Celebrity
Pitmasters
We’re excited to introduce the accredited pitmasters competing in the 2026 Rocky Mountain BBQ Classic & State Championship, happening May 7–10, 2026, in Grand Junction, Colorado. These teams are the heart of the event—bringing top-tier barbecue, hard-earned experience, and a shared love of the craft to one of the premier BBQ competitions in the country.
Christie Vanover
Company: Girls Can Grill
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Hi. I’m Christie Vanover, the head cook and award-winning competitive pitmaster for Team Girls Can Grill. I have won multiple grand championships and have dozens of top-ten category finishes. I’m the host of the BBQ Tips Podcast and author of the Holiday Grilling Cookbook. I competed in Season 4 of Food Network’s BBQ Brawl. I’ve also starred in and produced several how-to videos for Ninja’s outdoor grill line and appeared in their Woodfire Grill infomercials. I have cooked on dozens of grills and have around 30 in my backyard at any given time. I was an expert grill reviewer for BBQ Guys and develop recipes for several companies within the grilling and BBQ industry. I established GirlsCanGrill.com in 2015 to share grilling tips and recipes to encourage more people to get outside and grill. The sitecurrently has around 1.8 million annual readers, more than 1,000 pro tips, more than 400 grillingrecipes and over 7,500 reviews.
Lee Ann Whippen
Company: Wood Chicks BBQ
Location: Chesapeake, VA
!From spending days on my nana's hog farm in Lexington, MO as a little girl to learning BBQ secrets from my father, Jim "Trim" Tabb, BBQ has been a way of life. I have competed in barbeque competitions nationally for over 25 years and am excited to share my story and love of que with all of you!
2022 BBQ HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE/25 YEAR CHAMPION BBQ PITMASTER | CERTIFIED JUDGE | RESTAURATEUR | TV PERSONALITY | BBQ NATION RADIO SHOW COHOST | PIT BOSS GRILLS BRAND AMBASSADOR | RECIPE DEVELOPER | OWNER TABBY'S INC. (PIG POWDER)
Susie Bulloch
Company: Hey Grill Hey
Location: St. George, UT
Susie Bulloch founded Hey Grill Hey in 2015 with one desire: To help people make better BBQ. To date she has created over 550 recipes that millions of people cook every month, making HeyGrill Hey a name synonymous with amazing BBQ. Susie and her husband Todd run a family business that includes a line of signature BBQ rubs, sauces, and gadgets.
Mary Cressler
Company: Vindulge
Location: Portland, OR
We are a wife and husband team, led by Mary Cressler and Sean Martin, who create delicious ways for you to enjoy cooking and entertaining in your backyard with your family and friends. Combined, we have two decades of experience in recipe development, entertaining, education, writing, and professional cooking. a diverse group of culinary team members from around the world. We share the passion for cooking on our Big Green Egg Kamado Grill.
Kevin Bludso
Company: Bludso BBQ
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Kevin Bludso is a chef, Television personality, JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER and two-time Steve Harvey Hoodie Award Winner.
Stan Hays
Company: Operation BBQ Relief
Location: Pleasant Hill, MO
Stan Hays is the CEO and co-founder of Operation
BBQ Relief. A seasoned and accomplished competitor
on the barbecue circuit, Hays and fellow cofounder
Will Cleaver launched Operation BBQ Relief when a
tornado swept through Joplin, Missouri, in 2011.
Thyron Matthews
Company:
Location: Oelwein, IA
Thyron Mathews is an award-winning American BBQ Chef and Pitmaster, known for his bold flavors,
Southern roots, and viral presence both online and on screen. Originally from Royal, Florida—a historic Black
farming town where families were once granted their 40 acres—Thyron now calls Iowa home, where he’s
built one of the most recognized BBQ brands in the Midwest.Thyron rose to national fame after winning Netflix’s hit competition series Barbecue Showdown, which drew over 40 million viewers globally. Prior to that, he had already earned 16 Grand Championships and was crowned “Best in Show” at the Iowa State Fair two years in a row.
Andy Allo
Company: Akone
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Chef Andy Allo is a dynamic culinary artist whose passion for cooking is deeply rooted in her Cameroonian upbringing. From an early age, she developed an appreciation for bold, vibrant flavors, which now define her mission to create fine dining experiences that celebrate her heritage. Her journey led her through a rigorous culinary apprenticeship and staging at Michelin-starred establishments such as Alinea in Chicago and Akoko in London.Before stepping into the culinary world, Andy established a thriving career as an actor and musician, starring in series like Upload (Amazon) and Chicago Fire (NBC) and performing on stage with Prince. This storytelling foundation seamlessly informs her culinary artistry, allowing her to compose immersive dining experiences that resonate beyond the plate.
Rasheed Philips
Company: Philips BBQ
Location: Atlanta, GA
Making his international culinary debut on what The New York Times ranked as one of the top shows of 2020, Rasheed Philips was a breakout star on Netflix’s American Barbeque Showdown. Although a newcomer to the competitive side of BBQ, his culinary mantra, “The basics perfected: Time, Temperature, and Technique,” thrust Rasheed into the spotlight, where he quickly became a fan favorite. Unsurprisingly, he soon cultivated a loyal social media base where his candid approach, humility, and personal charisma reached a wider audience.
Brian Duffy
Company:
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Chef Brian Duffy blends Irish heart and Italian soul into bold, fearless cooking. Raised near Philly in a family where both parents cooked, he started in restaurants at 14 and soaked up every lesson before honing his craft at Walnut Hill College. Since the early 90s, he’s opened 100+ restaurants worldwide, led by a relentless entrepreneurial streak and a gift for building teams, concepts, and craveable menus. Today, he runs the Duffified Experience Group and partners with brands like Wurzpott Spices, Molly Bz Cookies, YumCrunch, and World Chef.