Ruston’s Bad Wolf BBQ Receives Two Awards at Louisiana Food and Wine Festival

Written by: Tori Davis

Experience Ruston (Ruston Lincoln CVB) partnered with Bad Wolf BBQ and Utility Brewing Co. for the multiple-day event to showcase the area’s culinary offerings and the unique partnerships that have been formed around food in Ruston & Lincoln Parish.

“Pairing Bad Wolf BBQ and Utility Brewing was an easy choice for this event, not just with flavor profiles, but their established partnership and collaboration efforts tell the story of what makes Ruston’s tourism partners special,” said Amanda Carrier, President/CEO of Experience Ruston.

Festival attendees had the opportunity to taste Bad Wolf’s dish, which featured rosemary sweet potatoes, smoked brisket, a signature white sauce, pecans, syrup, and fresh rosemary. The sweet and savory bite was paired with various brews from Utility Brewing Co., all served from the Experience Ruston tent.

“We had such a great time at the Louisiana Food and Wine Festival in Lake Charles representing the Ruston community with our craft barbecue,” said Andrew Caskey, Owner and Pitmaster at Bad Wolf BBQ. “It was an honor to showcase amongst so many different cuisines, celebrity chefs, and talented friends.”

More than 20 chefs were featured at Saturday’s Grand Tasting event, where festival attendees and judges tasted dishes from all participating restaurants and voted in multiple categories in the Best Taste Awards. Caskey and his Bad Wolf BBQ team were recognized as “Best Overall” by the judges and “Best Meat” by people’s choice.

“We don’t do it for awards, but receiving Judge’s Choice Best Overall Dish and People’s Choice Best Meat was an unbelievable addition to our showcasing. It means a lot to me personally and for the reputation of food in North Louisiana, for barbecue, and for my team,” said Caskey.

“It was an incredible experience seeing Bad Wolf get some well-deserved recognition,” said Carrier. “Festival attendees, media, influencers, and travel bloggers were all blown away by what Ruston had to offer. We will definitely be welcoming more visitors to Ruston because of this exposure.”