Turning Grief Into Purpose | Heavenly Smoked BBQ

In this episode of Chasing Heritage, Chase Hardin sits down with Shandra, founder of Heavenly Smoked BBQ, for a powerful conversation about faith, family, and turning pain into purpose.

Shandra shares the story behind her family’s business, which was created to honor her mother and grandmother after their passing. What began as a way to cope with grief quickly became a mission-driven business centered on serving others with love, excellence, and faith.

The conversation explores how generational recipes, family values, and a commitment to service have shaped Heavenly Smoked BBQ into more than just a catering company. It is a reflection of legacy, community, and honoring God in everything they do.

Shandra also shares her personal journey from working in healthcare and retail to stepping into entrepreneurship, and how each phase of her life prepared her to lead a business with purpose.

Additionally, the episode provides practical insights for anyone interested in starting a food or catering business, including the importance of testing, understanding your market, building consistency, and leading with authenticity.

This episode is a meaningful reminder that even in the hardest seasons, purpose can be found, and that building something rooted in faith and family creates a legacy that lasts.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Love and the love of people. Because you gotta have it. If you don't have love and the love of his people, then you won't have you don't have nothing at all.

SPEAKER_02 0:09

Yes. And so it's like, your kids might love, you know, your your sandwiches, right? Okay. Welcome everybody to another great episode on Chasing Heritage. Today we're speaking to a woman who isn't just catering and serving up meals. She's blessing others with her gift and is a barbecue pit master. She's been able to develop and hone her skills from a generational recipe that continues to make an impact. Her name is Chandra. Welcome. Thank you for joining us today as the founder of Heavenly Smoked Barbecue.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

Thank you, Chase, but thank you for having me here today.

SPEAKER_02 0:57

Yes, ma'am. Appreciate it. Thank you. And your story is so powerful because it ties one of my first loves, which is culinary cooking, but it also moves into community, heritage, the family business, and then giving back. So just share a little bit with me about Heavenly Smoked Barbecue, you know, what that name means and and what it means for you to serve people.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

Um Heavenly Smoked Barbecue came about our mom that recently passed away last year, and it's been a year next month. And um we just wanted, she she was the person that taught us everything. She taught us how to cook, she taught us how to put on, like how to cater, how to give people in an experience. And so we just wanted to do something to honor her and uh and to also to honor God. Um and to me, cooking is something that I I use now even more to cope with the you know the grief. That it it it's it's you know, it it helps. So the base basically the business is dedicated to her and also to God and to serve his people.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

Yeah, it's so powerful. And um, you know, I know that firsthand because just recently you were able to partner with a local nonprofit to serve over 500 of Henry County's youth. And, you know, you offered to do that just free of charge. And so that really shows just the amazing power that a business has to really be able to provide support for families. Um, another beautiful thing that I share with you is that connectivity to my own mother and cooking. When I was a young boy, I had three brothers, right? And I loved uh doing things with my mom, but we didn't really get a lot of time with her. And so cooking in the kitchen was the one thing that none of my other brothers, you know, wanted to do. So I have really fond memories of uh making um soup, right? Vegetable soup, where we would go into the fridge and we'd find whatever we could, right, that would work, go into the freezer, we'd throw it all in a pot, we'd cook it, we'd taste it, we'd laugh. Um, just a really, you know, really special time. Um can you share, you know, a memory or or a moment that you have, right, that's really powerful for you in that way?

SPEAKER_00 3:28

Um, like I said, my mom, she always wanted to give people an experience. So we was always hosting barbecues and any events, and as a kid, you'd be like, oh, because we usually have to do everything. Set up the tables, put the tablecloths on, go get the food, go serve the food, go put more ice out. Yeah. So it was like, as a as a kid, you know, I'm like, oh. But once we got older, I'm like, mom, like, that really stuck with me. And like you, what you was building, you want to give people that experience that still to this day, every time I talk to people, it's like, hey, your mom had the best parties, and she did, she had everything. Like when she when she catered to the party, it was, it was, as it's the thing. Like, if it's 4th of July, you had, she had the 4th of July, everything, balloons, arches, tablecloths, uh, games, prizes. You know, she made it an experience for people, and everybody loved it for her and stuff. So that's what she's well known for, throwing the best elaborate barbecues and parties. So that's my fondest memories of um us having the parties and stuff she used to throw.

