Local Company to Host Jamaican Jerk Cook Off Fundraiser in Oakland

Still looking to lock up plans for Memorial Day Weekend? Interested in a fun event with good food where all the proceeds go to a great cause?

If so, My Yute Soccer has you covered as they host their annual Jamaican Jerk Cook Off Fundraiser this Monday from 1-5 p.m. at The Hive in Oakland.

The money made at the event goes directly to support My Yute Soccer’s annual camp, a volunteer-run event that is free for kids and brings in roughly 60-80 from different communities and demographics the first week after school is out each year.

“The whole idea of me starting this was that quite a few kids get locked out of other camps because they’re so expensive, but they just want to play,” said My Yute Soccer President and Founder Steve Sparkes. “So we started this thing on a volunteer basis.”

The fundraiser, which My Yute Soccer has been doing for roughly eight years, started with Sparkes teaming up with a local brewery and then cooking Jamaican jerk food himself, harkening back to his roots as a native of the island.

Since then, it has grown into a bigger event, with various chefs and breweries from the Bay Area community pitching for the event to feature multiple tastings for both beer and jerk.

In addition to the annual camp that takes place the week after school gets out, the fundraiser also supports further free summer camps in Oakland, My Jute’s teen mentor program, and the Kaleb McYates Memorial Grant.

“Hopefully everything goes well with the fundraiser, we definitely want to do an August camp,” Sparkes said.

For more information, visit myyutesoccer.org or order tickets directly here. For a discount on the “unlimited” ticket option, use the promo code “OPJerk”.