In Black America; McCray's Backyard BBQ, with Derrick McCray, Part II

From the University of Texas at Austin, KUT Radio, this is In Black America. And people like myself, there's transcended that. You know, I've done those and been number one in all of them. The actual sanctioned events from the NFL, they call me an arcade of these bigger events on a private note. And we do all the private stuff for the execs, the players, and the things like that. So what private stuff are you doing there with you? The P&E, right here where you're at. Okay. This is a great event for transition and ball players going from the lead to real life. Derek McQuarrie, senior owner and CEO McQuarrie's backyard barbecue and seafood located in West Palm Bay, Florida. McQuarrie has made more appearances at the Super Bowl than the Miami Dolphins.

On February 11, 2022, during Super Bowl 56, he and his team served up more of his world famous backyard barbecue, when he kicked off his national sports and entertainment program at the players networking event in Los Angeles. But McQuarrie's role to success has many twists and turns. Like many kids growing up in Florida, he had a passion for football. He played football in high school and walked on to the field as a light receiver at Florida and Immuniversity. And like most college students away from home for the first time, he made some bad choices. Football, parties and drugs are where he focuses attention. Those bad choices got him kicked out of college and into a life of drugs and alcohol. Now so worked for 23 years. McQuarrie is carrying on his family's tradition of serving up the best barbecue in the world. And has been the number one vendor for NFL Sankin Super Bowl events since he first created the 2007 Super Bowl tailgate party in Miami. I'm Johnny Ohenson Jr. and welcome to another edition of In Black America.

On this week's program, Derek McQuarrie, senior owner and CEO McQuarrie's backyard barbecue and seafood parked too. In Black America. Eating habits have changed a lot. So we have to keep up with the time and then we're in a new technology trying to do things that for our younger folks that's coming in online, ordering, you know, the abstinence and that, you know, some little technical for me. But, you know, I'm trying to keep up with what's really happening because, you know, our job is to keep the legacy alive. For me, I'm trying to set up for another 100 years when I'm dead and gone, the people coming behind me still got some more to work to do. And right now, moving along really quickly, you know, I'm getting ready to franchise and trying to open up 100 stores. As we speak right now, you know, we, you know, that's the blessing of God. That's why I can tell you that back story to get away right now. You know what I'm saying? Because he thought you could be against it, you know what I'm saying? And I try to honor him always on a daily basis by sticking to that one cover. You know, I don't want you to pick up a drink or a drug.

All right, you can do whatever, but that's all I'm like, Sam, don't cut your hair. If I pick that up, then you won't. All I'm blessed with, you have no more strength. Legacy and passion. That's what McCray's backyard barbecue was all about. For 87 years, the McCray family had been serving up the best barbecue and homemade items to the community. And for the past 16 years, the Super Bowl fans. Dick McCray has an amazing raster, Richard's story for years. McCray struggled with alcohol and drug addiction and lived the life of crime, landing him in jail 31 times before he got the message. He grew up in Riviera Beach, Florida, the oldest of three boys. McCray's mother was an educator and his father, the late Herman C. McCray Jr. was a civil rights activist. The barbecue gene is in the McCray's family. In 1934, McCray's great, great uncle, Harvey opened Harvey's barbecue. His father worked for a Zunco until he joined the Army, returning in the late 1960s and opening McCray's backyard barbecue when Harvey left the business. McCray is a third generation pit master of McCray's barbecue. On today's program, we conclude our conversation with Dick McCray on location in Los Angeles.

A guy came by 600, got here, and he left me 10 bucks. He was a money anyways, he said things that were funny and I don't know. killed but we said it's not only talk to you did because are you better than this this thing who you are mean to play football you're gonna do it how it was now you what's wrong well I mean I don't want to do this you know you're my boy but you know you don't need this and so the boy came back with a friend of his and he said he said you know you're gonna be ten dollars a minute just a couple of years you can't get my stuff you don't know when to play me you know y'all shut me on you know I don't boy y'all come and shot me you shot I'm tired you being shot bro the other dudes say man leave my coat alone and then fire say well what you got to do with it so far it's what the swing at the guy and then his brother Calaway came to turn it and the boy came back and

