7 Female Pitmasters Shaping the Future of Texas BBQ

Texas loves to celebrate its champions! 

The cowboy image of strength and independence has left an indelible mark here. So whether we are talking about a Super Bowl champ, local beauty queen, or the winner of the Fall festival’s biggest pumpkin, Texas surely reveres its top performers.

But of all titles, perhaps none is regarded with more reverence than…BBQ Pitmaster.

Or should I say, Pitmistress!

The mythology of the lone pitmaster, tending fires and slicing brisket with precision, still lives at the heart of Texas BBQ. But a new generation is stepping up and many of them are women.

Let’s take a look at a few of the newest generation of women pitmasters. Not only are they experts in Texas BBQ, they are reshaping its future with new techniques and expanding its definition with new flavors.

1. Chuck Charnichart

If Texas BBQ had a capital, it just might be Lockhart. In fact, in 1999, the Texas legislature officially deemed Lockhart the “Barbecue Capital of Texas.” 

So the stakes are high for any aspiring pitmaster. But one who got into the business through a Craigslist ad? And who trained in that well-known land of BBQ – Norway?

And is a woman?

Well, meet Chuck Charnichart whose path to BBQ greatness is as unorthodox as some of her most popular dishes.

Pulling from South Texas BBQ style and her own Mexican heritage, Chuck rewrites the rules of traditional BBQ.

Her signature dish, Molotov Pork Ribs, is named such because it “explodes” with flavor. The ribs are deep fried after smoking to create a crackling texture. Lime zest sprinkled on top “cuts through the richness.
Don’t forget the sides, because Chuck’s Green Spaghetti is a reimagined mac and cheese with a creamy poblano sauce.

Taste sensations like these drive BBQ lovers from the local Austin area and beyond to her restaurant Barbs-B-Q in Lockhart.

It is also what earned Chuck the Michelin Guide’s 2025 Texas Young Chef Award.

Now, what were we saying about celebrating titles?

2. Kelli Nevarez

If you are willing to drive anywhere for a great taste of BBQ, head on down to visit Kelli Nevarez at LaVaca BBQ, in Port Lavaca, about two hours southeast of San Antonio.

Kelli was a school teacher before stepping behind the pits. But when LaVaca made Texas Monthly’s Top 50 in 2021, she told her dad she wasn’t going back to the classroom.

Instead, Kelli poured herself into perfecting the flavors found in brisket tamales, pork belly tacos on blue corn tortillas, even serrano and cheese sausage.

Just your everyday mashup of Hispanic flavors and some good old-fashioned low and slow Texas BBQ cooking.

LaVaca is a family affair, her dad even built the burners for the smokers. And Kelli still lives on the family property.

But it was Kelli’s special contribution to Texas BBQ that put her on a list of the state’s Top 50 female pitmasters and made her food a destination worth the drive.

Somehow the drive to the Gulf, a rural town, and a family-owned and operated restaurant just adds to the spiritual feel of eating at LaVaca.

Daniel Vaughn, Texas Monthly’s BBQ editor, even once said: “You’ll find Jesus at LaVaca BBQ.”

Now that’s an endorsement!

3. Cecilia Guerrero 

Some say the allure of BBQ is simply undeniable.

Maybe that’s why Cecilia Guerrero found herself behind the pit after a 20-year career in marketing and web design. When she was laid off, she applied at a BBQ joint and never looked back.

She brought the work ethic she had built over years in business, and her family-honed cooking skills directly into her new BBQ career and helped make the restaurant Goldee’s Barbeque in Fort Worth the top-rated BBQ joint in Texas by Texas Monthly.

Without traditional training in BBQ, Cecilia operates by a sense of intuition. She even removed the thermometers from the smokers, trusting feel over readings.

Her powerhouse energy is evident to anyone who visits the restaurant. Cecilia frequently talks and jokes with her customers, known to line up way before opening.

And they say it is worth the wait. Not only is the restaurant itself top-ranked, so is its brisket. Perhaps the king of BBQ cuts.

For Cecilia Guerrero, a life outside the boardroom once seemed unimaginable. Now Texas BBQ would be unimaginable without her. 

4.  Staci Schoepf — Schoepf’s BBQ, Belton

For years, Schoepf’s BBQ was a fixture in Belton, just off I-35 between Austin and Waco.

But the place underwent a transformation when Staci and her husband Ronnie left corporate America and purchased the family BBQ restaurant from his parents in 2007.

Together they made a commitment, a line in the sand, as they called it, to make the best BBQ in Texas by focusing on two things: brisket and customer service.

