John Vest, owner of Redemption BBQ (Photo by Jay Paul)
There is something about barbecue that makes ministers out of mere men. A slab of meat sizzling over burning coals conjures imagery that is spiritual in nature, igniting memories of the enduring contributions of pitmasters past. John Vest, owner of
Redemption BBQ, was a minister first and a pitmaster second â both roles born from a love of fellowship.
With a civil engineer for a father, Vest moved often as a kid, usually every 18 to 24 months until middle school, when his family settled in Florida. In college, Vest originally studied astrophysics, hoping to seek a career in space exploration. But through work with his church youth group, he says he felt called to the ministry. Switching to divinity school, Vest worked at churches in Chicago upon graduation, eventually earning a doctorate in ministry.