The Barbecue
One fateful day in 1968, two histories converged to form a barbecue supernova in Gainesville, FL. These two histories, though interconnected, represent separately dramatic origins of the two things you needed to start a BBQ restaurant: barbecue and a man.
Sonny Tillman’s start at his cousin’s barbecue restaurant was completely coincidental. However, after a melodramatic clash between familial foes, it ended up in his hands and he eventually skyrocketed it to the top of the BBQ hierarchy. On top of all of that, the history of the essential American Barbecue itself contains an equal amount of drama over snobbish squabbles for superiority in the diverse American BBQ landscape.
Let’s start with the tasty yet nuanced creation that allowed the birth of Sonny’s BBQ in the first place. American barbecue was, like many things, not our original idea. When Columbus crossed the Ocean Blue, and landed in the Caribbean, he and his compatriates noticed a wooden structure that the natives would use for anything from protecting ripe corn, sleeping on, and of course, holding meat over fire. The native Taino people called this structure barabicu or barboka, and in 1526 Spanishman Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo transcribed it as barbacoa.
When this strategy of meat cooking was popularized in the colonies, the English settlers recognized its delicious potential, but there was an animalistic connotation associated with it because of its roots with the native peoples. So, it first became a traditional staple among slave populations in the South due to its inexpensiveness and accessibility. This slowed the English embracement of BBQ even more, for they did not want to acknowledge the mouthwatering dish the slaves were cooking up.
And that wasn’t the end of it. Once white folks realized this was a delicacy that deserved no further shunning, the geography of the then less interconnected states created discrepancies between barbecue styles that still have people fighting over the true definition of “barbecue” to this day. The first to embrace the low and slow method of cooking were those of the Carolinas who depended on cheap and easy pig farming.
Pigs can survive under rather harsh conditions compared to cows and thus were much easier to keep alive. Though they never got quite fat enough to make a delicious meal on their own, the low and slow barbecue method allowed the meat to tenderize and become delicious.
Then, we moved west. Since everything is bigger in Texas, so is their meat. The wide open landscape allowed them to feed cattle on the vast grassy plains. Thus, the beef barbecue evolution began.
Next was Memphis, whose proximity to the Mississippi allowed easy access to imported tomatoes and molasses, perfect for a thick, sweet sauce to drench their tender meat slabs.
And finally, Kansas City, which saw the amalgamation of all of these styles later in the development of barbecue and the United States. Though the delicacy we know and love was stolen, labored over, and plastered as a traditional American staple after much turbulence, it is still an adored American staple.
I know for myself, it is an emotional experience to bite into a tender flavor bomb of meat, not dissimilar to Remi from Ratatouille’s mental fireworks, and the romantic french music that plays, when he indulges in a beautiful dish. Something about the hours of labor that go into each slice of barbecue goodness makes them so beautifully valuable to not only Southerners, but Americans and even humans everywhere (with Korea and other countries having their own distinct barbecue cultures as well).
The Man
Sonny Tillman is one of the many men who recognizes this value. Initially, Sonny was just a barbecue appreciator with a cousin in the industry. Then one day cousin Andy Keller, called him up to help with some construction work at an existing barbecue location of his.
This location was part of Andy’s Fat Boy’s Barbecue franchise. Andy’s brother, Jesse, eventually joined him in the trade after his initial success, and together they spread the chain across the entire Southeast, and once claimed the title of the largest barbecue chain in the world. Little did they know, roping cousin Sonny into the business would be their demise.
After finishing his construction project, Sonny continued to spend a lot of time at the Fat Boy’s of Cocoa Beach until eventually Andy convinced him to try his hand at the pit. That he did, and from there he soared.
Within a couple of years he was running the store and by 1968, the Kellers offered him his own store to head in Gainesville. That Fat Boy’s location ran for 9 years until the brothers began to fight. There were questions over ownership of the franchise which eventually led to the closing or renaming of most of the locations, one of them being Sonny’s. Early on in the dispute, the brothers allowed Sonny to break off out of respect for him and his ‘Q and thus he reopened as “Sonny’s Real Pit BBQ” in 1977.
Sonny’s caught on like wildfire until he had achieved the title of largest BBQ chain in the US. Though competitors have usurped that title in recent years, many locations are still going strong, including the original here in Gainesville, FL.
Besides the commonality of barbecue and controversy, the histories of Sonny’s and barbecue were built on superiority complexes and inability to give others credit. Though the argument that landed Fat Boy’s in Sonny’s hands is a little muddy, it was no doubt based on greed and personal superiority complexes that made the brothers unable to share any longer. This conflict of power eventually fell apart giving rise to the great Sonny’s BBQ.
Then there’s the southern barbecue itself, which was only embraced after the walls of perceived “racial superiority” were broken down and all people enjoyed the simple delicacy. I think Sonny’s and barbecue are great examples of the good that can come of setting aside differences and embracing what we can create together. Sure, it’s a little silly, but it is true that barbecue and Sonny’s have brought millions of people together.
In Gainesville, Sonny’s has become a symbol of community and love, and has brought smiles to thousands of customers. And this never would’ve happened without the creation of barbecue in the first place that has brought people together around the world! These two stories may seem obviously connected because of the barbecue-common-denominator, but when you take a closer look, it goes deeper. Long story short, be kind and eat barbecue.