Audrey Smith in the totally remodeled restaurant featuring her own barbecue and homemade specialties in downtown Tama. News-Herald/John Speer

By John Speer

Editor

jspeer@tamatoledonews.com

“I’m living a dream.” She’s up to fire up the smokers at 3 or 4 in the morning. She’s working until eight or even past some nights.

“I truly never expected I would realize this. I’m really overwhelmed.”

ALFS exterior.

Those are just some of the words Audrey Smith uses to express her fulfilling of “something I’ve had in my mind since I was a teenager.”

Audrey opened ALFS Authentic Barbecue in downtown Tama on Jan. 21. It’s is located in former Bogie’s Gal Clothing Store at 133 West 3rd. For old timers, it was the Kraft Clothing Store location – which explains the name in the tile floor entry.

ALFS now graces the front in a new sign and are the initials for her full name with her maiden name included- Audrey Lea Facion Smith.

What’s inside is a completely modern restaurant with a new kitchen set up to serve dine-in, to go orders and catering. Right now ALFS has seven part-time employees including her daughter, Christina.

What’s served is strictly Audrey’s making. “That’s the way it has to be,” she says. If it says “homemade” it must be homemade.”

An with that motto comes her own recipes whether it’s the sauce and rubs on the meats, the sides ranging from cornbread muffin to potato salad and coleslaw to baked sweet potato to desserts.

The meats offered range from pulled pork or BBQ beef to St. Louis ribs and chicken wings..

Since opening she has already expanded the menu to include “Business Box Lunches,” available from 11 a.m.- 1 p.m., Tuesday-Friday.

Audrey says her interest developed at home and in her neighborhood in Cedar Rapids where she grew up. With relatives from states like Tennessee and Missouri she said the inspiration for the “southern style” barbecue seems natural.

She says her smokers are only heated with hickory wood and meats are cooked slowly at low heat.

Audrey credits three people with helping to fulfill “always wanting to have my own restaurant” with making it a reality.

She says Heath Kellogg, Tama County Economic executive director and the “Pitch and Build Program” was instrumental in getting started. Through it she met up with Jodi Phillip who was in the process of renovating an number of business buildings in Chelsea and offered her a place to start.

Then there’s Ed Hardon, who along with his son Marty, who have restored a number of downtown Tama business buildings and who provided the location she has now opened.

While the business may seem like a lot of work, Audrey is used to that. She owned and operated a home cleaning service in the Tama area for the past 15 years.

With Alf’s set to open, “I retired from that at the end of January,” she said. She has been a Tama resident since 1993.

NEXT WEEK: El Cerrito Authentic Mexican Restaurant in downtown Tama