Restaurant founder John Rivers builds 2nd career of faith and barbecue

John Rivers' dream to open a Texas-style barbecue restaurant simmered for years on the back burner.

The life of this former health-care executive and Jacksonville native had always been fueled by faith and determination. So it was no surprise to many friends that in 2004 he launched a barbecue ministry to help members of a local family pay the mountain of medical bills associated with their daughter's battle with cancer.

Meghan Joyce lost her battle in 2005 at age 7, but her courage, strength and spirit laid the foundation of the core values of what was to become 4 Rivers Smokehouse. In the beginning, Rivers cooked out of his garage for various ministries, charities and friends.

In fact, the original 4 Rivers Smokehouse near Interstate 4 on Fairbanks Avenue was not conceived as a restaurant when it opened in October 2009.

"It was supposed to be commissary for the ministry," said Rivers. A takeout component was added to "Winter Park 1," as the team refers to the building that is now home to B&B Junction, a farm-to-table burger joint. "The next thing we knew, we had a line out the door and a parking issue to overcome."

Locations in Winter Garden and Longwood followed in 2011, and the cramped original Winter Park eatery moved east on Fairbanks Avenue into the old J&W Landscaping property in 2012. And a bakery component called The Sweet Shop offering premium ice cream and artisan shakes, drop-dead gorgeous baked goods and gourmet whoopie pies was added to the new entities.

Today, 4 Rivers has locations in Jacksonville and Gainesville, an eatery on track to open in April on University Boulevard near the University of Central Florida, and in July or August there will likely be another opening in Orange Park, near Jacksonville. There is also a line of sauces and rubs, and a mail-order operation.

And Rivers has just published his first cookbook, "The Southern Cowboy Cookbook," which includes recipes that were menu inspirations for The Coop, his soon-to-open restaurant concept in Winter Park that will focus on Southern comfort foods, including fried chicken.

Rivers is a four-time participant at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, and he has cooked at the James Beard House in New York.

"It hard to believe we're at this point in the road," said Rivers.

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Restaurant founder John Rivers builds 2nd career of faith and barbecue