Amy Mills was raised on smoke, sauce, and Magic Dust®. Owner of the renowned barbecue destination, 17th Street Barbecue, she’s the industry’s go-to girl for all things barbecue. As the recipient of the Barbecue Heroine prize and consistently named a leader in her industry, it's Amy's mission to spread the gospel of barbecue.  

Amy is considered a complete authority on barbecue and the business that surrounds it.  She runs the only barbecue business consultancy in the world, OnCue Consulting, offering seminars and training focused on the culinary and business techniques behind great barbecue. She’s a featured judge on various barbecue shows such as Food Network’s BBQ Brawl, Firemasters, CHOPPED, Best in Smoke, Kingsford Invitational, and Smoked, as well as co-star of the Mills Family’s own digital series, Peace, Love, and Barbecue.

Co-authored with her dad, Mike Mills, affectionately known as “The Legend” in the world of barbecue, her cookbook Peace, Love, and Barbecue is considered a classic in the genre, was nominated for a James Beard Foundation award, and won the National Barbecue Association Award of Excellence. Their second book, Praise the Lard, was published in May 2017. 

17th Street Barbecue is headquartered in Murphysboro, Illinois, with an outpost in the neighboring town of Marion. Influenced by her business, Murphysboro was proclaimed the “Barbecue Capital of Illinois” by the State Legislature in 2014. The Factory at 17th Street, their barbecue sauce co-packing facility launched in 2021. Faye, a coffee/café/gourmet provisions shop opened in 2022. 

Barbecue isn’t just a way to cook; it’s Mills's and 17th Street Barbecue’s way of life.  In the late Mike Mills’s own words, “Life’s too short for a half-rack.”