“The best thing I ever ate was ribs from Corky’s (Ribs & BBQ),” reads the first line of Bryan Storz’s recent school project.
This 10-year-old fifth grader from St. George’s Independent School is very opinionated about what he likes to eat, and very eloquent in describing his favorite dish:
“It was served as a rack of pork ribs that had been slowly cooked in a smoker. They almost look like a steak but with a bone in the middle. The meat was so tender and juicy. The perfectly cooked ribs were topped with a tangy and spicy BBQ sauce. I had to have a few napkins because it was so messy.”
News of Storz’s school project soon found its way to Tom Cassidy, Corky’s pitmaster.
Brent Little, the pitmaster for the Pig Diamonds competition barbecue team, also has a child at St. George’s. When he saw the Corky’s review during a school event, he immediately called his friend Cassidy and told him about it.
“Brent ... knew we would want to know about this — and he was right,” said Cassidy, who is the pitmaster for the Hall Pass BBQ competition team.
Cassidy then shared it with Corky’s owner Jimmy Stovall, and the two decided to thank Storz for the favorable review.
Last Friday, Storz and his family were invited for a meal at Corky’s East Memphis restaurant.
Stovall and Cassidy presented the middle-schooler with a No. 1 Corky’s BBQ Fan wrestling belt, a free rack of Corky’s ribs every month for a year, and Corky’s swag for him and his family.
Storz was all smiles after receiving the gifts.
 Bryan Storz, 10, (middle) recently wrote a review of Corky's for a class project and was invited to the restaurant for a meal and a celebration. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
As he waited for his rack of ribs to arrive, he said he orders his ribs wet and the “sweet and spicy sauce” is what he loves most about his go-to order.
When asked if he could eat a whole rack himself, he said, “Of course!”
His mother, Kristin, confirmed it: “Don’t let his size fool you. He can eat us out of house and home.”
Storz said he hasn’t tried much else on Corky’s menu since he loves the ribs but he plans on trying Corky’s wings soon.
“I have the one thing I love and I order it over and over again,” he said. “It’s hard to try something else.”
Storz isn’t sure he wants to become a professional food critic, but he does think people should talk about their favorite dishes.
“Who knows?! There is about a 5% chance this would happen,” he said about the recent turn of events.
Cassidy and Stovall said they were thrilled to be able to recognize their young fan.
“Life is about cool and fun stories,” Cassidy said. “Once I heard about this one, I knew we had to get him in the restaurant.”
This Week on Memphis’ restaurant scene
 Central BBQ reopened Monday, Jan. 27 on Central Avenue after a two-and-a-half-year process. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
After 2 1/1 years, Central BBQ has reopened where it all began on Central Avenue. I shared a first look at what to expect at the new location that opened Monday.
The Lunar New Year officially kicked off Wednesday, Jan. 29. I spoke with three Memphis chefs with Chinese roots about their favorite “lucky” dishes to celebrate the new year and shared what to order at their restaurants for the holiday.
Joshua Carlucci offered a first look at Bao Toan. The new Crosstown restaurant from the family behind Mochi & Mi will offer elevated Vietnamese cuisine. It opened Wednesday, Jan. 29.
Four Memphis chefs were named semi-finalists in this year’s James Beard Foundation’s annual awards. The James Beard Awards are some of the highest honors for the culinary world, recognizing chefs and restaurateurs across the country for being the best in their fields.
Aisling Maki wrote about how local and national attitudes toward alcohol are changing. As the U.S. surgeon general raises the alarm about the link between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk, her article addresses how the “sober curious” are seeing the benefits of abstaining.
In conjunction with Maki’s article, I talked with several Memphis restaurateurs, brewery owners and a liquor store owner about the rise in popularity of non-alcoholic beverage options, and how these businesses are making sure they have good options for their sober clientele.
 RawGirls new owner Laura Wegner. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
Former nurse and chef Laura Wegner is the new owner of Rawgirls. Carlucci shared her plans for the company.
Jody Callahan reported on the new Memphis Jamaican Kitchen coming to the Medical District area. In addition to their new brick-and-mortar, Ryan and Ebony Meeks will also be keeping their food truck open in Downtown Memphis.
In last week’s Food Files, Sophia Surrett reported that Shroomlicious will pause current operations to kickstart its new location, Downtown restaurant Pretty Taco has closed “temporarily” and Hook Point Brewing Company’s East Memphis taproom The Ready Room has closed.
Rob Moore reported that Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, a Louisiana-inspired sports bar, will open mid-March in Southaven.
Bill Dries brought us the news that the Memphis in May International Festival is adding a steak cooking competition starting this May.
And Carlucci’s $10 Deal this week is what might be called the Guatemalan surf and turf at Restaurante Alicia. He said “the rib steak, with its charred edges and tender middle, balances beautifully with plump shrimp just kissed by the grill.”
Thanks for joining me for this week’s Table Talk. Be sure to look for this column weekly for all the latest food news in Memphis.
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