A man, a dream, and a chicken!
You’ve heard the expression, “you are what you eat!“; when it comes to someone who takes his hobbies and passions and turns them into two businesses, Zev Zalman “Z.Z.” Ludwick, is definitely no chicken!
From a very young age, the love of cooking and barbecue was a big part of Z.Z.‘s life, from watching cooking shows as a 10-year-old to partaking of the family barbecue every Sunday, he developed more than an obsession with outdoor cooking. His friends always elected him, chef and Grill master at all the parties and gatherings, and the enthusiasm and joy he felt for making people happy with his culinary offerings left an indelible mark that has followed him throughout the years.
Z.Z had a long time dream of attending culinary school, but it was crushed due to his fish allergy preventing him from participating in the curriculum! That didn’t stop him though, being a musician since the age of eight, he took his other passion for instruments and love of woodworking and trained to become a skilled Luthier, eventually opening up his own shop, Ludwick’s House Of Violin in Silver Spring, Maryland, in 2015. During a long day in the shop, Z.Z.’s outlet is to take a break and unwind, lighting up the barbecue or the smoker.
One day his world was turned upside down after he saw a buddy of his, cooking old-school cowboy style with a big piece of meat hanging over a fire. That got the wheels turning, but didn’t act on that until he saw an ad for cooking in a Pit Barrel, same concept..fire at the bottom of a barrel and meat hanging from hooks at the top, and as the juice from the meat would drip down, it would create steam, creating super moist meat and poultry.
Z.Z. had to try it for himself and purchased his first Pit Barrel. After experimenting to perfect his craft Z.Z felt it was time to share his spoils with a group of his friends. A neighbor with experience in food service, enjoyed one of Z.Z’s applewood smoked chickens and proclaimed, “Z.Z., you gotta sell this chicken!”
Well, that got the smoke billowing, and the Pit Barrel Poultry Company was born. That same neighbor suggested Z.Z. do something even more special and cook his chickens with a proprietary spice blend. This sparked another creative inferno, and after months of tweaking, “Z.Z.’s Smokin’ Spice” became a reality, and is now being distributed worldwide!
Z.Z. is proud to share his passion with the public through his pop-up takeout restaurant and is available to cater your next event.
Come see what all the fuss is about..