SPEAKER_02 4:28

Yeah, and that and that's so beautiful, you know, working in culinary myself. Um, I have a culinary degree. I I worked in culinary for about 10 years, but it really taught me like the highest level of service and being able to connect with an individual in a way that like would meet their needs or anticipate, you know, their needs. And so just share a little bit about you know, kind of that serving mentality and and how that really comes out in Heavenly Smoke Barbecue.

SPEAKER_00 5:00

Um everything is is is faith-based. Our motto is faith, family, and legacy. So it's it says in the Bible, God God tells us, Jesus told us he came to serve, not to be served. So in our motto is we do everything to honor him first and then to serve with excellence. So um, even on distressful days, we still come with a smile, come with excellence. Um, and we we practice the the fruits of the spirit. Love, peace, joy, kindness, self-control. Even when, you know, say for instance, you know, um when customers get upset or about we ran out of this food even though they paid for it, it's like you gotta have self-control, because usually they fussing that at you. But at the same time, I I I use it as hey, we understand, and this is how we're gonna make it right for you. So it's self-control, not to, you know, lash out because they lashed out at me. So you just basically I just live by the fruits of the spirit, what the Holy Spirit tells us tells us to do, to live by.

SPEAKER_02 5:55

Yeah, and that and that is just so beautiful and really powerful in this day and age. Um, especially when so many businesses are just about clicks and they're just about revenue, and they've lost the soul of what you know what the industry really means. Um, and so I believe we're seeing really a shift in the markets these days where like the McDonald's and the Burger King and the Taco Bell, like there's always going to be a place for that. But our people are wanting to go back, you know, to to their roots, right? To something that matters, to back to the dinner table, you know, as we've kind of been discussing, like being at home with mom or or grandma and having like that favorite mac and cheese, you know, and like that apple pie, right? Like smelling it come out of the oven. And you know, that is why your business is so powerful in in this day and age, because people want genuine.

SPEAKER_03 6:58

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 6:59

They want authenticity, they want good food that that matters and and just really means something. Uh what are some of the the offerings that you guys serve at Heavenly Smoked Barbecue?

SPEAKER_00 7:13

Oh, we have we have um ribs, smoked chicken, fried chicken, um all your size. So we have pool pork, poor chicken, we have the Genesis baked beans. Genesis baked beans. Yes. So everything, all that stuff is basically themed. It's themed based on the Bible. So the ribs is called Adam and Eve ribs. Get it? Eve was Adam's rib. So it's a biblical base. Uh we have this uh juice that this punch that everybody loves. It's called Salvation Punch.

SPEAKER_01 7:43

Salvation Punch.

SPEAKER_00 7:44

Um, saving one soul at a way, one sip, saving the soul one sip at a time. That's what we use our model. So we we have everything from from, like I said, from ribs, fried chicken, and we just don't do barbecues. Like this weekend we're doing a um a brunch that we're doing. We're doing, you know, chicken and waffles, uh, doing little cr uh cute uh cucumber sandwiches and parfaits and dessert uh stuff like that. And uh it's a tea party, so we just we just not limit to barbecue. So we do much more as well.

SPEAKER_02 8:16

That's that's really amazing. Do you guys have like a recipe that's been like passed down? Like do you have, or is like each family member kind of picks it up and does see, you know, their little thing?

SPEAKER_00 8:28

Yeah, my dad and my brother, they are the pitch masters. They handle the meats. So that's that's something that him and the father and son do. They have their own thing, they work together and do their meats. And me and my sister-in-law, we have our own thing where we do the macaroni and cheese and all the sides. Now, mine is based off of my grandmother's, my mac and cheese. It's um and it's and it's everything is handmade. We don't we don't do cans, we don't do processed cheese, we we shred the cheese. We do the old school way and not rushing through um cooking, like how everybody just do, you know, quick macaroni and cheeses. But microwave mac and cheese. Yes, and like even with the punch, the punch was hand down. Like another thing, my um grandmother also passed last year as well. Um, she had a special uh punch recipe. So that's what we use. We use that as our salvation punch, that recipe that she uh handed down to us as well, and her famous potato salad recipe.

SPEAKER_02 9:24

That's amazing. And I I love to have a good, you know, potato salad. I mean, barbecue is just not barbecue without top-notch sides. Like you just have to have that. So I mean, in all in all, you're you're doing the hard work. Okay, because anybody can cook it. Anybody can do that. And leave it for three or four, you know, hours, come back and my sister-law, we the hard work. So, you know, in in your journey, because I know a little bit about your story, you weren't always, you know, into food, right? So, you know, share with me like a little bit like of your journey, you know, of like what you were doing, like what did your life look like, and and what is that process that brought you into, you know, really resting in in culinary.