started shooting run shot fires like eight times and tried to shoot me and the gun jam then when I go to the ground he turned the shooter Calaway and the gun went off when I got up a star run it clicked again again okay so and he turned he tried it up the thing far as they're done got shot eight nine ten times he let down his brother struggling running and I'm running one way jump the fence and whatnot and then came back I saw far as he was bleeding all over blood come like mom it was a very gory scene you know and and then that's what my life really I started to see God for who God was and and my father's a pastor my mom was this and my dad's correct and I'm my head and what am I doing so a couple months after that I didn't come right in right for it you know I kind of this one you know I've had some air feelings

that you know that I need to come in but I still wasn't really ready so it was one day I was coming from court and it's like God and a deaf angel met me on a corner twenty fifth and Broadway in West Palm Beach coming man after him bribbling that it was God himself yeah I you know it might be a loser but a comedian was God right exactly man this man come in bro what are you doing in my mind I'm going down here to the little trap you know because I got a dope I got this I got that it's like this and you know you go that way you're gonna die of that but you go across the street you're live so I I made the decision right then because it was such an irish and I felt death all on him I took my pipe my drugs threw it all in the sewer and and we my cigarettes the beer I had in my hand and dropped it I think I was like 33 33 32 years old something like that and I dropped it right there and he say you go here he said I don't want one thing for me I want you not to pick up a drink or

drug one day at a time and you go right there okay I mean you know I felt that it was so powerful that I knew if I want to I might be it just you just let you get away here the other day a couple months ago you know my people just getting gave you a sample I'm ready I'm ready like okay now this time I ain't gonna call my boys off with saying your mind so that's what I was still who far just got here gun click gun down and here I go from running in this so I better think I'm gonna go this way because I'm really I'm sick of tired of being sick of tired of being these streets and living the way I'm living because I was abroad up like that and and all the things that I come back I knew I had a football history of college history the LA history and all that stuff and and so I went across street and the people said we don't wait no you we've been sitting here waiting on you some told us you was coming we knew you we watch you walk up and down these streets late night all day

long going and doing what's going on and people knew you for being a football hero and knew you from Hollywood doing things and you walking down these streets in the ghetto in the streets like I don't encourage you know I'm really crazy but they just knew I mean that's what you know what you know what you know what you really right crazy the crazy the bad boy you know got good parents good family my dad got a business I'm running around these streets you know trying to be like everybody else and so I'm not going to think the man said come on in you've been waiting on you that's okay you know still ratchet and ghetto and he said well you can't stay here tonight but you got to go to detox for at least one night so okay I can handle that you know I'm still you know still in active addiction in my mind right right but I know it's time so I want this place called card from one night and before 12 o'clock struck it was a guy rich white guy came here about eight nine seven eight thousand dollars of cash he came

right to who me and I'm just fresh off the street just came here just fun took my shoes off so the devil tried me already like listen man come on let's bow I got all this money that's why he's so I got him so I'll get ready I'll forget how I can get the money exactly thank you all people that know that this is real I'm getting ready to go on like shooting up everything and say hey I'm gonna go and I'm thinking about getting the little boy said do you remember our conversation today I don't mean God of promise that I won't pick up with Janko drug one day at a time and order for me to what's near so man go get on with man I'm trying to get hard and act like I'm all listening that it's going on he said man you crazy all this money and I know I could get him because I don't hit all of you didn't figure it out yeah I'm gonna put the plan together to get some girls on them this and that and got it I like the money you know pinch off and get him

something and stretch it and and think I can flip and do the street thing and boom boom and become a street but but I had to hear to the car in the God he said no man I said go hit on brother you better go if I take your money right now so I laid back and he let's say you crazy you know he's not because you say that I said man go man so I do it if I do it right now go he know why I said I'll go but I know what God said to me so I don't feel God in that experience that you exactly so he like man the man God put the field of him in me like man I ain't feeling good the man told me to sit my body down so I'm gonna sit out I'm gonna take what he said chill out here I'm gonna chill and that was the best decision ever made in my life because now we get into the hundred dollars in the grill you know I stayed in in the silver house for like two months and they wanted me to say yes and no I'm ready to go I gotta go because I now gotta get back on track and get what I need to

