Scott Holmes is a Valley of the Sun native who grew up in Tempe, AZ. His love of cooking began at an early age helping his mom cook on the kitchen counter. In 1995 he graduated from Scottsdale Culinary Institute but quickly found himself out of the restaurant industry working in various industries.
A 2007 trip to Austin, Texas with his future wife Bekke drew Scott back into cooking with a passion he had never experienced. At the airport, his future father-in-law picked Scott and Bekke up with a cooler of beer and took them to the Saltlick in Driftwood, Texas where Scott would experience Central Texas barbecue for the first time. The simplicity, atmosphere and overall experience captivated his attention and hasn’t let go.
When he returned to Phoenix, Bekke and Scott bought their first smoker and started barbecuing on weekends for friends and family. After visiting a local KCBS competition, Little Miss BBQ was formed in mid 2009 and they proceeded to enter as many competitions as they could in AZ, CA and NV. With Grand Champion, Team of the Year, and many awards and trophies later, Scott and Bekke’s life would change again with a trip to JMueller Barbecue.
A quick trip to the newly opened JMueller Barbecue in 2012 was all it took one winter morning to create a new dream. The place was simple. A trailer, a massive smoker, picnic tables, a long line and the most incredible barbecue caused Scott and Bekke to decide at that picnic table in front of a massive pile of meat on a tray that creating a great experience with incredible barbecue had to be done in Phoenix.
Hundreds of briskets and cords of pecan wood later, Little Miss BBQ opened in February 2014 with lots of passion and determination. It also had a massive offset smoker, Central Texas barbecue and a great customer experience. One by one the crowds grew, word spread and in short time Little Miss BBQ was receiving a 4.5-star review by Howard Seftel in AZ Republic, glowing reviews in Phoenix Magazine, Phoenix New Times and others. In 2014, LMB received the Best New Restaurant award from Phoenix New Times and Phoenix Magazine. Thrillist also named Little Miss BBQ one of the 15 Best New Barbecue Restaurants in 2014. The awards continued earning Best Barbecue awards from AZ Republic, Phoenix Magazine, Phoenix New Times and Thrillist in 2014, 2015, 2016.
Little Miss BBQ has not only pleased the media critics but the customers as well. Little Miss BBQ was ranked on Yelp #10 in 2015, #13 in 2016 and #11 in 2017 in the entire nation. Little Miss BBQ is the highest rated restaurant in the Phoenix area on both Yelp and Trip Advisor. Although the review site standings are great, the lines outside the restaurant are a true testament to the popularity of the restaurant. Lines have reached 3 hours at the open many times and even during the summer the line can be well over an hour each day.