Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival, New Home, New Food
Teams compete for best BBQ and --new this year -- chili.
The Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival has a new site in Sandy Springs and a new competition category – chili. In its sixth year, the annual barbecue is set for Oct. 21 on the City Green at City Springs, 1 Galambos Way, in the new heart of downtown Sandy Springs.
The community-wide event is presented by the Hebrew Order of David International, the Atlanta Jewish Times and Balloons Over Atlanta. JELF, the Jewish Educational Loan Fund, is the main charitable organization involved with this year’s event.
The highlight of the day is the kosher barbecue competition, where teams showcase their skills. The competition is judged by a panel of local barbecue experts, but everyone who attends can buy tastings and decide for themselves who makes the best brisket, ribs, chicken and chili.
“Not only does the festival highlight kosher food, it also exposes the kosher community to the wonderful flavors and aromas of southern barbecue, but with a kosher twist,” said Jody Pollack, executive director of the AKBF.
“The love of food is universal. By adhering to kashrut, we ensure that all Jews can enjoy it and since it is, after all, barbecue, the non-kosher and non-Jewish community partakes as well,” Pollack said.
“This is about the most diverse food event in the state of Georgia. You can have all flavors of people sitting around the same table and enjoying the same food. While we wish we could be raising hundreds of thousands of dollars, that is not the point of the festival. Our goal is to bring the community together and have a safe family friendly day enjoying each other’s company and some awesome kosher barbecue.”
Of the new site, Pollack said, “We’re really excited about our new City Springs location. It’s a beautiful location, and we hope it will bring out people who love kosher barbecue and want to check out Sandy Springs’ new downtown. With our teams barbecuing all night long before the event, we hope the aromas will waft over all the adjoining neighborhoods and encourage people to follow their noses.”
Pollack predicts that by adding chili to the competition, it will enable teams to make bigger batches of chili for more people to taste.
“We anticipate having around 3,000 attendees this year,” he said. “With great food, an exciting new venue and plenty of parking, we have a good recipe for a tasty afternoon – especially if the weather cooperates.”
It is extremely important that the community support the festival, both financially and by joining us at the festival. As a self-funded event, the festival depends on the generosity of the community to help subsidize the costs and to provide enough funds left over to help other deserving Jewish organizations. The AKBF welcomes donations, sponsorships, team participation, community partnerships, volunteers and most of all, your attendance.
Beyond the barbecue competition, the Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival will have live music all day and a fun kids’ area. Kosher food and other vendors and exhibitors round out the event. To learn more about signing up a team or becoming a sponsor or vendor, visit the event website at www.theatlantakosherbbq.com, and check back for updates.
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