Downtown St. Pete, Florida is a glorious haven for both Foodies and Artists alike! Aside from being home to the world-renowned Salvador Dali Museum, as well as “The Chihuly Collection” —a stunning permanent collection of world-renowned glass-blown-sculpture artist Dale Chihuly, this picturesque waterfront escape town has first class dining options and a majestic marina. The 26-acre gleaming area known as The St. Pete Pier is located directly on, and extending into, the vibrant, peaceful blue water of Tampa Bay. St. Pete is a peninsular city surrounded by 244 miles of shoreline along Tampa Bay, Boca Ciega Bay, The Gulf of Mexico, and the intracoastal waterways. Visitors will find waterfront restaurants, interactive areas for families, a marketplace of local artisans and vendors, a fishing deck, and stunning public art. The City of St. Pete holds the Record/Title for “Most Consecutive Days With Sunshine” at 768 days! It’s no wonder that THIS spectacularly SCENIC SPOT was the setting for “BRISKET BAY,” The 2025 Tampa Bay Barbeque Festival and Competition!
Speaking of ART- I happened upon an extraordinarily unparalled booth at the Tampa Bay BBQ Festival and Competition, belonging to Artist Ian Green. At the time, his booth was being manned by his PROUD MOTHER and 1 of his brothers. Ian’s woodworking skills were MARVELOUS TO BEHOLD! Ian’s Mom directed me to one of Ian’s business cards so that I could procure information about him and his wares. Ian’s company is called, “SPINEWOOD.” His company statement reads: “Welcome to Spinewood, where creativity meets resilience in the most unexpected ways!” Ian further describes his story; “Hey, there, I’m Ian, the brains (and brawn) behind Spinewood. Now, let me tell you a little something about myself- I’ve got a spine that’s more metal than bone, thanks to a condition called Scheurmann’s disease. Yup, you heard that right! My back is so decked out with screws and rods that I give RoboCop a run for his money!” Ian continues, “But hey, did I let that stop me? Absolutely not! In fact, I turned my love for woodworking into something truly special- Spinewood.” Ian states that Spinewood is a “nod to both my passion for crafting beautiful things out of wood and my, let’s say, unique spinal situation.” Ian says, “I decided to embrace it (his condition)… I mean, how many people do you know who can say that they’re literally made of metal? It’s like being a walking, talking piece of art!” Spinewood isn’t just a woodworking company displaying outstanding pieces of wooden art, “it’s about resilience, creativity, and the power of turning a tough situation into something truly remarkable.” As I perused the tables of Ian’s masterpieces, I discovered that he had CRAFTED THE 2025 WINNERS’ PLAQUES AND GRAND CHAMPION STATUE/TROPHY for The Tampa Bay Barbecue Festival and Competition!!!
Ian’s process is “rooted in traditional woodworking techniques and modern technology. We start with carefully selected, sustainably sourced wood and use precision tools to create each piece. We believe that attention to detail and quality craftmanship are essential to creating cutting boards and charcutier that is both beautiful and functional.” Ian utilizes a variety of woods in creating his hand-made, one-of-a-kind projects; Paduak, Walnut, Purple Heart, Cherry Wood and Maple Wood, for example. Spinewood creates Cutting Boards, Charcutier, Signs, Wooden Cigar Ashtrays, Bowls, Wall Art, Lazy Susan and Mallet, and Wooden Cocktail Smoking Kits. You may contact Ian via email for a specialized, personalized wooden board or product at: ian@spinewood.co and you may find Spinewood on Instagram at @spinewoodshop and on Facebook, as well as in Spinewood’s ETSY Shop, www.etsy.com SpinewoodShop -ETSY.
