This is the latest in a summer series on Central Mass. food trucks — with a look at the people at the wheel and the window.
Name: Paradise B-B-Q and Catering
Owners: Ellen and Scott Moran of Blackstone
The flavor: The brisket seems to be the obvious choice for a first-timer at Paradise B-B-Q, the Morans said. "It’s phenomenal,” they said — the dish has taken Scott 20 years to perfect.
The smoke trail: The Morans’ passion for cooking finds roots in Scott’s service in the U.S. Navy, when he was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia.
It’s during those years that he “got his taste for smoke.”
Little by little, even as he started working in the medical field, most recently as a nurse at Reliant Medical Group, he continued to perfect his method of smoking meats while also finding just the right dry-rub spice.
Even though he would cater parties for family and friends who would often urge him and his wife to start their own business, he didn’t feel the push to do so.
That was until 2020, when during a visit to a local winery farm, he and Ellen got a glimpse of what a business could look like when they grabbed a bite from a grilled-cheese food truck.
“They were selling plain grilled-cheese sandwiches for 12 bucks apiece,” said Scott, now 59. “I was like, ‘Oh, we can do this.’”
At the same winery, they set up a tent with smoked barbecue meats not long after and saw how the business took off from the beginning.
True to Southern-style barbecue, the Morans serve their choice of barbecue meats with a side of cornbread, pickles or their three-cheese mac and cheese.
A side of coleslaw, which Ellen’s 95-year-old mother makes, is always beside the meats as the tradition calls for.
“We did the first two years underneath a 10-by-10 tent,” said Scott.
“It was mighty cold, mighty hot,” added Ellen, 64.
In 2022, “tired of cold weather,” the two used Ellen’s 401(k) fund and searched and found on Facebook Marketplace a food truck — the same one that in its bright orange exterior stands out anywhere.
Out of that truck, they’ve been running Paradise B-B-Q and Catering since then.
“When I was thinking about the name I thought, ‘When you eat my food, you're going to feel like you're in paradise,’” said Scott. “And that was it — boom.”
Scott said this month, after 14 years of being in the medical field, was going to be his last as a nurse. He plans to devote himself completely to Paradise B-B-Q and Catering.
Ellen, who is a nanny, will keep her job, although she will continue to make the mac and cheese, cornbread and the desserts which they serve on waffle cones.
The dessert choices differ depending on the season; on a recent visit, Ellen had prepared a panini cream trifle and an Oreo earthquake cake.
How to follow the smoke: The Morans only cater for events, because as Scott put it, “We don’t have time to do curbside.” However, keep an eye out for them as they will frequently attend farmers markets.
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