August 16, 2007

Baseball and barbeque

Business associations play games, party and network

By Carol Rosen
Editor

While it wasn’t hard to pick the winning hot dog cook, the three chairs of the respective business associations took their time deciding on the winner of the rib contest. Pictured from the left are Shozo Kagoshima from the Winchester Business Association, Andre Gong-Sue from the Cambrian association and Rich Crowley from Almaden. Rick Gerhardt, standing left, from the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce looks on to make sure everything is kosher while Lee Wilcox, center, from Nancy Pyle’s office and Councilmember Pete Constant, right, urge the taste testers to decide. Photos by Larry Allen

Competitiveness filled the air Saturday, Aug. 11 as the Almaden Business Association took on the Cambrian and Winchester business associations in a sort of friendly softball game while city council members from the three different districts tried their hands at cooking.

This year, it was the Cambrian association that bested Almaden in softball with a lopsided score of 18-6 after five innings. However, last year Almaden thoroughly whomped Cambrian with a score of 25-8, although the Cambrian people complained there were a number of “ringers” invited to play on the “wrong” side.

However, it was all in good fun and every one of the nearly 60 people there were having a wonderful time.

The game stopped just before noon as the tantalizing smells of barbeque wafted over the cooking area to the baseball diamond at St. Timothy’s Church in Almaden. The cooks were working hard, with Councilmember Judy Chirco, who also happens to be a member of the Cambrian Business Association, trying her hand at barbequing hot dogs

It's a matter of taste, explains ABA president Rich Crowley, right seated, as the cooks and the taste testers pause for a photo. Seated from the left are Shozo Kagoshima, president of the Winchester Business Association, Andre Gong-Sue, president of the Cambrian Business Association and Crowley. Standing are cooks Judy Chirco, Pete Constant, Nancy Pyle and Lee Wilcox.

“It’s all about the grill marks,” she said, standing near the very hot barbeque coals on what was a rather warm day. She had not made a special marinade or rub, but told those attending she was certain her hot dogs would be the best ones there—which was true, they were also the only hot dogs there.

An even bigger competition was going on between Councilmember Pete Constant and Lee Wilcox, staff director for Nancy Pyle, the council member for District 10. Pyle might have worn an apron but she was busy spending time networking with business association members and having fun.

Constant and Wilcox however, had gone out a couple of nights before and spent nearly $250 on brisket and ribs. Constant had gone to bed early Friday night to wake up at 4 and spread his rub on the ribs. Wilcox had taken care of his ribs prior to bedding down, which happened in the wee hours of the morning.

Before anyone was supposed to eat, although some had worked up quite an appetite playing ball, there was a tasting contest. The chairs of the three business associations were each given a hot dog and one rib cooked by Constant and one cooked by Wilcox.

The ABA/CBA third annual softball game took place at St. Timothy's Church in Almaden. This year the combined Cambrian and Winchester Business Associations won the game with a score of 18-6, and upping the CBA's record to two wins. Last year, the ABA won by a landslide with a score of 25-8.

Chirco won hands down for the hot dogs. But it was touch and go for the ribs, with the tasters going back and forth on whether the sweet or the smoky was better. They finally chose the sweet, making Constant the winner.

At that point, everyone filled their plates with goodies—both sweet and smoky and with grill marks—and ate and talked. The winning cooks were each presented with grilling equipment.

ABA business sponsors include Allstate Insurance, Signs By Tomorrow, Bryant Arbitration & Mediation, Case Handyman & Remodeling, Nancy Pyle, The San Jose/Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Almaden Builders Association, Quicksilver Concierge and Errand Service, Ventura Barnett Properties and Tabard Theater Company.