Joe Haynes

Joe Haynes is a native Virginian, and award-winning barbecue cook, and the author of Virginia Barbecue: A History. A lifetime student of barbecue, Haynes is a certified master barbecue judge and travels the state giving numerous lectures, appearing in media, consulting with organizations and attending festivals promoting Virginia's barbecue heritage. He wrote the Virginia Barbecue Proclamation, which passed as a House Joint Resolution in 2016, where it was resolved that May through October of each year is Virginia's official barbecue season.