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Hey, Tracy here again at GL Heritage Brewing Company at the Amherstburg Farmers Market for

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my podcast pop-up.

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And I grabbed one of the vendors here before I got too busy.

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I have Sammy Scala from Sammy's Q. How are you doing today?

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I'm doing great.

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Thank you for having me.

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Oh, thank you.

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I love your barbecue.

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When did you start it?

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Well, I've been cooking my whole life, but officially I launched in December of 2023.

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I set up a fully commercial kitchen that's certified by the Windsor-Essex Health Unit.

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And yeah, it's been nonstop.

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Oh yeah, you got the truck.

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Well, I've got no food truck.

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I've got my 500 gallon offset smoker that I tug around to all my events and catering

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gatherings.

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It's an eye-catcher.

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It's actually, I look forward to seeing people's reaction when I drive by them or when they

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pass by me, they'll slow down and they just, they don't know when they start waving.

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It's comical.

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Barbecue to go.

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You can deliver.

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Yes.

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Now I know you do different events like the markets and GL Heritage.

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Do you do private events as well?

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Yes, actually.

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That's what I primarily do.

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Yes, so I'm usually booked with private parties from 10 to 180 people.

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So baptisms, birthday parties, weddings.

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It's been overwhelming.

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Actually, I'm very grateful.

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Everybody loves a good barbecue.

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Yeah, and that's key.

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And that's my focus is just premium products and consistency.

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And let things just happen naturally.

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Well, how many different types of sausages do you have?

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Because I know you do the pulled beef, the pulled pork, and you carry a variety, but

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I know there's a ton of different kinds of sausages.

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Right now I'm focused on my original sausage, jalapeno and jalapeno and white cheddar.

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So the jalapeno and white cheddar is a huge hit.

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Everyone just loves it, which that's what I'm having tastings for today.

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Now is it very, very spicy or is it just the flavoring?

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It's more flavor.

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Just try to control the heat.

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And that's why I make the original so that people that can't tolerate any heat, they

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can just go with the original.

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I do like a jalapeno flavoring.

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Once you get in the heat, then it's a little ugh.

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Yeah, and I'm trying to stay true to a sausage.

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The added ingredients are only there to enhance the sausage.

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You want to taste the meat.

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Yes, it's a pork sausage and that's what I want to eat.

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Even with the cheese, it's just enough in there where you know there's cheese, but it

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doesn't take away from the sausage itself.

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Oh, that's great.

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And have you had them packaged and sold before?

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I do.

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So I pre-pack.

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That's part of my barbecue to go line.

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So I pre-package in six or whatever custom orders and I will make them, smoke them, fully

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cooked and freeze them like backpack, freeze them immediately.

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And then they're just easy.

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You just take them out, thaw them, throw them on your grill, heat them through.

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Do people contact you for that or are they in stores yet?

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They're not in stores.

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They're basically pick up at my location, which I'm home based.

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So yeah, it's convenient.

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It's easy.

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Like Friday nights, people will call me or send me a message and I'll basically heat

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up my barbecue to go items and give them kits.

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So like last night I did six pulled pork kits to go.

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So everything will be preheated, buns, coleslaw, sauce, everything you need.

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Just pick up.

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It's like picking up a pizza, but you're getting a barbecue meal.

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Oh my God, that's amazing.

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So they, yeah, it's very convenient and it's actually been ramping up.

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That's great.

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Now where can people get a hold of you?

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Social media, Instagram, sammies.q.barbecue, my Facebook page and then text, call.

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Still working on the website, which it's close, but that's just been so busy this summer.

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I haven't had the time to really delegate to it.

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Yeah, that's more of a winter project.

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Yeah.

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So you're working when you're busy, which is a good problem to have.

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Yes.

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So, and hopefully, you know, and that's the convenient, that's what I'm, I'm shooting

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for because there's no reason why we can't have good barbecue in the winter.

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So and with, with my setup, I can cook all year round.

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I've, I've smoked in minus 20 in minus 14 degree weather, so it doesn't phase my barbecue.

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No, I actually prefer cooking or barbecuing in the winter time because it's not so hot.

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Yes.

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So are the sausages ready yet?

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Three of them probably are.

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Awesome.

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I really appreciate you being here.

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And oh, I forgot you're also selling wood.

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Yes.

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So I sell locally produced handcrafted charcoal that's manufactured up in Park Hill, Ontario

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by Bush Coal, Bogline Bush Coal.

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So I've been selling that now for a year.

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It's just, it's, it's a great product.

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It's by far the best charcoal on the market.

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Does it last longer than the other?

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It lasts longer.

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It cooks hotter, it cooks very clean.

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There's it's natural.

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There's no added chemicals to it.

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So it's Ontario hardwoods processed into charcoal and bagged and it's simple.

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And then I also carry premium smoking wood from Matt's Smoking Wood up in Kitchener.

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I like the fact that they're big pieces of wood instead of those little tiny things that

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you can get at Canadian Tire.

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Yeah, they're actual wood chunks that are that last for a couple of three hours each.

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And then so it's, it's very convenient.

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And the other thing too is in comparison to the stuff that you're buying in the store,

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that's all dry kiln.

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So it's so dry that it just evaporates instantly because it's just there's nothing there.

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So where this is properly seasoned wood and gives you a prolonged smoke.

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I love it.

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But I'm not going to keep you because I know you have some sausages on the barbecue.

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Thank you so much, Sammy, for being here.

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Thank you for having me.

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I appreciate it.

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I appreciate it too.

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And again, you got another episode of YQG in Bloom.

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You guys have a great day.