BBQ50 BBQ Catering Getting Ready to Fire Up Family-Friendly Flavor at The Marketplace at Avalon Park
Over the years, Dan Ashby has worked many jobs in the food service industry. From his start as an overnight dishwasher at a truck stop through various positions at fast food joints, bars, and Tex-Mex restaurants, Ashby spent his college and early professional years working in and out of restaurants before enjoying a 20-year career in corporate America. However, the corporate guy-turned-Owner/Pitmaster of BBQ50 BBQ Catering honed his culinary skills by spending hours as a child watching his grandmothers work in their kitchens. “I was trained in the kitchens of Barbara Ashby and Gertrude Loyd. They were my grandmothers and taught me the basics to make delicious Southern food. When I was eight, I remember watching my grandmother make scratch chicken and dumplings. She would hum to herself when she was in the zone. If she was making supper, she was one hand with the spatula in the pot, and one hand cradling an ice cold gin and tonic humming away as the goodness boiled so slowly. Those chicken and dumplings were perfect every time. I can still smell them.” By the age of 16, Dan was cooking for his family to help get food on the table as both of his parents worked. When he needed to make some sides for his meals, he turned to a series of cookbooks written by his Uncle Jimmy that were filled with recipes from the best grandma and mom cooks of the Midwest. The books got his creative juices flowing, leading him to experiment with new recipes and tastes. One such experiment resulted in a memorable moment: “I set my kitchen on fire when I was 21. That was fun.” While the literal flames were extinguished, his fire for cooking grew. Soon, he decided to try his hand at BBQ. “I’m always learning and trying my best. I spent hours and hours researching the origins of BBQ and how it’s prepared and smoked in its different ways.” In 2002, Dan and his wife, Jenny, moved to Avalon Park and instantly loved it. As the neighborhood grew, so did their family and network of friends. At block parties and cookouts, he’d fire up the smoker, load it up with meats made according to his family recipes, and fill the streets with the sweet smell of smoky ribs and chicken. “It was like an aroma-magnet, pulling old and new friends out of their houses and into the streets to eat and have fun!” After six kids and lots of long, back porch discussions, The Ashbys made the leap to do what they love for the community they love and started a family BBQ catering business.
