Let’s Go, South Florida: Lickie Stickie BBQ’s popular pitmaster to open Sunrise restaurant

Every Saturday and Sunday for the last seven years, pitmaster Juliette Johnson has gotten out of bed before daylight to set up her Lickie Stickie BBQ stand.

“Momma is coming rain or shine because they come and they will wait in the rain or the sunshine for me,” she said about the many fans of her Southern and Caribbean style barbecue.

On Saturdays she sets up at Volunteer Park in Plantation and on Sunday you can find her at Veterans’ Park in Tamarac. She’s open from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., but her sought-after brisket often sells out in just a few hours. She also serves chicken, lamb, ribs and fish, and you can add sides like collard greens, grits, mac and cheese, or baked beans, until they run out.

“We have 300 to 600 people come on just some Sundays,” the chef said.

And, chef Juliette hopes her South Florida fans will follow her to her future brick and mortar location in Sunrise at 7794 NW 44th St.

“We hope to open by Labor Day,” she said, noting that her journey up to this point has been sheer hard work, setting up at farmer’s markets across Broward and hoping it pays off.

The longtime Tamarac resident quit her job 12 years ago to pursue her love of cooking with a focus on barbecue. She attributes what she knows to her father, who helped run a family-owned restaurant in Sunrise called Art’s BBQ in the ’60s and ’70s.

“He taught me how to cook for my older brothers,” she said noting that her father helped inspire her food stand and catering business.

Along with her Southern soulful cuisine, the pitmaster’s Lickie Stickie BBQ has a flair of the Caribbean, representing her travels to Jamaica and the strong Caribbean influence throughout South Florida. One of the sauces she offers, Chef Juliette’s Jerk Sauce, includes tangerine, orange and pineapple among other flavors she’d prefer to keep a secret.

Her other sauce is for Southern barbecue lovers, uniquely flavored with turmeric and a homemade wine she makes with grapes grown at her family’s country home in Valdosta, Georgia — the rest of the ingredients she holds close to the chest.

Her fans loves her food, but also talk about chef Juliette’s nurturing personality and dedication to serving big barbecue plates throughout the community.

“They can go to a restaurant with a bathroom and TV, but they come to Lickie Stickie,” she said about her food stand, which she plans on keeping open, along with catering and the restaurant. “Even if I run out of what they want, they will wait while I make it for them.”

And, she’s coined a fitting nickname.

“I take it as an honor when someone calls you momma,” she said. “I take it in a loving way.”

In this week’s episode of Let’s Go, South Florida: Chef Juliette Johnson talks about grilling techniques anyone can do on the grill this July 4th. We also get a first look inside her future restaurant, seven years in the making.

Volunteer Park is at 12050 West Sunrise Blvd in Plantation and Veteran’s Park is at 7825 Southgate Blvd. in Tamarac. You can call chef Juliette ahead of time to order your food for pickup at the markets. She also caters for large parties. Call 954-638-2324 or go to lickiestickiebbq.com