From a hobby BBQist to a Regina catering staple

I'm Tyler Schmidt, the owner of Schmitty's Smoked Meats & Catering in Regina, Saskatchewan. My wife Pam and I have two children—Zoey and Charlie. Zoey was born with Down Syndrome and is diagnosed with autism. Zoey is the reason I started smoking meat... which then grew into a catering company and led me to quit my plumbing job of 18 years in 2019.  

I used to spend every weekend fishing, it was my passion... but due to Zoey’s health issues and additional challenges, I made the decision to sell my fishing boat. With the sudden free weekends at home, I decided to purchase a small electric smoker. At the time, I was completely unaware that this would be the start of our new life. 

I truly believe if Zoey was not my daughter I would still be plugging away at my 8 to 5 jobs. After purchasing my first smoker it soon grew to become my obsession. I've always loved cooking and soon found myself in the pursuit of making the perfect barbecued brisket. It didn't take long for family and friends to start asking me to make a brisket or a pork shoulder for an anniversary or small gathering. I found myself needing more and more days off from my real job to do my side hustle. I decided to get some business cards made and I realized that I really enjoy cooking for others. One day I looked at the events we had scheduled and I decided to quit my job and start Schmitty’s Smoked Meats full time.

It has been one of the best decisions of my life. 

We purchased our food truck in July of 2020. In the winter of 2022, we completed our commercial kitchen and storefront on 234 Dewdney Ave.

Pam and I don't know where we're headed for sure, but we never thought our company would grow this fast. We just focused on making good, affordable food for people, and things seem to keep working out for the best. We are happy to be in the Regina catering community and can not wait to see what the future brings.