HOT DOGS DONT HAVE TO MEAN YOU DON'T CARE

Not everyone knows, but J-BAR-H got it's start with a hotdog job for 2500 6 years ago. Since then we have literally cooked and served tens of thousands of hotdogs to happy customers. While we are known for our Backyard BBQ's, Fundraisers, Church Catering, Corporate Catering and Picnics, we do hotdogs better than anyone else. Why? Because we care. We think that hot dogs can be good, and served with style and flair.

Just because our client is having a casual affair, doesn't mean that we can step back from our values. J-BAR-H is very intentional about every single thing we do. From the way we cut our pickles for our BBQ's, to the lettuce we use for our salads to the way we cook a hot dog; no detail is to small to be important. While we are known for affordable catering, we have never had a job where someone didn't come up and say that was the best fajita, brisket, steak, hotdog or turkey sandwich that they ever had. That doesn't happen on accident.

Today we had a chance to cook hotdogs for David Weekly Homes and their awesome customers. They were showing their appreciation to their current owners and future prospects. What better way than a picnic? J-BAR-H only uses all beef dogs and grills them onsite, adding atmosphere and freshness. We brought out our special chili and everyone had a good time. Adding to the fun was the Big Tex Jumpy thing that the kids really enjoyed.

Kind of got me thinking that the hotdog seems to be the poster child (culinarily speaking) for the current economic situation. While J-BAR-H is not participating in the recession, we can still bring food and fun for our customers at any price point for any situation. With families and companies cutting back in all areas, sometimes it is important to stop and enjoy fellowship with those around us. Don't let the newspaper get you down. No situation is too bad that you can't stop and share a hotdog, and a smile...

CAN YOU BE GREEN WITHOUT DRINKING THE KOOLAID?

Is J-BAR-H Green? In a word, yes. In two words, not really. I mean we do some really green things, but I just can't wear the robes and drink the kool-aid. Being a caterer we are being asked more and more by our corporate catering clients, churches, picnic clients and even our BBQ clients to have "green" options and recycling onsite.

We do some things that NOBODY else is doing, especially in our respective genres. J-BAR-H grows our own herbs and composts all of the green waste from our kitchen; then uses the compost to feed the herbs. We use compostable paper goods and recyclable disposables on our jobs where reusable items are not practical. We can schedule rental of china, crystal and silverware to reduce waste. As a third option we can offer disposables made from green sources such as cornstarch and other earth-friendly substances. We also offer alternatives to the venerable "box-lunch" when circumstances don't require individual packaging. We use the boxes our goods come to us in to send our products out to our clients. We practice "reduce, reuse and recycle" wherever possible and look for ways to save energy where practical. We serve dishes "family style" unless requested otherwise. We buy local and Texas produced goods as a matter of principle when possible. When available and practical, we donate extra food to local area charities and food pantries. The fact is that we subscribe to the tenets of running a green business in a practical manner, just not a religious one. If GREEN is your thing, we can work with you or your event planner to help meet your goals in a reasonable manner.

So, coming out of a great conference in Las Vegas we have dedicated ourselves to the following initiatives: 1) We will use reused and reusable materials in our delivery system wherever possible. 2) We will offer recycling receptacles at all of our events 3) We will source earth friendly products for all of our disposables that fit not only our mission but actually SAVE our clients and our company money. 4) We will go to a front-to-back online ordering system that will make 90% of our paperwork dissappear immediately, saving paper and fuel consumption in the process. 5) We will seek to reduce our packaging and work with our customers on reducing their reliance on us to bring disposable servingware.

Does this make us "green"? I don't know, but it seems that if we can tighten up our processes and reduce our waste that it would at least make us more responsible than others who don't even try. I think in the end that it is about just doing right things right. This seems right.

GOOD CLIENTS MAKE GREAT CATERERS

J-BAR-H has the best clients. Very easy statement to make and it couldn't be more true. Given that we started this company among friends, we are blessed to have grown with clients that love us and that we love back. We offer corporate catering, church catering, Non-Profits and Fundraisers as well as Backyard BBQ's and Steakhouse Menus. All of our Hostesses, meeting planners, PTO's and Pharmaceutical reps are special to us and are considered friends.

Every now and then you get a client that grows you and helps you to become a better caterer. I have one of those, and the story of how we came together is pretty hilarious. Long story short, we were hired to do an event for a group associated with a political party. The person referring me knew that I was a member of the other political party but knew they would love our food, I just had to keep things on the down-low. So we do the party in political icognito and come to find that the other side looks and acts just like normal people. The hostess was a gracious Southern Lady with whom I immediately hit it off, and the rest is history. She has used us 6 times since then and is really just one of my favorite people.

We had a chance to cater her Valentine's Day party and really enjoyed cooking for her and her very interesting group of friends. Menu was Steak and Lobster from Anderson Brothers, grilled asparagus and a few sides that the guests provided. Absolutely perfect and fun. The pictures here are from this party.

J-BAR-H loves our clients, and is thankful that we get a chance to make people happy doing what we love and are good at.

Barbecue & Longhorns

Don't know if I have talked about it before, but J-BAR-H has a special relationship with Diana Tatum of TXlonghornForHire.com. I can't even remember how we met now, but I have to say that her passion for longhorns rivals my own passion for feeding people. We hit it off so well, that Diana also represents J-BAR-H Texas Catering to the Houston marketplace.

Our relationship is a complementary one, if not confusing for the longhorns. My pit-trailer has a bumper sticker that says "This is where the food chain ends" and I am getting one made for hers that says, "Save a longhorn, eat a vegetarian." So while the longhorns feel completely safe around me, they always have it in the back of their heads that one wrong move on their part and they move from her trailer, to mine...

So is that a conflict? We ARE a caterer specializing in Texas BBQ. And everyone knows that Texas barbecue is brisket, and, well, brisket comes from animals that look strangely similar to my partner's show cows. I prefer to think we are the before and after. You can ride and have your picture taken with Gateway, Hotshot or Haywire, and then walk over and enjoy one of their exquisitely prepared cousins.

Why is barbecue so popular and why do we do it? Barbecue is popular because it has cultural significance. It is Texas comfort food and it is well defined. You don't get a lot of points for going off the ranch and getting creative. A good brisket is a definable commodity. Look for a nice, flavorful bark on the outside, a beautiful smoke ring on the inside, and a fork-tender texture with just the right amount of smoke flavor. Takes about a weekend to learn how to do it, and a lifetime to master it.

Why do we do it? Frankly, because we are so damn good at it!

I enjoy barbecue also because it doesn't just describe the food we eat, but how we cook it and the event we enjoy it at. Friends and family coming together to celebrate a wedding, companies showing how much they appreciate their employees and churches inspiring fellowship among their congregations. Everyone has a good time at a barbecue and J-BAR-H Texas Catering is honored to be the vendor of choice in our area.

So I guess whether or not you like your barbecue on the hoof, or on the plate, we have got you covered. (Haywire is my favorite...)