Greetings From the Garden State

Mike Ham heads to Madison, NJ to visit with Matt James of Daddy Matty's BBQ! The two discuss finding his passion of cooking BBQ, opening the restaurant, the passion he has for contributing the community, and more! After a brief intermission early on in the episode caused by a local leaf blower, Matt made Mike a pulled pork quesadilla which was awesome!

About Daddy Matty's BBQ & Matt James

Originally launched in 2014 (pre-pop-up), Daddy Matty’s BBQ is the passion project of Madison dad/entrepreneur Matt James. A longtime partner in a financial services firm, James started out with a small-scale catering model—offering mouth-watering smoked brisket, pulled pork, baby back ribs, and more, which he tested out on friends and family. “I was working for myself and realized I had the time to pursue other things that I wanted to accomplish,” he explains. “In business terms, I wondered, ‘Can we create a community-focused business?'” From the start, the venture followed its motto “Everybody Eats” by creating a partnership with the Morris County Interfaith Food Pantry. The profits generated from the catering efforts went entirely to the food pantry for the first couple of years while James tested new recipes and learned the ropes of running the business.

Feeling ready to take the next step in 2016, James began investing a portion of profits into his operations but still maintained Daddy Matty’s core commitment to feeding people in need in the community by donating proceeds and meals throughout the year. “Giving back is part of the DNA of the business,” says James. “Every purchase you make helps to put a meal on [a] neighbor’s plate.”

As the catering picked up, Matt began bottling his signature BBQ sauce (made, he explains, by blistering and then pureeing peppers with “other great tasting vegetables, premium spices, and a little bit of sweet stuff”) and sought out a commercial kitchen to expand his services. Partnering with the owner of another successful local caterer, Mexican Spice, the two businesses began sharing a leased kitchen space and then, in April of this year, launched the pop-up model inside Main Street Wine Cellars. In 2018, Matt finally opened up his own brick-and-mortar restaurant on Elmer Street in the heart of Madison, NJ. 

Inspired by the kindness in our community we started Daddy Matty’s BBQ with a purpose: Feed our Community and help our Neighbors.Our Motto “Everybody Eats” captures our commitment to sharing. In New Jersey a quarter of our neighbors must choose between food and other essential costs. 1 in 7 struggle with hunger, a third of which are children. These statistics are heartbreaking but more importantly, they are our motivation.

Every purchase you make helps to put a meal on your neighbor’s plate. Since 2014 we’ve provided thousands of meals through our partnership with the Morris County Interfaith Food Pantry and we will continue to find ways to get food to our neighbors who need it most!

6 Elmer Street Madison, NJ

daddymattysbbq.com

@daddymattysbbq

Today in New Jersey History: Steven Van Zandt was born on November 22, 1950. 

NJ Fun Fact: NJ has more diners than any other state!

Thank you to our sponsors: Albert & Whitney CPAs awcpasllc.com 

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Website: greetingsfromthegardenstate.com 

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Music (used with permission): "Crazy" by Manny Cabo www.mannycabo.com

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