Hey, Tracy here again at GL Heritage Brewing Company at the Amherstburg Farmers Market for
my podcast pop-up.
And I grabbed one of the vendors here before I got too busy.
I have Sammy Scala from Sammy's Q. How are you doing today?
I'm doing great.
Thank you for having me.
Oh, thank you.
I love your barbecue.
When did you start it?
Well, I've been cooking my whole life, but officially I launched in December of 2023.
I set up a fully commercial kitchen that's certified by the Windsor-Essex Health Unit.
And yeah, it's been nonstop.
Oh yeah, you got the truck.
Well, I've got no food truck.
I've got my 500 gallon offset smoker that I tug around to all my events and catering
gatherings.
It's an eye-catcher.
It's actually, I look forward to seeing people's reaction when I drive by them or when they
pass by me, they'll slow down and they just, they don't know when they start waving.
It's comical.
Barbecue to go.
You can deliver.
Yes.
Now I know you do different events like the markets and GL Heritage.
Do you do private events as well?
Yes, actually.
That's what I primarily do.
Yes, so I'm usually booked with private parties from 10 to 180 people.
So baptisms, birthday parties, weddings.
It's been overwhelming.
Actually, I'm very grateful.
Everybody loves a good barbecue.
Yeah, and that's key.
And that's my focus is just premium products and consistency.
And let things just happen naturally.
Well, how many different types of sausages do you have?
Because I know you do the pulled beef, the pulled pork, and you carry a variety, but
I know there's a ton of different kinds of sausages.
Right now I'm focused on my original sausage, jalapeno and jalapeno and white cheddar.
So the jalapeno and white cheddar is a huge hit.
Everyone just loves it, which that's what I'm having tastings for today.
Now is it very, very spicy or is it just the flavoring?
It's more flavor.
Just try to control the heat.
And that's why I make the original so that people that can't tolerate any heat, they
can just go with the original.
I do like a jalapeno flavoring.
Once you get in the heat, then it's a little ugh.
Yeah, and I'm trying to stay true to a sausage.
The added ingredients are only there to enhance the sausage.
You want to taste the meat.
Yes, it's a pork sausage and that's what I want to eat.
Even with the cheese, it's just enough in there where you know there's cheese, but it
doesn't take away from the sausage itself.
Oh, that's great.
And have you had them packaged and sold before?
I do.
So I pre-pack.
That's part of my barbecue to go line.
So I pre-package in six or whatever custom orders and I will make them, smoke them, fully
cooked and freeze them like backpack, freeze them immediately.
And then they're just easy.
You just take them out, thaw them, throw them on your grill, heat them through.
Do people contact you for that or are they in stores yet?
They're not in stores.
They're basically pick up at my location, which I'm home based.
So yeah, it's convenient.
It's easy.
Like Friday nights, people will call me or send me a message and I'll basically heat
up my barbecue to go items and give them kits.
So like last night I did six pulled pork kits to go.
So everything will be preheated, buns, coleslaw, sauce, everything you need.
Just pick up.
It's like picking up a pizza, but you're getting a barbecue meal.
Oh my God, that's amazing.
So they, yeah, it's very convenient and it's actually been ramping up.
That's great.
Now where can people get a hold of you?
Social media, Instagram, sammies.q.barbecue, my Facebook page and then text, call.
Still working on the website, which it's close, but that's just been so busy this summer.
I haven't had the time to really delegate to it.
Yeah, that's more of a winter project.
Yeah.
So you're working when you're busy, which is a good problem to have.
Yes.
So, and hopefully, you know, and that's the convenient, that's what I'm, I'm shooting
for because there's no reason why we can't have good barbecue in the winter.
So and with, with my setup, I can cook all year round.
I've, I've smoked in minus 20 in minus 14 degree weather, so it doesn't phase my barbecue.
No, I actually prefer cooking or barbecuing in the winter time because it's not so hot.
Yes.
So are the sausages ready yet?
Three of them probably are.
Awesome.
I really appreciate you being here.
And oh, I forgot you're also selling wood.
Yes.
So I sell locally produced handcrafted charcoal that's manufactured up in Park Hill, Ontario
by Bush Coal, Bogline Bush Coal.
So I've been selling that now for a year.
It's just, it's, it's a great product.
It's by far the best charcoal on the market.
Does it last longer than the other?
It lasts longer.
It cooks hotter, it cooks very clean.
There's it's natural.
There's no added chemicals to it.
So it's Ontario hardwoods processed into charcoal and bagged and it's simple.
And then I also carry premium smoking wood from Matt's Smoking Wood up in Kitchener.
I like the fact that they're big pieces of wood instead of those little tiny things that
you can get at Canadian Tire.
Yeah, they're actual wood chunks that are that last for a couple of three hours each.
And then so it's, it's very convenient.
And the other thing too is in comparison to the stuff that you're buying in the store,
that's all dry kiln.
So it's so dry that it just evaporates instantly because it's just there's nothing there.
So where this is properly seasoned wood and gives you a prolonged smoke.
I love it.
But I'm not going to keep you because I know you have some sausages on the barbecue.
Thank you so much, Sammy, for being here.
Thank you for having me.
I appreciate it.
I appreciate it too.
And again, you got another episode of YQG in Bloom.
You guys have a great day.