Hot from the Oven: At Hecky’s BBQ, the secret is the sauce

Jamie Gall, Reporter
February 28, 2022

This photo-audio story is a part of the Hot from the Oven series, a profile on local Evanston eateries to get a glimpse behind-the-scenes of their staff, clientele and history.

Hecky’s Barbecue is an Evanston staple. Workers and customers detail the restaurant’s history and the secrets to its success: a charismatic owner and delicious sauce.

Music: Let Go Gecko by Blue Dot Sessions

ARACELY RODRIGUEZ: The sauce.

BRYAN RICHARDS: With the sauce.

HENRY CHANG: Grab some of the sauce.

GIGI POWELL: But the barbecue sauce is what makes him stand out.

JAMIE GALL: Hecky’s Barbecue, a local spot on the northwest corner of Emerson Street and Green Bay Road, is known for its famous barbecue sauce. The secret sauce recipe, along with the restaurant’s other barbecue recipes, comes from founder Hecky Powell’s New Orleans-born grandmother. From strawberry soda to secret sauce, Hecky’s is an Evanston institution.

[MUSIC – Let Go Gecko by Blue Dot Sessions]

JAMIE GALL: From the Daily Northwestern, I’m Jamie Gall. This is Hot from the Oven, a limited podcast and photo series highlighting local restaurants and bakeries in Evanston. And today I’m taking you to Hecky’s Barbecue, a restaurant that has deeply impacted Evanston’s community — and taste buds.

JAMIE GALL: Hecky opened Hecky’s Barbeque in October 1983 with only $100 in the register. Hecky was born and raised in Evanston and attended Evanston Township High School.

GIGI POWELL: And this restaurant was pretty much the bread and butter of his life.

JAMIE GALL: That’s Gigi Powell, Hecky’s daughter. She began working at the restaurant in 2017. Gigi manages the staff at Hecky’s and has kept the restaurant going since her father died due to COVID-19 related complications in 2020. Gigi said the restaurant’s 39 years of success can be attributed to their ribs, rib tips, and the sauce, but also to Hecky’s charismatic personality.

GIGI POWELL: So my dad was very, my gosh, he had a very larger-than-life personality. He was quite the character. You either loved him or hate him. He’s the type of guy who always makes a joke out of everything. And he always made people like, have a smile on their face.

JAMIE GALL: Aracely Rodriguez, a Hecky’s administrative assistant of 13 years, also said Hecky’s presence in the restaurant played a large role in its success.

ARACELY RODRIGUEZ: Well, he was here all the time. You know, if there was a problem, he’ll fix it right away, you know, and always interact with the customers. And then for instance, he’ll like to motivate you to be a better person. So you know, he’ll push you you know, like, do better, do better do better you can be better. And then he’ll be, you know, watching the front, you know, the back, the whole business in general. And making sure the quality of the food was good all the time. And making sure that the customers left out of here happy. He was always super happy.

JAMIE GALL: In addition to being such a warm presence in his restaurant, Hecky and his wife, Cheryl, were well-known in the community for their philanthropic endeavors. In 2016, Hecky founded the Work Ethic Program to formalize vocational training and employment opportunities for ETHS students. Bryan Richards, who has been working as a cashier at Hecky’s since this past summer, said he remembers meeting Hecky —

BRYAN RICHARDS: — a couple times when I used to go to the high school. And I was part of Honor Society. He always came to our lunches and sometimes said congratulations for, you know, for keep(ing) going and keep(ing) striving. And, you know, he was supportive for us to be good students, you know, always helped out the teachers, too.

JAMIE GALL: Gigi said the Work Ethic Program helped a lot of teenagers, kids and young adults get jobs at the restaurant. Hecky also sponsored sports teams at the high school.

GIGI POWELL: He would do anything for his community.

JAMIE GALL: Both Gigi and Aracely said running the restaurant without Hecky has been challenging because he was so central to its operation.

GIGI POWELL: It’s still a little weird with him not being here. But we’re keeping going, you know, it now so more so feels like a restaurant. Prior it was kind of more like Hecky’s restaurant because it just surrounded him. But we’re keeping afloat.

JAMIE GALL: Even though Hecky is no longer around to run the restaurant, the menu still reflects his family history. For example, the Juneteenth Strawberry soda, which debuted in 2015, features the image of Hecky’s great grandfather, who was born into slavery in Missouri.

ARACELY RODRIGUEZ: So, you know, it’s actually his great grandfather in the picture, Mr. White, and so, yeah, he’s done letting people know a little bit more of the history of it, and it’s a pretty sweet soda.

JAMIE GALL: Juneteenth is a celebration of the end of slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865, and traditionally, people eat red-colored foods to celebrate. All profits from the soda are donated to the Forrest E. Powell foundation, a nonprofit Hecky founded to honor ambitious youths pursuing technical and vocational professions.

[MUSIC – Let Go Gecko by Blue Dot Sessions]

GIGI POWELL: Over the years, he has helped a lot of teenagers and kids and young adults.

JAMIE GALL: Hecky’s legacy also persists in the restaurant’s sauces, which are sold at multiple supermarkets and local retailers, as well as online. The restaurant’s signature barbecue sauce features Hecky himself on the label and regularly sells out at grocery stores.

BRYAN RICHARDS: It’s like the right type of, like, sweetness, type of smoky flavor to the barbecue. Sometimes people like more of the hot, but it’s pretty good.

JAMIE GALL: Hecky’s restaurant has an expansive menu.

GIGI POWELL: All the recipes did come from my grandmother. My grandmother was a really well-known cook in our family — everyone loved her food. She’s still living, she’s maybe I want to say 97 now. Our food is more so I would say like soul food kinda, which is a little different. But everything here is her recipe — the fried chicken, the peach cobbler we serve, the sweet potato pie, everything is her recipe.

JAMIE GALL: Henry Chang, a 1992 McCormick alum and frequent patron of Hecky’s says —

HENRY CHANG: The food is amazing, but it was kind of more experiential, and it just became part of being in the Evanston community. The pulled pork, the ribs, were kind of my favorite. And then the peach cobbler was always a good mainstay as a dessert.

JAMIE GALL: When Henry was at NU, Hecky’s was relatively new. During his time, eating at the restaurant became a student tradition.

HENRY CHANG: A lot of us would kind of meet there that were kind of from the freshmen class. And then we would also order there for game days. So sometimes for tailgates, we’d pick up some barbecue and bring it to the game. You can get a whole group’s worth of food there. And it was a fun place.

JAMIE GALL: Since Henry graduated, Hecky’s has remained a staple in the Evanston and Northwestern communities. However, Gigi said the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for Hecky’s and other local businesses.

GIGI POWELL: I would say just keep supporting, just coming in buying food. This pandemic has taken away so many businesses, but I feel like small businesses especially are very much hurting right now. So I just think just keep coming in and supporting us.

[MUSIC – Let Go Gecko by Blue Dot Sessions]

JAMIE GALL: From The Daily Northwestern, I’m Jamie Gall. Thanks for listening to another episode of Hot from the Oven. This episode was reported and produced by myself. The audio editor of The Daily Northwestern is Will Clark, the digital managing editor is Jordan Mangi, and the editor in chief is Isabelle Sarraf. Make sure to subscribe to The Daily Northwestern’s podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or SoundCloud to hear more episodes like this.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @jamiegall11