Pictured: S-One employees line up to build their tasting platters as grill-masters await the judges' decision. Photo by Vanessa Tasé Sueiro.

At S-One Holdings Corporation, there is always friendly competition, according to Executive Vice President of Culture, Angie Gruss. This rang true on Friday, June 14, when eight employees volunteered as participants for the second annual Grill-Off, to which the invitation read, “Come Hungry”. Though closed to the general public, the Grill-Off brought together S-One employees from all over the county.

But few of the nearly seventy attendees arrived at the S-One global headquarters in Sarasota, empty-stomached and empty handed. This wasn’t a typical office grill-off; it was an opportunity to give back to the members of the community that need extra support when the summer makes food scarce. Children from under-resourced families rely on free and reduced meals when school is in session. But come summertime, it takes a village to bridge the gap. To pitch in to the All Faiths Food Bank Campaign Against Summer Hunger, S-One’s “Come Hungry”was a call to action to its employees and a reminder to all: ending hunger is a community-wide effort.

As the event carried on, and the grillers discussed amongst themselves whether a ceramic cooker or a kettle grill would produce a better brisket, a mountain of donated non-perishable goods piled up at the entrance—S-One’s commitment to community greeting every passer-by.

From the grill, the lineup included smoked ham and cheese sliders, chiropán (grilled chorizo), a rosemary and garlic tri-tip, smoked shawarma lamb, mexican corn (off the cob), ribs grilled with the intention of sliding off the bone and a few other carnivorous delicacies. Although every grill-master took their dish seriously, meticulously plating their meats and condiments to present to the judges, it was not the title nor the medal they were hoping to win. “Bragging rights, more than anything,” were the true laurels to fight for, said Dan Barberio, who entered the competition with his BBQ Smoked Pig & Popper Pizza.

A well-curated panel of judges hosted Chef Jason Pellett of Bar Italia in Lakewood Ranch, Chef Alyson Zildjian, the genius behind Zildjian Catering and Consulting, and international BBQ circuit favorite Michael “Gibby” Gibson—who prefaced the winner’s announcing with some advice for all grillers: “Don’t be afraid to use salt.”

S-One’s Grill-Off competition is exemplary of Sarasota’s philanthropic spirit, of its culinary aptness, and, perhaps most importantly, of its commitment to the re-humanization of the workplace—an undertaking that requires serious dedication in the post-Covid world.

At S-One, the Employee Experience and Engagement (E3) taskforce, operating under the firm belief that “if you don’t have a good employee experience, you can’t have a good customer experience,” as Angie Gruss put it, has recently reimagined the E’s that make its name. Angie proposes that the modern employer should, “continue to engage, but elevate and evolve…as the workplace changes.” The praxis of this manifesto is palpable at events like S-One’s Grill-Off, where a break from the screens of a hybrid workplace creates communities better fit for the blurred lines between office and home.

Pictured: S-One employees line up to build their tasting platters as grill-masters await the judges' decision. Photo by Vanessa Tasé Sueiro.