As part of my attempt to provide some more visibility into those KCBS members running for the KCBS Board of Directors, I sent a list of questions over to Jeff Stith. I encourage you to read his responses below, as he’s clearly put a lot of thought and effort into his decision to run for the KCBS BOD.
Q&A With KCBS Board of Directors Candidate Jeff Stith
BBQ Smoker Site (BSS): Thanks for taking time to speak with me about your KCBS Board of Directors candidacy, Jeff. How would you describe the KCBS in terms of its reason for being and its benefit to BBQ culture in general?
Jeff Stith (JS): KCBS was founded not only to promote barbeque but to promote fun and friendship. The KCBS mission statement says: “Our mission is to celebrate, teach, preserve, and promote barbeque as a culinary technique, sport and art form. We want barbeque to be recognized as America’s Cuisine.” I think that says it best. To accomplish this mission, KCBS engages in various activities that promote barbeque, educate the public and enhances its members’ experience in barbeque. The BBQ Tour raises general awareness at contests. The contests KCBS sanctions are ones where a competitor can sign up and go compete, knowing he or she will have a consistent set of rules under which they can operate and that there will be no surprises. Judging and reps will be fair to all.
BSS: Can you give our readers a little information about yourself, your experience with KCBS, and why you’ve chosen to run for the BOD?
JS: I’m 45 years old, married and have one daughter. We live in Pleasant Hill, Missouri, a small town about 45 minutes outside of Kansas City. In my career, I’m currently a human resources manager for a large senior living community. I also serve as President of the local park board and I’m a volunteer coach in the youth softball league in town where I coach my daughter’s team.
I first got involved with the KCBS back in July of 2005. I’d been cooking barbeque for quite some time but only a short time before, had I been bitten by the competition bug after visiting some friends at a contest in Warsaw, Missouri. The fish weren’t biting that day so I thought I’d wander over and check out the contest. I decided to put together a team and joined the KCBS. I spent the rest of the summer putting together my team and all the things I’d need to compete and that fall, I entered my first ever contest – the American Royal Open. The only thing it opened for me was my eyes! I learned I was just like every other guy who was told by all their friends and family that their barbeque was the best. Boy, did I have a lot to learn!
So I entered two more events before the end of 2005 and during the off season, I became a CBJ and bought a new trailer smoker (a Spicewine). I was ready for 2006! In 2006, my wife became my only other teammate as my previous one decided he was going to focus on his career. My daughter has since become a very good Kids Q cook and we now compete as a family. It’s been extremely rewarding for all of us and some great time spent with each other and our many friends in barbeque. And it’s because of all of these friends in barbeque that I’m running for the board of directors! I see the people who mean a lot to me not happy with the way things are. I see that they don’t feel they have a voice on the board. So I have stepped up and offered to serve all members by being their voice in the boardroom.
BSS: A few key issues seem to be at the forefront of this year’s KCBS BOD election – namely, the need for more cooks on the BOD, the desire for increased transparency into what goes on with the BOD, and the issue of rule changes and other administrative decisions taking place with what some believe is a lack of fact finding or due process. Can you speak a little to each of these points?
JS: Naturally as a cook myself, I agree with many members that we need more cooks on the board. Even some friends of mine who don’t cook but who are CBJs feel like the board needs the input from cooks. I think it’s only right that cooks voices are heard. As for the transparency, a lot of times we hear board members talking the transparency talk but we don’t see any action.
This organization belongs to the members. The board only leads. And as anyone worth their salt in public service will tell you, public service is just that… service to those who elected you. That’s why NOT being completely open and transparent is unacceptable! Members should be able to access all financial records, the details of all contracts signed and the content of all board meetings. Now there will be personnel and other sensitive issues that legally must be discussed in executive (closed) session – that’s obvious. But members need to know what’s going on. I look at it like this: if I am a board member and members don’t know what we’re doing, how will they know what to suggest and thus how can I collect feedback and good ideas that will help us in the future?
As I see it, I will be there to voice member ideas above all else. As for rule changes, no mid season changes are ever acceptable! That erodes the very reason for existance of the KCBS! What is fair and consistent about changing rules in the middle of the game? All rule changes should be implemented only after careful consideration and only at the first of the calendar year. I believe there will be times that we need to wait longer to make big changes. For instance, if there is something of major importance and the board votes for a change in say July, 2010. It might be that making it effective January 1, 2011 is too soon. Maybe they need to look at the following January so that there is time for discussion and consideration of all situations it might create and then to effectively communicate it so that all members, organizers, reps and judges understand it fully.
