Pit Mast CJ Brings His Akiylah BBQ Sauce Home for One-Day Stop

{Contributed photos}

Lexington native Charles Carter Jr., widely known as Pitmaster CJ, is returning home next week with jars of his signature Akiylah Sauce, a product he created by accident and named after his wife.

Carter now teaches High School English in Cumberland County Schools and runs a BBQ catering business in Fayetteville, but he says his cooking roots were planted long before that.

“I was born and raised in Lexington,” he said. “No matter where I go, my flavor comes from home.”

Carter moved to Fayetteville after marrying his college sweetheart and took his catering company with him. That’s where the Akiylah Sauce was born—though not on purpose.

“This sauce was supposed to be the base for another recipe,” he said. “My wife tasted it and said, ‘This is it.’ I put it on some ribs, tasted it, and that was it for me too.”

Because she called it first—and backed him from the start—he put her name on the label.

“Since she approved it first, I named it after her,” he said. “She motivates me.”

Carter describes his mission in simple terms, a blend of community work and culinary drive.

“I call myself the Neighborhood BBQ Dealer,” he said. “I want people to see they can be who they want to be.”

Next week, he’s bringing that message—and the sauce—back to his hometown.

Carter will be at the Walmart in Lexington on Wednesday, November 26, from about 3–4 p.m., selling 12-ounce jars of Akiylah Sauce for $5. He accepts cash, Apple Pay, and CashApp at $PitmasterCJ.

Coming home means a lot to me, he said. Lexington raised him.. Sharing this sauce here just feels right. “Aside from that, I just love BBQ,” he said.

For more updates or to follow his work, Carter can be found on Facebook at Pitmaster CJ.