Local BBQ Masters Seek Grand Champion Status at EFSC Foundation Event
Like giant migratory birds following a deep-rooted instinctual call, the RVs and trailers will descend upon the parking lot by the tennis courts at Eastern Florida State College’s Melbourne Campus on Friday, Feb. 16.
Not long after, the heady smells of barbecue — pork butt, ribs, chicken and brisket — will tantalizingly waft in the vicinity. The caravan comes to compete at the Eastern Florida State College Foundation’s 8th Annual BBQ Cook-Off & Family Fest the next day, and there is no time to waste in massaging recipes for a chance at greatness.
Twenty-five backyard and corporate teams from around the state will vie for the coveted title of Grand Champion, as well as for the concrete reassurance their culinary prowess has earned the popular vote in the People’s Choice Award.
Robert Schenk and his Appliance Warehouse BBQ team, comprised of himself and Will Jessell, will again be there. Don’t let the team size fool you, for Schenk and Jessell are a formidable force that have garnered 10 Grand Champions and a spate of People’s Choice kudos around the state at competitions sanctioned by the Florida BBQ Association.
While the EFSC Cook-Off is not Association sanctioned, it is on home turf for Schenk, owner of Appliance Warehouse in Cocoa. He wouldn’t miss it, for it was at the EFSC event that he first tasted the sweet sauce of victory, winning Grand Champion at his first barbecuing attempt a few years ago.
“Out of all the barbecue competitions we do all over the state. Eastern Florida’s is by far our favorite,” Schenk said.
His 20-foot custom trailer, which houses both sleeping and cooking quarters, impresses with its cleanliness and orderliness. Like other teams in the circuit, Appliance Warehouse does not keep recipes a secret.
“We tell anybody and everybody the recipe, but the secret is in the execution,” Schenk said.
For those with a proclivity for betting, the odds are that Appliance Warehouse and two other Brevard corporate teams — Lightholder and The Viera Company — are the ones to beat. By the way, Lightholder took the highly desirable Golden Pig trophy as last year’s winner for the Corporate Challenge.
As for backyard teams, Smoke Meat Every Day, last year’s Grand Champion, will be a tough contender, so place your bets accordingly, or better yet, just enjoy the samplings, which you can have for the $15 entrance fee, available at the gate. You certainly won’t be alone, for more than 2,000 attendees are expected, and the competitors will have plenty of pork butt for the tasting.
In addition to the samplings, the big draws include the “Red, White and Wheels” car show presented by the EFSC Collegiate Veterans Society. There also will be food trucks with sides and desserts for purchase, beer for sale, a kids’ zone with bounce house and face painting and live music by the beloved Space Coast band Hot Pink.
Last year, the barbecue raised $145,000 for the Foundation, which distributed the funds among student scholarships and other college initiatives that include programs such as the fire academy, nursing and veterinary technology and more.
“It helps meet needs that are not in the budget,” said Foundation executive director Tonya Cherry. “The car show is also a huge fundraiser for the Collegiate Vet Club.”
Grand Champion level sponsor Community Credit Union and signature sponsor Glover Orndorf Flanagan Wealth Management provide plenty of time, talent and treasure to the event.
Reasonable admission, mouth-watering food and pleasant, temperate weather make for the perfect recipe of the Barbecue and Family Fest.
“It gets bigger and better every year,” Cherry said.
If You Go
Eastern Florida State College Foundation’s 8th Annual BBQ Cook-Off & Family Fest
Saturday, Feb. 17
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
efscfoundation.org/bbq
321-433-7055
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