SPEAKER_00 10:13

Um started out, I wanted to be a nurse, so I went to school to be a nurse. Um upon graduating high school, we had a dual ship, so I was a CNA when I graduated high school. So while I was in in college to be a nurse, I was uh working part-time as a CNA in a nursing home. Love what I did. I love taking care of my people and my and they love me. Um got out of that field because of the uh how nurses, you know, it's just how they treat people. Um so I just got out of it. I just my heart wasn't in it anymore, even though I love what I did. I just but I always knew my calling was to help people. I do I help people, I just didn't know what aspect. So I went into retail, uh, worked at the Best Buy for 10 years, that's where I met my husband. Okay. Um, and so and dealing with, you know, same thing, it's dealing with the customers and dealing with the Black Friday, dealing with everything prepared me now to all my jobs that I had, it prepared me to where I'm at now.

SPEAKER_01 11:09

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 11:09

For it's like being able to handle um pressure. When when you got customers coming at you running out of food or the stuff is behind, or the baby crying, I gotta take a pause to go feed the baby.

SPEAKER_01 11:20

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 11:20

Um so it everything that I I went through in the past has led up to to now. And also um, also I shared with you earlier that um uh my mom passed away last year, and leading up to that, from 2021 to 2025, I basically took care of her. And she was the heart of the family. So that was a that was a major blow to us. And we wanted something. It's funny how God's work because God usually turns your pain into purpose. And he basically what he's doing with Heavenly Smoke, he's turning our pain of losing our mom into purpose, of of this barbecue and honoring her and also honoring him. Um like I said, we do everything to to please the Lord and to honor her.

SPEAKER_02 12:06

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

She was a she was the backbone of the family.

SPEAKER_02 12:09

And that's thank you for for sharing that. And you know, I I want to dig a little deeper because a lot of people don't know how to transition through difficulty. And when they do go through it, they they do it the wrong ways. You know, they they go into the wrong areas or you know, they put their focus on things that don't really matter. Um so just share a little bit more about you know, like how your family kind of came together and some of the things that you had to struggle through. You know, one to not only keep the the business going, right? But to stay healthy, you know, and and to stay whole.

SPEAKER_00 12:46

Um at that time, right bef right before she passed, I found out I was pregnant. And I had told her right before she had really got down sick, and she was super excited, you know. She's like, I can't wait to meet the baby. Um and a few months later that's when she passed. And that was the biggest hurt ever. You like, oh like, you know, grief is hard. Grief is hard to deal with, on top of, you know, losing your mom, then losing your grandmother the same year and while be being pregnant. So you gotta remain strong for your for your your baby inside of you to make sure that you you don't go down the wrong path of uh for so the baby won't have any health complications. Um it it was very hard. But with God, God, that's all I can say. God gave me the strength. I had a a really encounter with him. It's like a one of those Abraham moments where I was I had an encounter with him, and he was basically saying, I have a covenant with you. Anything that's your hand will prosper, I will give you beauty for ashes, and whatever your hand would touch, it would prosper. And he's like, You have a covenant with me. And then I just came out of that, it was like a vision.

SPEAKER_01 13:56

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 13:56

And then ever since then, it's just like I'm seeing his hands and everything that he's doing. Um and the same thing with my brother. It's it was it was the same thing with him, and and God got it, guide us all, guide us through every painful moment that we have. It's painful, even day to day. Day to day, I'm some days I cry and some days I don't, but I know I can't sit in it.

unknown 14:20

Right.

SPEAKER_00 14:20

That she wouldn't want me to just sit and waste away. Yes. So he's turning our pain into purpose by actually exploding heavenly smoked barbecue.

SPEAKER_02 14:30

Yes, and that and that's so beautiful, right? Your your testament to how God serves, um, how God heals, how God prepares. And, you know, even in the midst of your difficulty, he gave you life. Yes. You know, he gave you the joy of his great power, right? By creating a another human being in inside of you. Um so it's just really, really beautiful. Um so this is a family business. Yes. Right? So who all in your family is in the business?

SPEAKER_00 15:04

So it's my dad, Timothy Ross Sr., Timothy Ross Jr., which is my brother.

