Arguments may ensue on the merits of individual barbecue joints, but no one disputes the extent that the “culture” of B-B-Q has helped define everyday life in Kansas City.

Local filmmakers Kevin Fossland and Martin Diggs are currently filming The Kansas City Barbecue Documentary, which chronicles the city’s cherished barbecue culture. They will share their initial findings and conversations with the people behind the countless competitions, secret sauce, and elaborate tailgating parties.

Fossland and Diggs, are Kansas City natives, longtime servers at JJ’s Restaurant, and the principals of Burnt Ends Media. Currently they are on a quest to uncover the secrets behind our city’s barbeque success.

This presentation is part of the Missouri Valley Sundays series, a program of the Missouri Valley Special Collections at the Central Library that offers presentations by local experts on topics of significance in the history of Kansas City and the Midwest. The series is made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.