GreatQ4U! – Central PA’s one Stop BBQ Shop!

As we begin our TENTH year of operations and look toward longer and hopefully much warmer days ahead, we are proud to say that after a decade of being a ‘one trick’ pony, we have evolved!  Indeed we still specialize in wood-smoked BBQ Catering and have begun the process of getting the ‘BBQ Battlewagon’ Fire Trucks set up and ready to roll for your Spring and Summer Parties and your Fall Tailgating festivities, but there is obviously more to us than just BBQ now!

As the world of BBQ hits mainstream TV and the number of folks that are getting into the BBQ Restaurant and Catering business evolves, we welcome the new additions to our passion and as I have typed here many times before, we encourage you to experience as many different places as you can!  We all have our own unique twists on how we prepare, season, smoke and serve our BBQ products.  We are proud to say that we’ve been doing BBQ Catering for a decade and that our BBQ has won many awards at Kansas City BBQ Society and other events!  I am proud as a Pitmaster and Chef to say that I’ve won national awards for my flavors and creativity, not to mention a commitment to sourcing locally from those who are the best at what they do.  BUT, I also know that we are only as good as our last service and we will never forget that!  Our menu continues to grow and our catering options extend beyond ‘traditional’ BBQ now to accommodate a wider range of tastes, but our core commitment to preparing every meal ‘to order’ and specifically for each event will never change!

Additionally, even as the number of BBQ ‘outlets’ in Central PA continues to grow, there remains a gaping hole for the home chef that is looking to learn how to cook BBQ on their own.  You can watch TV and resort to the internet to learn a LOT about how to ‘do Que’ but there’s no replacement for Experience and we have put ours to work by expanding into Retail sales of Primo Grills/Smokers, Myron Mixon Pellet Grills and Smokers and the affordable and versatile Pit Barrel Cooker along with a whole host of accessories!  We are even offering an ongoing BBQ Class series that we will do int he Spring and Fall in the ‘off peak’ months of our Catering schedule to teach folks how to do everything from making your own signature spice blends and sauces to cooking whole hogs and even getting into the BBQ business!

As all of this expansion of services goes on, our focus will remain on service and quality and we want everyone to know that if you’re looking for a BBQ Smoker or Grill or the knowledge to know how to use them, we are indeed your ONE-STOP-BBQ-SHOP!  You can find out more about us online at: www.GreatQ4U.com or our Grills and Smokers at www.BuyAPrimo.com or feel free to call 717-254-1937 or stop by and see us during our off-season weekend hours which are always posted on our FaceBook Page!  We’re on Twitter too! – SO…when you think BBQ in Central PA, think about GreatQ4U! and we’ll do our best to help you out!

BBQ Bravado

By, Jim Knepper

There’s NO shortage of it out there these days and it has been amplified by media attention to our art form and it’s most visible purveyors…competitors.  No doubt that in order to take a long, laborious task and make it palatable to TV audiences, there has to be drama, conflict and even occasionally resolution, afterall that’s how TV goes.  It’s also present in the Competition Circuit in no short supply…as it should be.  Afterall, if you’re going to compete, you ought to be doing it to win, hence the purpose of competition.  It’s also increasingly become present among folks who cook BBQ as a business either full or part time and sometimes it’s backed up by the products, others it isn’t.

I am writing this post not to lecture anyone on how to behave as they pursue their love of creating great BBQ nor am I taking a position of me being any better than anyone else, I am instead examining this ‘bravado’ from the perspective of a guy who thinks that the BEST thing about BBQ (next to eating it) are the people who produce it!  Reason for this observation is that recently I’ve connected with some great folks on all ends of the BBQ spectrum via our various social media outlets and have been reminded again just how good BBQ people are in general.  From farmers to butchers and other Pitmasters, large production operations and small outlets of various packaged BBQ products, even BBQ Restaurant and Catering owners who are committed as can be to their art form.

