The walls of the Dillsboro Smokehouse are covered with memorabilia, business cards, autographed menus and news clippings. Some mementos come from recognizable names — Atlanta Falcons football players or images of Harrison Ford, taken from his time spent locally filming “The Fugitive.” Others are simple nods of appreciation from out-of-town visitors and repeat customers, thanks for a good meal, well served.

Which is exactly what C.B. Hart was trying to accomplish when he began his restaurant career 22 years ago.

“I like when people say the food was good and the service was good and they’ll be back — the gratification of pleasing the public,” Hart said.

Hart moved to Sylva in 1962 to work with the AM radio station WMSJ — now WRGC. After his radio career, Hart served as the director of Southwestern Community College’s Cherokee/Swain County Center, which provided vocational training, specialized classes and GED programs.

However, Hart enjoyed cooking and in 1986 opened the Tex-Mex restaurant El Gatos near Western Carolina University. The restaurant was popular and motivated Hart to open his next business, The Dillsboro Smokehouse.

Marion Jones owned the Smokehouse property. Hart had expressed interest in the location and was surprised one day when he drove by and saw trucks being loaded up. Jones gave Hart first crack at the property.

Hart felt that the area didn’t have a large barbeque joint and had a general idea of what he considered to be good barbeque.

“Every time I went into a barbeque restaurant the meat was already sauced and I didn’t like that,” Hart said.

He picked lean cuts of meat and selected four different sauces — a hot sauce, a mild and tangy sauce, a sweet and smoky sauce and a vinegar based sauce — and so the Dillsboro Smokehouse was born.

The most popular items on the menu are the restaurant’s chopped pork and baby back ribs, though the pulled chicken also is a customer favorite and is the only meat the Smokehouse serves already sauced.

The Smokehouse’s style is what earned the restaurant its ranking as No. 3 on National Geographic’s list of the 10 Best Barbeque Joints in the Country.

Hart didn’t know anything about earning the distinction, but his hostess said that customers coming in kept mentioning that they’d seen the restaurant listed as a 10 Best. Hart got goose bumps. Now he uses the accolade in advertising.

“I know it’s brought us business,” Hart said.