Farm-raised catfish, served with of a side of “why-he-should-be-governor,” was the featured selection on the Green’s BBQ menu Thursday, where Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ron Sparks was the night’s “celebrity chef.”

Sparks was met with applause by patrons after opening with his take on gambling in Alabama.

“When I talk to Alabamians, I hear about two things, how we need jobs and how are we going to educate our children,” Sparks said. “We need to control, tax and regulate gambling in Alabama and use that money for the Special Education Trust Fund and Medicaid. There are two groups of people we need to take care of – that’s our children and our elderly. Everyone else in the middle can pretty well take care of themselves.”

Sparks pledged to fight for a statewide lottery.

“We’ve got teachers reaching into their pockets and moms and dads buying lists of products to send their children to school with,” he said. “That is unacceptable. We need to quit fussing over bingo and to tax and regulate gambling in Alabama.”

Sparks, who is currently serving as state commissioner of agriculture, will face Republican Dr. Robert Bentley in November.