BANGOR, ME – Giuseppe "Joey 4 Eyes" Colucci, Depression Era "businessman" and self proclaimed "Godfather of BBQ" who mysteriously disappeared from sight in 1957 and whose whereabouts remained unknown until his passing in 1978, has posthumously made his triumphant return to the limelight, as the face of a new line of Maine-made Carolina style BBQ sauces.
Joey 4 Eyes Carolina Style BBQ Sauces feature the original recipes created by the dapper businessman and philanthropist prior to opening his own BBQ joint during the late 1930's.
Billed as "The Godfather of Sauces," Joey 4 Eyes East Carolina Cider Vinegar and South Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauces are paired with a sauce created by Colucci in honor of his Italian heritage. Colucci replaced the
traditional apple cider vinegar with Italian balsamic vinegar creating a unique rich, full flavored sauce that tastes great with any style of BBQ.
Colucci's three recipes were recently discovered in an old recipe card file after not having been seen for over 50 years. The recipes were found with no specific names just a lot/batch code after each one.
Scott D'Errico, co-founder of Joey 4 Eyes Carolina Style BBQ Sauces and co-owner of parent company Mamooch's Authentic, LLC states, "these are traditional, old school Carolina BBQ sauces. We are using the "what's old is new" adage in introducing these sauces to the market. We are not attempting to reinvent the wheel with an overabundance of non-traditional flavors that simply mask the flavor of the meat. Our sauces are meant to compliment the flavor of great BBQ, not cover it."
Colucci spent his first 12 years in the Carolinas working various aspects of his family's business which, as D'Errico states, included "personal lending, collections, pest control and waste disposal."
Sometime during the late 1930s Colucci left the family business and turned his efforts toward his love of traditional Carolina BBQ. He opened a BBQ joint along the North and South Carolina border which featured not only his versions of the traditional Carolina cider vinegar and mustard based BBQ sauces, but also his Balsamic vinegar based sauce.
"We are bringing these sauces to the market to honor a man, who, while having some questionable moral fiber appears to have been a bit misunderstood" D'Errico stated.
Colucci ran his BBQ business until 1957 when he suddenly disappeared from the public eye never to be heard from again. In March 1978, an obituary was found in a Florida newspaper reporting the death of one "Joey" Colucci.
