Ken
Callaghan, Blue Smoke executive chef
Photo
by John Wegorzewski |
BIG APPLE
BARBECUE
Smokin’ Good
Party By
America’s Top Pitmasters
By Edward T. Callaghan
 HAT
if you invite your neighbors to an old fashion pit barbeque –
and they all came?
Over 75,000 of them! No problem for legendary
New York
restaurateur Danny Meyer and his Union Square Hospitality
Group (USHG), which includes more Zagat and New York Times
chart-toppers than any other restaurant group in town.
Simply invite more of
America
’s barbecue kingpins and take over New York’s little gem of a park –
Madison Square.
Meyer installed barbecue pits along Madison
Avenue for four blocks and special food stands in the park.
Meyer and his team of award winning chefs and
restaurant pros have raised the hospitality bar with such beloved
eateries as Union Square Café, Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison
Park, Tabla, Blue Smoke / Jazz Standard, Shake Shack and most
recently, The Modern, Café 2 and Terrace 5 at the newly renovated
Museum
of
Modern Art
. No wonder Meyer was named 2005 Restaurateur of the Year by the
James Beard Foundation.
Blue Smoke’s executive chef Ken
Callaghan, a ‘cue veteran, was delighted with the enormous
turnout. “Next year we’ll have to bring this to Central Park,” he said.
North Carolina’s Ed Mitchell was thrilled to be back in the Big Apple.
In between autographing copies of his book, the burly gray bearded
pitmaster clearly relished the attention, telling all that “he
was even offered a modeling contract.”
No ‘cue event would be worth its sauce
without three-time world champion Mike Mills, whose Peace,
Love and Barbeque has become an international best seller.
Mills likened the event to coming home “to a big ole family
reunion that I’d never miss.”
Besides the ribs, tender brisket, homemade
salads and mouthwatering deserts from the best in the country – Bruce
Bracwell, Texas, Mike “Sarge” Davis, Little Rock, Chris
Little, Georgia, Otis Walker, St. Louis, Garry
Roark, Mississippi, Michael Rodriguez, Texas, and New
York’s own John Stage – there was also great music,
terrific seminars and panels with the nations top food critics.
Even legendary newsman Dan Rather presided over an all-star
panel, Texas Rising.
Meyer’s team of pros who have put the H in
hospitality, including Michael Romano, Paul
Bolles-Beaven, David Swinghamer and Richard Coraine,
has earned an unprecedented thirteen James Beard Awards. It is
their combined talents that truly shine in this lively, down-home
incident-free event that is a true gift to New York.
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