Even as a relentless optimist, I’ll admit that 2024 was challenging. While it stretched us to the limit several times, we doggedly worked toward our goals and I’m filled with pride in and gratitude for our amazing crew as I look back at everything we accomplished together. Teamwork truly does make the dream work!
January: Traveled to Kansas City for the KCBS banquet, where I spoke on several panels and accepted my dad’s award as an inaugural member of the KCBS Hall of Fame. Served as a celebrity chef at The Shed’s Steak Showdown finale — so much fun and an excellent event. Traveled to Sea Island for the Southern C Summit — it’s my favorite way to connect with smart and motivated entrepreneurs and I leave filled with inspiration and new ideas.
February: A month of hosting! Breakfast meeting at Faye for SI Now, upon whose board I sit. Chamber of Commerce luncheon at The Warehouse, a lively group of influencers from Central Illinois, St. Louis, and Southeast Missouri as part of Caffeine Until Cocktails Galentine’s Influencer Weekend, and the kick-off marketing panel for Faye’s Seminar Series, featuring Amy, Michelle Sirles of Rendleman Orchards, and Christy Mitchell of the SIU College of Business & Analytics. We participated in an informative economic development evening at the SIU Small Business Development Center with Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton.
March: At Faye, we collaborated with Scratch Beer and created a special menu to pair with their newly released Wild Grapevine Saison. We popped up at Pig Beach in Louisville, cooking a special menu for their guests. We welcomed barbecue entrepreneurs from all over the country, Canada, and Colombia at our OnCue Business of Barbecue conference, and we held educational events for regional entrepreneurs at Faye. We built a giant cheese and charcuterie grazing table for a styled social media shoot at Sunflower Farms, a new wedding venue opening in Murphysboro.
April: 17th Street and Faye welcomed visitors from almost every state, including a family who drove from Alaska, and nine countries as we were once again at the epicenter of the total eclipse. Amy and Phillip traveled to NYC to cook at the Jeff Michner Foundation fundraiser at Pig Beach, one of our favorite annual events. We hosted an e-commerce seminar and the Jackson CEO program at Faye as part of our effort to support and encourage local entrepreneurs.
May: Faye turned two, and we supported the Southern Illinois University alumni association Road Show at an event at Walker’s Bluff. 17th Street was named Best Barbecue in Illinois by Food Network.
June: Hosting was the name of the game again as we as had Caffeine until Cocktail’s 618 Day at Faye, groups of influencers from Chicago, and a training team from Zing Train, who helped Southern Illinois businesses hone their hospitality skills. We enjoyed some continuing education and sampled expertly crafted cocktails with Ford’s Gin and celebrated the Gin Room’s 10th anniversary at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Forbes wrote about our “brilliant new sauce,” Hog Warsh, and Total Food Service wrote an in-depth feature about all aspects of businesses and plans for the future.
July: 17th Street Barbecue turned 39! We participated in a tailgate photoshoot and cooking demos for Escape and Celebrate, an inventive dinner party website. We hosted the Illinois Manufacturing Association’s Women Maker’s luncheon, and took our show on the road for catering events all over Southern Illinois.
August: We operated our barbecue stand at the Illinois State Fair, celebrated the opening of Expat, an ambitious new barbecue restaurant in St. Louis, and hosted more tourism influencers.
September: Thanks to local and national sponsors, we produced the 37th annual Praise the Lard Murphysboro Barbecue Cook-off, welcoming 119 teams from 20 states — our largest contest yet! And, of course, we celebrated the Apple Festival and welcomed class reunions from multiple years.
October: I judged The Jack Daniel’s World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest for the 20th time, spoke at the Global Growth Summit in Chicago, and cheered on Jennifer Spence and Jerri Schaefer as they collected Landmarks Illinois awards for their restoration projects in Carterville and Alto Pass. We hosted such a fun Witches’ Night Out at Faye.
November: We participated in chef Gerard Craft’s fundraising event to support the Ment’or Bocuse D’Or organization, I traveled to Charleston for Holy Smokes, and, as always, we welcomed veterans with a free meal on Veterans Day.
December: We finished out the year with a whirlwind trip to NYC for the Blue Smoke alumni party, were featured in a Family Destinations Guide article about charming barbecue joints, and hosted and catered Christmas parties, weddings, and other gatherings.
All year long, The Factory at 17th Street manufactured our sauces, stocked the shelves at stores nationwide and co-packed sauces and rubs for a number of barbecue restaurants coast to coast. All of these activities and events are the result of years of friendship, professional relationships, and a can-do team who works together to get all of this accomplished on top of our regular restaurant service and catering events. People ask, “How do you keep up this pace?” None of this is possible without our A+ pit and brew crews who are proud to keep Mike Mills’s legacy alive every day and for that I am truly grateful.