If you’ve never been to a BBQ Competition and you are a fan of the product, I would suggest that you take some time this year and go to one!  You can find one near you on the Kansas City BBQ Society’s website (www.kcbs.us) and when you go there are a few things you should know.  First of all, there are VERY FEW competitions that will allow the teams to provide you with ‘samples’, primarily because of Health Codes and liability, so you can ask, but don’t be surprised when a team can’t let you taste their goods.  Also, you should know that Friday evening and early Saturday morning are the best times to interact with the teams.  By mid morning on Saturday, things are getting busy and Pitmasters and crew are finishing up ‘turn in boxes’ so they have a pretty focused effort underway.  I think that you’ll find that the folks who compete are in general, a great group of people that are more than willing to answer questions and provide tips.

Another great byproduct of the increasing popularity of BBQ is the amount of folks who are getting ‘into’ the BBQ Business.  From full and quick service restaurants to roadside BBQ ‘shacks’ there are LOTS of outlets for authentic smoked BBQ products these days and you should support as many of them as you can if you’re a true fan.  Sure, there will be those you like more than others and you’ll most likely even have a favorite, but every Pitmaster’s got their own twist and signature taste and BBQ isn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all’ proposition.  There are many ways to get to that finished product and the more you cook the better you get.  In my humble opinion there’s too much ‘mine is better than so and so’s’ in our market place, worse there’s never really any need for openly trashing a place that you don’t like as a way of supporting the place (or places) that you do like…it doesn’t really serve any purpose and I think subverts the history of BBQ which is a very communal art.

Lastly (because no one wants to spend their whole Monday morning reading my thoughts) I would say that if you’ve got a local butcher or a farm in your area that pays close attention to how they raise their animals or even raises ‘heritage’ breeds of proteins, you should do all that you can to support them.  It’s not only helping the BBQ community to thrive by increasing the availability of product, it’s healthier!  I read somewhere recently that if you buy pre-packaged hamburger meat in a super-store, you could be getting meat from >150 cows in every burger!  You won’t find that at your local butcher or local farmer’s market and it keeps the money you spend in your community.

So, while there is NO shortage of bravado out there in the BBQ world about how mine is better than so-and-so’s or you don’t know what you’re doing if you don’t use MY techniques, there are far more folks in the BBQ community that are willing to commit to their art and their customers.  They talk mostly about their own product and passionately about where their proteins come from and how they prep and cook them, not about their competitors.  We support each other and we do far better together than we do individually it’s not such a crazy concept.  It’s good to be proud of your BBQ and if there’s a spot you don’t like, don’t go back.  As for the competition circuit, it’s ultimately up to six judges who’ve spent a lot of time learning how to judge and tasting all kinds of different BBQ.  Not everyone wins every time because the palates of the judges changes from competition to competition and table to table and that’s a good thing!

Don’t let the BBQ Bravado throw you off, there are a TON of good people in BBQ and I would say that if you’re interested in consuming, cooking or competing…go out and get some, you’ll find a bunch of great people and a growing number of them making great product!  Of course, I’m always available to ‘talk BBQ’ and we do teach classes, do catering and more!  Visit us at www.GreatQ4U.com or give us a call at 717-254-1937 to learn more about GreatQ4U! – Thanks for reading along and have a GREAT Monday!

Hey, Is it still cold out there?

By, Jim Knepper

OK, so I don’t typically begin posts with a rhetorical question, but thought it appropriate today as there are quite a few of us that have simply had it with this cold snap.  That Groundhog had better be wearing shades this year, ’cause if he sees his shadow, he’ll need a security detail to get back into that hole!

Not a long post this morning, much going on despite the cold!  Still working on our Spring and Summer schedules and doing our best to keep ‘Station Q’ warm and ready for all the work that has yet to be done on the ‘BBQ Battlewagons’ for the Spring/Summer competitions and Fall Tailgates.  Should have our ‘Tasting Room’ put together by the end of the month so we can give customers a sense of not only how delicious our food is, but how our presentation and service will look at their events!

