NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The fourth annual North Nashville Bordeaux Community Day and rib cook-off brought neighbors together Saturday, with organizers saying the event is about more than barbecue — it's about celebrating the community and investing in its future.
Competitors fired up their grills early, with some getting started around 6:30 a.m. By the time judging began, the smell of barbecue filled the air across the neighborhood.
But Pastor Sam Kirk, executive director of Youth About Business and a minister at Lord's House Ministry, says the competition is just one piece of the day.
"We're having a great time. This is an event that we wanted to bring to North Nashville to make it a destination event for the city," Kirk said.
Kirk says dozens of people and organizations helped bring the event together, including youth programs and the Bordeaux Business Coalition. This year, members of the TSU men's basketball team also got involved, helping carry barbecue from the grillers to the judges.
"Coach Smith, I told him we needed your guys to come be the runners. So they're running the barbecue back and forth from the grill to the judges. It's really good," Kirk said.
Kirk says moments like that are exactly why they continue putting on the event year after year.
"I think it's amazing to see what happens when community comes together. I really do," Kirk said.
Organizers say they also want the event to give young people a chance to see what can happen when their community supports them — a message Kirk says is especially important as Bordeaux continues to grow and change.
"I really appreciate that Youth About Business, there's a place that we invest into our next generation. So our young people are getting a chance to see that they can do very positive things and a community gets around them and truly supports them," Kirk said.
Organizers say they hope the rib cook-off continues getting bigger every year, while making sure longtime Bordeaux residents remain part of the community's future.
Deep South Flavor Catering is the 2026 winner of the rib competition.
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