Meet The Team
2023 Board of DIrectors
Scott Parr
President
Team: Cool Hand Que
Dacula, GA
Scott started competing in 2016 and has served on the GBC board since 2020. He is part owner of Pierce & Piecrce Millwork where he started in 1981. Scott served 6 years in the Marine Corps. Scott & Deneen have lived in Georgia their entire lives and are very active in their Church and serve n the kid's ministry.
One of the things we enjoy about competition BBQ and serving of the board of the GBC is the friends we have made. The BBQ circuit is like a big family.
Serving on the board allows me to help the GBC give back to our communities thru the gifts, talents, dedication and support of BBQ fans, competitors and sponsors.
Kenny Dobbs
Vice-President
Team: Wine Me Dine Me and Swine Me
Cleveland, GA
I'm Kenny Dobbs pitmaster if Wine Me Dine Me and Swine Me. I have been competing off and on since 2014 with a high school friend. In 2018 I formed my own team and starting competing on a regular basis. I joined the GBC to make sure we find ways to better promote bbq in the state of Georia and help grow bbq over all! Any way I can help any up and coming cooks I am more than welcome so come up at a comp and let's talk BBQ!
Mark Wetherell
Treasurer
Team:Maya Jane BBQ Co
Evans, GA
I’m Mark Wetherell pit master of Maya Jane BBQ Co. We are a small family team from Evans, GA that includes my wife Ciara and my parents Larry & Barb. We got hooked on competitive cooking back in 2015 doing small unsanctioned back yard contests around the Augusta/CSRA area. We had some success and thought we could try our luck with the big pros. We decided to enter our big hometown contest in Evans, GA called the Papa Joe Banjo-B-Que back in 2016 after we won a small back yard contest a few weeks before. As you can imagine it was an eye opener! While we did not receive a call, we did get 11th place in Pork! That got me hooked on competition BBQ and I wanted to learn more. In 2019 we decided to hit the GBC competition BBQ trail which we have competed in for the last few years. Over these last few seasons, I have found that the camaraderie of the KCBS community is one of a kind and I have developed a lot of friendships. I was a new team once and I enjoy helping and encouraging new teams that want to explore this crazy world of competition BBQ. This led me to run for a position on the GBC Board. I’m excited to represent the Georgia community of BBQ.
Sean Trygestad
Executive Director
Team:Angry Jack
Woodstock, GA
Derek Johnson
TEAM: Sweet Dixie BBQ
Baxley, GA
As a young boy growing up I was always fascinated with the art of cooking especially when it came to outdoor cooking. As an adult that passion never changed. I got involved with the GBC by wanting to take my passion to the next level and test myself against the best. I created Sweet Dixie BBQ named after my family construction business and started competing. My very first contest was The GBC Throwdown at the end of 2020 in the backyard division where we got Reserve Grand Champion. After that I decided to move up to the professional division at the beginning of the 2021 season. My team consist of me, my beautiful wife, and our three amazing kids which our my number one fans. I am honored to serve on the board of the GBC and promise to help grow this art or sport we all love. If I can do anything for anybody or if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to give me a call. Thank you all and I will see you on the bbq trail.
Chad Warner
Secretary
Team: Yes, Dear BBQ
Savannah, GA
My wife, Lesley, and I live in Savannah and have 2 boys: Nathan is a senior at Georgia Tech, and Griffin is a junior in High School. I co-own an architectural rendering company (www.bluelime.com) that is celebrating its 24th year in business. I started competing in pro BBQ in 2010 as "Yes, Dear BBQ," with my teammates Frank Neagle and Scott Swenson. Since then, we’ve traveled the southeast and made many lifelong friends with our fellow BBQ competitors.
Cary Chasteen
Team: Hold Your Horses BBQ
Griffin, GA
I’m Cary Chasteen with Hold Your Horses BBQ. I learned my love of BBQ from my dad cooking whole hogs every September for neighborhood gatherings. I started competing in 2015 cooking my hometown contest. I’ve cooked GBA,MBN,FBA,SCA,IBCA as well as Memphis in May. So I have gone from cooking one contest my first year to cooking 41 contest in 2021. I also teach and spread bbq love and my knowledge at Recteq Academy. My goal is to help grow the GBC and raise awareness for our chosen charities.
Lee Epps
Team: Native Smokers
Kennesaw, GA
Georgia has been my home since 1972, however, I am originally from North Carolina. I am an active member of the Sappony Tribe, one of the 9 recognized Native American Tribes of North Carolina. It seemed only fitting that my sons and I name our Barbeque team, Native Smokers.
After retirement, I purchased a smoker and began following several BBQ websites, I attended judging classes and BBQ classes to have a better understanding of the BBQ world and BBQ competition. At this point, car shows (showing my 51 chevy) and golf became a thing of the past. I was hooked, BBQ became my passion. I love the sport, the comradery, and the friendly competitiveness.
I currently live in Kennesaw with my wife, who supports my passion and is a contributor to the team. We love to camp, travel, and spend time with our grandchildren.
