gblowfish
06-07-2011, 08:41 PM
http://tinyurl.com/3k4x9td
Two Missouri natives release Que — a barbecue-scented fragrance — today
BY DEB PETERSON • dpeterson@post-dispatch.com
MEAT BEAT: If Lady Gaga can wear a meat bikini, then Que just might make sense.
Que — "Eau de Barbeque from Pork Barrel BBQ" — is a new fragrance, released today by the brains behind the barbecue company, who happen to be a couple of Missouri natives now living in Washington.
St. Louis' Brett Thompson, 36, and Jeff City's Heath Hall, also 36, came up with the idea for the fragrance, which is available online at $24.95 for two ounces with free shipping.
They describe Que on the company's website as "an intoxicating bouquet of spices, smoke, meat, and sweet summer sweat ..."
"It is 100 percent true," Hall said today. "This is not a joke."
Despite the fact that the fragrance is not a joke, Hall and Thompson have senses of humor. They met when they were on the staff of then-U.S. Sen. Jim Talent and say they came up with the idea for their barbecue company in early 2006 during a heated Congressional budget debate.
According to the company website, they were tired, working late and discussing food options on Capitol Hill. They both had experience with good Missouri 'cue and were wishing there was "a good barbecue joint" in D.C. that they could take advantage of while senators were debating the relative merits of pork barrel spending.
The light bulb went off and Pork Barrel BBQ was born. The company's line has three award-winning sauces, one rub and now, the fragrance. Their products are in more than 1,000 stores in 38 states (including locally at Schnucks) and Thompson said today that their restaurant in Alexandria, Va., is set to open in about a month.
How did they ever come up with the idea for a barbecue-scented fragrance?
"We're either weird, or we're geniuses," Hall said. He explained that they were at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco in January. The show is a place where buyers can peruse thousands of food products to decide what to buy to stock their shelves, their restaurants and their dining tables.
"We had our sauces and we had our rub but we needed something different. We started thinking about barbecues and how that really all goes down at a barbecue," Hall said. "And we thought that one of the first things people always say is, 'Wow, that smells good'."
They took some ideas around to various perfume-makers and the first several results were more eau de poop than eau de cologne, Hall said. Then a fragrance master in Pennsylvania got it right and the company took off with the scent.
Asked if he was wearing it today, Hall said: "Yes, I am. I bathed in it. There is a line of ladies at the door as we speak."
Hall is a lawyer whose day job is being a lead strategist for the Heritage Foundation in D.C., where he works on the national security and judicial components for the group's initiative, Leadership for America.
Thompson, who spent his crucial high school years in Kirkwood (KHS, 1993) is a Washington U. law school grad, class of 2000, who is the managing director of a public affairs company in D.C.
Two Missouri natives release Que — a barbecue-scented fragrance — today
BY DEB PETERSON • dpeterson@post-dispatch.com
MEAT BEAT: If Lady Gaga can wear a meat bikini, then Que just might make sense.
Que — "Eau de Barbeque from Pork Barrel BBQ" — is a new fragrance, released today by the brains behind the barbecue company, who happen to be a couple of Missouri natives now living in Washington.
St. Louis' Brett Thompson, 36, and Jeff City's Heath Hall, also 36, came up with the idea for the fragrance, which is available online at $24.95 for two ounces with free shipping.
They describe Que on the company's website as "an intoxicating bouquet of spices, smoke, meat, and sweet summer sweat ..."
"It is 100 percent true," Hall said today. "This is not a joke."
Despite the fact that the fragrance is not a joke, Hall and Thompson have senses of humor. They met when they were on the staff of then-U.S. Sen. Jim Talent and say they came up with the idea for their barbecue company in early 2006 during a heated Congressional budget debate.
According to the company website, they were tired, working late and discussing food options on Capitol Hill. They both had experience with good Missouri 'cue and were wishing there was "a good barbecue joint" in D.C. that they could take advantage of while senators were debating the relative merits of pork barrel spending.
The light bulb went off and Pork Barrel BBQ was born. The company's line has three award-winning sauces, one rub and now, the fragrance. Their products are in more than 1,000 stores in 38 states (including locally at Schnucks) and Thompson said today that their restaurant in Alexandria, Va., is set to open in about a month.
How did they ever come up with the idea for a barbecue-scented fragrance?
"We're either weird, or we're geniuses," Hall said. He explained that they were at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco in January. The show is a place where buyers can peruse thousands of food products to decide what to buy to stock their shelves, their restaurants and their dining tables.
"We had our sauces and we had our rub but we needed something different. We started thinking about barbecues and how that really all goes down at a barbecue," Hall said. "And we thought that one of the first things people always say is, 'Wow, that smells good'."
They took some ideas around to various perfume-makers and the first several results were more eau de poop than eau de cologne, Hall said. Then a fragrance master in Pennsylvania got it right and the company took off with the scent.
Asked if he was wearing it today, Hall said: "Yes, I am. I bathed in it. There is a line of ladies at the door as we speak."
Hall is a lawyer whose day job is being a lead strategist for the Heritage Foundation in D.C., where he works on the national security and judicial components for the group's initiative, Leadership for America.
Thompson, who spent his crucial high school years in Kirkwood (KHS, 1993) is a Washington U. law school grad, class of 2000, who is the managing director of a public affairs company in D.C.