Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marty Calderon. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Marty, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
My resilience comes from my faith in Jesus Christ. I find strength in knowing that He is faithful and always leads me in the right direction, especially in this venture. Proverbs 3:5-6 says for us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” This assurance fuels my fire (pun intended), and knowing it’s His hand that sustains me and this business is what keeps me pushing forward with confidence. His guidance is ever-present, and it’s what helps me navigate challenges.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Sure, I’d love to! Well, PILLARS BBQ is more than just a Food Truck. We’re on a mission to share the joy of BBQ with our community, using our business as a platform to serve up both good food and the good news—The Gospel.
A little bit about how we came to be. This journey began many, many years ago, up in Chicago, believe it or not as just a spectator. I had a buddy of mine, Chris Knights who owned a vertical smoker and spent the summer barbecuing for us. I thought I’d try it since I love to cook, so I bought me a small Brinkmann Smoke’N Grill smoker off of Craigslist for $20. It’s all I could get since I was living in a condo and only had a balcony for space. I spent the next couple years trying new recipes for ribs and chicken. I eventually entered a local rib cook-off and was able to come in 3rd place. I thought to myself, “This is fun!”
Fast forward to 2017, I found myself in Florida, where I met my best friend, fell in love, and got married—she plays a HUGE role in this BBQ journey. For my birthday, she gifted me an offset smoker that I named “Jolene”. I started sharing my food on an Instagram page called Marty’s Backyard BBQ, and the positive feedback from family and friends was overwhelming.
In 2020, after discussing the idea of a BBQ food truck with my wife Lygia,
who is my biggest supporter, and many, many nights of prayer, we decided to take the leap.
We needed a name but I didn’t want it to be about us, but about the source of my skills: God. The name came to me one day during a cook. As I watched smoke rise from the smoker and the word pillar kept echoing in my head. I spent that night reflecting on the significance of a pillar of smoke in the Bible. Well, in the Bible a pillar of smoke often represented God’s presence among His people. Right there and then, PILLARS BBQ was a born. A constant reminder of God’s presence in our lives.
So, I guess you can say that we’re more than just a brisket sandwich, some pulled pork, or a slab of ribs. Our prayer is that with every plate we serve, we can love on people, the way Jesus loves us, at the same time giving all glory to God.
As we continue to grow, our goal remains the same: to spread the joy of BBQ and the message of God’s grace.
A little side note, we’re excited to share that we’re in the process of bottling up our BBQ sauce for people to enjoy at home.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Looking back on our journey with PILLARS BBQ, three things have really made a big difference: Loving what I do, being able to roll with the punches, and getting to know the people we serve.
First, loving what you do is key. If you’re passionate about what you do, and for me it’s cooking and making great food, it keeps you going even when things get tough. So, my advice is to really dive into your passion, try new things, and keep that excitement alive.
Second, being able to adapt is super important in the food truck world. We learned quickly that things don’t always go as planned, so you have to be ready to change things up on the fly. Stay open to new ideas ( I can hear my wife and daughter saying “uh huh”, they’re always brainstorming), and be ready to switch gears and hats when needed.
And third, getting to know the people who come to your food truck is huge. Building a community around your business not only helps you grow, but it also makes the whole experience more fun and rewarding. People like it when they feel acknowledged, even if it’s just getting to know their first name so you can call it when their order is ready. One of my favorite things to do is not be in the food truck, but outside the truck, engaging with the customers as they wait or answer questions as they decide. So, my advice is to get out there, meet the people, and be a part of the community you serve.
So, if you’re just starting out with a food truck, my tips are: love what you do, be ready to change things up, and get to know your customers and community. These things have really helped us, and I think they can help others too!
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
Gosh, we’ll be here all day if I listed all the people who have helped us overcome challenges along the way. Just with prayers alone, the list would be endless. We’ve really been blessed by God with the people He has surrounded us with. Thank you to all of them!
But, I do want to mention a group of people who have been most helpful in our journey, other food truck owners. Even though we’re technically in the same business, and I guess each other’s competition, they’ve been more like family than competition.
One person in particular, is Bill Moore, who runs a Facebook page called Food Truck Training. This group has been a huge help, offering advice, tips, and answering any questions we have.
Talking with other food truck owners has been a big relief. We share stories, learn from each other, and sometimes even work together on events. It’s like having a bunch of friends who really get what we do. Plus we get to trade plates and try each other’s food. Who doesn’t like to eat!
So, thank you to my fellow food truck owners. You guys have been a big part of why we’ve been able to succeed.
Contact Info:
- Website: pillarsbbq.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pillarsbbq/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pillarsbbq
