If you're ever in Hammond, La., and desperate for a pulled pork sandwich made with love, head over to Hi-Ho #1 Barbecue, owned (partially and silently, she emphasized) by none other than Georgia women's basketball head coach Ayla Guzzardo.
Hi-Ho Barbecue has been a staple in the Guzzardo family for 70 years.
Growing up, they used to cook the meat in their backyard. They also make their own sauce, though Guzzardo wouldn't share the secret recipe with us. Just know it's so good that Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks, also from Hammond, has been bugging her to bring some back for him next time she visits home.
"If you know anyone from the area, they love it," Guzzardo said.
Today, while she and her little sister jointly received her dad's portion of ownership when he passed away, it's mostly run by manager Zach Russell — who's also been a staple in the family forever.
"He is phenomenal," Guzzardo said of Russell. "My grandpa actually chose him to be the first person to offer to buy it. He keeps the Guzzardo legacy in. He's never changed anything."
Russell was unavailable for comment at the time this article was published.
Guzzardo said she'd always wanted to own a restaurant, that was her end goal, not coaching, but growing up, girls weren't allowed to work at Hi-Ho Barbecue — "pawpaw's rules," she said. She'd go to work with them as a kid, maybe get the chance to clean trays and wipe tables, but that was the extent.
"Girls didn't need to be in front of the counter," she recalled. "We protect our women. Women stay at home and they cook in the South. It just is what it is. Men go to work. We protect our women. They stay at home. That has always kind of been his mindset. When my dad started owning it, it trickled in a little bit, but my little sister got to work there. I've always just been busy with basketball and everything else."
Her first "real" job was as a graduate assistant with Akron women's basketball. Now, she's in her fourth head coaching gig.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Basketball, BBQ and Georgia coach Ayla Guzzardo's Louisiana upbringing