Tuffy Stone

Stone was born in 1962 or 1963 and named George after his father. His mother nicknamed him "Tuffy" at the age of two. He attended an all boys prep school and afterwards considered attending East Carolina University on a running scholarship, but instead joined the United States Marine Corps for four years. He worked primarily in aviation engineering on McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornets. After leaving the Marines, he attended Virginia Commonwealth University.{{cite news|title=In the Kitchen with Tuffy Stone|url=http://www.tasteofthesouthmagazine.com/food/features/article.php?id=161|access-date=December 1, 2012|newspaper=Taste of the South|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091118062000/http://www.tasteofthesouthmagazine.com/food/features/article.php?id=161|archive-date=November 18, 2009|url-status=dead}}

Stone began his culinary career while working under Alain Vincey in 1987 at Vincey's restaurant La Maisonette in Richmond, Virginia. He left the restaurant in 1991, and in November 1993 he started his own catering company alongside his wife, called "A Sharper Palate". He founded his barbecue team "Cool Smoke" in 2004,{{cite web|title=Cool Smoke Story|url=http://www.coolsmokebarbeque.com/CoolSmokeStory.html|publisher=Cool Smoke Barbeque|access-date=December 1, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130212155028/http://www.coolsmokebarbeque.com/CoolSmokeStory.html|archive-date=February 12, 2013|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Meet Tuffy Stone|url=http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/bbq-pitmasters/pitmasters/tuffy-stone.html|publisher=TLC|access-date=December 1, 2012}} and cooks alongside his father George.{{cite news|last=Nicholson|first=David|title=Tuffy Stone and his barbecue team bring home awards|url=http://www.dailypress.com/features/family/food/the-dish-blog/dp-tuffy-stone-20111011,0,1085368.story|access-date=December 1, 2012|newspaper=Daily Press|date=October 11, 2011}} He describes himself as a traditional wood burner, and tends to use hickory wood in his smoking.{{cite news|title=Taste|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=z78fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=U9gEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6481,2667457&dq=tuffy-stone&hl=en|access-date=December 1, 2012|newspaper=Gadsden Times|date=June 29, 2007}} Stone and his team compete on the competitive barbecue circuit.{{cite news|last=Shahin|first=Jim|title=BBQ Calendar|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/all-we-can-eat/smoke-signals/smoke-signals-sniffers-and-see.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130209004905/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/all-we-can-eat/smoke-signals/smoke-signals-sniffers-and-see.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 9, 2013|access-date=December 1, 2012|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=September 7, 2010}}{{cite news|last=Eaton|first=Lorraine|title=The competitive side of cooking low and slow|url=http://hamptonroads.com/2009/09/competitive-side-cooking-low-and-slow|access-date=December 1, 2012|newspaper=The Virginian-Pilot|date=September 7, 2009}} He owns a Virginian-based local chain barbecue restaurant called "Q Barbeque".{{cite web|title=Q Story (Part 2)|url=http://www.qbarbeque.com/Qstory2.html|publisher=Q Barbeque|access-date=December 1, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204051236/http://www.qbarbeque.com/Qstory2.html|archive-date=December 4, 2012|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|last=Harris|first=Al|title=Tuffy Stone puts the 'Q' in our Monday Q&A|url=http://www.richmondbizsense.com/2010/11/08/tuffy-stone-puts-the-q-in-our-monday-qa/|access-date=December 1, 2012|newspaper=Richmond Biz Sense|date=November 8, 2010}}

