Owner and pitmistress of Girls Gone BBQ, Dana Neely, knew something was wrong when she woke up one morning unable to hear.
“Everything itched. I had hives all over, and my ears had swollen shut.” The culprit? A steak she had bought and grilled the night before. Something she’d done dozens of times before. “Luckily, I figured it out right away and got tested.” The test results confirmed her suspicion. Neely had developed Alpha-gal syndrome.
Mayo Clinic defines Alpha-gal syndrome as “a type of food allergy that makes people allergic to red meat and other products made from mammals.” Alpha-gal is a frustrating and confusing allergy for many people but a downright devastating one for someone in the barbecue business. Fortunately, Neely, a breast cancer survivor, was used to turning lemons into lemonade. She saw her diagnosis as an opportunity to introduce a new philosophy into the barbecue space—inclusivity.
“Barbecue is for everyone. Everyone should be part of the barbecue experience. We pay attention to all food allergies and food preferences.”
Indeed, Girls Gone BBQ’s menu welcomes every diet: gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, vegetarian, pescetarian, Alpha-gal, keto, and diabetic. Neely prides herself on their ability to hit all the markets. From their Girls Gone Vegan sandwich to their dairy-free Ranch dressing and gluten-free, vegan fried okra, GGBBQ offers healthier selections across the board. The Sister Rosetta Tharpe salad contains crisp greens, black-eyed peas, smoked cheeses, pickled red onions, and homemade cornbread croutons. All sides are made in house, giving Neely control over ingredients and flavors. For example, there’s no added sugar in their potato salad or slaw, the latter being sweetened by apples.
Of course, this allergy brings changes to how Neely shows up in the kitchen. She is fume-reactive, so even standing in front of the smoker causes her to lose her voice. So, she leaves the kitchen when the meat is pulled off and hopes to hire more kitchen help soon. Every surface and knob are wiped down thoroughly. Staff maintain two prep tables, one for poultry and vegetables, the other for pork and beef. All said, Neely’s can-do attitude and passion for great Delta barbecue make navigating her job with such a tricky allergy worthwhile. She stresses, “I love what I do. I grew up in Des Arc. We have plenty of Texas-style barbecue. This is pre-sauced, original, eastern-Arkansas cooking.”
Not to mention, Neely is one of a handful of woman-founded barbecue establishments. “There’s not a lot of us womaning the smoker,” she says with a laugh. Subject to her share of helpful comments from men when she first opened on how to cook the best steak, Neely’s day was made recently when two Alabama boys stopped in. Fans of LeAnn Mueller’s storied Le Barbecue in Austin, TX, they wanted to try another woman-owned eatery. It’s clear that women are changing the industry, one fiery rib at a time.
When asked how home chefs can best host loved ones with food allergies this holiday season, Neely replies, “Stay mindful. Make sure there is no cross-contamination. Keep separate pans, separate utensils, separate bowls. Be creative making dishes for your loved ones with food allergies, step outside the box, and have fun!”
Girls Gone BBQ’s menu welcomes every diet: gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, vegetarian, pescetarian, Alpha-gal, keto, and diabetic.