Meet the Universal Peace Officers
Our Mission
At Universal Peace Officers, our mission is to spread peace, love, and compassion through community outreach, turning gratitude for God’s unconditional gift of life into tangible acts of service. We believe that every person carries immeasurable worth, and that our calling is to show up, stand alongside, and help shoulder the burdens of our neighbors. Grounded in the promise that “we come to know and believe the love God has for us, and we love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:16, 19), we seek to be living expressions of that love—offering warmth, presence, and hope wherever there is need.
Meet The Founder
Paul "Smokey" Curcio
Paul Curcio’s story is one of second chances, slow miracles, and a heart that refuses to stop giving.
Paul’s journey began in the kitchens of Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he discovered that food could be more than a meal—it could be a way to care for people’s souls as much as their bodies. That passion led him into the restaurant world and eventually to running Golden Rule BBQ for nearly two decades, becoming a familiar face and steady presence for countless families, coworkers, and neighbors.
Behind the smoke and sauce, though, Paul was walking a much deeper road. Years of wrestling with addiction and searching for a higher power became the soil where his faith and compassion took root. Over time, God met him in that brokenness and turned his story into one of recovery, restoration, and purpose. Today, Paul is a staple in the recovery community—a man who not only understands the struggle, but stands shoulder to shoulder with those still fighting it.
Out of that journey, Brother Paul’s BBQ in Alabaster, Alabama, was born—not just as a restaurant, but as a gathering place for grace. The space now houses Universal Peace Officers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to sharing Paul’s experience, strength, and hope in very practical ways: community outreach, heartfelt testimonials, support for those experiencing homelessness in Greater Birmingham, prison ministry, a food and clothing pantry, and many other growing initiatives that meet people right where they are.
Paul often sums up his calling in a simple, humble hope: “We hope to build a sustainable network through God’s loving gift of life one heart at a time.” That’s the heartbeat of Brother Paul’s BBQ and Universal Peace Officers...a life redeemed, poured back out in service, one person, one meal, one act of compassion at a time.