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Passions-to-Profit: Oscarware
Passions-to-Profit: Celebrating the Barbecuing Entrepreneur
As the traditional end of summer, Labor Day also serves to celebrate the American work force and their commitment to productive, inventive and important contributions to our society. In this spirit of honoring America’s hard-working heroes, we’d like to dedicate the entire month of September to applaud the entrepreneurs who’ve applied their talents to making your barbecuing adventures more engaging…and tasty!
Fourth-in-a-Series: Oscarware; Necessity Breeds Innovation & Success
Confronting a Cooking Conundrum with Creativity
Back in 1982, my late husband Reg and I were newly married living in a rental home without a kitchen stove, but we did have a charcoal grill. The only issue was that we kept losing our favorite foods to the flames. So, Reg fashioned a simple fix using a flat piece of expanded metal to place on the grates. Suddenly, we were grilling shrimp, fish, and veggies without worry. We had no idea that we were reinventing outdoor grilling with a product that would change our lives.
Serendipity Meets Singing Hills
We loved grilling with family and friends and, one of our dear friends, Oscar Sullivan, a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry, saw us using our expanded metal topper and asked if we would make a few to sell at his little store at Singing Hills Campground near Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. That’s when “Oscarware” was born: a simple, practical tool that made grilling easier, tastier, and more fun, especially for foods that used to be off-limits on the grill.
A Marketing Primer: Demos Deliver Growth
To educate customers about and increase awareness of our grill toppers, I have grilled in parking lots, demoed in stores, appeared on QVC, done commercials and even handed out toppers backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. Stars like Roy Acuff, Porter Wagoneer, Jack Green got one!
The turning point came in 1989 at our first national trade show in Chicago, IL. I was grilling on an electric grill when a man walked into our booth, watched for a minute, handed me his card, and said, “Call me after the show.” Guess who? Walmart!!!
Persistence Delivers a Winning Strategy
Our story is original! We were the first to bring a grill topper to the market, and 36 years later, we’re still here: still family-owned, still made in the USA, and now proudly woman-owned. When I lost my husband, Reg, and then my son, Jeff, those were difficult years. But my daughter, Kelly and I stepped forward to carry on the dream. And we hope that as girls who grill, we can educate and inspire more women to grill.
We have a topper to fit every meal and every grill. Our toppers help people grill the food they love more easily, while spending time with the people they love. That’s the heart of it. When someone says, “This made my weekend BBQ easier and more fun,” that is the real win. We want to create those experiences that allow family and friends to enjoy spending quality time together, making new traditions that will last a lifetime, whether it be in their backyard, over a campfire, at a tailgate, or on vacation…just like it has with our family!
Unique Features & Domestic Manufacturing Drive Demand
Oscarware is the leading Made-in-USA manufacturer of grill toppers, including a full line of Signature Porcelain-Coated Steel Toppers and disposable toppers.
We all know the frustration of food sticking to the grill: the mess, the wasted food, the lost flavor. Over the years, many non-stick products came to market trying to solve that problem. But people quickly realized there were concerns about the safety of some of those coatings. That’s why, from the very beginning, we chose porcelain coating. It’s naturally non-stick, stands up beautifully to high heat, and doesn’t contain any of the chemicals that make people uneasy.
Whether you’re grilling shrimp, pancakes, or even a Thanksgiving turkey, our toppers make grilling easier and cleanup faster. They’re available in sizes to fit any size grill and nearly any meal. And every Oscarware product is 100% recyclable and backed by our satisfaction promise.
Our Favorite Recipe
Passions-to-Profit Series
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