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ALL IN THE FAMILY:
The Evolution of Wiseguy's into One of the Area's 
Most Unique Restaurants

By Robert E. Martin

While the East & West Coast may have such noted chefs like Wolfgang Puck and Emeril, the tri-cities is not without its colorful and talented cooks that pride themselves upon serving and preparing quality food in a 'signature' manner that nobody else can imitate.

Pete Crawford, Sr. is one of those 'name chefs' in that takes pride in consistency and innovation.

A 5-star 'Grill Man' with a storied past and reputation for concocting tasteful and authentic Italian & Cajun cuisine, Crawford has recently focused his attention upon converting the club Wiseguys, which he has built over the past eight years with his son, Pete, Jr., daughter, Colleen, and wife Sharrie Williams, into a completely original and authentic 'family run'  'Smokehouse' serving grilled & smoked chicken, ribs, and steaks unlike any other place you will find in the tri-cities.

With each member of the family trained in their own specialty, Crawford is
extending a time-honored tradition that he recalls inheriting at an early
age.  "I come from an Italian, Irish, and Hungarian background," he
explains, "and all the women would do is cook all weekend, so I started by
helping them out."

Eventually, Crawford graduated to become a 'boiler man' at such legendary
Saginaw Steak Houses as The Log Mark and Chris' Highlife, until he moved
with his brother in the late '50s to Atlantic City.

"My brother Mickey Crawford was a professional boxer and when he went to
training camp in Atlantic City I went along for the ride.  All the training
camp fighters stayed with Sonny Liston, the Heavy Weight champ of the world
at that time, about seven miles from town. My brother Mickey was the Number
Two contender in the world for awhile, so in the winter we would go down to
Miami and it was there that I developed and honed my reputation."

"Once you get a reputation as a good steak man, you can go anywhere in the
country," asserts Crawford.
"For about four years I would move from different restaurants on the East
Coast, which is where I honed my talent for Italian food. When I went to
Louisiana & Florida, I started working with Creole entrees, but mainly I've
always liked the 'hands-on' approach of working directly with coal and
fire."

Eventually, Crawford found his services so in demand by club owners that
they would volley him all over the United States.  "They'd fly me all over
the country to cook steaks," laughs Crawford.

"My father-in-law at the time owned the biggest Italian restaurant and
entertainment club on the East Coast. Entertainers like Dean Martin and
Frank Sinatra and boxers like Rocky Marciano would come into town to
perform and they'd call me to cook for them.  They couldn't believe it.
Everybody thought I was too young to be a 'broiler man'."

Around 1964 Pete moved back to Saginaw when his father passed away and
decided to get back into the food business, opening his first restaurant
with his daughter Colleen when she was 14-years old. "We started this
little fish fry and ever since I've worked with my own children to teach
them the food business," relates Pete. "That's why with the Smokehouse
we're at a point where we all know each other's jobs.  My son, Pete, Jr. is
a great 'pit master' and has been studying and perfecting it for four
years."

About two years ago, the idea for evolving Wiseguy's Smokehouse came into
fruition.  "We always wanted to offer a full menu, but it's hard to compete
with the chain restaurants," states Crawford. "So I wanted to come up with
something special that not many people can do, which is authentic barbecue."

According to Crawford, no other restaurant in the tri-cities prepares
barbecue in the manner of the Smokehouse.
"It takes a long time to do because you have to cook it very slow.  Just
keeping the fire at the correct temperature is not something a lot of

people can do.  It's a method of offset cooking."

The self-designed 'cooker' that Crawford and his family came up with took
four years to perfect. "We call it 'Frankenstein' because it started as big
as this table and now is a full sized 'oven' that requires a specially
built trailer," notes Crawford.

By utilizing wood and charcoal the heat goes through a tube that indirectly
cooks the meats. No gas is used and three different types of wood are
employed: oak for heat, and others for flavoring.  "It's a hard way to
cook, but a unique way."

