National Pitmasters Bring Smoked And Fired Foods Return To Coeur d'Alene This Summer

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho - March 27, 2019 - PRLog -- Delicious food and nationally-known culinary talents will converge on Settlers Creek again this summer. From the Ashes, An American Smoked and Fired Foods Adventure, will return for its second year to feature Pitmasters from around the country, here to share their region's influence on the wood-fired barbecue food culture.

Located just 5 minutes northwest of downtown Coeur d'Alene, Settlers Creek is an event venue known for their BIG flavors and foods which they smoke and cook on their BIG custom-built equipment.  "The cooking equipment at Settlers Creek is really remarkable," notes Wendi Haught, co-owner of Framework Meetings and Destinations, who has had client events there over the past ten years. "There are very few places in the country where the smokers and grills become part of the event décor and conversation, but that always happens with Settlers Creek events," she adds.

The weekend's food festivities will start with Friday's "Light the Fires Dinner" with a traditional Low Country Boil served up family-style to allow the guests to enjoy fellowship and spend time with the 2019 Pitmasters and Media Guests. "Regional culinary alumni from 2018 From the Ashes event have been invited back this year to help us kick off the weekend's food adventure," explains Wendi Haught, event co-founder. "As we grow each year, our plan is to introduce talent from around the country, while always having an opportunity to weave in our previous year's culinarians, too."

The celebrated showcase Pitmaster event gets underway Saturday. Anthony DiBernardo, Swig & Swine (South Carolina); Craig Verhage, The BBQ Ninja (Mississippi);  Leslie Roark Scott, Ubons BBQ (Mississippi); Porter Kinney (Kennewick, Washington) and Chad White (Spokane) will be preparing and sharing whole hog, turkey, salmon, wings, brisket, pastrami and plenty of side dishes to go with them. Regional craft beers and wines, as well as fun family activities and musical entertainment by Nu Jack City will be featured throughout the day.

"Only 80-ish days until I'm camped out at the counter at Hudson's, crushing a double and doubling up on the coconut cream and lemon meringue pie. The people, scenery, fishing and, of course, the food has had me thinking about Coeur d'Alene in anticipation of this year's From the Ashes event since I left last year," says Anthony DiBernardo, of Charleston, South Carolina and co-founder of the event. "I'm looking forward to introducing some more of my barbecue family to the area this year."

Area culinarians will lead "Application Stations" again this year. "Here is where guests can discover other ways to put these primal cuts of fired foods to work in their home menu planning," Haught continues, "Taking the big primal cuts and putting them to use in a variety of fun and family-friendly ways was a hit with our guests last year and gets their creative juices engaged." Application Station chefs this year will include Teresa Whitney (Sysco Spokane), Dave Adlard (Candle In the Woods), Matt Curmi (Wildwood Grilling), and Nick Isenberg (Chomper Café).

Event sponsors for the From the Ashes event this summer include the Idaho Department of Commerce/Visit Idaho, Certified Angus Beefâ Brand, Sysco Spokane, Spiceology, Blue Sky Broadcasting/KPND/K-102 and Framework Meetings.  National food writers will be traveling to Coeur d'Alene to experience the area, local restaurants, producers' farms and facilities, and to showcase the event to their food and travel readers.  "When I ventured into the hills of Coeur d'Alene to Settlers Creek, I never expected to find such a vast assortment of BBQ pits. From custom-fabricated smokers and grills to hanging cauldrons to a 20-foot tall burn box, it's the perfect setting for pitmasters around the country to show off their regional styles of barbecue," says Christie Vanover, editor and publisher of GirlsCanGrill.com, KCBS-Certified Barbecue Judge and returning media guest for the 2019 event.

Proceeds benefit the Kootenai Humane Society to support their needs for medicine and care for their animal rescue efforts nationwide.

Tickets range from $29.00-$35.00 per day, and youth and family packages are available on EventBrite.com. The event sold out in advance last year, so advance ticket purchase is recommended.

Find out more about From the Ashes, An American Smoked and Fired Foods Adventure, via the event website (www.fromtheashesidaho.com), on Facebook, or by emailing the team at Framework Meetings and Destinations.