Today is the day! Smoke & Sizzle 102 starts tonight at 6 PM! Don’t worry; it’s not too late to register for this amazing event located right here at USC Union Laurens on Peachtree Street.
Chef Rob Patterson, Hospitality Studies Coordinator & Chef Instructor, is really excited to offer such an amazing event to people of all ages.
“Smoke & Sizzle 101 was a great success, and one of the biggest takeaways for me was hearing from so many of our participants who asked us to do a Thanksgiving-focused class. That feedback is what inspired Smoke & Sizzle 102: Thanksgiving Over Fire. We’re excited to take what we started with the tailgating classes and apply those same hands-on techniques to one of the biggest meals of the year.
For Thanksgiving Over Fire, we’ll be showing participants several different ways to prepare turkey, including smoking, grilling, deep-frying, and spatchcocking. We’ll also cover everything from brining and seasoning to smoke and indirect heat, crisping the skin, carving, and serving. We’ll pair the turkeys with Thanksgiving favorites like smoked mac and cheese, blue cheese mashed potatoes, cranberry chutney, sausage and pecan stuffing, scalloped potatoes, sweet potato soufflé, and bacon Brussels sprouts,” says Patterson.
With Halloween just out of the way, we are all looking forward to Thanksgiving and trying new dishes with some amazing people who know exactly how to make anything taste great!
Campus Director Cameron Coone says, “Smoke & Sizzle has been a great way for us to introduce the community to what we’re building with our new Hospitality Studies program. The response to our first classes was tremendous, and the requests for a Thanksgiving cooking class showed us there is a real appetite for these hands-on experiences. Having the opportunity to showcase our newly renovated teaching kitchen at the former Bell Street Middle School while bringing the community together around food is exactly what we envisioned for this program.”
So, what are you waiting for? Come and join us for two nights of fun and food. And remember, if you happen to miss tonight, you still have another opportunity to join us on November 11, 2026.
This event brings strangers together for an amazing meal while learning to cook for your family, and by the time you leave, you just might have a few new relatives!
