Who will steak their claim as the BBQ daddy?

FRIDAY, MAY 25: Fresh TV’s Elmore Warren is encouraging the island’s fathers to “get their grill on” for the second annual Father’s Day BBQ next month.

Warren said the Court Street event looks set to grow this year with more competitors lined up to participate and more spectators expected to attend.  

And this year’s winning team is in with a chance of being flown out to Puerto Rico to compete in a major regional BBQ championships at the end of June.

There are still places left and thanks to the generosity of sponsor Butterfield and Vallis, the raw meat will be provided for free for all competitors.

The whole event, which is also sponsored by the Bermuda.com, will be televised on Fresh TV. It takes place on Court Street on Father’s Day (June 17) from 1pm to 7:30pm.

Warren told the Bermuda Sun: “The whole reason this idea came about was that we felt like the men are overlooked for Father’s Day — it’s never as big as Mother’s Day and there should be no comparison. But the fact of the matter is — men don’t do much on Father’s Day, it’s throwaway day for them.

Family

“I thought why not create a Father’s Day BBQ and grill for fathers and their children. It’s about the father and his family in the hopes of bringing together what men love to do most.

“Bermudians love a BBQ and you don’t go to too many houses where the guy is not behind the grill, the wife could have spiced up some food but the guy’s always on the grill!”

There will be a rotation of local DJs playing from the balcony of Fresh TV and there will be some live buskers on the streets. In keeping with the family feel there will be pony rides for the children and other entertainment throughout the day.

“The real focus is food but we are looking for little things to make it a family event too,” explained Warren.

Four awards will be handed out on the day for the various categories— Father and Child; Open Grilling; Low and Slow and People’s Choice.

Father and Child pits family teams against each other, Open Grillers is open to anyone, Low and Slow is for the slow cooking professionals and People’s Choice is judged by the taste buds of the guests alone.

Last year’s overall winner was Antwan Albuoy for his delicious ribs but he will not be competing this year.

Some of last year’s competitors are expected to take part this year including Warren Brown, winner of the People’s Choice Award last year, and the Steede father and son team of Kevon and Jaelen. Bermuda.com’s Glenn Jones will be the celebrity griller.

The winner of the Low and Slow category is deemed the overall winner. Warren explained: “The Low and Slow grillers have to grill for at least six to eight hours — they have to smoke that puppy for quite some time. So we consider that to be more the professional range — they are the ones doing competition quality grilling.

“They grill three pieces and have a full gamut of barbequing.”

Warren told the Bermuda Sun that he is hoping this year’s winning team will be flown to Puerto Rico in the Caribbean to compete in a major BBQ regional championships — the Cattlemen’s BBQ taking place there in June and July. He is still trying to get adequate sponsorship in time for the event in June and July.

Warren said his goal was to make the Father’s Day BBQ an international event in the future. “Last year we had 370 people come out and this year we are hoping for 600. This is already a national event — it was televised last year and people know about it. The goal is to make it an international event where we create a food festival centred around what we know people really love — BBQs!”

Anyone interested in competing in this year’s Father’s Day BBQ event should call 333-7374 or e-mail [email protected]. Application forms are available for pick up from Fresh TV at 44 Court Street. The event is on June 17 from 1pm and finishes up a 7:30pm. On Court Street between Victoria and Dundonald Street. Elliott and Court street will be closed to traffic. On entrance you will get four tokens for $10 – each token includes a plate of four samplers. The price also includes a voting slip to vote in the People’s Choice Award.