NOKOMIS — Two enormous wrought iron roosters stand tall against a light blue building resting off South Tamiami Trail in Nokomis.
While the story for the roosters themselves goes back centuries, the BBQ fusion restaurant that sits behind them has only just recently joined the local scene.
Owners Paul Santos and Lisa Trevino came up with Two Roosters Fusion, a restaurant with a unique take on Southern comfort food, after they met in Massachusetts in 2017.
Santos is a United States Navy veteran, serving 10 years as a search and rescue diver, then moving into culinary operations for 12 years. Trevino is a travel ICU nurse and longtime cook.
The two decided to infuse their Portuguese and Latin heritage into New England-size BBQ dishes after falling in love with each other’s cooking.
“He loves my food, I love his food, so I said, ‘Let’s do this,’” Trevino said on the couple’s decision to join the area’s family-owned restaurant circle.
She is a Sarasota native. Santos is a Massachusetts native.