BSS: I’ve heard a great deal of late about the need to get KCBS Judges on the same page when it comes to what they should and should not consider during a judging session. It’s almost as if different regions or judging school focus on different points, despite there being a universal rules guide. Can you talk a bit about KCBS Judges and your feelings about continuing education or re-certification?
JS: I think the CBJ education process should be fully reviewed and get input from everyone on what changes should be made to get everyone on the same page. Then we need to take the updated program and look at how to use it to institute a continuing education program for all CBJs.
Many occupational fields require those in these position to periodically update their own knowledge base to continue to get a license. Why not barbeque? The thing is, we have many CBJs from many different “generations” of instruction – those certified only recently and others who have been certified for years. No doubt they all have different thoughts on what they expect and the standards they look for.
Changing a CD that few really pay any attention to doesn’t cut it. Honestly, I think it benefits everyone – cooks feel like the CBJs are more informed with all the latest rules and criteria and I think the CBJs will appreciate the fact that KCBS is taking an interest in furthering their knowledge and abilities and showing them that they are as important to KCBS as anyone.
BSS: Can you talk a little bit about those who have endorsed you so far? Why do you feel they’ve decided to stand behind you in your KCBS BOD election campaign and what does their support mean to you?
JS: I have several endorsements on my Web site at www.VoteJeffKCBS.com. I’m thrilled with all of them. Honestly, I haven’t taken a lot of time to try to round up endorsements.
Stephanie Wilson from TheSlabs.com nominated me, and I am so thankful for her support, belief in me but most of all, her friendship. Her son Brent, Slabs of Approval BBQ Team has promoted my campaign on his Web site for months now. Ryan Felty is a down to earth great guy who, like most of you, enjoys cooking contests and catering. I’ve known him since my second contest ever, back in 2005.
I met Michael Terry, President of the Great Lakes BBQ Association at The Jack and again during our Thanksgiving trip to Michigan. The folks at GLBBQA are some good people and while their board decided not to endorse any specific candidate, Mike said he endorses me and told me to let everyone know on my Web site. Rich and Bunny Tuttle live here in the same small town where I live. They are dear friends and both are former KCBS Board members. They go back to the early days of KCBS and their support means the world to me. And of course I was thrilled recently when Rod Gray, pitmaster of Pellet Envy, the 2009 KCBS Team of the Year threw his support my way!
I think the reason all of these people support me is simple – they all believe in my platform and vision for KCBS. I share their concerns and they trust me to be their voice. That’s something I’ll never take lightly. But anyone who supports my campaign, regardless of status or accomplishments, is someone who is important to me. I will always take seriously the commitment I made to be a voice for all members, regardless of where you might reside or compete.
BSS: Looking back on your time with the KCBS, who are some of the people who you feel have or may currently be doing the most to support the organization in a positive and forward thinking manner?
JS: I have to go back to the cooks. Many people don’t realize just what goes into competing in just ONE contest. I personally go through many hours the week leading up to a contest, traveling around the city to find the best quality cuts of meat, the freshest garnish and guaranteeing my rubs and other spices are fresh and replenished. Then there’s the packing, loading and trimming meat.
Many times, I’m worn out before I ever pull out of the driveway to head to a contest. Then the contest itself can be both a physical and mental drain. By the time we get home on Saturday night, all I want are a few carbs, a cold drink, a shower and bed. On top of that, we may spend $600 per contest or more.
I know in parts of the country, teams must spend more due to the higher entry fees and more expensive meats and the price of gas. It’s crazy what all cooks do for a few hours of fun and enjoyment. That’s why I say I think the cooks currently support the organization like no one else. And in my travels and communications with members during my campaign, I’ve learned just how widespread this passion for KCBS and competitive barbeque is. Cooks always have great ideas and as a board, the KCBS needs to listen!
BSS: I have to ask, what do you think of the TLC BBQ Pitmasters series, and do you think it will wind up providing a positive boost to competitive barbecue’s popularity?
JS: I really hope so. I was concerned the first week with all the foul language and chest thumping going on but I’ve seen that mellow out the last two weeks. I think overall it will be a good thing for cometitive barbeque in general. I’ve heard stories of several new memberships right after the first episode aired. I hope that continues and I hope we have more of the public out at contests in 2010, asking questions and wanting to learn. If we don’t have the public, what good does it do for sponsors to sponsor events and then where do we get bigger prize purses? I hope we get some really positive results from this program.
