Often referred to by customers as "Big Mike," owner Mike Gray begins his days at 5 a.m. and drives about 45 minutes from his Navasota home to arrive at The Wooden Spoke in Magnolia. Mike settles into the barn and covered eating area he handcrafted for the restaurant, fires up the pit and cooks for customers until he returns home after 9 p.m. six days each week. "I'm a hardworking man," Mike said. "I believe in being fair. I believe in my customers getting a value and having a good experience when they come and eat. I try to meet and greet every one of my customers and put a personal touch on it." For about 35 years Mike worked as a maintenance technician and decided to shift gears in his career after undergoing four back surgeries and nearly requiring a fifth one. From 2008-11, Mike and his sister Marylin operated a restaurant in Huntsville that served barbecue and other dishes until they opted to find a more visible location. In November 2012, The Wooden Spoke was born when Mike and Marylin ventured into Magnolia and set up their barbecue food trailer along FM 2978. Over the past two years, Mike constructed a barn and covered eating area to house the restaurant, which serves a full menu of high-quality barbecue favorites served fresh. The dishes include pork loins, pulled pork, ribs, brisket, chicken, sandwiches, sausage, boudin, Frito pies and chili during the winter months. The Wooden Spoke also offers catering for family gatherings and weddings. "I've been cooking competition brisket for probably about 20 years," Mike said. "It's a hobby. I enjoy cooking, and I got pretty good at it. [Cooking] was something me and my mother did together [before her death in 2012]. I guess it's where my first love came from." Mike said his longtime passion for competition cooking began in 1992 when he entered his first barbecue cookoff at a neighborhood bar and earned third place. For the past seven years, Mike has competed at the annual World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. In 2008, Mike was the runner up in his first year entering the contest and placed sixth last year against 463 participants throughout the state. The Wooden Spoke also competes in the annual barbecue cookoff hosted by the Greater Magnolia Area Chamber of Commerce and charity events. Mike's oldest son, Michael Jr., helps cook at the events, and his wife of nearly 40 years, Theresa, visits the restaurant as often as her health conditions allow. With the help of a few other employees, Mike said the restaurant serves about 700 to 800 customers in an average week. Mike said he enjoys forming close bonds with his customers, who range from a lunch crowd of local workers to professional football players who live in The Woodlands as well as visitors from out of state. "We try to sell competition-style meats—it's not just your regular brisket," Mike said. "Without tooting my own horn, my customer service and [ability to] adapt to my customers [are] what keeps people coming back. I trim every brisket myself. I have my own mixture of seasonings that I use. My barbecue is all unique." Mike said he hopes to continue expanding his customer base and is developing plans to potentially open a second location later this year on FM 1488 near Fields Store Road with a few of his friends. "Some people talk about The Wooden Spoke, some people talk about The Spoke, but most people say, 'Let's go to Big Mike's and get some barbecue,'" Mike said. "I like to have that personal touch. I'm always going to do whatever it takes to satisfy my customers."