Hecky’s Barbecue

Hecky’s Barbecue is a barbecue restaurant at 1902 Green Bay Rd in Evanston, at the northwest corner of Emerson Street. Hecky Powell and his wife, Cheryl, opened the business on October 13, 1983, using recipes from Powell’s Creole grandmother in New Orleans. The menu covers ribs, rib tips, hot links, brisket, smoked chicken and wings, and the house motto is “It’s the Sauce.”

What to know

• The Chicago Combo pairs a pork hot link with a pound of rib tips over fries.
• The menu credits the 44th president with making The Mutt combo famous.
• Powell founded the Forrest E. Powell Foundation in 1994 to fund scholarships for young people.
• The business has catering, wholesale and retail divisions.
• The restaurant says Anthony Bourdain wrote about Hecky’s in one of his books.