CLEWISTON — While people struggle through the challenges that 2020 has thrown at them, many are thankful to finally get to November and kick off the holiday season with Thanksgiving dinner. Some have been so busy this year, that the thought of being able to order a whole, ready-to-eat, smoked turkey was not only brilliant, it was irresistible. That’s where The Georgeshow Inc. comes in.

Smoked, roasted turkeys and other tasty, Texas-style BBQ from The Georgeshow are a favorite for locals, and for many have become an annual tradition. This year, some families were excited to find out about the turkeys being delivered in Clewiston and LaBelle.

“My mouth was watering when I saw the photo of all his juicy looking turkeys on Facebook,” said Sue Forman, “When I found out it was local, I ordered mine right away.”

The Georgeshow has been catering for many years, from the Swamp Cabbage Festival to Pop Warner Football events, and it’s a well-known fact in Hendry County that owner George Alvarez was born to barbecue. He has lived in Clewiston for many years, and has been involved in the food business since 2006. Developing a serious passion for cooking from a young age, Alvarez has been smoking meats since he was just 12 years old.

“George and I live in Clewiston now. George has lived here since 1975 and I just moved to Clewiston three years ago,” explained Alvarez’s partner, Kim Galleta.

George’s family moved to Clewiston from Texas for work doing farm labor.”

“We moved here when I was 7 years old from Texas. At a young age I was introduced to hard work and outdoor cooking. We worked for South Bay Growers up until the time the farm closed. While working on the farm it allowed me to pursue a degree in commercial art. It wasn’t until later that I realized my mother introduced me to my true passion-cooking,” Alvarez said. “I wanted to open our business here because we grew up barbecuing and doing fundraisers in our community, and it felt like a brotherhood of friends. We want to continue in that feeling of love in our community. I grew up with most of the people here. We all celebrated together through good times and suffered together through hard times. I’ve also been a member of the Elks Lodge which has allowed me to know many good people in Hendry County. Hendry County is still one of the nicest places to raise a family.

“I am looking forward to a time when we can all get together again and BBQ!” Alvarez said, adding that his favorite part about what he does is, “Seeing the smile on people’s faces when they eat my food.”

They admit that COVID-19 has presented many challenges for their business. “But we were able to rethink our goals and needs and decided now is the time so we are looking at it with a positive outlook and plan to take every precaution when it comes to the virus and keeping our customers safe.” They also added that their business philosophy is, “Never get tired of doing the right thing.”

The Georgeshow is launching a food truck in December 2020, and plans to be in locations throughout Lee, Collier and Hendry County. “Right now, we are excited about our new food trailer hitting the road next month. We hope that a food truck is only the start,” said Galleta. “One day we hope to open a BBQ restaurant in Hendry County.” They also offer a full catering menu with delivery options.

For more information, contact The Georgeshow on Facebook, or The Georgeshow BBQ on Twitter or Instagram.