How did you find your purpose?
A favorite culinary ambition was to learn how in the world “Texas BBQ” could be so delicious. Texas is considered to be one of the best locations for smoked and cooked meats. They consider “Texas-Styled” BBQ to be the mother load of BBQ but the rest of the world knows there is good BBQ in Kansas City, Memphis, the Carolinas and a host of other locations. Every BBQ location is headed by a pit master, who determines the type of meat, how long, what temperature, and what seasonings are to be used in the process. My career in Texas ended when our Shell division was purchased by DuPont and a move to the NE coast provided a new challenge. There was no decent BBQ in my new location!!
Loving BBQ in Texas meant that I needed to learn how to prepare and cook meats in the same fashion. I was developing a passion for my own style as well as pit masters that I observed. 1 day I ventured into Pitts & Spitts, INC, a manufacturer of what I determined to be a good BBQ cooking station (“pit”). I was told by the owner that being from the North, I could buy 1 of his pits, but I would never learn how to cook Texas style BBQ because “you Northerners” were in too much of a hurry! I now had a challenge to properly learn and push my passion to a point of excellence so that I could serve people award-winning Texas BBQ. Interestingly enough, I was asked to be a part of the Pitts and Spitts BBQ team and during the next 3 years we won many BBQ competitions.
A little about yourself?
For several years, I worked in the Agricultural/Chemical business where my purpose was to help farmers increase the amount of food for the world. My educational background in agriculture, chemistry, economics and plant pathology provided the background for creating a template where no one would starve. My work assignments in the Middle East, Far East, and Australia gave me the opportunity to help increase food production and satisfy, to an extent, my goal of feeding the world. In all of those locations, people cooked BBQ in some form or fashion. The next challenge was to create my own company where we could provide a taste of “Texas BBQ” wherever I lived.
How was Miley Brands Created?
Successful BBQ in Texas tradition takes time. You can’t be in a hurry, it’s not a quick dinner experience!
The second aspect of my journey, was how to season the meats that I was cooking and how could I make those seasonings available if others wanted to buy my recipes. So I created Miley Brands, LLC which could provide my patrons with rubs, seasonings, and equipment to allow them to make their own food delicious.
To demonstrate and teach, I created IBBQ4U which is my catering company. People who wanted to learn the art and science of meat selection, cooking, and presentation could join me in the entire process.
The most important qualities for success?
I’d say having a commitment to higher education is important as it was a long journey! 9 years of higher ed (4 years of undergrad, 4 years of dental school and 1 year residency) and being willing to put your life on hold for an important goal. My friends were all out of school, buying houses, having kids and so on while I was in school still taking tests and developing my skills with patients knowing it would all be worthwhile in the end. My parents were both teachers – my Mom was a teacher at Gonzaga University and had a Masters Degree as well as a PhD. My Dad was an Earth Science teacher with 2 Masters degrees so I guess the higher ed path was in my culture. I was very lucky having the parents I had who completely supported my goals!!
