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Mills receives Pioneer of Barbecue Award
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Photo by Mark Dolan/bbqpilgrim.com
Mike Mills, Carolyn Wells, and last year’s winner, Paul Kirk. The barrel lid Mike is holding is inscribed with these words: “Carolyn & Gary Wells ‘Pioneer of Barbecue’ Annual Award is presented to Mike MIlls in recognition and appreciation of his dedication to the cuisine, art, and sport of barbecue October 24, 2008.” |
LYNCHBURG, TN — When choosing this year’s recipient of the Pioneer of Barbecue Award, given at the Jack Daniel’s World Invitational Barbecue Cooking Contest, event coordinator Debbie Christian considered men and women who exemplify a deep dedication to the cuisine, art, and sport of barbecue.
At the top of the list was Mike Mills, owner of 17th Street Bar & Grill in Southern Illinois and Memphis Championship Barbecue in Las Vegas.
“Mike Mills puts in a tremendous amount of effort into promoting the barbecue community and industry as a whole,” said Carolyn Wells, for whom the award is named. “This was a perfect opportunity to recognize his contribution and legacy.”
The award was conceived by long-time Jack Daniel’s barbecue coordinator Tana Shupe and named in honor of Carolyn and Gary Wells, founders of the Kansas City Barbecue Society and longtime champions and supporters of the art and heart of barbecue. The first recipient of the award was Paul Kirk, otherwise known as the Baron of Barbecue, from Roeland Park, Kansas.
“I feel like I got the best award out of the whole contest. It was like being named Grand Champion. Very unexpected,” said Mills. “I’m overwhelmed, honored, and humbled.”
About Mike Mills
In the world of barbecue, champion pitmaster Mike MIlls is affectionately known as “The Legend.” He presides over the pits at his seven nationally acclaimed barbecue restaurants — four 17th Street Bar & Grill restaurants in Southern Illinois and three Memphis Championship Barbecue restaurants in Las Vegas. In the early 1990s he was co-captain of the Apple City Barbecue team, one of the most celebrated teams ever on the circuit. He is a four-time World Champion and three-time Grand World Champion at Memphis in May, otherwise known as the Super Bowl of Swine. He is also the 1992 Grand Champion of the Jack Daniel’s World Invitational Barbecue Cooking Contest and he won the Jack Daniel’s Sauce Contest that year as well. Mike is the barbecue guru at and a partner in Blue Smoke restaurant in New York City. His book, Peace, Love, and Barbecue was nominated for a 2006 James Beard Foundation award and received the 2006 National Barbecue Association Award of Excellence.
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