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Fairway to Flames
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Sea Island BBQ team
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Last Year's BBQ ProAm
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Carey Bringle
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Pat Martin
On Thursday, October 2, satisfy your Southern soul with a sizzling night of bourbon, blues and BBQ on Sea Island’s Rainbow Island! Join the Sea Island BBQ team and Harrison Sapp from Southern Soul Barbeque as they host fellow celebrated pitmaster pros in the Georgia Crown Distributing Co./Bulleit Bourbon BBQ Pro-Am presented by Sea Island and Southern Soul Barbeque. Professional golfers become the amateurs as they compete with the pitmasters to see if they’ve got what it takes to make the cut. This all-inclusive menu consists of not only great BBQ, but several Bulleit Bourbon specialty cocktails along with a plethora of southern side dishes and tempting sweets. Blues at its best will to be provided by Savannah’s legendary Eric Culberson Band. Summer might be over by then, but it still promises to be a HOT night!
Southern Soul Barbeque Team, the Sea Island Barbeque Team, and Atlanta’s Fox Brothers Bar-B-Q all participated last year and will return to fan the flames of competition. And to make sure the Georgia pitmasters aren’t just blowin’ smoke, we’ve got some new blood coming in from Nashville: Peg Leg Porker, owned by Carey Bringle, and Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint.
Carey Bringle brings a great sense of humor, a zest for life, and a passion for BBQ wherever he goes. He explains, “With deep-seated roots in the West Tennessee BBQ culture, I developed an appreciation for BBQ at a young age. Having parents who grew up in Memphis, it was inevitable. To say that my family had a passion for it is an understatement . . . I always knew I would cook BBQ.” After losing his right leg following a battle with an aggressive bone cancer at age 17, Casey says his life changed and he “emerged with a more positive outlook on life, realizing that everyday brought a new adventure, opportunity for new experiences, and – most importantly – a chance to eat more great food.” Casey is dedicated to giving back to his Nashville community and has been honored to participate in special events like Esquire Magazine’s “Best Of” party and Food & Wine’s “Classic at Aspen.”
“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” ~ Vince Lombardi It’s these words that Pitmaster Pat Martin of Martin’s B-B-Que Joint says are his words to live by. This dedicated family man left a job in the financial industry to open up the first of his growing family of barbeque joints in Nolensville, Tennessee. Today there are four. He specializes in whole hog barbeque, and many would say he’s set today’s standard for it and has been responsible for reviving what he once called “a lost art.” He first made a name for himself as the first pitmaster from Tennessee to compete in the Big Apple BBQ Block Party. Since then, he’s been on The Today Show, Fox and Friends, and been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Martin’s Redneck Taco, made of pulled pork and coleslaw on a hoecake, is legendary, or as Guy Fieri called it, “porkapalooza.”
A big treat for this year’s guests will be watching veteran PGA Tour pro Davis Love, III wielding barbeque tongs instead of his Bridgestone irons. The former Ryder Cup Team Captain is going to be heading his own team and has the apron to show it. Also participating this year is St. Simons resident and 7-time PGA Tour event winner Matt Kuchar. What a testament to this wonderful, generous community, and to this great event that benefits Hospice of the Golden Isles, to have a true golf legend and one of today’s best players (Kuchar is currently 3rd in FedExCup rankings and 5th in Official World Golf rankings.) participating in their cherished “downtime.” 2007 Buick Open champion and Food Network enthusiast Brian Bateman is eager to join the fun and several other pro golfers are signing on at the time of writing and will be announced at a later date.
The Saint Simons Food and Spirits Festival organizers are excited to have Georgia Crown Distributing Co. and Bulleit Bourbon as the sponsors of the Barbeque Pro-Am. Both companies have impressive family legacies and are known for the quality of their products.
The late Fate D. Leebern founded Georgia Crown Distributing Co. (then known as Columbus Wine Company Distributors) in August 1938. It was Columbus Wine Company that unloaded the first carload of legal liquor in Columbus following the end of Prohibition. For almost 70 years, Georgia Crown has been growing, changing and diversifying, and has remained in the Leeburn family for four generations. Today, they are a full service beverage distributor, with wholesale operations doing business in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, selling imported and domestic spirits, wines, beers and specialty products. Georgia Crown is a family owned business rooted in the past with a bright and challenging vision for the future.
It was a family recipe that laid the foundation for the creation of Bulleit Distilling Company. Inspired by his great-great-grandfather Augustus Bulleit, who made a high-rye whiskey between 1830-1860, Tom E. Bulleit, Jr. fulfilled a lifelong dream of reviving that old family bourbon recipe by founding Bulleit in 1987. Bulleit Bourbon is made with small-batch techniques inspired by those pioneered by Augustus Bulleit. Only ingredients of the very highest quality are used. The subtlety and complexity of Bulleit Bourbon come from its unique blend of rye, corn, and barley malt, along with special strains of yeast and pure Kentucky limestone filtered water. Due to its especially high rye content, Bulleit Bourbon has a bold, spicy character with a finish that's distinctively clean and smooth.
Make plans now to attend what is sure to be a smokin’ event on October 2, as well as the other events taking place that week as part of the Saint Simons Food and Spirits Festival. All proceeds benefit Hospice of the Golden Isles. Tickets are available online only. To purchase tickets for this event and to view the entire list of festival events, go to saintsimonsfoodandspirits.com., and keep an eye on the EIL website for updated event information.
New details added since the time of print: James Beard award-winning chef, Georgia restaurateur, and Top Chef judge Hugh Acheson will be the Master of Ceremonies for this event! Also confirmed as participants are PGA Tour pros Zach Johnson and Jonathan Byrd. And we have another BBQ team coming into town to show their stuff: Home Town B-BQ of Charleston, SC. You are NOT gonna wanna miss this!
