It all began in the early 1950’s in Charleston, South Carolina with Dad and Grandma cooking in the kitchen. Our father, who was the oldest, often started dinner prior to his parents coming home from work. Summers spent in the kitchen with Grandma’s sister Aunt Lillie is where he honed his cooking skills. Dad and Aunt Lillie spent many evenings in the kitchen cooking and laughing.

Growing up, we had many memorable Sunday dinners at Aunt Lillie’s house. The table was covered with mouth-watering foods from barbecue rib tips, collard greens and homemade rolls to sweet potato pie. Aunt Lillie represented a generation that taught their kin how to cook with love. No matter who came to visit, they never left her house feeling unwanted, unloved or hungry. Since then, our father has carried on the tradition of cooking with love with his three children.

The Lillie’s of Charleston recipes were born out of Dad’s love for barbecue. He first introduced the sauce to the public in 1985 in his restaurant called The Rib Shack. Since then, he has passed the recipes on to us and we have decided to share the love with you in honor of our great Aunt Lillie. If this sauce touches your life by a fraction of how much Aunt Lillie touched our lives then we have been successful.