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FRESNO, Calif. () – From a backyard in southwest Fresno to the national stage, an award-winning chef is coming back to the Central Valley, and he’s bringing his critically acclaimed barbecue with him.
Matt Horn, a graduate of Edison High School, is preparing to open a new location in Fresno later this year. Known for his devotion to craft, community, and culture, Horn reveals that this opening is deeply personal.
“The Central Valley made me who I am,” Horn said. “I grew up here, played football and ran track at Edison. Coming back home means everything to me. I get chills just thinking about it.”
Horn’s culinary journey began in his grandmother’s backyard in Fresno. He taught himself to barbecue through trial and error — sometimes burning the meat, sometimes undercooking it — but always learning.
“That backyard was my classroom,” he said.
Horn eventually moved to Tracy, where he started selling barbecue at a local farmers market before relocating to the Bay Area. There, a series of pop-ups led to the 2020 opening of his first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Oakland, right in the middle of the pandemic.
Since then, Horn Barbecue has earned national acclaim, including recognition from the Michelin Guide, James Beard Foundation, and . Horn Barbecue is also the first and only Black-owned barbecue restaurant in the
“Barbecue isn’t often seen as high-end cuisine, but the amount of care and detail we put into it — it deserves that respect,” Horn said. “Some of our briskets are cooked for 14 to 16 hours. Every rub, sauce, and sausage is made from scratch. Nothing is rushed.”
The new Fresno location will be at . The restaurant will feature a large patio that wraps around the building, a private event space, and live music programming with artists from around the country. It will follow a “fine casual” dining format, where guests order at the counter and choose their meats and sides with help from the staff.
Horn says the Fresno restaurant will mirror the size and style of his Elk Grove location, with some extra touches to reflect the love he has for his hometown.
“This is about more than food,” he said. “We’re planning community initiatives, partnerships with local organizations, and finding ways to give back to the place that raised me.”
The reaction from the community, he says, has been overwhelming.
“I’ve been getting messages and calls from old teammates, classmates — people I haven’t seen in years. It’s emotional,” Horn said. “At every other opening, it’s been ‘Welcome to town.’ But here, people are saying, ‘Welcome home.’”
Horn’s return to Fresno comes just in time for his 20-year high school reunion; he says it feels like things have come full circle. Though he now operates restaurants across the state — including locations in Oakland, Lafayette, and Elk Grove — he plans to spend a lot of time in the Fresno location.
“This is my life’s work,” Horn said. “If I have to work seven days a week, I will. Because this is where it all started. And now, we’re bringing something beautiful back to the Valley.”
Horn Barbecue in Fresno is expected to open later this year.