🔒Q&A: Following tragedy, entrepreneur finds independence through BBQ

Jordan El-Qasem bio boxJordan El-Qasem’s passion for barbecue began with YouTube videos and grew into years of mastering smoked meats and tangy sauces. After a major personal loss reignited his dream of owning a barbecue business, he launched the HaBBQ (pronounced ha-bibi-cue) food truck in March. Originally from the South, El-Qasem fuses traditional Texas barbecue with Middle Eastern spices, serving his unique flavors at events and venues throughout Central Massachusetts.

Why did you open a food truck?

YouTube is the reason I became interested in barbecue, it just looked so fun to me. I bought my first Traeger, which is like a pellet smoker, just to experiment. I started loving the cooking process. I thought to myself, “I can see myself doing this forever.” Fast forward to 2023, I have two kids, and I'm engaged; and I was laid off from my job. I hated the idea of depending on somebody else for a paycheck, and I wanted to do something I'm passionate about. I ended up losing my younger brother in October, and it put life in perspective for me. So, I took the leap of faith and started taking the steps to open my own food truck.

How did you develop your flavors?

I'm Middle Eastern, and I wanted to do something a little different. There's traditional barbecue, which I'm in love with, but I needed to add some of my own flair. So, I came up with that concept where it's going to be traditional barbecue with some splashes of Middle Eastern spices in there. Nothing too crazy. I take your traditional meats, and I offer them with salt and pepper, which is your traditional way of Texas barbecue, or I offer them Levantine style, referring to the region. I'll use spices like za’atar, sumac, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, and Aleppo peppers. I don't like to call it fusion, because I don't try to make everything Middle Eastern. I'm allowing the barbecue to stay traditional, and respecting that while bringing in my culture.

Most rewarding part of owning a firm?

I love smoking meats. It's so fun, but it's hard. My fiancé owns her own jewelry business. We're running this food truck together, and I work full-time while taking care of a 4 year old and a 2 year old. It's so hard. But when you're finally at the event and you're serving people, and you have people coming up and telling you everything you're doing is great, it reenergizes you and brings you back to life. It feels like this is exactly why I'm doing this.

What challenges have you faced?

Some of the challenges were understanding my inventory and getting a hold of my finances, especially running a food truck where the type of food I make is prepared ahead of time. When I'm coming to an event, I have an idea of how much food I think I need, but that might not be the case. I would tell other new food truck owners to ask questions, do your research, don’t be shy. Even reaching out to other vendors you've seen participate in these events is helpful. They'll be honest with you since we're all in this community together.

How did local resources help you achieve your business goals?

The Small Business Development at Clark University was huge for me. The people there helped me write a business plan to present to North Central Massachusetts Development Corp. for the $50,000 loan I needed to purchase my food truck. Clark University helped me set up a lengthy business plan to put things into perspective. Going through North Central was important because they don’t just give you a hunk of cash. Instead, they prioritize that you really understand your business. I felt like Sandie Cataldo and the rest of the team at North Central saw something in me.

What milestones are next?

Honestly, the future would be to take this full time. Right now, I am doing this part-time, but in the future, I want this to be my full-time job, maybe even find a set location for the food truck and one day build up to a restaurant. This interview was conducted and edited for length and clarity by WBJ Correspondent Sloane M. Perron.