April 23, 2013 – The Long Island Kosher BBQ Championship and Kosher Food Festival (www.likosherbbq.org), sponsored by Fairway Market (www.fairwaymarket.com), announced today the preliminary judging roster for this years’ event on June 9 at Temple Beth Torah in Westbury.

With more than 20 teams from around the tri-state area already registered including teams traveling from as far away as Atlanta and Washington, D.C., the judging panel has been expanded to include a number of additional Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS)-Certified Judges as well as Kosher food aficionados, professional chefs and authors including:

•  Tamar Genger, Executive Editor , Joy of Kosher Magazine, www.joyofkosher.com
•  Naftali Hanau, CEO,  Grow and Behold Foods, www.growandbehold.com
•  Chef Shaya Klechevsky, Chef & Owner of At Your Palate www.atyourpalate.com, http://blog.atyourpalate.com
•  Dani Klein, Founder, YeahThatsKosher.com (Your Kosher & Jewish Travel Guide), www.yeahthatskosher.com
•  Shifra Klein, Editor-in-Chief,  Joy of Kosher Magazine, www.joyofkosher.com
•  Shlomo Klein, Joy of Kosher Magazine, www.joyofkosher.com
•  Elan Kornblum, “The Restaurant Guy,” President and Publisher of Great Kosher Restaurants Magazine, www.greatkosherrestaurants.com
•  Mara Levi, Chef & Proprietor of Mara’s Homemade, www.marashomemade.com
•  Jeff Ossip, Director of Culinary Services, Atria Kew Gardens Assisted Living Glatt Kosher Community
•  Bruce Soffer, Chef & Caterer, Chef’s Table Ltd., www.chefstableltd.com
•  Steven Weinberger,  a/k/a Fleish Gordon, www.FleishGordon.com and www.kosherblog.net
•  Gavin Woonteiler, Kosher Private Chef – NYC and The Hamptons,www.myseasonalchef.com
•  Len Berman, Sportscaster/Author, www.ThatsSports.com
•  Steve Jarmon, Executive Director, M’Yad L’Yad, http://www.myadlyad.org/
•  Steve Markowitz, Vice Chairman, Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County, Past President, Temple Israel of Great Neck and Member, Advisory Committee, Jewish Community Relations Council – Long Island

Also judging this year in non-food categories are:

•  Len Berman, Sportscaster/Author, www.ThatsSports.com
•  Steve Jarmon, Executive Director, M’Yad L’Yad, http://www.myadlyad.org/
•  Steven Markowitz, Chairman, Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County, Past President, Temple Israel of Great Neck and Member, Advisory Committee, Jewish Community Relations Council – Long Island

For a full listing of judges for the 2013 LI Kosher BBQ Championship and Kosher Food Festival, please visit http://likosherbbq.org/judges/.

“Attracting quality judges is a critical part of the ensuring a high-quality competition and we are honored that so many talented and renowned individuals have agreed to join us this year to help raise awareness of hunger relief on Long Island by joining our prestigious judging panel,” said Marvin Rembo, the event’s organizer. “Thanks to the support of our judges, teams and of course Fairway Market, our title sponsor, we are looking to make the 2013 LI Kosher BBQ Championship an even greater success and the annual tradition for families and all those who appreciate good BBQ.”

The Long Island Kosher BBQ Championship to be held at Temple Beth Torah in Westbury, New York on Sunday, June 9^th, 2013 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. will be raising awareness of and proceeds for locally-based hunger relief charities including Long Island Cares, The INN (Interfaith Nutrition Network), Hatzilu, Rock Can Roll, M’Yad L’Yad as well as the charitable activities of Temple Beth Torah. Open to all without charge, this event is modeled after and sanctioned by the ASBEE World Kosher BBQ Championship in Memphis, Tennessee. The day’s events include opening ceremonies led by local elected officials and a BBQ cooking contest featuring up to 30 teams who will be competing in categories including Best Brisket, Best Ribs, Best Chicken, Best Beans, Most Original Team Name and Best Booth Decoration. Families and guests will be able to sample a wide variety of kosher food at the onsite kosher food festival as well as enjoy traditional backyard BBQ fare while taking part in a number of activities and entertainment including a children’s play zone. The event will also feature live music, games and contests ranging from hot dog and pickle eating contests to a basketball skills competition.

Team registration is currently underway and sponsorship and food vendor opportunities are still available. For more information about the Long Island Kosher BBQ Championship and Kosher Food Festival and a list of the day’s activities, please visit www.likosherbbq.org. Follow the Long Island Kosher BBQ Championship on Twitter at https://twitter.com/LIKosherBBQ and “Like” us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LIKosherBbqChampionship.

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WHAT:          The Long Island Kosher BBQ Championship and Food Festival

WHERE:       Temple Beth Torah, 243 Cantiague Rock Road, Westbury

WHEN:          Sunday, June 9^th, 2013 – 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

We want to thank everyone for their continued interest and support of the LI Kosher BBQ Championship (if you haven’t already, please “Like” us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/LIKosherBbqChampionship) and follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/LIKosherBBQ). As the weather starts warming up, summer can’t be far behind and that can only mean one thing….soon we will all be treated to the delicious aromas of BBQ! With that in mind, we thought we would share with you this update on the Second Annual Long Island Kosher BBQ Championship.

