Ubon’s BBQ in Yazoo City
Passed down from several generations,
Ubon’s special BBQ has won many awards

BY CHIP MABRY
DBJ Contributing Writer

Mississippi is known for a lot of things and when it comes to culinary delicacies, barbecue is at or near the top of the list. Ubon’s in Yazoo City opened its doors on June 17th and is already turning heads and creating a reputation for some of the finest barbecue around. Ubon’s, at 801 North Jerry Clower Blvd., is packing them in and they are leaving happy. Hugh Love, a Yazoo City attorney and barbecue fan claims Ubon’s is among the elite. “Ubon’s is as good as it gets, better than 98% of what is out there.”

The Ubon’s story begins in the early 80’s when Gary Roark began entering barbecue competitions. Once Gary had his sauce recipe perfected, it wasn’t long before he began winning barbecue competitions, and not just county fairs. A first place selection at Memphis in May is the highlight of a career that claims fourteen state titles for barbecue and over 50 sanctioned competition wins. Gary says “The key is consistency. When you are competing you have to make it exactly the same every time. This is also true in the restaurant business and it’s what keeps your customers coming back.”

It wasn’t until 1989 when Gary partnered with longtime friend Jerry Grace that the idea of marketing the sauce came about. Gary was satisfied traveling the country, winning in almost every contest he entered. Jerry was crazy about this barbecue sauce that everyone seemed to love. Gary and Jerry joined forces and began to bottle and market this exceptional sauce. The sauce sold really well in a limited marketplace, but after a few years both Jerry and Gary thought it would be nice to have a restaurant where they could showcase the sauce.

The pair renovated a 1,700 square foot building and opened for business. “We didn’t even hang a sign at first, we just opened the doors” Jerry said. “Business has been exceptional, not an empty seat at lunch and it’s getting to be the same way at night” Jerry continued. Gary who cooks and blends together his sauce is known as the “Godfather of BBQ” on the BBQ circuit. He is especially known for his pulled pork but is rightly proud of his other offerings. “If I could give everyone a bite of one of my chicken legs, everything else would take care of itself” Gary said. “I was getting worried on July 3rd because we almost ran out of everything, but that’s a good problem to have” Gary continued.

Both Gary and Jerry are hands on people. They renovated the restaurant space themselves and are almost always at the restaurant. “We are closed on Sundays and Mondays, we have to take a break sometime and get some rest because we both put so much time and energy into the place.” Gary said. The atmosphere in Ubon’s is refreshingly laid back with a family feel to it. “We wanted to have a nice sit down spot for people to come and eat. So many Barbecue places are little holes in the wall, kind of dingy. We wanted something a little more upscale.” Jerry said.

The duo has thought about expanding and opening a place in Jackson but there are no immediate plans for that. “We have plenty of people who drive from Jackson to eat here which is very flattering. We might try another location at some point in the future, but right now it seems people are seeking us out and repeat business has been tremendous.” Gary said.

Yazoo City now has a multi-award winning BBQ joint. Gary and Jerry have been in the sauce business since 1989 and know their stuff. Don’t take my word for it. Stop in sometime and decide for yourself. DBJ