One might be surprised to see a health care professional behind the angle cutter, cutting a 55-gallon drum while emitting sparks. But Larenda Walker continued the tradition pioneered by her late grandfather George Hammett, and his grills are well-known throughout the region.

"Almost everyone in Akron came to buy his bucket," Walker said.

She said Hammett died of complications from COVID-19 earlier this year at the age of 93.

"He has a good life," she said. "He traveled; he was a veteran. He died of COVID-19—and so did his son. My uncle passed away 7 days later."

Walker said she was infected with the virus like other family members.

With the help of her mother Deborah Turner, Walker continued to make the grill according to Hammett's design.

"I'm 34 years old, so he has done it for at least this long, and he has been doing it before I was born," she said.

"He is like the first-the trend leader," Walker said.

The grill is made of a 55-gallon drum and cut with a corner knife or plasma cutter. Then they are completed with hinges to connect the lid and bolts to secure the legs. Walker said that refurbished food-grade barrels can be obtained from a supplier in Cleveland.

"I just want to do something in his name. That's why I named it George's Grilles-to let people know that he was the person who caused it; these barrels will continue," she said.

Walker said that when she was about 7 or 8 years old, she started helping her grandfather cut open the barrel.

She said that Hammet served in the US Army in the Pacific during World War II and had a strong view of politics. She said that in addition to making grills, he also repaired washing machines and dryers. He also built kennels and carts.

"When you make double barrels, you have to weld them, but when you make single or double barrels, you have to cut them with a plasma cutter or angle cutter," she said.

"When he uses the plasma cutter, I want to hold his hand," she said. "When I made it myself, I was older-I was still a teenager."

After the family moved to Mississippi, then North Carolina, a few years ago, and then returned to Akron in 2019, she continued to make occasional grills with her grandfather.

"People are still asking for these barrels; we kind of make them, but I didn't turn it into a business. But last year I started thinking,'I want his legacy to continue. Not many people make handmade barrels.

"I don't think it will take off like it does now. On July 4th, we sold out in two days," she added.

Walker and her mother make and store grills at her mother's house, storing dozens of them at a time. Larenda says she makes some grills every week.

"Cut them and everything apart, and it takes about four hours to make a grill," she said. "This is very time-consuming because you have to put the lid there until it closes, and you have to scrape them off so that they are not sharp because it is metal," she said.

The paint bucket is up to the customer because she has not found an effective heat-resistant coating.

So far, sales are good.

"On July 4th, I had a good 40... Since then, I have 30 again," she said.

Walker started as a licensed practical nurse and is now a registered nurse. She said that although she made a lot of money as a nurse, she still wanted to do more.

"Perhaps because I started it when I was very young-so I just tried it and it actually turned out very well," she said, adding that she was not sure how big the business would grow.

"But I will always be a nurse...carer-this has always been my passion," she said.

You can contact Eric Marotta at 330-541-9433 or emarotta@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarottaEric.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Georges-Grills

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