Interview Opportunity: Mike Mills

"The Legend" of Barbecue to Cook for J-School Barbecue Bash on Sept. 10 at Mizzou Arena

Mike Mills World Champion Barbecue Master 17th Street Bar & Grill and Memphis Championship Barbecue

Posted: Sept. 3, 2008

• WHAT: Champion pitmaster Mike Mills, known as "The Legend" in the world of barbecue, will cook ribs and other meats for the J-School Barbecue Bash, the kickoff event for the Missouri School of Journalism's centennial/dedication celebration. 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." Mills held these records for 13 years, until they were tied in 2007. 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.
  
  
• WHY: Mike Mills is the father of Amy Mills Tunnicliffe, BJ '86, co-author of their book Peace, Love, and Barbecue. It was nominated for a 2006 James Beard Foundation award and received the 2006 National Barbecue Association Award of Excellence.
  
  
• WHO: Guests at the barbecue will include MU and journalism alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students, as well as visitors and community members.
  
  
• WHERE: North side of Mizzou Arena.
  
  
• WHEN: Daytime, Wednesday, Sept. 10: Mike Mills will be available for comment while barbecuing near Mizzou Arena. The J-School Barbecue Bash will be from 6-7:30 p.m.

About Mike Mills

• In the early 1990s, he was co-captain of the Apple City Barbecue team, one of the most celebrated teams ever on the competitive barbecue circuit.
• He is also the barbecue guru and a partner at Blue Smoke restaurant in New York City.
• Mills is the only barbecuer with top-security clearance to board Air Force One, and he's the only barbecuer who's been featured in Vogue magazine-four times!
• Mills' ribs were named Best Ribs in America by Bon Appetit magazine (Sept. 2007) and featured on the Food Network special Bon Appetit Picks the Best.
• The Washington Post said that Mills' ribs get "credit for the best ribs we've ever tasted. They define perfection for us..." (June 18, 2008).
• Restaurants & Institutions (Sept. 2007) magazine called Mills America's "most-revered barbecue restaurateur."

Media Appearances

• PRINT: The New York Times; Chicago Tribune; St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Los Angeles Times; Food & Wine; Gourmet; Bon Appetit; Chile Pepper; National Restaurant News; Vogue; National Barbecue News; Food Arts; various local and regional papers.
• TELEVISION: Live with Regis & Kelly and Good Morning America on ABC; The Well-Seasoned Traveler on A&E; Food Paradise on The Travel Channel; All-Star Barbecue Showdown on Versus; and several appearances on Food Network shows, including Unwrapped; BBQ with Bobby Flay; Al Roker's Barbecue Road Trip; and Bon Appetit Picks the Best.
• RADIO: NPR/All Things Considered; G. Gordon Liddy Show; numerous local and regional stations.

For more information, visit http://journalism.missouri.edu/2008/schedule/event-bbq-bash.html.

Media Credentials:
Media should contact Emily Smith by phone (573-882-3346) or e-mail (smithea@missouri.edu) to obtain a media pass for all events. Media credentials will be required.