Over the years these friends had cooked every now and then on an occasionally Friday or Saturday night at each others homes working on improving their bbq sauce recipes or the best way to get the ribs as tender as possible, but when they set out to serve more than the usual crowd their wives thought they were nuts but went along with it so they could spend the weekend nestled in a cabin with relaxation.  At least that is what they were lead to believe they would be doing.  These friends called themselves the Hickory Hillbillies and entered into a local contest to see how their bbq compared to the rest.  They were happy to discover that they were right and they did have a good thing going when they placed first place in that local contest.  After that they decided it was a lot of fun and they went to other competitions as well as other festivals in the East Tennessee Area and eventually after being asked enough times where their restaurant was they decided to make it a full time career and found a location close to home in Maryville, Tennessee.  It is here you can find the Hickory Hillbilly crew now know as Boomerz BBQ and Grill.