Bryan Jacobs in Tampa, Florida said food saved his life. "I wanted to serve again," the retired Navy corpsman said. "I wanted to do something that gave me passion and purpose and reason to exist and food does that for me."
Jacobs opened Liberty Smokehouse, a mobile barbecue joint that some have described as the best in Florida, as a way to give back to the community and provide a means for other veterans to find purpose in life.
One of the main stars on the menu is the award-winning brisket, made with a preservation "mud" method that was invented before refrigeration.
"We're going back to go forward because that's where good food comes from," Jacobs explained.
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Another popular item is the handmade sausage, which changes weekly.
"Every country in the world does barbecue, we just happen to be the best at it here in the South," Jacob said humbly.
Liberty Smokehouse works out of a local American Legion kitchen and operates a food truck that regularly changes location. You can find them on Instagram (@thelibertysmokehouse) to see where they're located each day.
Jacobs said he hopes to find financial backing to open more Liberty Smokehouse locations across the country.
The veteran, who completed two combat tours, said Liberty Smokehouse is about serving his community with his craft. It's also about paying homage to many veterans who have died or lost their battles with PTSD including his younger brother, who Jacobs said he lost to veteran suicide in 2014.
"I just want to be able to give people a place to come and serve, eat and drink and make a difference in what they love to do," said Jacobs.
