April 24, 2025
The sweet smell of barbecue wafted through the air along St. John’s University’s Residential Village Path on April 22 as chefs from six area universities competed to be called Chartwells’ Blazing BBQ Brawl champion.
Area chefs went head-to-head in a three-hour competition that drew more than 800 students, faculty, administrators, and staff to a makeshift dining area outside Montgoris Dining Hall on the Queens, NY, campus. Patrons and a special panel of St. John’s dignitaries voted for their favorite chefs—an honor that eventually went to the St. John’s team led by Chef Josh Jampole.
Other competitors included Chartwells barbecue teams from Adelphi University, Hofstra University, Pace University, the State University of New York at Old Westbury, and a joint team from Quinnipiac University and Trinity College in Connecticut.
The competition is designed to showcase the talents of Chartwells chefs, while allowing students a chance to socialize under warm spring skies. Chartwells Senior Executive Chef Paul Bowden brought the idea to St. John’s after hosting the event for several years while based at SUNY-Old Westbury. The competing chefs are all Chartwells employees.
“It is a chance for students and others to experience barbecue, to see our chefs stoking the fire and how they slow-cook the meat to create the perfect bite,” Mr. Bowden said. “But it is also a competitive event that takes a lot of practice.”
Barbecue enthusiasts began lining up outside Montgoris shortly before noon and lingered until 3 p.m. Each team offered its unique take on classics such as brisket, chicken, and pulled pork, with sides that included cole slaw, corn on the cob, and macaroni and potato salad. For the less adventurous, there were several tables of hamburgers and hot dogs.
Students who might usually visit Montgoris during lunchtime instead were invited to a barbecue feast for the cost of one food plan swipe. Diners not on food plans, including faculty, administrators, and staff, could pay by credit card.
In addition to the barbecue chefs, Chartwells recruited various vendors, including Coca- Cola, Dole Foods, and several spice companies, adding to the flavor of the event.
“At Chartwells, we like to do things for the students,” said District Marketing Manager Allison Siena, who is based at St. John’s. “We are already thinking about how we can make it a better event next year. We are already lining up more vendors.”
Max Amling, a member of the BIG EAST champion Red Storm Men’s Tennis team, was enjoying a barbecue sample with teammate Carl Gustavsson. Max, originally from Neustadt, Germany, was introduced to barbecue while attending school in Texas.
“The barbecue in Texas was good, but so is this, and it only costs one food swipe,” Max said.
The opportunity to experience traditional American barbecue brought international students Gulnaz Mukanbetova and Sabrina Bakh to the Residence Village. Gulnaz is from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where barbecue is rarely on the menu.
Still, Gulnaz said, “it is an opportunity to experience a little bit more of American culture.”
Sabrina, from Samarkand, Uzbekistan, agreed. “It is important to learn about American culture, and it is also an opportunity to socialize,” Sabrina said.
While the event was a social opportunity for the students, it was a serious competition for the chefs. Sous Chef John Mesas, representing Chartwells’ Hofstra team and serving his signature brisket pork bellies, joked “while we are all friends, when it comes to barbecue, it is every man, woman, and child for himself.”
Mr. Jampole’s team was clearly the crowd favorite, taking home first place in the brisket, pork, and side dish competitions voted on by students and panelists. It also won the People’s Choice award, voted on exclusively by students, leading it to be named Blazing BBQ Brawl champion.
Mr. Jampole has worked in the food service industry for 24 years, joining Chartwells’ St. John’s team in 2018. “It is great to get out in front of the kids, where they get to see what we do,” he said. “We are saucing, plating, and producing the food. They don’t get to see that when we are in the kitchen.”