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Smoke & Embers: A Return to the Fire

An authentic return to epicurean living and grounded connection, where ancestry meets modernism in the most piquant of ways. At Smoke & Embers, we craft premium smokers, grilling tools, and wood-fired cooking essentials for those who believe the best meals are made slowly, with intention.

Olivia Hockenbroch
August 8 2025

Smoke & Embers is for those who crave more than convenience.

For anyone who seasons with intention, cooks with care, and lets the process become part of the meal.

Whether you’re:

  • Smoking brisket in the snow
  • Searing steak under summer stars
  • Or lighting your first fire

…you belong here.

The Spark

I’ve loved food for as long as I can remember — not in the “couldn’t stop eating” way, but the way a painter loves color or a musician hears music in the wind.

My grandfather knew it before I did. He’d call out from the kitchen,


“Oliviaaa, food!”

and I’d come running — not for the plate, but for the moment. The smell. The sound of the knife on the board. The way the air shifted when a meal was ready.

The First Fires

As a teenager, I raced home from school to watch the Food Network, notebook in hand, trying to recreate dishes from whatever we had in the pantry.

Sometimes dinner came from a quick Google search: “recipes with (what’s in the pantry)”.


I wanted culinary school. Life had other plans. I built another career — “the better choice” — and slowly drifted from my love of food. Food intolerances, disordered eating, and life’s relentless pace pulled me further away from the spark.

❦ ❦ ❦

Cooking is not about convenience. It is about love, respect, and the ancient art of transformation.

Auguste Escoffier

The Return

In my 30s, I came back. Not to competition cooking or polished plating — but to the soul of it.

The still moment when you light the fire.

The poise of smoke curling through the air.

The way a good meal feels like coming home, even if home is just a table for one.

The way a good meal feels like coming home, even if home is just a table for one.

That’s the heart of Smoke & Embers—bringing you back to what matters, one fire at a time.

If you’re ready to light your own fire, shop our favorites.