Get to Know our Story!

Where It All Began

Code 1 BBQ is a veteran-Owned, women run, and family operated small business. We do it all and we love what we do.

Sean and Erica are the husband-and-wife team, married for two decades with three very awesome kids, who spent their years together hunting down good BBQ all over New England, and binge-watching BBQ competitions on cable (then) and Netflix (now).

Sean is an Airforce veteran, former HVAC manager, and a dedicated, hardworking husband and father.

Erica is an author, entrepreneur, chef, podcaster, and keynote speaker. She also has food allergies that prevent her from eating at many great restaurants with the rest of her family.

When they first met, Erica worked in the restaurant industry after attending culinary school and ran her own wedding planning business. Sean was fresh out of the Airforce with a passion for grilling and smoking meat, but little time to indulge in it.

Life took them both for a turn through the corporate maze of 9-5's, vacation days, and benefits— big business for Erica, small business for Sean—but it eventually led them back to BBQ.

When Covid hit, Sean and Erica both realized that life was short. Finding time for the things you love mattered more than anything, along with supporting their family with rewarding work that gave back to their community. Sean took his passion for smoked meat and Erica took her skills and knowledge, along with her recipe book, to the next level.

And . . . Code 1 BBQ LLC was born.

“When the opportunity arose and the universe fell in line, we asked ourselves, “why not? Why not share this amazing, made-from-scratch BBQ food!” Erica Marchant

Follow us on our journey!

Code 1 BBQ started out as a catering company operating out of a shared commercial kitchen. To get their name out while sharing great BBQ they hit the market scene, popped-up at breweries and local events, and introduced themselves to their local communities.

This is where they not only met amazing customers, followers, and supporters but also where opportunity shined down on them.

In 2023, Sean, Erica opened the limited seating and take-out space for Code 1 BBQ at 211 Main Street, Wilmington MA.

Where They Are Now

Established in 2021, Code 1 offers catering, pop ups, full-service event planning, classes and take-out to their community and beyond providing smoked meats and scratch-made sides at all their events, functions, and dinners.

Pitmaster Sean and Chef Erica offer training and classes, Beyond the smoke - Backyard BBQ basics, multiple times a year. They also podcast about their life, entrepreneurship, working together, and BBQ on their podcast Through Fire and Oak produced with Wilmington Community Television.

Sean, Erica run Code 1 BBQ every day in the hopes of not only providing great BBQ but also a place where you are not just a customer but family. Code 1 is a place where you feel at home. Or as one anonymous customer put it, “Everyone who comes in is Norm from Cheers.”

Code 1 BBQ | The Only BBQ on Your Radar