IQUE TAKES TOP PRIZE AT 21^st ANNUAL JACK DANIEL'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP INVITATIONAL BARBECUE

IQUE BBQ Cooking Team can claim the ultimate braggin' rights in competitive barbecuing, after taking home the title of 2009 Grand Champion at the 21^st Annual Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

IQUE made history as the first BBQ team from New England to ever win the most prestigious barbecue contest in the world by finishing second in the pork shoulder category, second in desserts, eighth in chicken, and first place overall.

“I’ve been working for 10 years cooking barbecue every single weekend and this is my dream - my absolute dream," said Chris Hart, chief cook of IQUE. "To win the Jack is the ultimate experience in barbecue."

As Grand Champion, IQUE received $5,000 in prize money and secured an automatic berth to defend their title at the 2010 Jack. To get an invitation to compete at The Jack, domestic teams must win a state championship with at least 25 teams or a competition of 50 teams, or win one of the premiere barbecue competitions that qualify a team for an automatic berth. 2010 will mark IQUE's ninth year in a row of qualifying for The Jack.

"Every team that cooked today worked hard to get here and they all deserve recognition, but only one team leaves as our Grand Champion," said Lynne Tolley, KCBS-certified barbecue judge and great-grandniece of Jack Daniel. "Every competitor comes to Lynchburg hoping to have the winning combination of equipment, team members, ingredients and technique and we congratulate IQUE for hitting the mark today."