Mr. D’s Grill and Catering: Sparkling flavors and culinary delights.

Darron Meadows, owner of Mr. D’s Grill and Catering, spoke to the News-Times about his journey from cooking at home to running a successful catering business.

“I was born and raised in Three Creeks,” Meadows said. “My mother worked in El Dorado and I went to the El Dorado school district. But my childhood was a lot of moving around. We lived in Wisconsin for about four or five years and then we moved to El Dorado so I could finish high school.”

He said: “My earliest childhood memories were of fishing and hunting, I was a country boy. Anything that happened outside piqued my interest.”

Meadows said spending time outdoors is what drew his interest to barbecue, saying, “I come from a family of cooks and I’m not a small guy; I like to eat. So I started banging pots and pans to get things burned, and when you make enough mistakes, you start to learn,” he added.

“When it comes to learning to cook, I’ve learned from everybody, I can’t just thank one person,” Meadows said. “But my mom is number one.”

He explained some of the first meals he cooked.

“I was a big breakfast person: bacon, eggs, sausage, omelets…any kind of breakfast was my go-to meal,” Meadows said.

“When people started asking me to cook more often and telling me how good my cooking was, I realized I could go further in this direction,” he said. “It was an advantage to consider making it a career, especially with so many people interested.”

Meadows celebrated its first culinary event.

“I was in Farmerville, Louisiana, and I have to thank Michael Jackson for that, he allowed me to bring my platform to cover one of his events,” he said. “I’ll always be grateful for that because it put us on the map. It was a heartbreaking experience, I almost didn’t want to do it after that because I felt like I couldn’t. But the fire inside of me made me give it my all.”

Meadows said it was a revelation: “It’s not what people think; it’s a lot of hard work, disappointment and things you don’t want to do but have to do. I wouldn’t take it back for anything because I have what it takes to do it.”

“As far as trials and tribulations, it’s tough when you have employees who don’t show up,” he said. “So I have to play a lot of roles to keep the show going. I can talk about a lot of things, but the fact that people don’t show up to help is the hardest part.”

Although Meadows specializes in barbecue and Southern cooking, he doesn’t limit himself to just those recipes.

“I had to plan a wedding in Houston, and it was a double wedding,” he said. “The groom was Cajun and the bride was African, so the menu I had to prepare was different. But I really enjoyed the encounter of different cultures, meeting new people and different backgrounds; it was great.”

“It was a challenge, but that’s okay,” Meadows said. “But I’m always up for it, especially after seeing the smile on someone’s face when they’re having fun.”

Meadows explained his future plans, saying, “Hopefully we’ll get a building for Mr. D’s Grill and Catering and be able to do some online things with our products by shipping coast to coast.”

To make reservations, visit his Facebook page at Mr. D’s Grill and Catering LLC or contact Meadows at 870-713-5055.