Growing up on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Gunner Roe was exposed to the area's water oriented traditions and values. Gunner's family owned a gas station along the heavily traveled State Route 50 where it's not uncommon, even today, to see roadside barbecue stands dotting the landscape. At an early age, Gunner and his brother started serving barbecue chicken dinners on the weekends at the family's service station using a white barbecue sauce adapted from an old Eastern Shore Lions Club recipe. Serving upwards of 750 dinners in a weekend, the pace was hectic. Instead of using a typical paintbrush type applicator, Gunner used a small cotton mop-like utensil to quickly slap each chicken as he moved along the grill. At one point a customer remarked that Gunner appeared to be "Spankin'" the chickens, and so the name Spankin Sauce was born.

Gunner has tested and refined the white barbecue sauce that is today's Spankin' Sauce & Marinade and moved to develop a Hot Mustard. At the end of 2000 he introduced his red barbecue sauce, "Spank It Red", and is currently developing a line of dry rubs.