By: Becca Nelson Sankey | Photography: Kim Torres Photography

Jaton and Courtney Hampton had been living and working in the Dallas area for seven years when opportunity – in their hometown of San Angelo, of all places – came knocking.

Having recently welcomed a second child and ensconced in the big city, the Hamptons weren’t sure they wanted to answer.

Weary of the long days required of Courtney as an executive chef working for someone else, the couple had entertained the idea of starting their own restaurant when Jaton’s father found a building for rent. “He suggested a food truck lot and found a place, and within three weeks we quit our jobs, packed our house, and we were here – with no money in the bank. We sold everything,” Jaton recalled, adding that the couple and their two sons moved in with her parents until they could get back on their feet. “We said, ‘OK, Lord, if this is what You have for us, You’re going to make a way.”

The Hamptons secured the lease at 229 N. Chadbourne St., converted a snow cone trailer into a barbecue food truck and set up outdoor seating. In September 2017, Rustic Field to Table BBQ, now The Hampton’s BBQ, was born.

For Courtney, who had plenty of experience working in the food industry, it was the beginning of a lifelong dream. “He’s worked for some really great chefs in Dallas, like Tim Byers, a James Beard Award-winning chef,” Jaton said. “He worked for a great restaurant in Fort Worth, and those are the ones that sparked his love and passion for over-fire cooking.”

The concept for The Hampton’s – which, as its former name, Rustic Field to Table, implies, sources fresh, local ingredients – was created in Dallas. Though opportunities for farm-raised and grass-fed beef and local, fresh produce year-round aren’t as readily available in San Angelo, the Hamptons keep their focus on quality and flavor.

The Hampton’s main dishes are chopped brisket sandwiches, Big Red pulled pork sandwiches infused in soda, and a brisket, pulled pork and macaroni and cheese sandwich.

Due to giving birth to the couple’s third child during the time of our interview last spring, Jaton stays busy marketing the business and making
its desserts, while Courtney prepares and serves everything else. “It’s definitely a one-man show,” she said. “He literally smokes 14 to 16 hours every day. You can only achieve that kind of flavor from hard work.”

But what The Hamptons lack in manpower, the Hamptons compensate for in plans. They hope to transition from their food truck into a restaurant and are offering pop-up dinners, in which a small group of diners are provided a four-course progressive meal outside, without any advance knowledge of the menu. “It’s about enduring the elements with good food,” Jaton said. “We want to show people we can do much more than barbecue.”

The dinners, she added, will “help pave our way into a brick and mortar.”

“He literally smokes 14 to 16 hours every day. You can only achieve that kind of flavor from hard work.” – Jaton Hampton, Co-owner of Hampton’s BBQ.

Six months in, Jaton said she’s grateful to be back home fulfilling a dream. “We have talked about opening our own business and doing our own thing for so many years and just never had the right opportunity,” she said. “We have amazing support here from our family and friends. We know that God’s hand has been on this from the beginning because He’s opened doors we never even imagined.”