ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Virginia, Joseph Ray Haynes has lived in the state his entire life. Through his father, his family tree reaches back to colonial times. Through his mother, he is a member of the Patawomeck Indian tribe of Virginia, and that part of his family tree, or course, reaches back in Virginia to precolonial times.

While in high school in the 1970s, Haynes received his earliest lessons on cooking Virginia-style barbecue working at a local restaurant. Over the years, Haynes continued to study the art of barbecuing under the tutelage of some of the finest barbecue cooks in the United States. During his travels, he has dined on delicious barbecue cooked by the finest pit masters all over the country. Since 2012, he is an award-winning competition barbecue cook. The world’s largest organization of barbecue enthusiasts has certified him as a master barbecue judge. In 2012, he was the recipient of the Leadership in Barbecue Award given by the organizers of the BBQ Jamboree in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Although Haynes appreciates delicious American barbecue styles from all regions of the country, he has always found himself returning to the Virginia-style barbecue that he has enjoyed since his youth.

Often receiving invitations for interviews and lectures on the history of Virginia barbecue and Native American cookery, Haynes provides consultations to museums and other organizations in their efforts to host events that feature demonstrations and re-creations of historical Virginia barbecues. He also assists cooks and vendors in preparing authentic Virginia barbecue.

Haynes is the author of the Virginia Barbecue Proclamation, which unanimously passed as a House Joint Resolution in 2016 wherein it was “RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, that the General Assembly designate May through October, in 2016 and in each succeeding year, as Virginia Barbecue Season.”