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FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q: Do you make this stuff yourselves?

Yes, every drop. Half our basement has been converted into a cooking/bottling facility that is approved and licensed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture. We use a twenty-gallon steam kettle, and all of our sauces are slow-cooked for at least eight hours before pouring, bottling and sealing.

Q: How did you come up with the name, “Smack Yo Mama^®”?

Divine inspiration: when God says, “Thou shalt call it ‘Smack Yo Mama^®’”, one doesn’t argue.

Q: How did you get started in this venture?

My Dad and Mom had a barbecue restaurant in Indiana. Dad slow-cooked pork shoulders, chopped the meat, toasted the bun and then applied the meat, cole slaw and a mustard-based sauce. Awesome. The restaurant folded, and then when I was traveling the southeast, I discovered a barbecue restaurant in Columbia, SC. They served a sandwich with sauce like Dad made, and I used to buy that sauce a case at a time. I decided to try to make my own, and the rest, as they say, [You know what they say.]...

In 1997, we learned that the church we had just begun attending [Atlanta Church of Christ] had, for years, conducted an annual campaign for a special contribution to benefit its missionary efforts. We also learned that everyone set a monetary goal. We wanted to do our part, so we set our goal, then wondered how we’d be able to accomplish it. In addition to the mustard-based sauce, I came up with a ketchup-based product, bottled both products, and we sold enough to not only meet, but also exceed our goal! We set a higher goal for the second year, and blew that one out also. Our sauces were so well-received that the third year we began a for-profit venture and hit the road, working the Arts and Crafts show circuit. Our church now has in place other methods of raising the mission funds, and we continue our support of those efforts. For the record, Smack Yo Mama, LLC, is not a church-related enterprise.

Q: What did y’all do before this venture?

Jim: Ball State University, Purdue University, United States Air Force, General Motors Corporation, a well-known Japanese camera company, self-employed Manufacturers’ Representative [Photo and Electronics], telecommunications, and, finally, Customer Help Desk for the world’s first Internet bank.

Joyce: Homemaker, and several positions with various financial institutions.

Q: Do you really suggest that we smack our Mamas?

Oh, PUHleeeeeeeze.

Q: Then what do you mean by “Smack Yo Mama^®”?

If we’re forced to be Politically Correct [barf], it means a loving smack on the cheek – a big smooch, if you like. Otherwise:

“It tastes so good you wanna smack yo mama!” means that whatever you’re tasting is so delicious, so wonderful, so outa this world, that it causes temporary insanity and causes you to consider doing something that, under normal conditions, you would never, ever do, e.g., hit your mother. This temporary insanity lasts only for a split second and you regain your senses well before you have time to act on that impulse. So there.

Q: What does YOUR mother think about the name?

Mom turned 94 in November, 2005, and she loves the name. I got the Smart-Alec gene from her, and the Humor gene from Dad. Designer genes, I guess...

Q: How about the flavor names?

It’s a gift. I grew up reading MAD Comics [ wayyyy before MAD Magazine ], and that publication left an indelible mark on my brain. [Thank you, Jack Davis, UGA Graduate!]

Q: Where are you based?

Duluth, Georgia.

Q: Where are you from?

Jim is a native Hoosier, Joyce is a native Tennessean transplanted at an early age to Indiana, where they met at Fairlawn Church of Christ in Muncie, Indiana. While working for Nikon, USA, they were transferred to Atlanta in 1968 and became Naturalized Rednecks, having learned to say “y’all” as well as the best of the natives.

Q: How long does this stuff keep?

At least two years if the seals are not broken. Joyce found a bottle in the cabinet that, by its label, I know had been there for two years, maybe more. It tasted better than a recently cooked batch, much like soup and meatloaf do on the second or third day. Of course, since there are no added preservatives, all of our sauces should be properly refrigerated after opening – then they’ll “keep” indefinitely, like ketchup and mustard [What am I saying?!? They are ketchup and mustard!]

Q: Which are your hottest and mildest sauces?

In ascending order of heat:

Big Kahuna™ - Contains pineapple and Cream of Coconut – our mildest sauce.
Sweet Georgia Brown™ - A sweet and smoky brown sauce with a mild “bite”.
Georgia Gold™ - A sweet and tangy Honey Mustard Vinegar sauce.
Dragon’s Breath™ - The spicy version of Georgia Gold™
Widowmaker™ - The hotter version of Sweet Georgia Brown™
Death Wish™ - Hotter, less sweet than Widowmaker™
Toxic Waste™ - PURE, BRUTAL HEAT

Q: Can I get the formulas for your sauces?

Sure – the ingredients are all on the back of the bottles in descending order of prominence – all you hafta do is figure out the quantities.

Q: Do y’all have a restaurant?

No, we’re having as much fun as we can stand.