b'Outdoor FeastF or four years starting in 2012, Alfred Mann operated Munchies Live BBQ from outside a gas station in Gotha, and Entertainment Fla., cooking on a tabletop grill. The roadside eatery earned a cult following, with aficionados calling Mann and trying Munchiesto order Munchies long after he closed the spot in 2016.Mann owns a catering company in Central FloridaElite Live BBQ Catering, Events & Venture. He previously held chef positions at Walt Disney World and Emerils Orlando, and served as a private chef for professional athletes including Penny Hardaway. Duringfacebook.com/MunchiesLiveBBQ the slowdown caused by COVID-19, instead of panicking, we were planning, says Mann. He dreamed of bringing back Munchies Live BBQ and creating a place where I can provide people the opportunity to enjoy time with their friends and family in a natural, outdoor immersive environment.On Jan. 21, he did just that. Mann opened Munchies Live BBQ, The Food You Crave, on a 16-acre lakeside retreat in Gotha. There he serves North Carolina- and Memphis-style barbecue, cooked outdoors on grills and smokers. We do not use gas on our grills ever, says Mann. He and his team have a daily ritual of building a fire from the ground up with kindling and woodusually citrus and oakand then transferring the hot coals to grills and smokers.36 CATERING, FOODSERVICE & EVENTS cfe-news.com'