The search for a stolen smoker trailer belonging to Dallas chef Kent Rathbun is ramping up with a reward now totaling $12,500.
The recognizable fire engine-red smoker, which Rathbun relied on for his barbecue catering business, was stolen from the gated parking lot of his catering kitchen earlier this month while he was out of town, Rathbun said.
“I had this thing for 25 years,” he said. “It has been like a baby to me for a long time.”
A smoker trailer belonging to Dallas chef Kent Rathbun was stolen from the gated parking lot of his catering kitchen. The reward for its return is up to $12,500.(Kent Rathbun)
Eat Drink D-FW
The smoker was given to Rathbun as a birthday gift and it became a key part of his catering business. On July 21, the day he discovered it had been stolen, he was picking it up to cook for more than a thousand people at a pickleball championship tournament.
When Rathbun — known for now-closed restaurants Abacus and Imoto — posted on social media that his trailer had been stolen, he offered a $1,000 reward for its return and asked his followers to be on the lookout for it. Since then, friends and fellow chefs have pitched in their own money to up the reward and help Rathbun find his smoker.
“I am overwhelmed and humbled by the amount of people who have stepped up in this city,” Rathbun said, “and it tells me a lot about what kind of people Dallas has living in it.”
Chef Kent Rathbun’s résumé includes Abacus, Jasper’s and Imoto.(G.J. McCarthy)
He said he knows it’s likely that his smoker has already been repainted and had its signage stripped, but it would still be identifiable to him.
“I modified the fryer box, all the shelving, added three burners on one side of it with custom covers, added a toolbox,” he said. “It’s definitely custom.”
He estimates the smoker is worth about $27,000 with its modifications and upgrades.
Security-camera footage is currently being tracked down, Rathbun said, but as of now, there are no leads in the theft.
“I’m just hoping that people will call and say they saw a smoker like that,” he said. “I am absolutely blown away and overwhelmed by the support I’ve received. It humbles me.”