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Sullivan's Original BBQ Sauce Returns To Shelves Starting In Beverly

By Howard Ludwig | April 27, 2015 8:04am
 Sean Sullivan once had his barbecue sauce in all the Jewel-Osco stores on the South Side as well as several Ultra Foods stores and a Strack & Van Til in Hammond, Ind. He's now working to return to the grocery aisle and is starting with Calabria Imports in Beverly.
Sean Sullivan once had his barbecue sauce in all the Jewel-Osco stores on the South Side as well as several Ultra Foods stores and a Strack & Van Til in Hammond, Ind. He's now working to return to the grocery aisle and is starting with Calabria Imports in Beverly.
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DNAinfo/Howard A. Ludwig

BEVERLY — The comeback trail for Sullivan's Original BBQ Sauce begins in Beverly.

Sean Sullivan's signature barbecue sauce is being sold exclusively at Calabria Imports. The smoky sauce costs $3.99 at the Italian deli at 1905 W. 103rd St. in Beverly.

Sullivan is the proprietor of 109th Street Foods. He named the business for his childhood home at 109th Street and Union Avenue in Roseland.

Sullivan learned how to cook in the Army. He spent eight years in the service before returning to civilian life in 1995.

"At that time, Sweet Baby Ray's wasn't on the market yet," said Sullivan, who now lives in south suburban Calumet City. He works for a company that shuttles cars to the nearby Ford Motor Co. Chicago Assembly Plant in Hegewisch.

 Sean Sullivan was raised at 109th Street and Union Avenue in Roseland. He named his 109th Street Foods business for his block. He's now hoping to re-enter the marketplace with Sullivan's Original BBQ Sauce.
Sean Sullivan was raised at 109th Street and Union Avenue in Roseland. He named his 109th Street Foods business for his block. He's now hoping to re-enter the marketplace with Sullivan's Original BBQ Sauce.
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DNAinfo/Howard A. Ludwig

He began to dabble with making his own sauce in 1996 and was well received at family gatherings and among then co-workers at Amtrak's Chicago rail yard.

"I thought one of these days I need to see what I can do to get this out on the market," Sullivan said.

That day came in January 2012. Sullivan's Original BBQ Sauce landed on store shelves at Jewel-Osco stores throughout the South Side. His sauce was also in four Ultra Foods stores as well as Strack & Van Til in Hammond, Ind.

With his barbecue sauce business doing well, the former Army cook expand into the restaurant business. Sullivan's Original opened in fall 2012 in Morgan Park.

The restaurant ended up dominating Sullivan's time, and he dropped out of the bottled sauce business after about a year. But the restaurant ended up closing in spring 2013.

Now Sullivan is preparing for a comeback. He's hoping to partner with a distributor this time around. He believes this will help Sullivan's Original BBQ Sauce get on even more store shelves. And as volume increases, he plans to drop the price.

If successful, Sullivan believes his sauce has the potential to become as synonymous with Chicago as deep-dish pizza or Chicago-style hot dogs.

"All of this is an homage to Chicago," he said. "We have such good food here."

Calabria Imports is among the stand-out dining options in Beverly. Owner Pasquale (Pat) Roberto said he's featured Sullivan's sauce on a barbecue beef and chicken sandwiches.

Roberto said the feedback from customers has all be positive in the six months since he began to sell it.

"It's got a nice smoke flavor," he said.

Sullivan envisions his sauce standing side-by-side with Sweet Baby Ray's at grocery stores throughout the city and suburbs. And as a local brand, he said there's also potential to carve out a niche.

If the brand takes off locally, he said there might even be potential for his sauce to find a place in Chicago-themed gift stores aimed at tourists.

"I want to represent Chicago," he said.

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