KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City BBQ Festival is back for its second year at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Pitmasters from across the country traveled to KC to show off their craft.
“There’s nothing better in this world than to have folks come together and eat,” said Brian Wahby, who does public relations for the event.
Wahby says the mission of the KC BBQ Festival is to keep it customer-centric. While there are friendly competitions between pitmasters for entertainment, the weekend is all about bringing customers together and making sure they have fun.
He believes food, especially barbecue, has the power to do just that.
"We’ve been cooking meat for as long as we’ve been able to tend fire as human beings. But what’s universal about barbecue is that every culture has meat and put it over a fire and cooks it," Wahby said.
Kent Black, owner and fourth-generation pitmaster of Black’s BBQ in Lockhart, Texas, says barbecue is all about tradition. It was his job to keep it alive by passing down the business in the family and never changing the recipe.
Black's BBQ is celebrating the joint’s 90th anniversary this year.
“It’s what we do, it’s something we’re real proud of because we now have five generations in the business,” Black said. “My mom and dad really built it up to where it is, and when they retired about 10 years ago, I bought the company. My job is to not change anything and keep doing it.”
His favorite part about running a barbecue joint is watching his family legacy become a part of others.
“Our best day is when a family comes in with a baby in a stroller, parents pushing it and grandparents with them, and the parents will say, 'This is baby Susan’s first trip to Black’s BBQ,'” Black said.
Whether barbecue lovers are from Texas or Kansas City, it seems the dedication and love for the industry run equally deep.
For Todd Johns, founder of Plowboy’s Barbecue, it's his way of upholding how it has always been done.
“If I want brisket for lunch tomorrow, I need to start at lunchtime today,” Johns said. “That’s the tradition — I think it’s just that commitment to a meal and the craft of it all.”
The event runs through Sunday, May 8. For more details, visit the event website.
