By Darlene Brace
Gary Card was part owner and worked at Superior Grinding in Jamestown for 27 years. During this time, he often made barbeques using a small smoker and made other food for family get togethers. He really enjoys cooking and eventually family members and friends were asking him to make food for their events. Recently Gary decided it was time to focus on something he loves for his profession. Although he was already preparing food for others before this, in early May 2024, he opened his new business called Mystic Smoke BBQ. He bought a custom-made trailer and a larger custom-made Johnson BBQ smoker from Texas.
Using this smoker, Gary makes some of the most deliciously smokey BBQ foods. He has put together a tantalizing BBQ menu that is sure to please your palate and make you hungry for more. The menu features St. Louis style ribs, pulled pork, whole chickens and turkeys, beef brisket, sausage, side dishes and more. He also uses his own recipes to create all the rubs, all the side dishes, and sauces himself. The sauces he creates range from sweet to hot and spicey, so there are sauces to please all his customers.
Rocks recently. Photo/Philip Zimmer
Because the Mystic Smoke BBQ trailer is mobile, Gary takes his trailer of scrumptious foods to different locations. He currently has a weekly schedule as follows: Mondays at The Rock Church in Lakewood, Tuesdays at the 4 corners of Ashville, Thursdays at The Rock Church in Lakewood, and Fridays at Rt. 394 in Stow near Wells Bay. Weekends vary on a weekly basis and will be announced weekly. At all these locations, he opens at 11am and usually closes around 7pm or when he sells out. This weekly schedule is subject to change, so for updates look at Mystic Smoke BBQ on Facebook. He also said that he plans on keeping the food trailer open and available to customers throughout the fall, so keep an eye out for Mystic Smoke BBQ at fall festivals and events. Gary stated that he would continue to stay open into the winter months and will only close for the season when the weather dips down to freezing.
Gary also takes the BBQ trailer and smoker to local events. In conjunction with Lakewood’s Thursday night Summer Concert Series, Mystic Smoke BBQ is going to be at Lakewood Beach on Thursdays starting July 4th. He is also scheduled to participate in serving food at the Lakewood Jeep Jam at the Lakewood Rod and Gun on Sunday July 28 starting at noon. He will likely be adding more events to his schedule. Later this summer he hopes to be at the Ashville Days Festival and the Busti Apple Festival and others.
Besides taking the trailer to weekly locations, festivals, and events, you can also order catering for your own special event such as weddings, parties and other social gatherings. The catering menu has a somewhat larger selection of foods to choose from. It includes things like veggie and fruit trays, meat and cheese platters, pasta dishes, additional side dishes like cheesy potatoes, and much more. The event must have a minimum of 50 people for Gary to cater it, and he can discuss various pricing and packages with you.
If you are having a gathering of any size, and you don’t want to have it catered, you still can enjoy Gary’s food by preordering it and picking up the food yourself. You would still order from the catering menu. Gary stated that he wants customers to know that the catering and preorders that you pick up will be available year-round. (It should be noted that currently there is no call ahead take out from the mobile food trailer.)
For catering for an event or to preorder from the catering menu for pick up, go to mysticsmokebbq.com. To look for updates on where to find the mobile food trailer or events it will be at, go to Mystic Smoke BBQ on Facebook. On the Facebook page you will find more information are two reviews from Facebook:
“I wanted something different for dinner. I saw their food truck and their food smelled so good. I ordered their pulled pork dinner with macaroni & cheese and coleslaw. It was fantastic! And what great value too. Highly recommend.” (posted mid-June 2024)
“Mystic Smoke BBQ catered our wedding and did a fantastic job. Everything was delicious and professional. We’ll definitely use Mystic Smoke BBQ for all our catering needs. If you need someone to make some great food and BBQ for any event you are having don’t hesitate to call Gary. Thank you again for catering our wedding.” (posted November 2023)
As you can see Mystic Smoke BBQ is already getting good reviews. If you are looking for delicious BBQ for dinner, at events, or for any special occasion, you should check out Mystic Smoke BBQ. Delish!!