From a Small, Iowa Fire Station to Global BBQ Fame

The whole thing started out in the kitchen of a fire station in Wall Lake, Iowa.

In 1976, L.D. “Cookie” Cook had a killer recipe for his signature sauce, but nowhere to make it. 
So talked to local firemen, struck a deal, and started simmering about 100 gallons of his sauce every week, right in their kitchen.

Word spread. Demand grew. And in the 1980s, Duane “Speed” Herrig, so nicknamed in honor of his love of auto racing, bought the company.

To beef up the bottom line, Speed would throw bottles of the sauce into his auto parts delivery truck and sell them to folks on his route, including local grocery stores.

Fast forward forty years and Cookies BBQ is still family owned and operated by Speed and he and his late wife, Judy’s sons Jeff and Bryan, daughter Janene, and several grandkids. It’s a family affair that brings joy as well as the occasional headache, but either way, it makes the days a lot of fun.

They also employ part and full-timers out of their 125,000 sq. ft building in Wall Lake, population 755, whipping up a catalogue of internationally beloved sauces whose very names cause mouths to water: Tangy Mustard BBQ, Sweet Hickory, and Korean BBQ.

And don’t forget the t-shirts, aprons, salsa, and a brand new line of seasonings, all of which ship out to fans in 34 states and two countries including servicemen and women in the Middle East to customers in South Africa, the Ukraine, and Thailand. 

The Grandaddy of Midwest BBQ Sauce Makers

So loyal are Cookie’s aficionados that they even cooked up a BBQ Fan Club.

With the click of a mouse, customers from around the globe sign up for Cookie’s Sauce Squad, where they get first dibs on recipes and notes from the test kitchen for things like buffalo chicken dip, double smoked ham, BBQ chicken chopped salad and signature smoked ribs. They also get the inside scoop on events, unadvertised promotions and regular giveaways.

A BBQ sauce fan club? Well, why not? It’s kinda hard to resist. Almost as hard as trying to resist visiting the Rib Wagon as it rolls throughout the Midwest, making stops at the state fair, local grocery stores, and community events, with grills and smokers in tow.

After all, the sauces' accolades have scored first place honors at the National Barbecue Association Awards of Excellence Competition and scored the “Best Sauce on the Planet” award for its Western Style Bar BBQ Sauce from American Royal Barbecue Contest.

They even catapulted Speed into both the National Barbecue Hall of Fame and the Iowa Barbecue Society Hall of Fame, giving him the moniker of grandaddy of Midwest BBQ sauce makers.

“It feels great,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed working with the Iowa BBQ Society in getting October designated as BBQ Month with a proclamation from our Governor at that time.”

In between writing cookbooks, Speed generously contributes to a variety of worthy causes including the Salvation Army, Urban Dreams, New Hope Village, Camp Courageous, and Camp High Hopes, often putting the Rib Wagon into fundraising mode.

“We all need to pay rent for the space we occupy on this earth,” he said. 

Proud to Support Western Iowa Makers

Western Iowa Advantage is proud to support Cookie’s BBQ as one of the many talented makers who choose to grow their business and support our local economy.

Whether you’re looking to expand operations or have always dreamed of opening your own business, we’d love to hear from you. Call us at 712.792.9914 or email info@westerniowaadvantage.com to discover more about our financing programs, incentives, and the resources to help turn that vision into reality.