Today we’d like to introduce you to Lincoln Obie.
Hi Lincoln, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My path into this space was forged through two very intense careers. I spent 20 years in the military from 2002 to 2023, retiring as a Staff Sergeant after deploying to combat in Iraq from 2005 to 2006. At the same time, I built a 16 year career as a respiratory care practitioner starting in 2010. When COVID hit, I was on the front lines in the ER and ICU during one of the most traumatic times in modern history.
After witnessing an unbelievable amount of death and putting immense physical strain on my body, I was exhausted. I needed a break. I took a year long sabbatical and tried my hand at investing, which turned out to be a disaster. Quick lesson for anyone reading this: do not bet the house with your retirement money. It is a terrible idea.
When I reached out to the leader of the investment group to cancel my membership because I could no longer afford the dues, he randomly asked me a question that changed everything: ‘Why don’t you sell wagyu?’
At the time, I was skeptical. I had tried wagyu once before and was not impressed. It just tasted like decent beef to me. But I took a chance and bought my very first case of Japanese A5 Miyazaki wagyu, rated BMS 12, which is the absolute top of the line. A friend and I threw a piece on the grill, and my world changed. My eyes opened, my pupils dilated, and it felt like I was staring into the heavens for the first time. I realized in that single bite that I had been missing out on a completely different realm of quality.
From that single piece of beef, my curiosity took over. Through a few fortunate meetings and a very random, fun volunteer visit to a duck farm, I started building connections with incredible producers. My product line quickly grew far beyond wagyu to include delicacies from all over the globe, from ostrich and bison to wild game, specialty seafood, caviar, and truffles.
Through trial, error, hosting private dinners, and developing custom meat programs, I realized what was missing in Houston. I took the discipline from 20 years in uniform and 16 years in critical care, combined it with this discovery of pure culinary quality, and built World Class Meats. Today, we are turning that journey into a platform that gives true culinary talent the spotlight they deserve while giving everyday people access to unforgettable food.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Is there such a thing as a smooth road when you are building something great? If there is, I haven’t found it.
Over the past 23 years, my life was completely structured. I received instructions, commands, and orders to carry out, and I worked with teams that were already built for me to execute a mission. Moving into entrepreneurship meant stepping into a space with zero structure and zero definition. Suddenly, I had to figure out what menus looked like, what pricing should be, how to talk to people in this industry, and how to build my own team with zero resources and no prior business experience. Even now, at a point where I have gained resources and experience, there is still that very real, unsettling thought: what am I doing, and how do I execute it?
I had to check my ego, get over being the sensitive artist protective of my work, and realize this is about something much bigger than my comfort zone. I am building something designed to change not just my city, but how the world views meat and food as a whole. So the real struggle has been mastering the business side of food and confronting how Houston handles progression.
Houston is packed with incredible talent and diversity, but as a city, we tend to get comfortable instead of pushing trends or marketing our greatness to the world. Trying to shift that culture is the biggest, most complex puzzle I have ever had to assemble. There are constantly unknown variables, but I use every resource, connection, and honest conversation I can get to keep refining what we are building.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about World Class Meats?
World Class Meats was built because we saw a glaring problem in the food industry: protein was being treated like a commodity rather than the center of human sustenance. Most people have no real idea where their meat comes from, how it was raised, or why a high price tag is often attached to mediocre quality. There was a complete breakdown of trust between the supplier and the consumer, and no one was taking the true craft of protein seriously.
We decided to do something about it. We established the title of a Grand Carneur not to prop ourselves up or create elite posturing, but to level the playing field and rebuild that broken trust. A Grand Carneur is a person who devotes their life to the deeper understanding, sourcing, and societal enrichment of animal protein. Anchored in our core philosophy, expressed in our sigil as Ako n’uzo, Ikwuru oto, or wisdom and foresight paired with standing firm in integrity and truth, a Grand Carneur acts as a trusted steward. We do the relentless research, vetting, and quality control so the consumer knows without a doubt that what goes into their body is uncompromised, whether it is BMS 12 Japanese A5 Miyazaki wagyu, bison, wild game, specialty seafood, caviar, or truffles.
To put that standard into execution at scale, we created the Culinary Concierge Program, a specialized membership program designed for entities and individuals to access extraordinary food, rare sourcing, and uncompromised culinary experiences. The CCP serves as an operational bridge built primarily for corporate clients, luxury short-term rentals, and private air travel to better serve their guests and clients and elevate their brand. It provides executive retreats, hosts, and corporations with seamless, high-level culinary integration while giving top-tier culinary talent visibility across massive new streams. Secondarily, it gives individuals direct access to our sourcing, our collective, and unique concepts like our premium tailgating setups and our Wild Tasting Series, which reimagines the traditional wine dinner with protein at the absolute center.
Brand wise, I am most proud of building an ecosystem that respects both the craft and the client. World Class Meats is building an infrastructure designed to elevate how people, businesses, and our city experience food.
Any big plans?
I am looking forward to bringing some incredible, highly specialized experiences to life. While we continue building out the Culinary Concierge Program in the background, our immediate focus is creating unique spaces for people to connect over food in ways they have never seen before.
We are re-launching the Wild Tasting Series, our signature thematic, multi-course dining experiences that pair high-grade proteins with fine art and unique beverages while keeping the focus on genuine culinary storytelling rather than cheap gimmicks. We are bringing our premier game day tailgating to various venues very soon, and we are currently in talks with local restaurants to host exclusive, joint experiences in their spaces as well as in our own private location.
Long term, the vision extends far beyond city limits. We are building this entire model, from the CCP to our custom events, to take on a global stage. We want to bring these uncompromised culinary collaborations to major international destinations and milestone events like the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, giving people around the world access to something truly special.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.worldclassmeats.con
- Instagram: lincolnobie
- LinkedIn: Lincoln Obie
