered in homemade special sauce.
Le Hut is especially meaningful to Brenda who is from Santa Ana.
Driving around the area fills her with nostalgia. “Everything has come full circle.”
When she reflects on their journey, the thing that she credits to the couple’s success is their high level of care which they infuse into every detail of their process, even down to picking firewood. “We use clean wood because this is our product, and we’re not going to serve anything dirty.”
This level of dedication makes dining at a Castillo establishment an incredible sensory experience, but it comes at a cost. Sometimes Brenda feels guilty about not being able to be at each business every week, or not being able to make every kid’s baseball practice. Other times it means having to give away Post Malone tickets because the Castillos were named James Beard finalists and have to attend the awards ceremony.
But, problems like these only come up when you’re building something worthwhile.
“We had a lot of stress, anxiety and high blood pressure,” said Brenda. “We still have problems but they’re good problems.”
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