Fireside Kitchen & Grills hosted a week-long grand opening at Harmony Crossing April 1-4 to show off the capabilities and multiple uses of its outdoor kitchen appliances and products.
Owner Greig McCully has been a business owner for more than 35 years and has operated a variety of companies, including within the automotive and medical industries.
“My first business was a car detailing business in college called Apple Polishing Systems. I later worked in medical sales, then founded PDSHeart, which became the largest provider of cardiac event and Holter (heart) monitoring devices in the nation,” said McCully. “I created Fireside in 2010 when I decided to stop traveling to be with my family in Augusta.”
A Georgia native, McCully continues to live full-time in Augusta, where the main Fireside store is located. However, he maintained a lake house on Lake Oconee for many years. He remained involved with the community by participating in The Big Event each year and being a board member on the Lake Oconee Area Builders Association.
“I lived at the lake part-time; then full-time from 2007 through 2020. My son, Hogan, graduated from the local private school, Nathanael Greene Academy, with which I was heavily involved with during his attendance. I have been a member of the Lake Oconee Area Builders Association since 2010 and have great relationships with many local builders in the area,” said McCully.
McCully has been in the outdoor cooking business since 2007, when he opened the original Fireside Kitchen store. The business initially started as a teaching opportunity to assist local ministries on how to build tables for Big Green Egg grills, but soon developed into a full-time business.
Since then, Fireside has contributed to the completion of more than 8,000 outdoor kitchens and conducted at least 130 cooking classes using the products it sells.
“We are among the most experienced in our industry, and we are among the only ones that offer CAD design services, delivery, installation, and service after the sale on everything we sell,” said McCully. “Alongside outdoor kitchens, Fireside sells outdoor cabinets, grills, appliances, fire tables, heaters, gas logs, cookware, cutlery, charcoal, pellets, seasonings, sauces, cleaning supplies, and more. Basically, if it is used in or around outdoor spaces of homes, we sell it.”
During opening week, McCully showcased several outdoor kitchen appliances by preparing various dishes with them. The week began with pizza in Gozney pizza ovens, sliders and hamburgers on an EVO flat-top grill, and ended with brats, burgers, grilled fruits, pizza, and chicken on a cutting-edge Fire Magic grill.
“Fire Magic gas grills are our biggest seller,” said McCully. “So, we wanted to show off the use and taste of those popular grills.”
McCully stated he decided to open the secondary store due to the abundance of new construction and home renovations throughout Lake Country.
“We have been busier and busier here for the past 14 years, so we felt a full-time store could only help serve our customers better,” said McCully. “Hogan will serve as the face of the Harmony Crossing store. He’s been following me to the Augusta store since he was little, worked full-time there for four years, and has as much experience and product knowledge as just about anyone in the industry, despite his young age.”
McCully hopes the new Harmony Crossing store will ensure outdoor spaces will be “working great for a long time” and offers a chance for new customers to “enjoy all the little things that we can make using these appliances.”
Fireside is located at 109 Harmony Rd., Ste. 104, within the Harmony Crossing shopping center in Eatonton. It is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 706-722-3939 or email hogan@firesidekitchens.com.