Mac’s takes 2nd Place in Whole Hog at Memphis in May
Pictured (from left to right): Mac’s Chef Kevin Kuruc and teammate Jeff Delmastro.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (May 22, 2017) – Fresh from a big win at one of Charlotte’s Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival, the smoking hot team from Mac’s Speed Shop headed to Tennessee and attained its highest-ever cooking competition honors at Memphis in May. Mac’s wowed the judges over the weekend, taking home a highly coveted second place trophy in the Whole Hog category at the 40th Memphis in May International Festival World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.
Billed as America’s most prestigious barbecue cooking competition, the Memphis in May Event attracts teams from all over. This year 236 teams competed with hopes of big wins, bragging rights and a share of a purse that ranges from payouts of $300 for 10th place to $15,000 for the Grand Champion, plus matching money from Cattlemen’s BBQ sauce for top winners.
“Whole hog and shoulder contests are hotly contested because those are the categories where a team typically takes home the Grand Prize. That’s why we are so thrilled with our unbelievable 2nd Place in Whole Hog,” says Mac’s Head Chef Kevin Kuruc. “Many competitors focus totally on competing. The fact that we compete, place and have multiple restaurants in multiple markets, makes our Whole Hog victory particularly sweet.”
Mac’s shares the winners’ list with many well-known contenders. The Big Bob Gibson’s team made Memphis in May barbecue history when it took home its fifth grand champion trophy at Tom Lee Park Saturday night. Melissa Cookston’s Yazoo’s Delta Q took home her fifth first place in Whole Hog, and 10 Bones BBQ repeated its first place win from last year in Ribs. Big Bob’s win in Shoulder was its remarkable 10th category victory.
Mac’s Speed Shop introduced its first restaurant in an old transmission shop in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood. It now has shops in Charlotte’s Steele Creek area, Lake Norman, Matthews, and in Fayetteville, Greensboro and Greenville, S.C. See the restaurant’s menu at MacSpeedShop.com.
