OKC Underground by Eating OKC

Cody Wilson is the former owner of George's Liquor and current co-owner of Modern Liquor, but for this episode, he's the guy who is the new brand ambassador for Prairie With Love, the line of Delta 9 beverages from Prairie Artisan Ales.

We talk with Denzel Akuffo, the creator of Supper Club OKC.

Ross Crain is a Binger, Oklahoma native -- yes, the hometown of Johnny Bench, and Bench has been a guest in Crain's eponymous restaurant on OKC's northwest side. The Crain opened in late 2024, and was instantly popular, driven by Ross Crain's 30-plus years of hospitality experience, including 21 years at the helm of Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill in Bricktown, and the talents of Chef Garrett Myers, a Yukon kid who made good via the National Restaurant Association's and Oklahoma Restaurant Association's ProStart Program. Crain tried college, but was drawn more strongly to the hospitality world, joining Hal Smith before the formation of Hal Smith Restaurant Group, back when Smith had the Oklahoma Outback Steakhouses. Crain never looked back.

You know him from Chick N Beer and Bungalow 23, but his latest venture is going to change the way we eat out.

James Leewright is a former state representative and senator from the east side of the state, and we've already forgiven him for that because he's doing fantastic work as the head of the Oklahoma Restaurant Association. His official list of titles includes leadership in the ORA, Oklahoma Hospitality Foundation, Oklahoma Hotel & Lodging Association, and Oklahoma Travel Industry Association.

Chef Erick Jones isn't 21 yet, but he's been an entrepreneur since he and his fraternal twin brother were 8. The born-and-raised NEOKC chef did his culinary training at Metro Tech under the auspices of previous podcast guest Chaya Pennington while still in "high school" -- in quotes because he and his two siblings were homeschooled, a reality he chafed at while a preteen and teenager but now recognizes was a good path for him. We met at Eastside Eatery, where he's technically executive sous, but Pennington, who is officially the executive chef says it's Chef Erick's kitchen. I was there because another up-and-comer Chef Breya Smith told me the oxtails were a must-try. They are. They're incredible, and to borrow a thought from Pennington, "This is the best soul food in OKC."

California-born Cally Johnson is currently the executive chef at Lorena Southern Twist, Lori Burson's Midtown sister restaurant to Stella Modern Italian. She came back to Oklahoma after a long hiatus in California to help Burson with her Southern concept. This necessitated Johnson digging into a genre of food she knew a little about, because growing up in Bakersfield, California means you are exposed to Okie cookie from when our great and great great grandparent fled the Dust Bowl for the green valleys of California's agriculture belt. In this episode, Johnson gives us an overview of her surprisingly fascinating and diverse backstory, including her time as a Christian music sensation, although she'd probably quibble about "sensation." She came to cheffing later in life, and quickly established herself as a creative wizard of sorts, and along the way she and Chef Kathryn Mathis started Big Truck Tacos. Her CJ's green chile pork taco is still the only gringo taco to haunt my dreams. 

Chef Andy Bruch is an Iowa native who made his culinary reputation in Denver. We ate at his Point Easy last time we were in Denver, and it was the best meal we had that trip, so it was great to see 5280 had the same level of respect for his spot as we did. When we learned Bruch was coming to OKC to open the first of at least two concepts, we were understandably excited, and the food at Superfly has justified our excitement, especially the burger. Dear lord -- get the burger!

It's rare that I sit down with an operator or chef and don't know anything about their backstory, but such was the case with Provision Concepts founder and CEO Jeff Dixon. To be clear, I've known him for more than a decade but we've always just talked business, so I was very curious to hear about his upbringing. (Weatherford? Weatherford. Who is from Weatherford?) Once we get the bio, including his history with Hal Smith Restaurants, we get to what is clearly one of the more successful hospitality companies in the state, one that will shortly be in four states: Oklahoma, Colorado (already open), Texas (this year), and Arizona (this year). He has new openings in Tulsa later this year, but he also has much good to say about OKC's urban core and the corner where it all started.

This is a year-end recap more than anything, but we wanted to take some time to talk through our list of Best New Restaurants and look at what's coming for 2026. James Frazier finally gets behind the mic and contributes to this episode, so you have that year-end perk if you listen. And since we're wrapping up the year, here are the numbers that matter.

Eric Smith is the mastermind behind The Crown and The Crown Room, which happens to be one of the most amazing dining experiences in Oklahoma. In this episode we talk about food, the restaurant industry, Michelin Stars and influencers as well as a host of other topics.

