Michael Letchworth
Sam Jones BBQ Owner · Host, Fox Hollow Outdoors · Father
Meet Michael Letchworth. Entrepreneur, pitmaster, outdoorsman, and above all else, Larken’s dad. Known for his role as an owner of Sam Jones BBQ, Michael spent more than half his life dedicated to barbecue before realizing the thing he wanted most couldn’t be built inside a restaurant. These days, his focus is time. Time outside, time traveling, and time spent chasing hunts and fish alongside his son.
That shift became Fox Hollow Outdoors, a project Michael co-hosts with Larken. What started as a simple short film about their relationship turned into something bigger: a story about fatherhood, purpose, and finding your way back to what matters.
Where are you from, and what shaped you growing up?
Ayden, North Carolina. Looking back, I honestly think it was my parents’ work ethic.
What do you spend most of your time chasing these days?
A hunt or a fishing trip with my son, Larken.
When do you feel most in your element?
Creating and streamlining processes.
What’s a skill you’ve worked years to get right?
Trusting the process.
What made you want to create a TV show with your son, Larken?
Based on feedback I’d gotten from things I shared on social media with Larken, I thought it would be cool to make a short film about our relationship. How he led me to the outdoors, and how that became the foundation of our relationship and the thing that’s given me true purpose and joy. More than one short film was never the goal, but we enjoy creating and telling a story. It turned out we had more we wanted to share.
What’s a lesson you keep coming back to?
If they show you who they are, believe them.
What Williams knife do you reach for without thinking?
The Petty Knife.
What’s a small detail you obsess over?
My inbox and messages being clear every day.
What’s something you’re still trying to figure out?
Being in the moment and learning to be content.
What’s something every son deserves to learn from their father?
A path to level up and be a better man than dad was.
How do you want to be remembered?
As an intentional father, a compassionate leader, and someone who could always be counted on.
Favorite quote or motto?
“This too shall pass.”