Also, still a few spots left in the April 5th Whole Hog class at our shop in Mechanicsburg, PA.  We are limiting class size to 15 people and will be cooking 3 hogs: One on ‘the smoke’, another in La Caja China using top down indirect heat and the third will be used to demonstrate preparation techniques, anatomy and basic butchery of the whole hog!  Should be a GREAT class and well worth the $275 investment…you will leave with FAR MORE than knowledge!  You can sign up/pay at our website: http://www.greatq4u.com/BBQ_Classes.html

We’d LOVE to cater your Spring or Summer event with our ‘conventional’ catering OR with an Antique Fire Truck that’s set up to ‘Respond’ to your party needs and quench the hunger of even the hungriest guests!  Just give us a call soon to save a spot on the calendar and we will be happy to get you a written estimate!  We’ve also got Pre-Season pricing on ALL in-stock Primo grill/smokers so you can get a great deal on a ceramic Grill that will last a lifetime and is 100% ‘Made in the USA’!

Know someone looking to cater an event, or looking for a GREAT Grill/Smoker?  Refer a friend and we’ll hook you up too! – Give us a call at – 717-254-1937 or e-mail me: Jim@GreatQ4U.com for more info! – STAY WARM! 🙂 jak

A Few Thoughts on Competiton in the BBQ Business

By, Jim Knepper

To be clear about it, I am NOT typing about ‘BBQ Competitions’ which we are BIG fans of and hope to compete in many more of this year than in the past several years combined.  I am thinking about how the ‘BBQ Landscape’ has changed in our little slice of Central PA since I moved here in the early 80’s and specifically since we started cooking ‘Que’ for a living in 2004!

Back THEN, there were few (if ANY) folks in or around Central PA that were actually cooking ‘wood smoked, low & slow’ BBQ in our area.  I recall as do many folks that I grew up with ‘Ricky’s BBQ’ in Carlisle and other than their awesomeness can’t think of anyone doing the kind of ‘Que’ that we still do back then.  There were no shortage of folks doing ‘Chicken BBQ’ over charcoal with the thin, clear vinegar/butter sprayed on them.  As a volunteer firefighter and EMT, I helped out with my fair share of them and love that kind of cooking, but a wood fire at <200°F for long periods of time yields an entirely different kind of product.

Fast forward until present day and the Central PA market has become saturated with purveyors of ‘BBQ’ and as with ALL kinds of cuisine, each of us has our supporters and detractors…that’s business!  Heck, little old Carlisle’s now got TWO BBQ Restaurants, several folks vending from mobile or semi-mobile locations and LOTS of ‘BBQ Caterers’…they are even trying to figure out the Food Truck scene which will no doubt lead to more innovation in BBQ and other food options for residents!

Speaking of the whole food truck thing brings me to MY point in this particular post.  There is a great deal of hub bub about the Food Trucks and the ‘unfair competition’ that they will present to the ‘Brick and Mortar’ operations.  Some of it coming from surprising sources and much of it fueled by Social Media and Advertising outlets.  I have read MUCH bluster about this place having GREAT BBQ and that place STINKS (or worse) and every time I see that kind of talk, I wonder if it truly benefits ANY of us cooking BBQ?

I understand allegiance to your favorite spot and that BBQ, like many other types of cuisine is a VERY ‘subjective’ experience.  I can even understand the desire for loyal followers of any specific purveyor to be emphatic about their support, but I question if it’s the BEST way to build the market for BBQ in and around Central PA?  As an example, I would suggest taking a look at Austin, Texas where there are TONS of BBQ Spots and unlike around here…MOST of them are quite busy and selling out every day they are open!

What’s the difference?  Well to start with, you see the folks in Texas talking mostly positively about their OWN BBQ and not so much about their competitors.  You also see a market in which, folks take some pride in their ability to go from one BBQ joint to another and make a day out of ‘BBQ Tours’!  Those who are making the BBQ in Texas benefit from a market that has been BORN of GREAT Product first and foremost and then SMART cooperation on the other hand!  Of course there is competition among the vendors, but there’s also cooperation as well.

With ALL of the BBQ vendors in and around Central PA, we could quite easily become a Mid-Atlantic Mecca of Slow Smoked Meats!  We could work together to promote BBQ and build a solid ‘base’ of BBQ lovers who also take pride in their ability to go from place to place and experience the beauty of BBQ…every Pitmaster does it just a bit differently than the others!  Diversity has always been one of the beautiful aspects of BBQ to me and I believe that it should be embraced!

