My Story

Crazy Gringo BBQ started long before 2019 without me even knowing it. Things that took place in my life helped me to discover what brings me peace, and that is cooking for people! Cooking outdoors on grills is my favorite, but I am not limited to that. My culinary journey dates back to me being a young boy. I started Cub Scouts when I was around five years old but likely started cooking at some point after that. I couldn’t pinpoint an exact age that I started cooking, but it was definitely while camping in boy scouts. I remember having to plan the menu for weekend camping trips, then having to cook the meals with my patrol. Sometimes this would be on a camping stove, backpacking on a hiking stove, a Dutch oven, or on a BBQ.

I have fond memories of cooking at these events and going camping with my dad. One menu item that sticks out to me is a Cornish game hen/wild rice dish we made in a Dutch oven, and we always had a berry, peach, or apple cobbler for dessert. As I grew older and moved on from Boy Scouts my father always loved to cook and BBQ. It was a way for him to try to get the extended family together. He had the right idea! Food does bring people together! I remember this one time we had all of our Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins over. My dad bought all of the food but printed out recipes for everyone, and we all cooked together in my parents' kitchen. This would also be my ultimate goal! I love helping people who want to learn or who are interested in cooking. When my wife and I bought our house in 2012, my parents' gift to us was a BBQ. My dad loved to cook outside, and this gift just confirmed that for me. We cooked several times together as adults at our house and my parents, but I would say my dad's favorite things to grill would be ribs or burgers. Like me now, my dad used to cook the Thanksgiving turkey or the Christmas ham on the BBQ. In 2016, my dad was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and was checked into the City of Hope. He was able to go home for about a month that year in between his stay, and I remember cooking ribs on the grill for the family in the backyard while everyone hung out. They weren't the best ribs I’ve ever made, but I remember how happy he was to be home, and how much he seemed to enjoy them. Little did I know, that would be the last time I'd cook ribs for my father. He passed in September 2016, and I felt lost for quite a while after that. I continued to BBQ as a normal guy does, but was having moderate depression, and couldn't seem to find my way easily. Sometime in 2018, I found a clearance pellet smoker at Walmart and decided to buy it. I put it together that day and decided to try to cook on it. Like many, the first thing I cooked was pulled pork. From the first cook on this smoker, this became a hobby that I was addicted to. I was able to connect with my father who had passed and was able to make others happy with great-tasting food. This hobby has grown throughout the years, and I have learned to cook on many different grills/smokers including, charcoal ceramic grills, drum smokers, offset smokers, and one of my favorites, my Cedar Creek Asadera. I have since competed in a competition placing 4th overall with the Cedar Creek team cooking over an open fire, and have been blessed to be able to cater for as many as 1000 by cooking on a 500-gallon offset. I am grateful for every opportunity to learn, and to move Crazy Gringo BBQ to the next level.