Athlete-turned-entrepreneur brings unique spin to American barbeque
Posted by ThePlus - 01.27.2012
Innovation comes in many forms. For one Northeast Ohio entrepreneur and former Cleveland Brown player, Al “Bubba” Baker, innovation comes in the form of baby back ribs!
Embracing his love for southern style cuisine, the athlete-turned-entrepreneur and his wife, Sabrina, have invented a food preparation process that removes bones from baby back ribs, thereby creating a unique and all-natural rib steak that tastes great without all the mess. The Bakers have been working closely with JumpStart advisor Johnny Hutton to launch their culinary product line.
Hutton believes the Bakers have quite the future ahead of them as Americans spent more than $20 billion on ribs in 2010 alone. According to Hutton, “If the Bakers are able to expand this out to more of the roughly 3,000 specialty grocers across the country, it’s not unrealistic to think this could be a 14 million dollar operation just a few years down the line.”
Interested in trying the infamous “D-boned” ribs for yourself? You’re in luck as they will be making their way to five Greater Cleveland Heinen’s Fine Foods locations later this month - Mentor, Brecksville, SOM Center, Rocky River and Bainbridge.
Also, be sure to check out the Bakers’ Avon eatery, Bubba’s Q, which has been named as the “Best Barbeque Restaurant” in Northeast Ohio by Cleveland Magazine for four consecutive years.
While we may not all find our inspiration in baby back ribs, Al Bubba Baker is just one example of the many motivated entrepreneurs that call Northeast Ohio home. From high-tech start-ups, to medical device companies, to innovative food product lines, one thing is for certain – Northeast Ohio is a hotbed of creativity and innovation… and great barbeque!
For more on JumpStart and their work in the entrepreneurial community, visit www.JumpStartinc.org. If you would like to learn more about the many innovations coming out of our great region, click here.
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