From an Executive Chef's Kitchen to a Texas Brisket
Steph’s father, Jason Kina, worked his way from dishwasher to executive chef at a hotel in O’ahu, cooking at events including the Super Bowl. Steph grew up eating well, but cooking wasn’t part of his own plan. He served in the military, earned a bachelor’s degree from Penn State and two master’s degrees from Golden Gate University, and he took a job as an accountant in the Bay Area.
Brisket changed his direction. Steph didn’t know the cut existed until he was stationed at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio around 2017. He fell for Texas-style barbecue and couldn’t find it anywhere he went after that.
By 2019, Steph was studying Matt Pittman’s Meat Church BBQ videos, teaching himself to smoke in his backyard.
No Rules, Long Lines
The pandemic pushed Steph’s family to Kalispell for a fresh start. He noticed Montana had no barbecue to speak of and launched 406 BBQ with a three-day pop-up in August 2021. The pop-up sold out every day.
“I look back now, and the brisket was garbage,” Steph says. But the feedback was strong, competition was scarce, and Steph leaned into the gap. He took classes at Truth BBQ in Houston, studied Goldee’s Barbecue, and sharpened his craft.
A month after the first pop-up, 406 BBQ drew the longest line of any vendor at its next event. Steph quit his accounting job and became a full-time chef.
As an Asian American cooking traditional Southern barbecue in rural Montana, Steph faced early skepticism. His answer was on the plate.
“I don’t care what I look like,” he says. “How do I win them over with my food?”
The food won. 406 BBQ became the name Montanans think of when they think of barbecue. Steph cooked at the 150th Kentucky Derby in 2024, becoming the only pitmaster from Montana ever invited, and recently competed on Food Network’s “Chopped Castaways.”
Pushing the Craft Forward
Steph’s cooking pulls from his Asian and Polynesian heritage. He wraps brisket in leaves with coconut milk for a Samoan-style Palusami, a dish he’s served to UFC fighters Travis Browne and Ronda Rousey. He paired currywurst sauce with smoked brisket and German potato salad at Oktoberfest in Kalispell, where 406 BBQ again drew the longest line.
Coming into barbecue with no formal training gave Steph freedom. “There’s rules for barbecue that someone created, but you don’t have to follow them,” he says. “That let me be as creative as I wanted.”
“Honoring the roots but pushing the craft forward” is how Steph summarizes his approach.
Why MKC?
Steph’s professional relationship with MKC started when he met MKC co-owner Brandon Horoho at an event in Kalispell in 2022. After Steph smoked a whole alligator, Brandon suggested a collaboration.
MKC believed in Steph before he had a social media following or a content platform. Their first collaboration was a video promoting the Flathead Fillet knife in which Steph smoked another whole alligator on camera. When MKC later brought Steph onto the Field Team, the news hit hard.
“I was trying not to cry,” Steph says. “They’re the company I love so much.”
Steph’s go-to culinary kit includes three knives. The Smith River Santoku is his brisket trimming knife, cutting his per-brisket time from five minutes to three. On heavy catering days, Steph trims 20 or more briskets with the Santoku alone.
The Bighorn Chef handles high-volume prep work. The Flathead Fillet, the same knife from the alligator video, covers precision cuts in the kitchen.
Faith, Family and Fire
When it comes to his business, Stephen puts Jesus first and food second. “The growth we’ve had can only be attributed to what the Lord has done for us,” he says.
His wife keeps the household running when catering weekends stretch long. Without her support, Steph says, 406 BBQ wouldn’t exist.
His two sons, Ronin and Ryu, are starting to appear in his cooking videos. Steph wants them to carry on the work ethic Jason Kina modeled: dishwasher to executive chef, one rung at a time.
“A lot of people may have talent,” Steph says, “but if they’re lazy, nothing’s going to come from it.”
Keep Up With Steph
- Website: 406-bbq.com
- Instagram: @406_bbq
- Facebook: 406 BBQ Kalispell
- TikTok: @406bbq
