Adding some blues to their restaurant recipe

With award-winning barbecue recipes and a passion for blues music, it seemed obvious what Peter and Kris Raymond should do after the family auto body shop closed — create a boot-scooting blues hall with classic southern eats.

Boots Q ‘n Boogie held its grand opening Oct. 1 with plenty of barbecue, a full-service bar and live performances at W4121 Center St. in Waubeka, the Waubeka Firemen’s Hall.

Having competed in a number of barbecue competitions, Kris Raymond said that when the family closed Raymond’s Auto Body in the Town of Cedarburg, a restaurant seemed like the right way to go.

“We’ve been involved in barbecue competitions for quite a few years,” she said.

Raymond said the couple initially hoped to convert the Raymond’s Auto Body shop into a restaurant but found building a kitchen space would be too costly. After asking around, a member of the Cedarburg Fire Department told them about the Waubeka Firemen’s Hall, which has housed a number of restaurants over the years.

With a location set and plenty of recipes to choose from, Raymond said the family still had to devise a name.

Considering Peter Raymond’s nickname, Boots, she said one day the song ‘Boot Scoot Boogie’ came to mind as something they could tweak.

The couple, who founded Paramount Music Association in 2005, was also able to incorporate their love of blues music into the new restaurant by scheduling live acts to perform on the building’s stage in Bailey’s Hall.

Kris Raymond said Waubeka residents have been thrilled with the new restaurant option, especially one that scheduled live music.

“We got a great response when we did music on Oct. 1 and 2,” she said.

While live music will generally only be scheduled every other week, Raymond said they have music events scheduled nearly every week through November. The lineup includes The Verdict on Nov. 6, karaoke on Nov. 13 and Stephen Cooper and Nobody Famous on Nov. 20.

Boots Q n’ Boogie is open Friday and Saturday evenings and offers an assortment of family recipes including brisket, pulled pork, cornbread and their specialty barbecue sauce.

“We’re trying to bottle it because people are asking for it,” Raymond said.