In the Permian Basin, competition, collaboration and comraderie go hand in hand. On October 2, investment bank Simmons Energy, a division of Piper Jaffray, proved this by hosting its second annual Permian Basin Cook-Off at the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum in Midland, Texas. The event hosted 46 cooking companies, 60 executives as judges--and over 1,600 energy attendees.

As guests walked through the outside museum grounds, which is surrounded by vintage drilling rigs and other oilfield structures, they visited with each of the cooking teams, sampled delicious BBQ and networked with executives, private equity and institutional investors, all while listening to live country music.

This event was born in 2018, when Simmons’ senior research analyst--and lover of all things BBQ--John Daniel, dreamed of an event that would bring together all kinds of people working in the energy sector for an unforgettable evening.

“As I thought about our industry and what brings people together, BBQ was on the top of my list.  I figured, why not throw a little healthy competition into the mix and turn this into a cook-off?  I was blown away by the tremendous enthusiasm from the cooking teams and executives sworn in as judges by the Kansas City BBQ Society. It has been great to see everyone come together, competition and all, for a night of fun in Midland,” Daniel said.

This year, the big winner was the team from Key Energy Services, which was awarded both Grand Champion and Fan Favorite. By all accounts, the Simmons team has created a Permian Basin tradition that will live on for many years to come. It’s another example of the tight-knit community spirit that thrives in the Permian Basin and in Midland.

Onshore