Mooresville barbecue restaurant rated among ‘America’s Best’ has closed, owner says
A Mooresville restaurant that served pork barbecue and Texas-style brisket and was rated among “America’s Best” has permanently closed, according to a notice on its door.
“We would like to thank all of our customers whom we will miss dearly and thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” read the sign on Chefry’s Blue Smoke BBQ restaurant in the Lowes Foods center off Brawley School and Williamson roads.
Executive chef and owner James Hettinger didn’t say in the notice why he closed the restaurant. He didn’t return a phone message from The Charlotte Observer.
“We cherished every moment serving you, however we are no longer open,” according to the notice. “Chefry’s Blue Smoke is no longer, we do apologize for the inconvenience. And again, Thank you.”
Chefry’s was known for its black-eyed pea hush puppies, Grandma’s coleslaw, Texas black pepper brisket and other unique recipes.
In December 2023, America’s Best Restaurants visited Chefry’s. The national media and marketing company spotlights local, independent restaurants. Chefry’s had been open only seven months.
“Nobody has a dish like this anywhere on the street,” Hettinger told CharlotteFive at the time, noting his popular Smoked Sweet Tea Chicken, brined in tea, smoked and then pulled.
The name of the restaurant played on the words ‘chef’ and ‘Geoffrey,’ the Toys ‘R’ Us giraffe mascot, as Hettinger is nearly 7 feet tall.
The menu combined Hettinger’s lifelong love of garden-grown food and his decades running the kitchens of top hotels and restaurants in Florida, Colorado and North Carolina.
Chefry’s served traditional barbecue, smoking its meats over hickory and cherry wood, and prepared almost everything on the menu in-house, including its pickles and desserts.
In October 2023, Hettinger’s sister and brother-in-law claimed in a lawsuit that they were “cheated” out of $300,000 to open the establishment. The sides reached a settlement in March 2024, the terms of which were private, court records show.
Five months later, Hettinger’s sister and brother-in-law requested that the settlement be voided and their claims reinstated, according to court documents. The case remains unresolved.
Chefry’s Blue Smoke
Location: 134 Mooresville Commons Way, Mooresville NC 28117 (closed)
Cuisine: Barbecue
Instagram: @chefrysbluesmokebbq
This story was originally published April 23, 2025 at 11:27 AM.