go you know I understand what I need to do you know make the adjustments and this and that and we're home and humble myself before my parents I got you as a little boy the Bible says we are our father and mother in the land that God has given me that that days may be long and it's land so I first thing you know I want to honor them whatever you need me to do as a little boy I'm 33 34 years old whatever whatever y'all tell me do I'm gonna do it I'm gonna be here by eight o'clock it's one Z do what I need to do because I really know what to go I'm stay home and want to do what they ask me to do because I need to recreate so I had a crack course in parental supervision and my grandmother God bless her she would come every day to make sure I go to meetings and do what I need to do because she believed him because she saw me on the street she would cry but she would keep going when she going to my dad's barbecue place to work because she made all the sweet potato pies she did get she kept going so when I'm out there on

tarmin in the streets she would see me earlier in the morning she just would look straight ahead she said baby I should see I'd be crying on the way to work because it hurt but so bad to see you I don't you don't know who you are and it bothers me so I'm so proud of you when you know and in the program it says you have to convince the family beyond a shot of a doubt that you've changed but she said I believe you changed uh dear and I know and I'm gonna come get you and make sure I say I'm my love yeah I need you you know I'm gonna do this I'm gonna do this because I know that you witnessed and and that's how the the matter more for started me getting back on track and and pursuing new dreams and doing things and I knew that I could do so I couldn't get a job no else because I had to mess my record so I had to work on different strip clubs and different things and became a general manager almost in the clubs but I never drink and brother did thing get what I was going to do because that's where I had to go go right to get a job and so I hired my brother the worker in security and he got into a little trouble somebody

somebody hit him in the head of the bottle and he wanted to sue my boss I'm like man you can't see the bubbles man you can get me five you know I got five clubs and I'm managing and over you know came from listed at the man gave me opportunity and boom boom boom saw me and he said come on I believe in you and and and I work his business like it was my own business right God had to change my life and say how you could do this like I say man I I had to feel God I am picking them now drunk now drug bro you can have that you think of do they want to do I'm gonna do a job you know to get back on track with my family going even my sons meeting me they need to know that their father was okay you know me because it was young them that I they didn't see all that they heard about they heard it okay but I couldn't let them grow up knowing that I was that type of person and so he fired me because my brother wouldn't drop the lawsuit okay so he fired me hey man I don't even know choice but I got to let you go but how is this for me D-Man but you don't have to let you go to your brother you know you know some fools and we can't have that

and that was pretty good one of the probably next best decisions that ever happened because now I had a little bit of money said up trying to do this and that do things and and I ran out of money so one of my good friends Chuck kicked so let me go talk to people in front of the club man so he said man let my boy come on uh Fritz and Hal from Germany they let me come out the man no money I'm broke so I worked in my dad you know it's okay is it okay because he knew I could cook because I came up doing all this stuff as a little boy and I ran the rest of my son did things before I got kind of out of track I was buttering back before he say son come on no more you know I go down and which about say first of all you know he say I ain't got no money because he was sick my mom said I want him on my summer let me buy a hundred dollars mm-hmm my mom he's gonna love it he'll go a hundred dollars on mm-hmm I said with dad I need a grill he'll go a grill son and I want about a couple of cases of ribs and he went down and went and we

set the grill up put some wood and things and he counted up coach me you know because I knew what to do but he was giving me points he was the class to sit in front of the strip club with me on man and cooking and ribs and some people say well down these the best we don't have a hand so and we were right by the airport and I knew the guys on the radio said oh we got the best ribs in down in it it's for you know it that hundred dollars turn into seven thousand dollars a week work and in like two or three weeks people saw coming in they knew I was down there they knew the ribs and we was talking about it you know clearly this new thing called a twist sauce and and from near I met this lady named Kathy because I don't feel with some stuff because she know by ribs oh I had did a good deal for when I was in the streets and then the city star coming against him because they they said how did he got this property and my property right next to dawn came yeah and then Lehman Brothers was trying to buy that property because it's the big highlight for him to have 52 acres a land right next to me

