PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Ask Thomas Moody what his favorite thing to smoke is. He’ll tell you pork ribs. And his least favorite? That would be brisket, because it takes so long.
Moody wasn’t smoking anything at the Pittsfield Farmers Market on Saturday though. The pit master was dancing in front of the grill, putting the finish on wings, dishing out pulled pork and turning individual ribs to achieve a perfect bark.
This is Upstreet Smoke, a pop-up restaurant, which has also been operating nearly a year as a caterer at venues such as Shakespeare & Company and Barrington Stage Company.
Moody and his partner, Erica Shrader, chose Juneteenth to launch the business, starting with the NAACP Berkshires Juneteenth Celebration, on June 18 2023, at Pittsfield’s Durant Park. Through customers there, they landed catering gigs.