Friday, June 27, 2008

Q Haven In The News

Q Haven got a little ink in the New Haven Business Journal this week. Click the link below to read the story.

Q Haven in the NHBJ

Friday, June 20, 2008

Merrimack This Weekend

The New England Rock-N-Ribfest is this weekend, and we won't be there.

When we were planning this season, we were on the fence about whether to cook any events in June, knowing that Sheila would be eight months pregnant. After much consideration, we decided that it was important that we be close to home rather than hundreds of miles away at a competition in case anything happened.

Sheila is fine, granted a little uncomfortable at times but everything is going well. While I wish we were up in New Hampshire, I don't have any regrets. We have our whole lives to compete (despite what so many people say, that we will not be able to live any more because of the baby, which I say is BS).

Since everything is going well with the baby, there is a good chance that I will be able to go to Harpoon for most of the weekend. Also, we have decided to attend the Hudson Valley Ribfest in New Paltz, New York in August. We will be getting an RV spot there, so there is a chance that if all is well, our baby may be there for his first competition!

So good luck to all my BBQ friends who are competing this weekend in New Hampshire. I'll be there in spirit rooting you on.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Peter's Pond Judging

Took my first shot at judging at a KCBS style contest yesterday at the Peter's Pond contest on Cape Cod. Was an interesting experience, and I definitely learned some things.

For those who have never judged before, it is a very organized process. Each person judges six entries for each category. It seemed to me that for every category, there were one or two entries that were excellent, a couple that were average, and one or two that was not very good.

As a competition cook, I learned a few things that certainly will help me. Saw some interesting presentations, tasted some different things.

The biggest thing I learned: I would rather cook and compete than judge. However, in the future, I will be sure to judge a contest now and then, because I believe it will help me as a cook.

Also, congratulations to I Smell Smoke and Lakeside Smokers, the grand and reserve grand champions of the contest.

Friday, June 13, 2008

First Time Judging

I'll be judging for the first time in a KCBS style BBQ contest tomorrow at Peter's Pond in Sandwich, Massachusetts. It is not a KCBS sanctioned event, but will be run just like a KCBS contest.

I have only judged once before, and that was at a backyard BBQ contest in 2006. That was comparative judging, and was only ribs and wings.

Since I am on a self imposed sabbatical from competing as we await the birth of our boy, hopefully this will somewhat satisfy me by at least letting me spend some time at a contest. I'll post some thoughts about judging when I return.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

MIA

Been a busy week, sorry to my three readers that I haven't put a post up lately....

Finally I have some BBQ related stuff to look forward to. I will be judging at Peter's Pond on June 14th. This will be my first event since I became a certified KCBS judge in April. It will be good to be out there, although I really would rather be cooking.

This coming weekend, I will be making a couple of fatties by request for Sheila's baby shower.

In the next few weeks, the planning for Harpoon really begins. Harpoon is July 25-27, and Sheila's due date is July 22. If she can have the baby a week or so early, I should be able to make it for at least part of the weekend....