Oh Yeah! York County 'culinary MacGyver' makes innovative jerky, wins international award

Angel Albring, York Daily Record
·4 min read

What's in a name? For Yogi’s Oh Yeah Jerky, it's how people feel about their product.

Founded by Chris ‘Yogi’ Awkward, Yogi’s Oh Yeah Jerky started as an at-home business after Awkward was given a gift card to a local jerky store, and he left unimpressed.

"I was so excited, and then it was just not what I hoped for. Every flavor tasted the same. There was no distinction, and I thought that I could do it better," he said.

So he did.

Bev, left, and Chris, aka Yogi, Awkward at their stand Yogi's Oh Yeah Jerky at Central Market in York.
Bev, left, and Chris, aka Yogi, Awkward at their stand Yogi's Oh Yeah Jerky at Central Market in York.

He is a Marine Corps vet who currently works for BAE Systems in York. He also has a passion for cooking. He has worked at multiple restaurants and ran a small catering business.

"We call him the culinary MacGyver because he can create a five-course meal from a can of peas, a paper clip, some milk and a shoestring," said Chris's wife, Beverly. "He has a true gift and wants to share it with the world in every way he can."

The Awkwards began with food dehydrators and basic recipes, sharing Chris's jerky with friends and family.

"They would take a bite and say '"'Oh yeah, that's good,' and that's how we got our name," Chris said.

More in local news: Witness testifies that rezoning of parcels near Prospect Hill Cemetery was spot zoning

"It started with my husband's desire to create a flavorful and less tough jerky that wouldn't break your teeth when attempting to eat it. After four years of trial and error and successfully making jerky for family and friends, we decided to create a legitimate jerky business," Beverly said.

To do that, though, they needed more than a few dehydrators, so the Awkwards transformed the basement of their East Prospect home into a Limited Food Establishment with restaurant-grade equipment they found at auctions and online sites.

They did the work themselves, getting help with electrical and plumbing from friends. After the basement renovation was complete, they ramped up production and opened their first physical location in Penn Market in January 2023.

Finished bags of Yogi's Oh Yeah Jerky at Central Market in York.
Finished bags of Yogi's Oh Yeah Jerky at Central Market in York.

More in business news: Comings & Goings: Popular York County restaurant for sale, former Staples gets new tenant

Yogi's Oh Yeah Jerky is Pennsylvania's first Black-owned jerky company, and it has been making an International name for itself.

In June, the Awkwards entered TasteTV's International Jerky Awards Competition with the hope of simply being mentioned. After a two-month wait, they found out they took the Top Overall Gold Jerky Award with the sweet chili and honey bacon jerky, and two other flavors won other medals.

"I just thought what could it hurt to try," Beverly said. "So, we went for it. We didn't expect we'd win, and we honestly forgot about it until a few months later when I got an email saying we'd won."

"She calls me and says 'we won' and I'm thinking we won like a gift card or something," Chris added. "Then she says 'no, we won the Jerky Awards' and my mouth just fell open. I was stunned."

One reason they were so surprised, Chris said, was because they unseated the reigning national jerky champ and took home a total of four golds, one silver and one bronze award.

In June, the Yogi's Oh Yeah Jerky entered TasteTV's International Jerky Awards Competition with the hope of simply being mentioned. They took the Top Overall Gold Jerky Award with the sweet chili and honey bacon jerky, and two other flavors won other medals.
In June, the Yogi's Oh Yeah Jerky entered TasteTV's International Jerky Awards Competition with the hope of simply being mentioned. They took the Top Overall Gold Jerky Award with the sweet chili and honey bacon jerky, and two other flavors won other medals.

More in food: 'Gourmet' gas station doughnuts? We tried Sheetz's new confections so you don't have to

Unfortunately, they didn't get as much traffic as they hoped for at Penn Market, so they moved their business to Central Market at the start of September, where they added a jerky bar to their offerings.

Yogis Oh Yeah Jerky has a wide-variety of jerky flavors and types of jerky, including beef, salmon, bacon and turkey. The market stand also offers snack packs that have 2 ounces of jerky, two cheese packs and trail mix.

"Our next goal is to expand our product line to include fried chicken wings, incorporating our marinade flavors. We did a test run and they were featured in Norman MacMan's Wrapping Over Wings Facebook Live interview back in May. He was quite pleased with how they turned out and subsequently invited us to participate in a chicken wing contest he'll be hosting later in the year," Beverly said. "We are also researching how to bottle our marinades for purchasing to use in recipes in your own kitchen."

Yogi's Oh Yeah Jerky at Central Market in York provides samples of 11 different kinds of jerky.
Yogi's Oh Yeah Jerky at Central Market in York provides samples of 11 different kinds of jerky.

The Awkwards also participate in local events, doing a pop-up stand to offer their jerky to event-goers, and they give back to other local businesses and organizations.

"We are all out here doing our best, and there's no need to tear one another down. I'd rather support and show love and build a strong community," Chris said.

"When we show love to our community, the community returns that love exponentially and that is how our village thrives," Beverly added. "It's been quite a whirlwind with the positive feedback we've received and look forward to where this journey takes us."

Looking for the best pizza? Best pizza in York County? Here are local restaurants with high Yelp ratings

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Oh Yeah! York County Pa. jerky maker win international award .