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Back In The Sauce

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 13, 2008

In 1977, Alen Smith of Tampa started making Texas Best Barbeque Sauce, selling it first in the original Simon Schwartz Market on South MacDill Avenue in Tampa. Smith later sold the brand to a bigger food company. In 1993, it was sold to an even bigger conglomerate that had plans to make it a national brand.

It never happened.

After trying for almost 20 years, the Smith family was able to reacquire the rights to make Texas Best about a year ago. It has spent the interim rebuilding the company and now Smith's son Reed - who was 7 when the brand launched - is at the helm. (It was his job as a boy to pack the bottles into boxes.)

The company in late June began shipping Texas Best to retail stores. The first store to carry it locally will be Mazzaro's Italian Market on 22nd Street North in St. Petersburg, where they'll be doing a barbecue and wine tasting on Aug. 23. The sauce will be available Saturday.

Jeff Houck

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