As a result, Schoepf’s is the reigning No. 1 in the state on the 2026 Texas Barbecue Top50, and Staci is the driving force behind the food that earned that crown.

Every single side is made from scratch using Staci’s own recipes including even her own queso.

But the brisket? It is seasoned by Staci herself with her own unique flavors. And unlike most beloved briskets, she traded in mesquite for oak, preferring its long steady burn, to flavor her briskets.

But this focus and attention has changed more than the brisket. It has turned Schoepf’s BBQ into a must-stop BBQ destination for any barbeque lover, and now a growing premier live music venue attracting notable headliners.

Staci’s recipes have transformed her and her husband’s lives, the restaurant, and now Belton itself.

That’s the power of good BBQ!

5. Rita Olsen

Sometimes BBQ is just something you are born to, and you can make that argument for Rita Olsen.

Rita’s first experience with cattle started as a little girl growing up on a West Texas cattle ranch.

There, she learned about meat processing and cooking from an early age. It wasn’t long before Rita started barbequing small catering events which led to other roles in Texas BBQ joints.

She became legendary as the lady pitmaster who ran the pit fires entirely solo at night, starting at midnight.

Rita turned her fierce focus to her own live-fire barbeque outfit Feral Smoke & Fire in 2024. While looking for a permanent home, Rita is all mobile, for now, taking and delivering orders at the Hills Farmers Market in Kerrville.

But plan ahead as this is a Saturday only operation and you can bet it is a sell-out every time.

The demand for her brisket and pork tamales is intense, as is their flavor. Everything is scratch-made and substantial. Nearly a pound of meat goes into an order of a dozen.

Rita’s big personality isn’t just restricted to food. Her Instagram handle is @bbqismyboo — bio reads “Starting fires and playing with food are a few of my favorite things. Texas BBQ-obsessed.”

In fact, Feral Smoke & Fire’s tagline reads “Wild Food for Wild People.”

If you identify with either, make certain to get down to the market next Saturday and treat yourself to some of Rita’s legendary bites.

6. Yvette Helberg

If the Texas identity is a fusion of BBQ, faith, and grit, then nobody is more Texan than Yvette.

Yvette and her husband started Helberg Barbeque with a simple setup and a commitment to
high-quality, hormone-free meats. The restaurant earned a spot on the Texas Monthly Top 50. Then the original location burned down. 

But they refused to quit and served customers from a trailer until their new location was built in Woodway Texas.

Their motto is “Salt, Pepper, and a Whole Lotta Prayer.”

Maybe some of that resilience flavors crowd favorites like turkey stuffed with pesto, a special elote corn. And a banana dessert that’s become a surprising crowd-pleaser.

Yvette modestly claims that she is just half of a BBQ power couple. But there is no doubt she helps set a special tone centered around service.

It is not just the cooking which is important to Yvette, it is the gift of service to their employees, tradesmen and to their customers.

There is no place in Texas that will feed your body and soul quite as fully as Helberg’s, with Yvette standing at the center of it all.

7. Michelle Wallace — B’tween Sandwich Co., Houston

Texas barbeque somehow praises tradition and innovation all at the same time. And perhaps nobody has delivered on that culinary paradox better than Michelle Wallace.

Michelle spent six-plus years developing her craft as a chef and pitmaster in Houston’s Gatlin BBQ before launching her own concept of B’tween Sandwich Co.

B’tween Sandwich is a mobile pop-up offering an extensive menu combining smoked meats and other foods. It is only open every 1st and 3rd Sundays at Rice Village Farmers Market, Houston, with limited hours; currently 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Some advice, order more biscuits than you think you can ever possibly need.

Her cult-like following claims her famous egg and cheese biscuit sando as their undisputed favorite. But there is high praise for a Wagyu brisket pastrami and sides like braised collards and goat.

It’s multicultural BBQ at its best. And Texan in that it honors all the peoples of Texas.

Michelle’s unique flair for bringing together multicultural flavors from Africa, Asia, and India has the locals noticing.

And not just the locals.

Michelle has been seen on TV shows like Top Chef, winning Fan Favorite, and BBQ Brawl. She writes for Tasting Table and was named a James Beard Foundation Taste America ‘Taste Twenty’ Chef in 2022

Well that explains the lines at Rice Village Farmers Market!

The Future is Smokin’

These seven women are proving that Texas BBQ’s future belongs to those willing to push boundaries while honoring tradition.

From Michelin-recognized innovation to James Beard honors, from Top 50 rankings to sold-out Saturday markets — these pitmasters have earned their place among Texas BBQ’s elite.

They’ve brought new flavors, overcome challenges, and expanded what Texas BBQ can be.

The future of Texas BBQ? It’s in very good hands.