A Birmingham-based nonprofit is serving up a night of food and festivities this weekend. Growing Kings is hosting its annual King of the Grill barbecue competition on Saturday, Aug. 26, from 4 to 7 p.m. in Avondale. The competition will be located right outside the organization’s office on 41st Street South.
More than 40 cook teams across the Magic City will participate from professional restauranteurs to everyday barbecue home cooks. Marcus Carson, Growing Kings’ founder and executive director, said the competition helps showcase local Southern talent.
“We have gentlemen and women who show off their culinary skills on a daily basis,” Carson said. “Sometimes it’s through their food trucks or setting up their grill in a designated spot throughout the city. We’re trying to capture the full community.”
Event sponsors will also put together teams and participate in the cookoff, including Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, SouthEastern Lighting Inc. and Birmingham Police Department. Proceeds from the competition will go toward funding Growing Kings and its operations.
Carson said Growing Kings specializes in improving the life outcomes for young, local men of color. He said the organization primarily achieves this mission through its school-based enrichment and mentoring program series called Journey of a King, which first began in 2009. Students enrolled in Birmingham City Schools are first met in fourth grade and receive mentoring until they complete 12th grade. The series includes the following programs:
- Prince Charming: Fourth and fifth graders receive literacy and mathematics curriculum as well as magazine subscriptions to National Geographic Kids and Sports Illustrated Kids to improve reading comprehension.
- Measures of a Man: Sixth through eighth graders learn more about character development, violence prevention and self-efficacy over the course of five units. Students will explore topics of mental health, domestic violence and etiquette.
- Scholars & Gentlemen: High school students explore identity and manhood through trauma-informed healing strategies. Growing Kings said these strategies help young men understand their personal background as well as critically examine toxic masculinity. This program teaches adolescents the skills needed for college and career readiness.
Growing Kings also assists at-risk youth who have been arrested or actively involved in the juvenile justice system, advocates for fair hiring practices and promotes alternative policies on school discipline and attendance that disproportionately impact students of color.
Carson said this event will shine a light on the services that Growing Kings offers the community and will give visitors the opportunity to look at these services behind the scenes.
“It really allows the community to get a closer look, not just at how we engage Birmingham as a whole, but also into our programming efforts,” he said. “They'll really be able to experience the journey through the kingdom with some of the build outs and special features that we'll be able to highlight. It'll provide a snapshot of the work that we do, while also being able to [give them] a good time and bring people around to build community.”
King of the Grill will be hosted by Chef Justin Robinson, also known as Chef JRob. Robinson has appeared on several reality cooking competitions, including MasterChef and Chopped, and is the executive chef of the Chef JRob Experience, which caters and curates dishes for venues across the Southeast. The event will also be presented by the organization’s Junior Board, which consists of corporate partners and former Growing Kings students who now serve the city of Birmingham as trade workers and recent college graduates.
An avid backyard pitmaster himself, Robinson said he looks forward to seeing what the Magic City grillers have to offer.
“I'm personally looking forward to just getting in the pits, getting behind the scenes, interacting with everyone who [are] smoking up some good meat [and] seeing what flavors profiles that they work with when they cook,” he said. “Everyone has a different cooking style that makes them unique. Barbecue is also all about family. I know there'll be a lot of [cooking], especially since we're doing this for a great cause.”
Robinson said King of the Grill impacts more than just Growing Kings and its students and mentors. It also impacts local chefs and cooks, who often do not get the chance to demonstrate their culinary knack to a large audience.
“Not a lot of companies get the chance or the opportunity, especially locally, to show off their skill level,” he said. “You have your big barbecue competitions like Memphis In May, [but] to bring that same atmosphere [back] to its Southern roots in Alabama, especially in Birmingham, really gives [an] opportunity for small businesses [and] your backyard barbecue goers to shine.”
Readers interested in attending King of the Grill can purchase tickets online or at the door. Tickets online are $15, while on-site tickets cost $20.
“It's gonna be a great Saturday for people come out, enjoy some good weather, enjoy some great food, great music and just an overall amazing atmosphere,” Robinson said. “I can't emphasize how much this can help impact a young man's life. Not only will this be for a great cause, but you'll have a great time as well.”
Growing Kings is also currently hosting its 100 Mentors in 100 Days program, which began on June 18 and lasts until Sept. 26. The program aims to recruit 100 local individuals interested in guiding, supporting and empowering Growing Kings students. Mentors will receive comprehensive trainings, support and resources on how to lead. Residents interested in becoming a mentor should visit the Growing Kings website and clicking Become a Mentor.
