Ribfest all about taste and showmanship
Smoke wouldn’t normally be a problem at an event called Ribfest.
But the kind of smoke bedevilling some cooks and meat-eaters on the weekend in City Park came not from sizzling grills but faraway forest fires.
“Man, this smoke is killing us — at least everybody like me who’s got allergies,” said Rahim Berisha of the Boss Hog’s rib-cooking outfit.
The London, Ont.-based company was the three-time People’s Choice winner heading into this year’s Kelowna Ribfest, a charity fundraiser sponsored by the Sunrise Rotary Club. Hopes were the event would raise as much as $75,000 for JoeAnna’s House, a 20-bedroom residence where out-of-towners can stay while loved ones receive treatment at Kelowna General Hospital.
Berisha said the key to his company’s success in winning many of the trophies at Ribfest events was slow cooking and showmanship.
“You have to take your time with the ribs, and give people a good show while they’re patiently waiting,” said Berisha, who took his own advice by donning a blue felt cowboy hat, calling out to the crowd in a booming voice, and energetically whirling a bottle of sauce back and forth over some sizzling ribs.
Devon McBride, who attended last year’s Ribfest, said he came better prepared for this year’s event.
“I didn’t eat breakfast,” he said with a laugh. “I wanted to get my money's worth, and help the Rotarians out with a good cause.”
Some anti-meat protestors earlier vowed to be at Ribfest, but they didn't seem to be at City Park on Sunday.