The Annual Championship BBQ & Cookout is 20 and counting! This year, Food News Media, publisher of QSR andFSR magazines, will serve as co-host with event founder Barbara Mathias and her colleague, Beverly Stephen, the former publisher and executive editor respectively of Food Arts magazine. The BBQ will take place on Sunday, May 21, 2017, during the NRA Show in Chicago.

Equal parts party and high-powered networking event, the Championship BBQ and Cookout is known to food-industry insiders as a “must-attend” event. Each year, the best chefs in Chicago face off over flames to feed up to 1,000 chefs and operators, including many of the industry’s leaders. It also attracts many high-quality sponsors integral to the event’s success.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit World Central Kitchen, an international organization led by chef José Andrés, which uses its network of world-renowned chefs to find sustainable solutions to end world hunger.

“We are truly honored to be part of such a high-profile event,” says Greg Sanders, group publisher of Food News Media. “The reputation of the Championship BBQ and Cookout is second to none, and it supports such a wonderful cause. What more could you ask for in an industry event? We are excited to serve as co-host.”

About Food News Media

Food News Media, the parent company of QSR and FSR magazines, offers a full suite of media products to help operators and marketers connect with the entire $600 billion–plus U.S. restaurant industry. For more than two decades, the Chapel Hill, North Carolina–based publishing company has built a reputation for thought leadership and reporting on trends in dining for the American consumer.