Back in the day when the only 49ers people knew about were panning for the glittery stuff, Stockton was a modern day Manhattan. People from all over came to town to sample the culture and commodities that could only be had in the busy port town.
“People knew [Stockton] as ‘Fat City,’” said Nadia King of Fat City Brew and BBQ Supply. “It was fat with money, fat with action.”
When it came to opening up their store dedicated to all things barbecue in 2010, the term “Fat City” was a natural fit for Nadia and her husband Don King. After some solid growth and a move to ritzy Lincoln Center, Fat City started to offer brewing supplies for budding beer freaks.
A taste of the brew and BBQ boutique that is Fat City.
“When you come in, it’s a real boutiquey display of barbecue, accessories and sauces,” Nadia King said. Her store, if Googled, offers a full 360 degree view of the store, for those dipping their toes in the barbecue scene.
Nadia and her husband are barbecue champions in their own right, winning a handful of awards from the Kansas City Barbecue Association, what many consider to be one of the authorities on all things smoked. Their knowledge is graciously shared with any who take the many classes offered at Fat City, including pellet smoker and “Ladies-Only Grill” workshops.
Every once and a while, Fat City even molds a champion like 18-year-old wunderkind Zach Galiste.
Nadia and her husband Don King proudly display their pulled pork at a Stockton Chamber of Commerce event.
“We had a young gentleman who started out with us a long time ago, he was 14 or 15 at the time,” Nadia King said. “Just by joining us on the BBQ circuit he was named 2013 Rookie of the Year nationwide on the Kansas City Barbecue Association level.”
Soon, Galiste will be going to the American Royals, which Nadia calls “the Oscars of BBQ competitions.”
The store also offers anything and everything homespun beer brewers need to stock a fridge or two full of stouts and Nadia’s favorite: pale ales.
With barbecue in their bones, Nadia and Don King are proud to be Stockton’s premier joint for all things BBQ.
“We’re actually pretty proud that we started a movement here in Stockton,” Nadia King said. “Well, my husband mostly, but you know—behind every successful man there’s a woman. Usually.”
As Nadia and her husband are revving up to get back into the competitive barbecue circuit, Fat City Brew and BBQ Supply will continue to be a warm base of operations.
“We have everything a grill master would want,” Nadia King said. “It’s a one-stop manly shop.”
Fat City Brew and BBQ Supply is located at 211 Lincoln Center in Stockton, California.
