Single Tree Nation Show

STP Productions
  • 5.0 (13)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to the Single Tree Nation Show, where host Charlie Eblen, the founder of Single Tree Wood Fire Barbeque, talks about digital hospitality and storytelling with fellow restauranteurs, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. Each week, Charlie sits down with a new guest to discuss the challenges and triumphs of running a small business in today's digital age. From marketing strategies to customer service, the Single Tree Nation Show covers it all, offering valuable insights and tips for anyone looking to improve their digital hospitality game. So join us and learn how to tell your business's unique story and connect with customers in a meaningful way.

  1. Off the Dock's Roger Vaughn on Legacy, Hard Work & What Truly Makes You Wealthy

    1d ago

    Off the Dock's Roger Vaughn on Legacy, Hard Work & What Truly Makes You Wealthy

    Roger Vaughn has done just about every job in the meat business — driving no-AC box trucks for his family's sausage company, running the supply chain that fed KFC, Popeyes and Church's, brokering chicken loads from his car during COVID, even delivering pizzas on the side. Now his name is on the building at Off the Dock Foods in Nashville. In this episode of Single Tree Nation, Roger sits down with Charlie Eblen and Derry Wells to talk about that wild career, why he calls himself "one of the wealthiest people in the world," and the BBQ philosophy that's carried him through it all: cook by feel, not by a thermometer. It's part business story, part pitmaster masterclass, part Friday feel-good — brisket trimming and fire science, the only three Middle Tennessee joints still cooking on 100% wood, a white sauce headed to retail, and a "Dinner for Two" that lands on two awesome options. CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold open 1:02 Show open with Charlie Eblen & Derry Wells 1:46 Meet Roger Vaughn of Off the Dock Foods 2:22 Inside Off the Dock: 70,000 lbs of poultry a week 5:19 A 1950s whole-hog sausage dynasty 6:43 No-AC meat trucks & a $20M business with no computer 8:41 GoldKist: feeding KFC, Popeyes & Church's 10:17 Going public & the Pilgrim's takeover 11:22 Butts Foods: building Nashville from scratch 12:12 The Dave story: an ex-con who built an $11M branch 16:27 Expanding across the South — and walking away (2018) 17:06 Burnout, nine months off, faith & a reset 19:09 Kelly's Foods & standardizing the chaos 20:48 Miami stories: Cuban coffee, dialects & a lost horse track 25:51 COVID: brokering chicken & delivering Jet's Pizza 27:31 The kitty litter plant in Dyersburg 29:05 The Off the Dock saga: "I don't want you" 34:41 "Every department was a Kramer" 37:15 Wealth, freedom & leaving a legacy 40:50 Sponsor: Dead Meat Society 41:51 Brisket debrief with Gary 44:22 The chicken Alfredo first date 46:17 Smoking at home on a Pit Boss (even at -17°F) 48:25 BBQ science: barometric pressure, wood & feel 51:04 100% wood vs. gas & liquid smoke 53:52 The economics of brisket: 99¢ to $8 a pound 56:17 "Barbecue is about feel, not a thermometer" 58:10 Dinner for Two: Ice Cube & Charles Barkley 61:50 Mac & cheese vs. baked beans 62:43 Building a sauce — and a white sauce going retail 65:58 Competition BBQ: Praise the Lard & Smoke on the Shores 68:16 Why a restaurant-great brisket can still lose 69:03 Roger's Friday feel-good closing ABOUT THE GUEST Roger Vaughn is a partner at Off the Dock Foods, a Nashville-based center-of-the-plate protein supplier (poultry, beef, pork and seafood). Off the Dock Foods: OffTheDockFoods.com | Office: 615-350-6170 (ask for inside sales) ABOUT THE SHOW Single Tree Nation is a Middle Tennessee BBQ show hosted by Charlie Eblen of Single Tree BBQ with co-host Derry Wells. Airs Saturdays 8–9 AM on ESPN 94.9 The Fan. Get on the show or say hi: 615-307-0120 | charlie@singletreebbq.com Sponsored by Dead Meat Society — "join the Society, stay soft." DeadMeatSociety.com Like, share and subscribe for more BBQ stories, craft and conversation every week.

