Dave Anderson is back in the kitchen and will open a new barbecue restaurant in Hayward, Wisconsin, on April 14. Photo from Old Southern Smokehouse BBQ

Famed entrepreneur Dave Anderson is opening up a new barbecue restaurant in Wisconsin on April 14.

The Old Southern Smokehouse BBQ will be located in Hayward, just a few miles from the border of the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation. It's also not far from the original location of Famous Dave's, the restaurant that put Anderson on the map.

"I have been in total awe of the huge outpouring of congratulations, encouragement, and support that has been swamping my Facebook page," Anderson said late last night on Facebook.

The original Famous Dave's was destroyed by a fire last November. It was the only one that Anderson still owned and operated -- all of the others are part of an international chain that went public in 1996.

Anderson departed ways with the corporate Famous Dave's entity a year ago. But he was prohibited from re-entering the barbecue world for a year by a non-compete agreement, The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

"All I an say is this past year has been a very emotionally hard year for me as I could not share that I had nothing to do with the company that I founded or the fact that most of my life I had one dream and that was to make people happy with my BBQ smoked meats, sides, and my desserts," Anderson said earlier on Wednesday.

But since the non-compete deal is up, Anderson is ready to share his creations once again with the world. He's holding interviews today through Saturday to staff up Old Southern.

"I want to make it very clear there are no sour grapes with me and all those that I love at Famous Dave's," Anderson said. "Real change is hard but sometimes it is necessary in order for you to grow."

Anderson ran the Bureau of Indian Affairs during part of the Bush administration. He only lasted about a year and said he left in frustration due to a lack of support among subordinates and higher-level officials.

Anderson is a member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band, the tribe of his late mother, Iris Anderson. His late father, James Anderson, was a member of the Choctaw Nation.

Get the Story:
Famous Dave's founder is opening a new barbecue restaurant (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 4/2)

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First location of Famous Dave's restaurant destroyed in blaze (11/4)