Southern Belles BBQ
Expect the Unexpected: How a Road Trip Inspired the Future
Once upon a time, during a hot summer in 1963, childhood sweethearts, Jacqueline and Edward Knight left the southern charms of Memphis, TN for a long visit to spend time with family in sunny California. There, they first experienced the exotic tastes and influences of the many worldly cultures that shape America’s west coast, in particular the culinary influences of Asia.
While there, Jacqueline and Edward found a small gem of a restaurant in the middle of nowhere and liked it so much they kept going back. They tried everything on the menu, soaking in the tastes and flavors they couldn’t find in Memphis. It was where he fell in love!
When it was time to leave, a confession weighed heavily on Edward’s heart. He had fallen deeply in love in California…with that gem of a restaurant’s amazing teriyaki sauce. That was all he could talk about on the long drive back to Memphis; how the sauce was unique, sweet and tangy. Edward couldn’t imagine ever finding anything like it at home and wished he could have more. Edward was in love and Jacqueline was vexed.
You see, Jacqueline was a great southern cook. Edward and everyone in Jacqueline’s large family agreed there was no one else in all of Memphis that could top her fried chicken or sweet potato pie. So, Jacqueline was deeply hurt by Edward’s confession. And to make matters worse, she was trapped in a car for hours listening to him go on and on about his “true love.” Jacqueline determined right then and there she would not be outdone by some exotic California stranger.
When she got home to Memphis, Jacqueline took a shot at recreating that sauce. She experimented with different spices and herbs, and made Edward and her family try hundreds of batches. Still, no matter how close she got, she couldn’t quite recreate that Teriyaki sauce.
But, what she did was create something better!
Utilizing her southern skills, adding secret spices and ingredients handed down over generations, Jacqueline created a sauce that was completely unique. By combining the new world of California with the tried and true charms of the South, she ultimately perfected a sauce that made Edward forget about his fleeting “true love”.
This creation – this masterpiece of love and flavor – ultimately became Southern Belles BBQ Sauce.
Carrying on the Legacy
After many years of keeping the recipe close to her heart, Jacqueline decided it was time to extend the legacy to none other than her eldest daughter Miss Vicki. Miss Vicki had inherited her mother’s cooking skills, and Jacqueline knew she could take that sauce to the next level. While Miss Vicki loved her mother’s sauce, she was determined to add her own spice and feistiness. Miss Vicki’s equally extraordinary vision in the kitchen fused Jacqueline’s traditional masterpiece with modern flavors that ultimately created a unique BBQ sauce no one had ever tasted before.
Before long, so many people had fallen in love with her sauce that she couldn’t keep up with the demand. Every house near Miss Vicky’s home would be filled with small, beautiful jars of her delicious sauce. It was her way of spreading her gift and cooking prowess to all of her loved ones.
I first tasted this delicious sauce as a child of the south, growing up in Memphis. Like many, my fondest memories always started with good southern food. And if I ever was down or not feeling well, I would only have to have my grandmother’s wonderful stories and a plate of ribs smothered with the true “Southern Belles” BBQ sauce to make me feel better.
See, Jacqueline was my grandmother. As her namesake, I am proud to be the next in line to carry on her legacy, Southern Belles, and spread it to all of my friends around the world – including you!
Like our sauces, I am a child of the south – a true Southern Belle. Like all southern belles, we are sweetness and spice, strong but elegant, of the highest quality, and always with a huge heaping of flava. And that’s why we know, and you’ll know…When it’s gotta be right….it’s gotta be Southern Belles BBQ Sauce. You won’t taste anything like it – I guarantee it!
And now you – all my good friends – can experience the taste of Southern Belles as well.
Signed,
Jacqueline B. Brooks.