Unfortunately, we returned to the real world this Monday morning but we had the best weekend ever. We were fortunate enough to attend our first ever Eggfest. It. Was. Amazing. We flew down to Florida for the first annual Chain of Lakes Eggfest hosted by B.J. Mannix in Winterhaven, Florida. B.J. and his team absolutely crushed it. We BBQ’d, threw back some brewskies and raised a ton of money for the Boys and Girls Club in Winter Haven, Florida. Not sure if there is a better feeling than having a good time, while doing some good for others.

If you are unfamiliar with the Big Green Egg or an Eggfest, time to educate yourself. The Big Green Egg is an incredible grill with a diehard following. Owners of Big Green Eggs or “Eggheads” put on various festivals throughout the country where folks can come and view cooking demos, sample a wide range of foods from the various cook teams, have a few cold ones, and jam to live music. DUCKCHAR is hooked. Some of the biggest people in the BBQ community were in the house including Big Green Craig who served as the celebrity judge, Thunderbird Wings (the best wings in Nashville, possible planet earth), the ingenious folks at Pizza-Porta who turned a backyard grill into a first class pizza oven, and the BGE Nation team.

Josh Tahan of True Craft BBQ did a demo for his DUCKCHAR Pastrami recipe and it was phenomenal. Also, the folks at Porta Pizza put together a next level DUCKCHAR pizza. It was great watching other talented chefs use our product on a variety of different templates - it really inspired us for what is possible going forward. The other cook teams prepared anything from wings, cinnamon buns, to beef cheek tacos. We left with full stomachs, big smiles, and new friends.

Even if you don’t own a Big Green Egg or you’re not that into grilling, you would still have an unbelievable time at an Eggfest. DUCKCHAR isn’t sure if we have ever met such a tight knit community of folks who are also incredibly approachable and inclusive. The Eggheads are lifelong bbqers and cooks, and love sharing info about their cooking styles and recipes.  

We are Eggfest newbies and we left feeling like old friends.

Now, the burning question is: when’s the next Eggfest?