Certified Barbeque Judge Class: Bringing our Roots into the Future

Kansas City Barbeque Society launches National BBQ Month with a first-of-its-kind Certified Barbeque Judge class hosted at the American Royal. The sold-out class was sponsored by Q39 with proceeds going directly to the American Royal and KCBS. Q39 Executive Chef Philip Thompson cooked for the class and emphasized the importance of education and competition in his team.

Within weeks of starting at Q39, Chef Philip was on the circuit with Rob Magee, two-time Team of the Year Champion and barbeque legend. He credits that experience in part for his success in the barbeque. 

“Q39’s foundation was competition barbeque, and so was Rob’s,” said Kelly Magee, owner of Q39. “Many of our managers passionate about barbeque haven’t been to a contest or classes and we thought it was important to know that history. It’s important to us to stay close to our roots, so much so that I paid for our employees to attend the class,” said Magee. 

Among the newly certified barbeque judges are folks who flew to Kansas City from Georgia, and multiple families who are passing the torch to the next generation, or as CBJ instructor Bunny Tuttle described them “the future of barbeque.” 

Rod Gray, CEO of KCBS, who emceed the event said “Q39 is educating their staff about competition barbeque and ensuring that their managers are certified barbeque judges. That’s a model that other leaders in the restaurant industry should follow. It’s a way to give back to the community and ensures that the staff brings that knowledge into the kitchen.” 

KCBS plans to facilitate additional CBJ opportunities with other restaurants and industry leaders who are looking to strengthen their teams and sharpen their knowledge. Call today to discuss partnership opportunities.