D’Baby Barbecue built on family passion

David Robinson, proprietor of D’Baby Barbecue, is one of many vendors who are bringing their passion and craft to the Sept. 7 Fall Into Arts Festival.

An opportunity that is a first for Robinson, whose passion for barbecue is second-to-none — offering something for patrons from all walks of life and preferences.

“I work at this thing. Right now, I am seasoning some pork butts,” said Robinson. “It is about passion. Do you want to master your craft?”

What once was a hobby has now turned into a full-time operation for Robinson.

Spend any time around Robinson, physically or by phone, and his positive nature and excitement for ‘cue that radiates is palpable.

“Man, I am hanging in there like a herd of biscuits,” Robinson said with a chuckle.

So, how does someone who worked full time at the paper mill flip the narrative and step in front of the smoker?

“Me, my daddy and granddaddy, that is all we did in the off season was cook,” said Robinson, whose family hails from the Mississippi County farming community. “My granddad used to do the whole hogs, so my dad picked up on it.”

Robinson urged his father to take on cooking as a full-time career, but destiny had other plans.

“I told him it was a lot more money than farming,” recalled Robinson. “But farming was his business, so that is what he wanted to do.”

What once was a side hustle quickly became a way of life.

“I started cooking and people would ask, ‘What are you doing to it?” said Robinson.

As with all cooks, the secret concoctions were kept close to the vest.

“Kept working it, kept working it,” said Robinson. “One thing led to another.”

Barbecue is not the lone culinary angle to the business, though, as Robinson has even delved into Cajun recipes.

Diversity is a primary element of the business.

Said Robinson: “We barbecue, we do jambalaya, pulled pork, pork steaks, ribs, potato salad, green beans, corn, baked beans.”

Gone are the days at the paper mill, and just recently, Robinson made a large purchase to aid in his new career.

“Cooking full time and retired from the job. Went into this thing full time. Bought a trailer and refurbished it,” said Robinson.

Robinson has cooked for nearly eight years now, and this past year is the first with the food trailer.

“This is the first season selling out of a concession trailer,” he said. “We were doing it out of a tent for a long time. But they came out with this ordinance that if you didn’t have a trailer, you couldn’t sell.”

A vendor site on Facebook connected Robinson and his wife, Tracy, to the annual festival.

“I didn’t know anything about it. She does all of my booking,” said Robinson. “We have never been. People were saying how I needed to get in on this Kennett festival. This is our first go-round.”

D’Baby’s offer catering service and can be found on Facebook.

From a business owner’s perspective, the festival is all about diversity for Robinson.

“If you are going to grow a business and try and cater to a specific race, or gender, or single out, your business is not going to go well,” he said. “You have to be able to take some constructive criticism. You have to diversify. You have to put it out there where everyone can enjoy.”

Robinson’s top 3 menu items are the pulled pork nachos, pork steak and the spillway spud.