The Barbecue Club vs. the Kebab Club

It’s Friday afternoon and you’ve had a long day. You’re starving but you realize that there’s no time to go and grab some food before the football game starts, so you walk out to Brown Field dissatisfied. Quickly, you realize that your hopes can be fulfilled. To the left is the Barbecue Club, grilling up delicious hotdogs and hamburgers, with a cooler of ice-cold soda and water by their side. You start heading over before you notice something you haven’t before: a kebab stand. Suddenly, the mouth-watering scent of seasoned chicken and toasted pita flows into your nose. You now have a decision to make. How do you choose between these two great options? In this article of the Gilman News, we discuss the hard work that goes into each club’s sales. Look out for the other Kebab and Barbeque article in this issue, which discusses the complicated relationship between the barbecuers and the kebab handlers. 

The Barbecue Club has existed at Gilman, in different forms, since at least 2002, said faculty advisor John Schmick ‘97. The club’s president, Michael Edwards ‘24, is in charge of recruiting and running the barbecue. When asked what motivated him to join, Michael responded, “The Barbeque Club seemed like a great chance to mix my love for grilling with just hanging out with friends outside and boosting the school spirit at games.” When he decides they want to work a game, Michael contacts Mr. Schmick, who buys the food from Sam’s Club with the club’s budget. The leaders are also in charge of finding labor, which varies from game to game. Mr. Schmick said, “The members vary depending on variability, it can be really tough on Friday afternoons when we have a handful of games, and some guys are also in season for their sports, meaning they can’t hang out by the grill.” That being said, Michael hopes to have the Barbecue Club running for as many Friday afternoon home games as possible this Fall and Spring, and is even considering bringing back the ancient tradition of the pig roast. The grillers man two grills, called “Big Boys,” and have a bin of cooking supplies. The club hopes to make a profit every sale, and they most often do. Mr. Schmick also said, “We keep a small budget to help us purchase food each time, and occasionally will raise money through barbecues if we need to buy new equipment.” He mentioned that classes have occasionally asked to sponsor a sale as a fundraiser, and will provide the labor for the event. When asked what he enjoys the most about barbecuing, Michael responded, “My favorite part about barbecuing is being in the center of the school spirit at each event. All the work that goes into it is immediately worth it when you look out and see the campus filled with students and families having such a great time on a Friday afternoon.” Spencer Oddo ‘26, a frequent worker at sales, says that he joined the Barbecue Club for the camaraderie. When asked how he approaches a day on the job, Spencer responded, “I wake up in the morning feeling super dangerous, I know the grills are scared of me, and I know those burgers are going to get flipped.” It seems, as Spencer explained, there is a common bond and brotherhood that flows within the Barbecue Club. 

Over in the kebab industry, Teo Garza ‘26 and Suli Leheny ‘26 have started the Kebab Club this year. The club’s origin dates back to a few years ago, when Teo lived in Spain for a summer and found himself eating kebabs on a daily basis. Upon returning to Baltimore, he couldn’t find any restaurants in the area that matched the delicious kebabs he had enjoyed so much in Spain. Thus, after months of consideration, he decided to start up a kebab club at Gilman this year along with Suli, which officially goes by the name “Sultan Suli’s Kebabs.” The kebabs sold include chicken, cold veggies, and either white sauce or homemade honey mustard, all wrapped in a warm pita. The pita is supposedly from the “kebab powerhouse,” according to Leo Eiswert ‘26.

Both Suli and Teo said that the kebabs taste wonderful, with Suli commenting, “I feel amazing (when I eat them), they taste delicious. The chicken is really well marinated thanks to Leo, he’s the marination expert.” The Kebab Club’s main piece of equipment is a kebab spit, which cooks the chicken. Leo said, “The chicken rotates around the flame and cooks…you get this flavor of meat that is nothing like you’ve ever had before.” The three members, Teo, Leo, and Suli, all worked this summer and put some of their money towards the cost of the machine. The three refused to reveal the cost of the device to the News, with Suli saying, “I can’t tell you how much, that’s Sultan's secret.” The club has big plans for the future, as they plan to attend home games for the rest of the football season, and also hope to work lacrosse games in the Spring. Once the club has made back the cost they spent on the machine, they plan to donate any profit to charity or the class fund. Eiswert also mentioned that perks may be offered to frequent buyers. He said, “Maybe you could request a special flavor if you’re a top buyer, or even have a kebab named after you.” The Kebab Club had their opening event at Teo’s house on Memorial Day from 9-11 PM. Leo said that despite the awkward time, friends and family arrived in droves. He mentioned that the club received some really valuable feedback from the test run, saying, “We put a little bit too much mayo, and the feedback was that the sauce was too overpowering, so we’re going to add more vinegar and dill pickle.” To conclude, Leo said that at games in the future “you will be able to smell fresh meat wafting across the field and right into your nose, so get ready for that.” Teo stated, “Kebabs are delicious and they bring a new and unique food option to football games.”

With Barbecue Club having dominated the gameday setting for over twenty years, students and faculty have wondered whether the arrival of the Kebab Club to the scene will create tension. On the surface, the clubs seem to share a sense of respect. Teo said, “I think the Barbeque Club is great,” and Suli mentioned, “I love the Barbeque Club, they do their thing, they sell their hotdogs and burgers, and they always have lots of good deals.” He added that as long as both groups continue to sell out and make profit, he sees no reason that they can’t coexist. Michael Edwards said, “Although I’ve joked with Teo about a BBQ/Kebab Club rivalry, I admire Teo’s hard work and spirit into starting this club and I wish them the best of luck, as long as they don’t take too many of our customers.”  

 However, the News discovered some underlying drama between the two clubs. As discussed in the other Barbeque and Kebab article featured in this issue.