Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival set for Nov. 9

It’s almost that time of the year again when the kosher meats are smoking and the community gathers for a fun-filled day with great eats.

The 12th annual Atlanta Kosher BBQ Festival will be from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., Nov. 9, at Brook Run Park in Dunwoody. Admission is free and open to the entire community.

For its first 11 years, the festival was organized by the Hebrew Order of David and managed by former executive director Jody Pollack, who stepped down after last year’s festival and decided he was ready to pass the torch. The Atlanta Jewish Life Foundation stepped up and assumed administrative duties. Jacqueline Morris, events director for the AJT, will serve as the festival’s executive director.

In an interview this summer, Morris shared, “The last two years of the festival, I hosted a cookoff team. Unlike other teams, we were not sponsored through an organization, we were just young adults having fun. Last year, I wasn’t even living in Georgia at the time, but I flew in to host a team.”

Morris added that the Kosher BBQ Festival is one of her favorite Jewish-themed festivals because “you are free to be out and Jewish, you feel safe. Even after Oct. 7, we all felt safe.”

As with previous iterations, this year’s festival will feature the BBQ competition including best chili, brisket, chicken and beef ribs categories, BBQ tasting, team contests, kids’ zone, community expo, live music, and a silent auction.

“The Kosher BBQ Festival is the only standard Jewish festival in Atlanta that hosts 4,000 people, from Orthodox to Reform and even non-Jews who are just supportive of us being who we are,” Morris said.

Team and vendor registrations are now open. To register, please visit www.TheAtlantaKosherBBQ.com, or email jacqueline@atlantajewishlifefoundation.com. For more info, please call 770-265-3803.

Brook Run Park is located at 4770 North Peachtree Road in Dunwoody.