Marion & Linda Simmons Jr.
First Blacks to Locally Produce
and Market Barbecue Sauce Tell
Their Story
Marion "Bubble" and Linda
Simmons, Jr Inventors and
Proprietors of "Bubble's Q Sauce" -
this is their story. "Our Vision From
God"
For many years, God had given me
this vision to sell my husband
Marion's Ribs and BBQ Sauce. I
would always say "One day we're
going to sell your ribs and bottle your
BBQ Sauce. "He would just look at
me and laugh. So in 1996, this one
sales representative from Amway, was
really pressuring me to join their
organization and sell their products.
He was so persistent that he wouldn't
take no for an answer. He said he was
going to call me back later in the
week.
I prayed about it and the Lord said,
"When he calls back, tell him that
we're going to establish our own
business." The next morning when I
woke up, I told my husband that the
Lord said for us to establish our own
business. He just laughed and said :
"The next time the Lord tells you
something that concerns me and work
for me, wake me up so I can talk to
him." "I believe it was that Thursday
when the sales rep called back. I told
him that I can't join his company
because my husband and I are going
to establish our own  business, selling
Ribs and his BBQ Sauce. He was
really surprised and wished us well."
A couple of weeks later, I was at work
sitting at my desk and I heard on the
radio that the new YMCA on William
Street was looking for vendors to sell
their products for some event. I
immediately called "Bubble" at home
and told him about it. After
convincing him that this is the vision
that God gave me and that this will
be a great opportunity to introduce to
the public his ribs and BBQ Sauce.
He said, "Linda, I'm going to go
along with this and I'll see if God
really told you this." So I called and
registered.
We prepared the ribs and we went
and brought Mason Jars, boiled them
and bottled the BBQ Sauce. It was a
lot of work. The day of the event
before we could set up, people were  
coming up and saw what we were
selling and they started getting in line
before we were ready. Within 2 hours,
"Bubble" said  it was 3 hours-we were
sold out. He was so happy and
excited. When we left, he went
straight and brought more Ribs and
Mason Jars.  He finally saw the vision
and the rest is history.
BUBBLE'S Q SAUCE
I definitely "Thank God" for my wife
constantly reminding me, during the high
and lows of finally getting the BBQ Sauce
on the market that "God said it will be." I
also had the vision a few years after she was
given it. Then, I finally believed. I was
hesitant because there's only 24 hours in a
day, and I was already working a full time
job, including over time, a part-time job.
Plus my duties at my church and my hobby
of preparing ribs and sauce, I just couldn't
see the time or effort to put the sauce on
the market. But God worked it out.
We originally began as "Bubba's Ribs and
Bubba Q Sauce" and after learning more
about the business, we had to go with my
real nickname of "Bubble" because the
name "Bubba" you'll find that on products
in every city. For many years we gave away
free samples of our ribs and sauce to
family, friends and co-workers. We would
always ask for their feed back to help us
critique our product to where it is today.
We can not forget all the fund raisers we
did at the Young Tabernacle Holiness
Church, at the corner of Best and Herman
Street in Buffalo, especially during
Juneteenth. That was truly a blessing. We
would like to thank all of our supporters.
On May 25, 2006 our BBQ Sauce, which is
called, "Bubble's Q Sauce" went on the
market.
We have on our label, a special tribute to
my dad, Pastor Marion C. Simmons Sr,
who was with us from the beginning, with
trips of promoting this product in
Alabama, South Carolina and Ohio.
Although he went on to glory on October
21, 2003, we believe that when we all get to
glory, God is going to allow us to sit down
with dad and talk a little bit about the
finished product.
After much research, we believe we are the
first Black Buffalonian Entrepreneurs to
have the BBQ Sauce manufactured and
marketed in Buffalo. We owe it all to God.
We also couldn't have done this without the
support of our three sons: Shannon, Brian
and DeMario.
My wife and I worship at the Word Of Life
Ministries, 1941 Hyde Park Avenue, in
Niagara Falls, New York, under the
dynamic leadership of Senior Pastor the
Rev Jesse J. Scott, and First Lady, the Rev
Joanne Scott. They have been a
tremendous blessing to us.

Marion & Linda Simmons Jr.