By CHRISTOPHER HARRIS
Pulaski County has long been known for unique vehicles . Houseboats on Lake Cumberland . Classic hot rods at Somernites Cruise . And now ... food trucks ? Over the last five years , food truck festivals have become a staple on the streets of downtown Somerset , led primarily by Foodstock , a celebration of local art , music , and of course , good stuff to eat .
Food trucks line East Mt . Vernon Street and stretch around the square , offering visitors a chance to try a little bit of everything , from BBQ to gelato , pizza to jerk chicken .
This year ’ s Foodstock will take place on Saturday , April 29 , but it won ’ t be the only thing going on — there will be a festival within the festival , the first of what organizers hope will be a longstanding tradition .
The Somerset Smoke Show Grilling Competition , sponsored by ProTrade BBQ Supply & Hardware and Baney ’ s Bangin ’
BBQ , will take center stage at this year ’ s Foodstock , much the way musical acts do on the main stage for the city ’ s Moonlight Festival , observed City of Somerset Director of Tourism Leslie Ikerd .
The grilling competition has been in the works for a while . Luke and Jenn Bates , owners of ProTrade BBQ Supply & Hardware , and Greg Jones of Baney ’ s Bangin ’ BBQ , a local sauce and rub maker , came up with the concept and pitched it to the City of Somerset , which saw an opportunity to work it into a pre-existing event all about eating — Foodstock .
“ We sat down and started talking , and I kind of stopped them halfway through and said , ‘ Listen , I don ’ t know if you all would entertain this or not , but I would love to hire you guys to come in and partner with us and be our main feature ( for Foodstock ),’” said Ikerd . “ Obviously , Foodstock is about food . So they went back and thought about it for a while , and came back and said they ’ d love to partner ( with us ).”
J . C . Phelps of JCP Eats will serve as an emcee for the Somerset Smoke Show , and there will be barbecue classes and demonstrations as a part of the event as well . Representatives from related grillmaking companies like Traeger and Green Egg and possibly others will be on hand to teach live BBQ classes on stage for the public .
“( We want ) to have something where people can come down and stay for a little bit ,” said Ikerd . “ You want to have the entertainment component .”
Jenn Bates said that it ’ s exciting to partner with the City of Somerset and be featured at Foodstock this year .
“ We ’ ve never done anything like this before , so to be able to do it on a level like this , it ’ s awesome ,” she said .
ProTrade will supply the grills — four Traegers , four Green Eggs , and four Weber Kettles . Contestants will be cooking ribs , and prizes will be given for the best rib on each type of grill , as well as an overall Grillmaster title . Each category winner gets a ProTrade gift card , a plaque and a swag bag , and the grand prize winner will get an additional gift card , a bigger trophy , and a weekend at Happy Camper
Foodstock 2022 Photo by Carla Slavey
32 • SEKY - Life in Southeast Kentucky april 2023