Today we’d like to introduce you to Brendan.
Hi Brendan , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
This is a loaded question for sure! I can tell you that I have had to hustle from a young age, forced to maybe have to grow up quicker than most, often working multiple jobs at a time. Accompanied by what some would call bad decision-making, I learned early that there is no substitute for hard work, life is hard, and I told myself that if you do not make the mistakes and failures into success and life lessons, you are f*cked, dude! I motored on and through, coming out of most situations a little banged up but smarter because of the experience. I became an old soul at a very young age. I also settled quickly to set the bar low for myself. I won’t go to college; I am a terrible student! I set my eyes on the military, then out on my own as quickly after graduation, I started doing what I do best, WORK and PARTY. Let’s GO! Got a place on my own and any sight of the military was in the rearview! Mind you, it was post 9/11 and far enough you started seeing the aftermath of what that war was doing to people, I still look back and think it would be cool to have been some badass GiJoe! Did I tell you, I am one charming SOB, when I want to be, so I knew when to turn it on. The hustle. I worked as a barista for a long time; that is probably where the culinary part of me began, but I do not think I knew that until now, as I am doing this interview….What I was looking for was networking, and I landed the next step in my long work career. Still belligerently stumbling through the nights, to go work 12-15-hour days, rinse repeat. That job I got, I met my wife over 20 years ago, and we are happily married with our daughter Lily. Alright, we got here for a bigger reason than you thought, not just work. Turns out, as an adult, a good way to show someone you love them is to feed them, take care of them after a long day. I would set my bar low to start. This is funny because I grew up in and around restaurants. My Grandfather, Bob Sullivan Sr., was the king of the liquor business in KC; the restaurant associations had awards named after him. Everyone around me could cook; it was in my blood! First meal for Meggan, Hamburger Helper, did not brown the meat, but boiled the noodles. We got pizza. Learn a lesson, though, you have to! My next endeavor, we are simply going to go big. I grabbed a cookbook and picked the first thing I could not pronounce! Chicken Fricassee…wtf was it, I did not care. I was going to make it! 7-8 hours later, it was awesome! I nailed it. I put all the love and effort I could, and it took technique, and I was surely on my way to becoming the hero of my own kitchen. That was it. My wife loved to cook, and we loved to host, so we did. We would make a grand feast for friends and family, any chance we get. In the meantime, I was getting established in the transportation industry as well, and cooking was my outlet. I loved to change someone’s day in just one bite. That would change mine! How powerful and what a great way to express art and love, and in a way anyone can understand. Getting the “oh, my, you guys should open a restaurant” turned into “hey, will you cook for our party, we will pay you.” We would take those little jobs, and then they started turning into bigger requests. Shit, we got something here. I can not quite quit my day job, though. It became a labor of love. A couple of years later, my neighbor would leave me an old beat-up smoker, you could just tell he could not bear to throw away, in his move, left for me. I smoked a lot of pot, never food! Not thinking I would ever want to join the Kansas City BBQ Scene, I just started messing around. Then my wife started sneaking samples to people, here is are first call to cater BBQ, from a real organic customer. We crushed it, and LOVED it! They loved it, so “it” was on.
I continued my career as a transportation professional, where I have got to become pretty successful. We always had our catering, and from time to time, a few BBQ Competitions…Royally Forked was born, for the obvious play on words, and many of life’s curveballs by now, the name was perfect. Did I mention somewhere that I liked to party! Back to that part of the story, I was a wreck in disguise. I was a relied-upon Safety guy in a respected industry, and we had a good side hustle, a big house, big parties, and soon enough Lily. There is no way I need to slow down; go harder. Don’t deal with the tough stuff anymore. I have put up with it long enough. I have been an adult long before all of you; I get a pass. F Off if you thought anything different. And I showed up for work, damn it! I showed up after I spent the morning puking bile and blood, booze seeping out of my pores, but I showed up, and I was good at it. I got in the kitchen, started drinking, and what I made was good. Tricking doctors about how much I drank, and truly being depressed and getting worse. There was so much stuff I was hauling around and not having many answers, I guess drinking the occasional cocaine wouldn’t hurt. I could escape my shit, but still do what I do, or thought I could. I wasn’t good at all. Drinking became a job in itself. I did not know how to start the smoker at 4 am without opening a beer, or clean the house, shit, I couldn’t even do drugs without drinking. I went hard in the paint, causing so much harm to the people around me and slowly killing myself. I would spend a stint in the hospital for acute Kidney Failure, after a concussion and crashing a golf cart, and getting blasted! Now you are really having fun, Brendan. I had lost joy in everything, including cooking. I was a shitty husband, shitty dad, and even at work, I did not know how to do any of it without drinking anymore. This is where the story gets grim for some of you. One night after drinking all day, losing my shit in the evening, and being embarrassed by night, if the drinking wasn’t going to kill me, I would handle it myself! My wife, with hero-like timing, put me to bed for a few hours, then woke my ass up and said, Let’s go! You’re going to get help, we are done with your shit, and you can not do this to yourself or your family anymore. Wait, my drinking was only supposed to impact me. What have I done? Quickly to an emergency evaluation and straight to rehab for alcohol and depression, I went. Now comes the time when I have to remind myself what got me to the good places, and I have to turn this failure into a success. This was a BIG one! I went to rehab and learned a lot about myself. I walked out of there different. I would later resign from my job, which I had had for a long time. I need a change in my world. I need to figure out how to do things with a fresh start and with what I have learned. I was scared to cook, play golf, do anything really…. I did not know how without drinking! Today, nearly 7 years sober, I have accomplished great things in my transportation career, I have made more time for my family, and I have learned why I loved to cook all over again, also be sober and awake to actually eat it!
