From Egg Routes to Brisket Dreams: Meet the Man Bringing Southern Luv BBQ to St. Petersburg

Tampa, FL // FranchisePR.com // July 1, 2026 — Some people stumble into their calling. Xander Peden chased his — through neighborhoods, classrooms, boardrooms, and finally, a franchise expo where a plate of smoked brisket changed everything.

Xander grew up in Fort Myers in a family that knew hospitality the way most people know their own name. At 12, he was hand-delivering fresh eggs around his neighborhood with a smile. It wasn’t a gold-rush business, but it was a start — and looking back, Xander will tell you that little egg route planted a seed that never stopped growing.

His path wound through High Point University in North Carolina, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in sales with a double minor in marketing and finance, followed by a master’s in communication and business leadership. Along the way, he launched a property management business, took on fix-and-flip real estate projects, and eventually found his way into finance after graduation. That last move came with a bold one: relocating to a city where he knew exactly two people.

That city was St. Petersburg, Florida.

St. Pete has a way of getting into your soul, and it got into Xander’s quickly. He fell for the walkability, the warmth, the kind of city where strangers become friends and people genuinely show up for each other. Neighbors support local businesses here. People are chasing something meaningful and cheering each other on while they do it. For someone like Xander, being surrounded by that kind of energy didn’t just feel good — it made him think harder about what he really wanted from his own life.

What he kept coming back to was hospitality. The smiles. The energy of a room full of people being taken care of and fed well. He had grown up with it and missed it more than he expected.

“I missed seeing smiles on people’s faces,” Xander said. “I missed the feeling of creating an experience for someone.”

So he started looking. And at a franchise expo, he found Southern Luv BBQ — and its founder, Chef Essi Tadrus. The moment he started talking with Chef Essi, Xander felt it. The drive. The kindness. The genuine belief in what was being built. And then came the food.

It was, as Xander puts it, luv at first bite.

The Founder Behind Southern Luv BBQ

Chef Essi’s story is one of pure passion made real. His love affair with BBQ started at age five near Ft. Hood, Texas, where a plate of ribs practically became his entire diet for a year. By 19, he had already opened his first BBQ restaurant. What followed were years of culinary travel through the American South — Texas, Georgia, the Carolinas, Alabama, Tennessee — studying flavors, perfecting technique, and building toward something bigger and bolder than anyone expected.

The result is a concept unlike anything else in the BBQ space. Southern Luv BBQ operates out of a compact 600–1,000 square foot footprint with a ventless, hoodless kitchen — meaning it can go places traditional BBQ simply cannot: food halls, airports, college campuses, urban retail corridors. The menu anchors on slow-smoked, pecan-wood meats and from-scratch sauces with signature profiles like Sweet & Tangy, Sweet Carolina, Bama White Sauce, and Florida Sweet Heat. Nothing pre-made. Nothing canned. Ever.

When Xander sat down with Chef Essi at that expo, he didn’t feel like he was evaluating a business opportunity. He felt something rarer and harder to manufacture than any pitch deck could ever produce.

“Joining him as a franchisee didn’t feel like I was buying into something,” Xander said. “It was like joining a mission.”

Bringing Southern Luv to St. Petersburg

And that mission now has a home in St. Pete.

Xander’s vision for Southern Luv BBQ at 900 Central Avenue goes well beyond great food — though the food alone would be more than enough. He wants it to be a gathering place. Somewhere people feel genuinely welcomed from the moment they walk in. A spot where the community connects over good company and slow-smoked brisket, where the spirit of Southern Luv — kindness, generosity, showing up for each other — is felt in every single interaction.

Build-out at 900 Central Avenue begins soon, and if Xander Peden’s story tells us anything, it’s that when someone with his heart and hustle sets their sights on something, the community around them tends to feel it.

St. Pete is about to feel it.

Southern Luv BBQ Franchise Opportunity

For those inspired by Xander’s story and curious about what owning a Southern Luv BBQ could look like for them, the brand is currently awarding franchise territories across Florida — with single-unit licenses and multi-unit development packages available.

The best markets are moving quickly.

👉 Click here to learn more about the Southern Luv BBQ Franchise Opportunity:

https://franchisepressreleases.com/listing/southern-luv-bbq-franchise-opportunity-florida/

Southern Luv BBQ
Raising the Bar in Barbeque
Currently Franchising in Florida