to my little one parcel that I was releasing that I wasn't in my daddy and he was trying to take the land and we went and he turned on to a guy Paladino said well listen uh he need the money the bodies probably tell Paladino to give him a hundred thousand when he gave the people the fact that he's getting the guys to buy that property so the city was upset now cuz I mean how he come up with it's right he was on drugs he did this and that and boom the news people coming out and the media started coming and started talking about this and that and I did a big festival for the jazz festival it was the one you were patting the building everybody and we served the food over there to be like whoa yeah and this how the NFL got them all they're like well no they was looking for the best barbecue in 2006 or the 2007 game and uh they was all over it was like a Cinderella story and my friend who was the cause we named B.J. J.K. with shoes working on West Palm Beach up in the city hall and she said they was asking who got good Bob

Q. Ryan who cuz now this would have ain't nothing you know saying it's like who got the food what is slipper and uh she said well my friend now he got a little shot but he's the best man he's the executive and people started coming I know what it was next thing I know I can invite you to do a catering for the the the host committee I got you the Super Bowl host committee and we showed I like what is coming from and uh and he seems to me this is the best we've ever had X, Y, and Z and they it ushered me into the NFL like a first round draft it's like Jerry Rice out of out of uh Mississippi balance this day yeah and and even with my past and everything we got through all that that stuff and and they had saw the change and and what was interesting is that we had all this major setup and then one of the guys that was working with me he wasn't that time and this guy he was a he was a he was a radio guy and he wanted to document my story and do

this and that and everybody has passed but he had some cocaine on him cuz it was putting my big grills and everything he was supposed to be documenting a guy who you know through this and and if people saw me make me find my first Super Bowl and it's like wow and I'm on worldwide stage getting you know all the the interviews this dad and and people were looking at us you know like okay and the latest dark crash is like Derek we might not be able to let you win because one of your guys and then my past so I had to send my staff and then without me really yes my first Super Bowl it's like oh you missed it so you I had to send my brother her dad he replaced me I was there on the phone I'll tell you the directions directing things because of what had happened I was so hurt I was crying but we ended up and we were so prepared though right that we was the the number one vendor there and we got so much credit and no

guy did so well we were so well prepared and we stood out on on on the big stage and and the rest has been history you know what I mean so so so you're here for 56 so who are you feeding this weekend but we're seeing everybody here the P&E okay yeah we're doing all the people here and that's how I got trooping us we kind of just came together because you know after that I've been to all of them I've been to all of them they kind of granted me clemency okay I know it wasn't me and and the league always gonna work with you know I feel like Ray Lou you know why would you not a D-rated I didn't eat Ray up in the beginning and being all stars you know right and and and we reclaimed the throne and what not and and we've been here for the last 16 years you know doing what they need us to do so you the only barbecue person here and here right now yes okay right here yeah I'm the exclusive vendor for this particular event okay yeah and nobody else you know

unique so you're gonna be outside the stadium or you're gonna be doing some money no I'm gonna be right here at the hotel yeah okay because see what they do with the emergency business and the business connect program they get the local vendors to be here for that and they give them an opportunity to be out not outside of stand but doing the the VIP tailgate parking stuff like that so they use the local vendors in the area to do that which is amazing and it's good and people like myself that's transcended that you know I've done those and been number one and all of them the the actual sanctioned events from the NFL they call me and the cater these bigger events I got on a private note and we do all the private stuff for the execs the players and the things like so what private stuff you doing there we can do P&E right here what you right okay the plan networking event you know which is a great event for transition to ball players going from the lead to real life so when it started that baby this thought it starts tomorrow tomorrow okay yeah it's the all day event

