Why does Mike care so much about Jerky??

Interesting question. How much time do you have?

HaHa. 🤣

I’ve had a life-long love affair ever since making beef jerky for the first time with Dad in our 12 tray circular Ronco dehydrator during the summer of 1995.

For me, making jerky is an art. It's a way to express myself. A way to share a process and a product that I love with others. A way for me to spread joy. From hand trimming and slicing the whole muscle beef to carefully blending the marinade ingredients (and the magic that happens once marinated) to the cooking and dehydrating process - it all comes together in a finished product that I get to call my masterpiece in a 3.25 oz bag.

Now, I’m no Picasso or Beethoven, but others do enjoy the masterpieces I create in jerky form, namely my Mom.❤️ I guess to best understand WHY I care so much about jerky, I must reflect back to my childhood.

Some of my most fond memories growing up were in and around the kitchen. Yes making jerky, but also helping my family with their catering business.

The intoxicating smells of Grandma’s Pierogi, Golumpki, Kielbasa and Kapusta. (Polish Food)

Making sausage with Grandpa, Dad, Joe, Brian and Rocky in Grandpa’s Garage - I was recently given Grandpa’s old meat grinder and sausage stuffer - can’t wait to use it one day soon!

Countless shopping trips I made with Dad to GFS and other grocery stores for supplies. He called it “bumming around.” I now enjoy running errands because of this.

The “little” moments spent with Mom in banquet hall kitchens while she was preparing for a wedding of 300 guests (I know now these “little” moments weren’t that little!)

At that time, I would have given anything for another hour with my friends playing baseball at Standard Diamond or watching WWF with my brother Chris instead of spending hour after boring hour in the kitchen at a church banquet hall. Now, I’d give almost anything to spend another boring hour with my parents in their element. They were experts at cooking, hosting, planning, catering, and SERVING!

I witnessed my parents selflessly serving others each and every day in so many ways. They volunteered their time in our community, organized fundraisers, Dad coached my baseball teams, Mom was a room mother at school, they donated food to organizations and families in need. I always felt they were giving too much and were routinely taken advantage of. They probably were. But what sticks with me to this day is their constant drive to serve others.

Serving others makes me feel good. But I don’t do it just to feel good, I do it because it’s the right thing and the way Jesus taught us to live. I do my best to follow Jesus and carry on my father’s legacy through service. Sure I volunteer and donate my time and money as much as I can, but aside from allowing me to artistically express myself, jerky gives me a way to serve others. It might sound like a stretch for some, but I firmly believe this. MMJ’s mission is to Spread Joy and Jerky wherever I go - if you’ve met me, you surely know this to be true.

When I see others taking a bite of my jerky and experiencing joy from the BOLD flavors of MMJ, it brings a smile to my face. When I hear from fellow jerky lovers that they enjoy what I created, I know I’m doing what I’m meant to do. Serving others through MMJ allows me to witness that I made an impact. Might be a small impact, but I aim to make one nonetheless. 

Mike