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How did you get into the barbecue business? What do you think people might not know about the “day in the life” of Mallory and your role in the business?\u00a0<\/strong>My husband, Arnis, started experimenting with barbecue when we lived in Arizona.\u00a0 We owned a landscaping company and it was very stressful for him.\u00a0 He grew up on a farm and he was always tinkering with stuff and wanted to build his own pit.\u00a0 I think teaching himself to barbecue was a therapeutic hobby at first.\u00a0 I thought he was crazy.\u00a0 Barbecue isn’t a big thing out in AZ.\u00a0 We started cooking for neighbors and friends.\u00a0 Then, he bought a little food trailer and we decided we would try selling bbq on Fridays and see how it went.\u00a0 We just set up in front of an old golf course on the side of the road.\u00a0 Things got busy pretty fast and we really wanted to move closer to family.\u00a0 We decided to sell our business, get a nicer food trailer, and relocate to Lubbock and try this bbq thing full-time.\u00a0 For the first year, It was just me and him.\u00a0 He cooked the meat and I did all the sides and desserts.\u00a0 It was stressful, but fun.\u00a0 Over the past 2 years, we’ve added another baby and moved from the food trailer to a brick and mortar.\u00a0<\/p>\n People may not know that I manage our social media.\u00a0 I really enjoy taking pictures of food and working at the restaurant as much as I can.\u00a0 I love it there.\u00a0 It’s hard to step back and let other people take care of things so I can be with our kids.\u00a0 We have awesome employees and I’m so thankful to have such amazing help.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n What is the best thing about being in the barbecue business? What do you enjoy the most? \u00a0<\/strong>The best thing about being in the barbecue business is the people.\u00a0 Not just the customers, they’re great too, but the actual people involved in Barbecue all over Texas.\u00a0 I feel like we are part of this awesome group of people who support and root for each other.\u00a0 And not just the joint owners, but the bloggers, photographers, and foodies.\u00a0\u00a0It’s really cool.\u00a0 I feel like I could reach out to just about anyone in the business for advice.\u00a0<\/p>\n I don’t do any of the cooking anymore, so I really enjoy hanging out during service and chatting with customers.\u00a0 I also love helping serve food and even cleaning tables during a busy lunch.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n Obviously not every day is an adventure in this business. Any funny stories you would like to share?\u00a0<\/strong>A funny story I could share is from a day I was at the grocery store.\u00a0 A guy put his fist up in the air and yelled way down the isle “Hey!\u00a0 I love your food!!”.\u00a0 It was so funny.\u00a0 It’s funny to be recognized places and have people go out of their way to say hi.\u00a0 I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that!<\/p>\n What is the worst thing about being in the barbecue business? <\/strong>\u00a0The worst thing about the barbecue business is definitely the hours.\u00a0 It was really hard in the beginning (and still is sometimes) having a “pit master” husband.\u00a0 There are times when he won’t see the kids for a few days at a time.\u00a0 That doesn’t happen as much anymore, thanks to having great employees.\u00a0<\/p>\n Any stories you would like to share about a bad day you just had to laugh about? (I always say, you have to have a good sense of humor to be in this business and laugh, or it can be a challenging thing to be in day in and day out) I<\/strong>\u00a0have quite a few stories about “bad” days that I could share!\u00a0 Haha.\u00a0 It’s tough when we get a bad review online.\u00a0 We take it pretty personally because this business is so special to us and we work so hard.\u00a0 I’m getting better about just laughing off the negative comments and knowing that you can’t please everyone, even though we try!\u00a0 All we can do is serve the best food we can and take good care of people and hope that they spread the word and come back to see us.\u00a0<\/p>\n You are a mom, which is also a full time job. How do you juggle being a mom and an entrepreneur in the family business? Any advice you would like to give to working moms in general and making it all happen everyday?\u00a0<\/strong>Having a support system is huge.\u00a0 If it wasn’t for my mom and my mother-in-law’s help over the past 2 1\/2 years, we definitely wouldn’t be where we are today.\u00a0 I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to take a step back over the past year after our son was born to “stay at home” thanks to some awesome employees.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n I think it’s really important to be realistic about what you can get done in a day.\u00a0 There are days that I feel like Super Mom and everything is awesome.\u00a0 Dinner is made, house is clean, kids are happy.\u00a0 But, then there are days that I’m lucky if I even take a shower, I feel like I can’t get anything done, and my 4 year old hates me.\u00a0 But, I try really hard to be realistic and not too hard on myself.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n I think it’s important to say “No” sometimes.\u00a0 A fellow Barbecue Wife gave me that advice.\u00a0 Give yourself some grace.\u00a0 Try not to compare yourself to other moms that seem like they always have it together.\u00a0\u00a0They don’t. Don’t believe everything you see.