Beef Ribs Barbecue The Best

Norm Eggen did it again! For the fourth straight year, which in this case is "since the beginning of time," Norm and his talented crew from the "Old Country Deli" won top honors, "People's Choice," at the Fourth Annual San Luis Obispo Rib Cook-Off.

Ribs, barbecued ribs, are big in San Luis Obispo. They are served by the thousands every Thursday night on Higuera street when the street is blocked off between Osos and Nippomo. Local farmers bring in pickup loads of fresh produce and set up stalls along both sides of the street. Several restaurants set up open pit barbecues to cook and sell those beef ribs, the specialty of the town.

There's a band on a flatbed truck outside McLintock's Bar and everyone comes to town for a good time and some good food.

The whole affair got started a few years back as a creative solution to a community problem. San Luis Obispo is nestled between the mountains and the sea on the south central coast of California. It's a beautiful town. It's also a college town, home of Cal Poly.

A few years back, the kids began cruising Higuera street on Thursday nights when the stores were open. That didn't set too well with the local merchants. They talked the city fathers into blocking off Higuera street on that night of the week. That stopped the cruising, but it also brought business to a halt. To get things going again, they started with a little Thursday night entertainment, a Country Western band on a flatbed truck out in front of McLintock's. That brought out a few folks, enough to encourage some of the restaurants in town to start cooking ribs out on the street.

Before long, some of the farmers started bringing in produce and setting up stalls. Now things have grown to the point where folks come from miles around. Young and old walk the streets together chewing on beef ribs and talking. Chamber of Commerce organizations from around the state and beyond send delegations to see what the town is doing.

The rib cook-off has become one of the gastronomic highlights of the south central coast of California. It was my privilege to have been one of the judges at this year's competition. My presence didn't change anything - top honors once again, and deservedly so, went to Norm Eggen and the crew from the ''Old Country Deli."