SPEAKER_03 15:10

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 15:10

Me and my sister-in-law Shanika uh Ross, and my husband, Sam Murphy, he's just uh he's the muscle. He likes helps us. He can't cook anything. Yeah, he just helps us, you know, with let's start set it up, breaking down, and help serving and everything as well. But it's uh it's just us. Just us five.

SPEAKER_02 15:28

So when you you came to the event and you volunteered, I was so impressed because you had this amazing team of people, um, everybody in the heavenly smoked barbecue, you know, outfit, all smiles, all happy, like, you know, joy in life, right, is is what your your team brought together. And and it was your family. Yeah. And, you know, we you got through the push, you made all those 500 sandwiches, and I look over, and you're holding a baby, and I'm just like, how beautiful it is to share your gifts that were given to you, the joy that you have with your children, all in one day, you know, and being able to rest in that. And it's such a gift to be able to share something that's so close to you with others that are just like you, your family. And um, man, anybody out there who doesn't work with your family, like I would say try it, especially if it's your children, right?

SPEAKER_03 16:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:41

Because you're giving them life experience that other people won't share with them in that same way. You know, they're they're not gonna carry that honesty, um, that gifting and be able to pass it down like like we are, you know, with our children. And, you know, in the Montessori school and in what I do in my day-to-day, you know, education is so um important, but education is actually very intimate. It's it's a very personal thing between two people, right? Um, like in history and you know, in scripture, there there used to be, you know, a period where you would follow somebody, right? You would be an apprentice. And apprenticeship was not like this one-month thing, right? Yeah, like this was a high-level commitment that you made with another person to really build your your craft. And it's something that's really missing, again, in today's world, because people don't see education and growing um in that same fashion as we used to a long time ago. Um, so that was just really impressive, just again, to see everybody, you know, kind of come out and you know, and and really do that. Um so you know, you you transition this business, right? You're dealing with, you know, the loss of of your mother and and your grandmother. But like share some of the successes of heavenly smoked barbecue and and some of the things that you guys are doing today, you know, and what that really looks like for you currently.

SPEAKER_00 18:20

Um, yeah, ever since we we started it, we it's we start off like like just like how you cook, slow and and and simmer. Um but now and then it, you know, you get that flavor. Um right now what we're doing, we're doing, we started out doing catering, a little small catering gigs. We used to do concessions for my um husband's uh baseball team on Sundays. Um and to the point now we're doing catering for uh churches, and it's not like it's it's usually we're feeding like two or three hundred people at a time doing that. Uh we're doing bridal showers, baby showers. It's like every weekend now we are booked and busy. Um and it's all glory to God, you know, is for him to explode us, knowing that we what we've been through, it wasn't well, it wasn't in vain, you know. And to still honor our our mom that that who taught us everything that taught us like she did if something that she would have chose, you know, told us to do. Like make sure we have all your uniforms together, make sure you're on time, make sure you have everything. So we do everything we do, we do to honor her and to honor God. Yeah. So what you seen that day, it was just pure and it's just her and our head saying, hey, if you whatever you do, you do it with excellence and unto the Lord. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:35

Yeah, that's beautiful, that's beautiful. This episode is sponsored by Parrot Marketing. If you've been thinking about launching a podcast but don't know where to start, Parrot Marketing handles everything for you, from recording and editing to full distribution across all platforms. They also turn your long form episodes into short clips and publish them across social media to help you grow. If you want a done for you podcast system that actually builds your brand, visit Parrot Marketing AI to learn more. Um so there are many people out there who love food. And and as they should, right? I mean, food is really the core thing, right, that really draws us to our family, it draws us to our history, it draws us to our roots. But many people love food, but that they don't know how to get into business. They don't know, you know, what that looks like. So for somebody out there who knows that they have a passion for like serving and doing food, like what are the kind of the steps, right, that you would kind of walk them through to move in a direction of having either a catering company or opening a restaurant, like share a little bit, you know, kind of like tips, right? Or secrets, you know, that you had to go out and just kind of learn on your own.

