For the past few months, Johnna and Carmen Bleem have served a variety of barbecue meals to customers who have arrived on foot, vehicles and motorcycles at their CJ Bar-B-Que and Catering trailer in Bradford.

The trailer, located on the corner of South Avenue and Chautauqua Place, is set up for business from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

“We got the trailer in April, so this year is our first year” of operating the business, Johnna Bleem said.

The Lewis Run couple said they had catered in the past while he worked at Cutco Cutlery in Olean, N.Y., and she worked as a dental hygienist at Federal Correctional Institution-McKean. “We were doing catering on the side,” Johnna Bleem said. “(Carmen Bleem) left Cutco to do this full time.”

Johanna Bleem said she is continuing on with her job at FCI-McKean, which she has held since 2001.

She said the business has a lease to operate at the current location until the end of the year. Following that, they will look for a new site for the operation.

“We’d like to stay in town,” she continued. “We do move (for special festivities).”

For instance, the duo will be along Chamber Street for the Pumpkin Fest slated to be held from noon to 5 p.m. today. One of the seasonal foods sold by the business at the festival will be “bat wings,” which are whole chicken wings marinated in brine to make them look black.

“Whenever the city does different things, we’ll move” to the location, Johnna Bleem added. “We also do a lot of weddings. We did several weddings this year where they had been out in the fields and there was no electric or water hook-up … it’s fully contained so we can go wherever to set up.”

She said the business always serves pulled pork and chicken-leg quarters, and adds a third meat that is rotated on the menu.

“We have different things such as ribs, brisket or pastrami as our third item,” she explained. “Everything is fresh. We cook everything from scratch.”

The business also will smoke any type of meat for catering –– even meatballs.

She said the trailer has a 10-burner stove, two ovens and four deep fryers in a full kitchen.

“We also have a commercial smoker in the back,” she said.

The couple’s son, Jarrod Bleem, and Carmen Bleem’s sister, Dody Bleem, help operate the business, Johnna Bleem said.

In addition to owning and operating their own business, the Bleems also enjoy  the customers who stop by.

“You see a lot of different people you haven’t seen in years,” she commented. “It’s nice to catch up with everybody and build new relationships in the community.”

Dody Bleem said she is also familiar with area residents as she had managed the deli at the former Quality Market on West Washington Street in Bradford years ago.

For more information on the business, visit the website cjbar-b-queandcatering.com, follow it on Facebook at cjbarbque or call 814-596-2894.