Duck Wings Win BBQ Gala
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
For the second year, John Tucker, Maple Leaf Farms, won the barbecue cook-off challenge at the Blue Jeans & BBQ Gala Saturday night to benefit Combined Community Services.
Tucker cooked Smoked Jerk Duck Wings with an Apricot Bourbon Sauce to claim this year’s victory over the other two local celebrity chefs, Gordy Clemens, of DeWald Fluid Power, and Dr. Dane Miller, Dr. Dane and Mary Louise Miller Foundation Inc.
Clemens made sweet and smoky babyback ribs, while Miller cooked up Tandoori Lamb Sheik Kabobs with a cucumber yogurt sauce.
All three men used their own recipes.
Tucker said he’s been making the duck wings for about 10 years. It’s evolved over the years, but it’s gotten as good as he can get it.
After it was announced Tucker had won, he said, “I’m surprised I won. We all need to learn about social media. Most of my votes came from online.”
He said online media can help local organizations with their fundraisers and they should take advantage of it to help the less fortunate.
Online voting was done at www.combinedcommunityservices.org
Many local merchants helped with this year’s Gala.
CCS Executive Director Steve Possell said The Kosciusko Kettleheads raised a lot of money for CCS last week and brewed a lot of drinks for Saturday’s event. “Jason Rich hooked us up for that,” Possell said.
A lot of merchants provided items for the silent auction, which included everything from a case of craft beer brewed by the Kosciusko Kettleheads to a half share of vegetables from Hawkins Family Farm and a pub crawl that included limousine service.
The largest item was from Miller, who provided a week in Florida, up to seven days, in his three-bedroom house, and use of a yacht for half a day. It went to a group of people for $6,000 in the live auction.
While The Downtown Eatery and Spirits provided the cash bar for the night, Noa Noa provided dinner. The meal included pulled pork, smoked teriyaki wings, barbecue ranch smoked beans, sweet and sour slaw, and cornbread with honey and thyme butter.
Before the meal, Miller spoke about how Father Michael Basden called him around 1995 to see if he’d help start a fundraiser for CCS. Three years later, Basden moved back to Florida, and that left the fundraiser in Miller’s hands.
“That’s OK. It’s been more fun every year, and it’s changed a little bit,” Miller said.
Miller reminded attendees that their contributions to CCS help the local community.
Basden said he got involved with CCS in about 1989. When CCS started, it was about providing people with food and helping them with their utility bills and basic housing needs. Now CCS has grown to help people with jobs, job training and gas for their car to get to school. It really has advanced, he said.
CCS Board President Robyn Palmer thanked volunteers, staff and board of directors. Since CCS moved into its new building at 1195 Mariners Drive about a year ago, he said they’ve served more than 6,000 families with food assistance and more than 400 with utility assistance.
Possell said a lot that CCS does is start families off with basic needs like food and utilities. The Greater Ministerial Association and United Way helps with the utilities. Then CCS works with people to become self sufficient.
“We can tell you where exactly your dollars go (when you contribute),” he said.
A former client of CCS’s Project Independence spoke about how the program helped her go from living on welfare to getting her college degree and being self sufficient.
Evening events also included corn hole, horseshoes and a raffle.
The night concluded with a performance by the Bekah Bradley Band. Her website is at www.bekahbradley.com[[In-content Ad]]
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For the second year, John Tucker, Maple Leaf Farms, won the barbecue cook-off challenge at the Blue Jeans & BBQ Gala Saturday night to benefit Combined Community Services.
Tucker cooked Smoked Jerk Duck Wings with an Apricot Bourbon Sauce to claim this year’s victory over the other two local celebrity chefs, Gordy Clemens, of DeWald Fluid Power, and Dr. Dane Miller, Dr. Dane and Mary Louise Miller Foundation Inc.
Clemens made sweet and smoky babyback ribs, while Miller cooked up Tandoori Lamb Sheik Kabobs with a cucumber yogurt sauce.
All three men used their own recipes.
Tucker said he’s been making the duck wings for about 10 years. It’s evolved over the years, but it’s gotten as good as he can get it.
After it was announced Tucker had won, he said, “I’m surprised I won. We all need to learn about social media. Most of my votes came from online.”
He said online media can help local organizations with their fundraisers and they should take advantage of it to help the less fortunate.
Online voting was done at www.combinedcommunityservices.org
Many local merchants helped with this year’s Gala.
CCS Executive Director Steve Possell said The Kosciusko Kettleheads raised a lot of money for CCS last week and brewed a lot of drinks for Saturday’s event. “Jason Rich hooked us up for that,” Possell said.
A lot of merchants provided items for the silent auction, which included everything from a case of craft beer brewed by the Kosciusko Kettleheads to a half share of vegetables from Hawkins Family Farm and a pub crawl that included limousine service.
The largest item was from Miller, who provided a week in Florida, up to seven days, in his three-bedroom house, and use of a yacht for half a day. It went to a group of people for $6,000 in the live auction.
While The Downtown Eatery and Spirits provided the cash bar for the night, Noa Noa provided dinner. The meal included pulled pork, smoked teriyaki wings, barbecue ranch smoked beans, sweet and sour slaw, and cornbread with honey and thyme butter.
Before the meal, Miller spoke about how Father Michael Basden called him around 1995 to see if he’d help start a fundraiser for CCS. Three years later, Basden moved back to Florida, and that left the fundraiser in Miller’s hands.
“That’s OK. It’s been more fun every year, and it’s changed a little bit,” Miller said.
Miller reminded attendees that their contributions to CCS help the local community.
Basden said he got involved with CCS in about 1989. When CCS started, it was about providing people with food and helping them with their utility bills and basic housing needs. Now CCS has grown to help people with jobs, job training and gas for their car to get to school. It really has advanced, he said.
CCS Board President Robyn Palmer thanked volunteers, staff and board of directors. Since CCS moved into its new building at 1195 Mariners Drive about a year ago, he said they’ve served more than 6,000 families with food assistance and more than 400 with utility assistance.
Possell said a lot that CCS does is start families off with basic needs like food and utilities. The Greater Ministerial Association and United Way helps with the utilities. Then CCS works with people to become self sufficient.
“We can tell you where exactly your dollars go (when you contribute),” he said.
A former client of CCS’s Project Independence spoke about how the program helped her go from living on welfare to getting her college degree and being self sufficient.
Evening events also included corn hole, horseshoes and a raffle.
The night concluded with a performance by the Bekah Bradley Band. Her website is at www.bekahbradley.com[[In-content Ad]]
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