Mum Foods {Best Barbecue in the East}

Meticulously Smoked Meats

Words by Jessi Devenyns

With a commitment to creative, locally-sourced side dishes to complement meticulously smoked meats, Geoffrey Ellis, the owner of Mum Foods, is no stranger to adaptation. “It’s just us using the assets that we have,” he explains. In any given year, Mum Foods will cycle through 50 different sorts of pickles to be served alongside fatty slices of brisket and rich slabs of pastrami. Whether it is traditional cucumbers, green tomatoes, carrots, or kimchi, Geoffrey shares that whatever is in season can make a perfect pickle.

“It’s a flavor profile that obviously pairs really well with barbecue.” The same, he says, is true for mustard. “For me, rich, fatty meats go better with a sharp, piquant sauce like mustard.” Regardless, of style—stoneground, honey-based, or spicy mustard—they all can be slathered on a bun to the layered flavor profiles of sausage, brisket, and pastrami.

Much in the same way that Geoffrey adapts his menu to the season, he has also pivoted to modify Mum Foods’ operations in light of the pandemic. “Although,” he says, “we were set up pretty well for this type of thing—as strange as that sounds. We were already in the position where we could sell bulk meat products.” And since they were already a takeaway type of establishment, there were only minor adjustments to be made.

One of the major initiatives that the team rolled out was free delivery of local orders, no questions asked. Using a new digital ordering platform, customers can now order in advance and schedule a delivery rather than waiting for the Mum Foods tent to be pitched at the Mueller Farmers Market.

Not only do the deliveries allow for fresh, local meats to arrive during the week, but delivering orders has also allowed them insight into who their customers are. Though many are right around the corner, there are numerous customers who come from far and wide.

Many customers also buy in bulk, which Geoffrey notes inspired the company’s meal kit offerings that he says will continue to be a regular feature even past the crisis. “That was a way for us to help people have a great celebration in their home.”

After all, he explains that facilitating celebration within the community is the role of a restaurant like Mum Foods. “They’re also the parts of our communities where we come together to celebrate, to mourn losses, to rally as a group. It’s important that we figure out a way to keep supporting them through the toughest times.”