Scholarships await junior winners of I Love BBQ Festival - 2010-06-28

Record number of teams coming to Lake Placid for I Love BBQ Festival and Junior World BBQ Championships

Stellar cast of judges to descend upon Olympic village to decide Junior World Champs

Annual youth fund raiser enables USA Luge to give back to its community

CONTACTS:
Dmitry Feld, ILBBQF Director of Operations, dmitryf@ilbbqf.com, 518-523-2071, ext. 104
Sandy Caligiore, ILBBQF Media Coordinator, sandy@usaluge.org, 518-637-3597

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. - The annual I Love BBQ Festival is ready for its fifth edition with record numbers of teams and junior competitors coming to Lake Placid.

Event coordinator Dmitry Feld reported that 45 teams will smoke out the Olympic Speed Skating Oval July 2-4 with food, festivities and music for adults and children. Among those, Feld said, 11 teams will compete for the title of Junior World BBQ Champion.

The winning team members of the world junior competition will share a $10,000 scholarship to nearby Paul Smith’s College, to be used over their four years. Second place will be awarded $6,000, while third place shares $4,000.


"Paul Smith’s College is excited to provide the winners of the I Love Barbecue Junior World Championships with the opportunity to pursue their culinary talents at the college level," stated Dr. Richard Nelson, Provost of Paul Smith’s College. "Our association with the event has introduced us to some very talented young chefs with bright futures and we value our association with USA Luge in support of the Shipman Youth Center."

The defending World Champion, Richard Tyler Westhaver, of Norwell, Mass., will bring his Little Richard and the Big Green Egg crew to Lake Placid.

The junior world event is set for July 3, beginning at 11 am.

Feld approached the college three years ago after deciding to bring the juniors to Lake Placid.

"This is a perfect way to connect the culinary offerings of Paul Smith’s with youth approaching their college years," said Feld. "The concept of combining Paul Smith’s with the BBQ Festival has definitely helped us get a few more teams."

There are four categories in the I Love BBQ Junior World Championships: chicken, including cornish game hen and Kosher chicken; pork ribs, including the bone; strip steak, which may include New York Strip, Kansas City Strip, strip loin, shell steak or Delmonico Steak; and dessert.

All entrees must include a starch and grilled vegetable, while dessert must be cooked and assembled on site.

The youngsters will compete before a panel of judges representing endeavors in and out of the culinary world. They include:

–John Alexander, Assistant News Director of WNBZ Radio in Saranac Lake, N.Y.

–Alec Abt, teacher, Paul Smith’s College

–Phil Johnson, writer, Adirondack Life Magazine and the Amsterdam Recorder

–Kevin McCarthy, teacher, Paul Smith’s College

- Denis Pelletier, city official from Edmundson, New Brunswick, Canada

-April Schanoes, writer, BBQ News and food critic

-Howard Bryant, writer, espn.com

-Bob Thomson, columnist, Washington Post

-Candy Thomson, outdoor and Olympic writer, Baltimore Sun

-Bob Imbriani, executive, Team Worldwide

-Chris Morris, News Director, WNBZ Radio in Saranac Lake, N.Y.

-Joe Tollesen, reporter, NBC Radio/Westwood One

-Brandon Hudson, reporter, Fox 44 Burlington, Vt.

-David McKenty, General Manager, Milano’s North Restaurant in Lake Placid

-Chuck Brucculeri, chef, High Peaks Resort in Lake Placid

-Bernard Dayan, owner, North Country Properties in Lake Placid

-Jason Leon, board member, Village of Lake Placid

-John D’Adamo, General Manager, Desmond Hotel in Albany, N.Y.

-Dr. Richard Nelson, Provost, Paul Smith’s College

-Dr. Ernest Wilson, Dean, Paul Smith’s College

-Naj Wikoff, society writer, Lake Placid News

-Paul Varga, morning personality, WSLP Radio in Lake Placid

Hours of operation will be July 2 from 4 pm - 10 pm; July 3 from 10 am - 10 pm; and July 4 from 10 am - 5 pm.

Daily entry fee is $6 with free admission for children under 12 years of age.

All admission fees, as well as net proceeds from the weekend, will benefit the Thomas Shipman Youth Center in Lake Placid.



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Thomas Shipman, a Lake Placid police officer whose life was cut short in 1999, inspired the center, which the festival benefits. For the past seven years, the Shipman Youth Center has provided a supervised, safe and exciting environment and programs where local children can grow and develop as individuals.

In giving back to the community which has embraced the national luge federation since its inception in 1980, USA Luge acts as catalyst for this annual fundraiser.