August Break 2012 – Day 26, pt.B

To round off “Mum’s day”, we had the sitter come over to watch the kids (yay!), and we headed out to a BBQ.

Formally, it was known as the “2nd Annual Alberta Beef Tournament”.

Hosted by our dear friend Roger…

… and his lovely wife Erin.

It was a celebration of, well… beef.

And beer (provided by the new and fabulous Village Brewery).

And good friends – both big, and small. 😉

It’s not every day that you get to party with local celebrities… (Show here: Nirmala Naidoo and Gord Gillies.)

As Roger explained, the BBQ itself was a gathering of friends. The actual “tournament” had occurred earlier in the day with a “cook off”, Iron Chef style, between 5 specially selected competitors.

The two esteemed judges (Nirmala Naidoo and Roger’s mom, Brenda) explained their judging criteria…

… before awarding the “Art” award to Roger for his piece entitled…

… “Meat-Nenshi” (named after our city’s mayor, Naheed Nenshi).

After Roger humbly accepted his award, the judges explained that they didn’t think it was fair for the host to win BOTH the “Art” and the “Food” categories, so even though his Marrow Crostini were arguably the most delicious entry…

… the “Food” award would go to Sally for her also delectable Carpaccio dish.

The winners consomme-d (?) their triumphs by drinking broth from the trophy cup, and then displayed their prizes – graciously provided by the Alberta Beef Producers.

Thanks were given to Jim Button and the Village Brewery for their beer contributions…

… and draws were made for various wine door prizes.

Like this beauty, provided by J. Webb Wine Merchant.

Which went to these fine folks for their crowd-pleasing salmon dish.

The eating, drinking, visiting, and partying continued…

… and fun was had by all.

Thanks again for including us in your celebrations, Roger & Erin! Looking forward to next year’s events!!!