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Fully cooked. Where To Buy Uncle Jimmy At Home
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By Sally Gilman WINDHAM, N.H. -- Thousands of dollars and gallons of sauce later, ''Jimmy the Rib Man'' has perfected his barbecued baby backs. ''If someone leaves here hungry, it's their own fault,'' says James C. Lospennato, 50, a long-haul trucker whose success at the stove has earned him the nickname ''Rib Man'' in Windham, where he lives. Guests eat at a 16-foot-long island with a view of a pond. ''In the past two years, I must have given away $4,000 worth of sauce and meat,'' he said.
James C. Lospennato, 50, is a long-haul trucker who logs 2,600 miles a week to Chicago. But it is his success at the stove that earned him his ''Rib Man'' nickname around town. Neighbors ring his doorbell when his truck is at his home on Cobbetts Pond. ''A lot of people stop by and ask 'What are you having for dinner tonight?' '' Mr. Lospennato said. ''If someone leaves here hungry, it's their own fault.'' Mr. Lospennato started making ribs and sauce in 1985. ''I started playing with the sauce,'' he said. ''All you have to do is have your own little flavor.'' His secret: Anchovies. He had his recipe patented two years ago. Today, his ''Uncle Jimmy's Barbeque Ribs'' can be found in the new Victory supermarket in Derry. The 28-ounce slabs are ready for the microwave, oven or grill. Mr. Lospennato is a generous cook. He delivers food to friends around town. ''They're like my guinea pigs,'' he said. ''I make sure they know that I want their honest opinion. I don't need to have my feelings spared.'' Friends are happy to oblige. ''His ribs are awesome,'' Barry Rogers said. ''Jimmy doesn't hold back when he does something.'' He sends pans of barbecued ribs to the crew at Rogers Service & Auto Body on Route 28. Town Clerk Joan C. Tuck also raves about the ribs. They have been friends for years. ''Jimmy is an incredible cook,'' she said. ''He likes to see other people enjoy his food.'' Mr. Lospennato learned to cook from his mother, Lillian. ''She was a great cook. She cooked constantly,'' he said. ''The minute you walked in the door, whether she was cooking or not, you had to eat. Those are my feelings exactly.'' Mr. Lospennato says he is lucky to be 6-feet-2 inches tall. ''I love to eat as much as I love to cook,'' he said. ''At least I'm not too bad at 250 pounds.'' Mr. Lospennato, who is divorced, moved to Windham from Westford, Mass., in 1972. He shares his home with his 2-year-old Italian greyhound named Lillian. She goes with him to Chicago each week and on his trips around town. He has logged more than 4 million miles since he started his St. James Refrigerated Trucking Co. in 1970. But he is happiest in the kitchen of his home on Horseshoe Road. He cooks on a gas range with a grill on top. Guests eat at a 16-foot-long island with a view of the pond. ''I spend between $400 and $500 a week on food,'' he said. Because he did not want to buy a large refrigerator-freezer, he bolted two, 25-cubic-foot units together. He spends four days a week away from home. On Friday, he cooks small batches of his rib barbecue sauce at a food preparation company in Chicago where he buys meat. ''They are set up by the federal government,'' he said. ''These people are fantastic. There is nothing like it around here.'' The ribs are sauced and slow-cooked for up to six days. The sauce is a tomato paste base with Worcestershire sauce, molasses, traditional spices and the ''surprise'' ingredient, anchovies. The slabs are vacuum-packed and driven to Windham in Mr. Lospennato's refrigerated truck. ''People have actually called and complained that there's too much sauce,'' he said. ''But it's the sauce that makes the ribs.'' With his rib business launched, Mr. Lospennato is back in his home kitchen perfecting a barbecued pork loin. ''I can cook up to 20, 5-pound loins, in my oven,'' he said. ''People said that last week's sauce was a little too bitter. This week I made it a little sweeter. I'll see what people down at Roger's think.'' He sent over a pan of pork loins and 24 rolls. ''We loved the taste,'' Mr. Rogers said. ''Jim won't get any complaints from us.'' Mr. Lospennato hopes he can soon afford to quit driving and start cooking full time. ''I want to start a line of gourmet prepared foods. Everyone is in such a rush with their lives. The food would be for the microwave. That's what everyone wants,'' he said. This report was prepared by Sally Gilman. If you have questions, comments or material to add on this subject, please feel free to contact her by phone at (603) 434-9450, by mail at 46 W. Broadway, Derry, NH 03038 or by e-mail at sgilman@eagletribune.com. |
