Page 5 - FEB 2021 Digial Edition

Fast forward to May 1990
and the 13th Annual Mem-
phis in May World Champi-
onship Barbecue Cooking
Contest. That’s the very first
time that the Apple City
Barbecue Team competed
at a World Championship.
This is also the year that the
Guiness Book of World
Records called this event
“the largest barbecue-cook-
ing contest in the World.”
It’s also the first time my dad
and founding partner of this
magazine was introduced to
Mike. During that event, a
chance meeting while rest-
ing on a log, my family joined the Mike Mills legacy with one of our greatest BBQ stories we have ever told.
The details of this meeting are shared by Mike in his first book, “Peace, Love, and Barbecue.” Not only was this the first time Mike and his team was there to compete for a World Champi- onship, but this was also the first major event covered by the Bar- becue News that was started in February of 1990. During that meeting my dad gave Mike a “good luck coin” before the two parted ways. The very next day the Apple City Barbecue Team won their first World Barbecue Grand Championship. Now Mike had learned to win on the BBQ circuit and had a unique good luck charm as well.
Have you ever seen a photo of Mike Mills taken after that event in 1990 without his necklace that carries a pure silver medallion? Upon returning back home Mike turned the silver coin into a beautiful piece of jewelry that he called his “good luck charm.” Rumor has it that Mike did not want to take it off for a quick pol- ishing before being nominated in 2006 for a James Beard Foun- dation Award for his first book. Here again Mike was winning and yet again in a different arena.
In 2008 Mike changed up his very successful Murphysboro Barbe- cue Contest and decided to make it a duel sanctioned event by hosting both a Memphis Barbecue Network (MBN) and Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) event on the same day and practi- cally at the same time. This type of event had been attempted only a few times before without much success. Me and several friends decided to “man up” and cook this crazy busy event and I am really glad we did. Our Bone-A-Fide BBQ Team had several calls in both events and that contest is still one of the most enjoy- able events I have ever attended. Currently, this event, known as “Praise the Lard”, is sold out of space for teams before applica- tions even get mailed out to them. This change helped Mike and his team of winners prove that the duel sanctioned event could be successful.
One thing I am sure of is that Mike did not need any good luck charm to accomplish all he did in the BBQ world. His work ethic,
will to succeed, and dedica- tion to any task was second to none. Those traits kept him directing anyone on his team in the right direction. He was so confident in his abilities that he shared everything he knew with many others but he also knew that his way was not the only way. Mike always told his students, friends, and teammates, “Now this is my way of doing this, but it might not work for you because everyone is differ- ent, so make sure you are willing to change this up if
needed to make it fit your customers.” Mike was even a winning teacher to those who came seeking his advice.
These few words could never describe just how iconic Mike Mills really is. He was like a second father to me and helped direct my BBQ career for the better as I was just getting started. His men- torship for anyone in the barbecue world really is legendary. I can honestly say I have never witnessed anyone else that freely share their knowledge like Mike. He lived to see others win, just like he had won thousands of times in everything he touched and that is why Mike Mills is The Legend.
Until Next Month...Keep It Smokin'
Kell
FEBRUARY 2021
BarbecueNews.com - 5