Big Mama’s Bacon Wrapped BBQ growing to neighboring counties

Sue Grossardt

Contributor

March 2, 2026

NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN – After nearly three years of building a loyal following in the Fox Valley, Owner Jocelyn Johnson said she is setting her sights on expanding Big Mama’s Bacon Wrapped BBQ into North Central Wisconsin.

Johnson, who operates the food stand and catering business out of Appleton, said the move north represents an opportunity to introduce her signature bacon-wrapped creations and soul food specialties to new communities.

“Everything I make is a unique kind of staple from different [geographic] areas,” she said. Johnson said the expansion includes appearances at county fairs and events in Waupaca and Wausau, including the Marathon County fair this summer.

Johnson said she is also increasing her presence at farmers’ markets and pop-up events throughout the region.

The expansion into North Central Wisconsin, she said, builds on the momentum the business has gained since launching.

Johnson said her first major event – the Fourth of July celebration at Jefferson Park in Appleton – resulted in selling out within two hours.

“We were the first vendors to sell out,” she said. “We sold out within two hours. We didn’t even make it to the beginning of the fireworks show.”

Another highlight, Johnson said, came when Big Mama’s served barbecue at Road America in Elkhart Lake.

In addition to festivals and fairs, Johnson has collaborated with Area 509, a Haitian and Caribbean restaurant in Appleton, where she features soul food in the winter and barbecue in the summer. She said she hopes future collaborations could blend both culinary styles in one shared space.

“Area 509 is a Haitian and Caribbean restaurant, and Owner Reggie Desamour has been kind enough to allow us to feature our dishes there,” she said.

Johnson said she got connected to Desamour and his wife through word of mouth and a mutual friend.

“They gave me the opportunity and heard I was a small business, with just myself and my two children [running things],” she said. “I’m not a mom-and-pop [business], it’s just mom. They are helping me share my food with the world.”

With that momentum from early successes in place, Johnson said now is the right time to broaden her reach and bring those same dishes – and that same energy – to communities across North Central Wisconsin.

“We are bringing many different tastes and flavors that people love here to Wisconsin, because they’re not going to get that unless they travel elsewhere,” she said.

Bacon, bacon and more bacon

Johnson said Big Mama’s offers a broad but simple menu centered on soul food, with both vegan and vegetarian options available.

And nearly every item, she said, carries her signature twist: bacon.

“Everything I do has bacon wrapped around it,” she said. “I have different bacon-wrapped creations that people have never heard of. Like the Juicy Lucy, which is a Minnesota staple. It is a burger filled with cheese and wrapped in bacon. Our Armadillo Eggs, which are a Texas staple, are filled with cheese wrapped in bacon.”

One of the most popular items on the menu, Johnson said, is the Cuban Cigar – a pounded pork chop layered with spicy Dijon mustard, ham, pickles, Swiss cheese and bacon, finished with her own seasoning blend.

“People go crazy over it,” she said.

Cooking runs in the family

Before starting her business, Johnson said she spent more than 15 years working in health care as a certified nursing assistant.

However, she said her love of cooking began in childhood, learning alongside her mother in the kitchen.

“My mom would say, ‘You’ve got to stay in the house and help me cook,’” she said. “So, I became her sous chef. I was the one who worked the hardest, willing to help my mom. This was [simply] an excuse to get me in the kitchen. But out of all five kids [in our family], I’m the only one who can cook.”

Johnson said her work with Big Mama’s Bacon Wrapped BBQ is a tribute to those early years.

“My mom was an amazing chef…, just watching her [was inspiring],” she said. “[I think] her food was just delicious.”

Much like the time she spent learning beside her mom, Johnson said her own children are now part of the journey, helping run the business and developing hands-on experience in the process.

“My kids are my biggest inspiration,” she said. “My son, who is 12, helps load the trucks. My daughter, 13, [takes care of] the cash register, teaching her math skills. Working in the business teaches them [the value of hard work].”

Johnson said the nickname “Big Mama” came from her children and became the brand’s identity.

Passion meets expansion

As the company expands into North Central Wisconsin, Johnson said one of her biggest challenges is equipment capacity.

Operating with a small backyard grill, she said she can feed about 400 people in three to four hours, but a larger grill would allow her to serve more customers more efficiently.

“I’m knocking it out, but if I had a bigger grill, I wouldn’t be crushed for time,” she said. 

Investing in larger equipment in the near future, Johnson said, could help streamline operations and accommodate even more customers as the business grows.

At its core, Johnson said the expansion is about more than growth – it’s about connection.

“Everything I do is with passion, and I take it very seriously,” she said. “When it’s from the heart, you can taste the love and enthusiasm. That’s how you bring people together – through food.”

Johnson said Big Mama’s goes beyond a standard food experience

“I want people to taste the time and the effort I put into trying to perfect [our menu items] and make them good for people and something the whole family loves,” she said. “I love it when a family will come back for seconds on the macaroni and cheese. I say to myself, ‘Wait a minute – they ate it all because they loved it so much.’”

Johnson said, for her, the planned growth into North Central Wisconsin represents an opportunity to combine operational improvements with the same heartfelt cooking that has earned Big Mama’s a devoted following.

For more details, find Big Mama’s Bacon-Wrapped BBQ on Facebook.