Restaurant to offer something different to Coshocton area

Restaurant to offer something different to Coshocton area

COSHOCTON -- A Tuscarawas County man has brought a taste of Texas to Coshocton.


As he meets the goal of a lifetime today, Jim Wickiser as well as his family are a little nervous.

"We want to make a good first impression, but we're excited and we're ready," he said.

The grand opening of Hickory Heaven, owned by Wickiser and his wife, June, is going on now at 406 S. Second St., the former Edie Ryan's Restaurant location.

Although from Gnadenhutten, Wickiser has ties to the area. His daughter, Tarra Duling, and husband, Bill, are Coshocton residents, and they now work at the restaurant.

"I like this town, I like the atmosphere," Wickiser said. "I felt Coshocton needed something like this, the opportunity came up, and my wife and I took the leap. It's been my lifelong dream to open a barbecue place."

Although originally from Ohio, Wickiser spent a number of years in law enforcement in Texas, where he learned about smoking meats and barbecue.

"I was in a little of cooking competitions down there for charities and things like that," he said.

Most of Hickory Heaven's meat offerings are smoked -- like the beef brisket, smoked sausage, pork ribs and quartered chicken.

The business uses a special spice rub on the meats, and offer four types of barbecue sauce it has developed -- sweet, gold, house and a hot sauce that's accessible by request.

Wickiser urges patrons not to be concerned if their meat shows a little red -- it's supposed to. Smoking the meat is about cooking low and slow, and most are in the smoker from six to 12 hours, depending on cut and size. The red smoke ring means there's been a reaction between the smoke and the cooking meat and shows you've done a good job, Wickiser said.

The restaurant also offers some uncommon side dishes such as sweet potatoes or corn-battered French fries, sweet potato casserole, sweet corn bake and deep-fried pickle spears. Desserts include deep-fried hickory logs, apple or chocolate, and blackberry or peach cobbler.

There's also a children's menu, and Tarra Duling said a smoky-flavored three-bean soup'll be a daily offering, in addition to a soup of the day such as chili or vegetable. There also will be daily or weekend specials, and plans are to eventually add wild-game meats such as venison as a special, she said.

Besides Duling and her husband, Wickiser has hired eight different employees include chef Ryan Willams, who cooked at the Old Warehouse and Garfield's Restaurant.

Special events will be going on all day today with a contest for children to name the flying pig, the one on the sign and inside the restaurant.

"It (the restaurant) was founded on 'when pigs fly,'" Wickiser said.

He wants the refurbished location to reflect a family atmosphere.

"I've stressed to everyone, we want to be very, family oriented," he said. "I want people to be very, very comfortable, and want to serve large portions of good food at good prices."