We were lucky to catch up with Jon Harewood recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jon, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
I’ve been experimenting with flavors and menu variations since waist-high next to my grandmother. She was the first great cook to show me just what went into making memorable meals, and it was her guidance that taught me that food needs flavor, variation and soulful inspiration. At Jonnybaby BBQ, our goal is to provide a unique customer experience! How do we define that? Well, it is delivering excellent customer service and providing award winning bbq and signature sides at an affordable price. This continues to be our recipe for success!
Jon, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I have always enjoyed good food, especially BBQ! One summer evening, I had a taste for BBQ ribs and placed a takeout order. As I exited my car and started walking toward the restaurant, the aroma and vapors deepened from the grill. I finally arrived home after picking up my order and I could not wait to taste the ribs. I took my first bite and the ribs were absolutely Horrible! They were tough, chewy, had no flavor…..What a disappointment! I said to myself “I could make ribs better than this!”
That’s what brought me to making BBQ. It allows me to get going with the smoker, and let time do its thing. BBQ should be slow!
Great food, like relationships, takes time and patience and a bit of creative spice! That’s what has made my meals fan favorites, be it lazy Sunday dinners or kicked back patio parties.
BBQ isn’t just summer fare. There’s nothing better than a good dry rub on pork ribs with steamy mac-n-cheese.
Did I mention some of our award winning and signature dishes? Smoked mac n cheese, bbq pulled pork, ribs, brisket, smoked seafood mac n cheese, smoked meatloaf and smoked salmon just to name a few,
I am most proud of our amazing customers who support Jonnybaby BBQ all year round and having the ability to create dishes that customers love! We continue to have a great referral base which has afforded us the opportunity to host numerous corporate and private events, weddings, graduations, anniversaries, birthdays and more!
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
We started out doing community fairs, festivals and competitions offering small samples of our food. It grew each year with repeat business and referrals. It was important to get out into the community and meet everyone. It has been a very rewarding!
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
After my horrible takeout experience, I purchased my first smoker and grill. I would host weekend parties and serve different dishes to my friends and family. I would receive great feedback, but of course it was my friends and family. Then one day a couple of friends asked if they could purchase some of the items, but I did not take them seriously. One morning, to my surprise, I checked my text messages and several friends had placed orders, That actually started it all and it scaled to local festivals, competition bbq, and larger paid yearly events.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jonnybabybbq.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/jonnybabybbq
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/jonnybabybbq/