OAKLAND ART & SOUL FESTIVAL

We are in downtown Oakland for the "Art & Soul Festival'. Two days of music, crafts and good eats was the goal of this festival.. Saturday two separate bbq contests were held amongst the towering skyscrapers of this colorful metropolis. The heavy hitters, the Pro division cooked the four meats; chicken, ribs, pork shoulder and brisket. The 'Backyard Division cooked tri-tip, ribs, and chicken. We are present with our shiny judges badges ready to serve and protect the integrity of good bbq.

 There was an auxiliary category of desserts that both divisions were eligible to compete. Ms. Goofy drew the lucky straw and won a chair to judge the dessert division. I got the short straw and had the duty of Table Captain. The Table Captain presents the desserts to the judges and compiles the scores. The Captain does not taste the entries unless there are extras. I only got to drool at cheesecake (1st place with an 180 score), pecan pie, pineapple upside down cake, etc., and even chocolate covered bacon.

After our judging duties we strolled the grounds and enjoyed the sites. We caught up and visited with our competitor friends. Harry Soo, a celebrity pit master was in the house today. He is selling his new line of bbq rubs and was enthusiastic to promote them.

The Oakland Art & Soul Festival was an event Oakland can be proud of. We witnessed a lot of happy event goers. We could see their smiles under the bbq sauce covered faces. Our faces had smidgens of bbq sauce too. Ms. Goofy's grin might of been the biggest after eating all those desserts.