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Persistence pays for sauce man; Kenny Polski's barbecue blend gets its big break at Sweetbay.(A SECTION)
Byline: MICHAEL POLLICK michael.pollick@heraldtribune.com
SARASOTA COUNTY -- Kenny Polski has the look of a pitchman, from his trimmed white beard to his Hawaiian shirt -- a blend of singer Kenny Rogers and chicken salesman extraordinaire Col. Harlan Sanders.
After hundreds of hours of standing in Sweetbay grocery stores promoting his saucy creation, Polski has his salesman's lines down pat.
As the customers stroll by his samples of fried pork or steamed shrimp, the 68-year-old retired freight operations manager gives them a quick "How'd you like to try Kenny's Fresh Ginger Root Barbecue Sauce with Sweet Onion and Garlic?"
"You stop them with that," Polski says. "They say, 'I never heard of barbecue sauce with ginger root. I love ginger.'"
In the grocery business, getting your own product on a major chain's shelves next to better-known brands is considered a major accomplishment.
Polski did it living in a motor home, his only income $1,375 a month from Social Security. No computer, no …
