To Josh Lanning, cooking over fire at its best is not merely an expression of primal heat, intoxicating wood smoke, and juicy unctuousness. It is also the embodiment of heart, soul, and boundless family love and community.

It is the true touchstone for Lanning, whose formidable career has included stints at legendary Noma in Copenhagen; Sous Chef at Michelin three-starred SingleThread in Healdsburg, CA and Culinary Director for chef Sean Brock in Nashville.

From NYC to Colorado, St. Louis, Copenhagen, California, Nashville and now back to his hometown of Peoria, IL, Lanning is fulfilling that barbecue love as co-owner of Slow Hand BBQ all the while working on discovering more about food and hospitality. Founder of BrightSide Culinary & Hospitality, Joshua creates experiences such as farm dinners with live fire cooking, intricate tasting in-home tasting menus and cooking at renown events such as The Masters in Augusta while consulting and research & development fill the rest of his time that isn’t devoted to his wife, Heather and two daughters, Elvah and Rowan.