In the months since, the Houston natives and founders of Firedisc, which sells portable propane cookers and a variety of cooking tools, accessories and apparel, have achieved that goal—having hosted free events with live music, food, drinks and kids activities. The community-oriented mindset is important as their products are designed to make cooking outside accessible, easy and fun, Hunter said.
“That’s really our product line—it’s about family and friends,” Hunter said. “It’s about cooking outdoors, gathering around each other and sharing those experiences.”
The path that led to Firedisc began years ago when Griff was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
“The news was impactful on our family, but we kind of figured we can feel sorry for ourselves, or we can go beat this thing,” Hunter said.
They started a team for Bike MS: Texas MS 150, a two-day fundraising cycling ride, and over the years it became the largest noncorporate team in the United States, Hunter said.
Eventually, after seeing their success in fundraising and partnering together, the brothers began considering a business venture. Both were invested in commercial real estate careers, but they soon found themselves taking a napkin drawing of a Firedisc prototype to a Houston welding shop with a goal to create the world’s most innovative portable cooker.
Now, just over a decade after their creation, Firedisc products are online and in about 700 stores across 44 states. Opening the flagship store marked an exciting moment for Firedisc, Griff said.
“We’ve tried to have it be a place where there is something for the whole family,” Griff said.
As far as the products themselves, Firedisc cookers are built to last, Griff said. The cookers fire up fast, season like a cast-iron skillet, clean up quickly with water, and are designed to be easily taken apart for travel and storage.
A Firedisc can be used to cook anything, they said, suggesting steak, funnel cake, and macaroni and cheese.
“There’s nothing you can’t cook on there,” Griff said.
The Katy store also is filled with cooking accessories, Firedisc apparel, seasonings, wagyu beef and more, offering customers everything they need to be able to leave the store ready to start cooking.
In the years ahead, the brothers plan to open additional stores across the country. For now, they are continuing to get their name out into the Katy community and are looking forward to hosting more events, including cooking classes and tailgating parties, in the near future.
“Like our store, a Firedisc is fun to use and creates a place for people to literally gather around and enjoy a social atmosphere,” Hunter said. “It’s unlike any other cooker.”