BSS: Is there anything else you’d like to share about you and your KCBS BOD election campaign?
JS: Two things mainly: One, I have no personal agenda. I’m not running with any personal vendetta. My agenda is to be a voice for all members… to openly communicate and treat everyone with respect.
Secondly, I know there has been some push for regional representation on the board in the past. I know the issues we face in the midwest are very similar to those being faced in all regions. I will be a voice for EVERYONE, regardless of where you live or compete! Thanks for reading! If you would like to read more, I have an extensive Web site at www.VoteJeffKCBS.com. I hope you’ll support me by casting your vote for me next month!
Again, I’d like to thank Jeff Stith, KCBS BOD Candidate for taking time to answer our questions. Reposts of this blog are happily permitted with a link back to this site.
Filed under BBQ Interviews by 
Those of you interested in the upcoming KCBS Board of Directors elections will be interested in this one. KCBS BOD candidate Candy Weaver, of BBQ’rs Delight was kind enough to answer a few questions here about her experience with the organization and her hopes for its future. Thank you Candy, for taking time out of your busy holiday schedule to respond!
BBQ Smoker Site (BSS): I know there’s been some good growth in terms of new members over the last year or so, and the TLC Pitmasters series may spur on some more. How would you describe the KCBS to a new guy like me in terms of its reason for being and benefit to BBQ culture in general?
Candy Weaver (CW): The Kansas City Barbeque Society exists to “celebrate, preserve and promote barbecue as a culinary technique, sport and art form. Our goal is to have barbecue recognized as America’s Cuisine.” That’s the mission statement and it pretty much says it all, except the method it uses to promote this mission, which is only mentioned in the word “sport.”
I believe that any national coverage via the media will spur interest in KCBS and competition BBQ cooking. Look at the old shows on FoodTV that get shown every year. If these shows weren’t watched, they wouldn’t be dusted off to play again. I don’t know what you mean by “BBQ culture.” BBQ is America no matter where its roots began.
BSS: Can you give our readers a little information about yourself, your experience with KCBS, and why you’ve chosen to run for the BOD?
CW: In my working background, I was involved in non-profit organizations as an employee. When my mother died in 1999, I joined the family business and was presented with running and developing products for the newly formed BBQr’s Delight. My first experience with KCBS occurred in October of that year at the Jack Daniel’s Invitational Barbecue Contest.
BBQr’s Delight was a sponsor at many local contests which were KCBS sanctioned. We advertised in the Bullsheet and other barbeque publications. In 2003, the local contest’s organizer asked me to compete to make the lead sponsor happy with more competition teams. I won something! I was hooked, became a CBJ and judged some. Went to Dr. BBQ’s cooking class and cooked my first contest in May of 2004.
I trained to be a certified Table Captain, and cooked some more contests. After Rod Gray resigned from the Board, cooks had limited representation on the board. Several people asked me to run. I have the ability to commit the time to serve KCBS on the Board. KCBS has played a major role in my life the last 5 years. I will commit 3 years if elected to serve the organization. I will serve only one term.
BSS: A few key issues seem to be at the forefront of this year’s KCBS BOD election – namely, the need for more cooks on the BOD, the desire for increased transparency into what goes on with the BOD, and the issue of rule changes and other administrative decisions taking place with what some believe is a lack of fact finding or due process. Can you speak a little to each of these points?
CW: KCBS is a triangle made up of cooks, judges and organizers as the sides. Right now, there are far more judges as members than cooks. Contests wouldn’t happen if not for the commitment of time and money that cooks put forth to do the contests. Cooks should have a major role on the BOD. I think it’s funny that ever candidate has a cook team tied to their name, even if cooking is not their main KCBS thing. That’s shows how important this issue is this year.
I’ve been told that the BOD incumbents will be re-elected. This will only keep the status quo alive. One new person cannot change the BOD or promise any transparency or any major changes in the system. Four new members of the BOD, might just upset the status quo to achieve meaningful changes. There are strong candidates running this year.
There are issues which should have been resolved long, long ago! For example, there are still problems with the computer scoring system. Why have these not been fixed? Where is KCBS spending its money? What is the annual budget? Again, these are transparency issue.
It seems to me that the BOD is way more involved than it needs to be in the day-to-day operation of KCBS. Why? Why is the BOD involved in personnel issues? Who is the current office manager or is there one? Why are rules changed on the fly in the middle of the year? Why is garnish prohibited one weekend of the contest season, when the danger was the weekend before? The BOD needs to look to the future of the organization, not focus on the minutia of day-to-day activities.
