PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Darren Warth – 515-710-6227
515-243-
2747x22
[email protected]
Smokey D’s BBQ Wins World Series of BBQ
Championship
Des Moines Restaurant adds American Royal Grand Champion Title to Long List of Awards
October 8, 2013 (Des Moines, IA) – After winning every meat category over the past decade at
The American Royal competition in Kansas City, Smokey D’s BBQ brought home the overall
title in the World Series of BBQ over the weekend. The win netted co-owners Darren and
Sherry Warth $12,500 in prize money, $5,000 in bonus Kingsford prize money as well as
invitations to the prestigious Kingsford Invitational in New York City in November, the 2014
Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational in Lynchburg, TN and the 2014 Houston
Livestock BBQ.
“We are so excited to win the most prestigious contest in all of BBQ.” said Darren Warth, coowner of Smokey D’s Restaurants in Des Moines. “We’ve had great success at the American
Royal in the past, but this win is the icing on the cake allowing us to tell our BBQ success
story at the national level.” Warth added.
Past American Royal wins for the Smokey D’s team include:
2003 3rd Place Ribs Open (Perfect 180 Score)
2006 Reserve Grand Champion Invitational
2007 9th Place Overall Open
2008 First Place Brisket Invitational
2008 5th Place Overall Invitational
2008 First Place Ribs Open
2008 5th Place Overall Open
2009 3rd Place Overall Open
2010 1st Place Pork Invitational
2012 Reserve Grand Champion Invitational
2013 2nd Place Brisket Invitational (Perfect 180 Score)
2013 5th Place Overall Invitational
2013 Grand Champions (Open)
The next stop on the competition circuit for the Smokey D’s Team is this weekend at the Sam’s
Club Regional Championship in Oklahoma City, a qualifier for their National Championship on
October 18-19. Their partners Shad and Angie Kirton who compete under the name A Boy and
His BBQ will then compete in the Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational BBQ on
October 25-26 in Lynchburg, TN.
Pictured from Left to Right. Bob Petersen – President & CEO of the American Royal Association,
Sherry Warth & Darren Warth –2013 Grand Champions
Cynthia Pistilli Savage, Chair, Board of Directors of the American Royal Association
Charlie Tetrick, Board Member, American Royal Association
Darren & Sherry Warth, 2013 American Royal Grand Champions
About Smokey D’s BBQ
Smokey D’s BBQ was founded in 2006 by Darren and Sherry Warth in a trailer in their
driveway. Their success on the competition BBQ circuit yielded multiple requests from
friends and businesses for caterings of smoked meats. Both having fulltime jobs, the catering
operations quickly became overwhelming. In 2007 they partnered up with Chef Shad Kirton
and his wife Angie to open their first carryout BBQ and catering operation. With an
overwhelming response from customers in 2008 they opened up a remote location in the
skywalk system of downtown Des Moines. In 2009 they opened up another remote location
only 6 blocks away to service the Western Gateway of Des Moines. In 2010 Shad and Angie
were named Champions of the BBQ Pitmasters TV Show as seen on Destination America at
the same time Smokey D’s was opening a 400 seat restaurant on Des Moines’s North side.
With a mission of providing Championship quality BBQ, made from scratch side dishes served
quickly at an affordable price, restaurant and catering operations continue to grow. Smokey
D’s has become known as Central Iowa’s place for Championship BBQ. Both owners compete
against each other on the BBQ circuit (Darren and Sherry under Iowa’s Smokey D’s BBQ and
Shad and Angie under A Boy and His BBQ) and have a won a combined 600+ Category awards
and over 40 State BBQ Championships including Darren and Sherry’s recent win of the
American Royal World Series of BBQ in Kansas City. For more information about Smokey D’s
BBQ visit www.smokeydsbbq.com or call 515-243-2747.
About the American Royal’s World Series of Barbecue® Championship
The American Royal World Series of Barbecue, presented by UMB, is one of the most popular and
highly attended events on the professional barbecue competition circuit. It is organized and hosted by
the American Royal Association, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that has been a Kansas City
tradition since 1899. Each year more than 270,000 people attend events at the American Royal
Complex. In 2012, the Royal was able to give $1.4 million in scholarship and educational awards. In
addition to its educational mission, the American Royal generates some $60 million of economic
impact, $4.4 million in local tax revenues, and supports 450 jobs. The 2013 American Royal is
presented by Bayer HealthCare Animal Health Division and includes many other events. For more
information, visit www.AmericanRoyal.com or call (816) 221-9800.
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