what the big deal was, I didn't even eat the first day. I think I ate part of the chicken and threw the pork away. But the next Friday came around and we went back to Mr. Davis' house, and I ate a little bit more. In a couple of weeks, come 11:30am, my mouth would begin to water. It was eastern North Carolina-style barbecue. I loved it."

After discovering what would later become his career, Don sampled many others types of barbecue in the eastern part of the state every Sunday. He was also influenced by Randy McCall who owns barbecue restaurants in Goldsboro, Morehead City, and Jacksonville.

Hawg Wild initially opened in December of 1997. But on July 7, 2001, a late-night fire literally brought Hawg Wild to its knees. Looking back on the devastating incident, Don says it was actually a blessing in disguise. "Every burden that was on me was lifted and gone. There are so many blessings that came from that fire. Our family has spent more time together, all of us." Although the rebuilding effort was exhausting. As far as restarting, its exciting, but difficult. Putting in countless amounts of hours. The final result of the new Hawg Wild, Don says "I love it.