Ray Lampe, also known as Dr. BBQ, is the Executive Chef at Southern Hospitality in New York City. Open by Justin Timberlake and Eytan Sugarman, Ray came to New York City to see the restaurant he immediately fell in love with the warm atmosphere. Ray was later offered the position of executive head chef for Southern Hospitality and the rest is history!

Ray grew up in Chicago and after high school spent 25 years in the family trucking business. In 2000 the trucking business had run it's course, and it was time for Ray to do something different. He had been participating in BBQ
cook-offs as a hobby since 1982, so he decided to take a leap and try to turn his hobby into a career. In 2000 Ray moved to Lakeland, Florida and began his career as a BBQ “pitmaster”.

Since then Ray has become a legend in the BBQ community, dominating the BBQ competition circuit by winning dozens of competitions all across the country. He is one of the country’s leading authorities on BBQ, grilling and tailgating. Ray isn’t just about the BBQ though, he’s also an excellent chef and cooks...