Inspiring Conversations with Craig & Lisa Dudinetz of The Candied Rib Company

Today we’d like to introduce you to Craig & Lisa Dudinetz, owners of The Candied Rib Company. They shared their story with us below:

We began with a leap of faith from Craig out of a salaried 25-year profession in the restaurant industry with a well-known family restaurant. He worked his way up from busboy to Director of Operations, and is also a graduate of the Opryland Hotel Culinary Institute.  Lisa spent 10 years in retail and restaurant management and the last 10 years bartending at a respected restaurant in Franklin, TN, J Alexander’s.

We opened The Candied Rib Company as a catering business in 2017. We stopped by our local Police Dept, Fire Dept, City Hall, and a few small local businesses armed with our smoked babyback rib samples, in order to get the word out.

We decided to prepare some boxed lunches that Lisa kept in a warming tote in the trunk of her van. After a few weeks, it was clear that folks wanted more than just barbecue, so Craig started taking some traditional dishes and inserting elements of barbecue into them.  Lisa would drive by local businesses, cold-calling with a cellphone picture of the delicious foods in the box (one selection for entree and one side; usually around $10), often turning a “No, thanks” into a “Yes, please!” after seeing it.

The menu began as BBQ-centered. After 3 years of making friends around town with local farmers and small business owners, it evolved to what we call Farm to TakeOut. We source as much food product as possible from local farmers and small businesses. We buy whole cows & pigs, and Craig butchers them in the restaurant to be able to utilize the entire animal thus best supporting our farmer friends while providing food that the community knows where it came from.

In late 2020, we found a small spot that used to be a takeout-only pizza restaurant.

We have been so blessed with positive responses, with numerous 5 Star reviews, repeat and new customers that stop in daily and tell us, “We’ve heard so many great things about this place, we’ve been wanting to try it!”.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?

No. But definitely, it has been a God-driven thing from the start. There was a purpose to those first three years and also the struggles we are encountering with the restaurant opening with the planned grill functionality being delayed. We purposely chose to introduce ourselves and our food to our community before we had a location, so we wouldn’t have to wait several months to build a customer base. The relationships that we formed in that time with graphic designers, insurance agents, banking professionals, farmers, other business owners, handymen, our City Officials… all sorts of necessary contacts that we did not have had we immediately opened a brick and mortar, are all part of the blessings we have been given.

As you know, we’re big fans of The Candied Rib Company. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?

The Candied Rib Company is a reasonably priced, Mom & Pop, Local Farm to Take-out, Mount Juliet original restaurant. It is takeout only for now, but we are exploring options to allow customers to dine in on location, including possible outdoor seating. A Candied Rib is a liquid candy coating that hardens on top of baby back ribs that is sweet, crunchy, and spicy. The perfect statement for what we are getting to be known for with our unique daily specials, where we take traditional dishes and put a Candied Rib Company twist on them to make our own. We specialize in Smoked meats and unique dishes that are “Anything BUT Traditional”.

We are forming relationships by introducing two dedicated owners in the grind with zero layers between us and our customers. We designed this concept to be run by the owners even before the employee shortage that many companies are currently experiencing. Rather than hiring employees, we have partnered with GreenHills High School’s culinary department to help to foster an entrepreneurial spirit and a love for food preparation and the industry for the next generation.

We are currently serving Chicken, Local Farm Beef & Pork, and Hydroponically grown salads. We will have more vegetarian and vegan options once the menu is fully realized.

We have our current catering menu online, available with a 48 hour to 1-week notice. Lunch is available online and for walk-in ordering Wednesday through Sunday 10:30 am-2 pm.

Our current menu we are calling the “Dip Your Toe In” menu. Once we are fully open, it will completely change the operation to include breakfast, chargrilled steaks, fresh- not frozen seafood, grilled vegetables, and a kids menu designed for kiddos and parents to love.

What does success mean to you?

Success is a moving target; not a destination, but a journey in which you make better the lives of those you encounter along the way.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://thecandiedribco.hrpos.heartland.us/menu
• Instagram: candied_rib_co
• Facebook: @theCandiedRibCo
• Other: The Candied Rib Company https://maps.app.goo.gl/Qu49YupFr5HABQSw8

Image Credits:
Craig Dudinet
Steve Graves