When Art Campos launched Art of BBQ in August 2010, he set out to build more than just another barbecue catering company; he built his business around consistency, personal service and scratch-made flavor. Together with his team, the owner and executive pit master prepares 95 percent of the menu in-house, from signature BBQ sauces and rubs to coleslaw dressing. Today, Art of BBQ serves approximately 425 events each year, feeding groups as small as 30 and as large as 5,000 guests, all while maintaining an impressive track record: never late, never out of food and consistently delivering the same quality customers have come to expect. With some clients returning for more than 11 years, it’s clear that Art of BBQ’s recipe for success is as much about dependable service and genuine relationships as it is about great barbecue.
What inspired you to get into foodservice?
“I learned to smoke ribs from the Food Network from Chef Rob Rainford. I eventually mastered it and was making ribs for people and their parties that seemed to be every weekend. The same people I was cooking for started to tell me that I should sell my food—and that is when the LLC was formed.”
What do you love about your business?
“I love to make people happy, there is nothing better than to see that first timer’s face when they take that first bite of my food. We have built lifelong relationships and friendships with many of our customers.”
What is the coolest thing to happen to your business?
“We won the San Jose Mercury News Best BBQ in the Bay in 2019.
We have also mastered the art of feeding people in record time. For example, we have fed 900 people in 28 minutes for DPR Construction. I started this business while working at Intel where I attended many BBQ events with my hourly paid union workers. I noticed more often than not that the food was usually not very good and it took some over an hour to feed 250 people, and in the contractor space that does not work well; I had to figure out how to get this done within the half hour allotted time for lunch. It is all about the prep and staff.”
What is the biggest business challenge you’ve overcome?
“I gave a 5,000 person BBQ back in 2015, which I originally turned down as I had no idea how to feed that many people. After thinking about it for 10 minutes, I called back and took the job. We had a 1000 gallon and 500 gallon smoker along with 3 50 square foot Santa Maria Grills and started to cook at 2 a.m. We used the smokers and holding cabinets until it was time to move to the Cambros. We had 20 people working that event and it did take 2 hours to get everyone fed.”
Which Cambro products help support your business?
”I would not be able to do any of this without all my Cambro boxes; I may have more than any other catering company in the Bay Area. We have 36 UPC300s, 32 Cam GoBoxes® and 6 UPC400s; some of the ones I have today are 14 years old.
I have numerous buckets and tubs, too many to count.”
