CALF_News_June_July_2020

35 CALF News • June | July 2020 • www.calfnews.net GRILL H O T O F F T H E A C A L F N E W S B B Q P A R T Y VIRTUAL COOKOFF! P eople have gathered to eat for mil- lions of years. Depending on who you ask, we’ve been cooking food over fire for anywhere from 300,000 years to 2 million years, using primitive firepits built out of rocks and sticks. In more recent times we’ve evolved to Webers, Traegers and Big Green Eggs. Regardless which millennium people have lived in, one thing has stayed the same – cooking and eating has always been an important community event, and certainly a basic human need. So what happens when a worldwide pandemic shuts down life as we’ve come to know it? Not too long ago being unable to meet up with friends at a res- taurant would have been unimaginable, and being quarantined at home incom- prehensible. We’ve certainly not stopped eating (some of us have perhaps overin- dulged a bit), but it’s different for sure. To top it off, we’ve been missing out on social events, and for many people right now, even going to work. We’ve learned how important social interaction is, and we’ve seen the unfortunate side of isola- tion, where people get lonely, depressed, and have a hard time enjoying the basic things in life. We’ve come up with creative ways to combat the impacts of quarantine over the past few months. For those of us By James Coope Contributing Editor who work, it has been a challenge to keep employees and teams engaged and upbeat. It’s been hard not interacting with others in person, and we’re missing the joys of what work brings to our lives. Sure, the Zoom happy hours help, but it doesn’t replace the excitement (or dare I say need) of basic interaction with our co-workers. When I’m not writing I’m actually part of a rather competitive eight-person regional sales team spanning six large western states. One thing we all have in common is our love of outdoor cook- ing, and we like to share stories and brag about our latest and greatest accomplish- ments on the grill. So what does my team plan for a lazy Friday afternoon to replicate our gatherings of the past? How about a virtual cookoff! We planned the cookoff a week out to allow people to prepare. There was some healthy chatter on our corporate chat room all week – people talking up their game, so to speak. As some of the junior grillers scrambled to figure out what they were going to cook, the grizzled veterans shared stories of prior feasts. If anything, it made the work week a lot more spirited! The excitement started on Thurs- day afternoon, when David in Phoenix posted a picture of the dry rub on his brisket. He went on about how the weather was so perfect in Arizona – a warm 87 degrees. Unfortunately for us in Denver, we were deal- ing all week with winter’s last hurrah, and the day before the cookoff it was a balmy 30 degrees. That didn’t slow us down, however, as Friday was going to be warmer, and a lot of fun. The competition heated up on Friday morning as more and more photos came over the group chat. Chris in Denver sent a picture of his St. Louis ribs, and Lance in Denver was marinating his steaks. Our rookie rep Brett in Denver joined in a strong showing with a smoker full of ribs (he was wearing his ski gear when he went outside early Friday morning at his home outside of Denver), while Noel in Phoenix played a round of golf before offering her input later in the day. My contribution to the event was short ribs on the Traeger. The day was filled with “friendly” banter and lots of fun photos. It did eventually warm up in Denver to a comfortable 65 degrees. I’m certain that we weren’t as productive as we normally are on a Friday (for some of us, cooking involves a frosty beverage or two). At the end of the day, we all enjoyed a really good homecooked meal, and we had a lot of fun making it happen. We’re definitely living in some inter- esting times, and we need to get creative to stay connected with people. The cookoff was proof that we can still gather with friends, cook over an open fire, and enjoy a great meal together. It was a perfect way to get the team together, do something we all enjoy, and bring some normalcy to life, at least for one day. 