Management Team / Advisory Board Bios
Derek Wolf Founder 8 years experience. Derek is a fire cooking expert/influencer having amassed a following of over 8M+ followers with his brand @OverTheFireCooking. He is also a trendsetter with 2 highly reviewed cookbooks & 22 best selling rubs with Spiceology., Pete Taylor Founder12 years experience. Pete is a serial entrepreneur and experienced C-Suite Executive. Pete is also the founder of spiceology.com, which has been the fastest growing spice company for the last 5 years in a row., Colin Barker Chief Operating Officer10 years experience, Colin (@barkerbbq) is an entrepreneur with a rich history of industry experience in professional BBQ, CPG, influencer marketing and building creator led brands., Heather Scholten Chief Marketing Officer20 years experience. Heather was COO/CIO of Spiceology, the company she co-founded with Pete in 2013. Her real love is building brands through great branding, web design, and marketing., Scott De Rozic Board MemberOver 20 years of experience building startups as a founder and C-level executive. He’s raised substantial capital and founded and built companies to exit. As a board member, Scott brings deep experience in technology, finance and governance to FYR., Steven RaichlenAdvisor30 years experience, 32 books, 5 James Beard Awards 3 IACP Julia Child Awards and TV show host. Steven is one of the Worlds most well known names in live-fire cooking., Jason Stutes AdvisorFormer Chief Digital Officer at bbqguys.com, Jason is a seasoned professional in the realm of Digital Marketing and eCommerce, with an expertise that spans performance-driven strategies, data analytics, and customer experience enhancement., Joseph Pruitt AdvisorJoseph is the founder of Atlas PMG, an experienced aerospace engineer and product designer known for driving strategic growth. With over 20 years experience, he has been pivotal in enhancing brands like Kamado Joe, Masterbuilt and Kudu Grills., Max GrebFounding Member11 years experience, Max (@maxthemeatguy) is inspired by learning the science behind cooking. Max is one of the largest cooking influencers in the world with over 11 Million followers between all platforms., Chuck MattoFounding Member7 years experience, Chuck (@chucksflavortrain) is a barbecue master that took his passion for food and feeding people he loves and turned into something that he can share with his fellow food lovers. Check Chuck out on Season 4 of Food Networks BBQ Brawl., Al FrugoniFounding Member34 years experience, Al (@alfrugoni) has created a cooking style that allows his millions of followers to think outside the box when it comes to open fire grilling. His goal is to inspire, and offer enthusiasts a different angle on this ancient art form., Jason Ortynski Founding MemberJason (@jortskitchen) has taken the food world by storm over the past 2 years, amassing over 2 million followers and cooking up some the most creative dishes you have ever seen online. Pork Belly Cinnamon rolls... need we say more?, Brad ProseFounding Member20 years experience, Brad Prose (@chilesandsmoke) is a Chef, Author and Creator with a desire to inspire people to try bold flavors over the fire, using a combination of simple and advanced techniques to keep you excited about grilling and smoking food., Tony Ramirez Founding Member12 yrs experience, Tony (@tfti.bbq) is a backyard BBQ master w/ a following of over 2M. He is a Co-Founder of Embers TV, a streaming service dedicated to the world of Outdoor Cooking. Was named Ambassador of the year in 2021 for Char-Griller Grills., Miguel Raya Founding Member5 years of experience, Miguel (@cooking_with_fire___) creates recipes in his backyard that he shares with his nearly 4 million followers. It all started on a $34 smoker from Walmart with no experience, now he's one of the biggest bbq creators around., Tim Van Doren Founding Member30 years experience, Tim (@bamagrillmaster), is a God-Fearing Pitmaster from Alabama that competes on the world stage of the Steak Cookoff Association and shares the outdoor cooking lifestyle with as many people as possible., Allie D'Andrea Founding Member7 years experience, Allie D’Andrea (@outdoors_allie) shares her hunting and fishing lifestyle with over 100,000 social-media followers. She is a hunter, public lands advocate, wildlife conservationist and Cook Book author., Matt HornFounding MemberChef, pitmaster and author Matt Horn is one of the biggest names in professional bbq. Food & Wine's "Best New Chef 2021", Michelin's "Bib Gourmand 2021", and nominated for the James Beard Foundation Award for "Best New Restaurant" in 2022., Christie VanoverFounding Member14 years experience, Christie (@girlscangrill) is the founder of Girls Can Grill where she reaches millions monthly. Champion pitmaster. 2023 Nevada BBQ Team of the Year. Appeared on Food Network’s BBQ Brawl. Founder of the BBQ Tips Podcast., Dan PhelpsFounding Member10 years experience, Dan Phelps (@learningtosmoke) is a lifelong learner who has taken that passion and applied it to all things BBQ. Dan has extensive influencer marketing experience and has enjoyed sharing on socials with his over 100k followers., Jeremy WhitelawFounding Member8 years experience, Jeremy (@thekitchenwhitelaw) takes all things live-fire grilling and turns it up a notch. A true personality Jeremy has amassed a large following on all social channels and brings true creativity to the grill and the kitchen., Brian GerwigFounding Member5 years experience, Brian (@g_bque) is known for creating some of the most mouth watering recipes on social media. A dad who loves cooking for his family and prepping the best game-day recipes around for his hundreds of thousands of followers., Misty Banchero Founding Member5 years experience, Misty (@seattlebutcherswife) is married to a 4th generation butcher, 5 years ago Misty left corporate America to start her social accounts where she highlights all things meat to her 100k followers., Karissa BarkerFounding Member10 years experience, Karissa (@karissaathome) is a creator and entrepreneur that shares all things home and lifestyle with her audience of nearly 1 million followers. She runs a successful online business, and is releasing her first book later this year.