PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Benchmarks data team recently released a State of the County Update for 2023.
This brief report builds on the Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County Report published in May 2022 and highlights notable changes in regional indicators over the past year. The berkshirebenchmarks.org website has also been updated to reflect the most current available data.
The purpose of the Benchmarks initiative and report is to highlight the region's successes and challenges.
The 2022 Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County report provided a comprehensive overview of our region's performance across eight sectors: Economy, Education, Environment, Government, Health, Housing, Social Environment, and Transportation.
In the future, the Berkshire Benchmarks team will continue to monitor these and other indicators to aid with the regional understanding of changes in these sectors and whether the work happening throughout the region is having the intended impact.
Berkshire Benchmarks is a collaborative initiative managed through Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC). Our sources are publicly available data, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the American Community Survey, various Massachusetts data sets, and periodic surveys of Berkshire County residents.
Berkshire Benchmarks aims to work with the community to understand priorities and help inform the region on how we are doing and if we are improving. Berkshire Benchmarks enhances the region's access to quality data and analysis.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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Texas-Style Barbecue Opens for Lunch, Takeout in Downtown Pittsfield
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — FireKing BBQ is making it easier to find its smoked ribs — they're in the Clocktower Building in downtown Pittsfield.
Owner Ethan Sumner has been operating as a catering service for more than a decade, with a mobile smoker for his award-winning barbecue.
"We specialize in low and slow cooking as well as grilling over charcoal and hardwoods," he said. "We love using cherry wood, apple wood, and a little kiss of hickory wood in all of our cooking. Most of our cooking, I should say. And we don't use any propane. I'm a purist in that sense. I love cooking over open flame and hot coals."
He works alongside Robear Robespierre, who helps with Sumner's sales and distribution.
Sumner said he spends hours cooking his meat, like his baby back ribs that won him first place in the 2019 Grillsdale competition in New York State. It takes him about six hours, two of them smoking at 250 degrees, to cook the ribs.
He said he wanted a space to be able to keep up with demand. Business dropped off every winter because people think of barbecue as outdoor food, and while he will cook outside even in negative temperatures, an indoor space lets him serve year-round, including football season and the Super Bowl.
He is now located at 75 South Church St. and he is no stranger to the building. Sumner had run the publication Berkshire's Best: Buys, Business, and Beyond out of the building so he knew its possibilities.
"It's funny how I've come full circle here back into the building. So I've always kind of seen this space. But I was never into culinary then. I was into publishing. So this is 13 years in the making, and I had my paper for 13 years, which again, is coincidental," he said. "So I just really like this space. It's modern. It's nice. It's clean, and that's how my food is. It's clean. It's fresh, and it's local, just like me."
Sumner is originally from New York City and made his way to Great Barrington with his family. One of the inspirations behind his business was his father, who loved to grill outside.
"Even when we lived in New York City, he would go on the terrace of our 36-story apartment building on the third floor there was a terrace, and he would always cook on a Weber charcoal grill with charcoal, and I always was fascinated by that. And he always loved cooking outside, and he loved cooking over charcoal. And he would always make this mustard and tea leaf steak," he said. "That was a standout. It was a family favorite of ours and I could always taste the difference between something that was cooked [with charcoal]. Even when I was 7 years old I could, I always craved that certain taste that you could only get from charcoal."
He wants customers to know he cares about his food and its quality, making sure he gets the best ingredients for his dishes.
"I want them to know that. I'm a barbecue guy, but I also offer so much more. I consider myself somebody who loves cooking over open flame, smoking meats, but I also love using fresh ingredients to create deli sandwiches and fresh salads," Sumner said. "So I want people to associate FireKing with quality. I also want to point out that I get a lot of my meat from Mazzeo's meat market. So I don't sacrifice quality, which I think is half the battle in doing what I do is getting quality meats and produce."
He hopes customer will find the eatery a comfortable atmosphere to enjoy their lunch and hangout, or grab a sandwich and go.
"They could grab a pulled pork sandwich in about a minute and a half flat and be out of here if they want to. So there's no pressure," he said. "I love the community. I love talking to people here. Everyone in this community has been super kind and gracious, and I appreciate them. And I want to give back what they've given me."
He also plans to have DoorDash and barbecue pickup packages for families, and to have vacuum-sealed, pre-cooked smoked ribs with reheating instructions, also available for local pickup.