SPEAKER_00 20:57

Yeah, um. So like I said, we started out um just doing, you know, concessions at my husband's um baseball uh games and stuff like that, and we did we st we start having fun, you know. We we we having fun doing that. We we say, you know what, we like doing this. Maybe we should, you know, turn this into something. You know, we yeah, we still was then once what happened to my mom, we like, okay, this is what we need to do. That's right. So um Bobby prior, I had already prior, like I said, I already have another business um that I had already started years ago. So I already knew to first you gotta get your business um license, your EIN number, um, do your research, do your research, do your marketing, do test trials and see. That's what we did. We did a lot of trial and error going out, testing this and trying this. And we did a lot of stuff for free, truthfully. We do a lot of stuff for free. Like, hey, let us cater this for you for free. And they're like, for free? Yeah, we just starting, so we just want to get the opportunity to see what works, what doesn't work, what people like, what people doesn't like, so don't like. Yes. Um, so do your research. Research, know your market, know your strategies. Um, but above all, let's put God first. Ask God first to lead you into where He wanted to take your take you and your business to.

SPEAKER_01 22:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:13

Um, I say we we don't do anything without praying and asking God, the Holy Spirit, to to lead and guide us on every move that we make. That's right. Because all money isn't good money. So yeah, we we big on, we really big on who we take on as as um clients in per se, because if it's not honoring him, then we we won't do it.

SPEAKER_02 22:34

Yeah. And and that's you know, something I kind of drew out of that is like proof of concept, right? And so it's like your kids might love, you know, your your sandwiches, right?

unknown 22:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 22:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 22:49

But that doesn't mean everybody is gonna pay you $25 for your sandwiches, right? So, you know, again, like you said, really creating that space, we're testing it with with different clients. You know, food is not relative to one type of human being, right? You need to be able to meet that need for anybody's taste buds, right? Because taste buds aren't owned by a certain culture or race or income bracket, right? Good food is good food. So if you've got something that people really love, you should be able to make it and and and really serve it up. Yep. Um, another thing from my experience is gonna be kind of that business acumen, right? It's like people need to go out and ask questions. You need to identify where, right? Cost of product, right? Your returns on on revenue. And in this world, AI, man, you can you can put some things in AI and it will chop it up and and give you numbers back and and do so much work for you. Whereas like when I was coming up in culinary, man, you couldn't go online and and get you know food costs brought down and portion sizes. So for any of those, you know, upcoming chefs or somebody who loves the kitchen, like today is the time where where the access of you being able to cook good food is you know is really uh available to be able to do that. Um another thing that I really love, you know, and which probably is the most important thing about your business is the fact that you put God first, right? And that you, you know, you're really intentional about the partnerships that you make, uh about the people that you're serving, the locations that you're in. Um so you know, share a little bit more about, you know, kind of your your testimony, right? Like were you raised up in church, you know, were you not, you know, did you just kind of fall into that later on in life? You know, just share a little bit more about you know that journey that that God has brought you through.

SPEAKER_00 25:04

Um growing up, my you know, my mom, she she was into church, but we went, you know, and it's we she stopped, we stopped growing up. Um I actually went to a a uh Christian private school for a few years. Um when I was, I think my eighth grade, ninth, eighth to ninth grade year. Um so I have somewhat of a foundation of God, but I just didn't know the deep dive into it. So of course what normal teenagers do, when you teenager, when you get in your 20s, you you know, you steer away from God. You know, I you run fast.

SPEAKER_01 25:35

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 25:35

And you'd be like, ah, I catch, I get to it when I when I feel like it. And it took um COVID, 2020, you know, COVID when we got it in November of 2020. And I told the Lord, I said, Lord, if you get us through this, I will rededicate my life to you.

SPEAKER_03 25:49

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 25:50

And I did that first of the year of 2021. And it has been a journey.

SPEAKER_03 25:55

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 25:56

Um, a journey that has been like like a like they say, valleys and mountains, valleys and mountains. Um, but it's been been very rewarding. Um if I didn't walk through what I walked through with my mom these last couple of years leading up to her death, I honestly would have would have turned away from God if when when she died. But it's through walking with him these from 2021 to leading up to her death, it's like going through that with him. It it if I didn't have that, I would like to say I would honestly would have turned away and walked away. But through work walking with him and learning him and knowing that he's the comforter, like, and understanding, like it was amazing how even that she died that day. You know, we was all around. My dad, my brother, me, and my grandmother. Matter of fact, she waited till my brother got home got there before she took her last breath. That's how graceful and merciful God is. He allowed us to be right there to watch her take her last breath. You know, um, and that's something she was always afraid of. She was afraid of always dying alone. So he honored her wishes and allowed us to be in there with her as she took her last breath. And who am I to, you know, get mad? But I'm like, God, you did wonderful. What else can I ask for? A lot of people, they family members die alone. They die in the hospital, you know, especially when COVID, COVID, COVID was around, they they died alone. So that was very graceful and merciful of of God to allow us to be there to share that moment. Yes. Um yeah, that's all I can say.

