A 2023 year in review. As we bound into 2024 with fresh perspective, renewed creativity, and endless enthusiasm, we’re taking a moment to reflect on all that has happened in this roller coaster of a year.
2023 was a challenge, and, while it caused several periods of immense stress for our team, it also created an environment for us to stretch and grow like never before. Closing our restaurant in Marion, Illinois, was a sobering moment. We’re proud of and grateful for our strong 19-year run in that community. Ultimately, we made a decision and a commitment to double down on all of our businesses in Murphysboro ~ 17th Street Barbecue, Faye, The Factory at 17th Street, The Warehouse event center, catering, concessions, OnCue, mail order, and more.
The same financial and staffing issues plague all small business owners, especially restaurateurs. New laws, another minimum-wage increase, and food prices that continue to skyrocket make things really difficult. Frankly, there’s no end in sight. If you value the unique character, culture, and charm that family-owned restaurants and businesses bring to your community, we urge you to support them. Every time you eat at a chain restaurant, it’s a nail in the coffin of a family-owned establishment. We’re so fortunate in Southern Illinois to have many charming, unique, and delicious restaurants and I guarantee that each of them needs more business right now ~ especially through January and February which are really difficult months in the hospitality industry.
The lows we experienced are counterbalanced by some incredible highs and, thanks to strength of our tremendous team and the community and region who are staunch supporters, 2023 was filled with many proud moments and excellent events. Let’s recap:
January – We traveled to Springfield for the inaugural ball. Such a thrill to serve our barbecue to 2,000 fans and enjoy an intimate Bruno Mars performance. Our immensely talented friend, Joshua Lanning, did a guest chef pop-up at Faye and our guests enjoyed his amazing food.
February – Got my yearly dose of inspiration at The Southern C Summit, on beautiful St. Simon’s Island. We produced an OnCue seminar, with a strong assist from Damon Wise, Pineapple Express Barbecue, welcoming barbecue restaurateurs, caterers, and barbecue professionals from all over the country and Brazil. As of this writing, over 1,400 people from 45 states and 16 countries have attended our professional-level barbecue education events. We’re proud to pour Scratch Beer at Faye and we held our second collaborative brunch celebrating their Fig Porter release.
March – An extra-exciting month as I was named a Landmarks Illinois Influencer, and we were a Top Four Finalist in the Illinois Manufacturing Association’s Maker’s Madness contest.
April – The annual Jeff Michner Foundation barbecue event at Pig Beach in New York is near and dear to our heart as we gathered with some of our #bbqfamily to raise funds in Jeff’s honor. An added bonus this year was filming a segment of Michael Symon’s BBQ USA series. Faye was recognized as a Restoration Hero by our local historic commission.
May – May is officially Barbecue Month and it was a big one as we were named Best Barbecue in Illinois by Food Network. Alejandra Ramos featured our products on one of her TODAY show segments and it was such a thrill to see our Pig Packs on national television. We celebrated Faye’s one-year anniversary and kicked off the third year of working as Kingsford Preserve the Pit mentor. I was paired with Tay Nelson, of Bobby’s BBQ in Greenville, NC, and we had a productive series of calls, webinars, and meet-ups during our work together. Serving as a Preserve the Pit mentor continues to be some of my most rewarding volunteer work. On The Factory at 17th Street side of things, we were proud to add Meijer and Hy-Vee to our account roster. Please look for our sauces and Magic Dust on shelves nationwide!
June – Flower bars and Oak Street Art pop-ups kept us hopping at Faye. Our most exciting event in June was being featured in an Illinois tourism commercial with Jane Lynch. I was a guest on MarketAbilities and Small Town Big Business podcasts, talking about building a legacy business and marketing in a small town.
July – We celebrated 38 years of 17th Street ~ quite a feat! The Factory at 17th Street continued to onboard co-packing clients and produced thousands of bottles of sauce and dry rub for our wholesale accounts.
August – The BBQ USA Food Network episode we filmed in April aired in August, causing a run on Hog Warsh sales, for which we were grateful! Phillip, Ben, and part of our crew made our yearly appearance at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. We have a strong fan base there and it’s always great to showcase our barbecue in our state’s capital.
September – The 36th Annual Praise the Lard Barbecue Cook-off was a resounding success. We welcomed 90 teams from across the USA for the only tri-sanctioned event in the country — KCBS, MBN, and SCA. This year we created a double-header with our steak contest and we added pork steak and anything apple categories. Janky Leg, our KCBS grand champion, provided an extra thrill when they won the American Royal the following week. SPACE Architecture won a ASID Missouri East Pinnacle Award for Faye’s interior design.
October – Firebox, hosted by Southern Soul Barbecue, on St. Simon’s Island, kicked off October. This meaningful event raises money for a hospitality workers’ fund in Brunswick County, Georgia, and is one of my favorite events each year. I spent a beautiful weekend in Lynchburg, Tennessee, judging the Jack Daniel’s World Invitational Barbecue Cooking Contest. Faye leaned into Halloween this year with a fun Witch’s Night Out, and the staff dressing as different versions of me on Halloween — workout Amy, media Amy, coffee shop Amy, and barbecue Amy. Clever!
November – Participating in Holy Smokes and raising money for pediatric cancer was a rewarding way to kick off November. Cocktail Club was in full swing, and we honored veterans on Veterans Day with free barbecue at 17th Street and coffee and crullers at Faye. I was a guest on Joe Leavitt’s excellent May the Smoke Be With You podcast.
December – Packing up mail-order boxes of barbecue and merchandise, catering for Christmas parties and preparing holiday feasts keeps us hopping in December. Faye events included fundraising for the Humane Society with our Paws for Claus evening of pet photos with Santa and cocktails and s’mores by the fire pits. We hosted Oak Street Art and SOE pop-ups as well. Our favorite part of December is welcoming so many families and groups of friends who’ve made gathering at 17th Street a cherished tradition.
We’re conscious every single day that we are living and carrying on the Mike Mills legacy and I know he is beaming down from above. Cheers to the year that was and onward into 2024. Thanks to each of you for your unwavering support. Wishing you peace, prosperity, biscuits, and barbecue in the New Year!
