College Park resident Bill Coleman began creating his own dry rubs and sauces in his backyard before founding Bill’s Backyard BBQ catering company.

Bill Coleman never expected to own a barbecue company and he never expected to earn the nickname “Barbecue Bill.”

But after a car accident forced him to reconsider his career, the retired U.S. Marine began smoking meats in his College Park backyard.

“I’ve always liked to cook, but it wasn’t until I was in an automobile accident that everything just fell into place,” Coleman said.

While recovering from the accident, Coleman watched Food Network shows about barbecue, which inspired him to start a catering company.

“I talked to my wife about it, and it kind of just snowballed from there,” Coleman said. “I thought, ‘Why can’t I do that?’ I started making rubs and sauces, and it turned into this big thing it is now.”

Bill’s Backyard Barbeque is now in its 11th year of providing catering services in the mid-Atlantic region, serving everything from pulled pork to macaroni and cheese.

Coleman has lived in the area for more than 15 years and has seen many changes, including the Downtown College Park Farmers Market. The Millers, the family that owns a 267-acre farm in the county and started the market in 2010, are good friends of Coleman’s.

“I live two blocks away from the market, so I thought I could help the Millers and the market if I could sell my barbecue there,” Coleman said.

Each Sunday from April through November, Coleman is a friendly face at the market, greeting residents and students in his trademark cowboy boots.

“I do this for the joy on people’s faces when they eat my food,” Coleman said. “Money won’t always be around, but you can always spread joy.”

 

Editor’s note: College Park Contours is a weekly series spotlighting interesting members of the community. Know someone we should profile? Email suggestions to newsumdbk@gmail.com.

 

 

Here are some other College Park Contours from the past summer:

 

[ READ MORE: “Balloon Girl,” the woman behind many balloons on campus ][ READ MORE: University alumni created College Park-based tabletop game company ]