SPEAKER_02 27:32

No, that's so, you know, and I feel the spirit and you know, and you sharing that. And it's it's really beautiful and and really powerful. And um, you know, what what would you say to somebody who, you know, maybe is in between their 20s and 35, and you know, they're in that period where they they maybe know God. They went to church a little when they were kid, but like, you know, how do how do they get back in? You know, how how do they get connected? Where where do they start, you know, to rebuilding that relationship with God?

SPEAKER_00 28:04

Me personally, I just started out. I just matter of fact, I was at work. I was at work one day, and it was just one person. I asked the Lord, I said, I don't know where to start, Lord. I I I honestly pray that's I don't know where to start.

SPEAKER_03 28:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:15

Because at the time I wasn't in the church home or anything, but I knew I wanted to follow him. And I had a coworker, just out of the blue, she was new. And she out of the blue, she was like, have you heard of um, it was, I forgot, at the time it was Mike Todd at the time.

SPEAKER_01 28:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 28:27

She said, Have you listened? And she was young, she was younger than me. And I'm like, okay, let me let me check him out. So I started listening to his sermons and this started just going on YouTube watching different sermons to eventually um I found a church home. Um, and then we just started going to church, and it's just been amazing of what the the love and the love that God has for us and that and how the Bible is just basically a love story written to us. And if you got eyes to see and ears to hear, you can de dive deep into it and you can learn Him even like words can't express how much these from 2021 to leading up to 2026, how much I don't learn and so little time about how God and His love for us.

SPEAKER_02 29:17

Yes, that's so beautiful. And you know, God will put people you know in your pathway to speak to you.

SPEAKER_01 29:26

Yeah, right?

SPEAKER_02 29:27

I mean, he will use all that he needs to to to get with you. And so just having that open ear, you know, to pay a little bit closer attention, but then also to take the time to reflect with yourself and the Lord. Yeah. You know, that that is the key place where God can allow breakthrough, He can allow healing, He can provide power, He can give you wisdom. But if you don't take the time to be open, you don't make that initial step and hear a little bit closer, then you won't have eyes to see, right? And and you won't have those, you know, those ears to hear. Uh so that's just a really powerful, you know, testimony that that you're sharing.

SPEAKER_03 30:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:16

So because Heavenly Smoke Barbecue really started out of family, right? Yeah and you shared with me that it is about legacy, right? How do you see it continuing on, right? So, like, let's say we're here in a hundred years, Heavenly Smoke Barbecue has over a hundred and fifty locations, right? All across Georgia and the US. Like, what do you want a person to feel, see, experience when they walk into one of your restaurants?

SPEAKER_00 30:50

God. God. God.

unknown 30:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:54

God.

SPEAKER_02 30:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:55

That's it.

SPEAKER_02 30:56

Give me, give me a visualization of like what that what that looks like to you to walk in. Like what are the colors? Does it, you know, feel like it's southern Georgia? Like, you know, share a little bit more to help people connect with what that is like.

SPEAKER_00 31:14

Love. And and and love and the love of people. Because you gotta have it. If if you don't have love and the love of his people, then you won't have you don't have nothing at all.

SPEAKER_03 31:24

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 31:25

So we always make sure people feel seen, heard, and loved. So we we serve with excellence. We everybody is like when you come, we we knew once you get to know us, I wouldn't say when you get to know, you don't even have to get to know us. We we'll make you feel like family. That's right. It's just the first the first five, ten minutes of meeting us. You know, so um it's just love and love for his people.

SPEAKER_03 31:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:48

When they walk in when any restaurant, if we was to have more restaurants, love of God. Yes, pretty much.

SPEAKER_02 31:55

That's great. That's really beautiful. Um, if you could like look back to your, you know, kind of younger self, you know, first entering into COVID, you know, you know, maybe even like right before some of these happened, things happen, or like when they just started, like what would you want to share to yourself? Like what would you want to communicate to yourself just entering into that phase of hardship?

SPEAKER_00 32:25

Trust God. Trust God and trust the the process. Yeah. Trust God and trust the process.