SO…you won’t see me ‘trash talking’ the other BBQ folks around us…instead, you just might see me and my wife patronizing their establishments!  I like to taste different kinds of ‘Que’ even more than I like eating my own over and over again!  I think competition is a GOOD thing and would hope that as the number of folks doing BBQ around us continues to increase, perhaps we could work together to build the marketplace and constantly evolve our operations instead of working against each other, which I’ve never had ANY interest in doing!

Just my thoughts on a Hump Day afternoon!  Wondering what y’all think?

Chalk Up One More Year for GQ4U!

By, Jim Knepper

While it’s hard to believe that we’re 13 years post apocalyptic millennial computer virus and moving on to yet another, I can say for SURE that this has been the most TRANSFORMATIVE year for GreatQ4U! since we started our business back in 2004!  What began out of a desire to make ‘real bbq’ for friends and family (because you just couldn’t FIND it in Central PA), morphed into a Competition BBQ Team that rapidly became a BBQ Catering business and NOW…we are a full service Event Planning and catering Company with far more than just BBQ to offer customers in and around Central PA…we even have ventured into the world of Retail Sales with our Primo Grill/Smoker shop!

Looking back, as I mentioned we started this whole thing because there were no easy to access purveyors of Wood Smoked BBQ in or around Central PA in the early part of this Century and we simply couldn’t resist taking advantage of the area’s rich farming community and evolving technology in the world of BBQ!  I was a proud member of the Kansas City BBQ Society and a Certified BBQ Judge and that love translated into one of the only ‘BBQ Centric’ catering Companies in the area.  We got by for nearly a decade with a focus on locally sourced, hand prepared foods that were ALL cooked-to-order and delivered hot off the smokers!

Today, little old Carlisle, PA (<19,000 pop.) has a veritable plethora of BBQ Outlets with many BBQ Trailers and now TWO BBQ Restaurants all competing for the taste buds of the customers that were in our ‘wheelhouse’!  We believe that Competition can be good and in many ways, I think it was good for us to have these folks bring a passion for BBQ to the area!  Channeled properly, Central PA could have an AWESOME ‘BBQ Trail’ for folks to experience different takes on the same technique…but as of yet that’s not happened and I don’t know that it will.  Although, we would LOVE to be a part of a community of local ‘BBQ people’ who are working together to support each other and grow the community of ‘BBQ Fans’ in the area!

Looking forward, as we ‘re-position’ ourselves in a growing (and now crowded) marketplace, we are taking MANY steps to evolve into something that meets a wider array of needs and still maintains our steadfast commitment to producing a quality product with locally sourced ingredients!  In addition to Wood Smoked BBQ, we have opened up our catering Options to include Cast Iron Cooked ‘Chuckwagon Style’ parties and are in the process of retrofitting TWO Antique Fire Trucks for our 5-Alarm Party Packages!  For groups up to 50 folks, we’ll be able to ‘Respond’ to party needs with Fully Fun Featured Fire Trucks that have CO2 Dispensing systems, Flat Screen TV’s with Satellite and Gaming systems in addition to everything we need to set up, prepare and tear down the whole party on board as well!  Additionally, if you’re busy and need help planning an Event, we can work with you to handle as much or little of the process as you’d like!  From contracting entertainment, venues and other services to providing the entire meal and serving it in any way you’d like…we’ve got your back!  For more info about all we’ve got to offer, visit us online at www.GreatQ4U.com or call 717-254-1937 for Hours and Directions to our shop in Mechanicsburg, PA or to ask any questions you might have…reach me at Extension 1!

SO…as 2014 approaches, we are THANKFUL for ALL of the people and businesses that we’ve worked with to date and looking forward to MANY MORE years of providing state-of-the-art services, great food and customer service that simply can’t be beat!  Here’s to all of our Blog readers for following along!  May you ALL have a Safe, Healthy and HAPPY NEW YEAR! – PEACE! 🙂  jak

BBQ Lover? Got one in your life? We’ve got ALL you need!