We picked up Royally Forked right where we left it! With COVID, no one really noticed anyway! From there, we have been doing a lot of jobs that support charities, or something we really want to do. The retirement plan is a restaurant, but I have a lot of work to do to get there. A few years back, I decided to focus on Royally Forked and start a consulting business for transportation. I would get to win some ribbons in competitions and grow a pretty good following for us. Fast forward to January 2025, my shit caught up with me. What I can assume from taking numerous falls and blows the the head in drunken mishaps, I had some issue with my back, then I get rear-ended! DONE. Cervical Spine Surgery! 3 months of rehab can’t do anything or go to work, the doctor said, wrong! I would instead perfect my BBQ Rub and send it to R&D to produce for retail, and sign up for an online cooking competition that I did pretty good in, and even better, my peers, customers, and community are the ones that voted. I got a spot on a local morning show to cook my crab bisque and promote our brand. Since we have been getting constant requests and more attention than ever. Now, some of the things that I knew how to do without a drink are the very things that keep me sober and my heart full.
Today, I am still a full-time Transportation Professional, with two decent businesses doing two things that I love! Royally Forked is more though! It is something that is a testament of time; it survived my storm, and it is something I love that I got to start with the love of my life. We have an opportunity to allow ourselves to forget about the day, with one good bite of food, it all melts away for that moment. All you are thinking about is OMG this is SOOO good, and only something made with love, and goodness can do that. I did that for you! I will substitute that for booze any day. Someday you will be sitting in my restaurant having that exact moment, but for now, we reach as many people as we can through catering.
Failure is part of the journey; embrace it and learn from it. It is okay! If you are struggling with mental illness or addiction, it is OK. We are human! You can get the help you need and not be ashamed of it. It will catapult you to things you did not know you could do.
“Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.” — Steve Maraboli
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Welcome to Royally Forked, where passion for food and dedication to excellence converge. Our journey began with a shared love for creating memorable dining experiences, which led us to establish Royally Forked as a renowned catering and BBQ Rub company. We take pride in delivering culinary delights to every event, from intimate gatherings to grand celebrations.
Our commitment to freshness and quality has been unwavering since our inception. With a focus on using the finest ingredients and time-honored recipes, we ensure that every dish reflects our dedication to culinary excellence.
At Royally Forked, we strive to stand out by infusing creativity into every aspect of our service, setting us apart from the rest. Our relentless pursuit of innovation and perfection has been our driving force, guiding us to continuously raise the bar for exceptional catering and BBQ Rub products.
X=Factor
I started X-Factor to help guide small businesses along the path of success with the least resistance possible. I know firsthand how overwhelming it can feel to scale, streamline, and stay compliant, all while trying to stay profitable. Those growing pains do not have to be so painful when you have someone in your corner who has been there. Our goal is to provide tailored, hands-on service that helps you thrive.
At X-Factor, our mission is to empower small businesses by providing personalized, all-in-one solutions that reduce growing pains and accelerate sustainable success. We exist to be a trusted partner, offering strategic support and a genuine passion for helping others win.
Our Vision:
We have a powerful vision for the future of the transportation industry. By recognizing the rich history of those who have traveled the roads before us, we can bring a sense of pride and honor back to the profession of trucking. We are committed to honoring these traditions while implementing new regulations to ensure the industry continues to evolve and thrive.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
It’s hard. Convince yourself of that first and foremost. Then you need to decide if the juice is worth the squeeze. If you know you can handle the rocky road (YOU CAN) and it is worth it to you, you will succeed. Fail fast and fail forward, learn from that!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.forkedroyally.com & https://www.xfactorsolutionsllc.com/about
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forkedroyally
- Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572963060641&_rdc=1&_rdr# and https://www.facebook.com/EatOurFood
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendan-whisenant-312a2a125/
