Overtown neighbors are about to decide who takes over one of the community’s most beloved kitchens. On Saturday, March 28, a blind "People’s Choice" barbecue cook-off will pit three contenders against each other from noon to 5 p.m. at the 9th Street Pedestrian Mall. The winner will be considered by the Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency for a lease to run the restored People’s Bar-B-Que site. The event is free, wide open to the public, and built around a simple idea: longtime residents, not outside buzz, get the loudest voice in shaping the next chapter of a local landmark.
Who’s competing
The showdown is a three-way contest between Michelin-recommended Rosie’s, Extra Butter Miami (competing as "People’s Outlaw BBQ") and McKays Catering (going by "Queen of the Kitchen"). Each team will serve anonymous samples so voters judge by taste, not by name recognition. As reported by Axios, the trio was chosen by the Southeast Overtown/Park West CRA, and whoever comes out on top will be in the running for lease negotiations to operate the historic spot.
A place with history
People’s Bar-B-Que sits on ground with nearly a century of neighborhood memory. The site’s story stretches back to a 1925 pharmacy and the restaurant that opened at the corner in 1962, before eventually closing and sitting quiet while plans for a comeback took shape. The CRA bought the property, restored it, and opened a formal request-for-proposals process last year, according to The Miami Times. Local coverage has highlighted the cook-off as part of a deliberate attempt to keep the site rooted in neighborhood traditions instead of flipping it into a strictly tourist-facing destination, as noted by Only In Dade.
CRA: keep it local
The Southeast Overtown/Park West CRA has been explicit about what it wants from this next era of People’s: a place that still feels like home base for the community. The agency says the cook-off is meant to keep People’s role as “a neighborhood anchor for residents, families, and longtime supporters” and to be sure the revamped restaurant primarily serves local needs. Executive director James McQueen has framed the event as both a nod to Overtown’s deep culinary legacy and a chance to create real opportunity for local operators, according to Edible South Florida.
How the cook-off will work
A selection committee appointed by the CRA will oversee a blind tasting in which members of the public, chosen by raffle, sample each team’s food and cast ballots. The competitor who racks up the most votes will be factored into the committee’s final recommendation on who should run the restaurant. The tasting runs from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on March 28 at the 9th Street Pedestrian Mall (819 NW 2nd Ave.), and the festivities are free to attend. As detailed by Axios, the winner of the cook-off could then be invited into lease talks to operate the rebuilt People’s.
Why it matters for Overtown
For decades, the smoke from People’s pits and the plates that came out of its kitchen drew Overtown residents and passersby alike. Its revival has become a kind of test case: can redevelopment center neighborhood voices instead of pushing them to the edges. Local reporting has suggested that the CRA’s community-first approach follows earlier preservation wins and could serve as a template for culturally grounded development, if the relaunched restaurant keeps prices and job opportunities within reach for longtime residents. The Miami Times has underscored how tightly the project is being tied to Overtown’s identity.
Organizers say attendees should register online, with blind-tasting spots handed out by raffle, while general entry and the live music and family programming are open to anyone who shows up. In practice, the cook-off is pulling double duty: part neighborhood block party, part hiring committee, all aimed at making sure the next team in the People’s kitchen is chosen by the people who have always called Overtown home.
