THUNDER BAY – John Collins says he thinks Daytona’s has the best ribs of the bunch.
That’s up to the public to decide.
They’ve got four days.
RibFest, celebrating its 10th year in 2021, is back, once again a drive-through event – though this summer Ribs Royale, Dinosaur Smokehouse and local favourites, Daytona’s Restaurant will be serving up succulent meals of chicken and ribs and all the fixings from a parking lot at Lakehead University, rather than the grounds of the Canadian Lakehead Exhibition.
Collins, who owns Daytona's. said the lead-up to RibFest was a lot of work, but he and his team are ready.
“We’ve been prepping and planning for quite a while. It’s an exciting thing for us and something totally new for us. We’ve been associated with Our Kids Count for quite some time, but doing Rib Fest is unique and different and it’s exciting,” he said.
Our Kids Count is the charity associated with the annual event, which first began in the downtown north core in 2012, ultimately moving to the CLE, which was unavailable this summer due to COVID-19 clinics behind held there by the Thunder Bay Public Health Unit.
Long lines plagued last year’s RibFest, snaking onto Fort William Road and backing up traffic. Lakehead was the perfect alternative.
For Collins, it really didn’t matter where they were cooking.
“We’re the rookie on the block,” he said, mischievously. “We’ve only been doing catering for 30 years. It’s the little thing you know if you’re in the industry. It’s a little unique doing this, but I think we’re going to make Thunder Bay very proud of what we do.”
Co-chair Daniel Trevisanutto on Thursday said the location change isn’t too concerning. A hungry public will find their way to the new site, their taste buds leading the way.
“This year we’re into our second drive-through RibFest, just to help manage the risks that have been presented with the pandemic that’s been going on. So we had to change it up a little bit this year,” Trevisanutto said.
Diners are asked to enter the university grounds via Oliver Road and follow the signs to the festival. Remaining in their vehicles, they’ll be asked to choose a line – one for each ribber – and with a menu in hand, await their turn to order.
Service is fast, the ribbers keeping plenty of ribs and barbecue chicken on hand, firing them up on the grill and slathering them in another layer of sauce before serving them up.
Jackie Knough, the executive director at Our Kids Count, said last year’s event raised $60,000 to help cover the costs of a variety of services, including parenting programs, food security and their community kitchen, as well as Big Brothers Big Sisters.
“All the money raised at RibFest will go toward our families and our program,” Knough said.
Fifty-fifty tickets are being sold by volunteers onsite and anyone wishing just to buy a ticket without attending RibFest is asked to phone 630-3066.
RibFest runs through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day.
