“Don’t eat Sichuan with Baldus.” That’s the first thing most people will tell you about Andrew Baldus, the chef behind Singaporean American barbeque restaurant, Meat Smith. And it’s absolutely, indisputably true. But a superhuman appetite and tolerance for chilli is just one aspect of a man widely liked and respected in chef circles. Baldus – as he’s often referred to by his peers in Singapore – loves food. Yes, it’s the industry’s most well-worn cliché but like his ability to withstand the fiercest Sichuan chilli and peppercorn onslaught, it’s absolutely, indisputably true. He’d rather bask in the glow of the fire pit (an essential tool in cooking meaty, American barbeque wonders) than the glow of the media spotlight, and his Instagram is peppered with street food captures. I remember trying to snap some portraits of him in Singapore and the one thing – the only thing – that made him smile was the sight of a food delivery truck spruiking Baba’s Meat Curry Powder, a seasoning of choice among Singaporean home cooks. (He then proceeded to give me a quick food lesson on said powder, not because he was showing off, but because, like many chefs, he has an insatiable curiosity when it comes to eating and food culture at ground level).

Food has long been a focus of Baldus’s life. Raised in Nebraska – birthplace of the Reuben Sandwich and Koolaid – his childhood diet was diverse with home-cooked meals taking in everything from meatloaf to curry. His first job was making sandwiches and salads at an Eastern European-style deli in Nebraska’s state capital, Lincoln. Barbeques were a big part of his upbringing with some family cook-outs lasting an entire weekend. His father travelled extensively for work and would bring home spice rubs and sauces from around the country. Baldus senior’s favourite style of barbeque was the pork-centric Memphis-style, somewhat controversial for a Texan where beef, traditionally, is the hero protein. This open-minded approach rubbed off on his son as well as the Meat Smith menu of ribs, brisket, pulled pork and cheese-stuffed suckling pigs (yes, really) gleaned from all over America. “Where I’m from is three hours north of KC [Kansas City] and they borrow influences from everyone else, it’s kind of where all the styles came together,” says Baldus who has cooked in American barbeque restaurants in Nashville and South Carolina. “It came in through the south after spreading both ways to Texas and east to Carolina and Missouri. All the people that learned from other cities came to KC and brought their styles. That’s really the one I grew up with.”