New Life for Homegrown Smoker

Photo credit: Homegrown Smoker

Homegrown Smoker, the beloved and trailblazing vegan barbecue spot in St. Johns, may have new life after all. It closed back in December; it was for sale; hopes were high for its return. Now, according to publicly-accessible city documents, it looks like a new person is involved, and is getting ready to re-open the restaurant at its most recent location in St. Johns.

That new person appears to be Kayla Lamberson, a passionate animal rights activist with a marine biology background who ran the ocean-themed vegan food cart Sharks Cove that closed last year. She also established the vegan fried chicken cart The Mockingbird, which has two locations, one in Portland and one in Beaverton. So, she really knows her vegan food, and presumably will be a person with the skills to deftly run Homegrown Smoker.

From what I can tell, the plan is to be open 7-days a week. Live music (on certain days) and booze, too.

As far as the Homegrown Smoker LLC goes, Jeffrey Ridabock is still on the most recent paperwork (January 2022). How involved he may be in the business—if at all—remains to be seen. After all, “it’s time for him to slow down a little and enjoy life more.”

I look forward to Homegrown Smoker’s return and seeing how new management continues to bring continued great success to this big name in vegan food in Portland.

Homegrown Smoker (re-opening 2022)
8638 N Lombard, Portland
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