As you already know, the BBQ was created to bring together all members of our community to help support an important cause – hunger relief on Long Island – and we are pleased to say that with just a little more than 60 days to go until the big day, momentum is building so we would like to take a moment to thank the sponsors who are helping us make this happen.

Headed by Fairway Market who again will serve as our title sponsor, support and interest in the BBQ has grown dramatically over the past few months. the following organizations have already lent their support: Jetmore Fireplace & BBQ Center, H. Schrier & Co, Inc., Home Depot, The New York Knicks, Mid Island Animal Hospital, Farm Ridge Foods, Ambrosi Cutlery, Soy Vay, Yelp, Astoria Federal Savings Bank, The Little Gym of Roslyn, Bone Suckin’ Sauce, Popchips and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Interest in the BBQ continues to grow and we continue to add corporate and personal sponsors every week. Please visit http://likosherbbq.org/sponsors/ for a full listing of all of our generous sponsors.

Creating a great and memorable event for our guests, families, competing teams and judges is important. Of course, our number one goal is to help our charity partners – Long Island Cares, The INN (Interfaith Nutrition Network), Hatzilu, Rock Can Roll, M’yad L’Yad – fulfill their missions, so we ask that you please lend them any support you can.

Finally, we ask that you help make the 2013 Long Island Kosher BBQ Championship a great success by spreading the word. Please “Like” us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/LIKosherBbqChampionship) and following us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/LIKosherBBQ) to ensure you get all of our latest updates.

If you have any questions or want additional information, please contact us at marvin@likosherbbq.org or via the website (http://likosherbbq.org/contact-us/).

We’re getting ready to ‘cue, are you?!?!

- The Long Island BBQ Championship Event Team

February 20, 2013 - Fairway Market – The Finest Fall Off The Bone Ribs, The Tastiest Chicken, The Most Mouthwatering Brisket and The Best Beans, are among the categories for the Long Island Kosher BBQ Championship (www.likosherbbq.org) sponsored, again this year by Fairway Market (www.fairwaymarket.com). The event, which debuted last year, will be held at Temple Beth Torah in Westbury, New York on Sunday, June 9^th, 2013 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and will once again, raise funds and awareness for hunger relief on Long Island. Team registration is currently underway and sponsorship opportunities are still available.

The 2013 Long Island Kosher BBQ and Food Festival is expected to include more than 30 teams competing in categories including Best Brisket, Best Ribs, Best Chicken, Best Beans, Most Original Team Name and Best Booth Decoration. Teams from Atlanta, DC, Connecticut, and the entire metropolitan area have already signed up. New for 2013, this year’s event will include a food festival where a variety of food vendors will highlight the best in kosher food allowing visitors to sample a wide array of kosher delicacies.

“We are pleased to pledge our continued support for the Long Island Kosher BBQ Championship which brings our community together to help support local charities dedicated to feeding the hungry,” said Howie Glickberg, Vice Chairman of Development for Fairway Market. “Interest in kosher food continues to grow and that is why our newly opened Westbury store features one of the largest selections of kosher foods on Long Island, allowing us to provide customers with the best and freshest selections available anywhere.”

In its first year, the Long Island Kosher BBQ Championship attracted over 2,500 visitors who gathered to watch 17 teams from across the country compete for honors.

Open to all without charge, this event is modeled after, and sanctioned by, the ASBEE World Kosher BBQ Championship in Memphis, Tennessee. The day’s events will include opening ceremonies led by local elected officials and a BBQ cooking championship featuring up to 35 teams from around the country, all competing for trophies. Families and guests will be able to sample a wide variety of kosher food at the onsite kosher food festival as well as enjoy traditional backyard BBQ fare while taking part in a number of activities and entertainment including a children’s play zone. The event will also feature live music, games and contests ranging from hot dog and pickle eating contests to a basketball skills competition.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to locally-based hunger relief charities including Long Island Cares, The INN (Interfaith Nutrition Network), Hatzilu, Rock Can Roll, M’Yad L’Yad and Temple Beth Torah. In addition to title sponsorship by Fairway Market, other organizations pledging their early support include Jetmore Fireplace & BBQ Center, H. Schrier & Co, Inc., Home Depot, The New York Knicks, Mid Island Animal Hospital, Farm Ridge Foods, Yelp, Ambrosi Cutlery, Astoria Federal Savings Bank and The Little Gym of Roslyn.

“The success of the first annual Long Island Kosher BBQ Championship demonstrated that there is strong interest in kosher BBQ, and indeed, kosher food throughout the tri-state area so it was only natural to expand this year’s event,” said Marvin Rembo, the event’s organizer. “Events such as super storm Sandy had made life for those facing the hardship of hunger throughout Long Island even more difficult and that is why we are thrilled that Fairway Market has renewed their commitment to helping us fight hunger in our community.”

Team registration is currently underway and sponsorship and food vendor opportunities are still available. For more information about the Long Island Kosher BBQ Championship and Kosher Food Festival and a list of the day’s activities, please visit www.likosherbbq.org. Follow the Long Island Kosher BBQ Championship on Twitter at https://twitter.com/LIKosherBBQ and “Like” us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheLongIslandKosherBbqChampionship.