Wayne Schafer
| Wayne Schafer | |
|---|---|
Wayne Schafer, Big Fat Daddy's
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|
| Born |
August 28, 1963 Baltimore, Maryland |
| Occupation | Barbecue Pitmaster |
| Employer | Big Fat Daddy's |
| Known for | Baltimore Pit Beef and Dry Rub Seasoning |
| Spouse(s) | Cindy Fahnestock-Schafer |
| Website | bigfatdaddys |
Wayne Mark Schafer (born August 28, 1963) is an East Coast barbecue pitmaster and owner of Big Fat Daddy's concession stands and catering.
Schafer is a lifetime member of the Kansas City Barbeque Society. He and his business have been featured in more than 100 publications online and in print, as well as national TV appearances. Rachael Ray Magazine featured Big Fat Daddy's for beef in Maryland. Schafer is considered an authority on dry rub seasoning and Baltimore Pit Beef.
Schafer has also gained publicity for his Maryland Crab Dip in a Bread Boule appearing on season one and season two of Food Network's Carnival Eats. For 2015, York, Pennsylvania Convention and Visitor's Bureau cited Big Fat Daddy's facility a "Made in America Factory Tour Stop" in conjunction with induction of Big Fat Daddy's into the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, part of the National Food and Beverage Foundation.
Schafer learned the festival business from his stepfather in the late 1970s while working for food concessionaire, Roban Foods. Soon after high school he started J&W Foods while working in Baltimore restaurants. Schafer's earliest print article in the Baltimore Sun Archives Maryland Section, circa 1984, shows him as selling primarily carnival type food such as Italian sausage, pizza, and onion rings. The menu later expanded to include gyros, various meat sandwiches, souvlaki, lamb sausage, cheesesteak, hot dogs, hamburgers, and soft drinks. J&W Foods was located in Overlea, Maryland and later moved to Fawn Grove, Pennsylvania. Schafer wanted an alternative to the greasy sandwich steak being sold at fairs and festivals, and began experimenting with various cuts of beef.
Wayne used his concessions knowledge to reinvent the business, and chose the name Big Fat Daddy's. The business still primarily worked concessions at fairs and festivals but featured beef and barbecue as the main attraction, even on the Cheesesteaks. The Schafer brothers became partners in a pit beef restaurant out of a small roadside shack on Route 40 in Baltimore, a stretch of roadway known as "Pit Beef Row" and considered a part of Baltimore history. It is reported that the stand closed sometime in 2003, but the building still remains and has since been operational as a pit beef stand under many different names.
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