Barley & Smoke: the taste event of the year

What’s better than a 20-hour slow-smoked brisket slider on a barley bun? A 20-hour slow-smoked brisket slider paired with the perfect lager. Nothing beats this combo — except for more ribs and sliders paired with more craft beer. Throw in sunshine and some live indie blues and you have the makings of a perfect summer day. This is Barley & Smoke: Grillin’ for a Cure, a fundraising event for children with cancer that brought together Calgary’s top 10 chefs and brew masters for the taste event of the year.

Local businessman Carlos Soares is the man behind the vision for Barley & Smoke. He recalls the time he was diagnosed with cancer as a young man, walking into the cancer clinic with his father — his dad’s arm around his shoulder. Now Carlos is the father and he finds it difficult to even imagine a similar scenario with one of his kids. It’s just too painful too entertain. That’s why Carlos decided to organize Barley & Smoke with 100 per cent of proceeds going to Kids Cancer Care.

Carlos Soares, the man behind the vision for Barley & Smoke, samples one of many delicious BBQ ribs and slider pairings.

“Helping kids battle cancer is very close to my heart,” says Carlos Soares, founder and president of Divine Flooring and a Platinum sponsor for Barley & Smoke. “I suffered from advanced cancer as a young adult and know first-hand the struggle and the challenges. I was able to overcome it and I don’t want any child to have to go through what I endured.” 

Barley & Smoke was his answer.

For the cost of a $50 ticket, guests were free to sample 10 unique BBQ and beer pairings. A panel of celebrity judges selected the winners. While all the BBQ fare and boutique beer were more than delicious, the contest came down to four winners:

  1. Banded Peak Brewing won Best Beer with their Guvamorphology Gose sour beer;
  2. Prairie Dog Brewing won Best Ribs for their St Louis-style pork ribs;
  3. Jane Bond BBQ took the Best Slider award for their 20-hour slow-smoked brisket slider on a Village Brewery barley bun; and
  4. The Best Team award went to Cold Garden and Jane Bond BBQ for their pairing of East Calgary Lager with 20-hour smoked brisket slider.
One of 10 delicious slider and craft beer pairings at Barley & Smoke.

On display at the event, were five boutique reading forts, designed and built by individuals from the home building industry. This is where the guests could cast their votes. The forts were named after zodiac signs to evoke a starry night at Camp Kindle in the foothills. The crowd favourite was the Pisces Fort by LeAnne Bunnell Interiors and Unique Projects, who took the Best Fort prize.

Fort Pisces took first prize for best fort. It is one of five boutique reading forts that were designed and built by individuals in the home-building industry and donated to Camp Kindle.

With 550 guests in attendance and generous sponsorships from the Calgary restaurant, craft beer, home building, financial and legal industries, Barley & Smoke raised $55,700 for Kids Cancer Care. Factor in the extra $60,000 donated in labour and material costs for the reading forts and the total value tops $115,700.

Guests enjoying the BBQ fare.

“The generosity of spirit displayed by these sponsors feels like a miracle right now during this economic downturn,” says Christine McIver, founder and chief executive officer of Kids Cancer Care. “Times have been tough for everyone in this city and the way these industry leaders have pulled together to make this event happen exudes that can-do attitude that Calgary is famous for. It’s so refreshing right now and it couldn’t have come at a better time. We deeply appreciate it.”

Funds raised at Barley & Smoke will go to Kids Cancer Care’s programs designed to help families during their childhood cancer journey.

On behalf of the children and families we serve, Kids Cancer Care extends a heartfelt thanks to the following companies that gave their time, talents and treasure to make the first annual Barley & Smoke a success.

BREWERIES RESTAURANTS SPONSORS
Eighty-Eight
Brewing
Company
Booker’s
BBQ Grill
and Crab
Shack
Calbridge
Homes
Banded Peak
Brewing
Cluck ‘n
Cleaver
Calgary Harley- Davidson
Born Colorado
Brewing
Jane Bond
BBQ
RockCreek
Builders
Cabin Brewing
Company
Nicole
Gourmet
Divine Flooring
Cold Garden
Beverage
Company
Paddy’s
Barbecue &
Brewery
Centura
Legend 7
Brewing Co
SAIT –
Culinary
Campus
Shaw Industries
Group Inc.
The Establishment Brewing Co. Legend 7
Brewing
TD Canada Trust
Paddy’s
Barbeque &
Brewery
Soul
Kitchen
BBQ Co.
Ames Tile & StoneLtd.
Trolley 5 Trolley 5 Broadview Homes
Prairie Dog
Brewing
Prairie Dog Brewing Enterprise Fleet
    Rogers Insurance
    Simple Spaces/
Home Solutions
    Tierra Sol
    Dal-Tile
    Hopewell
Residential
    Excel Homes
    Canyon
Plumbing
    Kingswood
Cabinets
    Sub-Zero,
Wolf & Cove
    Masuch Law

Barley & Smoke tickets go on sale in the spring.

View the Barley & Smoke video here.