Hidden Gems: Meet Grace Olszewski of Ol’Chefskis BBQ

 Today we’d like to introduce you to Grace Olszewski. 

Grace, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My husband and myself got married in 2016 and his grandparents that he had not seen in 20 years came in town for the occasion. We are older and already have children and wanted to have something smaller and for our rehearsal dinner my husband did the cooking. Which included smoked Pulled Pork, Chicken, and sides. His Grandmother Raved about the food and told him that in this next chapter of his life he needs to be selling food… and as you know if a grandma says something tastes good, it usually is something to write home about! So, we got married, and with the money from our family and friends, we were able to purchase our first Smoker and a pop-up tent, and a few coolers. Nowhere near the equipment required, but we had no clue. All we knew is that we had a prime location at my new mother in laws farmers market, and we were gunna sell some Pulled Pork Sandwiches. And we got away with doing this on the weekends for about 2 months, and then winter hit and the market closed for the season. 

We spent the whole winter planning how we were going to go about this next year, should we get a mobile truck or trailer? 

We didn’t really have the money for that and traveling around to different events just didn’t seem like the plan for us. 

We needed something that would work at the farmers’ market and stand out. 

So, we found an Amish build shed and met with the health department to find out what exactly we needed to turn it into a mobile unit, that doesn’t necessarily move anywhere. 

With their help and my husband’s amazing construction skills, we were able to turn a shed into a fully equipped BBQ stand in 2 months and on a very strict budget. And by the end of the season in 2017, we were able to be open for another 2 months and get our feet wet, folks were really starting to follow us on social media, loved our story, and more importantly, loved our food, and then winter hit again. 

In 2018 we decided to quit our weekday jobs and go about this BBQ life full time throughout the market season. 

We were featured on several local media outlets and we were nominated into CLEVLEANDS BEST BBQ COMPETITION put on by CLeveland.com. Out of 40 original restaurants it was cut in half to the top 20. The contest ran for about 2 months with each spot being highlighted and customers voting. In the end, we were very Humbled to place FIRST out of some really amazing competition. 

After the event and all the publicity, throughout 2019 we quickly outgrew the Shed and the Market to our luck a friendly real-estate agent happened to know of a great location, that would be perfect for our next step. it is located on some property and has amazing history and atmosphere for the locals in the area. However, it was completely gutted with no kitchen amenities, but the rent was perfect! 

And I have that handy Husband!!! So right before covid, we signed a lease to set out and build a take-out, counter service restaurant, with a few indoor booths and a beautiful patio. and we would be able to be open year-round! 

And then Covid Hit ~ but we were still able to manage to be Open by August of 2020. 

And since then, we have a line when we Open and we sell BBQ till we sell out! 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
To start we had 0 knowledge on owning a business. I’ve worked in food service most of my life and my husband has a background in commercial maintenance, but owning, operating a business and knowing all the food codes and laws. We were very lucky to have an amazing health department that worked with us along the way 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are known as Cleveland’s Best BBQ. We Smoke all of our Meats out back in the Pit over wood, we open at noon and advise all of our guests to come early cause once it’s gone it’s gone. And we are cooking for the next day. You come in and order at the counter and we will have your order ready in a few minutes. Everything is bagged to go but you are welcome to stay and eat on our patio. Or bring a blanket and enjoy an acre of our grassy area with your family or fur babies. We are located next to Paddock River Preserve, perfect for Hiking and Nature Sightings 

Everyone always leaves smiling 

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
We work here every day alongside our crew from 6 am to 8 pm. My husband runs the Smokers and Creates the Amazing SMoked meats we are able to Serve and I run the Kitchen and the Business end. 

Every Sunday we donate Food back to the community. 

There is an organization called RSVP made up of senior citizens and one of them visits us every week to pick up our extras to take to the local homeless and domestic violence shelters. 

Prior to be married and owning a business I would have been considered lower class, and living in government housing, If I came in my restaurant the prices would definitely scare me away. As its definitely not fast-food pricing. But I am happy to know that everyone in my community would have the opportunity to have a good smoked meal 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.clevelandsbestbbq.com
• Instagram: olchefskis_bbq
• Facebook: OlchefskisBBQ