This year’s Chester Rotary “Grillin’ on the Green, A Taste of Chester” will include a sauce competition along with the traditional BBQ competition and the “Taste of Chester” People’s Choice Awards. Similar to the BBQ competition, sauce competitors will be awarded first and second place trophies in four categories; best in Tomato Base-Mild, Tomato Base-Spicy, Mustard Base, and Vinegar Base sauces. The event is scheduled for Thursday, May 18 from 5 pm to 8:30 pm at the Chester Village Green.
Taste of Grace BBQ 2016 People’s.Choice Best BBQ winners.
Professionally trained and certified culinary experts will judge the competition and vote on first and second place BBQ professional competitors for Best Chicken, Best Beef and Best Pork. The judges will also give 1st and 2nd place awards to Best Amateur. Awards will be trophies along with cash prizes ranging from $50 to $200.
Patrons of the event will have two overall award categories to vote on while enjoying themselves. For the restaurants not competing in a BBQ category, there will be the “People’s Choice-A Taste of Chester” award, and for the BBQ competitors there will be an overall “People’s Choice-Best BBQ” award. Each overall winner will receive a custom crafted chef’s knife in a beautiful display case.
Some of the competitors already committed to this year’s Chester Rotary “Grillin’ on the Green” for the professional BBQ categories include Le Pough’s BBQ, Captain Rob’s Pigalicious, A Taste of Grace BBQ and Saucy’s Walk-Up BBQ. The Restaurant People’s Choice competitors already committed include the Crab Dump, Brew, Riptide’s, and Big Oak.
Discounted advance tickets for $20 are available on the ChesterRotary website www.chestervarotary.com or by stopping by your Chester-area Village Bank. On the day of the event, tickets will be $25 at the gate. Active military with ID will get $5 off at the gate. Children under 10 are admitted free of charge with a paying adult. All proceeds from the event go to local charities such as the Chesterfield Food Bank, local elementary school literacy programs, Bright Beginnings, Families of the Wounded, American Red Cross, and the USO.
This event is well-attended by the Chester community, but also enjoys a decent draw from other areas of Chesterfield, Colonial Heights, Prince George, and Hopewell as well as from across the river. Check out sponsorship opportunities by going to the club’s website www.chestervarotary.com or call Joe Lewis at (804) 564-9959 for details.
