Page 13 - JAN2020 BBQNEWS Digital Issue

HOOSIER DADDY... WINNING!
Attending the 2019 conference in Kansas City may not have been Kim Foy’s
昀rst time but it will certainly rank up there as one of the most memorable
having received several awards for her sauces this week. Kim started Hoosier Daddy in 2011 in honor of her Dad and brother who both passed away from cancer in 2007 and 2008. She says, “It was my dad’s recipe that my family, friends and neighborhood grew up on!” In 2013 she had won a few NBBQA awards (昀nishing 2nd & 5th) but shut down her bustling business in 2014. Not because she wasn’t succeeding, because she was, but because sickness had once again entered her life. She let all her product run o昀 the shelves while she became the caregiver of her mother and husband who were both terminally ill, ultimately losing them both in 2015 and 2016.
BBQ would have been the farthest thing from most of our minds if we were in Kim’s shoes and who would blame her with the loss she had experienced. One thing she points out in the midst of this, that although she shut down her business, she never closed her social media. Why is this signi昀cant, you may ask? Well this is where Hoosier Daddy began to experience a new birth opening many old doors and several new ones for Kim. Previous buyers and bro- kers reached out to her convincing her there was still a market for her sauce. So, in October of 2018 Hoosier Daddy began producing once more but she knew she had to have more buzz after being out of it for so long. In 2019 she entered her sauces, Ghost Roast and Sweet & Sassy then waited for the Awards of Excellence dinner.
That night Amy, owner and operator walked in for dinner wondering where her sauces would stack up against all the competition
from around the world. That night she heard Hoosier Daddy’s name called four times! Two of which were 昀rst place 昀nishes (the
other two were for third place) and that night the joy she felt was overwhelming as her face beamed with pride that her daddy’s sauce was a winner. Kim goes on to say, “Winning the AOE (Awards of Excellence) expanded my brand to a whole new territory of exposure. It has expanded opportunity, brought growth, introduced me to an amazing new family of friends and gives truth that you never quit on a dream. Sometimes you step back and just reroute the journey.” Well said Kim.
SAUCY MINX BBQ AND RUBS
Tyna Mays-Schey doesn’t consider herself a competition cook. Sure, she has entered a few and has even done well, this just isn’t where the classically trained chef sees herself. Tyna has made a huge splash in the BBQ world since her rebranding in 2016 which is especially astonishing considering she is from the Paci昀c Northwest, not really known for being a BBQ hot bed (but keep your eye on this region). Her dream was to have her sauces and rubs on the shelf right next to the national brands. She even told Dave Raymond she wanted her sauce next to his. Of course, Dave responded with a laugh and asked her to join him in prayer
over this. Then he handed her his card and told her to email him so he could help her with the next steps in achieving her goals.
When she joined the NBBQA in 2018 and talked her husband into letting her travel all the way from Oregon to Texas, little did she know how this would change her life. The Dave Raymond story should have given her a glimpse and looking back, it solidi昀es what she would come to 昀nd out, we’re a family who “celebrate each other when we win, console each other when you just miss a call and consider ourselves as one gigantic family.” But to achieve her dream she needed more celebrations in her life. She had read an article which said if you could put “award-winning” on the label, you will sell more product, so that’s what she decided to do. But has her “Gram” had taught her, she couldn’t lie about it so she set out to win some awards. This self-proclaimed “non-competition cook” began entering her sauces in some local sauce contest and received several calls.
In 2018 Tyna decided she needed a national title and when she read the AOE also judged rubs, she rolled the dice and entered them as well as her sauces. Walking into the 2018 AOE banquet she hoped for some calls since her product had received some in every other contest but she understood the national level was a whole new ball of wax. You can only imagine how she felt when her run, Flamin’ Fury took home 1st place in the NBBQA AOE and her sauce, Honey Habanero took 3rd. She says, “I almost fainted on the spot.” Not only a brand new NBBQA member but her 昀rst National Contest was the Awards of Excellence and she returns home to the Paci昀c Northwest with her business life about to change for the better.
“Since 2018, my brand is now in 3 regional chains in my area, and Fred Meyers (a division of Kroger) wants them
for the entire Paci昀c Northwest region. Which may lead to eventually getting my products national. I have my products in small local places all over Oregon, one in Sacramento, and a company in Mississippi who is interested. So, if you think you will not gain anything from the NBBQA Awards of Excellence, well, let me tell you that you can get everything your heart desires. If you work for it. It is a valuable tool for your toolbox when used right.”
JANUARY 2020 BarbecueNews.com - 13