Jim Fair
Fred Earle Jr. has a reason to smile. He just finished preparing 13 trays of his signature ribs, stacked 4-5 slabs high.
Jim Fair
Mountains of Fred Earle's mouth-watering ribs with his secret recipe.
Jim Fair
One of Mutt's catering vans is personalized with Fred Earle Jr. painted on the door.
Jim Fair
Fred Earle Jr., annually visits Breakfast with Santa at the Cannon Centre to observe the children and families.
“Fred will get to work at 4 to 4:15 in the morning. If he’s here after 4:15, Fred is late,” said Randy Jones, owner of Mutt’s in Greer. Earle leaves Anderson, where he has lived for the past three years, at 3 a.m.
Earle, 72, begins preparing Mutt’s menu at 5 a.m. and has three glorious uninterrupted hours before the first employee clocks in. “I don’t want anybody working with me when I get here,” Earle said. “I can get a lot more done with a lot less conversation.”
Earle can hold a conversation, though, the kitchen is just not his chosen venue to chat. That would be in church where he was a minister for 34 years at the United House of Prayer.
“Fred can work the front of the house and entertain a group better than anyone I know,” Jones said. “People will call for catering and ask if Fred is available on a certain date. Everyone wants Fred.”
“I like to meet the public in the lobby and say ‘hi, is the food good?’ said Earle. “It’s the same thing in catering. I want to serve people substance or I wouldn’t do it.”
Earle has his name on one of Mutt’s catering vans. “I’m the only one that has a name on the van,” he said, proudly.
Earle annually wanders in to the Cannon Centre for the city’s Breakfast with Santa. He pauses to say hello to Santa Claus and then he observes the surroundings. “I watch the attitude of the families and children. I see God in them, in the smile of their faces,” said Earle. “God can change people with a twinkle in the eye.”
Jones knew, back in 1981, that Earle would figure in his plans to open a barbecue restaurant.
Besides Earle’s credentials in food service – former cook at GSP Airport and McDonald’s shift supervisor – his management skills impressed Jones, who was district manager at several McDonald’s.
“At McDonald’s the most difficult shift was in the morning opening for breakfast,” Jones said. “Routinely, somebody fails to come to work, shows up late or calls in sick. I noticed Fred never had a problem with his crew. If someone was out, they had enough respect for Fred they would get someone to cover. Fred’s crew was always the smoothest running.”
Earle balked at McDonald’s request to work on Sundays, so he left to minister and became a cook at the former Dodge’s restaurant near his home, Jones said.
“Sunday is God’s day,” said Earle.
“No way in the world we would be this successful without Fred. He is truly one of a kind,” said Jones.
Along the way the customers’ demand for a buffet came to fruition. Then came the ribs and smoked chicken. “The way (Fred) cooks the ribs is terrific,” Jones said.
Earle enjoys the cooking and tasting, at different stages, of preparation. Among his favorites are macaroni and cheese, sweet potato crunch and the pulled pork/chicken.
That was part of Earle’s roots. “We did everything as a family growing up,” he said. “All the children were involved in the church. Some sang in choir and others played in the band in the church.”
When Jones broached the idea of a barbecue restaurant with Earle, it was agreed they would open and answer challenges along the way. Their friendship evolved into a familial relationship.
“Fred is part of the Jones family. When we had our family reunion outside of Charlotte, Fred and his family was there,” Jones said. Thanksgiving, Christmas, or most any other holiday and, “my family will ask, ‘where’s Fred.’”
“You just don’t find people like (Fred) anymore.
“I know I can trust Fred with anything. When I started Mutt’s I knew it was me and Fred, two sets of keys and we would be able to do anything together.”