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A guide to quality living in Northwest Missouri |
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It’s All About Fun For This Barbecue King And His Queen
Kansas City may be home to the world-famous Gates Barbecue, and may have a reputation as a barbecue capital. But little Hamilton, MO is also famous for its barbecue, judging by the winning plaques and trophies on the wall of Mr. Bill’s BS and BBQ. The spacious metal building behind the home of Bill and Pam Englert on the outskirts of town includes a well-equipped kitchen, storage room and a huge banquet room that seats more than 100 at a time. The room has been the scene of many wedding dinners, family reunions and holiday dinners and is a testament to the cooking skills of this fun-loving couple. Mr. Bill’s BS and Barbecue grew out of Bill Englert’s love of cooking. “I was one of seven kids and everyone of us had to take turns doing chores at home,” he recalls in his boisterous drawl. “I only liked cooking.” As is the cu stom in most U. S. households, Bill specializes in the meat area. When he married Pam Kinne, who also liked cooking, he met his match in the baked goods deparatment. They’ve always cooked for crowds, especially when they camp at Deer Run RV Park at Lake of the Ozarks. But for the past decade or so, they’ve made a second career, or at least a fun sideline out of the cooking. It all began in earnest in 1985 when Bill constructed his first meat cooker and decided to try his hand at the barbecue contests that were getting started in Missouri. He entered the Cameron July 4 cook-off and won first in all four categories. “That gave me the fever,” Bill admits. He got ambitious enough to take his cooker to Omaha for the River City Roundup, where the team earned seventh overall out of 82 teams. That placing didn’t quite satisfy Bill, so he went to work on his recipes, picking up tips from other seasoned veterans. When he followed a tip to use white pepper instead of black, the winnings grew. In 2001, the Englerts took their skills to the Missouri State Fair, where they won some top honors, thrusting them into the American Royal, where they placed third in chicken and 11th overall. That distinction earned the Englerts a trip to the Jack Daniels Invitational in Tennessee. The Tennessee trip featured 60 cooks selected from all over the world. To help cheer the Hamilton team on, some 37 friends and relatives volunteered to help. Surrounded by professional cooks who were deadly serious, the Hamilton team somehow became a favorite of the food TV network, especially when the Englerts earned second in desserts and seventh in pork. Today, the Hamilton BBQ team enters only one contest a year because their catering business has mushroomed. That business grew from giving away their contest leftovers, then getting orders from the beneficiaries. They started getting special requests for the meats, then Pam got involved with the side dishes. The new house the Englerts built in 1994 featured a full kitchen in the basement, with plenty of storage space for food and equipment. Then, in 2002, the couple was ready to quit the contests and the cooking or build a new building for their operation. “The stairs were just too much,” admits Pam. When Bill slipped on icy steps catering a dinner at the J. C. Penney Museum in Hamilton, the shed became a must. Now the couple and their assorted children, Pam’s parents and friends pitch in to cook and cater, with between 50 and 60 events in their new banquet room. They do Christmas
Shae’s Place In Gallatin A Unique Blend Of Eclectic And Antique With Lots Of Homemade Goodies
It would be a given to walk into a restaurant like Shae’s Place in the River Market in Kansas City. With its original hardwood floors, stamped tin ceilings and massive staircase with copper accents, the unique restaurant located just off the square in Gallatin , MO wows its first-time patrons. They’re usually amazed at the harmonious blend of antique surroundings with eclectic metal bistro tables. They feel pampered by the youthful but extremely attentive and courteous wait staff. “This is rural Missouri?” they might even ask at the sight of an honest-to-goodness chef in a white hat in the kitchen. They’re less surprised by the good food that emanates from that kitchen, especially since the homemade breads that Shae’s is becoming famous for originated right here in Northwest Missouri, passed down through the generations of the owner’s family. John and Willa Bundy had originally planned to open just a bread and pastry shop for their daughter, Shae. After graduating from college with degrees in technical writing and web design and marrying Hamilton classmate Bryant Curtis, she planned to make the family bread recipes the cornerstone of the new business. As father, John Bundy explains, the building they bought seemed to beg for a grander scheme that just a bakeshop. With Willa’s vision and attention to decorator details, the business expanded into a restaurant that is quickly evolving into one of Northwest Missouri’s premier gathering spots. It features a unique luncheon menu with items named after the Bundy children (Jesse Burgers, for example, are named after their youngest and come in a choice of three sizes with different toppings on a delicious homemade bun). Customers can enjoy a full salad, soup and dessert bar full of homemade goodies and more family recipes. The noon meal has packed in the customers in this county seat town, even though the Bundys had a “soft opening” a few months ago. They plan a grand opening in September and will give tours of the second story banquet hall. The hall got its first major event when Gallatin High School held its prom there last spring. The massive room can accommodate a few hundred people and boasts a grand piano and a stage for live entertainment. Shae’s Place will even rent out their unique banquet furniture and linens as well as the entire hall for weddings, receptions and business meetings. The exposed brick walls are a perfect backdrop for commemorative photos and John stresses the family atmosphere that is smoke-free and alcohol-free. The Bundys have a love of North Missouri that causes them to want to give back to the area. Willa grew up in the Jamesport area and John served a full time church mission here in 1976, growing lots of good memories and making many lifetime friends. When they moved to the area to operate a school for troubled teens, John had a chance to dig into his family history and found that his great-great grandfather, Edmond Nelson, owned a ferry that crossed the Grand River into Adam Ondi-Ahman, so his roots are deeper than just the businesses the Bundys operate. Restaurant namesake Shae Curtis uses most of her talents in one of the adjacent businesses but sometimes helps out as a substitute baker . She proudly notes that her parents are the owners of the restaurant and that each of the children in the family have made a contribution, even the daughter who is an avid reader, with a reading nook in her honor. Papa John points just as proudly to Shae, noting, “She is an extraordinary person,” with a recently completed musical album featuring her own compositions and selections she plays on the guitar. The entire family is pleased with seeing people leave Shae’s Place happy and full. “People are excited to have something like this,” says Shae.
A guide to quality living in Northwest Missouri Rural Living L&L publications Inc. © 2006 Designed/Hosted By PureParadise Comps |
