The Legacy Lives

Robert Taylor Martin passed away on February 13, 1989, but his son, Willie James Martin, and other family members are determined to keep alive their father’s legacy of making this dark and delicious sauce and bringing it to the dinner tables of people in America and throughout the world.

 “The inspiration was me sitting back as a child and watching my dad cook for everybody in the neighborhood, and all of his family and friends…But he always had one thing that everybody loved, which was his signature barbeque sauce,” Willie James Martin said. “He made it all the time, and he really didn’t sell it…he just made it for everybody, and it was really good. Watching him do all of this and put all of the love that he had into his food and watching him with a smile on his face really brings back memories for me.”

 For quite some time, Willie had been thinking about doing much more to ensure that a far-reaching group of people would be able to enjoy his father’s signature sauce. “It’s been years in the making actually. I thought about it for a long time before I even tried making it,” Willie added. “I didn’t really have the recipe. My mom had the recipe, and I watched her do it. She made it for a while and started selling some of it. But then when I got it and started cooking it, I just felt that it was really good sauce, but it was something I thought I could tweak and make a little better.”

And “tweaked” it he did. Once he got the recipe from his mother, Mamie Martin, he began the process of experimenting with other ingredients to enhance the flavor of his father’s original sauce. However, the base of the recipe still contains his father’s original ingredients, Willie said.

Willie is well on his way to creating a buzz in the barbeque sauce business. With help from his sister, Marion Martin Koonce, and his niece, Morgan Johnson, his daughter Octavia Martin, and other family members, Willie has launched his own very special brand of barbeque sauce. For those who just want the savory and delicious blend without much spice, there is the mild barbeque sauce. For those who would rather have a little “kick” with their sauce, there is the spicy barbeque sauce.

The picture of Robert Taylor Martin graces the label of Willie J’s Barbeque Sauce, which is yet another way for family and friends to remember this man who wanted so much for people to be happy and enjoy life. There’s no doubt that those who try Willie J’s Barbeque Sauce will be happy as they enjoy the insatiable taste of this dark and delicious barbeque blend.