Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Brooks.
Hi Michael, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
We have a blue collar background, those are our people….
A lot of baby steps and loyal customers have gotten us to where we are today and we are forever grateful to our supporters.
I was born in Houston TX in 1981 and spent my childhood being raised in Lockhart TX. Father was a mechanic, Mother a school teacher and Brother of a Sheriff Deputy. There are 6 generations of Texans that came before me in my family. Good Barbecue has always been apart of our lives and we felt there was a need for it in our area of St John’s County.
We started with our pit on the side of CR 13 selling Barbecue to all the farmers and field hands, neighbors, and anyone who came upon our little stand. We setup and sold barbecue on the 2 days we had off from our regular 9-5 job for about 3 years. We eventually got an old 77 Nomad travel trailer and made it into a food trailer. I left my 9-5 gig and started selling barbecue in St Augustine proper in 2016. We quickly got noticed by the St Augustine Amphitheatre and they invited us to be at concerts as well as the Farmers Market that is held there every Saturday. From there, we started selling smoked meats to various restaurants and pick up catering gigs, as well as build a strong following. We have been operating going on 12 years now, and have upgraded to a food truck, we continue to sell at shows at the St Augustine Amphitheater as well as catering and being open to the public 2 days a week ( Sundays and Mondays )
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Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The struggles we’ve had along the way would be the same as any small business owner really. Missing the boys Baseball or Soccer games or a date night with the wife. Not being able to pay myself because sells were too slow to do so. It’s par for the course…
I keep faith in the good Lord,Barbecue, and my wife of 16 years. These are the 3 pillars of CRP’s foundation.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about County Road Provisions ?
We cook Texas Style Barbecue.
Wood cooks our meat, seasoned Oak wood specifically. No propane or electric assist. We stay up all night feeding and stoking the fire that cooks our meat.
Brisket and Pork are always on the menu, our poultry option is Turkey and we run specials weekly that include Homemade Sausage, Pork Chops, Beef Ribs, Pastrami, Chicken, etc..
When you come to CRP you can order by the pound, 1/4 pound, 1/2 pound, link. You can request certain cuts of the meat we have if you’d like, and if we have it, you’ll get it. We want you to be able to get what you want and how you want it. 1 thing we don’t do is put sauce on our sandwiches. Sauce will ALWAYS be on the side with us.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I roll the dice every week when I put in my order for groceries. That people are going to come buy the product that I stay up all night cooking. Barbecue is a high risk game the higher beef and pork prices go.
Pricing:
- Brisket is currently $30/lb
- Turkey is currently $20/lb
- Pulled Pork is currently $16/lb
- Pork spareribs are currently $12/lb
- Pricing fluctuates with current meat markets
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.countyroadprovisions.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/countyroadprovisions
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CountyRoadProvisionsLLC/