Seeing as everything begins at its source, Pete, Jr. literally 'fuels' the
brunt of the responsibility.  "The most challenging thing about cooking
this way is patience," he reflects. "I've got to sit by that fire for 8 to
10 hours and sometimes longer. It takes six hours to cook the ribs and
sometimes 12 to 14 hours for pork shoulders to break down because it isn't
like turning on gas at home where you get consistent heat."

"Some logs burn hotter on certain days and the temperature is never
consistent, so I've got to check the fire every ten or fifteen minutes and
I'm constantly tinkering with it. It's not an exact science like turning on
the frying pan and you don't want to rush the product."

"Pete has to constantly check the temperature and make sure it's a
consistent 250 degrees," notes Colleen. "The temperature has to be perfect

so the fat comes out but the meat doesn't dry up, which is hard."

The development of menu items offered at Wiseguys Smokehouse was also a
collaborative effort.  Pete, Sr. recently added a one pound 2-inch thick
center cut New York Strip Steak that is grilled to perfection. At $15.00,
you won't find a better steak or fairer price in the tri-cities.

"Apart from the ribs, chicken and steaks, we developed a lot of Louisiana
specialties," she continues. "Sharrie is good with making sauces and used
one of her Mom's secret recipes.  I'm good at organizing and decorating and
working with salads, and Shannon is very good with steaks. She put together
the 'Don's Sandwich' and is also really good at cooking ribs. Everybody
that works here is family, and we aren't hiring any outside people. That
way we're assured of our own quality control"

Because of the 'specialized nature' of such cooking, Wiseguys Smokehouse
currently serves food on Friday, Saturday & Sunday from noon until 10 PM,
or until the food runs out.

"Eventually we may expand to seven days," notes Pete, "but are more intent
upon serving a good product all the time. It takes us all week just to
prepare everything for the three days we do serve, because we're not using
any shortcuts."

With mouth-watering portions and full salads and side items, it is hard to
think of many restaurants in the tri-cities where you receive such generous
portions at so reasonable a price.

"We're able to keep the prices reasonable because we do all the work
ourselves," comments Colleen. "We probably put in a nice 15-hour day on
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and do 45 hours just over the weekend. It
definitely keeps us busy."
Additionally, Wiseguys Smokehouse also offers a full catering facility for
parties, weddings, and get-togethers.  "We've got it all and offer a full
catering menu," explains Colleen.

"We can prepare fancy seafood dishes, shrimp, pork loins, dips, platters,
you name it. Shannon and I take turns with the catering and we also offer a
'free taster' that allows customers to sample items they'll have at their
party. Once they decide on what they enjoy, we put the contract together."

Although Sharrie Willams has been gaining international success with her

musical career and has been away in Europe touring considerably over the
past year, she is still an integral force in the Wiseguys operation.

"I've been singing more than I've been cooking lately," she laughs, "but I
think everything about Wiseguys is getting better and better.  I started on
this stage eight years ago and now I'm singing all over Europe, but one
thing I'd like to see is the Barbecue work into the Blues musical format,
maybe by doing a Blues Barbecue one night a week. Everywhere I go, the
Blues & Barbecue go hand-in-hand."

Of course, one of the joys of experiencing the 'Smokehouse' is the element
of creative surprise that comes with an evolving establishment.

"I may add Shrimp Scampi to the menu in the near future," notes Pete, "and
on Sundays we do more of a 'family dining' approach. We use a lot of fresh
peppers and tomatoes in the summer and grill a lot of fresh vegetables.
Plus, Sis makes some wonderful cornbread."

"Barbecue is what we're centered around," concludes Pete, "but we'll
definitely have new items coming out. I've just added the one pound New
York Strip, and as the weather changes we may get into Jamaican Chicken and
maybe even try offering some trout and Friday night fish frys in the near
future."

"Mainly, we're a hard working family that wants to offer great food you
can't find anywhere else in the area at a reasonable price. And we work
only with the best local suppliers. Places like Huron Fish and Hamilton
Home Bakery."

One thing you can rest assured of is the fact that it doesn't take a fancy
plate or a high price tag to frame a fabulous meal.  Be sure to experience
the wonders of Wiseguys Smokehouse, located at 3504 State Street in
Saginaw.

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