Ninety-two teams, barbecue, music and fundraising can only mean one event: Hogs for the Cause XXVIII.
This pork-centric festival was April 10-11 at the UNO Lakefront Arena Festival Grounds, and those 92 teams were all competing to win the best in 14 categories for the 18th Annual Ben Sarrat Jr. Cook-Off. The top honor went to Carnivore Carnival, led by The Shed from Ocean Springs, while the top fundraising champion was Fleur de Que, which raised more than $825,000.
In addition to a concert, the Hogs krewe also inducted these dedicated supporters into the Hog of Fame: Clint Thibodeaux, team captain of Smokeshow Cook Squad; Tara Clement, team captain of Hog Dat Nation, responsible for revitalizing an original Hogs team; Kinner Smithers and Andrew Boone, Hogs support staff who met while on the job, fell in love, then got married; Kyle Gordon of Chew Forks Farms; Chelsea Cusimano, The Boar’s Nest; and Brandon Pearce, team captain of Bark & Bite BBQ, who has helped grow the team into one of the fastest-rising fundraising teams.
“Every year I think Hogs can’t possibly get any bigger, and every year our community proves me wrong. What makes me most proud is what that $6.65 million means for kids and families,” said Becker Hall, CEO of Hogs. “Eighteen years in, people are still showing up and having a hell of a good time for a really important cause.”
Fun Fact: In September Hogs for the Cause started BBQ in a Box, a grass-roots way to raise money for the organization, and as a reward, if participants reach a certain amount, they received a box of barbecue curated by the Link Restaurant Group.
