Melissa Cookston

Melissa Cookston is an American chef and author. She is the chef/owner of two restaurants, the author of two cookbooks, and a seven-time world barbecue champion.[1] In addition, Cookston has twice won top prize at the Memphis in May World Barbecue Championship and is the only female barbecue world champion.[2][3][4]

Life

Cookston was born in Ruleville, Mississippi in 1968. She grew up in Greenville, Mississippi and Pontotoc, Mississippi.

Career

Melissa worked in food preparation for years. In 1996, she started cooking barbecue and began entering in competitions, winning many.[5] In 2007, she and her husband quit their jobs and toured barbecue contests around the country. In 2011, they were able to open their first restaurant, Memphis BBQ Company, which has locations in Mississippi and Georgia. In October 2016, she opened her second restaurant, STEAK by Melissa, in Southaven, Mississippi. It closed in 2020. She also opened a catering/plate lunch restaurant in 2019 called Green Tomato Catering in Horn Lake, MS. She still serves as pitmaster of Yazoo’s Delta Q barbecue team. In 2017, Cookston revealed that she had begun breeding her own hybrid pigs.[6]

Since 2012, she has appeared on TV shows such as BBQ Pitmasters, Chopped, CBS This Morning, and The Kitchen, The American Barbecue Showdown,[7] among others.[8]

Personal life

She currently lives in Hernando, Mississippi with her husband, Pete, and her daughter, Lauren.[9]

Bibliography
  • Smokin in the Boy’s Room (2014)
  • Smokin’ Hot in the South (2016)

References
  1. MELISSA COOKSTON, American Royal, 2017, retrieved 17 August 2017
  2. The Dish: Memphis Barbecue Co.'s Melissa Cookston, CBS News, 9 April 2016, retrieved 17 August 2017
  3. Gillespie, Patrick (27 February 2015), The woman who broke into the BBQ 'boys club', CNN, retrieved 17 August 2017
  4. 2017 Winners, MEMPHIS IN MAY INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL, INC., 2017, retrieved 17 August 2017
  5. Dean, Sam (10 July 2013), Interview with Melissa Cookston, Two-Time World Barbecue Champion, Bon Appétit, retrieved 17 August 2017
  6. Biggs, Jennifer (15 May 2017), Winningest woman in BBQ breeds perfect pig for Memphis in May, The Commercial Appeal, retrieved 17 August 2017
  7. Lambe, Stacy. "'American Barbecue Showdown': Meet the Contestants of Netflix's Cooking Competition (Exclusive)". ET Online. ET. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  8. Denney, Pamela (22 May 2013), Barbecue Champ Melissa Cookston Joins "BBQ Pitmasters" as Permanent Judge, Memphis Magazine, retrieved 17 August 2017
  9. A cut above the rest, Desoto Times-Tribune, November 21, 2016
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