09/21/2026
Yesterday was a VERY, VERY surreal day for me… and honestly, it was a day I NEEDED more than I realized. 🙏🏾🔥
I’m gonna keep it 100 with y’all…
I’ve been at one of the lowest points of my journey lately. Between business debt, personal life issues, low sales, the CONSTANT BS that comes with owning a restaurant 😂, and dealing with certain situations around where my business is located that just seem to never get better…
I found myself asking:
“Why the hell am I still doing this?”
“Why keep pushing?”
“Maybe it’s time to just let this go…”
And for somebody who built DeVine Grilling from a FOOD TRUCK to a BRICK & MORTAR by betting on myself… those thoughts hit DIFFERENT.
A few weeks ago, my guy Peter told me about the Fire & Smoke BBQ Festival at Seven Acre Dairy Company and asked if I wanted to vend.
HELL YEAH I DID! 😂🔥
I submitted my menu, they got back to me and said they loved my selections…
BUT the roster was already FULL.
Now normally I would’ve been like, “Aight, cool… maybe next time.”
But Peter asked me if I wanted to volunteer for the Sunday BBQ Show.
I said…
“Why not?” 🤷🏾♂️😂
I had NO idea God was about to put me exactly where I needed to be.
Because when I showed up…
I FOUND MY TRIBE.
I got the opportunity to help LEGENDARY PITMASTER RODNEY SCOTT smoke a WHOLE 238-POUND HOG!!! 🐷🔥
And if you know me, you know I was probably smiling like a kid in a candy store. 😂
Then I look around and see legendary PitMasters from my HOMETOWN CHICAGO…
Pitmaster Ron Conner.
Pitmaster Daniel Hammond.
And a whole army of incredible PitMasters from all over.
MAN…
I WAS IN BBQ HEAVEN!!! 😂🔥
I kept referring to myself as the “Rookie.”
And both Rodney AND Ron looked at me and basically said:
“CUT THAT S**T OUT.” 😂
“You ain’t no Rookie.”
“YOU’RE ONE OF US.”
WHEW. 😮💨
Those words hit me HARD.
Because sometimes when you’ve been fighting through enough problems, you start forgetting who you are.
I had allowed the struggles… the debt… the slow sales… the setbacks… and all the other BS that comes with this journey to make me question myself.
But yesterday reminded me…
I AM A PITMASTER.
I AM A GRILL MASTER.
I AM A BBQ BUSINESS OWNER.
And most importantly…
I BELONG HERE.
🔥🔥🔥
I got to hear incredible stories.
I received JEWELS from people who have been doing this at the highest level.
I made connections.
I was invited to events.
And I got to stand around Brothers and Sisters who are literally making a FULL-TIME LIVING traveling the country and even the world doing what they LOVE…
BBQ’ING. SMOKING. COOKING.
And I realized…
THAT’S THE PATH I WANT TO BE ON TOO.
Not just surviving.
Not just trying to keep the doors open.
I want to BUILD.
I want to TRAVEL.
I want to COOK.
I want to TEACH.
I want DeVine Grilling to be known beyond Madison.
And I want to show my daughters and my family that sometimes the road gets dark…
BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THE JOURNEY IS OVER.
Yesterday, I walked into that festival carrying a whole lot on my shoulders.
I walked out carrying something completely different…
HOPE.
CONFIDENCE.
PURPOSE.
And that FIRE that I thought was almost completely burned out?
🔥🔥🔥
THAT MF IS BLAZING AGAIN!!! 😂🔥😂🔥
So to Peter — THANK YOU for putting me in that room.
To Rodney Scott, Ron Conner, Daniel Hammond, and every Pitmaster I had the opportunity to meet — THANK YOU for the knowledge, the stories, the laughs, the jewels, and most importantly, for reminding me that I belong.
I came in thinking I was volunteering…
I left feeling like I was being recruited into a family. 😂🔥
And to everybody who’s been supporting DeVine Grilling through this storm…
THANK YOU.
I don’t take none of it for granted.
I’m still gonna have problems.
I’m still gonna have bills. 😂
I’m still gonna have days where I wanna throw my apron in the trash and say, “MAN, FORGET THIS BBQ BUSINESS!” 😂😂
BUT I’M NOT QUITTING.
Because yesterday reminded me of something I should’ve never forgotten:
THE FIRE MAY HAVE BEEN LOW…
BUT IT WAS NEVER OUT.
God is GREAT.
All praise, honor and glory belongs to GOD! 🙏🏾
DE VINE GRILLING AIN’T DONE.
Matter fact…
WE JUST GETTING STARTED.
🔥🐷🔥🐷🔥🐷
