BLACK CATS BBQ & CATERING
Concession | Catering | Food Truck
OPEN FOR LUNCH, MONDAY TO FRIDAY, 11am to 2pm!
(Take-out and delivery only in Taylor, BC....Daily specials & info can be found on our Facebook page)
OUR STORY
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We started out very humbly with Lesley making gourmet cupcakes at the Fort St. John Farmer's Market way back in 2011. Bored and feeling a need to contribute as well if he was going to accompany me every weekend, Mike decided to start selling the dry spice rubs and his barbecue sauces that had done so well for him over the years in competition. We never imagined that they would be so wildly popular, quickly overtaking the cupcake side of the table and leading to the development of a whole line of spice rubs and sauces for retail sale. We had always dreamed of one day owning and operating our own food truck but finances were always tight and it was a huge gamble. Holding a reliable, "normal" job always won out. That all changed with the economic downturn in the Oil & Gas industry. We found ourselves without an income, with our EI payments that were covering our living expenses, quickly running out. We decided with a small amount of cash from a tax return, that it was "now or never" and flew Mike to Ontario where he purchased our Uhaul truck, affectionately named "Pearl", and proceeded to drive her home across Canada after she'd been sitting in a lot for 2 years!
(Spoiler alert: They made it! lol)
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The next year, while slowly building Pearl ourselves and chasing down used equipment and repurposed materials, we had the opportunity to take over/lease a brick-and-mortar concession space at the District Ice Center in Taylor, BC. This was a HUGE opportunity for us and afforded us a commissary kitchen space to use, so that we required less equipment in the food truck. We now had a space to cater out of, a home in the winter months when the Canadian winters make "food trucking" next-to-impossible, and a captive audience during figure skating competitions, hockey games/tournaments, special events...and even figure skating and hockey practices during the week! It seemed like it was just "meant to be".
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After four years at our concession location, our catering business has really taken off. We are busier than ever, and so grateful for the opportunity. We're STILL not quite "done" with building the food truck, and money is STILL tight...but we're able to do what we love and to work together everyday, and that makes us incredibly blessed. We've met so many amazing people, and our business continues to grow and to expand each year. We have some incredible friends and family who have helped and supported us along the way. We've been able to mentor other small business owners and to donate and "give back" to our community. We know that the future holds great things, and we are so thrilled to share this journey with everyone. If you had told us five or ten years ago, that we would be where we are today...we would have called you crazy. Now we're excitedly looking to the future, and can't wait to see "what's next"!
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A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us, rooted for us, offered advice and kind words...
to all of our amazing customers who share their lives and their stories with us...
to all of our "guinea pigs" who never tire of trying our crazy new experiments and recipes...
Seriously, we would not be here without you. We are SO grateful.
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THANK YOU!
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Cinnamon Buns!Delicious fluffy cinnamon buns baked in-house! | Cinnamon Buns with FrostingAnd what's a cinnamon bun without light, fluffy cream cheese frosting? Yum! | PoutineOur delicious poutine made with a beef gravy, real cheese curds, and always-crispy fries! |
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Chicken Avo BLTOne of our most popular sandwiches, our Chicken Avocado B.L.T | Chicken Avo BLT SaladOr try the Chicken Avocado B.L.T sandwich as a salad, instead! | Beef n' CheddarAnother popular favorite, our customers love the Beef n' Cheddar sandwich featuring house-made horseradish aioli, grilled thinly sliced roast beef and real melty cheddar cheese on a toasted brioche bun |
Panini's!We also feature a variety of panini's! | Whistle DogWe always try to anticipate and accommodate our customers' wishes. Miss A&W's Whistle Dog? Try our nostalgic nod to the favorite! (we're told that we come PRETTY close!) | Grilled CheesePictured is our "5-Cheese Grilled Cheese" which boasts cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, Havarti cheese, Swiss Cheese, and creamy Philidelphia cream cheese all toasted to melty deliciousness on our European panini press! We offer a wide variety of Grilled Cheese options! |
Our mobile SmokerA picture of our mobile trailer-mounted reverse-flow offset smoker | Pig roastA pig roast from a wedding. Photo credit to Janayh-Wright Photography | Pig roast from weddingA pig roast from a wedding in Charlie Lake, BC. Photo credit to Janayh-Wright Photography |