    1h 10m
  2. Brandon Hoy: Building Roberta's Pizza, Michelin Stars at Blanca & Inventing the Bee Sting

    Jun 19

    Brandon Hoy: Building Roberta's Pizza, Michelin Stars at Blanca & Inventing the Bee Sting

    Single Tree Nation sits down with Brandon Hoy, co-founder of Roberta's Pizza in Bushwick, Brooklyn — the wood-fired pizza institution behind the legendary Bee Sting, the two-Michelin-star Blanca next door, and ten locations across the country including the Roberta's inside Urban Cowboy in Nashville. In this episode, Brandon walks Charlie Eblen and Derry Wells through a 35-year hospitality journey: growing up in Napa, working the butcher counter at Ernie's Meats, cooking at Roy's Kahana in Hawaii, bartending his way through New York City in the early 2000s, and opening Roberta's in 2008 with a borrowed pizza oven and a vision for a Brooklyn community watering hole. He shares how he learned to make pizza from a dump truck driver in a small Italian town, why their Pavazzi 180 was the first wood-fired pizza oven of its kind in America, and how the legendary Bee Sting pizza — soppressata, Calabrian chili, and honey — predates the entire hot-honey-on-pizza trend. Brandon also goes deep on the craft: barometric pressure and dough, hardwood selection and leopard blistering, why wood-fired pizza isn't really about smoke, and the mistakes home cooks make with backyard pizza ovens. He talks honestly about the burden of Michelin stars, the Dave Portnoy / Barstool One Bite era, and why "fun" is the most underrated word in a modern restaurant pitch deck. Plus — Brandon's official ruling on pineapple on pizza, the Beastmaster pizza that shouldn't have worked, the sweet potato pizza that didn't, and his Dinner For Two pick (1980s Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert). In this episode: -Growing up in Napa, Hawaii line cooking, and NYC bartending -Opening Roberta's in Bushwick with $0 and a borrowed pizza oven - Learning Neapolitan pizza in Italy from a dump truck driver -Why Roberta's became "a pizza place that served beer instead of a bar that served pizza" The Bee Sting pizza and inventing hot honey on pizza -Earning two Michelin stars at Blanca — and the burden that comes with them -Wood-fired pizza science: heat, hardwood, hydration, and humidity -Pineapple on pizza, the Beastmaster pie, and the sweet potato pizza that flopped -Dinner For Two: Bourdain and Eric Ripert in their '80s prime What's next for Brandon and Roberta's Connect with Roberta's: 🍕 Website: robertaspizza.com 📍 Locations: Brooklyn, Nashville (inside Urban Cowboy), and more 📸 Instagram: @robertaspizza 🎙 Single Tree Nation — real conversations, single takes. Hosted by Charlie Eblen and Derry Wells. 🌳 Part of the Spread The Positive Network. 📻 Catch us every Saturday morning on ESPN 94.9 from 8–9 a.m. 📧 charlie@singletreebbq.com | 📞 (615) 307-0120 👍 Like, share, and subscribe so you never miss an episode. #RobertasPizza #BrandonHoy #BrooklynPizza #WoodFiredPizza #BeeSting #MichelinStar #PizzaPodcast #SingleTreeNation #SpreadThePositive #NashvillePodcast #BushwickBrooklyn #PizzaMakers #RestaurantBusiness

    1 hr
  3. From Sandwich Shop to Texas Monthly Top 5: John Bates of Interstellar BBQ

