POWERGRAMS

39 Even Santa Claus knows about Joe Baas's barbecued ribs. Around southeast Alabama, Baas is famous for his smoky, savory barbecue sauce and tender pork ribs – so much so, they were on one lile girl's wish list for Santa last year. "I want Joe Baas's ribs for Christmas," said Lynn Williams's 6-year-old daughter. Williams, a teacher at Christ the King Catholic Church in Daphne called in the order to Baas. "I told her 'Santa Claus is coming to town,'" Baas said, with a booming laugh. "I had to drop off a cooler of ribs for her. If you ask Santa Claus for ribs, you're geing them." THE BOSS BEHIND 'BAAS HOG BAR-B-Q' At Barry Electric Generating Plant in Mobile, Baas is renowned for his cooking skills – both on and off the job. An instrumentation and controls specialist, Baas is oen called on to cook for employees during Barry Safety meetings. He's competed in more than 25 barbecue contests and gumbo competitions. Baas oen shares his culinary skills with benevolent groups, including the Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO), the company's charitable arm for employees. "I've been doing barbecue for 18 years," said Baas, who began cooking at 18, when he moved from his parents' home in Nebraska. From an early age, he'd learned to can food from his mother and grandmother. "I figured out I didn't want to eat fast food all the time," he said. "I wanted to cook my own food. I started then, and never gave up. I cooked for my friends a lot before I got married." When Baas moved to Mobile and took a contract position with the Southern Company, he bought a smoker. That's when his penchant for creating the tastiest barbecue really began to simmer. "Everyone liked it and wanted me to compete. I started doing competitions and ended up winning all the time," said Baas, who has won more than 20 first-place trophies, six grand championship awards, many second-place awards and a couple of People's Choice medals. Using his mother-in-law's recipe, Baas has won first-place in two Plant Barry gumbo competitions. Taking part in barbecue contests, Baas has met people from throughout the Southeast. Though he's there to win – he spends 10 hours making a batch of barbecue sauce – Baas mostly enjoys socializing. "It's not all about the winning, it's more about having a good time and talking," Baas said. At one venue, Baas met a Georgia caterer who loved Baas's barbecue and got his phone number. About a year later, when working a large wedding on St. George Island, he called Baas. "I couldn't believe he called," Baas said, with a laugh. "He told me that my barbecue was like nothing he'd ever tasted, and PROFILE BARRY'S BOSS OF BARBECUE GENEROUS WITH TALENTS BY DONNA COPE

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