Wedding @ Rod & Gun ClubCatering a wedding out at the Rod & Gun Club in Charlie Lake, BC | Wedding @ Rod & Gun ClubCatering a wedding out at the Rod & Gun Club in Charlie Lake, BC | Wedding @ Family FarmMike carves a hog smoked over cherry wood, giving it that dark mahogany color! Delicious! |
Wedding @ Family FarmServing guests at a wedding held at the family farm! | Okanagan Cherry wood!We use only REAL wood...no pellets, pucks, or propane in our pit! Real wood offers an absolutely unbeatable color and flavor to our pig roasts. | Pig on the smoker!Mike inserting the probes to his barbecue controller which will monitor the pit temperature and hog's temperature throughout the cooking process! |
Wedding @ Family FarmCatering a wedding out at a family farm! | Kin Club - Splatter in Valley 2015Mike tending the pit late at night, for the Kin Club's Splatter in the Valley paintball tournament. This 150lb hog took approximately 21-22 hours to cook. | Pork ShoulderOur pork shoulder smoked over Apple wood |
BCB Beef Brisket 2016A delicious beef brisket! This was the first brisket we cooked and served at our location at the Taylor District Ice Center in Taylor, British Columbia! We made beef brisket sandwiches and then later, beef dips with au jus, out of this beauty. | Beef BrisketAnother shot of a beef brisket we smoked. | BCB Ribs!A picture to show the coveted pink smoke ring in our Applewood Smoked ribs. Generally a good sign of REAL wood-smoked barbecue! (though this CAN be faked...) |
Chicken Caesar WrapLooking for a healthier option? Try our delicious Chicken Caesar Wrap. | BCB ChiliBlack Cats BBQ's chili! Completely house-made and gluten-free even! (except for the bun and crackers, of course!) | Turkey Bacon Club & ChiliOne of our delicious daily specials! On this day, we offered chili alongside a Turkey Bacon Club with our house-made honey-mustard sauce! |
BCB Smash BurgerOur Smash Burger starts out life as a meatball that is smashed down on the flat top, giving a crisp exterior and juicy interior. Our burgers are made with fresh ground beef with no filler, sourced locally from Lawrence's Meat Packing in Dawson Creek, BC. | Rainbow Grilled CheeseA fun Grilled Cheese sandwich special to celebrate Pride 2017. :) | BCB Spice RubsA picture of a few of our Black Cats BBQ's spice rubs, which you can buy and take home! Add a little Black Cats BBQ love to your cooking, today! |
BCB Special Event TableA photo from our beginnings at the Farmer's Market in Fort St. John, BC in 2011. | District of Taylor Ice CenterHere's a shot of our dining room at the Taylor District Ice Center! | District Ice Center Serving WindowsHere's a shot of our serving windows at the Taylor District Ice Center. |
Taylor District Ice CenterAnother picture of our serving windows at the Taylor District Ice Center. | District Ice Center Serving WindowsA closer look at our serving windows at the Taylor District Ice Center! | Display CaseA peek into the kitchen, and a look at our display case which shows off our baked goods at the Taylor District Ice Center. We usually have a selection of a few different flavors of cupcakes, muffins, rice crispie squares, and occasionally brownies or banana bread, or other baked goods. We take special orders, as well! |
Roly Poly Pony CupcakesWhen we opened up at the District Ice Center, we decided to roll Roly Poly Pony Cupcakes into Black Cats BBQ, and to become one entity, legally. Though I still retain my name...we are both run out of one kitchen and are essentially one business, with Roly Poly Pony Cupcakes becoming a subsidiary of Black Cats BBQ. We do still take special orders for cupcakes and cakes, as well! I will also continue to maintain my Roly Poly Pony Cupcakes Facebook page...but feel free to message either page. | RPP Cupcakes - Autumn LeavesThese are some of my favorite cupcakes. These ones are Red Velvet with Cream Cheese frosting and Ghiardelli chocolate trees with autumn leaf sprinkles. | RPP Cupcakes - Minnie MouseThese cupcakes were made for a special order, for a very special birthday girl. Feel free to call us to discuss a special order! |
RPP Cupcakes - Pastel RainbowA beautiful shot of some rainbow frosted Vanilla Bean cupcakes with a pearl edible dust finish. | RPP Cupcakes - RainbowEverybody LOVES rainbows, and i'm no different! These cupcakes are so much fun to make! Rainbow colored batter, but these are still my very popular Vanilla Bean cupcakes. | RPP Cupcakes - Mint Chocolate ChipOne of my best sellers....Mint Chocolate Chip cupcakes! |
RPP Cupcakes - Apple PieThese cupcakes look and taste like apple pie, with a cinnamon buttercream frosting to compliment the tart tasting apples. | RPP Cupcakes - SnowflakeThese Vanilla Bean cupcakes feature edible snowflakes made out of modelling chocolate (I can also use fondant or gumpaste) and edible silver glitter stars. | RPP Cupcakes' Rainbow CupcakesVanilla Bean cupcakes with rainbow frosting |
RPP Cupcakes - Chocolate ButterflyThank you to Charlotte Dyck of "Photography by Charlotte" for her beautiful shot of my hand-crafted chocolate butterfly cupcake topper shown here. | RPP Cupcakes - Valentine's DayAgain, a beautiful shot by Charlotte Dyck of "Photography by Charlotte", of some Valentine's Day cupcakes in a vibrant pink color, with white non-pariels. |