He was the Grand Champion of the 2006 Albertsville competition, which was organized by the Kansas City Barbecue Society. In 2010, he was named Grand Champion of the Maryland State BBQ Championship.{{cite news|title=10th Annual Maryland State BBQ Bash Returns to Downtown Bel Air August 12–13|url=http://www.daggerpress.com/2011/08/09/10th-annual-maryland-state-bbq-bash-returns-to-downtown-bel-air-august-12-13/|access-date=December 1, 2012|newspaper=Dagger Press|date=August 9, 2011}} The same year, he appeared on TLC's BBQ Pitmasters.{{cite news|title=Weekend of BBQ, Bluegrass, and Panhandle Fun is Here!|url=http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/09/prweb4480544.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717063614/http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/09/prweb4480544.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 17, 2011|access-date=December 1, 2012|newspaper=PR Web|date=September 8, 2010}} He became a judge on the show in season three, when the show was moved to the Destination America cable channel. He joined Myron Mixon who returned from judging on season two, having previously appeared with Stone in season one, with the pair being joined by Aaron Franklin.{{cite news|last=Goldsmith|first=Jill|title=Discovery Communications unveils new net: Destination America to launch in 59.5 mil homes starting Memorial Day|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2012/04/04/discovery-communications-unveils-new-net-destination-america-to-launch-in-595-mil-homes-starting-memorial-day/|access-date=December 1, 2012|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=April 4, 2012}} Stone served as a judge at the Kingsford Invitational where the winners of eight major barbecue competitions were invited to compete for a grand prize of $50,000. The event was won by Johnny Trigg. Tuffy's team Cool Smoke won the 2013 Jack Daniel's Invitational BBQ competition in Lynchburg, TN on October 26, 2013.{{cite web |last1=Wise |first1=Scott |title=Q’s Cool Smoke team wins ‘The Jack’ top BBQ honor |url=https://www.wtvr.com/2013/10/28/cool-smoke-wins-jack-daniels-world-championship-invitational-barbecue |website=CBS 6 News Richmond WTVR |access-date=May 5, 2025 |language=en |date=October 28, 2013}} Cool Smoke won the 35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open on October 5, 2014.{{Cite web |url=http://www.kcbs.us/event/4978/35th-annual-american-royal-world-series-of-barbecue-open |title=35th Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open | KCBS |access-date=October 6, 2014 |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006065418/http://www.kcbs.us/event/4978/35th-annual-american-royal-world-series-of-barbecue-open |url-status=dead }} Tuffy's team Cool Smoke won the 2015 Jack Daniel's Invitational BBQ competition in Lynchburg, TN for the second time on October 24, 2015, and became the first team to repeat as Grand Champion at the event the following year in October 2016.{{Cite web |url=http://www.kcbs.us/event/5752/jack-daniels-world-championship-invitation-barbecue-judges-by-invitation-only |title=Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitation Barbecue (JUDGES BY INVITATION ONLY) | KCBS |access-date=October 26, 2015 |archive-date=October 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151030061034/http://www.kcbs.us/event/5752/jack-daniels-world-championship-invitation-barbecue-judges-by-invitation-only |url-status=dead }}

Stone competed on a team in BBQ Brawl: Flay v. Symon, a Food Network show premiering August 1, 2019.{{cite web |last1=Schulte |first1=Katherine |title=Local BBQ master Tuffy Stone to face Bobby Flay in TV show |url=https://www.henricocitizen.com/articles/local-bbq-master-tuffy-stone-to-face-bobby-flay-in-tv-show/ |website=henricocitizen.com |publisher=T3 Media, LLC |access-date=July 30, 2019}}

Stone and his wife Leslie have a son named Sam. Tuffy and Leslie met when they both worked at the Strawberry Street Cafe in Richmond, Virginia. He is nicknamed "The Professor".{{cite news|last=Goldwyn|first=Meathead|title=World's Best Pitmaster? Hint: There's Lipstick On That Pig!|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-goldwyn/worlds-best-pitmaster_b_2166820.html|access-date=December 1, 2012|newspaper=The Huffington Post|date=November 20, 2012}}

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Category:1960s births

Category:Living people

Category:American television chefs

Category:American male chefs

Category:Barbecue chefs

Category:Businesspeople from Richmond, Virginia

Category:Participants in American reality television series

Category:United States Marines

Category:Date of birth missing (living people)