    Jun 12

    From Sandwich Shop to Texas Monthly Top 5: John Bates of Interstellar BBQ

    Charlie Eblen and co-host Derry Wells welcome John Bates of Interstellar BBQ — the Northwest Austin joint that landed at #6 on Texas Monthly's Top 50 — for an hour on the craft, the grind, and the genius behind one of Central Texas's destination barbecue spots. John breaks down trading an eight-year scratch sandwich shop for brisket, the fleet of pits behind the smoke (from his beloved "Big Merc" to a Brazilian-built "True Bomb"), why post oak is the terroir of Central Texas, and the signature peach-tea glazed pork belly that became a very good problem. Plus: the 2 AM start to a 21-hour cook day, turkey as the unsung star of Texas barbecue, free beans, and the now-legendary "make your beans from scratch" gut-punch from Texas Monthly's Daniel Vaughn. CHAPTERS 0:00 — "I'd rather be busy than broke" (cold open) 0:42 — Welcome back to Single Tree Nation 1:43 — Sponsor: Toast POS 3:05 — Meet John of Interstellar BBQ (#6, Texas Monthly Top 50) 6:15 — The bean confession: Daniel Vaughn's scratch-beans rule 10:29 — Pork belly in the charro beans ("supercharged bacon") 13:03 — Origin story: scratch sandwich shop to barbecue 15:09 — The pits: Big Merc, Moberg & the Brazilian "True Bomb" 20:00 — Why post oak — the terroir of Central Texas 20:45 — Break / Dead Meat Society 22:20 — "How do you know it's done?" Cooking by feel 27:59 — The 2 AM start & 21-hour cook day 30:51 — Turkey, lamb & duck in beef country 32:40 — Mac or Beans? 35:31 — The peach-tea glazed pork belly 38:33 — Where the name "Interstellar" came from 41:00 — Dinner with anyone: the first person to eat an oyster 45:10 — What's next for Interstellar 46:54 — Barbecue classes coming this year 48:13 — No gatekeeping: why sharing recipes is good 52:01 — How to plan your visit (get there by 9:30) 54:09 — The "Interstellar Trinity" tray 54:38 — Free beans (up to a pint, on the house) 56:04 — Friday Feel-Good 57:00 — Where to find Interstellar 59:10 — Outro Find Interstellar BBQ: Northwest Austin (near Cedar Park), TX Open Wed–Sun, sells out ~3:00–3:30 · IG/Twitter/Facebook @InterstellarBBQ Single Tree Nation airs Saturday & Sunday, 8–9 AM on ESPN 94.9 The Fan. Hosted by Charlie Eblen (Single Tree Bar-B-Que, Murfreesboro, TN) & Derry Wells. Email: charlie@singletreebbq.com · Phone: 615-326-0120 · Like, share & subscribe. #Barbecue #BBQ #InterstellarBBQ #TexasBBQ #AustinBBQ #SingleTreeNation #BBQPodcast #Brisket #PorkBelly #TexasMonthly

    1 hr
  4. "You Only Get One Shot" — Ernest Servantes of Burnt Bean Co. on Live Fire, Manifestation & Hitting Home Runs

    Jun 4

    "You Only Get One Shot" — Ernest Servantes of Burnt Bean Co. on Live Fire, Manifestation & Hitting Home Runs

    Charlie Eblen and Derry Wells head to South Central Texas for an unforgettable conversation with Ernest Servantes, co-founder of Burnt Bean Co. — the Seguin-based craft BBQ joint that earned a spot on Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ Joints: 2025 Edition. Ernest opens up about what it really takes to cook with live fire: the patience, the time, the feel, and the obsession with detail that turned a small Texas pit operation into one of the most talked-about names in American barbecue. From "you got to look good to cook good" to "you only get one shot — you got to hit a home run," he doesn't hold back on the mindset that drives the craft. He also shares a story you don't expect from a BBQ episode — about the spirit that lives at the pit, a presence named Andrew, and why the passion and love that goes into every cook is bigger than any picture of the food.

