Meet Dom Soliz | Owner operator of Mick Smokin BBQ And Catering

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dom Soliz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dom, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process was, if i can work this hard to make someone else successful why can’t I work this hard to make ,self successful? After some medical issues sent me to the ER in 2016 and the company only calling to ask where certain materials were and where did i leave off on the project? I knew it was time for me to worry about my and my family. I told myself if I’m going to work hard it’ll be for my family to be successful not some shmoe who could careless about me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
We are a Tex Mex BBQ Trailer. While competing in bbq competitions, and bringing home trophies, i would often bring home left over for my wife and I to make meals with. After giving sample to our friends and family. We started getting requests to cater parties and get togethers with friends. Slow but surly i created a go to menu.after catering a Christmas dinner at our Church, a fellow member asked what my ultimate goal was with my bbq. I told him eventually I’d like to have a food trailer and maybe one day a brick and mortar. He said good I know a brewery looking for a bbq vendor. Handed me a card and said reach out to them. I stared at that card for a month. After having a bad morning at work, i sent the email and asked to bring some samples of my food to sell at their brewery. They accepted and we were off! After a few rocky pop ups and getting my timing down for the pits and sides to be fresh at the same time we were finally getting recognition and started getting asked if we would go to different breweries to sell. Which I always replayed to with, we will go wherever we are invited. These turned out to be tougher then I thought. After batting pulmonary hypertension (cteph) and having to have life saving surgery in 2016. I found myself getting worn out a lot faster. And since i am still working a 40 an hour week job and doing pop ups on the weekends, i had to learn how to rest while working and cooking. Having to learn to listen to my body, and my wife telling me to rest, i was finally able to overcome getting worn out after my pop ups. I would get asked why do you do this to yourself, you have a pretty good job, a great family and great friends. My response is still the same. I told my daughter years ago, always chase your dreams. Don’t wait till you’ve almost died 3 times in one year. Do it now..

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This would be a week of great bbq. We’d probably start out at Heights Market place and try and catch Eddie O’s pop up. Then find AM BBQ and see where they’re popping up. Have a few beers, check out Nomad bbq, Smoking Lous BBQ, Then try and catch up with Big Daddy Karne, weather he’s selling que or spinning music at an event. Then finish the night at Ermarose winery in Katy so we could enjoy some wine and BBQ provided by Daddy Duncan’s BBQ, the oxtails are a must!!!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Support would be my family. My wife Barbara , daughter Anabella, son Angel. My parents Ruben and Cindy Soliz. Aunts and uncles. Brothers and sisters in laws. My father in law JT. And a special Shout out to Gilda Guerra for putting us in touch with you guys. I’ve also learned a lot from the cooking time I’ve been on for the last 8 or so year outcast/mexicue cookers. I get a lot of encouragement from our great friends Tony and Susan Beckham, who have been loyal customers from day 1. Also from our friends Matt and Kelly Brown. Also from Randy and Sylvia Duncan from Daddy Duncan’s BBQ out in Katy Texas.

Image Credits
David Lopez