The Founder:
My Grandfather “Bill” supported his local community of Holbrook, AZ in many ways and this beautiful country (veteran). He served on the city council, was a volunteer firefighter, and even owned a few local “watering holes” at one time. His time as a volunteer firefighter on the local fire department is where his delicious sauce recipe came into play. The Fire department was doing a 4th of July barbecue to help raise funds and bring the community together, and it was a hit. Grandpa Bill quickly became the sauce guy for this new annual barbecue, and I don’t think anyone knew that it was going to turn into a multi generation tradition.
The Second Generation:
My Father, Tom or T-Ball depending on who you were carried on many of the traditions from my grandfather. He was also a volunteer fire fighter and did his part to support the fire departments annual barbecue’s. As my grandfather aged my father would help him with the sauce but he wasn’t just handed over the recipe. Grandpa Bill would still come in with the “Baggies” which contained the mix of spices for the sauce. It wasn’t until my grandfather was getting sick that my he passed the recipe down to my father.
Me, The Third Generation:
My name is simply William, I am not only the third generation making the famous Sauce that my grandpa got the community to enjoy, but I am also the third William Thomas Baldwin. I remember helping my grandpa and dad at the fire-station making the sauce in their kitchen in 40qt pots. I got to open all the cans and haul out all the trash (and wash all the pots and clean up before and after). One thing I remember from being there as a child was getting an entire bowl of sauce straight out of the pot and enjoying the entire bowl, sauce alone. In 2018 my father passed away unexpectedly only months before the annual barbecue. The tradition is important to me, I remember folks at my dads’ services asking if I was going to make the sauce that year. That’s when I knew how important it was to the community, and of course I made the sauce that year and continue to do so to this day. There was a demand in the community of Holbrook AZ for our sauce and I wanted to be able to support that. I started making sauce in my house and bottling it. I would set up events and distribute sauce to people when I was in town (I live in Waddell, AZ). That is how we got where we are today. Now the Baldwins Barbecue sauce that has been enjoyed in one small local community barbecue is available to anyone.
Thank you, and enjoy our family tradition.
