About Us

Chris and Wendy Finch are both natives of the DFW area. Their story began back in the 4th grade when they first met at school, then reconnected again in 7th grade and they’ve pretty much been side by side ever since. Now, after 22 years of marriage and raising two wonderful daughters, Chloe and Keira, they find themselves living a dream they never fully imagined.

After years of encouragement from family and friends, Chris and Wendy finally took the leap in 2019 to turn their passion into a business. Their journey began with a fundraiser for a single-parent ministry at their church, where they sold 76 jars of BBQ sauce, sauce they had learned to jar from Chris’ mom. Within a month people were already asking if they had more. At the time, they didn’t…but that demand sparked something.

They started small, making about a dozen jars a month, and every batch sold. In June 2020 they stepped into their first farmers market, where they would continue selling regularly for the next several years. Milestones came quickly after that: their debut at the State Fair of Texas in 2021, and in May 2022 their full product line launched in Central Market stores across Texas. By March 2023, Finch BBQ products were available in more than 45 retail locations.

In 2024, Chris and Wendy made the leap to pursue the business full-time. While some plans that year didn’t unfold the way they expected, it became a season of growth and opportunity. They were able to participate in several of Texas’ biggest BBQ events, including the Troubadour Festivals and the Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ Picnic. Spending the year serving samples and connecting with pitmasters and BBQ fans across Texas only deepened their passion for the craft and the community.

That experience led them to try something new - serving BBQ, not just selling their sauces and rubs. At a few events they began cooking and quickly realized how much they loved the act of serving people and the community that formed around the food.

In February 2025 they decided to take the next step and purchase a food trailer. The year didn’t go exactly as planned, and finances made it difficult to get fully up and running right away. But after months of working through permits and preparations, they were finally ready to begin.

Garland has always been home. Chris and Wendy met in Garland, live in Garland, and started their business in Garland, so it only felt right to grow their BBQ story there too. They were incredibly grateful when the owner of the Downtown Garland Food Truck Yard gave them the opportunity to get started, working with them where they were at both financially and as a young business.

In August 2025, Finch BBQ officially opened their trailer. Since then, they’ve fallen in love with the relationships being built and the sense of community growing in Downtown Garland. There is still so much to learn as they continue building Finch BBQ, and that journey excites them every day.

This path is one they never imagined taking, but they wouldn’t trade it for anything. Along the way they’ve experienced losses and gains, challenges and victories, and they’ve learned more about themselves and each other than they ever expected.

Chris and Wendy love the Downtown Garland community and are excited to see where the journey leads. Their passion goes beyond great BBQ and they truly want to serve people and pour into others the same way so many pitmasters and restaurant owners poured into them along the way.

Chris had the opportunity to learn and sharpen his craft while working with some incredible BBQ teams, including Terry Black's Barbecue in Dallas, Smoke Sessions BBQ in Royse City, and alongside the team at Hurtado Barbecue. The pitmasters and teammates Chris trained with at Terry Black’s remain close friends and mentors today. Chad Sessions at Smoke Sessions has also been a huge mentor and friend throughout the journey.

Brandon Hurtado and the team at Hurtado gave Chris and Wendy the opportunity to work alongside them during a critical time, allowing them to keep their own business going while continuing to learn and grow. Those months working together helped sustain them financially, and it’s something they will always be grateful for.

All of these experiences and relationships have shaped the path of Finch BBQ. Each opportunity has been another step in the journey that brought them to where they are today. The BBQ community is about far more than food, and Chris and Wendy are honored to be a small part of it.

Finch BBQ’s story is a little different than most. They built their sauces and rubs first, and only later stepped into serving food. Today, everything that comes out of their trailer is seasoned with their own rubs and finished with their own sauces - occasionally featuring products from friends in the BBQ world they love collaborating with.

At the end of the day, Finch BBQ is about community, collaboration, and serving great food to great people.