Location: JIM R. MILLER PARK ~ MARIETTA, GEORGIA
An evening celebrating everything grilled, smoked, barbecued and more. A wide variety of the best barbecue in the South: beef, pork, chicken, seafood and vegetarian dishes will be available to taste from some of Georgia and the South’s most renowned Pitmasters and chefs. Enjoy live music, wine, beer and spirits tastings in a souvenir glass. Shop the artisan market and Georgia Grown Member Village, and bid on items in the Silent Auction, benefitting SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center. This is an all-inclusive event, food and drink is included with admission ticket, featuring two whole hogs from Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ. This event will also feature “Meat & Greet” – a bourbon & grilling pairing experience. Georgia Grown Chef Nick Leahy and James B. Beam Distilling Co. Senior American Whiskey Ambassador Beth Burrows will share the stage for this amazing event. And we are so excited to add another amazing experience in 2024….a Charcuterie Demo featuring 1885 Grill Executive Chef, Lauren McCormick. Come for the Demo, stay to eat it!!
Tickets per person: $55 Early Bird | $75 Winter Rate (Jan/Feb) | $85 March/Gate
Event Type: Outdoor | Rain or shine.
Attire & Info: Casual attire, 21 years and over.
*NEW IN 2024*
Charcuterie Demo - featuring 1885 Grill Executive Chef Lauren McCormick
Lauren McCormick is the Executive Chef and Catering Manager at 1885 Grill in Acworth. Known for her innovative approach, she has turned the restaurant into a local culinary hotspot. As Executive Chef, she crafts menus that blend tradition with modern flair, while her role as Catering Manager extends her expertise to create memorable events.
RETURNING TO FIRED UP IN 2024:
Meat & Greet - featuring Georgia Grown Chef Nick Leahy, and American Whiskey Ambassador Beth Burrows
Nick Leahy
Partner and Executive Chef behind Nick’s Westside Neighborhood and Bar and Chicken Out, the new chef-inspired, delivery-only chicken concept in Atlanta.
In 2018, Chef Leahy opened the Provencal-style restaurant, AIX, and adjoining wine bar, Tin Tin, in Atlanta’s hot West Midtown neighborhood. Both AIX and Tin Tin brought the flavors of his beloved French countryside to Atlanta’s Westside, offering twists on classic Provençal dishes with a Mediterranean flair. At Nick’s Westside, Chef Leahy has created a more approachable, broad-appealed menu that highlights Georgia’s small producers and features fresh, sustainably sourced ingredients. In December 2020, to meet the demand for local meal deliveries and capitalize on the growing trend of ghost kitchens, Chef Leahy launched Chicken Out. This chef-inspired, delivery only chicken concept operates out of Nick’s Westside kitchen and utilizes a Big Green Egg outside of the restaurant to smoke wings.
Beth Burrows
Senior American Whiskey Ambassador, James B. Beam Distilling Co.
A New York Native, Beth grew up in the restaurant and education world. With a teacher for a Mother, a Chef for a step-father, and a childhood rooted in hospitality, she naturally developed her palate and a found a passion for educating. Her passion for whiskey came many years later, while she was working behind the stick in Louisville, KY. It was there that she quickly found a love for bourbon education and cocktail mixology, developing bar programs and competing in cocktail competitions. Her time in the restaurant world and constant involvement in the cocktail community prepared her for her current role where she utilizes her cultivated palate, broad bourbon education, and cocktail background to bring a new dimension to the Beam Ambassador position.
Whole Hog Pickin' featuring Rodney Scott's BBQ
Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ is not smoked in a smoker–the whole pig is prepped, seasoned and laid intact on a pit that is fired with active, burning coals. Direct heat by way of the glowing embers shoveled under the animal and expertly placed in the various regions ensures even cooking. The coals and hog are attended to for many hours before the animal is flipped near the end of the cook time so that Rodney’s signature “mop sauce” can be mopped onto the meat and the skin is allowed to crisp. This is the ultimate Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ experience. It’s a difference you can taste!
Official Music Sponsors:
Superior Plumbing and Superior Cooling & Heating
Performing on the Plaza: J. Scott Thompson, Acoustic
J. Scott Thompson is an audience favorite endearing himself to crowds nationwide (and quite a few in England!) with his warm, easy going personality, powerful voice, and fresh style of Americana songwriting. Pulling from his Southern roots, Thompson writes from the heart and speaks to the soul with songs influenced by his Dad’s record collection of James Brown, Sam Cooke, The Beatles, and Otis Redding. A prolific songwriter and captivating performer, Thompson combines a southerner’s knack for storytelling with a dose of southern charm making lifelong friends and loyal fans wherever he goes.
Restaurant Participants
*Our featured participants are being finalized and will be updated as they confirm their participation
Beverage Participants
(Our featured participants are being finalized and will be updated as they confirm their participation)
Master Spirits provider: Beam Suntory