We say Merry Christmas around here!  Just to get that out of the way up front…BUT, that doesn’t mean that we don’t honor ALL the Holidays that are celebrated this time of year every year!  After all, diversity is what has made America the great country that it is and we celebrate THAT every day!  BUT…we only Celebrate the Christmas season ONCE a YEAR and that means LOTS of benefits for YOU!

We recently opened our FIRST EVER retail store at our shop in Mechanicsburg, PA and it is ALL STOCKED UP with American Made Primo Ceramic Grills/Smokers and BBQ Accessories!  We’ve got sauce, rubs and LOTS of GreatQ4U! Gear from hats and shirts to Gift and Loyalty cards that are the PERFECT gift for that hard to shop for Foodie on your list!  NOT ONLY will they receive bonus bucks rewards, they can use the cards on ANYTHING we sell: Catering, BBQ Classes, Consulting, Primo Grills and Accessories, GQ4U! gear and even a 5-Alarm Fire Truck Party!

It IS without question a tough economy and we get it!  In fact we feel it every day as well and we are doing our best to help in LOTS of ways!  We are offering the LOWEST prices of the year on Primo Grills, which are not only Made in the USA, they carry a 20 year warranty and in addition to being the LAST Grill you’ll ever need…they are as versatile as it gets!  From smoked meats to ‘Wood Fired’ Pizza that is JUST like in the best Pizza places and even baked goods…the Ceramic Grill produces INCREDIBLE results and we will MAKE sure you know HOW to achieve them before you leave the shop!  Our Primo Kamodo ‘All-In-One’ package includes EVERYTHING you need to get started; Grill/Smoker, Cradle with HD Casters, Shelves and Ash Tool!  AND you can get one before Christmas for UNDER $876!!

Our Catering division has NEVER had more options for our customers from our ‘Real Deal’ Wood-Smoked BBQ to the new addition to our fleet: Fully Fun Featured and Functional Fire Trucks that are DECKED OUT in order to provide an AWESOME party experience!  CO2 dispensing systems, Flat Screen, Satellite TV’s, Gaming Systems and ready to ‘Respond’ to your party needs, provide great food and entertainment and then clean up and roll out!  Book SOON…we’ve had a LOT of interest!  BETTER YET, we are offering our Once A Year sale until December 31st…you can save 5% OFF the TOTAL of ANY size event!  Call us for details: 717-254-1937

Our BBQ Competition Team ended the year in Harrisburg, PA back in October and after a 3 year hiatus, we rolled out with two award calls and a great bunch of memories, we are busy preparing for an ACTIVE (for us) 2014 Season and planning on attending at least 6 major competitions!  Meanwhile, we are offering several options already for our 2014 ‘BBQ Master Class’ series with dates already scheduled and filling up in Jan, Feb and March so far with more to come.  For up to date info on dates and times, visit us online at: www.greatq4u.com/BBQ_Classes.html

We’ve also got a full service Hospitality Consulting division and are capable of helping you work on everything from building a ‘BBQ Business’ or adding ‘Real’ BBQ to your existing menu to building and optimizing a successful website!  We have helped folks take a look at their operations and streamline to increase margins, customer satisfaction and employee productivity and satisfaction!  No matter your needs, we can help!

SO…there’s PLENTY of time left before Christmas to get on down and see us, we are open Monday, Thursday and Friday from 5:30pm to 9:00pm – Saturday from 10am to 2pm and Sundays from Noon to 4pm – OR by Appointment at your convenience!  We’re located at 105 Texaco Road in Mechanicsburg, PA 171050 and online at www.GreatQ4U.com – not to mention our Twitter and Facebook pages!  For personal attention, call Jim at 717-254-1937 Ext. 1 or E-Mail: Jim@GreatQ4U.com

The ‘New’ GreatQ4U!

By, Jim Knepper

So, if you’re a regular reader of the Blog…first of all, Thank You…secondly, you’ll notice that things around our Catering Company are changing pretty dramatically these days!  If you’re entirely new to our Blog and Company…well, you’ve come at a GREAT time!  We ARE indeed going through a number of significant changes, ALL of which are designed to allow us to continue to deliver a quality product AND maintain our commitment to providing individual service to each and every customer!