\u00a0 Take some time for yourself.\u00a0 I’m particularly bad about this, but I am trying to make myself more of a priority.\u00a0 Your mental health as a mom (working outside of the home or not) is so important.\u00a0<\/p>\n What do you do for fun? Favorite Vacation spots you would like to share?<\/strong>\u00a0Having my husband home from work, hanging out on the back porch and watching the kids play and not having to be anywhere or do anything is the most fun lately.\u00a0 Don’t get me wrong, I’d love a good date night with him with no kids and no rush.\u00a0 Maybe someday soon! \u00a0We also love going to antique stores.\u00a0 Just looking around for treasures is always fun.<\/p>\n Arnis and I went to Hawaii on our Honeymoon and I can’t wait to go back.\u00a0 A beach with no plans is my idea of a perfect vacation.\u00a0<\/p>\n When you are not eating at Evie Mae\u2019s where would you send someone visiting your town?<\/strong>\u00a0Definitely some of the local wineries, The West Table<\/a> for a nice dinner, or The Blue Light<\/a> for live music.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>When you actually get the chance\u2026what do you do with girlfriends on a \u201cNight Out\u201d on the town?<\/strong>\u00a0I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t had a “girls night” in quite a while.\u00a0 I love live music and a good, cold beer.\u00a0 Anything just hanging out and talking about life is great with me.\u00a0 A patio is a plus.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Favorite Musician?<\/strong>\u00a0This is a hard question to answer because I have so many “favorites” in different genres of music.\u00a0 I may listen to The Statler Brothers<\/a> one day, and Tupac the next.\u00a0 My mom is a huge lover of music so I was exposed to everything growing up.\u00a0 I love Willie Nelson, Michael Jackson, Stevie Ray Vaughan,\u00a0Prince.\u00a0 \u00a0Pat Green<\/a> is also one of my favorites.\u00a0 He was just starting out when I was in high school and his music and song writing started my serious love of Texas country music.\u00a0 I have seen him in concert probably 10 times.\u00a0 There isn’t a single song of his that doesn’t spark some sort of memory from High school or college.<\/p>\n If you were to empty out your purse on the table right now, what would we find?<\/strong>\u00a0Oh, yikes.\u00a0 You would find diapers, wipes, snacks, lipstick, probably some trash.\u00a0 Hand sanitizer.\u00a0 I’m a huge germaphobe.\u00a0 My little girl loves being outside and all things Nature, so there’s a possibility of finding rocks, even bugs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Is there a local or national charitable cause that you support that you would like more people to be aware of? (I\u2019m a big supporter of giving back where you can. Just simply spreading awareness is a great way to give back).<\/strong>\u00a0I don’t currently support any one in particular, however, if you’re in the Lubbock area and looking at donating time or money, The Carpenters Church<\/a> or the South Plains Food Bank<\/a> are a great place to start.\u00a0<\/p>\n We are going to end each interview <\/strong>with\u00a0a piece that we can share from your kitchen to the readers home kitchen. There is nothing more transcending than sharing a good recipe card from one friend to another. What is a favorite recipe that you like to share with friends\/family?<\/strong><\/p>\n 2 cups corn grits\/polenta<\/p>\n 6 cups milk<\/p>\n 4 Tablespoons of butter<\/p>\n 1-2 cups of cheddar cheese<\/p>\n 8 oz of frozen, chopped green chile (substitute jalapeno if you’d like)<\/p>\n Salt and Pepper to taste<\/p>\n Combine milk and butter and bring to a simmer\/soft boil.\u00a0 Slowly whisk in the dry grits and continue stirring until they start to thicken up.\u00a0 Reduce heat and add cheese and green chile.\u00a0 Continue stirring until desired thickness and add salt\/pepper.\u00a0<\/p>\n If they get too thick you can add a little extra milk or butter.\u00a0This is a great side dish or even a base for grilled shrimp or sausage.<\/p>\n We want to thank Mallory for taking the time out of her busy schedule to share a little bit about her adventures as a “Barbecue Wife.” Next time you are in the Lubbock, TX area stop by and tell her “Hello.”\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Our goal is to introduce you to some of the amazing women that we meet along the Barbecue Wife trail as often as we can.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Till next time!<\/strong><\/p>\n Catherine<\/strong><\/p>\n P.S. If you know a “Barbecue Wife” we should get to know, shoot us an email at info@barbecuewife.com We’d love to hear from you.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How did you get into the barbecue business? What do you think people might not know about the “day in the life” of Mallory and your role in the business?\u00a0My husband, Arnis, started experimenting with barbecue when we lived in Arizona.\u00a0 We owned a landscaping company and it was very stressful for him.\u00a0 He grew […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":213117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[136],"tags":[17009,58373,80754,57813,56941,469],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-213116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-barbecue","tag-barbecue","tag-evie","tag-maes","tag-mallory","tag-robbins","tag-wife"],"yoast_head":"\nEvie Mae’s Green Chile Cheese Grits<\/strong><\/h2>\n