Willingham Associates

People who know barbecue know Willinghams. John Willingham was famous for barbecue and the barbecue sauces and rubs he developed to enhance his great cooking techniques. A creative entrepreneur and inveterate tinkerer, he spent a big chunk of his long life in search of a more perfect way to barbecue. Forty years ago, he designed and received a pate... nt on the Wham® Turbo Cooker, which kept the smoke away from the meat but sealed the flavor in. In 1983, triumph! Wham ribs wowed the judges in the Memphis-in-May International Barbecue Festival. Ribs cooked by his River City Rooters team placed first, and the team was crowned The Overall Worlds Barbecue Grand Champion. The following year, the team repeated that success. In 1985, John proved it wasnt just a Memphis thing. The team placed first in Kansas Citys American Royal barbecue contest (considered by some the grand pageant of barbecue, but we like all the competitions!) for its pork, its beef and its lamb, and was again crowned overall grand champion. Those were the first in a long string of victories, culminating in Johns entry into the American Royals Hall of Fame, barbecues top honor. Johns cooking, seasoning, and barbecue sauces continue to win top awards every year! Following the success John had on the competition circuit he established Willingham Associates in 1983 to distribute his line of award winning Wham® seasonings, sauces and cookers. Since Johns passing in 2013, his wife Marge, the family and close friends have been ensuring current and new customers were served and the legacy would continue. In 2020 the family sold the business to long time friend, a John Willingham pitmaster mentee, and Wham® evangelist Paul Holden of VPBBQ giving them the honor to carry the torch forward on a wonderful and storied legacy for the next generations of bbq and cooking enthusiasts. We are committed to excelling on his tradition of entering (and winning) BBQ competitions, as we have every year since 1983 to this day, maintaining the exacting standards of all the ...Read More