CW
Historian & Collaborator

Carolyn Wells

Co-Founder, Kansas City Barbeque Society

Kansas City, Missouri

Carolyn Wells is the co-founder of the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS), the world's largest organization of BBQ enthusiasts and the body that governs most sanctioned competition BBQ in the United States. She was a close friend of Jim Quessenberry's and featured his recipes in her book Barbecue Greats.

The KCBS circuit was Jim's home court — Memphis in May, the American Royal, contests across the Midwest and South. Carolyn Wells built and shaped the infrastructure that made that circuit possible.

2× World Champion 2× World Champion Irish Cup World Champion 1985 Irish Cup World Champion 1985 Irish Cup World Champion 1987 Irish Cup World Champion 1987 BBQ Hall of Fame Semi-Finalist 2019 BBQ Hall of Fame Semi-Finalist 2019 Arkansas Trav'ler Cooking Team Arkansas Trav'ler Cooking Team Memphis in May 1978–1994 Memphis in May 1978–1994