Cumming resident Randall Bowman comes from a family that teaches community service by example. His mother serves on the Forsyth County planning commission; his father is on the board of the local Chamber of Commerce. Bowman took a somewhat different route, opting to combine his desire to give back with his favorite pastime – cooking, eating and serving his barbecued chicken, pork ribs and beef brisket.
Last year, Bowman launched the National BBQ Cup, a cook-off on the circuit of barbecue competitions sponsored by the Kansas City Barbecue Society. The idea grew out his 20-year experience on the circuit with his team, Deep South BBQ and his desire to support local causes facing tight financial squeezes.
“I saw a competition as a great opportunity to bring something to our community that would raise funds for nonprofits that have been so hard hit in the last few years,” said Bowman, who owns a company that builds barbecue smokers. “So a few years ago, we formed the National BBQ Cup as a nonprofit that lets us raise funds to give to others.”
Last year’s inaugural Cup drew 128 barbecue teams from 23 states who competed for top taste honors. Bowman expects at least 160 food crews to set up smokers at the Cumming Fairgrounds for the 2012 cook-off on Nov. 16 and 17, and he estimates about 15,000 folks will show up to sample the selection.
“Last year’s was one of the largest barbecue events in the state and about the fourth largest in the country, based on the number of teams,” said Bowman. “They’re all competing for about $25,000 in prize money.”
The event recently received an unexpected boost when the web site Liveability.com named Cumming one of the country’s top barbecue cities.
“When they first contacted me, I didn’t even know what it was in regards to,” said Bowman. “Then they called back asking for photos of last year’s event. A few weeks later, they told me they’d named Cumming one of their top barbecue cities, which I thought was just great.”
There’s no doubt the ’cue takes center stage during the 2-day event, but for Bowman, the most important part of the weekend comes when the proceeds are counted and he can distribute them to local organizations such as the Bald Ridge Lodge, a center in Cumming that works with teenage boys referred from the Department of Family and Children Services or the local juvenile court.
“They’re always doing fundraisers and need help,” said Bowman. “We can really help them out. We also get other groups involved: Boy Scout troops will be working the parking lots; others will be selling food. So it’s really a community project.”
The event kicks off with tastings and an evening concert by Mac Powell of the band Third Day on Nov. 16. Admission is $10. The following day, the public can vote on its favorite dishes, enjoy live music, stroll an arts and crafts section and let the kids loose in a play zone. Admission is $5; tasting tickets are $5. Details on times and locations are online at
www.nationalbbqcup.com; 770-886-6290.
Each Saturday, we shine a spotlight on a local neighborhood, city or community. To suggest a place for us to visit, e-mail H.M. Cauley at hm_cauley@yahoo.com or call 404-514-6162.
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