Sibley’s Smokehouse was born from family, heritage, and the belief that good food is one of the most meaningful ways we can care for one another.
My Cajun roots run seven generations deep through Arnaudville, Louisiana. I am a direct descendant of Jacques Arnaud, and my grandmother, Ethel Arnaud Thompson, was the greatest culinary influence in my life.
We called her Mamère (pronounced meh meh), although many others knew her as “Shug.” Some of my earliest and most meaningful memories were formed in her kitchen. Mamère was always cooking. Meal after meal, year after year, she fed the people she loved—not for recognition, but simply because making others happy made her happy. For her, cooking was a labor of love.
As a young boy, I stood beside her in that kitchen, helping where I could and learning the foundations that would stay with me for the rest of my life. I remember her teaching me how to make a proper roux—something that may seem simple, but for me represents generations of Cajun tradition being passed from her hands to mine.
She often told my brother and me, “If you don’t know how to do anything else in life, make sure you at least know how to cook, clean, and do laundry.” I took those words to heart.
Those lessons shaped my brother Eric Sibley as well. He went on to become an executive/corporate chef and has spent more than 25 years in the restaurant business. His knowledge and experience have been another important influence on me, sharpening the way I think about flavor, technique, consistency, and what it means to serve people well. The path he built in the culinary world helped inspire my own, and his influence is part of the foundation behind Sibley’s Smokehouse.
The tradition of feeding family was present on both sides of my family. My father’s mother, Jody Sibley, was also a wonderful cook. I lost her when I was young, but I still remember the food she prepared during weekends with her. Her place in our family’s story lives on through the Sibley name.
Today, I carry those lessons forward with my wife, Lauren, and our children at the center of the next chapter. The values Mamere and Jody demonstrated in their kitchens—hospitality, hard work, and bringing people together around good food—are at the heart of Sibley’s Smokehouse. They are a big part of why I want to take what was passed down to me and build something lasting—something my family can be proud of and, perhaps one day, carry forward themselves.
Louisiana will always be where this story began, and Navarre, Florida, is where we are building its next chapter. Everything we create is rooted in the flavors, traditions, and memories that shaped me, made to be shared with the people gathered around your table.
Born in Louisiana, crafted in Navarre, FL
Founder,
Jason Sibley