Jan 13 2025
Celebrity “pitmaster” Ed Mitchell is an entrepreneur, professional food presenter, and cookbook author who has appeared on The Today Show, Bon Appetit, Throwdown! with Bobby Flay and National Geographic.
Ed Mitchell is an American pitmaster and businessman from Wilson, North Carolina. Forbes, The Cooking Channel, and The Today Show have featured Ed Mitchell’s recipes and story. In fact, Forbes. called Ed Mitchell “The Barbecue Legend Who Told Anthony Bourdain to ‘Call Back Later.’”
Ed is now joined by his son, Ryan Mitchell, who after spending eight years working in commercial and investment banking, returned home to pursue his passion with his father.
Ed and Ryan Mitchell are available to be booked for corporate and private events. He is also well-known for his media appearances and food demonstrations. Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group today to inquire about Ed Mitchell’s fees.
Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group at 215-510-6607 to book Ed Mitchell for corporate or private events, keynote speeches, workshops, fireside chats, motivational speaking, or virtual appearances. Our agency will work directly with your organization and our keynote speakers to create an unforgettable event.
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Ed Mitchell, better known as “The Pitmaster” in barbecue circles, Ed Mitchell has been traditionally cooking whole-hog barbecue since he was a teenager in Wilson, North Carolina. His education, military duty, and work with the Ford Motor Company took him away from his hometown. Meanwhile, his parents ran Mitchell’s Grocery back in Wilson. However, in 1990, Ed’s father fell ill, and he returned home to help his mother with the family business. Mitchell’s Grocery soon morphed into Mitchell’s Ribs, Chicken & B-B-Q.
As the popularity of his restaurant grew, so did Ed’s fame and notoriety. His reputation led to associations with influential writers and historians including Calvin Trillin and Peter Kaminsky. This led to Ed Mitchell becoming a pioneering force in reclaiming and revitalizing the whole-hog barbecue tradition. He soon partnered with North Carolina A&T State University’s farm-raised pig program to encourage chefs to support naturally raised pigs. Then, Ed became a founding pitmaster of the 15th annual Big Apple Block Party.
Available June 6, 2023
Ed Mitchell’s journey begins in 1991 with a lunch for his mama. She was mourning the recent passing of Ed’s father, so Ed wanted to feed her soul. He bought a thirty-five-pound pig and fired up the coals. As the aroma of smoke and pork filled the air, customers from their family bodega began to inquire about lunch and what smelled so good. More than thirty years later, Ed is known as “The Pitmaster,” widely considered to be the best at what he does.
Passed down through generations over the course of 125 years, and hearkening back even further than that, Ed Mitchell’s first cookbook explores the tradition of whole-hog barbeque that made him famous.
Reaching back to his ancestors who were plantation sharecroppers and before that, enslaved, Ed is one of the few remaining pitmasters to keep this barbeque tradition alive
This book not only details the Mitchell’s delicious recipes and deep history, it is also passes the torch to Ryan. For the first time, Ed Mitchell’s Barbeque, will share his methods and fill in the unwritten chapters of the rich and complex history of North Carolina whole-hog barbeque.
Find out how to hire Ed Mitchell to appear at your next event. Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group to inquire about Ed Mitchell’s availability and cost. When booking Ed Mitchell for an event, we need to know the type of venue and location the event will take place. Ed Mitchell is a popular choice for corporate events, private events, and virtual events. So, you can click the Check Availability button or contact us and an MPG Ed Mitchell booking agent will get back to you within 48 hours.
How much to book Ed Mitchell depends on the type of event. So, the cost to hire Ed Mitchell for corporate or private events is available by contacting a Mollie Plotkin Group Agent. Notably, Ed Mitchell is available for conferences, festivals, private parties and events. Just contact the Mollie Plotkin Group and tell the booking agent the proposed date, time, and location.
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