Phoenix Restaurants Donate Labor Day Weekend Proceeds to Help Hurricane Victims

Big City BBQ (www.BigCityBBQ.com) is contributing all proceeds from the sale of New Orleans inspired sandwiches, entrees, and sides over Labor Day Weekend to the New Orleans relief effort.

Customers can visit either the Mesa or Tempe locations this Saturday through Monday, and if they purchase a Louisiana Red-Hot Link Sandwich, or a BBQ dinner with hot links, 100% of their purchase will go to help New Orleans victims. For a minimum $7 donation, customers can order the "Orleans Special" which includes Louisiana Red-Hot Links, Red Beans & Rice, and a drink.

Big City BBQ owners will be appearing this weekend on the Jerry Lewis MDA telethon to talk about their efforts to support both the MDA and the New Orleans hurricane victims. Earlier this week, the telethon announced that it would give one million dollars of their proceeds to help Hurricane Katrina victims, and Big City BBQ's donation is earmarked as an add-on to the Jerry Lewis MDA contribution.

"Last year, we closed down our restaurant over Labor Day so that our staff could work the MDA telethon," offered Big City's co-owner Len Wechsler. "This year, we have two restaurants and a much bigger staff, so we are keeping the restaurants open, but we are giving 100% of our proceeds from our New Orleans menu items to help New Orleans flood victims."

In the current September issue of Food & Life Magazine, Big City BBQ received a much-coveted Golden Plate award for their award-winning barbecue. The magazine offered that Big City's Louisana Red-Hot Links "start with choice beef and pork finely ground with Cajun and red pepper for smooth texture and a very spicy profile. Packed in a natural paprika-seasoned casing, the meat is smoked over pecan and hickory wood for 5-6 hours."

Big City BBQ get's its name from all of the "big cities" which inspired the menu, including New Orleans, the source of their spicy hot links. Co-owner Chef Rasshad Brown said, "We feel a special kinship to folks in the Bayou state, and especially to their cuisine, and all the great chefs who have come out of New Orleans." Chef Rasshad is listed as one of the top 100 chefs on Chef2Chef.com, and many of his contemporaries on the list are from New Orleans which is one of the top three culinary destinations in the world.

Big City BBQ's locations are at 1445 S Alma School Rd in Mesa (next to FedEx/Kinko's across the street from the Fiesta Mall), and at 5118 S Rural Rd in Tempe (at the NW corner of Baseline in Rural next to Whole Foods). They will be open from Noon till 8:00 PM each day this weekend.

About Chef Rasshad
Chef Rasshad comes to Phoenix from Iowa and is a 1990 graduate of the Metro Tech culinary program in Phoenix. Chef Rasshad has more than 15 years of culinary experience in Phoenix as a leader in restaurant kitchen management and as Executive Chef at two premier Arizona resorts. Rasshad was recently nominated as one of the top 100 chefs on Chef2Chef.com, and Big City BBQ is his first ownership position in a restaurant. Executive Chef Rasshad Brown recently joined the ranks of "blogging" chefs, and has begun documenting his flavorings and insights on barbecue and soul food on his personal culinary website, www.rasshad.com.

About Big City BBQ, LLC
Started in 2004, Big City BBQ's restaurants are owned and operated by Chef Rasshad Brown and his partner Len Wechsler from New York. In the first year in business, Big City's Tempe and Mesa locations have became local lunch hot spots and have received more than a dozen accolades in the local and national press. For more information on Big City BBQ, visit www.BigCityBBQ.com.