OUR FOUNDING | National High School BBQ Association®

AMERICA’S CTE FOOD SPORT - WHERE DREAMS IGNITE!

From the Classroom to a National Movement

I didn’t set out to start an organization.

I set out to reach students.

As a Culinary Arts Career & Technical Education (CTE) teacher, I saw firsthand what happens when learning becomes real—when students light a fire, work as a team, solve problems under pressure, and take pride in creating something tangible. Barbecue and live-fire cooking became the spark that unlocked engagement, confidence, and purpose for students who often struggled to connect in traditional academic environments.

What began as a classroom solution quickly revealed a larger truth: schools needed a safe, structured, standard-aligned way to use food, fire, and competition as powerful educational tools to engage children, and SPARK (IGINITE) their curiosity.

That need became the National High School BBQ Association (NHSBBQA®).

NHSBBQA® was founded by an educator, for educators, with students always at the center. Every rule, safety standard, curriculum framework, and competition pathway was designed to support teachers, protect schools, and create meaningful opportunities for young people. This is not a commercial league, a hobby club, or an adult competition adapted for kids, it is an education-first ecosystem built to align with CTE, workforce development, and project-based learning we like to call PROJECT BASTE LEARNING, a.k.a the mop in barbecue that makes smoke stick.

Texas became our proving ground. Through the Texas High School BBQ Association™ (TXHSBBQ™), we demonstrated that when schools are given the right structure, support, and vision, barbecue can become more than cooking—it becomes leadership training, character development, and career preparation. From there, the model was designed to scale responsibly across states, while preserving local culture and educator leadership.

At its heart, NHSBBQA® exists to serve:

• Students who deserve engaging, hands-on pathways to success
• Teachers who need programs that respect their time, standards, and realities.
• Schools and districts seeking innovative, compliant, and community-building opportunities.

This organization is still rooted where it began—in the classroom. I remain a CTE teacher because staying connected to students ensures this association never loses sight of its purpose.

NHSBBQA® is not about trophies alone. It’s about building skills, confidence, teamwork, and pride—and proving that when education meets passion, dreams ignite. So we invite you to COME EAT OUR HOMEWORK® and join our BBQ family, BBQ PTA™, or School Board of Barbecue™ and help us change lives one fire at a time.

— Founder, National High School BBQ Association®

National High School BBQ Association® (NHSBBQA®)

The National High School BBQ Association (NHSBBQA®) is the nation’s premier Career & Technical Education (CTE)–aligned food sport organization, purpose-built to serve students, teachers, and public schools through the transformative power of live-fire cooking, barbecue, grilling, and applied culinary arts.

Founded by Chef Mike Erickson, a.k.a “The BBQ Principal”, NHSBBQA® was created from inside the classroom—not a boardroom—with one clear mission: to engage students who learn best by doing, while giving schools a modern, standards-aligned pathway that blends project-based learning, leadership development, and workforce readiness. Every program, rule set, and competition within the NHSBBQA® ecosystem is intentionally designed to support educators, protect students, and strengthen school communities.

At its core, NHSBBQA® operates as a national governing and sanctioning body, providing curriculum frameworks, safety standards, competition rules, branding, digital infrastructure, and professional development—much like Little League Baseball® did for youth sports—while honoring barbecue as a uniquely American craft and educational vehicle.

Our Ecosystem: A Scalable, School-First Model

NHSBBQA® functions through a federated ecosystem of State High School BBQ Associations, each operating under national standards while serving local schools and communities. This structure allows for consistency, credibility, and scalability, while preserving regional culture and educator leadership.

Founding State: Texas

The Texas High School BBQ Association (TXHSBBQ) proudly serves as the founding state association and flagship league of NHSBBQA®. Texas—home to one of the strongest CTE and barbecue cultures in America—provided the proving ground where the model was refined, validated, and scaled.

TXHSBBQ established:

• The school charter model for districts and campuses
• Regional and state qualifying pathways
• Student-centered competition formats emphasizing teamwork, ethics, and skill mastery
• A blueprint for aligning BBQ programs with culinary arts, family and consumer science (Home Econmics Texas Style), agriculture, welding, food science, and applied STEM courses

What began in Texas has now become the foundation for multi-state expansion, with NHSBBQA® supporting new state associations through licensing, governance, curriculum, and brand stewardship.

Built by an Educator, For Education

Unlike traditional food competitions or commercial leagues, NHSBBQA® was founded by a working Culinary Arts CTE educator who understands:

• Bell schedules and class time constraints
• District approval processes and liability concerns
• TEKS, Perkins V, and workforce alignment
• The need for safe, inclusive, and character-driven programs

This educator-first DNA ensures NHSBBQA® is not an “extra burden” on schools, but a plug-and-play enrichment and instructional accelerator—supporting teachers while inspiring students who may not thrive in traditional academic settings.

Why NHSBBQA® Matters

NHSBBQA® exists to:

• Ignite student engagement through hands-on, real-world learning.
• Elevate barbecue and live-fire cooking as legitimate CTE pathways.
• Provide equitable access to competition, mentorship, and leadership opportunities.
• Unite schools, communities, sponsors, and industry around education.

From middle school exploration to high school mastery—and ultimately to college, military, or workforce pathways—NHSBBQA® is building America’s next generation of skilled, confident, and values-driven leaders while preserving the America tradition and culture of barbecue.

The fire is lit—and 2026 is your moment to step into the story. We invite educators, industry leaders, brands, and community champions to join us at THE S.L.A.B. (Students’ Learning About Barbecue): SCHEELS National Championship of Barbecue, taking place June 7–10, 2026, at SCHEELS Grandscape in Colony, Texas. Whether you choose to sponsor the next generation of leaders, serve as a judge to give a BBQ Report Card™ upholding excellence and integrity, volunteer to support students and teachers, or mentor young pitmasters finding their spark, your involvement directly fuels opportunity, schools, education, and dreams. This is more than an event—it’s a national stage where students showcase what they’ve learned, communities come together, and the future of CTE food sport is forged. Join us, take your place around the fire, and help ignite what’s next.

School & District Assurance

Governance l Register l State HSBBQ

Student Safety Standards l CTSO-Neutral Statement l Terms & Policies

About Us

NHSBBQA® is an independent, education-first organization.
Alcohol-free. Teacher-supervised. Student-centered.