OHM presented a $5,000 check to The Farmer’s House during the awards ceremony Saturday, Aug. 22, outside Weston City Hall. Dana Chatlin, director of development and marketing at The Farmer’s House, accepted the contribution.

Richard Chinsammy, vice president of OHM Concession Group, said his wife discovered The Farmer’s House while walking through Weston during the previous competition and decided the organization should benefit from this year’s event.

“Weston has been great to us, so we’re gonna give back to Weston,” Chinsammy said.

The Farmer’s House serves youth and adults with developmental disabilities through programs that build vocational, social and life skills. Its markets, including one on Main Street in Weston, provide participants with work experience and job training.

Chatlin thanked OHM for selecting the organization and said its stores help prepare participants to enter the workforce after high school.

OHM also donated $1,000 to Serve Saturday, an annual mission event organized by Weston United Methodist Church.

Mayor Kim Kirby said the contribution came about after she told Chinsammy she could not attend the barbecue awards because she had already committed to volunteering with Serve Saturday. After learning about the mission project, Chinsammy asked whether the group would accept a donation.

“I was shocked,” Kirby said. “I had no idea it would be that amount of money.”

The $1,000 was divided evenly between the Community Action Agency of Greater Kansas City food pantry in Tracy, formerly known as United Services, and Della Lamb Community Services. Each organization received $500.

In addition to the charitable contributions, Kirby said the competition gives Weston exposure to people who might shop, eat or return for another visit.

“Our name is in print on everything that they have, where they’re at and what they’re doing,” Kirby said. “That just puts us in front of more people.”

Kirby said competitors focused on cooking during the event may not have had time to explore Weston, but the experience could encourage them to return.

“I’m sure some of the people that are there are shopping, eating in the restaurants and all of that, which is a great benefit,” she said. “They’ll probably come back as well.”

No estimate of the competition’s total economic impact on Weston was available.

The Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned competition brought teams from Kansas and Missouri to the Holladay Distillery campus near downtown Weston. Eligible teams were required to be based within 80 miles of Kansas City International Airport.

Contest organizer Corey Linton said competitors prepared chicken, ribs, pork and brisket for certified judges. Teams received meat from the same suppliers that serve the Made for KC BBQ Experience at the airport, giving each team a similar starting point.

The competition was not a public tasting event, leaving some Weston residents wondering how they could participate. One option is to become a KCBS Certified Barbeque Judge.

Applicants must be at least 16, maintain a KCBS membership and complete a half-day judging class. The class teaches participants how to evaluate chicken, ribs, pork and brisket for appearance, taste and texture. Once certified, judges may apply to work at KCBS-sanctioned competitions through the organization’s event listings at kcbs.us. Individual membership currently costs $45 a year, and class fees vary.

The Made for KC competition offered a total purse of $33,500. Smokey Bey’s Barbecue was named grand champion, earning $10,000 and an 18-month licensing agreement to become the next featured pitmaster at the 8,000-square-foot Made for KC BBQ Experience inside Kansas City International Airport. The team’s name, recipes, rubs and sauces will be featured at the restaurant beginning March 1, 2027.

OHM created the competition in partnership with the Kansas City Barbeque Society to showcase the region’s competition barbecue teams. Holladay Distillery served as a host partner and held a welcome event for competitors Friday before the overnight cook.

Chinsammy said sponsors provide meat, products and other support for the championship. Resources remaining after event expenses are directed to charitable causes.

“We give it to local charity,”