O

n the rainy afternoon of May 4, the De Luna Winery hosted the first Hoecake Throwdown, presented 
by Blue Collards and Wild Turkey. The event celebrated the history, mythos, and meaning of the most 
quintessential Southern foods, cornbread; and its liquid cousin bourbon. The Hoecake Throwdown 
featured whiskey tastings, gourmet cornbread and fixin’s, and a heap of other culinary experiences 

including a Chefs’ Competition, where guests were invited to taste gourmet hoecake dishes featuring Delta Grind 
stone-ground cornmeal as the region’s best chefs competed to wow judges’ taste buds, a Bacon and Bourbon Pairing, 
which was a guided bacon and bourbon experience from Bill-E’s Small-Batch Bacon and Wild Turkey, Bacon and 
Bourbon Gelato samples of small-batch gelato from Dolce and Gelato, and cast iron demos where guests were able to 
learn the finer points of cast-iron cookery from the experts at the Field Company.

 Terry S. Strickland is founder, editor-in-chief and chief busy-body of Blue Collards. Their mission is to bring 

readers closer to their food, the earth and one another. In addition to producing a digital magazine, they organize a 
wide array of live events including Peat and Pearls, and Barleybrine, as well as lead a growing community of chefs, 
mixologists and other culinary leaders who are building the future of Southern foodways, called Swing Shift. 

A portion of all proceeds went benefit Chain Reaction, which is a Pensacola-based nonprofit that empowers teens 

through character education and service-based learning. Armed with an adventurous spirit and a thirst for impacting 
change, they encourage and empower teens to experiment, to grow, and ultimately, to thrive and learn to create an 
impact beyond themselves.

photos & story by

Kristina Wright

   VIP Pensacola at De Luna Winery

62     |    VIPPensacola.com

Angel & Jeremy White

Brenda Mader & Rudy Randolph

Terry Strickland & Kristin Fairchild 

Stephen Gray & Dan Lawrence

Joan Smith & Chef Irv Miller

Dottie King & George Demmy

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5/30/19   6:41 AM