From the Beginning

YUBA CITY NATIVE  INTRODUCES NEW BARBEQUE SAUCE

Dan Johnson, Sr. has lived in the Yuba-Sutter Community since birth. He is also known as Boots Johnson, a name given to him by his nephew back in 1983. As the story goes, according to Johnson, “Ethan was just learning to walk, was still in diapers, and had discovered my cowboy boots in the master bedroom closet. The little guy managed to get both boots on and came walking very carefully down the hall to me.”  As Ethan pulled on my pant leg, and I looked down, Ethan said one word three times, with a very serious, painful look on his face and pointed to the boots. Of course, the word the little boy said was “Boots!” “From that day on, Johnson explained, the name stuck and family members began calling me by that nickname.” For the past 18 years he has been known as Boots Johnson who writes Fishing Talk for the bi-monthly publication, the Territorial Dispatch. The name also became a part of his career with the California Department of Transportation in District 3, Marysville. Johnson was the District 3 Facilities Manager prior to his retirement in 2001 and all email correspondence with him had Boots as a part of the address.

Johnson’s Mother taught him to cook when he was 8 years old. For many years he has been mixing up and cooking barbeque sauce for family members and friends.  In the summer of 2003 he was asked to prepare a barbeque dinner, to announce the engagement of his step Daughter, Meghan Myers and her fiancé Larry Roberts.  Larry requested ribs and chicken with the “special Sauce”. Invitations were sent out and 51 friends and co-workers attended. Boots was used to positive reactions from the flavor of his sauce, but was overwhelmed with the comments at the backyard party on that summer day in 2003. He said, “Never since I first made the sauce in 1959 had I had so many compliments. In fact, many of those who went back for dessert or seconds passed over all the other food on the buffet tables and loaded their plates with ribs.”

As Boots was cleaning up the barbeques he was approached by a gentleman, handed a business card and asked if he planned to market the sauce. Boots responded by saying, “I really don’t know.”  Johnson was told the sauce was the best he had ever tasted and if he ever decided to put the sauce on the market to give the man a call. He wanted to place the product in all supermarkets in his district. In addition, Scotty Klemp was at the party and requested using the sauce in local rib cook offs. To date he has won one first award and two Second awards while competing in four events.  This was the beginning of plans in Johnson’s mind to place his sauce on the market for the first time.

Johnson enrolled in a Yuba College class on food preparation and on January 22, 2005 received his certification. These courses, co-sponsored by the National Restaurant

Association and the American National Standards Institute are designed to teach safe food preparation to persons who will be preparing foods for the general public.

Many challenges were met over the next several years. Laws, rules and regulations of the State of California Food and Drug Department and the Sutter County Environmental Health Department, as well as other state agencies were followed. Another challenge, which took over a year, was finding a cannery which specialized in small business food products. In the summer of 2006 a cannery was located, meetings were held and contracts were signed.

During the process of identifying and testing for the Nutrition Facts of the sauce Johnson and others were excited when it was learned the sauce, based on a 2000 calorie diet, contains 25 % vitamin A, 35% vitamin C and 10% iron. When this fact was known, Johnson smiled and made the statement, “It’s got to be the cranberries!”

 Johnson decided to name the sauce after the family cattle ranch. “The Diamond J Cattle Ranch was established in 1943 by my Father, the late John Clem Johnson, he explained, and was located in the Yuba County, California foothills near the small community of Browns Valley.” Back in those days there was no running water and no electricity. Dan and his sister Faye grew up on the ranch sharing the many chores, experiences and wonders of Mother Nature of a combination ranch and farm back in the 1940’s.

 In the fall of 2006 a sauce originally created in 1959, due to a family member being allergic to liquid smoke was officially named “Boots Johnson’s Original Diamond J Ranch Gourmet Barbeque Sauce and Marinade”. Free sampling of this tasty sauce, which adds flavor and tenderness to meats, fish and Poultry, will be available at the Annual Total Home Show at the Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds in Yuba City on March 23, 24 and 25^th.

Boots Johnson is an avid hunter and Fisherman, and loves to camp in the high country. His other interests include is 1931 Ford Model A Street Rod (The license plate is “Boots 31”), radio controlled cars and boats and all scales of model electric trains, especially

Garden railways.  He was also a professional clown for twenty years and was known as the “Dynamite Clown”.  Johnson said, “There is nothing in the world more gratifying than to bring happiness to a child or the very elderly, shut in folks by making them smile or laugh.”

Johnson belongs to the Twin Cities Rod and Gun Club; the American Legion; Sons in Retirement; is a Charter Member of the Second Amendment Foundation; the National Rifle Association; the California Pistol and Rifle Association; E Clampus Vitus; The Heritage Foundation: Ducks Unlimited; the Sierra Club International and is a long standing member and Past Governor of the Yuba City Moose Lodge where he still volunteers his time each week.

His autobiography has appeared in who’s Who in California; Who’s Who in the West; Strathmore’s Who’s Who and in the Dictionary of International Biography XXIII, Cambridge England.

Dan “Boots” Johnson, Sr. lives in Yuba City with his wife Sandi.  He has three grown sons, Dan Jr., Kevin and Ted and two step daughters, Meghan Roberts and Caylon Myers, who all live in Yuba City and seven grandchildren.