Above / Jim Davis, Director of News & Matrix Operations/DuPage & Fox Bureaus for the Daily Herald, samples one of the ribs in the Ribfest 2012 Competition. For 2016, Davis, also a Daily Herald columnist, returns for a place at the judges’ table.
Update, July 12, 2016 / Jim Davis provided a link to his Daily Herald column July 10, 2016, chronicling his most recent rib-judging experience. “Hope you enjoy it,” he wrote. “If you did, feel free to share far and wide on social media. That’s the new journalism way. It was a honor to serve with you.”
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160709/discuss/160709183/
Update, 3:51PM July 3, 2016 / Click any photo to enlarge.
[shareprints gallery_id=”62407″ gallery_type=”squares” gallery_position=”pos_center” gallery_width=”width_100″ image_size=”small” image_padding=”2″ theme=”dark” image_hover=”false” lightbox_type=”slide” comments=”false” sharing=”true”]
Today’s the day! Judges assembled at 11AM July 3 to taste ribs and sauces to determine the trophy winners and bragging rights for the 2016 Ribfest.
Congratulations to Texas Outlaws BBQ for winning the first place trophy for ribs at 2016 Ribfest!
Desperado won the second place trophy, followed Mojo’s in third place.
Trophies for the top three best-tasting sauces went to Pork N Beans, Texas Outlaws and Johnson’s, respectively.
Local youth volunteers, ages 7 to 18, selected Desperado as the 2016 Kid’s Choice.
The annual judging always brings back memories for judges, some of whom never imagined ribs and barbecue sauce could be so fun and filling! Cheers!
Ribfest Judging 2012 / Celebrating Ribfest 25
The Exchange Club of Naperville Ribfest competition to judge and determine the best ribs and sauce in 2012 is among the more memorable for Positively Naperville. That year Ribfest was celebrating its 25th year, a family-friendly festival that’s grown to be known as a “party with a purpose” held in conjunction with Independence Day.
Mark Wright served as Chairman of the 25th anniversary Ribfest.
That year just as the judging began in the sponsor tent in Knoch Park, a strong storm blew into Naperville for a delay in the tasty action while volunteers transported by golf cart the judges, ribs, sauces and all the supplies for the competition to the Barn.
Click any 2012 photo to enlarge…
[shareprints gallery_id=”62393″ gallery_type=”squares” gallery_position=”pos_center” gallery_width=”width_100″ image_size=”small” image_padding=”2″ theme=”dark” image_hover=”false” lightbox_type=”slide” comments=”false” sharing=”true”]Though PN doesn’t remember who won the trophies that year, we do recall that the 2012 judging event included among its judges Daily Herald columnist Jim Davis. Davis wrote about his experience and his official Ribfest Judge 2012 polo shirt in his column that appears in print today (July 3, 2016) on the editorial page.
“Turns out, not much has changed since I wrote about being a rib judge four years ago,” writes Davis. “Ribfest organizers have invited 27 judges (mostly sponsors) and 10 kids to taste the ribs supplied by 12 ‘ribbers.'”
In 2012, Jack Morrissey also requested the opportunity to write about his experience as a Ribfest judge to select the kids’ favorite. And ever since, the teen “foodie” has been writing about cooking in and dining out with a youthful perspective in a column for Positively Naperville.
During all the years that PN has observed the much-photographed rib judging, we’ve listened to instructions that advise silence during the competition. While tasting samples of rib and sauces, judges are not allowed to sound utterances such as “Mmmmm Mmmmm good.”
The results of the rib and sauce judging will be available in time for festival-goers to know when they lineup for dinner on July 3, 2016. And, of course, all day on the Fourth of July.
PN will keep you posted. Thanks for reading!
Editor’s Note / For full disclosure, PN Web and design editor Tim Penick will serve as one of the 2016 Ribfest judges.
