COLUMN: Food for the body and mind

CBS newsman and North Carolinian Charles Kuralt used to do segments called "On the Road" for his Sunday morning TV program. Basically, he, his camera man and his sound man traveled all over the country looking for overlooked, unique stories about local interesting people. I strongly suspect that they avoided the big chain restaurants as much as possible and sought out the local, one-of-a-kind food places. 

I think Charles and company would have stopped in for a bite at Chuck's BBQ & Grill, tucked in beside the Trinity Volunteer Fire Department, some seven miles north of downtown Statesville on U.S. 115, also known as the Wilkesboro Highway. 

The proprietor is something of a philosopher and so dispenses food for the body as well as food for the mind — a side of philosophy to go with that barbecue sandwich, if you want it. 

Chuck's is by no means the largest eating establishment in Iredell County, but that fact does not faze owner/operator Chuck Rix, who is also chief purchaser, chef and the maintenance department. "I like small and intend to stay small, where I can have my finger on the pulse of my business. I like being able to keep track of everything."

A native of upstate New York, Rix made his home in Winston-Salem for 40 years and saw his share of highway as a sporting goods salesman. Some of his calls were in Iredell County. 

"I liked Iredell's bucolic setting," he said. He has been an Iredell resident for about 30 years and has been in the food business at this location for the past 17 years. "This is a pretty good location," he said while pointing toward the Wilkesboro Highway. "It has enough traffic, but not real heavy traffic, but heavier than it used to be when I opened, especially in the morning."

Why did he decide to try his hand in the food industry? "I had a father-in-law in Winston-Salem who had a cafe. I'd drop in there and talk to him and it seemed to be a real good way of making a living and I really wanted to get off that road. Running a small eating place seemed like a good thing to do. And I was right."

Chuck, who is married and has a daughter, is satisfied with what he has begun. His place also furnishes employment for three others. 

"People come back and they wouldn't if they weren't satisfied. We have no chairs, no tables, no public restrooms. All I have is food; people come here to get food to go." 

He is especially proud of the fact that he has never advertised. "The best advertisement is word-of-mouth, and that's a fact," he said. "The people around here are what I call 'country smart.' They get a good sandwich here like they used to get."

"My philosophy is summed up by the letters 'K.I.S.S.' which stands for 'Keep It Simple, Stupid.' You see, you can only have two of three things in any business, and those three things are quality, price and service. You cannot have all three, only two, so I try to have quality and service. I was on the road for many years and the chain restaurants put out a lot of food, some of it OK, and they put it out quickly. And you might get a burger for less at one of those places, but I think my burger will taste better and will probably be bigger. I think slower and better beats faster and haphazard."

Rix prides himself on the 100 percent sanitation grade he has maintained. "We prepare all the ingredients here, with the exception of the barbecue we serve. They bring it here flash-frozen from Lexington, and there's no better barbecue than Lexington barbecue. We make our own slaw and dip (sauce)."

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For food served with a portion of philosophy on the side, you may want to visit Chuck's Barbecue & Grill, 3001 Wilkesboro Highway, which is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday. You can call in orders at (704) 876-4414.