OHM Concession Group (OHM) will welcome a new executive pitmaster next year to its Kansas City BBQ Experience restaurant at Kansas City International Airport (MCI), the result of a contest held in early June for the position.
In its second year, the contest pitted 45 teams against each other in the Made For KC BBQ Competition. The prize – awarded to a team called “The O.G. Bandits” from Oak Grove, Missouri – was $25,000 and the opportunity to become the executive pitmaster for 12 months beginning March 2024. The O.G. Bandits team is headed by pitmaster Ashton Smith, who competed while eight months pregnant and with her three young children supporting her during the two-day event.
“Kansas City is the center of the BBQ universe. We wanted to feature authentic Kansas City BBQ at the new airport, and we are committed to holding this championship every year,” said Milan Patel, president and CEO of OHM. “This gives the local, backyard BBQ pitmasters an opportunity to realize their dreams at their home airport.”
The first and current pitmasters at the restaurant, Smoke n’ Magic, headed by pitmasters Breana Via and Bradley Colter, won the event in 2022.
