Good News - October 2018

COVER STORY 18 OCTOBER 2018 Good News • South Florida Edition Former Miami Dolphins All-Pro Linebacker John Offerdahl and his wife Lynn Offerdahl are hitting the line hard with their newly expanded week- end-long Walgreens Gridiron Grill-Off Food, Wine and Music Festival at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater on November 9, 10 & 11. South Florida’s highly anticipated grilling competition, teams up chefs from high-end restau- rants with Miami Dolphin legends to tackle the grill, serving deliciously cre- ative food perfectly paired with wine or a signature cocktail for a cause. All the proceeds will go to support the couple’s passion of “feeding the needs of those in crisis” through the Offerdahl’s Hand-Off Foundation and its subsidiary Home Team Advantage Restorative Housing. John and Lynn share their enthusiasm for helping the broken, homeless and hungry. “We looked at what God gave us as experi- ences and talents and considered how do we develop that to glorify Him? For us, it was food and football,” said John. “Since 2010 the Gridiron Grill-Off has experienced tremendous success, contin- uing to surpass our expectations,” he added. “This year, we have really turned up the heat, adding new entertainment leading up to the grand event and other fun surprises. This will no doubt be our biggest and best event yet.” The three-day Walgreens Gridiron Grill-Off Food, Wine and Music Festival now has five key elements: *A three-night live Gridiron Grill-Off Concert Series kicks off at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater on Friday, November 9 with Vince Gill, followed by Sister Hazel and Barenaked Ladies on Saturday, No- vember 10, and closes with Chris Daughtry performing on Sunday, Novem- ber 11. The series is sponsored by the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and powered by the Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB’s Underground Music in Partnership with AEG Presents. *The main event is the Grand Grill-Off on Saturday, November 10, from 1 – 5 p.m. where 22 celebrity chefs from South Florida’s finest restau- rants team up with 22 legendary NFL athletes to vie for fans’ vote on their favorite signature grill-off recipe. Modeled after the 22 players on a football team – 11 offense and 11 defense - it just so happens that 22 teams do a good job of feeding 3,000 attendees, which is as big as they want for this VIP, all-inclusive and highly exclusive event. *A family-friendly Pit Masters BBQ Competition, sanctioned by the Florida BBQAssociation, has been added this year from 12 – 5 p.m. on Sat- urday, showcasing the talent and passion of 40 pit masters who will bring their rigs and smokers from across the Southeast to compete for a grand champion trophy and more than $10,000 in cash prizes. For a $10 ticket, attendees can sample delicious BBQ hot off the grill and vote in the People’s Choice BBQ competition for winners in four categories: chicken, pork, brisket and ribs, with additional food and beverage available for purchase. There will also be live entertainment and a family-friendly Kid-Zone for adults and children of all ages. *The Cornhole Competition is another big part of the event. Social ”pickup-game” tournaments will be happening all day long and will be open to attendees from 1 – 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Toyota Cornhole Stadium and Festival Stage. On Sunday, the competition heats up with an American Cornhole League (ACL) Cornhole Tournament in which 128 doubles teams competing for cash and fame. *Professional Tailgaters will serve up culinary creations on Saturday in Tito’s Tailgate Zone, presented by Smithfield where they can enjoy Tito’s cocktails and practice their cornhole toss. Judges will select one lucky tail- gater to win a $1,000 cash prize in this Toyota Tailgate Challenge. And on Sunday, November 11, fans can cheer for their favorite team during the Dol- phins vs. Packers pre game while tail- gating with DRAFT (Dynamic Restaurant Aboard Fire Truck) - a fire truck turned kitchen on wheels, with two southern pride smokers, six Samsung 55” LED large format displays and two Sony home theater systems. People can purchase combo passes or pick up tickets for individual concerts and events at www.gridiron- grill-off.com. Asecular event rooted in faith The story behind this Gridiron Grill- Off is rooted in the faith of its founders, John and Lynn Offerdahl, who are active participants at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale. Drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1986, Offerdahl played inside line- backer. “One of my greatest claims to fame was that I was coached by Don Shula and captained alongside Dan Marino for my entire 8-year career.” He fondly remembers, “There’s a quote from Teddy Roosevelt that hung on my bedroom wall and it says, ‘In life as in football, hit the line hard. Don’t foul. Don’t shirk. Hit the line hard.’ I love that because I had four sisters and I played the French horn. Who would have thought that little football picture I saw when I went to bed every night would become not only my dream at the time but a reality of my life. It’s just a great motto in life.” After making a name for himself with the Dolphins, the couple decided to open a restaurant. Considering John Offerdahl’s background as a linebacker with a biomed- ical degree and Lynn’s fine arts degree, John laughed as he admitted, “We didn’t exactly have the ingredients to be successful in the restaurant business.” Lynn explained, “It was totally a God thing. I love to cook - cooking is creative. I thought about going to chef school then ended up getting married. Deciding to put their own high-end gourmet twist on making bagels, John and Lynn opened Offerdahl’s Bagel Gourmet. “Ultimately it’s the grit that makes people successful,” said John. “We didn’t have any pedigree to be in the bagel business, but we opened up and we worked our hearts off.” Then in 2000 they opened Offerdahl’s Off the Grill, a quick-casual restaurant Offerdahl’s Gridiron Grill-Off Grows to 3-Day Festival, Raising More for Those in Crisis (Continued on page 20) John and Lynn Offerdahl Photo credit Justus Martin Shelly Pond Good News Editor