We were deep in conversation, a friend and I, a few weeks back talking about this, the most wonderful time of the year in our area. There are several reasons – and I suppose we could start with the weather.
We are fortunate enough to live in an area where the beginning of the fall season is simply ideal for a ton of things. Golf? Check. Boating? Absolutely. Running? That too. Even something as simple as sitting on your porch enjoying that ice cold white zinfandel is made for this time of the year.
It’s also the perfect time for festivals. If I had to guess, there are maybe a dozen going on between October 1 and Thanksgiving Day here in the Lowcountry.
There’s the Italian Heritage event, Chili Cookoff benefitting the Kiwanis Club, Hilton Head Island Shrimp Festival at Sea Pines, the Bluffton Seafood Festival and, of course, November’s Oyster Festival. Need I continue?
But back to that conversation.
We were discussing the upcoming Rock ’n’ Ribs event at Coligny Plaza coming up mid-October. That we know of, it is the region’s only BBQ festival (Google confirms this). Savannah just started a small-ish one last year, but Rock ’n’ Ribs was created to be a big deal. Now in its fourth year, there is growth but the plans are to make it bigger and better every single year.
The two primary causes wrapped into to the fun-filled weekend are the Carl Ruiz Foundation, which provides scholarship awards to assist qualified students, and Second Helpings, a nonprofit organization engaging volunteers to rescue and redistribute food at no cost.
For starters, there’s the quality of pit masters who visit the island that weekend. I’m not at all taking a shot at our food trucks in the area, but the talent that comes to the island for Rock ’n’ Ribs is among the best in America.
What I think gets lost in translation are those pit masters’ names. My guess is more people recognize the name of their BBQ joint more so than the guy (or gal) behind the goodness. Of note are Charleston’s Swig and Swine; Ubon’s Restaurant in Yazoo City, Mississippi; Pig Beach BBQ; and Brunswick’s Hootenanny’s BBQ (formerly South of Heaven). Beyond those rock stars are Peculiar Pig’s Marvin Ross and Spike TV star Brian Duffy.
Lee Lucier, one of the Rock ’n’ Ribs festival organizers, shared with me that there has never been a shortage of talent looking forward to coming to the island for a weekend and sharing their talents with you at several events. That includes a Thursday evening cooking class with some of these BBQ experts. That includes a Friday lunch event at Coligny Plaza. That includes a gourmet BBQ event on Friday night.
The Big Daddy of the weekend is Saturday’s Grand Tasting main event featuring BBQ from every master in the lineup, with music in the background by recording artists Drivin and Cryin. Sounds like a great time to me.
Of course, the best part is the cause. There are two primary causes wrapped into to the fun-filled weekend. One is the Carl Ruiz Foundation, which provides scholarship awards to assist qualified students who are in pursuit of an apprenticeship, certification, or post-secondary education in the culinary arts through an accredited culinary or hospitality school program.
The other beneficiary is the island’s Second Helpings, a nonprofit organization engaging volunteers to rescue and redistribute food at no cost to qualified nonprofit agencies in Beaufort, Jasper, and Hampton counties. They acquire funding to buy healthy food to supplement their food rescue efforts. I’ve visited with the wonderful people of Second Helpings, and I know they do a phenomenal job addressing food insecurity in the area. They can use all the help they can get.
The good news about this year’s event is the fact that the ticket price came down from the original listing. That was due in part to sponsor support in helping to raise money for these causes. You can enjoy individual events or purchase a full weekend pass with enough bang for your buck to last you a while.
Believe it or not, due to schedule conflicts the past few years, I’ve never attended this BBQ weekend on the island. This time I will be there and I am very much looking forward to it. You can find anything else you need to know about Hilton Head Island’s only weekend BBQ event October 17-20 at RocknRibshhi.com.
