Destin Fl.-Attendance last year topped 500, where the hungry BBQ fans and foodies loaded up on offerings ranging from Dwon's Bayou Buffet's Red Ribs and Roasted Pork Tenderloin with blackberry butter sauce ce and Seagar's Colossal BBQ Gulf shrimp and creamy cheese grits, both receiving recognition in the spirited culinary awards. Another award winners of last year was Chef David Cunningham, formally with Commander's Palace, who prepared Smoked Braised Pork Belly with green tomato jam and hickory slaw.  The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association's Northwest Florida chapter will host a craft beer tasting and creative BBQ competition.  Brew and BBQ fans can sample fresh local fare from Gulf Coast's hottest restaurants and chefs:

Harry T's, The Fishhouse/Atlas Oyster Bar, The Shed BBQ and Blues Joint, McGuire's Irish Pub , WaterColor's Fish Out of Water, Jester's Mardi Gras Daiquiris, Poppy's  Crazy Lobster, The Grande Vista Bar and Grille, and many new entries will compete with tastings of their chef's signature BBQ, from traditional pulled pork to the extreme and creative, the competition will be hot on the harbor. "We had a great time last year, everyone said they can't wait to have Sauce Boss back and do this again!" explained Jamie Hall, Public Relations and Marketing contact for HarborWalk Village. The savory offerings will be perfectly paired with cold craft beers from around the world. Those looking for something a little more robust, can sample infused Woodford Reserve Infused Bourbons, freshly made Margarita's and various other seasonal refreshments.

The Blues- The Famous "Sauce Boss" Bill Wharton, presented by FRLA, will appears live at 12:30 p.m featuring his red hot Florida slide guitar and his liquid summer hot sauce while he brews up gumbo for the masses. The Sauce Boss has shared his home-grown natural guitar playing talent with millions. He gives the feeling that can only come from a life lived in the eye of the storm.  He has weathered more than his share of hurricanes, sunburn, and mosquitoes - and he's got the chops to prove it. He has taken his blues and a huge pot of gumbo to the disaster zones of the Mississippi delta and to homeless shelters across America - where he's fed war veterans, hurricane survivors, and plenty of other regular folks who come for music but leave with much more.  The Sauce Boss offers up sustenance and redemption in the form of music, food, and above all, the love of the brotherhood of man. The Sauce Boss has feed over 150,000, for free, while he playing his own swampy Florida blues. A Sauce Boss event transcends performance. It's a soul-shouting picnic of rock & roll brotherhood and gumbo, involving everyone. And at the end of the show, everyone eats.

 
Jimmy Buffett sings about the SAUCE BOSS in his "I Will Play for Gumbo" song. Parrotheads are now phlocking from all over the country and are also bringing the Sauce Boss to "play' and a' sway' with the gumbo" at their events. Festivals and performing arts centers throughout the US, Canada, and Europe are featuring the Sauce Boss and his gumbo. His songs "Let the Big Dog Eat" and "Great Big Fanny" appeared on the Jimmy Buffett compilation album "Margaritaville Café Late Night Menu". NPR's "All Things Considered" and "Morning Edition" have both covered the Sauce Boss. CNN and EXTRA sent film crews to New York City Sauce Boss extravaganzas in 2000, The Food Network's series "Extreme Cuisine" visited the Sauce Boss on location in New York, and another Food Network series "Keith Famie's Adventures" filmed a Sauce Boss show in Miami. The Sauce Boss is the only personality that's been featured in "Living Blues", "GQ", AND "Gourmet Magazine".

About HarborWalk Village.

HarborWalk Village is a pedestrian friendly, waterfront village located in Florida's North Gulf Coast, features boutiques, restaurants, art galleries and waterfront recreational activities.  For more information, call 850-424-0600 or visit www.harborwalkdestin.com.
 

For more information, visit www.harborwalkdestin.com  or find us on Facebook.