Sugar River Fire and Smoke BBQ Festival

media release: Michelle Wallace and Seven Acre Dairy Company are pleased to announce The Sugar River Fire and Smoke BBQ Festival to take place September 19-20, 2026 in the historic village of Paoli, Wisconsin. 

The Festival is a weekend-long celebration of BBQ that features local BBQ legends, nationally- acclaimed pitmasters, extraordinary musicians, and celebrity judges–all coming together for a flavor-packed and smoke-filled weekend along the banks of the Sugar River. 

“For me, I’ve always felt so much love from Wisconsin, and it’s exciting to be hosting my own BBQ Festival here,” says Michelle Wallace, Texas-based pitmaster and Fan Favorite from Top Chef: Wisconsin

Each day of the Festival showcases a different format and different BBQers. 

September 19 is Local Smoke: From 11am to 3pm. Local Smoke showcases local ‘que, featuring favorite local restaurants, bbq joints, pitmasters and chefs. These pitmasters include a long-list of celebrated Midwest bbq joints and restaurants. All BBQ at Local Smoke is available for purchase, with pitmasters, chefs and restaurants selling their bbq favorites, with dishes priced between $6-$8 so guests will be able to enjoy plenty of ‘cue! Local Smoke will feature music from Cork and Bottle String Band and Rucksack Revolution and BBQ Demos from celebrity chefs and pitmasters including Tory Miller and Hall of Fame BBQ-lover Joe Thomas. Tickets start at $15 for Local Smoke. 

September 20 is the Big Sugar BBQ Party. The Big Sugar BBQ Party showcases the talents of 8 acclaimed pitmasters in an all-you-can-eat celebration of BBQ. Guests will receive their commemorative BBQ tray and enjoy the handiwork and craft of some of the country’s top barbecuers for an afternoon feast. The Big Sugar BBQ Party also has a VIP Experience, where guests will enjoy welcome cocktails from J. Henry and Sons Bourbon and a Whole Hog BBQ demonstration and tasting with legend Rodney Scott. Nashville country artist, Hannah Juanita–named one of the 5 female artists creating the future of country music–will provide the afternoon’s music, alongside cooking and BBQ demos from Dan Fox,  J. Henry and Sons, among others.  Tickets start at $100 for The Big Sugar BBQ Party. 

The weekend also includes Michelle Wallace’s BBQ University, a 4-day, 3-night all-inclusive weekend of fire and flavor. BBQ University participants will learn from the nation’s top pitmasters and receive exclusive backstage access to the mouth-watering meats and wood-fired mastery showcased during the Festival. Packages start at $2,700 for Michelle Wallace’s BBQ University. 

“We are over-the-moon excited here to host Michelle’s festival and to bring some of the nation’s top pitmasters to Seven Acre and Paoli,” says Nic Mink, owner of Seven Acre Dairy Company. 

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the tickets will benefit the Madison College Foundation and the Badger Prairie Needs Network.

The Sugar River Fire and Smoke BBQ Festival is Presented By Hall of Fame Meats, Fox Heritage Farms, and Visit Verona and sponsored by J. Henry and Sons, Wisconsin Beef Council, Lake Louie Brewing, Knoche’ Quality Meats, ESPN Radio Madison, Made In, Thaan Charcoal, J’s BBQ, South Chicago Packing, and Cen-Tex Smokers. 

Early Bird Tickets Are on Sale through April 1. For more information head to: https://www.fireandsmokebbqfestival.com/

DAY ONE: LOCAL SMOKE Confirmed: Pitmasters, Chefs, and Restaurants

Smoky Soul BBQ, Chicago, Illinois  

Beef Butter BBQ, Madison, Wisconsin

Fox Heritage BBQ, Madison, Wisconsin 

Primal ‘Cue Barbecue Joint, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin 

J’s BBQ, Ripon, Wisconsin

Hall of Fame Beef, Muscada, Wisconsin 

Seven Acre Dairy Company, Paoli, Wisconsin

Pitmaster Michelle Wallace, Houston Texas 

Sweet Smoke BBQ, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Pasqual’s Cantina, Verona, Wisconsin

Sugar River Pizza, Verona, Wisconsin

Thirsty Goat, Fitchburg, Wisconsin 

Bob’s Bitchin’ BBQ, Dodgeville, Wisconsin

Pink Heifer Saloon and Smokehouse, Monticello, Wisconsin

This is All Fabulous, Madison, Wisconsin 

DAY TWO: The Big Sugar BBQ Party: Confirmed Pitmasters

Rodney Scott, Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ, James Beard Best Chef, New York Times Best Selling Author, Charleston, South Carolina 

Michelle Wallace, B’tween Sandwich Co., Fan Favorite Top Chef: Wisconsin, Houston, Texas 

Ali Clem, La BBQ, Texas Monthly “Top 50,” Michelin Star, Austin, Texas

Dan Fox, Heritage Tavern, Food Network “Chopped Champion” Madison, Wisconsin

David Bancroft, Bow and Arrow BBQ, 5-time James Beard Semifinalist, Iron Chef Winner, Auburn, Alabama 

Don Nguyen, Khoi BBQ, Viet-Tex Fusion, Runner-Up, Food Network, “BBQ Brawl,” Houston, Texas 

Elena Terry, Wild Bearies, Indigenous Foods Expert, Food Network’s “BBQ Brawl” and “Chopped,” Baraboo, Wisconsin 

Brian Jupiter, Ina Mae Tavern, 6-time James Beard Semifinalist, 3-time Michelin Bib Gourmand, Food Network “Chopped Champion,” Chicago, Illinois. 

ABOUT MICHELLE WALLACE: Hailing from St. Louis, Missouri, Michelle Wallace moved to Houston, Texas, to study Health Care Administration at Texas Southern University. Inspired by the deliciously diverse city, she soon entered the culinary profession, landing a job as Greg Gatlin’s Executive Chef at the famous Gatlin’s BBQ. During the six years she worked at Gatlin’s she became one America’s most respected women pitmasters, receiving CultureMap’s Rising Star Chef award and making appearances on Food Network’s BBQ Brawl, NetFlix’s High on the Hog, and Bravo’s Top Chef. She’s currently the owner and driving force behind B’tween Sandwich Co, an innovative pop up that blends her interest in comfort food in all its forms and sandwiches

ABOUT SEVEN ACRE DAIRY COMPANY:  Seven Acre Dairy Company is a lovingly restored dairy factory, nestled on the banks of the Sugar River in Paoli, Wisconsin and listed on the National Register for historic places. Seven Acre features an upscale restaurant and bar; a casual café; a boutique hotel; event and meeting space for parties and gatherings from 8 to 500; a micro-dairy plant producing our own butter and soft-serve ice cream, and seven acres of restored oak savanna, manicured gardens, and private lawns, all bounded by the meandering Sugar River and local dairy farms.