Pensacola Eggfest isn’t just about amazing BBQ. It’s about the people behind the grill. Each year, cook teams from near and far fire up their Big Green Eggs, bring their best recipes, and share their passion with the community. In this series leading up to the big day, November 16, 2025, we’ll be introducing you to some of the incredible teams you’ll see at this year’s competition.
Leading the series is Chef Matthew Brown; a known foodie, award-winning chef, and someone who not only knows food, but consistently creates new recipes (soups at The Farm, oh my!) and new products for his very own Black Garlic Market.
Speaking of soup, if you’ve been to the Pensacola Eggfest VIP event you’ve likely tasted his world-famous Smoked Gouda Mushroom Soup and asked for more.
But this year, Chef Matthew is teaming up with Melinda from River Woods Ranch and together, they’ll present a type of beef that might be new to your palate: Cracker Cows. Their herd forages the pastures consuming various plants and berries local to the area. This gives them an intense beef flavor that is quite different from your typical beef cattle. Their cuts of beef can be purchased at The Farm on Mobile Hwy.
We asked Chef Matthew (and the other cook teams) to answer a few fun questions so we can get to know them before the big event. Here’s what we learned:
We have an amazing opportunity to showcase history and bring it back to Pensacola. River Woods Ranch is raising and farming the original cracker cattle. This is our chance to showcase the flavor and the story behind the brand-new endeavor…