It’s high times for Milwaukee’s food scene. The recently wrapped season of Top Chef was filmed in Milwaukee and Wisconsin, of course, and hometown hero Dan Jacobs made it all the way to the finals. So what’s next for Milwaukee dining representation on the small screen?
Well, if you tune in to the season 5 premiere of Food Network’s BBQ Brawl on Monday, July 8 at 8 p.m., you’ll see host Bobby Flay “coach a roster of the best pitmasters from across the country in high-stakes challenges to determine who will be named ‘Master of ‘Cue.'” And one of those pitmasters will be Milwaukee’s own Ashley Turner.
A Texas native and third-generation restaurant professional, Chef Turner permanently moved to Milwaukee in 2022. She soon took over culinary operations at Hacienda Taproom & Kitchen, giving the menu at the East Side restaurant a BBQ- and Texicana-inspired revamp. Turner’s “Glazy Boy” sandwich took home top “Sporkie” honors at the the 2021 Wisconsin State Fair, and her “Sconnie Slugger” brat corn dog took second place in 2022. In 2023, she appeared on Food Network’s Chopped, where she ultimately placed second. These days, Turner hosts BBQ pop-ups at Amilinda, and is the Executive Chef at the Milwaukee County Zoo.
“Each superstar chef leads their own team of competitors through ten episodes of intense BBQ challenges where judges Carson Kressley, Rodney Scott and Brooke Williamson determine the most and least successful dishes,” explains a BBQ Brawl press release. “At the end of the ten-episode season, only one pitmaster is victorious and wins the ‘Master of ‘Cue’ title and bragging rights for their coach.”
BBQ Brawl‘s fifth season kicks off Monday, July 8 at 8 p.m.
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