    58 min
  5. Live from The Trailer Park: Lebanon's Food Truck Hub with Heather, Camila & Erin

    May 29

    Live from The Trailer Park: Lebanon's Food Truck Hub with Heather, Camila & Erin

    Charlie and Derry take Single Tree Nation on the road this week to The Trailer Park — Lebanon, TN's first permanent food truck park, just off Highway 109. 20+ trucks, a barn-sized event hall, fire pits, a playground, weekly bingo with 100+ teams, and a PB&J beer from Knoxville's Zool that outsells everything else on the bar. We pulled up a picnic table and sat down with three of the people making it run. Featured Guests 🍩 Camila Lopez — The Burro Churro (@theburrochurro) A year into the food truck life and one of the original Trailer Park residents (since mid-November). LA transplant turning a family churro recipe into traditional churros, churro bites, filled churros, churro sundaes, ice cream sandwiches, and the Dubai Strawberry Cup (chocolate-pistachio cream + crunch). A second trailer rolls out in April — book it for events, weddings, and pop-ups via Instagram. 🐟 Erin Powell — My Sister's Keeper Mobile Kitchen Run by Aaron's mom and her four sisters — five-strong sisterhood serving up southern comfort straight out of grandma's recipe book. They used to run a brick-and-mortar called Granny's Kitchen before the building changed hands. Opened day one at The Trailer Park (October 31). The salmon patties will make you call your grandmother to apologize. Hospitality runs in the family — most of them are caretakers by trade. 🏡 Heather McConnell — Owner, The Trailer Park (gotothepark-tn.com) Heather and her husband (a dentist) moved from Oregon, where food truck parks sit on every corner like Starbucks. She looked around Wilson County, saw nothing like it, and decided to build one. Pitching the concept to Lebanon's planning commission — "they looked at us like we had four heads" — was just the first hurdle. Bought the land in '23, broke ground in '24, opened October 31, 2025. Now bingo nights fill the room, regulars stake out their lucky tables, and the PB&J beer sells two kegs a week. Trailer Park Hours - Mon–Thu: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. - Fri–Sat: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. - Sun: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. - 🎯 Bingo Wednesdays • Live music select nights • Nonprofit nights  📍 Just south of I-40 / Hwy 109, Lebanon, TN - 🌐 gotothepark-tn.com — Instagram, Facebook, TikTok Friday Feel Good "Learn from everyone, but don't let anyone think for you." — Dr. Jeremiah Johnston Brought to you by Dead Meat Society — deadmeatssociety.com. Catch Single Tree Nation Saturday & Sunday mornings on ESPN 94.9 The Fan. Like, share, subscribe, and we'll see you out there. Y'all be good.

    1h 3m
  6. Rich vs. Wealthy: Pressure, Performance & The Mindset That Changes Everything

    May 22

    Rich vs. Wealthy: Pressure, Performance & The Mindset That Changes Everything

    On this episode of Single Tree Nation, Trent sits down with Charlie Eblen and Derry Wells for a wide-ranging conversation about the mindset behind high performance — on the field, in business, and in life. Charlie and Derry unpack what it really means to thrive under pressure ("I don't function well without high pressure — at that point I don't even think about it, I'm lights out"), the trap of focusing on the wrong things, and why you've got to be better than you were yesterday. They share the Shaq story about the moment someone told him, "Yeah, you're rich, but you ain't wealthy" — and how that single sentence reframed everything that came after. From University of Tennessee roots and youth baseball, to golf, competition, PTSD, and the quiet discipline of just going and doing the work when no one's watching — this one covers a lot of ground. 🎙 Single Tree Nation — real conversations, raw stories, single takes. 🌳 Part of the Spread The Positive Network.

