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=1 December 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=2009-11-18|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=1 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130212155028/http://www.coolsmokebarbeque.com/CoolSmokeStory.html|archive-date=2013-02-12|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=1 December 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=1 December 2012|newspaper=Daily Press|date=11 October 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=1 December 2012|newspaper=Gadsden Times|date=29 June 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=1 December 2012|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=7 September 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=1 December 2012|newspaper=The Virginian-Pilot|date=7 September 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=1 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204051236/http://www.qbarbeque.com/Qstory2.html|archive-date=4 December 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=1 December 2012|newspaper=Richmond Biz Sense|date=8 November 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=1 December 2012|newspaper=Dagger Press|date=9 August 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=1 December 2012|newspaper=PR Web|date=8 September 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=1 December 2012|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=4 April 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.https://www.facebook.com/tuffy.stone?directed_target_id=0 {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}https://attachment.fbsbx.com/file_download.php?id=751385078221778&eid=ASuBQoe9nofl72uACr0L8KBaYqZ1UQSvhGKQnyyOoe1Rt-00wnVtOqEQuhjOdN5gbCU&inline=1&ext=1383059730&hash=AStqyvXxrWjonpHV{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }} 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=2014-10-06 |archive-date=2014-10-06 |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=2015-10-26 |archive-date=2015-10-30 |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=30 July 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=1 December 2012|newspaper=The Huffington Post|date=20 November 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)