We’re always delighted when our hometown barbecue style pops up in the most unlikely places.
The latest is Kalamazoo, Michigan, where Kevin Tibbs, proprietor of Tibbs Brewing Company, recently hosted a Santa Maria Style BBQ dinner as part of the local Kalamazoo Beer Week festivities.
Said Tibbs, “Having a seated event is something new for us so that’s exciting in of itself. Then you add on the fact that we will be pairing our beer with, truthfully, some of the best barbecue I’ve ever eaten and that really gets me pumped for this event.”
We won’t argue with him about it being the best barbecue!
Other recent out-of-area Santa Maria Barbecue sightings include a new barbecue restaurant in Palm Springs that is including Santa Maria BBQ as part of a larger focus on regional American barbecue styles, as well as a new restaurant in Los Angeles called Odys + Penelope that is serving Santa Maria tri-tip.
Says Odys + Penelope proprietor Karen Hatfield: “It’s one of California’s very few regional foods,” she says. “It’s fun to put a spin on that.”
Sunset Magazine recently called Santa Maria “the West’s Best BBQ Town,” and it appears that Santa Maria BBQ is becoming one of the fastest growing regional barbecue styles along the way!
