BELLEVUE, Ky. — A former convict with a new lease on life is serving up barbecue to veterans, and really, anyone who’s hungry, in Northern Kentucky.
It takes 16 hours on the smoker, (in which he exclusively uses cherry wood), for Shelby Fields’ pork shoulders to achieve juicy tender perfection, and 18 for the brisket.
Much like the delicious barbecue served up at Doo-Little Shack and Snacks, the food truck’s owner has also taken time to become who he is today. Some of it was hard time.
At 23, he lost his mom, the person who taught him how to cook.
“And I just started selling drugs. I got convicted of a drug charge. And I ended up doing 36 months,” he said.
Fields ended up at a halfway house in Newport when he got out of prison.
Several years and several jobs passed by. These included the Erlanger Lumber Company, WB Jones Spring Company, the sanitation district and the Lexington Public Library. Fields was 45 when he was done serving time. That’s when his kids talked him into culinary school at Cincinnati State.
Fields said an apprenticeship with celebrity chef Graham Elliott, during which he modified Elliott’s Texas-style chili into a more locally acceptable Cincinnati-style chili, earned Elliott’s stamp of approval, and convinced him he had what it takes.
“Went out and purchased this big beast,” he said, pointing to his smoker. “This even has its own VIN number, believe it or not.”
He bought a food truck, too, which helped him cook massive amounts of barbecue for his Labor Day parties, during which he would serve more than 200 people.
“What I would have leftover, I would bring down to the vets down here and just let them have a smorgasbord and let them eat. Most of them are single widows, and just something I want to do to thank them for their service,” Fields said. “They really enjoy it. They really took me underneath their wing.”
Now he parks the Doo-Little Shack and Snacks truck at the Bellevue Veterans Club.
He explained the name. Out of eight kids, Fields was the baby, and never had to do a chore.
“So my siblings named me ‘Do-Little’ because I never had to do anything,” Fields said.
He does a lot now. Three days a week, when they’re not catering, he’s at the veterans club with his wife Pam. They sell food until they run out, and the veterans eat it up.
“It’s great. It’s nearby. Walk out the door, the food’s excellent. And he’s a great guy,” said Dave Fox, who is not a veteran, but likes to hang out at the club. “We just wish he was here everyday.”
Firefighters and police officers eat for free. They just have to leave a badge of honor that Fields can display on the back of the truck.
Every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, weather permitting, Fields, his funky socks, gold chains and infectious attitude are there, happy to share his food and his story with anyone who wants to hear it.
“The first time you wake up, and I feel like it’s a job, I’m gonna sell the truck, and I’m gonna sell the smoker, but I’ll probably go to my grave in this food truck,” he said. “And I never take back my past. Most people hide their past. I’m an open book. I want people to know that you can change.”
Fields said he and his wife have discussed opening a brick and mortar restaurant. He said it would likely focus on catering and sampling, with the truck remaining the main base.