Joplin’s: Ojai’s Newest Smokehouse with a Rock & Roll Twist
Smoke, music, and memory come together at Joplin’s, Ojai’s new barbecue spot from husband-and-wife team Saw and Brittany Naing. Built on years of culinary experience and a shared love of rock and roll, the restaurant is as personal as it is delicious.
In the early morning, when most of Ojai still lies in quiet slumber, the smokers at Joplin’s restaurant are already in full swing. The scent of burning oak and slow-cooked meat drifts through the cool air long before the doors open. Inside, chef-owner Saw Naing moves with practiced focus, checking temperatures, turning cuts of brisket, and tending to sausages. “It’s low and slow,” he explains. “That’s the art of cooking to me.”
One of Ojai’s newest dining spots, Joplin’s is a barbecue restaurant owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Saw and Brittany Naing. The couple, who met in Los Angeles and later worked together at The Dutchess, have poured their shared love of barbecue, hospitality, and rock and roll into their first solo venture. It is not just a restaurant; it is an extension of their lives, layered with memory and soul.
Born and raised in Burma, Saw’s earliest lessons in food came from his grandmother’s kitchen. “If it wasn’t her, it was my aunt or someone from my mom’s Indian side of the family,” he recalls. “Everything was always made fresh; even milk was skimmed by hand. That’s how I learned flavor: through memory.” He moved to the United States in 2007 at age 21 to study music. “I was auditioning, trying to get into bands, but it was hard,” he notes. “I couldn’t even afford a guitar.” To make ends meet, he worked wherever he could, from burger joints to sandwich shops. “I literally went door to door asking for a job.”
Cooking began as survival but quickly became a calling. He gave up on music, enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, and landed his first real kitchen job at Café Pinot, then one of Los Angeles’ top fine-dining restaurants. “My first mentor there was chef Sydney Hunter, who taught me all about French cuisine,” Saw explains. “From there, things just took off.”
Over the next decade, he honed his craft in some of L.A.’s best-known kitchens, including Thomas Keller’s iconic bistro Bouchon in Beverly Hills and the Spanish-inspired Bow & Truss in North Hollywood. Eventually, he joined the Rustic Canyon restaurant group, where, under chef Jeremy Fox, he helped to build the house-made masa program at Mexican restaurant Tallula’s in Santa Monica. “I wanted to learn as many cuisines as I could: French, Spanish, Mexican, everything,” he adds.
It was at Tallula’s that Saw met Brittany, who would become both his creative partner and his wife. Together, they joined Rustic Canyon owners Josh Loeb and Zoe Nathan to open The Dutchess in Ojai in 2022, where Brittany oversaw the beverage program as assistant general manager, and Saw remains a partner and head chef, splitting his time between that kitchen and Joplin’s.
At The Dutchess, Saw showcases his Burmese-Indian heritage through dishes that merge California’s seasonal ingredients with bold, complex flavors. The restaurant continues to earn praise from locals and visitors for its inventive food and sense of community, and this success inspired Saw and Brittany to create something of their own.
“Live-fire cooking is my passion,” Saw enthuses. And that fire burns at the heart of Joplin’s. Every dish takes time. The turkey breast, for example, is brined for 36 hours in spices, sugar, and vinegar before being marinated in mayonnaise overnight. “We smoke it low and slow for about three hours, and every 30 minutes, we brush it with melted butter,” he explains.
The brisket follows its own rhythm. “We bring in about 200 pounds a week,” Saw notes. “It’s seasoned, rested overnight, then smoked with red oak from 4am until early evening.” Even the sausage, a jalapeño-cheddar Cajun blend, takes nearly a week to prepare. “We grind leftover brisket and pork trimmings, mix them with our spice blend, stuff them, smoke them slowly for four hours at 150°F, then shock them in ice water, dry them, and smoke them again at 250°F,” he says. Nothing goes to waste. Leftovers become sandwiches or tacos on Tuesdays. “It’s the best way to repurpose and keep things fresh.” Even the sauces – tamarind, Carolina gold, and two house-made hot sauces – are crafted in-house. Saw sources his meat from small producers including Niman Ranch, Creekstone Farms, and Motley Crew Ranch in Buellton. “I’ve worked with them for six or seven years now,” he explains. “We developed a special grind just for the Joplin’s burger. I drive up every week to pick up the meat.”
Music runs just as deep at Joplin’s as the smoke and fire. After all, Saw grew up surrounded by it. “My mom was in the only all-female band in Burma in the 1970s, and my dad was a musician, producer, and songwriter,” he says. When he and Brittany lived in L.A., they spent their early days going to shows at the Whisky a Go Go and The Roxy. “We wanted to bring that spirit to Ojai,” he says. “Not for everyone, but for people who appreciate it.” Recently, Joplin’s received its license to host live music, something Saw and Brittany had been hoping for since opening. They plan to bring in small local acts twice a month, most likely on Tuesdays, and are already exploring the idea of adding comedy nights as well. For them, it is another way to create a space where food, community, and performance all come together under one roof.
Of course, the name Joplin’s also carries meaning. “Our first dog was named Joplin after Janis Joplin,” Saw says. “And the restaurant is named after her, too. Everything here is personal. It’s a labor of love.” As much as Joplin’s reflects Saw’s devotion to craft, it also carries Brittany’s touch. Her sense of style, rhythm, and connection shapes the space. “The dynamic between Saw and me is very balanced,” she says. “We share the same vision and trust each other completely. He handles the food, I handle the guest experience. We both love what we do, and we’re always looking for ways to make things better.” Her personality shows in small, thoughtful details. “The bathrooms are probably the most ‘me,’” she laughs. “They’re covered in flyers and ticket stubs that I’ve saved over the years. I love when restaurant bathrooms feel like a hidden world.”
Every element tells a story. “The art Saw did on the wall is so him, and the Southeast Asian twist in his BBQ reflects his roots,” Brittany explains. “We painted the walls green to match our first apartment, the yellow room is a nod to our wedding cake, the red chairs to my red wedding dress. Joplin’s is our life in restaurant form.” Her years in hospitality shape the energy of the place. “I’ve done it all. I’ve been a bartender, a line cook, a server, you name it, and those years were the best training ground for Joplin’s,” she says. “They made me a better leader, and that care shows in how we treat our guests. People want to feel seen. I want to really get to know everyone who walks through our doors.” For Brittany, that human connection is everything. “I live for hospitality,” she says. “My goal is to make everyone feel like they’re walking into our home. The music is loud, the food and drinks are flowing, and everyone is having a great time. Request a song, sing along, dig into incredible BBQ, and for that short time you’re here, let go of everything else.”
As we tuck into our barbecue lunch, a screen in the corner loops 1990s and early-2000s music videos, while The Cure plays in the background, adding the kind of nostalgic pulse that ties everything back to their shared love of rock and roll. Outside, a backyard-style patio spills into the Ojai air, dotted with plants and wooden tables. “There’s a lot of unseen labor behind this,” Saw says. “This isn’t about getting rich. It’s about passion, community, and people.”
Joplin’s
715 E Ojai Ave, Ojai, CA 93023
(805) 798-9053
joplinsojai.com
This article was first featured in the 2026 spring edition of Ojai Magazine. You can read the online version of the magazine here.
Photos by Elizabeth Haffner & Andrew Purcell
