Thyron Mathews Sr. (stabding, far left) warms up the crowd when he and his family brought the award-winning T&T Barbecue to South Vine Street in downtown West Union Friday. (Mike Van Sickle photo)
T&T Barbecue wins in a 'Showdown'
By Mira Schmitt-Cash
Contributing Writer
Adapting and overcoming, but also forging and drawing on relationships, are skills that have proven to serve Thyron Mathews II of T&T Barbecue well, both at his job as Fayette County Jail administrator as well as on Season Two of “Barbecue Showdown” on Netflix.
Season One of “America’s Barbecue Showdown” was released in September 2020 and Thyron was already a follower of the program when he applied in 2021.
“I was a fan of how family-oriented the cast was towards each other,” said Thyron, now of Oelwein, who traces the roots of his award-winning barbecue to the village of Royal in Wildwood, Florida.
“This business was built to help fundraise money for churches, different organizations,” Thyron explained, while listing causes like scholarships, family assistance, and organizations fighting cancer.
With help from friends, the Oelwein entrepreneurs came up with a game plan.