"I was able to get everybody out," he says. "I turned the power off and we got out. I'm right down the street from the [fire station] number four. They were there in no time. So that was a good effort. I've been in this neighborhood so long, everybody knows where we are."
The place is often filled with firefighters and cops, but because they're putting away plates of barbecue, not because they're working.
Cohens, who recently turned 69, opened this spot in October 1995. He serves Memphis-style ribs, boudin sausage and all other manner of carnivorous mains and sides. Almost 29 years is an eon in the Dallas dining scene. That type of longevity is earned only through consistently great food. Baby Back Shak is, in fact, on our top 100 restaurants, and we've written about the ribs and meat sandwiches for years. During the pandemic, a takeout container of a little bit of everything filled a deep need (see photo below).
The fire was "severe," Cohens says, and the insurance company hasn't had time yet to determine whether the next step is a rebuild from the ground up or a renovation.
"It was my main smoking unit that caught fire," Cohens says. "Somehow a glitch happened in the main smoker, in the ventilation department of it. It has a cover over that part, so I don't have access to that, but that's the part that caught fire."
Baby Back Shak has been in The Cedars for almost 29 years. Here is a plate of boudin along with brisket and ribs.
Lauren Drewes Daniels
A GoFundMe has been set up to see the team at Baby Back Shak through. It was organized by Dude, Sweet Chocolate (and mama bear of the entire Dallas service industry) Katherine Clapner, who lives just blocks away from Baby Back Shak. The fund, which has a goal of $20,000, is designed to assist with the employee payroll and "help them rebuild a Dallas institution."
No matter what happens, Cohens is staying in his community.
"I love the Cedars," he said. "I've been there since '95. The support has been overwhelming and there are so many gifted and intelligent people in that neighborhood that rallies around each other. So I need that to keep going."
