SHEBOYGAN – Catering business To the Bone BBQ is the outcome of more than 55 years of the barbecuing experience.
Owner and Pit Master Robert Berry learned to barbecue growing up on the South Side of Chicago. His mother taught him to cook because his father was always “burning up the food.”
“My dad made false teeth. He should’ve stuck with the teeth,” Berry joked.
He said his house was the place for gatherings, and he developed a love for cooking in the kitchen with his mother. She taught him how to make the area’s staple rib tips.
“I’ve been bitten by the bug ever since,” Berry said.
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Berry catered BBQ for more than 35 years while working full time at Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport, primarily selling rib tips.
He established the To the Bone name three years ago in Sheboygan when he retired, and added more items, like pulled pork sandwiches, macaroni and cheese (inspired by his mother’s recipe) and Caribbean Jerk chicken.
Berry made Jerk chicken, which originated in Jamaica and has a variety of Caribbean seasonings, for his family. He learned about the dish when he visited Jamaica working in the airline industry.
“On the side of the road going down to Negril, Jamaica, they have this little shack, and you pull over because it’s a long ride. And you stop there and get some Jerk chicken,” Berry said. “There are different heats. The original is hot. I am a mild version.”
“It won’t make you sweat, unless ketchup is too spicy for you,” Berry continued with a chuckle.
Berry also makes his own BBQ sauce, which he said has South and North flavors to it, like a vinegar-infused base.
When customers from barbecue-lauded cities, like Nashville and St. Louis, visit To the Bone at the Sheboygan Farmers’ Market, Berry said he doesn’t let them move.
“I have them stand right there at the table and taste my food, so I get their reaction right on the spot because it’s huge,” Berry said. “That’s a nice compliment when you come from big BBQ states. They all love it.”
One of his favorite To the Bone memories so far was catering for five days at the Ryder Cup in 2021.
“People’s reaction when they taste my food, that’s the reward right there,” he said.
Berry isn’t sure if he’ll open a brick-and-mortar yet, but he wants to keep catering until it isn’t fun anymore.
Menu items feature Jerk Chicken, pulled pork, and mac and cheese
To the Bone’s catering menu features pastas, salad, macaroni and cheese, baked beans and cole slaw.
A variety of meat options include rib tips, BBQ pulled pork and Jerk Chicken.
How to contact To the Bone BBQ
Reach To the Bone at robert.berry01@yahoo.com or 920-889-0605. Find it online at https://tothebone.godaddysites.com/ or on Facebook at To the Bone BBQ.
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