What’s That Sauce Cooking on the Grill? 'That’s Barbeque!'

Dennis Larson, owner of Juniors Gourmet Sauces LLC, has discovered a recipe for success by mixing one part cook, one part detective and one part entrepreneur.

The result is a sauce he has dubbed simply: That’s Barbeque.

“It’s sweet at first, then a little bit of a kick – it’s not too sweet or too spicy – and it’s a lot thicker than most, with real sugars that caramelize on the meat and stick,” said Larson of his creation.  “It doesn’t run off like other sauces do.”

After having spent his childhood in Batavia, Larson now lives in Yorkville with Tara, his wife of five years, and their daughter, Lydia, nearly six months old.  

The journey from Batavia boy to barbeque businessman has been a sentimental one for Larson, who has fond memories of being in the kitchen with his mom, watching her cook and bake.  She tells him that as a toddler, he used to help roll out cookies with his tiny hands - or stand on a chair and try to figure out what she was mixing.

But the local entrepreneur’s culinary training didn’t end in his mother’s kitchen.

“My mom’s mom could create pretty much anything, too,” Larson said. “She can make a new dressing for dinner, cookies, cakes, anything.  And they are just awesome.”

Larson said he remembers watching his grandma, Marge, create her own recipes by simply tasting dishes and somehow deciphering the ingredients in them.  

In 2003, while living in California, Larson unwittingly ignited his entrepreneurial spirit by mixing the culinary detective skills he had inherited from his grandma with a secret ingredient he had seen his mom use in her kitchen.

“A guy I went to church with would drive all the way from Long Beach to San Diego just to buy his favorite teriyaki sauce,” Larson explained.  “I figured out how to make sauce that tasted better than the one he was buying – and he pulled out his checkbook on the spot and tried to buy the recipe from me.”

With the teriyaki sauce, Larson realized he had created a product that was low in sugar and low in sodium, yet tasted better than a popular product that was already on the market.

“After that, I wondered what else I could create,” Larson said.  “I started looking at what was in the ‘fridge – and since I eat barbeque sauce on almost everything, I thought I’d try that.”

But the budding entrepreneur knew he wanted to make something that was different from the other sauces being sold at the time.

“I started looking in cookbooks and grocery stores, and all the recipes and labels always had ketchup in them,” he said.  “I thought that was pretty standard, so rather than being just like everybody else, I decided to use condensed tomatoes instead, and sweeten it with brown sugar, molasses, honey and other ingredients.”

Of course, just how much of each ingredient Larson adds to his special sauce is a well-kept secret.  But he makes no secret of what makes That’s Barbeque a hit with all ages.

“It’s great on chicken nuggets for the kids, and great for grilling,” Larson said of his sauce.

Looking to the future, Larson hopes to someday bottle the teriyaki sauce that inspired him to create That’s Barbeque, as well as a strawberry viniagrette he has been testing out on lucky friends and neighbors. 

He has a couple of important dates marked on his summer calendar, too.  

Larson said he plans to participate in Yorkville’s “” on July 14, and, perhaps even more importantly, to spend a day in his grandma’s kitchen, helping her make her famous raspberry jam.

“Everyone just loves my grandma’s raspberry jam,” the proud grandson said. “Eventually, I plan to jar and market it as a tribute to her.”

For more information, visit www.thatsbarbeque.com. The sauce is available in Yorkville at and . Click here for a full list of locations.