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World’s Largest BBQ Pit to Serve Meals at NRG Center

Auto Dealers and sponsors come together to serve evacuees and volunteers 50,000 meals.

 

HOUSTON (September 1, 2017) – Hurricane Harvey evacuees, first responders, and volunteers can expect the welcoming sight of a 75-foot BBQ pit arriving tonight at NRG Center to prepare hot, fresh meals throughout the week.

“We’re still working out minor logistics and a host of other moving parts, but it has been amazing coordinating this effort and truly one of the most satisfying things I have ever done for our community,” said Mac DeLaup of John Eagle Honda. “We expect to serve as many as 50,000 meals from this BBQ pit to the evacuees, first responders and volunteers of Hurricane Harvey.”

Weighing 80,000 pounds and with 24 doors, the BBQ pit can cook about 8,000 pounds of meat at one time. Refrigerated semi-trucks will arrive today with enough food for the first week of meals. So far, food is donated by Sysco foods of Central Florida, Gibson’s Restaurants, Halperns’ Steak and Seafood, Joyce Farms, Harvest Meat Company and Harvill’s Produce, all from Florida. Other suppliers from across the nation have also agreed to replenish food as needed but there will be a continued need of supplies and food. (Full list of needs below press release.)

Owners, Kimberly King and Terry Folsom of Brenham, TX, are delivering the ‘world’s largest BBQ pit’ and plan to cook on it, along with four other full-time chefs traveling from Florida and Chicago. Orlando residents, Chef Bob Getchell of Gibsons Restaurants, John “Boodreaux” Baumann, and Benjamin Getchell, will lead the cook team along with volunteers including, Mac DeLaup, Jessica Rose, Lisa Rainoshek and other associates of John Eagle Honda.

Gibsons Restaurant Group, Steve Lombardo and Bob Kanzler of Chicago, ensured trucks with thousands of pounds of food and supplies were in route to NRG earlier this week. Baumann and Getchell met in New Orleans and made an 11-hour drive through the night to get to Houston to begin serving food tomorrow as early as lunch.

The trailer was built in Louisiana and “BBQ Pits by Klose” built the cooker in Cypress, TX. To build a BBQ pit like this today would cost more than $1 million.

Additional immediate needs to provide an inclusive meal include:

Aprons

BBQ sauce

BBQ sauce mops

Cole slaw

Cold salads

Cutting boards

Desserts – cakes, cookies

Dice tomatoes, onions, peppers

Hot sauce

Jalapenos

Knives

Lettuce (pre-shredded)

Rice

Salsa

Spatulas

Taco sauce

Taco spice

Tongs

Tortillas

Trash bags

Watermelons

 

Initial sponsors supporting the logistics, food, operations, and manpower for the ‘world’s largest BBQ pit’ include:

 

Bob Getchell, The BOATHOUSE Orlando at Disney Springs

Gibsons Restaurant Group

Terry Folsom and Kimberly King, Owners of the WORLD’S LARGEST BBQ PIT

Mac DeLaup, John Eagle Honda of Houston

Fishing Florida Radio, John Boodreaux Baumann

Duane Kyrish, Kyrish Truck Centers: Houston

Wyatt Wainwright, Houston Automobile Dealers Association

Bobby Archer, Archer RV Houston – for chef’s living quarters

Idealease of Houston

Southwest International Trucks: Dallas, TX

Idealease of Orlando and Maudlin International Trucks: Orlando, FL

Peak Trailer Group: San Antonio, TX

Arens Services

John Mounts

S-S Welders

Klose BBQ Pits, David Klose

Dade Paper Company, Sam Pagan

Cabellero Handyman Services

Smallwares and cold foods – Bobby Anderson Sysco of Central Florida

Firewood – Big John’s Wood Products Fort Worth Texas

Meats – Harris Heckelman Halperns’ Steak and Seafood

Chicken–  Joyce Farms

Beef – Creekstone Farm

Pork – Harvest Meat Company

Produce – Rick Harvill Harvill’s Produce

 

 

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