Featured Chef

Presenting our Featured Chef

Geoffrey Janowski
Executive Chef/Pitmaster, Blue Ribbon BBQ

Geoffrey Janowski was born February 25, 1962 in the suburbs of Chicago IL. He moved to Dover, MA, at the age of 12. His first restaurant job was at the Treadway Inn in Wellesley, MA, at the age of fifteen. He started washing pots that were big enough to sit in. Two years of college studying business was allhe needed to go back to washing dishes.He was living in an apartment adjacent to the barn at a Boston area apple orchard called Lookout Farm.His roommate was a classically trained “Finnish” chef at the Wellesley Country Club. Hewas working a boring desk job at the Gillette Co., and Mike, the chef, said his dishwasher didn’t show up and he’d payhim $10 bucks an hour and all the beerhe could drink. Henever looked back. Within two years, he was the assistant chef at the Country Club and was thrilled to be a Chef. Working with food was like going on a fieldtrip everyday for him. Hereally loved it.

The next fifteen yearshe moved around to area clubs, restaurants and hotels buildinghis experience.He got some ofhis most valuable experience working right on the Boston fish pier. Got married to lovely Lori in 1985 and has four children. In 1994,his brother Chris moved back to Boston from Virginia where he learned the art of real BBQ. He recognizedthat Geoff had the experience to run a restaurant. Theysaw a void in Boston for real wood-smoked BBQ, so we filled the hole.They opened the West Newton, MA location in 1995 and two years later the second location in Arlington, MA.Chef Geoff could officiallyadd "Pitmaster" tohis long list of kitchen skills.

Soon, they outgrew the small kitchens in the restaurants and moved the smokers to a central kitchen facility that they call the Commissary. There, they smoke about 5,000 lbs. of meat per day including some of the freshest Hatfield products. They have installed the largest BBQ smoker made by J&R Mnfg. Co. out of Mesquite, TX. It burns 24/7 fresh cut oak,maple and hickory logs. Blending these fresh cut logs is what gives the meat it’s distinctive flavor. Now 13 years later, the company has planned expansion into corporate catering and more locations throughout greater Boston.

Featured Recipe

Homestyle Pulled Pork prepared in a crock pot

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut an 8-9 lb. Hatfield boneless pork butt into 8 chunks similar in size. Rub liberally with salt and black pepper. Grill on a wood fired Weber grill or Hibatchi just to sear the outside and impart some wood-smoke flavor onto the meat. Now place the meat into crockpot or slow cooker with 1c.cider vinegar,1c. catsup, 1/2c.water, 1tsp each salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes and 2tsp hot pepper sauce (like Tabasco). Turn the pot to high and let simmer covered for 6 hours or until meat shreds with two forks. Serve on buns with best cole slaw and dill pickes and some goodNorth Carolina style BBQ sauce on the side. Enjoy.