Paul Holden
Team: Willingham's World Champion BBQ
Memphis, TN & Powder Springs, GA
Paul is the pitmaster and president of Willingham's World Champion BBQ out of Memphis, TN. He got his start in competition bbq at Memphis in May 1991 with the Getwell Porkers and then joined up with John Willingham in the following years and has been competing since then as both Willingham's River City Rooters and the Village Porkers, officially acquiring Willingham's in 2020. By day Paul is the Global Chief Technology Officer for Accelerant Holdings a global insurance technology firm. Paul is also active with several other non-profits including The Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps from Rockford, IL and Serv International from Canton, GA.
As a GBC board member I look forward to serving our communities thru our events, outreach and competitions.
Jason Hardee
Team: Elite BBQ Smokers
Conway, SC
I am Jason Hardee, Pitmaster with Elite BBQ Smokers.
Elite BBQ Smokers started out as a husband-and-wife Competition BBQ team in 2010. Since then, we have competed in over 160 BBQ and Grilling related events all over the Western part of the USA.
Over the last several years, we have been focused on getting new people into the Sport of Competition BBQ. To do this, we have worked with New and Existing BBQ Events to expand and change to allow new teams the opportunity to compete. We have also mentored new teams to help them avoid the long learning curve that most Competition BBQ Teams deal with when starting out.
Now, I want to bring the skills I have learned on the BBQ Circuit and the skills that I have learned help BBQ Events grow to help GBC Grow and Expand.
We love Grilling, BBQ and the relationships that this sport builds. Sharing that passion with others is our end Goal.
Frank Neagle
Team: Yes Dear BBQ
Savannah, GA
In the late 2000’s Frank Neagle started cooking BBQ with some college buddies at a local non sanctioned BBQ contest in Savannah, GA. When it was time to name the team the guys all happened to have the same gray shirt with black letters that said “yes,dear”. This is how Yes, Dear BBQ came to be. Fast forward to 2013 after a few more years of the local BBQ contest, a few SCBA contests, and one FBA contest, Yes, Dear BBQ cooked their first KCBS contest at the Boss Hog Cookoff in Waynesboro, GA. Fast forward to today: thousands of miles traveled and countless hours of cooking, the most valuable thing gained from this adventure is relationships and friendships with people all over the country.
Frank is married to his lovely Wife Kathryn and has three children: Rebecca, Chase, and Joe. Rebecca is off at college at Kennesaw State University pursuing a degree in nursing. Chase is in elementary school and Joe is in preschool. You will often see Rebecca hanging out at a BBQ contest trying to keep dad in line. It won’t be long before you see Chase and Joe behind a smoker. Outside of BBQ our family enjoys spending time on the boat and beaches along South Georgia.
In 2017 Frank and his Yes, Dear BBQ teammates Chad Warner and Scott Swenson were able to achieve the top honor and win the Georgia BBQ Championship Team of the Year award. This is a year that is still cherished and we strive to repeat again one day. This experience and drive is what motivates Frank to be an active member of the GBC Board.
Ron Bradley
TEAM: Beachin' Good Barbecue
Alpharetta, GA
My name is Ron Bradley and my journey into this crazy hobby of barbecue, which has coincidentally brought all of us together, began in 2014. Like many here, I really didn't know that competition BBQ was so popular and so organized until my daughter, Brooke, and I started watching Barbecue Pitmasters. We really got a kick out of the seriousness and different techniques that the contestants used in order to "wow" the judges. Pretty soon, my daughter said that I cook pretty good barbecue and maybe we should enter a competition. I tried to reason with her that it's expensive (we can all attest to that), very competitive and lots of hard work. I finally agreed with her to enter a comp, but only if she was there the entire way. She agreed and we signed up for the Pigs and Peaches in Kennesaw.
Everyone remembers how difficult their first comp was, especially timing everything just right and second guessing the product you turned in, but after all was said and done, there were two great memories that I left with: First of all, we won the backyard chicken category, secondly; Everyone we met was more than gracious in making sure that any questions we had were answered and gave us advice and tips that just made the first comp more relaxed. I learned early on what having a "Barbecue Family" was all about and have gotten to know quite a few people since then and have tried to share that welcoming spirit to any new teams that I encounter.
My wife, Barbara, is very supportive and just asks that I don't get too extravagant with the comp costs (no more than I have to).
Tom Tilley
TEAM: TFS Pit Vipers
Tallulah Falls, GA
I am a 26-year teacher and coach. After 24 years of coaching basketball, I hung up my whistle and started a bbq club at my school. When the kids said they wanted to enter bbq competitions, I didn't even know there was such a thing. Lack of knowledge has never stopped me before; so, we jumped in the deep end. I am the head pit master of the Tallulah Falls School Pit Vipers, the only high school bbq competition team in Georgia. I love competing and I love kids. My goal is to help kids gain skills and put high school bbq on the Georgia map. We started competition in 2019 and that same year I was elected to the GBC Board of Directors. I am married with three children.
Waylon Weatherford
TEAM: ZIPS BBQ
Winder, GA
Lead cook for ZIPS BBQ. Married to Tammy Weatherford, we have 3 beautiful daughters, Mackenzie, Sarah and Savannah. I have been employed at AT&T for 21 years, current title Senior - Network Support Manager.
I began competing in 2017 in the Backyard division. In 2019 our team won the GBC Backyard Team of The Year points race. In late 2020 we moved up to the Pro division. I look forward to serving the GBC and hopefully helping grow the community of competition BBQ!