Pecos Pit Builds Kent Headquarters En Route to World Domination

Welcome back to Eater News, a semi-regular round-up of mini news bites. Have info to share? Email intel to seattle@eater.com.

• Pecos Pit, the local barbecue classic, is building out a 13,000-square-foot corporate headquarters and production facility in Kent to prepare for nine more restaurants in this area, including Federal Way, Ballard, and downtown Seattle. It’s all part of an ambitious plan to franchise nationwide and eventually worldwide.
• To congratulate his friend Will Guidara of Eleven Madison Park for the New York restaurant’s top spot on the controversial World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, Canlis co-owner Brian Canlis drove a rare barrel of scotch cross-country.
• Local food truck Chicagowest now shares a name with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s baby. The truck is embracing the coincidence with a new (but as yet unspecified) menu item called Babywest, due out this spring.
• The Good Food Awards 2018 winners are here, and 17 Washington producers — including Pure Alaska Salmon Company in Bellingham and Dragon’s Head Cider on Vashon — have been recognized “for leading the way towards a tasty, authentic and responsible food system.”
• Commonwealth, the new-ish Belltown bar from the owners of Pintxo, has been renamed Branchwater. The name refers to the naturally filtered stream water used by Kentucky and Tennessee whiskey distilleries and helps avoid any confusion with the Snoqualmie Pass restaurant Commonwealth.
• Heritage Radio Network’s Snacky Tunes podcast, which collects the songs that inspire chefs for “Chef Music Monday,” featured Seattle’s own Edouardo Jordan yesterday. His playlist includes a mix of soul, R&B, and hip hop.