RIBS for Kids 2009: A day of fun and learning
By Nicolas Lavieri
nlavieri@mail.adp.iastate.edu
On a cool and windy Saturday, November 14th, the 2009 R.I.B.S. (Refining Individual Barbeque Skills) for Kids program was held in Wall Lake, IA. A total of 23 kids from the city of Des Moines, IA, ranging from seven to fourteen years of age and all of whom are members of an organization called Urban Dreams, participated in this annual event sponsored by the Iowa Barbeque Society (IBS), Iowa State University (ISU) Meat Science Extension, Urban Dreams and Cookies Food Products. The program was held at the Cookies Food Products facility located in Wall Lake with the invaluable assistance provided by 22 volunteers. Participants were given a tour of the Cookies Food Products plant by Mr. Speed Herrig, owner. They were also educated on basic food safety principles and participated in related activities organized by ISU Meat Science graduate students and staff members from the ISU Meat Laboratory. Everyone took part in sauce, dessert, and barbeque competitions. Additional educational sessions on grill safety and how to present barbeque for competition made up the rest of the day-long program. The overall objective of the program was to foster and encourage the participants’ creativity and desire to cook/prepare foods while making use of basic food safety and grill safety practices and having fun doing so.
 |
Photo courtesy of Nicolas Lavieri
A hot breakfast served by Mr. Herrig himself. |
Beginning at 10 a.m., the participants were greeted and given a brief welcome to the plant by ISU students. Given that nobody can learn on an empty stomach, the participants then sat and ate breakfast along with all the volunteers and hosts in attendance, which allowed everybody to become familiarized with each other. Quite a few pounds of cheesy hash browns, gallons of orange juice, pancakes and sausage patties later, the participants were given a tour of the facilities by Mr. Speed Herrig. Mr. Speed talked to the kids about the history of his company, the equipment and materials needed for barbeque sauce manufacture, and about the critical steps that must be taken to produce the high-quality food products that have made Cookies Food Products an Iowa staple.
 |
Photo courtesy of Nicolas Lavieri
Several educational activities were conducted. |
A series of activities designed to interactively teach the participants about basic principles of food safety, grill safety, presenting their barbeque for competition and dessert-making ensued. Graduate students and staff members from ISU spoke to the participants about four basic principles of food safety; (1) hand-washing, (2) cleaning and separating, (3) proper cooking and (4) proper chilling of foods. Different demonstrations were conducted to illustrate the importance of each of the four topics and the participants were actively involved in all of them. IBS member Bret Wram talked about the importance making safety a priority when cooking with a charcoal grill. Basic “dos and don’ts” of grill safety were discussed. The section dealing with how to present barbeque for competition was given by Paul Lengling, IBS member. Some of the rules that apply to major barbeque contests throughout the United States were described as was the importance of visual appeal and presentation. The participants were given a quick tutorial on how to make their barbeque look even more appealing by means of presentation. Last but not least, the participants were given a brief introduction to the world of dessert-making by Shad Kirton, IBS member. The objective was to allow the participants to use their creativity in making a dessert dish that would then be entered into a competition.
 |
Photo courtesy of Nicolas Lavieri
The perfect day to be grilling outside. |
As a means of encouraging participation and rewarding it, a series of friendly competitions were conducted as part of the program. First, the barbeque sauce competition was a team effort in which six teams of four were all given a master blend containing the basic ingredients of barbeque sauce (ketchup, molasses and white vinegar) and allowed to use a series of spices such as garlic powder, onion powder, ground black pepper, coriander and others, at their discretion. Teams “Black Magic” and “Catch-up With Us” won 1st and 2nd place, respectively, in the barbeque sauce category and were awarded Cookies Food Products aprons and pot holders for their outstanding sauce-making abilities as judged by Mr. Speed himself and other member of the IBS. Second, the dessert category, judged by Shad Kirton and others, awarded medals the top three dessert entries. Shareisha Walker, Brittany Guffey and Daija Henderson won 1st, 2nd and 3rd place medals, respectively, in this category for the amazing creativity put into their dessert entries. Last, the BBQ contest was conducted. As part of it, every participant was given a pork loin chop, a beef sirloin steak and a skin-on chicken thigh to season using Cookies Food Products and cook using charcoal grills they would later take home with them. With the help of every volunteer on site, every participant was allowed to grill all three of the meat products they were provided and then choose which one of the three would be entered into the barbeque contest. After preparing their barbeque for judging, participants turned in their boxes. 5th place and up trophies were awarded in this category. Anfernee Walker, Shamair Gainey, Zhane Dae, Tzshaella Manning and Demetrius Caddell won 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th place trophies, respectively.
 |
Photo courtesy of Nicolas Lavieri
A day of fun & learning later.
|
At day’s end, the participants boarded their charter bus and headed back to the friendly confines of Des Moines. But before they did so, hugs and words of appreciation were shared amongst participants and volunteers. Given that everybody learned a thing or two about food and grill safety, presenting barbeque for competition and the art of dessert-making, all while having tons of fun and developing friendships, we can safely say that the 2009 R.I.B.S. for Kids program was a success and that next year’s cannot take place soon enough.
Back
to Top |