SPEAKER_02 32:34

That's amazing. That's so beautiful. Um, because you run a family business, like share a little bit of how it is like working with your husband, right? And like, and like having that, you know, partnership and you know, and and kind of what that is.

SPEAKER_00 32:51

Um, it's fun. It's it's fun on most days. It can be stressful some days, because the thing about it, we we like I said, we just had a newborn. Um, like that Saturday, I we have to he had to keep escorting me out to the car so I can you know feed our son. Some days it's um rewarding, some days it's stressful, but overall it's it's I love it. It's it's it's just fun to be able to work with your partner, work with your family, your brother, your sister, your dad, and um also incorporate our kids in into the business as well. Um being there with us, um, learning from us, learning how to cook, learning how to serve, um, learning how to basically have conversations with customers and and just get overall having conversations with them. Um it's very rewarding. Very rewarding.

SPEAKER_02 33:37

This episode is also sponsored by Heritage Montessori School in McDonough, Georgia. We are now opening a new primary classroom for children ages three to six, designed to build independence, confidence, and a strong academic foundation. In this stage, children develop focus, responsibility, and a love for learning that prepares them for the years ahead. If you are looking for the right environment for your child's early development, visit heritagemontessory.school and take the first step today. Would you say that you have more joy now than when you know you were in RN or you know doing some of those other things?

SPEAKER_00 34:20

Yeah. It's me personally, this me doing this this business is more joy than all the other years of of working leading up to this. Yeah. I get to I get to do what I love the most. I get to serve his people, and I get to do it on basically my terms, you know? It's a family business, so we'll be like, hey.

SPEAKER_02 34:41

Yeah, that's beautiful. Um so because I, you know, have a culinary degree and I absolutely love food, like what is your two it's two questions. What is your favorite thing to eat and why? And then the second one is what is your favorite thing to cook and why?

SPEAKER_00 35:02

Favorite thing to eat would be wings. I love wings, any type of wings. Fried chicken, um, hot wings, teriyaki wings, wings, period.

SPEAKER_02 35:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:14

Um how do you like them?

SPEAKER_02 35:16

Do you like them crispy? You like drums only, you like hot sauce, sweet sauce, like because wings is this whole deal now. We could go pretty far into some wings.

SPEAKER_00 35:25

So drums only, truthfully, if I can't. If I can have drums only, you're that big crispy. I'm not bad at you, but yes. Crispy and hot with lemon pepper sprinkles. I never ate the hell girl.

SPEAKER_02 35:36

So they're gonna be lemon pepper always or something. Okay, all right, beautiful, beautiful. All right, so um my favorite thing to eat um would be spaghetti. I I really love spaghetti, probably because it's just like it's so hearty, right? But then you can have it in like so many different ways. You know, like spaghetti is unique in all different types of regions of the world. I mean, you can do so much with a sauce, it has so many layers and flavors, or you can make it in 15 minutes and and it's amazing and and it's consistent. So, okay, tell me what the favorite thing is to cook and why.

SPEAKER_00 36:22

Mine is my famous macaroni and cheese.

SPEAKER_01 36:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:25

Um, like I said, it I I love doing that. It's it's it's homemade, so we we I grate the cheese up. Um we do like five to six different types of cheeses. And it's basically a recipe that's passed down from generation to generation of the old school way of doing it, you know, using making a roux, like using the flour and the egg and stuff like that to make the root the old school way versus doing it the new school way of just using heavy whipping cream and Velveeta cheese and stuff like that. So um, even though I even though I can do both, but I like doing it the old school way, taking my time. And it's like I said, it's it's it's not a recipe per se, because you you just do it with little feeling. Yeah, you season it with love. So boom doop doo doop, and there you go. That's my favorite. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:13

So you just brought up a secret there for everybody out there who makes mac and cheese, okay? Which is the sauce, baby. It's a cheese sauce.

SPEAKER_00 37:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:21

Right? So just like share about what a roux is. What's a room? Tell me what a roux is.

SPEAKER_00 37:27

Well, it's basically what you you take the um the butter, melt the butter, and then you take the flour and you, you know, cook the flour and keep it going, and you add start slowly, start adding your um your evaporated milk in there to get you your get the roux.

