Rendezvous spices things up with new sauces, seasonings
Rendezvous customers enjoy the restaurant’s world famous barbecue. The restaurant is expanding its line of retail sauces and seasonings. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)
Memphis barbecue institution The Rendezvous is expanding its line of retail sauces and seasonings as well as debuting a new look for the products.
The 76-year-old restaurant’s expanded line includes Rendezvous Marinade, Greek Seasoning and Nick’s Salt + Pepper Blend.
“It’s never easy to bottle up a family legacy,” said John Vergos, a second-generation owner of The Rendezvous. “But we’re excited to package all of our family’s seasoning, sauce and marinade recipes for everyone to enjoy in their own kitchens.”
The Rendezvous Marinade, which has been used at the restaurant for years, has a smoky, vinegar-based flavor and is a versatile marinade for any protein.
“We provide a basting marinade recipe in the instructions that come with our overnight rib shipments, but so many have been asking for something in a bottle,” said Anna Vergos, a third-generation owner of the restaurant. “We’ve discovered, from taking the marinade home over the years, that it is great on more than just ribs. We are really excited to see what our customers come up with, too.”
Memphis barbecue institution Charlie Vergos Rendezvous is expanding its retail line of sauces and seasonings. The new products include Rendezvous Marinade, Greek Seasoning and Nick’s Salt + Pepper Blend. (Courtesy Charlie Vergos Rendezvous)
The Rendezvous’ new Greek Seasoning is an all-purpose Greek seasoning blend that pays homage to the Vergos’ Greek heritage. It’s the seasoning used at the restaurant on the half chicken, chicken breast, the chopped chicken in the nachos and the Greek salad.
Both the Rendezvous Marinade and Greek Seasoning are currently available for purchase.
Still in production is Nick’s Salt and Pepper Blend, a salt-and-pepper mix created by the late Nick Vergos. The blend, which is used to smoke the restaurant’s shoulder and brisket, will be available for online or in-store purchase in the coming months.
“We have used both the Salt and Pepper Blend and The Rendezvous Greek Seasoning in our kitchens for decades,” Anna Vergos said. “We keep both in our homes for personal use and figured it was time to share with others. Honestly, we’re not sure why we didn’t do this earlier.”
The new products join existing ones already being sold: the Famous Rendezvous Seasoning, Original Rendezvous Sauce, Hot Rendezvous Sauce, Charlie’s Select (a sweeter version of their original barbecue sauce) and Tigertail Rendezvous Sweet Glazed Mustard.
All the products are available from the Downtown Memphis restaurant and online store. Most of the items are also available at local retailers such as Kroger, Novel, High Point Grocery, South Point Grocery, Memphis Barbecue Supply and Cordelia’s Market.
The sauces and seasonings can also be shipped internationally. Earlier this year, The Rendezvous started shipping to Canada, Germany, England and Australia.
“We started shipping to countries where we see a lot of visitors from in the restaurant,” said Anna Vergos, adding that it is only the sauces and seasonings that are shipped internationally, not the meat items. “We hope to add more countries in the future.”
Topics
The Rendezvous Free with sign-up Charlie VergosJennifer Chandler
A cookbook author and former restaurateur, Jennifer Chandler has been writing about food and dining for more than 25 years.
She is the author of four cookbooks: “The Southern Pantry Cookbook,” “Simply Salads,” “Simply Suppers,” and “Simply Grilling.” While she boasts a degree from Le Cordon Bleu, this Memphis native is about making real food accessible for real families.
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.