A barbecue stand known for brisket smoked over South Jersey cherry wood is set to take over the more-than-140-year-old Dodge's Market in Elmer, with plans to add a barbecue smoker to the rear kitchen by spring 2027. Flame & Ember BBQ owner Ed Freed has taken over the building at 55 Chestnut St., marking the first permanent home for a business that has spent its existence serving customers from a weekend stand.
According to NJ.com, the plan calls for barbecue smoked on-site alongside a revival of the classic Dodge's Market experience, including fresh produce, market items and a deli serving sandwiches. Dodge's Market sits on Route 40 in Elmer, and work on the building is already underway, with a new roof installed and a full paint job planned. Freed also plans to add a barbecue smoker to the rear kitchen, and he hopes to eventually turn the vintage upstairs into an event space.
Until the Elmer location opens, Flame & Ember is still serving customers at its existing stand at 472 Main Road in Vineland, open from noon to 6 p.m. Fridays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, per the same report. The stand has built its reputation on brisket, pulled pork and turkey smoked over South Jersey cherry wood, along with Grandpa Hahn's Ribs served in the stand's signature red sauce, plus fries and cheese curds cooked in beef tallow.
A Taste of What's Coming to Elmer
Flame & Ember's current menu offers a window into what Elmer diners might expect once the smoker is running at Dodge's Market. The stand serves its smoked meats on grilled brioche buns with provolone, and also piles them over house-made macaroni and cheese, according to the NJ.com report.
Separately, 42 Freeway reports the owners plan to preserve the building's historic character, including its original hardwood floors, as they combine a barbecue restaurant with a return to the market's earlier grocery and deli functions. The outlet also notes the owners are considering serving barbecue on extended weekends while keeping the market open the rest of the week, though that arrangement has not been finalized.
A Landmark With Deep Roots in Downtown Elmer
Dodge's Market dates to 1886, when the Reed family opened it, and the building most recently operated as a general store and restaurant before being listed for sale. Brothers Raymond and Alden Dodge bought the market in 1940 and ran it for 53 years, building a reputation that, per NJ.com, once drew customers from as far away as New York City for its aged cheddar.
The market changed hands several times after 1993, and later operators added ice cream and deep-fried peanuts and cashews to the offerings, the report states. A 2011 renovation plan described by NJ.com's Gloucester County coverage had envisioned moving the market's florist to an adjacent barn and remodeling the second floor as a banquet space. That same 2011 report detailed a market stocked with fresh produce, meats, homemade specialties, fruit baskets, roasted peanuts, roasted cashews and its famous cheddar cheese, alongside cold and hot subs, specialty sandwiches, salads, panini, homemade soups and quiche, plus specialty goat cheeses and other gourmet goods.
Whether Flame & Ember's deli and market side will fully match that old lineup remains to be seen, but the plan to blend smoked meats with the market's grocery and sandwich roots suggests Elmer's historic storefront is headed for a new chapter rather than a demolition. For now, barbecue fans looking for a taste can still find Freed's crew serving up brisket and ribs at the Vineland stand while the Chestnut Street building gets its new roof, fresh paint and smoker ready for 2027.
