Famous Dave Anderson

David W. "Famous Dave" Anderson, the founder of the Famous Dave's and Old Southern BBQ Smokehouse restaurant chains, is a renowned business figure who also had a significant role in public administration. He served as the 9th Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs from 2004 to 2005 under the George W. Bush administration. In his role as Assistant Secretary, Anderson had jurisdiction over the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Office of Indian Education Programs (now the Bureau of Indian Education).

Anderson is a citizen of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians and a descendant of the Choctaw Nation. He resides in Edina, Minnesota, after being born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, and spending significant time on reservations in Wisconsin. Anderson is not only a successful restaurateur and former public servant but also the author of several award-winning books.

In addition to his other endeavors, Anderson has embarked on a career as a public speaker, traveling the country to share his experiences and insights. Despite the challenges he faced as a Native American kid, Anderson's dreams and perseverance led him to achieve his goal: creating popular BBQ restaurant chains that many argue serve the best BBQ America has ever tasted.

BBQ was a passion that Anderson inherited from his father, a Southerner working in the construction trades in Chicago. Their shared love for BBQ is evident in Anderson's restaurants, which emulate the street-corner vendors with their 55-gallon smokers, cooking in the tradition of the deep South.