If you knew Paul Voorhies, then you know a truly great man.

Just ask his little brother, Walter.

The Voorhies brothers are synonymous in the Teche. Their family business, Voorhies Machine Shop, has been around for over a 100 years where Walter will soon be celebrating a milestone too, 50 years running the machine shop.

When he is not working in the machine shop, you can probably find him in his 1800-square foot, built kitchen close to his machine shop. There he likes to spend his off time cooking, which has always been a love of his.

“It’s sort of a sideline thing I do with my machine shop business,” Walter said. “It’s more of a passion for me. I enjoy doing it.”

It has grown to a business that he and his staff are proud of.

So much so, he and Paul, better known as “Uncle,” shared a barbecue sauce recipe together. The two Voorhies brothers then started a business in 2001, called “Uncle’s Barbeque Sauce.”

Walter remembers that he was making batches in giant gumbo pots in his machine shop throughout the years.

Paul was very well known and well respected in the community. After three years in business together, Walter bought out his older brother $1. To keep his brother’s legacy alive today, Walter named it after his brother’s nickname.

“That is how Uncle’s Barbeque Sauce got started,” Walter said. “My brother Paul passed away a few months ago, but that is what this business is about.”

Walter describes Uncle’s Barbeque Sauce as a sweet heat type of sauce. It has a lot of a Texas flair.

“It has fresh onions, fresh garlic, and butter,” Walter said. “We have raw cane sugar, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and that’s pretty much the sauce. It’s a sweet spicy sauce.”

At 81, Paul has a great life, Walter said. A life that brought so much happiness from those around him. And Walter wants to ensure Uncle is remembered forever. The sauce is named after him, mainly to honor a true, great friend and brother.

Uncle’s Barbeque Sauce is shared locally around four parishes and is shipped in different parts of the country. You can get a bottle at Fremin’s Food and Furniture as well as Bi-Lo Supermarket, two local New Iberia landmarks.

Uncle’s Barbeque Sauce also has other products that they are proud of, including a pepper jelly, a salsa, a hot sauce and a Memphis-style dry rub. When the holidays roll around, they all do what they call a “Holiday in a Jar.”

“A cranberry chutney for the holiday season,” Walter said. “Its good with turkey and turkey sandwiches.”

Like his brother before him, Walter grew up around great cooking. His mother and father both loved to cook and all of his family members.

“It seemed like a lot of the men cooked,” Walter said. “Paul did a lot of barbecuing.”

Every weekend, Walter remembers “Uncle firing up the pit and cooking on their family property. He got really good at it, and the people of New Iberia soon took notice.

“Paul got quite a reputation in the community cooking,” Walter siad.

Each and everyday, Walter wants to use the sauce that he and Uncle put together as a way to keep his name alive. Uncle was a person who meant a lot to a lot of people. Especially Walter. He looked up to him. He was good to Walter, like he was good to everyone who was lucky enough to meet Uncle.

“He helped people all the time,” Walter said. “He was just a good all around person.”