Meet the Team Series: Michael Von Wahlde

{Meet The Team}

      A George’s Blog Series

Michael Von Wahlde

Assistant Manager - Dead End Knoxville

Years Employed at Dead End: 5 Years

Where Are You From: Born in Chicago, IL. Raised in Nashville, TN.

Tell us a little about yourself…

I have lived in Chicago, Dallas and Nashville before moving to Knoxville to pursue a Computer Science degree at the University of Tennessee. Dead End has been my main source of income since joining the company in 2009.

When you are at work, what is your “go-to” meal?

It’s a tie between several items: wings, sliced brisket, grilled smoked bologna and smoked sausage with cheese.

What is your favorite saying that has been posted on the Dead End Sign?

“Get your freshman 15 here.”

Share a memorable experience you’ve had during your time at Dead End…

It’s hard to pick just one experience because I have had so many while working for the company. I really love having our softball games on Monday nights. It’s a fun way to get the crew together (even if we only win one game per season J).

'Cue For A Cause: Random Acts of Flowers

{'Cue For A Cause}

Community is a huge part of Dead End BBQ’s foundation. Our roots are embedded in the neighborhoods, schools and organizations that surround us. We are constantly striving to find ways to give back to the community that has supported us for so many years.

One of the ways Dead End BBQ gives back is by partnering with local non-profits. This year we have chosen to partner with Random Acts of Flowers for their annual fundraiser.

Random Acts of Flowers is a Knoxville founded non-profit that dedicates itself to repurposing flowers by delivering volunteer-crafted bouquets to people in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Flower by flower, they are spreading kindness and giving hope to folks who are going through a hard time. Such a simple act but the impact it has had on our community is astronomical.

And now, Random Acts of Flowers is taking their mission nationally, opening three more branches across the US.

In order to continue expanding their mission, Random Acts of Flowers will be hosting The Garden Party, a new rendition of their annual fundraiser. Join them on May 9^th for a fundraising experience like no other! Dead End BBQ will be catering the event, offering a variety of bite-sized appetizers that will make you rethink East Tennessee barbecue. There will be live entertainment, silent and live auctions and some surprises that you don’t want to miss!

For more information on The Garden Party, visit their website or follow them on facebook.

Upcoming Events: Rocky Top BBQ Fest May 29-30

{Upcoming Events}

Rocky Top BBQ Fest, May 29th-30th

In just a few months, The Rotary Club of Bearden will be hosting its annual barbecue competition  Rocky Top BBQ Fest (formerly known as The Rocky Top Hummin' & Strummin' BBQ Cook-Off). It's a great local barbecue event where teams from across the region come to showcase their smoking skills, in a KCBS sanctioned cook-off.

Normally held at the Episcopal School of Knoxville, Rocky Top BBQ Fest has become so popular that The Rotary decided to move the event to the Performance Lawn at World's Fair Park in Downtown Knoxville. With this new venue, the Rotary hopes to offer a wider variety of activities and entertainment for the whole family.

As a vendor for the past two years, the staff at Dead End BBQ has enjoyed being a part of Rocky Top BBQ Fest. Last year, we even had some people participate in the Ice Cream Eating Contest...there's nothing like vanilla ice cream topped with barbecue sauce!

To stay up-to-date, please visit the Rocky Top BBQ Fest Facebook or http://beardenrotary.org/quefest.

Meet The Team Series

{Meet The Team}

      A George’s Blog Series

Get to know the key players of Dead End BBQ with our "Meet The Team" Series. Each month, we will feature a new member of our staff from Dead End Knoxville and Dead End Maryville.

Stay Tuned …

DEBBQ Meets The Blog World

{George’s Blog}

Well, Dead End BBQ is entering into the blog world!  This is our first blog of many to come, discussing the art of barbecue, catering and where ever our journey takes us.

Barbecue has been a passion of mine since I was 14 in the backyard with my father on a grill.  Even though it was hamburgers and hot dogs, I got the bug.  I always gravitated towards a grill at any party, either to observe or get advice until I felt that I could command the grill myself.  Mostly I considered myself a backyard grill guy. That was until we started cooking on our Dead End Street.

In February 2000, my wife and I went to dinner with two other couples on our Dead End Street. That night the Dead End Society was formed!  We decided to smoke a whole hog on Memorial Day weekend.  I contacted a friend of mine and borrowed a smoker big enough to cook a whole hog.  Only two of us had ever cooked a whole hog before and the other had cooked a goat. We smoked the hog for 20 hours and had about 50 people come over to eat it with us!  It was a blast!

The next year I purchased a smoker big enough to smoke two hogs at the same time. That was my first big smoker; now I have nine! The second year we got a lot better and by 2002 we decided to enter a contest in Townsend, TN.  We won first place in three categories: Whole Hog, Chicken and Anything Butt (a KCBS category that judges anything except for the 4 main meats); we did a chocolate banana dessert! By 2004 we were the Grand Champions of that event. We thought we were pretty good!

So The Dead End Society went out on the national circuit and got it handed to us!  Our competitors were big time and we had a lot to learn.  Every weekend we would practice the art of barbecue until we finally got it right in 2007.  That was the year we won the State Championship of Tennessee in Cookeville!  

In 2008, we were selected to represent Tennessee at the Jack Daniel's World Invitational BBQ Championship in Lynchburg, TN. There were 11,000 teams overall that year and we finished 44^th in the world.  Our dessert, which was a vanilla bean, chocolate chunk, swirled with Jack Daniels ice cream, sandwiched between chocolate chunk chocolate cookies, finished 9^th in the world. We finished 12^th overall in brisket, 32^nd in chicken, and 36^th in pork. Our ribs were 66^th overall and that was only because there was too much Jack Daniels in the equation at the time the ribs were smoked.

After the Jack, we decided to open our first Dead End BBQ restaurant, which we did in October 2009.  We haven’t been able to do as many contests as we would like, but we will be out there some day soon!  

In the meantime, we have classes every year on the patio to share our knowledge of barbecue with the community. This year, we are having two classes. The first is May 16^th in Maryville, which is a beginner’s class and the other on June 20^th in Knoxville, which is a more advanced class. Click here to sign up. Hope to see you soon!

-George