By Melissa Coleman
Bluebird Kitchen is an American style wood smoked barbecue restaurant which started tempting local taste buds in the Southern Downs region back in 2015.
When you walk into the Warwick restaurant your olfactory senses explode in delight from the aromatic air of smoky flavoured meats.
The smell makes it easy to see why they came home with the title of overall International Grand champion at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue at Kansas recently.
The 2020 and 2021 Australasian Barbecue Alliance champions were invited to attend the invitation only event which owner Katie Osborn said is the largest barbecue competition in the world.
“We ended up competing in the invitational on the Saturday and then the open on the Sunday.
The crew competed against more than 500 local and international teams in sumptuous categories of chicken, pork ribs, and beef brisket.
“In the history of Australians going to compete at the Series of Barbecue competition, we are the highest ranking ever,” Ms Osborn said.
The results for the Invitational American Royal World Series of Barbecue competition landed them in 53rd out of 249 teams.
In the Open competition the team placed 10th in the pork rib category and 21st in the brisket, finishing 9th overall.
The talented cooks use an American gateway 55-gallon drum style barbecue and a Green Mountain Grills Ledge barbecue.
With their focus firmly on competing in Australian barbeque competition this year, they hope to receive an invitation once again for next year’s International Grand champion at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue.
Katie and her husband Jim have made a name for themselves in the rural town after selling their share of their first restaurant in Milton, Brisbane, and relocating to Warwick to open Bluebird Kitchen.
Not only have their barbeque delights warmed people’s belly’s but also their community spirit has, especially through the tough times.
The duo have engaged in several community initiatives over the past five years from helping feed local homeless people to raising money for those effected by floods in Lismore.
“We were broken into, shortly after we opened Bluebird Kitchen,” Ms Osborn said.
“After the initial frustration, we came to think that we should try and help people.”
“So, we ran a soup kitchen,” she said.
Bluebird Kitchen is closed Sunday and Monday.
Opening on Tuesday through to Saturday from 8 am – 2 pm, 5.30 pm till late for dinner.
