The University’s Residence Village was home to the first Blazing Barbecue Brawl hosted by St. John’s Dining on April 22, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. “The Ultimate BBQ Competition” featured a live DJ, backyard games, desserts and, of course, an assortment of barbecue dishes.
Grill masters from Quinnipiac Trinity, Hofstra, Suny Old Westbury, Pace University, Chartwells Higher Education and St. John’s were tasked with making a small barbecue menu to serve judges and students. Montgoris Dining Hall was closed for lunch so many students filled the Residence Village Path to enjoy the nice weather and festivities.
Students used their meal swipes to receive a punch card that was valid at the six different barbecue stations. Attendees without a meal plan had to pay a fee of less than $15 to participate in the barbecue. At each station students were served meat and side dishes.
“It’s amazing I see the whole campus is out on the strip, everybody has food,” sophomore Elisha Adams said, showing the overall positive reception from guests. “The trash is empty, no wasted food over here.”
Sophomore Pamela Collado reiterated these sentiments. “Good vibes, I really like energy, I am not someone who really likes the heat but I am here and I like it.”
Some stations also served desserts. “Best thing I had was this campfire s’mores cookie… it was really sweet, gooey, and yummy” Collado told the Torch.
Towards the end of the event, winners were announced for the six various categories and the overall winner.
There was a trophy for brisket, ribs, chicken, pork, side dish and a people’s choice award. The blind judges awarded best chicken and ribs to Quinnipiac and Trinity. St. John’s won every other award and were crowned the overall winners of the Ultimate BBQ Competition.
The University’s barbecue team leader Chef Josh spoke about his passion for cooking after the big win. “I love to barbecue. I have done competitions before, just the planning, the execution, the whole process of it is just the best feeling” Josh said.
The University hopes to make the Blazing Barbecue Brawl an annual event on campus.
