Santa Maria BBQ Cooks Help Flood Victims in Colorado

A group of Santa Maria area cooks are back home after hosting a big barbeque to raise money for victims in a flood damaged area of Colorado.

Robert Bonilla said he and some fellow cooks arrived with “BBQ pits, the beans, the salad and everything they needed,” for a “Santa Maria Style” meal.

Over 1000 people showed up at a park for the fundraiser in Fort Collins.

By day Bonilla is a CalTrans Engineer. He is also acclaimed as a barbeque chef and often tows his truck-sized grill to events in the Central Coast.

The area was devastated by flood waters in September. Eight people died including a former Lompoc resident Wiyanna Nelson.

A St. Joseph High School graduate, now in Colorado, Alex Bein helped to coordinate the cooks with his parents help in Santa Maria. Many of the chefs have their own rolling BBQ set ups for big events.

They were also able to get donations from F. McClintocks, Babe Farms, and San Luis Sourdough bread.

Even gas for the truck was donated by a local business.

All of the money raised will got directly to flood victims for their needs, especially as the holidays approach.