---
title: "“Famous Dave” Presides Over All-Star BBQ Championship Series"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/a7c08868-13bb-4ae9-b548-5e52dc67fa7d
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/famousdaves/the-mercury-news-san-jose-meet-pitmaster-famous-dave-score-some-free-bbq-at-competition-2726461
category: "Casual dining"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Casual dining"
published: 2024-06-14T20:15:03.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T01:08:39.338Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/d8680d13f26916324490a7a70fc73db54597.jpg
---

# “Famous Dave” Presides Over All-Star BBQ Championship Series

**TL;DR:** Famous Dave's founder 'Famous Dave' Anderson scouted local pit teams in San Jose, California for his Nationwide All-Star BBQ Championship Series. The event featured a competition among five Bay Area teams for a $5,000 prize and a chance to compete in the nationals in Indianapolis.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2024-06-14. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/famousdaves/the-mercury-news-san-jose-meet-pitmaster-famous-dave-score-some-free-bbq-at-competition-2726461).*

## Story

“Famous Dave” Anderson, the founder of the Famous Dave’s barbecue chain, was in San Jose, California, on May 25 to scout local pit teams for his Nationwide All-Star BBQ Championship Series, The Mercury News reported.

The event, which took place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Famous Dave’s in The Plant shopping center, was free and open to the public. Attendees were given the opportunity to sample barbecue, with People’s Choice voting for the best chicken wings beginning at 1:30 p.m. The competition featured five Bay Area teams: Los Mexi “Q”tioners, OD BBQ, Old Greenwood BBQ, Big Daddy’s BBQ 89 and Bone Sauce N Harmony, all of whom vied for a share of a $5,000 prize and a chance to compete in the nationals in Indianapolis in November.

“Giving local pitmasters the opportunity to share a family BBQ recipe and the craft they’ve handed down for generations is what BBQ is all about and what makes it interesting,” Anderson said. “That’s why this is such a passion project of mine. Every community has local legends who are known in the community, love what they do and we want to celebrate their uniqueness and skill.”

Anderson’s passion for barbecue, rooted in his Chicago upbringing and his Native American heritage, has driven the success of over 100 Famous Dave’s restaurants nationwide. Events like this one not only highlight the skill and innovation of the barbecue community, but also foster a sense of local pride and culinary excellence.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- Indianapolis (location)
- Famous Dave's (company)
- San Jose, California (location)
- barbecue chain (topic)
- bbq championship (topic)
- The Plant shopping center (location)
- local pit teams (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/famousdaves/the-mercury-news-san-jose-meet-pitmaster-famous-dave-score-some-free-bbq-at-competition-2726461). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/a7c08868-13bb-4ae9-b548-5e52dc67fa7d).