tomorrow that we hear doing tomorrow sun come hangers and real you coming in ribs you come out get you know what we're doing a lot of new stuff like that chocolate retables and okay we're doing some you know all derives we're doing a lot of different things the heavy eating is gonna be taught the end we gonna we're gonna we're gonna old school we're gonna macachini's call of dreams so what is seafood coming in that well the seafood coming into my mother's behavior okay and when my dad started cuz we kind of skipped over some stuff cuz I'm trying to stick with the lineage when my uncle Harvey kind of sat down my dad always was good at cooking so my mom in the backyard in like 1968 69 and 70 day was cooking selling stuff out of the house where Uncle Harvey had them retired and sold the business and my father the barbecue in the backyard because he had this the skill set to do that and everybody will come by out and I was a little boy and I remember that my mom you know fire and fish and cook a shrimp my dad making pigeon peas and rice and we're doing the crack

calm you know the behavior stuff cuz my my grandfather our jack news from the Bahamas got you so and you know where we at it's almost like the Caribbean is down in South Florida so we had a fusion of what I I made up a new name called floor being that means that means South Florida South Georgia the Florida the the the ribs the the stuff that we do the south the southern style fuse with the Caribbean foods and I brought that together with the crack the salad the pigeon peas and rice to count just the different things that we do with the seafood the red snapple and and the big jumbo shrimp fried and you know the fries the clone and the salads and different things that we've done to create that and that's what my parents did before before you know I came along so I took with my father and mother did and really just brought it to life because my dad even at our barbecue place when I was a kid he was selling seafood you know

fish and shrimp and he would do shrimp fried really new stuff you know and but I just took it to the next level of comfortors you know we had confidence in you know my dad would make them and boom boom and people love that you know and but I've taken that and and will he you know they taught me and took it to another level of like spending the menu for that with the crack comp and the different things for our south Florida cuisine you know and that's what that comes in because of the family and the history and this will lose already doing so it's natural to me to have both on there right not just that the ribs so that creates a whole nother world you got another client base another client base and then we have a lot of healthy options you know because the eating habits have changed a lot so we have to keep up with the time and then we're in a new technology trying to do things that for our younger folks that's coming in online ordering you know the abs and this and that you know some little little technical for me but you know I'm trying to keep up who wasn't really

happy right because you know our job is to keep the legacy a lot for me I'm trying to set up for another hundred years when I'm dead and gone the people coming behind me still got some more to work to do and right now moving along really quickly you know I'm getting ready to franchise we're trying to open up a hundred stores as we speak right now you know we you know that's the blessing of God you have to tell that's why I can tell you that backster to get the right now because if he fun you who could be against you exactly and I try to honor him always on a daily basis by sticking to that one cover he's always gonna pick up a drink or drug all right you can do whatever but that they're it's all my life samples don't cut your health I got you if I pick that up then boom all I bless you with you have no more strength so I only that because I've learned from David I've learned from Solomon I've learned from Moses I've learned from these guys probably that have covenants with him Abraham he looked back and even in the Monday that's my

covenant that he came to me with and so my success comes from him and me honoring the covenant that I have with him by not doing something that's gonna cause the demise and honor him by sticking to it to the best of my abilities one day at a time speaking as it says how are you gippin back well I'm the president of the Youth Records Association in West Palm Beach we feed the lofts the least the lofts and the left out you know I give scholarships you know I'm getting hundreds of thousands of scholarships on a fair my whole community you know with the what's that thing I used to do the peace and peace of class that I used to bring in artists and the young kids because I had the Motown background so I would call there different producers to hit these kids but there's no cussing in your rap and there's nothing I got to do straight rap then get the vendors out there and then we honor you know different businesses you know and things like that

Derek McQuay senior owner and CEO of McQuay's backyard barbeque and seafood located in West Palm Bay Florida if you have questions comments or suggestions ask the future in black america programs email us at in blackamerica at kut.org also let us know what radio station you heard is over don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and follow us on Facebook and twitter you can hear previous programs online at kut.org also you can listen to a special collection of in black america programs at american archive of public broadcasting that's american archives.org the views and opinions expressed on this program are not necessarily those of this station or of the University of Texas at Austin until we have the opportunity again for techie co-producer david alvarez i'm johnny ohansson junior thank you for joining us today

please join us again next week cd copies of this program are available and may be purchased by writing in black america cds kut radio 300 west deenkeyton boulevard austin texas 78712 that's in black america cds kut radio 300 west deenkeyton boulevard austin texas 78712 this has been a production of kut radio