You know the pizza, the ramen, the burgers and now the Italian. Now meet the Rachel Cope.

Bryan Kerr is the owner of Moore Liquor, which, to use a phrase of his, is in the "blast radius of Total Wine" in Moore. The chain behemoth opened their first Oklahoma location in September, and the impact on Kerr's business was immediate, as it was on all small operators in its immediate vicinity. It's likely to scoop up regulars and occasional visitors well beyond Moore, though. As a fan of all things local -- especially local ownership -- I was curious about its impact on Moore Liquor, because just as the alcohol laws changes in 2018 had a net negative effect on local package stores, so too will Total Wine. The reasons are largely economic, but there are other motives for people changing up their habits, including our culture's weird obsession with convenience.

Chef Taylor Desjarlais left OKC right before the COVID lockdown after successful stints at several spots in the metro including Café Cuvée in the Ambassador Hotel and Chae, which remains one of the most painfully missed spots in town. A heads up that this episode contains a frank discussion of addiction and suicide in the hospitality industry. Desajarlais agreed to talk about these subjects, at least where his path intersected these two seemingly epidemic issues in the industry, and it's worth noting up front that he left OKC to enter a treatment program. After completing the program, he moved to a sober living center in Houston, where he continued to cook, but he also pursued other interests unrelated to his career, a move that helped him achieve the healing and wholeness he was seeking when he left OKC.

Jamie (Fritts) Winteroth is one of the founders of Shared Plate Hospitality, along with her husband Jordan. She has been in hospitality most of her life, including stints at some locally famous and infamous spots from the days when she worked for Deep Fork Group at its peak. As owners, Shared Plate has had Aurora, Social Deck & Dining, and RevMex, the latter of which they purchased from Rachel Cope's 84 Hospitality. Last year, they combined Aurora and Social, and moved a block west to the former Mexican Radio spot in Plaza District. (We also discuss how well that district has done, and Shared Plate's role in that.) They hired executive chef Jerrod Driskill in 2023, and he's helped transition Aurora from a breakfast-brunch spot to an all-day restaurant with some of the city's best dinner dishes, including the snapper tacos, which I rave about in this episode.

Jacob "Jake" Keyes is the founder and owner of Skydance Brewing, with its game-day-central taproom just off Automobile Alley on NE 7th. His second job is Chairman of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma. Keyes is an avid OU football fan, and a former casino manager. He's well versed in the policies and processes around booze and casinos in Oklahoma, and he follows in his homesteader father's footsteps in that he's a tinkerer, jack of all trades, and good-with-my-hands kind of guy. He's also a damn good interview, and we talk about growing up in and out of Oklahoma, the state of beer, his expansion into Midwest City and whether or not casino bosses really order security to beat guys up and stuff them in trunks of cars.

If we had a contest for Oklahoma City's favorite Brit, Ian Clarke would certainly be a finalist, especially among hospitality professionals. Clarke is currently a sales rep for Syndicat and Revolution Wholesale, and that's a function of his expertise in wine and his phenomenal palate. Saying he's a sales rep feels a bit reductive when Clarke, a certified sommelier, has for 20 years been one of the the pros shaping OKC's wine culture, and he's been a cheerleader-esque champion of French wines in particular.

Brian Bogert is the founder and CEO of Social Order Dining Collective, a company that includes The Jones Assembly, three Spark locations, and multiple locations of Fuzzy's and Dave's Hot Chicken. He's been in and around hospitality most of his life, and he understands it from the perspective of dishwasher, line cook, manager, franchisee, multi-unit owner/operator, and CEO. His understanding of operations and logistics is expansive, and still he manages to be one of the most approachable people in Oklahoma hospitality. 

When Bar None, the new concept from Id Est Hospitality inside nonesuch, opens in a couple weeks, Kiki Mackey will be the general manager, and it will be a much deserved role for an industry vet known for her poise, competence, and knowledge. We first met when she was a newbie at Mary Eddy's at what was then 21C during Chef Jason Campbell's tenure, and since then she's grown in to one of the most reliable FOH professionals in the city.

James Beard Award 2023 & 2024 Finalist, 2020 Semifinalist | 2022 & 2025 New York Times 50 Best Restaurants | 2022 Bon Appetit 50 Best New Restaurants | 2024 USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year

Charlie Alvarado is the DOO for New State Burgers and the beloved Good for a few. He's also cool AF.

