Cayle Anderson has perfected the fine art of smoking briskets, hams, pork bellies and shoulders over a decade of learning his craft.
Don Rice
Published Jul 02, 2024
Businesses and non-profit organizations regularly open and move in Saskatoon. Today the StarPhoenix talks to Cayle Anderson, who opened Bistro on B in Riversdale in February.
Anderson, aged 29, has been teaching himself the finer arts of smoking food for over a decade. Most of his meats are smoked for 16 hours, and he offers a combination of Texan and Mexican smokehouse food in a newly renovated French-style bistro setting. Indoor seating is available and outdoor patio seating is offered over the summer. He also has meal prep services for those that want to take home his selections.
Q: What was your background before starting Bistro on B?
A: I have been cooking and smoking meat for myself at home for the past 10 years or so. I was learning how to do it and playing with everything. I threw a lot of meat out trying to learn. I love food. I love big cooking and making different flavours. My friends who tried my food, kept telling me I’ve got to open my own restaurant.
I ran a meal prep business out of my backyard for about two years. I got up to making about 900 meals a week. I lined up five different Traegers (grills) and I smoked everything from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m., doing all my own dishes at home. I have worked as a cook at Brown’s Social House and a couple places in the city. I was a plumber also for 10 years before that. I went from hating plumbing to loving cooking.
Q: How would you describe the food at Bistro on B?
A: We are a smokehouse with a Tex-Mex twist. It’s a Texan smokehouse integrated with smokehouse Mexican food.
Q: Have you done a lot of renovations to get your smokehouse in place?
A: This building has come a long way from what it was, it was very run down. We had to jack up the whole building and redo everything. The only thing that’s the same is some of the structure. My mom owns the building and I own the bistro, which is the visual of a French bistro. We have seating for about 30, including an attractive patio area for the summer.