Cape firefighters lend cooker to True-Que BBQ

For Byron Bonner, owner of True-Que Barbecue and pastor of True Vine Ministries on Bloomfield Road in Cape Girardeau, the devastating fire at True-Que on Friday is a loss, but he's on his way to reopening -- with a little help from the Cape Girardeau firefighters' big cooker.

"If I wanted to be sad, the Lord ain't giving me an opportunity," Bonner said. "The blessings are just coming left and right."

Bonner said the firefighters are frequent guests, pulling up together in several fire trucks, and sometimes he'll get a phone call from concerned people wanting to make sure he's OK, seeing so many fire trucks at once like that.

He laughed, noting that he tries to establish a relationship with all of his customers. "When I'm there, I'm at the window. That's who I am. I'm a pastor. I love people, to interact with them," Bonner said. "I don't meet strangers here."

Now, he said, so many people are calling to check in on him and make sure he's coping. "I can't describe it," he said. "I'm so grateful."

He's especially grateful for the firefighters. "They called me, and I thought we were going to talk business," he said, chuckling. "But they said they wanted me to use their smoker so I can open back up and won't be delayed a long time."

Bonner said for now, his main focus is moving the charred building out of the way, and volunteers will help him beginning Thursday [this] morning.

Next, he'll have to coordinate several steps to reopen.

"I went through a lot to get open," Bonner said. "You gotta have your I's dotted and your T's crossed."

All of the equipment, refrigerators, deep freezers, he had to sweat and work for, Bonner said. "But the Lord gave me a vision, and assured me he's going to take care of me," Bonner said.

"My employees were asking, 'What will we do?' I said, 'Y'all watch God move. I don't know what he'll do, but he'll do it.' And he's doing it."

Bonner hopes to reopen in the next couple of weeks, but isn't sure how long it will take. "I would like to have the building back, and wired, all of that. That's a lot." But the cooker will help.

A May 4 Facebook post by Cape Girardeau Firefighters stated that the group wanted to help a great local business get back up and running. The organization's big smoker is privately owned by the Fireman's Fund and Union, the post added, and is used for benefit cooks and events.

Bonner will post updates on the True-Que Facebook page.