Andrea Schultz is the owner and founder of HQ Coffee, the walk-up, Asian District shop that's finally (FINALLY!) introduced Asian-inspired flavors to OKC's coffee scene. She is responsible for two of my three favorite lattes in the metro: black sesame and ube. She incorporates flavors and ingredients like houjicha, li hing mui, genmaicha, and even White Rabbit candy, and in addition to coffee service, HQ offers soft serve pop-ups, outstanding matcha, and baked goods.

Distilling in the U.S. usually begins with Kentucky, and then moves onto Tennessee, Colorado, Indiana, and maybe California, but Oklahoma doesn't usually make a short list. A handful of distillers scattered around the state are trying to further Oklahoma's reputation as a distiller state, and we sat down with two of our local luminaries: Jeffrey Cole, master distiller for Guthrie-based WanderFolk Spirits, and David Wood, owner and founder of OKC-based Woodworks Distilling in the Britton District. The two have become friends with a shared goal of increasging the size and influence of the Oklahoma Distillers Guild. We talked about their brands, their work, the guild, distilling in the state, and then the products from their line they have a strong affection for.

Norman native Claire Hampton had a relatively brief stint as a bartender in OKC before making the jump to ownership when an opportunity arrived in the form of Good Times,

Subtitle: Xmas for Winos! That's right, Thirst Day and its charity component Thirst for a Cause return September 10. On the new episode, we talk with Alex Kroblin, founder and owner of Thirst Wine Merchants, and Chef Kurt Fleischfresser, who helped found Thirst for a Cause almost 20 years ago.

Another wide ranging conversation with a local beloved restauranteur with some great fun and interesting tidbits.

Episode 204 of the OKC Underground podcast features Greg Gawey, owner of Jamil’s Steakhouse. Jamil’s is an institution in the the way that only restaurants that have survived more than 50 years can be, which is to say, the experience of it is baked into the great grandkids of some of the original guests just as it is in every generation through the decades. Jamil’s is celebrating their 60th anniversary, enough years to serve five generations of Oklahomans. 

Julia McLish opened Barkeep Supply in Midtown seven years ago. July 7 was the anniversary. She started bartending in college, and loved it more than her degree program, so after several years working for Hal Smith Restaurants and Deep Fork Group, she took a chance on her own business. The 4-seat bar quickly became one of the most popular, influential bars in the metro, and she has worked with and trained some of the city's best bartenders. As far as I know, she and her team are undefeated in bartending competitions. At one point, they'd won seven in a row. Lunar Lounge, her collaboration with business partner Zach Armfield, came along four years later, and they'll be celebrating their third anniversary later this month. In the episode, we talk about her businesses, her background, her connection to Major League Baseball, and how all around awesome she is.

We're dropping episode 202 today, and it features a conversation with chef, restaurateur, educator, advocate, mother, and life-long NEOKC resident Chaya Pennington. At 47, her career in hospitality now spans 30 years, and she's worked pretty much every role in restaurants. Now as the Culinary Coordinator for MetroTech, she oversees the education of our future chefs, pastry chefs, managers, and operators. I wrote about her for Luxiere magazine last year, and this excerpt helps sum up a little about her before you listen:"Pennington is the daughter, granddaughter, great-granddaughter, etc., of generations of educators and chefs. In her role as bar owner, restaurant professional and culinary coordinator at Metro Tech, she represents both sides in the nature vs. nurture argument — and at 45, she said she still hasn’t decided if she’s committed to a career in food.She catered her first event at 13, helping her teacher mother who had a side gig as a party bartender. From that point on, the opportunities seemed to line up in a way that lit a path straight to hospitality. There were early jobs with two large companies well-known at the time — Dub Adams Catering and Harry’s Gourmet To Go — but things really began to gel when Chef Kurt Fleischfresser invited her to be a part of his Coach House apprenticeship program, a structured education that eventually graduated 45 trained chefs.As for her accomplishments, Pennington has a surprising list of what she’s most proud. 'I’m a third generation East Side resident,' she says. 'I grew up here, went to school here, raised my family here, am an educator here, own a business here. It’s a point of pride. It’s critical to invest in the community you want to be a part of, point of origin or not. I’m proud of that failed business (Urban Roots) because we go into every opportunity undercapitalized, but we do it anyway because we love our community.'” 

What do meat grinders, frat house dinners, and the ass end of a mall have in common? Restaurateur J. Mays. In this episode, he serves up a raw and real take on his journey from small-town Oklahoma to leading some of OKC’s most beloved spots—Cafe 7, The Hamilton, and Dado’s Pizza.Expect laughs, lessons, and a few curveballs (yes, pickleball included). This one's for anyone who's ever dreamed of building something great—and maybe burning the onions along the way.