Our ‘Re-Branding’ includes a number of facets and all of them tie together into one clear focus…providing customers of all types in and around Central PA with FUN and MEMORABLE Events of ALL Types!  We are in the process of re-building our Antique Fire Trucks to feature Flat Screen TV’s, Satellite TV and Gaming Systems, CO2 Dispensing Systems and State-Of-The-Art Grills and Smokers!  We can configure our new ‘5 Alarm Parties’ just about any way you’d like and best of all…we do all the work, you just enjoy!

Additionally, we are expanding our menu and Catering Options to include onsite cooking of more ‘traditional’ Picnic menus that will include Hot Dogs, Kielbassa, Brats, Burgers, Elgin Sausage and more…along with the option of a Brazilian style cookout or a traditionally smoked specialty!  Once again…the choice is all yours, we will be happy to have an Event Specialist or ME if possible speak with you and make sure that we clearly understand your needs….then we’ll provide a number of options for you to consider!

HAH! As if that’s not enough we’ve got even MORE!!! If you live in or around Central PA or if your Company is having a Holiday Party and you’d like Santa himself to arrive in an Antique Fire Truck then hand out Candy, Holiday Treats, Employee Recognition Gifts or whatever you’d like!  We are CURRENTLY BOOKING for ALL of December with 30 minute visits starting at $250 (within 10 miles of Mechanicsburg, PA) – For details call Jim at 717-254-1937 Ext. 1 and we’ll be happy to lock in your date and time!

SO….that’s enough for now, but still only a fraction of what we’ve got going on…hense the lack of Blogging…been working!  We are proud to have a new Shop in Mechanicsburg, PA to house our Fully Fun Featured Fire Trucks and a Tasting Room along with all of our Catering Supplies and more!  We look forward to welcoming our friends and online companions to the shop soon for a ‘Housewarming’!  SO….stay tuned and thanks again for following along! – jak

OK…So Much For Keeping Up the Blog!

By, Jim Knepper

Of course (again), I’ve got several good reasons for not taking the time to sit down and type about any of the following ‘happenings’ in real-time, but in the end I thought it better to wait until all the puzzle pieces were in place…….kind of!

SO, with that said, I CAN say that there’s been a LOT going on around here the past month or so!  We have acquired and are currently retrofitting the ‘BBQ Battlewagon’…our Antique Mack Fire Truck that will not only anchor our 2014 Competition efforts, but serve as a unique way to entertain guests at Parties, Tailgates and Events of all types!

In order to house the fleet of fully fun featured fire trucks, we’ve added a shop or ‘Station Q’ which whill not only be the new hub of our catering operations, based conveniently in Mechanicsburg, PA…it will serve as a ‘multi-purpose’ facility for tastings, Competition practice, BBQ Classes and more!

Speaking of BBQ Classes, the addition of our new shop in Mechanicsburg has allowed us to accelerate scheduling our first round of the ‘BBQ Master Class’ series in 2014 with dates and pricing on the website (http://www.greatq4u.com/BBQ_Classes.html).  Additionally, we will be adding more classes to the schedule soon!  We are limiting class attendance to the first 15 folks who sign up…so if you’re interested, book soon!

On top of all that, we are offering our Customers and Friends a chance to have Santa show up at your location in our Antique Fire Truck and hand out gifts of your choice to your guests!  For more details on this unique and memorable service and more, please feel free to call or e-mail: 1-855-900-4BBQ or Jim@GreatQ4U.com

WOW…Did Anyone Get the Number of THAT TRAIN???

By, Jim Knepper

SO, this is what happens when I don’t Blog?  Consider it ‘lesson learned’!  I (of course) have MANY good reasons and explanations for my online derelictions, but you don’t read the Blog for THAT….you want to know what’s going ON!