Jumping back into THE MEATS ARENA: Last Year’s, 2024 “BACON AND BBQ” Grand Champion and “2024 ST. PETE BACON AND BBQ” 2024 BEST BRISKET WINNERS, Mistah Lee’s, provided scrumptious, come-hither-temptations at this year’s festival! Food Truck Owner and BBQ Chef Lee Stransky cooked up enticing and tantalizing dishes on GATEWAY DRUM SMOKERS www.gatewaydrumsmokers.com including brisket, ribs, chicken and pulled pork. After 3 long years “of straight grind!” on The Food Truck Circuit, Mistah Lee’s also opened a brick-and-mortar location in Boynton Beach, Florida in November of 2024! You may follow Mistah Lee’s on Social Media on Instagram @mistahleessmokinggoodbbq and @thesmokindon or call for The Food Truck Hours and Location: 1-561-617-3654
Based in Wesley Chapel, Florida, family owned and operated CASON’S QUE LLC states: “DAY 2 of the BBQ Festival was awesome. Results came in from competing and we are proud to say that we took 2nd place in the VIP BRISKET CATEGORY! Looking forward to being back next year.”
CONGRATULATIONS to Cason’s, who OH-SO-KINDLY posed for me, with the entire family, in front of their smoker set-up and operations!!! Cason’s was over-the-moon-pleased to have won 2nd Place in “THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE” VIP Brisket Category!
You may contact Cason’s at: casonsque2023@yahoo.com and on Instagram @casonsque -View and order from their Food Truck Menu at: http://casonsque.com Or you may call 1-813-380-1265 and ask for Owner, Steve, for further information, or check out Cason’s Que Facebook Page! Cason’s invites you to “Come visit us and indulge in our smoky, savory creations!”
As the sun began to set against the 2025 “BRISKET BAY” TAMPA BAY BARBECUE FESTIVAL & COMPETITION backdrop, beyond the waterfront, the crowds scattered, vendors packed up food trucks, tables and chairs were folded and put away, and the live music paused to announce Sunday’s winners. Everyone cheered for one another, no matter if their Team Name was announced in triumph or not. There was a TIRED-THAT-YOU-CAN-ONLY-GET-VIA-HARD-WORK YET CELEBRATORY feeling in the air. BBQ-ers were OVERJOYED to congratulate their competitors! APPLAUSE were prominent all around! And the LOUDEST, MOST EXCITED, and MOST CONGENIAL “WHOOT-WHOOT,” came from DRICE’S BACKWOODS BBQ, when their BBQ Team’s name was announced for “1st PLACE IN PORK!” DRICE’S Team was JUBILANT AND EFFERVESCENT upon receiving their PRIZED plaque! Maudrice and Lourdes Morris are the owners of Drice’s Backwoods BBQ. Established in 2016, Drice’s is “a BBQ vendor preparing and catering great Country Oak Smoked Meats and Sauces! If you are looking for BACKWOODS FLAVOR, you definitely want to give us a try!” Located in Wesley Chapel, Florida, Drice’s offers “a range of products including smoked meats, sauces, and Drice’s Backwoods BBQ Merchandise. Our meats are Slow Smoked with oak wood fire, our sweet and savory sauces are slow simmered with a blend of spices and backwoods bite! You may also order some BBWBBQ Swag available for shipping. Our products are guaranteed to satisfy your palate or your Backwoods Style!” www.dricesbwbbq.com
Drice’s mission statement is a reflection of the summation of The 2025 Tampa Bay Barbecue Festival & Competition. Drice’s ponders that it started Drice’s backwoods BBQ “with a simple goal in mind: to create good ole Live Oak Country Cuisine *laced in Love & Passion!”
*LACED IN LOVE AND PASSION!!!* Indeed, that is PRECISELY what my very first LIVE AND IN-PERSON BBQ COMPETITION EXPERIENCE WAS! FOOD. FAMILY. FUN. BBQ. COCKTAILS. MUSIC. ENTERTAINING, EXCITING, and COMPETITIVE BBQ/BARBECUE/BARBEQUE CONTESTS. It was a completely, totally, MIND-BOGGLING SENSORY OVERLOAD of the greatest gastronomic, yummiest, sticky-est and MOST delicious kind. And I entirely cannot wait to attend another!
