Celebrating 80 Years of Bold — Two New Flavors Now Available  Shop Now →
Our Story
Est. 1946

A recipe.
A family.
80 years.

Woody's Foods started in a Jacksonville kitchen with a mother's recipes and two siblings who refused to compromise on flavor. That hasn't changed once.

Grace Mills
Grace Mills The inspiration behind Woody's Bar-B-Q
Meet Grace

The inspiration behind
Woody's Bar-B-Q.

As a loving mother to four children, learning to be a good cook was not just a passion, but a necessity for Grace Mills. Having been involved in restaurants most of her life — two of them at prominent Jacksonville country clubs — she had many excellent mentors along the way. Grace passed that knowledge on to her sons and daughters, all of whom were cooking in their teens.

For her son Woody, in particular, cooking came naturally. When he expressed a desire to open a BBQ restaurant, Grace didn't hesitate to jump on board with him and co-founder Yolanda. The three made quite a team — Yolanda in the front of the house making guests feel welcome, Grace and Woody in the back, churning out recipes that quickly became fan favorites: squash, cole slaw, onion rings, and banana pudding — all created by Grace.

"Grace finds joy in the knowledge that countless friends and families gather together at Woody's Bar-B-Q around recipes she penned nearly 40 years ago."

— Woody's Bar-B-Q

One BBQ restaurant became two, then three, then four before Grace left the kitchen for good — but not before leaving a lasting impression on the brand. She is particularly proud to see a third generation join the ranks.

80 Years of History

From one kitchen to
fifty states.

1946
The Original Kitchen
Woody Mills and his sister Yolanda Mills-Mawman open their first location in Jacksonville, Florida. Grace runs the kitchen. Every sauce is made from her original recipes. Customers start asking to take bottles home within the first week.
1952
Bottling Begins
Demand for take-home bottles grows enough that Woody and Yolanda begin bottling sauces for retail. Southern Sweet is the first label. Tangy Mustard follows six months later after customers won't stop requesting it.
1968
Woody's Gold & Hawt Mama
Two new sauces join the lineup — Woody's Gold, inspired by a trip Woody took through South Carolina, and Hawt Mama, named for Grace herself, who always insisted the sauce needed more heat.
1985
National Distribution
All four Woody's sauces reach grocery shelves in all 50 states. A third generation of the Mills family joins the business. The original recipes remain unchanged.
2001
Still Family-Owned
Multiple acquisition offers declined. The Mills family makes a public commitment: Woody's Foods will remain family-owned and independent. No investors. No formula changes. No shortcuts.
2026
80th Anniversary
Woody's Foods celebrates 80 years with two new limited-edition flavors: Smoked Peach & Bourbon and Carolina Reaper Reserve. Still family-owned. Still made the same way. Still smokin'.
What We Stand For

Three things that haven't
changed in 80 years.

Original Recipes
Grace's recipes have been adjusted exactly twice in 80 years — both times to remove artificial preservatives, never to change the flavor. What was in the bottle in 1946 is what's in the bottle today.
Family-Owned
Multiple offers to acquire Woody's have been turned down. The Mills family owns and operates the business today, three generations in. That independence is why the recipes stay the same.
No Shortcuts
Real ingredients. No artificial flavors or colors. No high-fructose corn syrup. Grace used what was in her pantry in 1946 — real molasses, real cayenne, real smoke. We still do.
Three Generations
The Mills Family

The Mills Family — Jacksonville, Florida, 2026

Taste what 80 years tastes like.

Six sauces. One family. Every bottle made the way Grace intended.

Shop All Sauces Browse Recipes