How it all started…
I am a dad of 2 wonderful little girls and enjoy creating delicious food for my family. So in 2010, when I found myself unemployed, I decided to start my own company to help supplement our income. I had no idea what company to start until my wife and I saw a show on the Food Network about two woman who started a jam business. My wife thought that was a great idea for me. I love cooking and blending flavors plus I had over 20 years in the restaurant industry and that would be a benefit.
While the above photo is from 2016, it reminds me of my why.
Our story…
I started with a Hot Pepper Jelly because we had an overabundance of peppers in our vegetable garden. Our garden was filled with a variety of peppers so my first batch was not your traditional Hot Pepper Jelly. After tasting that first batch I was hooked on making jam. I scoured the internet and cookbooks looking for different recipes and ideas. I was on the search for unique flavor combinations (and still am) and found some great recipes. My Hot Pepper Jelly recipe has evolved greatly from the first batch, as have most of my other creations, but it is still my favorite jam to snack on.
I spent the summer and fall creating and tweaking recipes. My friends and family were thrilled because they were my taste testers. Once I found a few recipes that worked it was time to find a name for my company. After several weeks of my wife and I throwing names about, none of which we liked, our (then) 5 year old (Oona) looked at us and said “why not call it ‘Big Bad Dad’s Homemade Jams and Jellies’?”. We looked at each other and said “why not?”. My company was now named, more importantly, it was a very special name that my daughter created.
After cooking for weeks I finally did my first craft show in November of 2010 and was well received. I did a few other shows that were great. But a special ‘thanks’ to family and friends for helping me spread the word about my jams. Because of everyone’s help I had a great winter. Now I am looking forward to a great future being the ‘Big Bad Dad’ who makes jams and jellies.
READY TASTE…
If you are ready to give BBD Jams a try, head over to our store and see what current flavors we have.