Whatever your position is on any of these matters, please vote. I’d really like to see a record vote for the BOD occur this year. Let’s make real changes!
BSS: I’ve heard a great deal of late about the need to get KCBS Judges on the same page when it comes to what they should and should not consider during a judging session. It’s almost as if different regions or judging school focus on different points, despite there being a universal rules guide. Can you talk a bit about KCBS Judges and your feelings about continuing education or re-certification?
CW: When I went to CBJ school, it was more about what was a DQ than what was good BBQ. This is a very subjective thing, this judging of BBQ. I believe that the most important thing for a judge is to judge the first entry with the same seriousness and same criteria as they judge the last entry.
In a perfect world, I’d like each judge to judge each tray completely at one pass. This means you see it for appearance, you take a sample and you judge it for taste and texture BEFORE you get to see another box. This would totally and completely eliminate comparison judging. It would eliminate the need for a special “plate” all that would be needed would be a judging slip.
I believe in re-certification if a CBJ hasn’t judged in a while or only judged one local contest a year. I’m planning on retaking the class in either January or February of 2010 and doing some judging this next year. From a cook’s perspective, I’ve got to say that most of the time I believe that judges to a good job. When I’ve revisited my entries, I can generally agree with my scores.
BSS: Can you talk a little bit about those who have endorsed you so far? Why do you feel they’ve decided to stand behind you in your KCBS BOD election campaign and what does their support mean to you?
CW: Wow, this is a hard one! I’ve not been keeping “score” as to who has endorsed me or not. All I can say is you learn who your friends are and aren’t! I am of 2 conflicting opinions myself. I can see where serving on the BOD, especially this fractured BOD, will take much of the fun out of competition cooking. I’ve been warned of this by former members of the Board.
This is one reason why I will only serve three years. One term is enough. I don’t do this as an ego thing, I’m running because I truly feel that I can bring a perspective in barbeque that few others have. I have management experience and have experience dealing with difficult people. But part of me would like to stay on the sidelines, cook some contests, play with my friends and not be concerned about the state and future of KCBS. If current problems are not addressed, this organization will falter and be replaced.
BSS: Looking back on your time with the KCBS, who are some of the people who you feel have or may currently be doing the most to support the organization in a positive and forward thinking manner?
CW: Tony Stone, our past president, as a strong leader he kept the board directed. He is also someone that I admire greatly. He’s had the courage to take responsibility when he’s been wrong. That’s a hard trait to find these days.
Ron Harwell (not Board member Don Harwell) has done such a great job through the years writing articles and reviews of contests for various publications. Plus, he’s one of my favorite contest reps. As a cook, I know when he’s there things are very likely to run right.
This list could go on and on! There are so many people who support KCBS by judging, cooking and organizing the events for us to participate in whatever manner we choose to do so. I have met people on the BBQ trail who I consider to be my closest lifetime friends. From sea to sea, there are BBQ events going on, bringing people together celebrating the American Cuisine of barbeque.
I would like to commend the current members from every corner of the USA of the BOD, all of whom devote their time and energies to the mission of KCBS, even if I don’t personally agree with every direction they’ve taken. Carolyn Wells who is working to promote barbeque competition down to Australia. What a great American export!
BSS: I have to ask, what do you think of the TLC BBQ Pitmasters series, and do you think it will wind up providing a positive boost to competitive barbecue’s popularity?
CW: I like it. Where else could I see Johnny Trigg’s ribs and Trish make a pork box!? And Tuffy inject his brisket! Even with all the talk about Myron’s mouth, Myron is being Myron, and he’s a great competitor and all around BBQ man.
Yes, I think it’s promoting BBQ. I think John Marcus is doing a fine job producing the show. I think it’s interesting to watch and I think it’s interesting enough for someone not involved in barbeque to get interested in it. I think it’s a pity that John Marcus did not get on the BOD when he ran a couple of years ago. KCBS would be in a different place right now.
BSS: Is there anything else you’d like to share about you and your KCBS BOD election campaign?
CW: VOTE! If you’re a member, make your voice heard. You sure have no right to complain about anything unless you VOTE.
If I am elected to serve the membership on the BOD, I will do my utmost to listen to every member’s’ concerns and serve the wishes of the membership of KCBS. I will represent cooks on the Board, and I will only serve one term.
Again, I’d like to thank Candy Weaver, KCBS BOD Candidate for taking time to answer our questions. Reposts of this blog are happily permitted with a link back to this site.
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