As owner and founder of Big Fat Daddy's I think it's only important to choose a marketplace with integrity, and that's what brought me to Etsy. Here is more about Me and My Process.
ABOUT ME
I am a well known East Coast Pitmaster and Chef, and big Foodie . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Schafer
People don't understand I'm a hands on owner operator. In my business, I made my own stands, used to fabricate my own pits, and with the help of wife and family, design my own merchandise. I buy organic and top of the line angus meats instead of lower cost food product. My food is gourmet, and I'm in control of my business from the start of my morning coffee to the end of my long day. This also applies to the products I sell.
MY STORY
I go out on weekends and grill it up at fairs and festivals, with help of family and friends called the pit crew. We have a blast serving up some quality grub! I do cooking classes and give guided tours of my huge compound, and well, truth is, I've been selling got beef? t-shirts and housewares (and stuff ) for a very long time mostly in our Big Fat Daddy's store, our previous restaurant and on the road. Our dry rub was featured in the NY Times, Saveur Magazine and Steven Raichlen's BBQ Books. I sell various blends, some packaged with the help of commercial packers to preserve freshness (in the USA) and others blended in small batch quantities in my licensed facility.
GOT BEEF STORY ®
This got beef? thing all started when I had a lifesize vintage fiberglass bull on display outside my restaurant in the mid 90's-- something called "Big Fat Daddy's Famous PIt Beef Stand". We grilled up chunks of beef sliced thin piled high with tiger sauce and sliced white onion and well, for added exposure, I painted got beef? on the mascot. Soon people were coming in to get pictures with him, ask for tshirts, etc. I literally had to change my tshirts from a stock-image bull and put my mascot on it. "We Stuff More Meat Between the Buns" and "Got Beef?" wre some of our funny slogans. Soon there were cups, mugs, hoodies and baby gear, and before you know it I think I was selling got beef across the butt of pants and shorts. It was crazy.
Unfortunately, along the way, people would come up to me at the fair or festival and ask me why their vinyl decal came off the shirt, and I was a little confused as I didn't have vinyl decals, I use a local company to screenprint....so I got tired of the shitty products out there some of which are still on the market today and are considered fraudulent unlawful reproductions. I do have items on my Big Fat Daddy's sites, Fancy and Shopify just for exposure, but I prefer to sell on Etsy which is why my prices are lowest on Etsy.
I trademarked the term on shirts and housewares and have spent thousands trying to protect my brand. It's something I still struggle with today.
MY PRINTING PROCESS ON CLOTHING
Now I want you to know I've been in business since 1982 and i don't cash out on shitty merchandise. My printer is local and my wife actually works with a guy named Tyler from start to finish on creating the perfect design. She'll create a design and talk to Tyler and figure out a way to make it happen. He's never too busy to go over fabric swatches with her or show her ideas to make her design a reality. Thing is, the place he works for started real small about ten years ago, and now they are huge, busy as hell but never too busy for us. We design it, they print it, we then pack it and ship it from our facility, always double checking for quality control. We order in small batch quantities although we advertise well for exposure. The shirts may come from elsewhere , yet, we design, print and ship from the USA.
MY PROCESS ON SPICES
Some of my spice is commercially packed to ensure freshness, by a trusted packing company on the East Coast. We design the logos and labels ourselves.
Others are packed by me in small batch quantities from my licensed facility in Manchester.
If you have any questions, text us 410.908.9241.