New BBQ smoker for Fred Ginsburg

Fred Ginsburg  CAS Phd (an award winning motion picture sound mixer now turned professor) is turning 65 this January 2019, and we are trying to raise funds to support his dreams of being able to compete as a pitmaster in the world of competition BBQ.
The family will celebrate with a large party at our house, and the feast will include all sorts of good eats, especially Fred's Texas smoked BBQ. His immediate family is getting him a new smoker that he has had his eyes on (a Rec Tec RT700) , which will help him cook for the party as well as for community events that he has volunteered for.

Fred is respected as a darned good cook, and regularly volunteers to provide Texas smoked meats a few times per year for the faculty/staff of the film department at Calif State Univ Northridge, where he is an Adjunct Professor. Fred has also cooked for groups at the Panorama Sportsmans Club, and for friends & co-workers. He is NOT a professional caterer and does not charge for his time and labor.

This summer, Fred has joined the Nevada BBQ Association and the Kansas City BBQ Society in order to become more involved in competition grade BBQ; and has really been studying up and assisting at events. He has nationally registered the name of his competition team, Sound Q, which of course is a play on words representing good BBQ and soundmixing.

To actually compete in the large, national BBQ cookoffs (similar to those seen on the TV series Barbecue Pitmasters) takes a lot of skill and a real lot of equipment! The new smoker is only the tip of the iceberg, but it will allow Fred to hone his culinary skills, to cook for community events, and to even be able to share his knowledge through videos and small workshops (similar to how Fred has shared his audio expertise around the world).

 Monies raised from this campaign will go towards the purchase of important accessories and specialized utensils that are also part of a pitmaster chef's  toolbox. Competing, or even just volunteer cooking at a community event requires a fully stocked and portable kitchen encampment, including pop-up tenting, prep tables, coolers, hot boxes, a pantry full of ingredients, injectors, cutlery, and a host of specialized gear -- not to mention a trailer hauling all of this!  No one expects Sound Q to be complete right away, but every little bit of help gets us one step closer.

Over the years, Fred has given so much to his students and the community.

Help make this something to cross off of his bucket list, in celebration of him turning the big 65.