Bob and Maxine Sykes opened Bob Sykes Bar B Q in 1957. Today, their son Van runs the restaurant with Van’s nephew, Jason, using the exact same recipes and methods that were used in 1957. The Birmingham News talked to Mr. Sykes about the restaurant, his parents, and the blues and BBQ festival he holds in town each year. Some things we learn: you want to order the most popular meal at Sykes? Get a BBQ pork sandwich with homemade O-rings and red velvet cake for dessert. And: when he was 12, he burned a pit full of pork, and his father made him pay for the burned meat!