Holy Smokes! St. Dunstan’s, Houston, Hosts Inaugural Community BBQ Cook-off

Nothing brings people together like food, so St. Dunstan’s, Houston, decided to host an inaugural barbecue cook-off called “Holy Smokes BBQ Cook-off.”

The idea was the brainchild of Rev. Roman Roldan, rector of the church. He thought it might be a good way to connect with the larger community. Parishioners at St. Dunstan’s have committed to a program called “Invite, Welcome, Connect” to help share faith with surrounding communities.

The event held in April 2022 featured 13 ministry teams cooking food to serve 200 people in the community. Each guest tasted bite-sized samples from teams and voted for their favorites in four categories: beef, pork, poultry, and other.

Members sent personal invites to friends, co-workers, and family. Many sent flyers, Event planning was led by Beth Anne Nelson as part of her curate training at St. Dunstan’s.

Music, dancing, and laughter complimented the cooking. A bounce house, fire truck, chuck wagon and games provided space for children to play. A pastoral care team was housed in a tent to take care of community prayer needs and was well attended by the community. As a token of the fun, friendly competition, winners took home bragging rights and a golden, silver, or copper painted cow, children, pig, or “Mr. Potato Head.”