SPEAKER_01 37:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:42

Um, some people like to do old school way and do some uh eggs. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

SPEAKER_01 37:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:47

And then once you get your roux just right with and saw you adding all your cheeses and everything in it, they can keep you gotta keep stirring it up, keep stirring it. Well, I'm giving my secrets away.

SPEAKER_02 37:57

You're not giving it away. You're helping somebody who's struggling and makes terrible mac and cheese, and they always show up at the family barbecue, and people throw that thing in the trash can. Like they thought it was gonna be good, but no, that was terrible. Don't invite her back to make that again. Um, but also, you know, those are the things that make someone like you in your business and your company to the next level, right? Because it highlights your understanding of real culinary arts, right? Of really drawing into something that was created over generation and generation, you know. Rux are are one of the oldest culinary tools that are used in history because roos are used as a natural thickening agent, right? And in this day and age, so much of what we buy is processed that it naturally thickens or it naturally evaporates. But most foods don't do that. No whether from the ground, right? You have to go through a beautiful, slow, amazing process to get texture and consistency just right. Yep. And so, you know, for our listeners out there who are using Velveeta packets, it's like a signal with it. Yeah, there's something wrong with it. You know, uh that's not real mac and cheese. Don't do that. Don't show up at my barbecue with with no. And and I say that because most of the time I don't eat mac and cheese. Because it doesn't have the love. It's like you spent less time than it took me, you know, to to do something else where mac and cheese is a pasta. Yeah. Right? It it it's it comes from one of the oldest, you know, culinary areas, which is the French, right? And they actually did the foundation of all mother sauces. The French invented all mother sauces. They really patent those things. So for me, if you're gonna impress me, you know, at least explain what you did with the mac and cheese, right? Otherwise, I don't I don't want nothing to do with it. I don't want to.

SPEAKER_00 40:02

The same thing with baked beans. You know, a lot of folks just throw the baked beans, take, open up a can and throw them in there. No, no. It's it's it's it's a little deeper than that.

SPEAKER_02 40:10

Okay. It's much deeper. Do you know how to make collard greens?

SPEAKER_00 40:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 40:14

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 40:14

My grandmother um taught me how to do it. How to how to pick them, how to cut them up, how to wash them, how many times to wash them, what to look for when you wash them. Yeah. Yeah, she she taught me everything about how to make uh collard greens. Matter of fact, I just went to her house this weekend.

SPEAKER_02 40:29

If I come and I order from Heavenly Smoked Barbecue, what is that southern plate that you're gonna bring out to me? What is on that southern plate that says, mmm, this is what we got for you.

SPEAKER_00 40:44

You're gonna have some ribs, all right. Some mac and cheese, of course, and collard greens, or you go, and you can also have some Genesis baked beans as well.

SPEAKER_02 40:53

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 40:53

Um, with a corn, um, buttery corn muffin.

SPEAKER_02 40:57

I'm getting hungry.

SPEAKER_00 40:58

And some wash it down with some salvation punch.

SPEAKER_02 41:01

That's amazing. That sounds absolutely delicious.

SPEAKER_00 41:05

Let me know what you want for dessert. Okay. So we also do strawberry banana pudding. We also do um uh biscoff banana pudding, and we do uh butter pecan peach cobbler.

SPEAKER_02 41:16

Ooh, all of those just sound absolutely uh divine, to be completely honest. Um, you know, I want to thank you, Chandra, for coming out today and being on the podcast. Um, it's really been great, you know, having an opportunity just to get know more about your business, um, how God is working in your life, um, in your hands, and in everything that you do. It's it's really beautiful. Um, will you just share a little bit with our listeners of how they can get in contact with you, you know, how to find you on social media, you know, what would what is it that you want to leave with them today?

SPEAKER_00 41:59

Um you can follow us on Heavily Smoked Barbecue on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. Um we also do pop-up shops where we do uh we sell plates on the on the weekends and also do catering. Um you want to get in touch with us by phone it's 404-548-0139. And Ashley is my mom's her cell phone number that we use as our business line now. We convert it to a business line. So that's so that's how we incorp still incorporate her into our business as well.

SPEAKER_02 42:32

Beautiful, awesome. All right, everybody. We just wrapped up an amazing interview with Miss Chandra at Heavenly Smoked Barbecue. If you want to know about Deep South and a Deep Flavor Professor, you need to hit them up, get with them today, have them out for your next business. As always, make sure you like and subscribe our videos so we can continue to have the best content coming to you on Chasing Heritage. Thank you, and we'll see you next time.