San Angelo's Pit Masters: When Jesse Sanchez and D.J. Ridenour, best friends for years and owners of The Pit BBQ, first discussed the possibility of opening up their own restaurant, they had no idea just how popular it would become in such a short time. 

The whiz of harried traffic on Martin Luther King Boulevard belies the quiet, funky commune tucked behind pencil-shaped fence pickets. The morning sun bathes the property in a rosy glow. Birds chirp, wind chimes tinkle gently in the breeze and artists – as a sign near the entrance reads – are already at play.

Jaton and Courtney Hampton had been living and working in the Dallas area for seven years when opportunity – in their hometown of San Angelo, of all places – came knocking.