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 arena working in various industries.
A 2007 trip to Austin, Texas with his future wife Bekke, drew Scott back into cooking after visiting the Salt Lick in Driftwood, TX. The simplicity, atmosphere and overall experience captivated his attention and hasn’t let go.
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 Championships, Team of the Year designations, and many awards and trophies later, Scott and Bekke’s life would change again when they realized that they wanted to share the sense of community, amazing barbecue, and the experience that they had originally fallen in love with in Texas.
Hundreds of briskets and cords of oak and 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, and 2017.
Little Miss BBQ has not only pleased the media critics but the customers as well. Little Miss BBQ was ranked nationally on Yelp #10 in 2015, #13 in 2016, #11 in 2017 and #2 in 2018. 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.