Entrepreneur Finds Grillin’ Thrillin’

The Weston Forum:

Roger Kaufman is an entrepreneur’s entrepreneur. Like a hungry pit bull, when he sinks his teeth into a creative idea, he doesn’t give up.

Several decades ago, Mr. Kaufman developed his own line of barbecue sauce called “Rockin’ Roger’s.” To promote the sauce, which is a blend of sweetness and peppery heat, he created an incidental line of T-shirts and hats, and then recorded several R&B tunes called “Music to Barbecue By.”

The sauce became a hit, and in 1989 was marketed commercially. During its peak, it was sold by catalog giant Williams Sonoma. It is now available on a smaller scale and sold seasonally at Peter’s Weston Market and Gold’s in Westport.

Fast forward to 2008. Though the sauce’s heyday may have come and gone, the incidental music Mr. Kaufman recorded to promote it is now enjoying a life of its own.

One of the songs, “My Grill,” has become the “Grilling Anthem” for Weber Grills on its Web site.

In addition, a CD of Mr. Kaufman’s called “Grill to Thrill” is due out this spring as part of a series that combines boxed recipes and music for special occasions.

Photo by Roger Kaufman.

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