In 2000, my dad started becoming more involved in the world of competitive barbecuing. When I tell most people what my family’s strange hobby is, I get a lot of surprised looks. Most dads tend to stay in their backyard and are the king of the grill all on their own, but not my dad. He turned a love of cooking into a family affair and it has continued to have a lasting effect on me, even 18 years later.

I started actually going to BBQ contests when I was just five years old even though I didn’t have a huge role. As I got older though, I became more involved in the process of the contest and all of the prep that went into the trips. My family’s team is called Cancersuckschicago.com, named after a cause near to our hearts.

In 2003 my mom passed away from cancer and my dad started a foundation in her name to raise money for cancer research. Over the past 15 years we have been lucky enough to donate thousands of dollars to Northwestern University for research as well as to the Wellness House, the facility we went to for counselling.

At the peak of our competing, we would do 25-30 contests a year, mainly happening over the summer. This gave my sister and I the chance to see almost all of the U.S. before we even turned 16. And at all of these contests we became friends with other amazing teams and people that we still talk to today. I was able to interact with so many individuals, all from different walks of life and from all over the country and world. This later helped me realize I love interacting with others and helped guide me towards a helping profession at college.

As a team, my family has had a lot of success and made a lot of positive memories in the world of barbecue. Of course getting calls and being recognized for your food is amazing, but I personally have also learned a lot. I learned a strong work ethic from helping my dad almost every weekend with shopping, prep, set up, turn ins, and clean up. Once I got a little older, I started helping other teams build their presentation boxes too and that gave me even more chances to branch out and break out of my shell.

I don’t know what I would have done without the impact that the BBQ circuit has had on my life. It has made me a more traveled, open minded, and educated individual and I wouldn’t trade any of my experiences for the world. This past Memorial Day, my hometown had its 12th annual Red White and BBQ Festival that my dad helped start and grow over the years. That contest always seems to put into perspective how much our team has accomplished over the years and how much has changed in our lives, as well as the world of BBQ. Competitive barbecuing is so much more than just cooking to me, and even though my dad is semi-retired from the barbecue arena, it has been an experience that I will never, ever forget.