Less than two years after opening the doors to GRANN on Tacoma’s Sixth Avenue, co-owners and chefs Reginald Jacob Howell and Denzel Johnson are taking their passion for barbecue to a national audience.
The South Sound chefs are featured competitors on Food Network’s new series “Pitmasters,” alongside eight other two-person teams. The show premieres at 9 p.m. on June 13 on Food Network and the following day on HBO Max and Discovery+.
GRANN is an outstanding newer restaurant. Highly recommend trying it out if you haven’t done so yet.
Chefs Reginald Jacob Howell and Denzel Johnson unveiled their long-gestating dream — the homey, vibrant GRANN Restaurant — last spring.
Howell has a diverse background in Asian fusion, Italian, and Creole cuisines, while Johnson brings nearly two decades as a pitmaster to GRANN, specializing in bold, Southern-style barbecue. The Sixth Avenue space, named in honor of the women — especially their grandmothers — who shaped Howell’s and Johnson’s lives, features a carefully curated drink menu and reflects the co-owners’ passion for hospitality and good food.