Bryan Jacobs may have the most unique food truck I’ve ever encountered: Liberty Smokehouse. He converted this truck from a 1971 Marine Corps-issued “Deuce and a Half,” which once transported troops. In a way, it still does. After serving two tours in the Iraq War as a Navy Corpsman, Jacobs created the Vet to Chef program, offering culinary training to veterans. The program helps them acclimate to civilian life and provides a path to success.

Liberty Smokehouse slings some of the best brisket and barbecue in the bay every Thursday from 5:30 – 10:00 pm at Golden Isles Brewery (3000 Dr. MLK Jr. St. N.). The indulgent menu features Dino Beef Rib, Texas spare ribs, and meat platters with signature smoked brisket, pork, ribs, and chicken, accompanied by sides like truffle-crumb mac and cheese, bourbon apple bacon beans, cornbread, potato salad, and slaw. Other standout dishes include Alabama White Wings with pickled mustard, bacon, and Parmesan, and brisket empanadas filled with asado, pico, and cotija—among many other mouthwatering delights.

The best brisket in St. Pete

Jacobs earned his master’s in culinary arts from the Institute Paul Bocuse in Écully, France, in 2009 before apprenticing under Executive Chef Hans Chadler and Master Chef Peter Timmins. “Even when I deployed to Iraq, I took two cookbooks,” Jacobs recalls. But his path to culinary school wasn’t easy. “Like most veterans, when I got out, I fell on my face,” he says. “I knew who I was in the military—high speed, low drag. I could get anything done, conquer the world with my brothers. When I got out, I had to figure out who Bryan Jacobs was.”

When Jacobs returned to civilian life, he struggled with unemployment and homelessness—a harsh reality for many veterans. “I enrolled in culinary school while I was homeless,” he says. There, he found his direction, or at least the beginning of one. But it wasn’t until 2014, after his brother, US Marine veteran Kevin Jacobs, committed suicide, that he decided to use the kitchen to help other veterans. “I decided I wanted to cook with a purpose,” Jacobs says. “That’s when my program, Vet to Chef, was born.”

Vet to Chef program helps vets find passion and purpose

Vet to Chef is a 16-week culinary skill program that helps veterans find passion and purpose. In 2017, Vet to Chef became a non-profit under vets2success.org, but when the pandemic hit, students in his culinary class were losing their jobs. “If I wasn’t securing their future,” says Jacobs, “I wasn’t giving them a path to success.” The food truck, Liberty Smokehouse, was raised to address the employment problem, a temporary stepping stone for vets to adjust and transition into other opportunities.

The food truck, a 1971 Marine Corps-issued “Deuce and a Half” once used to transport troops, makes a sobering statement of its own. Its logo features an eagle surrounded by 22 blue stars—a solemn reference to the 22 veterans who, on average, commit suicide each day, and a personal reminder for Bryan Jacobs that his brother is among them. The three white stars on the eagle’s head symbolize faith, freedom, and food. With more support and programs like Vet to Chef, Jacobs hopes to erase some of those blue stars.

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