Written by Carson Peaden
Homemade biscuits with slabs of butter, ribs slathered with barbeque, fresh shrimp drizzled over beds of grits—these are all the dishes of chef Julius West’s childhood.
Born into a military family, West was accustomed to frequent moves. But no matter where they lived, from New York to Oregon to Japan, he could count on his mother’s home cooking.
“If you came to our house, she was not going to ask you if you wanted something,” says West. “She would make it, prepare it, and serve it to you.”
Since his father was in the military and “couldn’t even boil water,” West learned to cook alongside his mother as she infused new life into recipes passed down from her family in Charleston.
“Her main thing was with any recipe, you should make it your own,” says West. “You do to it what you think makes it special.”
West spent most of his professional life in sales, but the kitchen always called to him. He took his mother’s words to heart and opened a food truck in 2020. With the help of his wife, daughter, and other family members, Sarge’s Chef on Wheels, named in honor of his father, was successfully launched.
Described as “down home cooking with an Asian-Caribbean flair,” the menu was inspired by the many cuisines of his childhood, from Caribbean jerk tacos to homemade turkey burgers and shrimp po’boys.
However, the most ordered dish on the menu was undoubtedly the shrimp and grits.
“People were always asking about it,” said West.
In 2018, the family-run business decided to bottle its shrimp and grits sauce. Based on the traditional Lowcountry style recipe, Sarge’s Sauce is the only pre-made shrimp and grits sauce on the market—and it’s super easy to use. All you have to do is simmer the sauce with equal parts chicken or vegetable broth, cook until smooth, and then drop in your raw shrimp. In three minutes, it’s ready to be served over grits.
“It makes shrimp and grits consistent for home cooks,” says West.
While it’s marketed as a shrimp and grits sauce, it can also be poured over vegetables or pasta. In addition to their sauce, they also sell seafood seasoning and stone-ground grits, sourced from western North Carolina.
Operating both the food truck and sauce company posed challenges, especially when West encountered health issues in 2019.
“When the pandemic hit in 2020, it was an easy transition to pivot from the truck to just marketing our sauce,” says West.
His wife, Janet West, believes that since Sarge’s Sauce is one of a kind, people often don’t realize what they’re missing. “That’s another challenge, letting people know the sauce exists,” she says.
Their products are available online, either through their website or The Local Palate Marketplace, as well as select stores and local markets.
“It’s really rewarding to see your product on a store shelf or see people at markets enjoying your product,” says Janet West.
Through Sarge’s Sauce, Julius West has transformed his mother’s recipes into a legacy of his own and bottled his dreams into reality.
