Paul Kirk

Straight out of barbecue country in Kansas City, MO, Ardie Davis is the founder of the renowned American Royal International BBQ Sauce, Rub, and Baste Contest, as well as the Great American Barbecue Sauce, Baste, and Rub Contest. His counterpart, Paul Kirk, also of Kansas City, is the operator of Baron's School of Pitmasters and has won over 475 cooking and barbecue awards. Among those are seven world championships, including the prestigious American Royal Open, the world's largest BBQ contest.