Tori Amborn’s barbecue bus brings a new version of the Twisted Iron Grille, which operated at Twisted Iron Customs in its previous location in Wiscasset. Amborns son, Mason, works for the customs business, where she regularly cooked lunch for the employees, making her a natural choice for restarting the grill. (Elizabeth Walztoni photo)
A new addition to the Twisted Iron Customs complex on Route 1 in Edgecomb offers barbecue and more in with a unique, “twisted” style.
Tori Amborn, longtime friend of Twisted Iron owner Mike Benner and mother of one of the shop’s employees, has revived an old favorite with her own touch in the Twisted Grill, which opened Aug. 10.
Brisket, pulled pork, and ribs with classic sides, cheese fries, and innovative specials like cornmeal waffle sandwiches round out the menu with local meats smoked onsite for five or six hours over apple and cherry wood.
Amborn remembers visiting the original Twisted Iron Grille, which opened in 2016, at Twisted Iron Customs’ former location in Wiscasset. Benner’s brother, Travis, who operated the grill, gave her a tour.
“At that time, I thought it was one of the coolest places ever,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh, I see myself here.’”
Twisted Iron Grille closed and the Twisted Iron complex moved to its current location on Route 1 in Edgecomb several years ago, where Amborn’s son, Mason, found work in the shop.
Amborn lives in Rockport, and would drive up on Fridays to see him and cook the crew lunch during her visit.
Tori Amborn stands in the service window of her new venture, the Twisted Grill and BBQ, on Friday, Aug. 18. A friend told Amborn she has never looked as happy as she does in this window of the converted bus that houses her business. (Elizabeth Walztoni photo)
“One of Mike’s other brothers said, ‘Hey, you wanted to bring the grill back. Why don’t you have Mason’s mom do it?’”Amborn said. “And here I am.”
Twisted Grill offers some of Travis Benner’s original recipes, such as his meat rub, and some of Amborn’s own. She makes her own sauces, including barbecue, spicy mustard, and honey mustard, with vinegars in the works. Hot sauce is also available from a friend at Hot Hill Tavern in Thomaston.
Popular specials so far have included a pulled pork sandwich with bacon jam and cheese sauce served with a cornmeal waffle.
She tries to use as many local products as possible, buying meat from Caldwell Family Farms in Turner and cheese from Morse’s Sauerkraut in Waldoboro.
Amborn is self-taught on the barbecue smoker, an education she and a friend kicked off with a road trip across the Southern “barbecue circuit” from Kentucky to Houston several years ago. Twisted Grill’s offerings reflect a unique style developed from her experiences there and working in restaurants.
“People will be like, ‘What style barbecue do you do? And I go, ‘Twisted,’” Amborn said.
She makes almost everything from scratch and offers a nontraditional spin where she can. Chicken and an expanded menu are in the works as the business grows.
“I take what I have on hand and try to create different things with that,” she said. “I want to create different vessels to carry my meats in.”
Cooking is an attitude for Amborn, she said. She comes from a family of cooks and grew up gathering around food. When she had her own family, she felt frustrated with her own ability to cook.
“You know what, why don’t you change your attitude?” Amborn remembered saying to herself. “Tell yourself you’re good at it. And it was after that change in thought that things started coming together.”
The grill marks her first time in business for herself.
“I was horrible in math, I never took business. I just knew how to work,” she said. “I knew how to show up, I knew how to put my all in.”
Amborn said community connections helped the grill become a reality, particularly crediting Benner for his support and the other businesses at Twisted Iron. Twisted Grill joins a group at the Route 1 location, which is also home to Simple Creations, a gift and consignment boutique, and Twisted Tattoo.
She also credited vocational rehab services, the Maine Small Business Development Centers, and Coastal Enterprises Inc. for helping her get the grill running.
“It’s not as intimidating as it once was, because I know all I have to do is ask questions,” she said. “When you come from having no self-esteem and when you start seeing these things that you can do, you don’t want to stop, really.”
Amborn said she has big shoes to fill from Travis Benner, but the response has been “tremendous.” She sold out on her first day and already has repeat customers.
“I put a lot of love in my food and my fires, because both go hand in hand,” she said.
Twisted Iron Grille, located at Twisted Iron Customs, 17 Dodge Road (Route 1) in Edgecomb, is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
For more information, call 380-3651 or find the grill on Facebook.
Tori Amborn sets meat in the smoker, where it will cook for five to six hours. A self-taught barbecuer with a longtime love for cooking, she looks for local meat suppliers and makes her own dry rubs and sauces. “People will be like, ‘What style barbecue do you do?’ And I go, ‘Twisted,'” she said. (Elizabeth Walztoni photo)