    55 min
  7. From Food Truck to Michelin Star: Evan LeRoy of Leroy & Lewis

    May 15

    From Food Truck to Michelin Star: Evan LeRoy of Leroy & Lewis

    Charlie and Derry sit down with Evan LeRoy of Leroy & Lewis BBQ in South Austin — and the story is a masterclass in grinding it out. Evan walks us through the whole arc: cooking for college roommates, culinary school, baking bread and making sushi in New York, becoming pitmaster at Hill Country Barbecue, then back to Austin and Freedman's (where he helped build a cook team that reads like a who's-who of Texas 'cue today). In 2017 he and his partners — wife Lindsay and brothers Nathan and Sawyer Lewis — opened a food truck in a lot that didn't even have a coffee shop yet. No shade, no bathrooms, prepping out of a home garage. Nine years later? A brick-and-mortar that earned a Michelin star eight months after opening, the #2 spot on Texas Monthly's Top 50 (after debuting at #5 as a food truck), a Somebody Feed Phil feature, and a James Beard semifinalist nod. As Charlie puts it, Evan is "nine years into being an overnight success." We dig into the "new school barbecue" philosophy — meat sourced locally and sustainably from 11 Texas farms and ranches, picnic-style scoopable sides pulling from every cuisine (kimchi, choripapas, kale Caesar slaw), and smoked vegetables for "crazy Aunt Lucy." Plus the famous hog fat cornbread made with blue cornmeal from Barton Springs Mill, why beef cheeks are the signature dish, and Evan's stance that Leroy & Lewis serves "the best damn chili in Texas" 365 days a year. Segments include: -Dinner for Two: Evan has a really awesome answer -Mac or Beans: Stay tuned for the answers The guys swap restaurant-owner war stories — the seven-day ranch dressing mutiny, why there are no fries (only onion rings), and the customers who tell a barbecue restaurant the burger would be better if it weren't smoked. Evan's cookbook, "New School Barbecue: Recipes for Next-Level Smoking and Grilling" (co-written with Texas Monthly's Paul Aviles), is out now — pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or grab a signed copy at the restaurant. Catch him on his book tour through Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, and California. Find Leroy & Lewis at leroyandlewis.com, on Instagram @leroyandlewis, and Evan @evanleroybbq. Single Tree Nation airs every Saturday and Sunday morning on ESPN 94.9 The Fan — like, share, and subscribe on YouTube. Brought to you by Toast and Dead Meat Society.

    1h 1m
  8. Daniel Vaughn | Inside Texas BBQ, Texas Monthly & the Evolution of Barbecue Culture |

    May 8

    Daniel Vaughn | Inside Texas BBQ, Texas Monthly & the Evolution of Barbecue Culture |

    On this episode of Single Tree Nation, Charlie and Derry sit down with legendary BBQ journalist Daniel Vaughn, the acclaimed BBQ Editor for Texas Monthly and one of the most respected voices in the world of barbecue. Known for shaping the conversation around Texas BBQ through his iconic rankings, road trips, and storytelling, Daniel shares what it's really like traveling the state searching for the best barbecue joints, the evolution of pitmaster culture, and how Texas BBQ has exploded into a national phenomenon. 🔥 In this episode, you'll hear about: Daniel Vaughn's journey into becoming the BBQ Editor at Texas Monthly Behind-the-scenes stories from Texas BBQ road trips and rankings What separates great barbecue from the rest The rise of modern pitmaster culture and BBQ entrepreneurship The evolution of Texas barbecue and regional styles The passion, discipline, and craft behind elite BBQ A fun Mac or Beans segment And Derry's signature Friday Feel Good to close it out Whether you're a hardcore BBQ fan, food entrepreneur, pitmaster, or someone who appreciates craftsmanship and culture, this episode is packed with insight, stories, and smoke-filled wisdom. 🔥 Fire up the smoker and tune in for one of the most authentic conversations in barbecue.

    1h 1m
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5
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Welcome to the Single Tree Nation Show, where host Charlie Eblen, the founder of Single Tree Wood Fire Barbeque, talks about digital hospitality and storytelling with fellow restauranteurs, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. Each week, Charlie sits down with a new guest to discuss the challenges and triumphs of running a small business in today's digital age. From marketing strategies to customer service, the Single Tree Nation Show covers it all, offering valuable insights and tips for anyone looking to improve their digital hospitality game. So join us and learn how to tell your business's unique story and connect with customers in a meaningful way.

Information

  • Creator
    STP Productions
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    137
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All Rights Reserved
  • Show Website
    Single Tree Nation Show

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