The next Ethan Stowell cook-off is coming right up—this time a special Father’s Day edition: BARBECUE! An assemblage of Seattle’s best chefs and home cooks will rally at Tavolàta on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 16, fighting for the title of Barbecue King. It’s an anything goes competition this time around—whatever barbecue means to the cook, from southern-style ribs to Korean BBQ to grilled salmon.

When: Sunday June 16th at 6PM Where: Tavolàta Why: BBQ & A Very Good Cause How Much: $50 for Barbecue Galore, Potato Salad, Coleslaw, and Tap Beer Reservations: Strongly Encouraged! Call 206.838.8008

When it comes to barbecuing, whether you cook in a restaurant kitchen of not, you are a professional. The competitors include: Manny Arce of Poquitos, Rocky Yeh, Dan Braun of Oliver’s Twist, Tobie Robinson of Parsnips Catering, Thomas Marshall, Joseph Conrad of RN74, Darren Vengroff (who holds the Gumbo title from January of 2008), Jim Romdall of Vessel, Joe Jeannot of the Jopra Show, Kirby Winfield, and Ethan Stowell.

Guests will be given a scorecard to taste and rate all the different barbecue as the evening goes along, and the winner will receive a $200 gift card to Ethan Stowell Restaurants. The cook-off begins at 6pm and cost is $50/person. The cost includes barbecue galore, potato salad, coleslaw, and tap beer. Smack talk is most definitely encouraged. Reservations are highly recommended, as previous cook-offs have consistently sold out. For reservations, please call Tavolàta at 206.838.8008.

In the past, these cook-offs—ranging from Fried Chicken Frenzy to Meatloaf Madness—have been wildly popular and included scores of local chefs such as Ericka Burke of Volunteer Park Cafe, Mark Fuller of Ma’Ono Fried Chicken & Whisky, and Bill “Oyster Bill” Whitbeck from Taylor Shellfish—to name just a few. Home cooks have been known to smoke the pros, and most of the cook-offs center around down home classics—gumbo, mac and cheese, chowder, and the like. Past cook-offs raised thousand of dollars for charities including the Boys and Girls Club of King County, PAWS, Northwest Harvest, FareStart, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and Seattle Children’s Theatre.

Save the Date: Sunday, September 22 (NEW DATE)— Fried Chicken Sunday, November 17—Mac and Cheese