| In – Focus Marion & Linda Simmons Jr. Buffalo Couple Spices Things Up as First Blacks To Locally Produce and Market Barbeque Sauce! By Paul Chimera In-Focus Columnist Marion and Linda Simons’. Have bottled their dream. For years, Marion — a corrections officer at the Wende’ Correctional facility in Alden would serve up the most succulent ribs, slathered in ‘a’ secret sauce he had quite a knack for creating. The couple became understandably popular in their east-side neighborhood. "People brought different dishes ‘and would drop by and ask us to grill it for them,". Marion recalls. His self-styled concoction — employing liquid smoke and a riot, of other special ingredients — became a barbeque sauce that was truly magnetic: it attracted connoisseurs of great smoked barbeque flavor like kids to cotton candy. Grilling has long been Marion’s hobby, he tells me. 1t was a way to put aside the day’s ‘routine. And like some hobbies, it became, well, not quite an obsession— but certainly a passion. In fact, when the store from which he used to buy a certain seasoning ran out of it, he tracked down the distributor in Ohio. Marion’s special sauce was not to be denied. More important;’ his growing legend of fans weren’t going to be left without the tantalizing condiment that.’" Linda describes simply as "sweet- spicy." The couple began carving out a niche for themselves, serving up ribs and sauce for years at various church: fund raisers. - tent set-up — a church kitchen operation at the corner of Best and Herman. Many said their sauce was superior to those being, offered by long- established’ area restaurants. "This was a vision" Marion was onto something with his creative juices quite literally flowmg. And Linda’s spiritual and moral support was surely a key ingredient in the formula that is now leading to a growmg success. "God’s the head of our lives’ declares Marion from the Victorian style living room’ of their home. "This was a vision, Linda said "the Lord told me were gong to do this. - She recalls being approached by an Amway representative, who was going to call back soon in the hopes of recruiting the couple as distributors. But Linda knew what her response was going to be when the fellow called again" sorry, but we’ve got other plans. Those plans, she confidently announced to the caller, were that she and her husband were going to established their own business. - "Over night I had this dream." Linda remembers, and the dream is now, becoming the couple’s new reality. "it’s bottled love," she effusively describes the chocolate-brown-colored Bubble’ s Q Sauce, whose name derives from Marion’s nickname-. — Bubble — pinned on him by a grand uncle when he was just a baby. "It’s straight from the heart."- And with their heart very much into taking a nearly 25-year passion and turning it into," a business that would allow . broader marketing of their sauce d’ resistance, theSimmons invested some of their savings into bringing Bubble’s Q Sauce to market. Linda came up with the bottle’s label design — the product of prayer, in which she literally sought divine guidance — and hatched the idea of "Q"for barbeque, and the belief that her. Husband’s picture inside the Q would be just what the chef ordered. "Isn’t that a handsome picture of him?" she proudly inquires of a visitor. "We had family offer thousands of dollars years ago for us to be able to. Do this, but we said no" Marion shares. "We didn’t want to owe anyone. We saved our money." And he also protected his secret recipe, which I got a chance to sample at the conclusion of our interview. In a word: devastatingly delicious! Ok, that’s two words I couldn’t help myself. Others agree, and sometimes their enthusiasm is downright, humorous. Marion recalls the time a fellow corrections officer, Drayton Wienckowski was grilling in his yard at the same time a neighbor was. The two men debated back and forth as to who had the superior barbeque sauce, each insisting he did. When they went to fetch them, it turned out they both had the same: Marion’s taste sensation in a bottle! These days the. neighborhood hobby that drew a small army, of followers is marching to the beat of potentially big business — though they’re starting small, slow and local. The Simmons. have teamed up with Pellicano . Food Manufacturing’ Co. of Buffalo, which produces Bubble’s. Q Sauce for distribution by Marion and Linda themselves. We don’t want to forget the independents" Loading up their red SUV, they make deliveries to such stores as the Broadway Market, Camillo’s Sloan. Super Market, Niagara County Produce; Hoelscher’s Meats, Premier Gourmet and Gianna’ s Market Place. More locations are coming, soon, they promise. On’ July 1, they did a demo at Budwey’s in the Town, of Tonawanda, letting customers sample finger-licking spare ribs bathed’ in Bubble’s Q Sauce. One taste and I’m thinking most customers were ready to stock up. "Our goal is to get into Wal-Mart and the larger stores,", Marion foresees. "But right, now we’re dealing with the independent . stores,’ adds Linda. ‘We don’t want to forget the independents. Before we get ‘to the top, we want to stay at the bottom with everyone else." That feet-on-the-ground. approach to business and the .way they live their lives oozes from our conversation like rich, sweet Bubble’ s Q Sauce dribbling over the edge of a. thick-cut sirloin. "Church is number one for us," they emphasize. They attend Word of Life Ministries in Niagara Falls. Back- when Linda had worked as activities ‘director at a nursing home, she would often predict that One day Marion would simply have to bottle his delicious creation and sell his ribs. "She said God gave me the vision," Marion acknowledges. And Linda gives ultimate credit to where it’s due, declaring, "Anything that comes from God is already blessed. So it’s already good and can’t fail." Indeed, success is flying off the shelves. Bubble’s Q Sauce only hit the local market On May, 26, and they were virtually out of their first Order within the first month: 225 cases, ‘2,700 bottles. They retail for about $3 a ‘i9-z. bottle.’ Bubble’s Grilling Secret Ok Marion "Bubble" Simmons Jr shares his secret .for superb taste in grilling. ribs, chicken, etc. Do not put your barbeque’ sauce on’ the meat while it’s grilling. Only- after you’ve grilled it to your liking should you place it in a pan, slather it with sauce, then place it covered in your oven, on low, for 45 minutes to an hour. Ultimately, the couple — married 31. years — would love to take Bubble’s Q Sauce nationwide. In a small way, that’s already happening. One of their three Sons lives in Hawaii and is promoting "the Q" at local stores, while another in South Carolina is wearing a similar promotional hat. A third son resides locally in Grand Island (the boys are Shannon, Brian, and DeMario). And the parent company of a leading Western New York grocery chain is considering stocking the sweetly spiced sauce, as well. For now, though. they’re working the local landscape, starting slow and moving gradually toward their bigger vision. Linda recalls the time she was picking up an order of ribs at Sloan Market when she was standing next to a gentleman who had picked up a competitors barbeque sauce, then picked up Bubble’s Q Sauce. "I told him that’s an excellent sauce!" she relates, "He put the competitor’s bottle down. Then I told him, ‘I know it’s excellent — because he’s my husband!" as she pointed to Marion’s picture on the label. "We’ll never change"Marion says he has no plans to leave his full- time job at Wende, so he fits in distribution runs around that commitment. He fully expects to get his pension. On the other hand, he acknowledges with a telling smile, "I may quit sooner than I planned, though!" It’s a testament to the optimism he and his wife bring to the business that was bubbling up for years, and is now gaining commercial recognition. And while it may one day change the couple’s financial fortunes, their focus remains resolutely on family. On his bottle labels, Marion notes: "I dedicate this in loving memory of my dad, Pastor Marion C. Simmons Sr. and my mom, Effie." Says Linda: "We’re grateful, and we owe this to God. We’ll never change. We’ll still be Linda and Bubble. We’re paving the way for our sons and grandchildren. This is their future." Marion (Bubbles) Simmons Jr. |
Marion (Bubbles) and Linda Simmons Jr
Simmons and Cooper Family
Marion ( Bubble) Simmons Jr