Tuffy Stone facts for kids
Stone at the 2018 Texas Book Festival
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| Born | George Stone 1962/1963 (age 61–62) |
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| Cooking style | Barbecue |
| Spouse | Leslie Stone |
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Television show(s)
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Award(s) won
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George "Tuffy" Stone is a famous American chef and a top competitor in the world of barbecue. He is well-known for his amazing cooking skills and for appearing on TV shows like BBQ Pitmasters. Tuffy leads his own barbecue team called "Cool Smoke." People often call him "The Professor" because he knows so much about barbecue.
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Who is Tuffy Stone?
Tuffy Stone was born in 1962 or 1963. His real name is George, just like his father. When he was only two years old, his mother gave him the nickname "Tuffy," and it stuck!
Tuffy went to a special school for boys. After that, he thought about going to college on a running scholarship. Instead, he decided to join the United States Marine Corps. He served for four years, working on airplanes like the F/A-18 Hornet. After his time in the Marines, he went to Virginia Commonwealth University.
Becoming a Barbecue Master
Tuffy Stone started his cooking journey in 1987. He worked with a chef named Alain Vincey at a restaurant in Richmond, Virginia. In 1991, he left that restaurant.
In 1993, Tuffy and his wife, Leslie, started their own catering business called "A Sharper Palate." Then, in 2004, he created his famous barbecue team, "Cool Smoke." He often cooks alongside his father, George, on the team.
Tuffy loves to cook barbecue the traditional way, using wood. He mostly uses hickory wood for smoking his meats. He also owns a chain of barbecue restaurants in Virginia called "Q Barbeque."
Winning Big in Barbecue
Tuffy Stone and his "Cool Smoke" team are very successful in barbecue competitions. They have won many major titles.
- In 2006, he was the Grand Champion at the Albertsville competition.
- In 2010, he won the Maryland State BBQ Championship.
- His team, Cool Smoke, won the Jack Daniel's Invitational BBQ competition in 2013. They won it again in 2015 and 2016, becoming the first team to win this big event twice in a row!
- Cool Smoke also won the American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open in 2014.
Tuffy has also been a big part of barbecue shows on TV.
- In 2010, he appeared on BBQ Pitmasters as a competitor.
- Later, he became a judge on the show, helping to decide who had the best barbecue.
- He also judged the Kingsford Invitational, where top barbecue teams competed for a large prize.
- More recently, Tuffy competed on BBQ Brawl: Flay v. Symon, a Food Network show that started in 2019.
Tuffy's Life Outside of Cooking
Tuffy Stone is married to Leslie Stone, and they have a son named Sam. Tuffy and Leslie first met when they both worked at a restaurant in Richmond, Virginia. Tuffy is still known by his nickname, "The Professor," which shows how much he knows about barbecue!