Well, a LOT has been going on after the slowest season EVER for us and many of our suppliers and customers, we did a great deal of re-evaluation and to be honest, 3 weeks ago it looked as if we would go back to being a Competition Team that occasionally did catering…and that was OK with me!  THEN…..***BAM…BAM….BAM*** I can’t recall what hit me, but all of the sudden, everything is different!

Within the last 3 weeks, we have welcomed ‘Big Mack’, our ‘BBQ Battlewagon’ (aka: 1971 CF Mack Fire Truck) which in addition to its personal significance to me as the first type of Engine that I ever rode on over 30 years ago as a young Firefighter/Paramedic…she’s a LOOKER!  Her ‘Debut’ was QUICK and quite well received by our fellow BBQ Teams at the Keystone Classic in Harrisburg, where after we returned from a 3 year Competition ‘hiatus’…we managed Two Calls with a team that had never cooked together before…not bad for us! 😀

THEN…we have begun to get inundated with requests to have the Fire Truck provide our latest offering; the ‘5 Alarm Tailgate’ party!  We can roll in, set up, cook, provide entertainment and draught drinks then clean up, tear down and roll out…all in style!  In addition to ‘Big Mack’, we plan on welcoming ‘Squirt’ in the next few weeks…a 1985 Pierce 50′ Telesquirt that adds a HUGE visual impact, provides overhead lighting and is the PERFECT place to fly your flag! (Literally!)

With all of THIS going on, we needed a place to put it all together and next week, we will provide specific details about ‘Station-Q’ – Our new HQ in Mechanicsburg, PA and conveniently located!  We will house the Fire Fleet, have a tasting area and be able to hold classes and demonstrations at the new facility and we are all REALLY excited!  We are making a BIG INVESTMENT in Central PA because we believe in YOU!  We’ll do our part for SURE!

SO…buckle up and enjoy the ride…it’s going to be a CRAZY ‘off season’! – O’h and consider yourself invited to the Christmas Party at Station Q! 🙂 – jak

Evolution, Re-Invention, Continue to Blog…

By, Jim Knepper

OK…so maybe these are not daily Blog posts, but they are ‘regular’!  As my past few posts may imply, there’s been a LOT on my mind and LOTS to do as we try to figure out a ‘way forward’ as the educated ‘city types’ say! (no offense!)  Alas, that’s a BIG task in an economy that confounds even seasoned vets and large companies with years of experience!  There is indeed a perfect storm of things occurring right now that make one wonder if there’s any way out intact!

Well, as with ANY storm…there is always an end and as the Finals of the America’s Cup races continue in San Francisco bay, I should say as any good sailor would…we will make it through!  We are going to look a bit different on the other side, but will continue to focus on local, sustainable and responsible product done right!  Cutting corners to make a buck simply is not in the cards for us!

SO…what better way to move forward than to COMPETE??? We haven’t been out there on the Competition Circuit for a few years and it always helps one focus to be around fellow ‘BBQ People’…therefore we’re planning on competing at the Keystone BBQ Classic at the PA Farmshow Complex on 10/4-5!  It will be a triumphant return to competition and a great time for all involved!

Since the inspiration to compete hit us a bit late and folks have their Fall schedules pretty well set, we are light on team members so we couldn’t think of a better time to give some of our fans and fellow foodies a chance to see what it’s like to be on a competition BBQ Team!  That said, we are offering four spots on the team for the event as a ‘Competition BBQ Experience’ for $250 per person!

WOW Jim, that’s some $$$! What do you get for $250???  Excellent question my friends…there are of course the ‘tangible perks’, most notably a chance to participate in a Planning Session Dinner, REAL involvement as part of the Team, a GreatQ4U! T-Shirt and Embroidered Baseball Cap, a Bag-O-GQ4U!-Swag, Team Dinner on Friday Night and an Invite to the After Party!  THEN…there are the ‘in-tangible’ benefits of being a part of a team that is seriously focused on showing Central PA that we KNOW how to DO SOME ‘QUE!!!

If you’ve got any interest, the first four folks who are available will get the slots…so e-mail Jim@GreatQ4U.com for more info!  We do accept Credit Cards.

OK, how’s THAT for a Blog Post!  See you again soon! – jak