Cook-offs, eating competitions, and even the Miss Buffalo Wing Pageant occurred throughout the day as well to keep the attendees entertained as they ate wing after wing. Couples were also able to get married on stage, an opportunity that a few actually took advantage of.
Lockhart will be offering vegetarian options to festival-goers at her restaurant for those Roots ’N Blues fans who are not meat eaters. “We’ll do a barbecue seitan and local potato salad or slaw,” she said.
Over the past few years, the Roots ’N Blues ’N BBQ Festival — coming Friday and Saturday — has drawn thousands to downtown Columbia. However, visitors don’t always flock to downtown restaurants during the event. In fact, the benefits to existing businesses have been something of a mixed bag.
Boston Market also is one of the country’s largest providers of catering
services. Its same‐day ordering and delivery for corporate and personal
events of all sizes make Boston Market Catering a welcome relief from
traditional sandwich tray selections.
Craig, the executive chef, makes his version of “street food,” including spicy chicken and seafood and local sausage gumbo, mashed potato sundaes topped with Cajun shrimp and local chicken étouffée or bourbon barbecue local pork shoulder. They also serve caramel apples with house-made caramel, chocolate ganache and candied pecans, sangria and elderberry lemonade — with or without vodka.
Billy Giordano, a festival sponsor and managing partner at Room 38 Restaurant & Lounge, 38 N. Eighth St., said he looks forward to the festival. “We are slightly outside of the traffic for the majority of the festival, but we usually have a good weekend,” he said.