about us
Any event hosted by TnT Q & Catering promises an experience in excellence. Tim’s Pitmaster skills with smoked meat and Tara’s attention to detail make the most tantalizing combination.
BORN TO BBQ
low and slow
Tim & his wife, Tara grew up in and around Restaurants. You could say they’re marinated in, and married to the Industry.
From this lifetime of experience comes an authentic sense of Hospitality and a great partnership. He Smokes it, She Serves it!
Trust TNT to help you throw a Smoky Feast that will keep your guests talking!
FOUNDED WITH PASSION FOR AUTHENTIC BARBEQUE
Having spent his childhood in his parents’ diner, Indiana native Chef Tim Eylens has always felt a connection to the restaurant industry and credits his nontraditional upbringing as the key driver to his 20-year culinary career.
At the young age of 22, Eylens hit the open road, opting for hands-on experience in busy restaurant kitchens rather than formal training via culinary school. He landed in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1998 where he began honing his skills alongside Parisian transplant and restaurateur, Arnauld Briand (Eric Ripert’s Le Bernardin; Executive Chef: former World Trade Center’s Cellar in the Sky; and NYC’s Rainbow Room). He continued to move up through the ranks within notable Las Vegas kitchens, and following six years splitting time between Ventano Italian Grill & Seafood and Half Shell Seafood & Gaming, he made a move west to Southern California’s temperate climate and sizzling culinary scene.
In San Diego, Eylens expanded his culinary reach with positions at locally based notables such as Ken Irvine’s Bleu Boheme. In 2015 he found his place with the Cohn Restaurant Group working in the kitchens of several different restaurant concepts including BO-beau kitchen + bar, OB Warehouse and Chef Deborah Scott’s Indigo Grill.
In 2018, Eylens opened doors as the Pitmaster of CRG’s first Barbeque Restaurant, Coaster Saloon in Mission Beach. His cult-like following and reputation within San Diego’s barbeque circle made him the perfect fit for the Texas-style BBQ menu at the beachside bar.
Following success at Coaster Saloon, in 2019 Eylens took his BBQ expertise eastward to San Diego’s Del Cerro neighborhood to launch the CRG’s family-friendly eatery, Del’s Hideout. Chef Tim continues to showcase his traditional “low and slow” techniques to turn out some of the best barbeque in San Diego.
Tara was born the first female Marlo in 5 generations and it’s almost as if she’s been inside a Restaurant ever since. Nearly all of her family members worked in the Hospitality Industry. Her Grandparents opened Marlo’s Lounge in the late 60’s in Sesser, Illinois. Her Parents ran Marlo’s Restaurants and a nightclub in Mt. Vernon, Illinois in the early 70’s to mid 80s. She had an Uncle that opened Marlo’s Coal Inn in the mid 90s, & cousins that owned 3 Brothers Cafe in Sesser, Illinois in 2012. Her Father moved the entire Family to Las Vegas in the late 80’s to manage a restaurant at the iconic Dunes Hotel and Casino.
It’s no surprise that Tara met Tim, of course, in a restaurant! The first restaurant they opened together was the Otay Border Grill and Bar. They ran that for a little over a year. That led to their 10+ year relationship with Cohn Restaurant Group.
Tara has worked for great locations throughout San Diego over the years, including Brigantine Family in Coronado, Ketch in Pt. Loma and STK in the Gaslamp Quarter but TNT is the culmination of their dream to work together.
