Fire It Up Barbeque Supports Local Firefighters
· Culinary Contest Supports Fire Family Foundation, African American Firefighter Museum
· Celebrity Judges: Fire Captain Rich Fields (Food Network’s Chopped Champion), Firefighter Danae La Trobe (Judge of Chopped Junior) & Chef Jim Kanemaki (LA Trade Tech College)
· Local Firefighter Chefs Include LAFD Captain Mark Curry and Firefighter/Author Cruz Macias
Los Angeles, 2016: Here’s a perfect recipe for a Saturday in August: eat barbeque, hear great music and support local firefighters.
Some of America’s most prolific firefighting teams will be competing for barbeque glory at the first annual Fire It Up Barbeque on August 13. The event will be from 11am – 4pm at the African American Firefighter Museum in downtown Los Angeles.
The event is free to the public; cost for tastings range from $15 (pre-purchase, $20 at the door) to $60 VIP tastings which include full meal, alcoholic drink and seating inside the museum.
Celebrity judges for the competition include: Fire Captain Rich Fields (named Champion on Food Network’s Chopped), Pasadena Firefighter Danae La Trobe (current judge on Food Network’s Chopped Junior), and Jim Kanemaki, award-winning chef and instructor at LA Trade Tech College.
Barbecue lovers can also visit a beer/wine garden, enjoy finger-snapping entertainment and take tours of the museum which is housed in a historic fire station and engine company. Raffle prizes include a 32” flat screen Hitachi TV and a barbecue grill and utensils among others. Children activities and photos with firefighters make this a family-friendly event.
Firefighter competitors are signing on and thus far the list is impressive including LAFD Captain Mark Curry of Station 29 in Koreatown and winner of Food Network’s Guys Grocery Games; Cruz Macias, firefighter at Station 87 in Granada Hills and author of Fireman’s Favorites: A Collection of Recipes) among others.
Sponsors for Fire It Up BBQ include: LA Councilman Jose Huizar of CD14, ABC-7, United Firefighters of LA City, Firefighter’s First Credit Union, Eating Around SoCal Blog (www.eatingaroundsocal.com), Home Depot and Curacao Children’s Foundation.
The event is a fundraiser for the African American Firefighters Museum (www.aaffmuseum.org) and Fire Family Foundation (www.firefamilyfoundation.org).
Fire It Up BBQ is Saturday, August 13 from 11am – 4pm at the African American Firefighters Museum, 1401 S. Central Ave., Los Angeles 90021. More information on competitors, vendors and entertainers is at www.FireItUpBBQ.org.
ABOUT FIRE FAMILY FOUNDATION
Fire Family Foundation responds when tragedy affects firefighters and fire victims. A nonprofit founded by Firefighters First Credit Union, Fire Family Foundation offers immediate assistance to firefighters and their families, fire victims, fire departments, and charities. The Foundation believes that by coming together as a “Fire Family,” assistance can be provided to those impacted by fire.