The Region's Team Of Northwest Indiana

Kim Foy knew she wanted to find a way to honor her father William Marshall after he passed away in September 2007, ending his battle with cancer. Foy wanted to find a way to allow her father to make a lasting impact for years to come.

That’s when Hoosier Daddy Barbecue Sauce was born. After losing her father in 2007 and her brother in 2008, the idea popped into Foy’s brain in the year 2009. The sauce, inspired by her father’s family recipe, hit the shelves in May 2011.

“The story itself is the entire purpose of Hoosier Daddy as far as I’m concerned,” Foy said. “I lost my dad and my brother both to cancer and after all that, I felt like I wanted to do something to honor my dad. I took over making his barbecue sauce. He always made it and passed it out to family and friends.”

Since releasing the sauce in 2011, Hoosier Daddy has become an immediate hit. Two new sauces, Smokehouse Hickory and Deathly Hot Ghost Roast, have been added to the original flavor, Sweet & Sassy. Hoosier Daddy has won various awards and has expanded to 30 different states.

Although the two new flavors are widely popular, the original Sweet & Sassy is still the favorite among the three.

“It is all natural, no gluten,” Foy said. “The other two are also gluten-free, but they’re not the original sauce. They’re not what my dad was and that’s Hoosier Daddy. The Ghost Roast is hot, but it’s wonderful in warm recipes that you can cook in the winter time.”

Foy does everything she can to help out various charities, especially those near the Hoosier Daddy home base in Dyer. She also contributes to out-of-state charities and supports a plethora of good causes, including the fight against cancer.

Foy’s earliest childhood memories include those of her father spending much of his time in the kitchen. He loved to grill and did the majority of the family’s cooking each day.

“We used to go camping down on Kentucky Lake,” Foy said. “I can always remember my dad cooking. He kept his barbecue sauce that he would make in mason jars and that’s how he would pass it out. I even have pictures of my brother cooking and holding a mason jar with a paint brush and putting barbecue sauce on it.”

While the product’s backstory or logo may be what attracts customers to try Hoosier Daddy for the first time, Foy believes that once they give it a try, the taste will keep them coming back.

“This is a product of the heart,” Foy said. “It’s a good sauce. It serves a strong purpose. There’s a story behind it and the story is the truth of the sauce. It’s got great flavor. If you give it a chance, you’re probably going to like it.”

Hoosier Daddy Barbecue Sauce is a proud partner of the Northwest Indiana Oilmen and the presenting sponsor of the Veterans Benefit Game.

“Hoosier Daddy comes from the heart, it’s good old barbecue without all the junk,” Foy said. “Just like so many families enjoy a good ‘ole baseball game played from the heart. Hoosier Daddy is the spirit of the American Dream, no different than the kids on the field of dreams at Oil City Stadium.”