WCK and D.C. Restaurants Celebrate Community at Giant National Capital BBQ Battle

Barbecue has the ability to bring people together across many cultures, and it’s always been a World Central Kitchen favorite. This summer, we partnered with pit masters in Missouri and Kentucky in response to tornadoes. In Manitoba, Canada, barbecue food trucks provided meals for wildfire evacuees. That’s why we’re thrilled that attendees of the Giant National Capital BBQ Battle, held on June 21 and 22, will have the opportunity to support our work around the world. (If you purchase a ticket to the BBQ Battle here, $10 of each ticket will go directly to WCK!)

Once inside the festival grounds, you can visit World Central Kitchen Restaurant Row to try bites from five popular local eateries—Yellow, ChiKo, Joia Burger, Colada Shop, and Falafel Inc. Each restaurant will donate 20% of its proceeds from the weekend to WCK. The chefs and restaurateurs behind these spots will also participate in a panel about how restaurants can make an impact in their communities and beyond.

The senior manager of our Chef Corps program, Laura Hayes, will be joined on stage by ChiKo’s Scott Drewno, Colada Shop’s Daniella Senior, Falafel Inc’s Ahmad Ashkar, Joia Burger’s Patrice Cleary, and Just Ice Tea’s Spike Mendelsohn. Find a seat in front of the BBQ Battle's Pepsi Summer Grilling Stage at 3 pm on Saturday, June 21.

Fans of Falafel Inc might not know that Ahmad trained under BBQ Hall of Fame legend Joe Davidson and became a certified pitmaster. “A Palestinian kid named Ahmad mastering the Kansas City smoke game is like a thing out of the movies,” he says. “It was about how a Muslim kid from Kansas could serve award-winning BBQ and throw down with American legends. That kind of cultural crossover challenged stereotypes and changed minds, one brisket at a time.”

When building his brand, Ahmad wanted to lean in on impact. He partners with our friends at the World Food Programme to deliver aid to refugees, including school lunch, across the globe. He aims to use Falafel Inc as a platform to tell the stories of underserved and ignored populations.

“Our Palestinian street food fills bellies and opens hearts while simultaneously helping to feed refugees and the underprivileged,” he says. “So far the experiment is working and it's really rewarding to have built the eateries with all of my mom’s same recipes that she used as the fuel to create that same exact community in Kansas.”

Chef Ahmad Ashkar and Chef Patrice Cleary

At WCK, we believe the community is our superpower. Chef Patrice agrees. “When we open up our restaurants, and serve our community, we become partners,” Chef Patrice says. She’s become an ambassador of Filipino cuisine at her first restaurant in D.C., Purple Patch. “We bring them in and build relationships… When they are in need, they tell us, and when we are going through troubling times or need their assistance, they listen to us. We become part of the tapestry in their community and we help each other grow.”

Like Patrice, Colada Shop’s Daniella feels a calling to bring people together. “As chefs and restaurateurs, we’re on the front lines of culture,” she says. “We don’t just feed people—we gather them. We create spaces where people from all walks of life come together, and that gives us a unique opportunity—and responsibility—to lead with empathy, creativity, and purpose.”

She calls food her love language and she leverages her business to support causes she believes in. “Whether it’s advocating for food justice, supporting our teams, or responding to crises, we have the tools and the community connections to be part of real change. People trust us, and with that trust, we can open hearts and shift perspectives—one dish, one story, one act of kindness at a time.”

We hope to see you there, celebrating community, alongside our team members and the restaurants that make our home base in D.C. a special place to dine.