KANSAS CITY, MO – The American Royal Association named three new inductees to the 2015 Barbecue Hall of Fame: Ed Fisher (pictured); Paul Kirk; and Steven Raichlen. The formal induction ceremony will take place on the main stage of the American Royal World Series of Barbecue® event at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday, October 3, at 7:00 pm.
Each year, three individuals are awarded the prestigious honor and are recognized by the Barbecue Hall of Fame for their significant contributions to the barbecue community and demonstration of achievement in barbecue excellence in one of three categories: Pitmaster; Business/Industry; and Celebrity/Humanitarian.
Business/Industry Category: Ed Fisher
Ed Fisher was one of the first people in the United States to catch on to the fun and flavor of kamado cooking. After eating a meal prepared in a kamado grill in the early 1970s, Ed declared it the “best food he had ever eaten.” Making it his mission to get these cookers into backyards everywhere, he began importing these rudimentary clay kamados from Asia and selling them out of an Atlanta storefront in 1974.
These early models, made of the same design that had been used for thousands of years, produced great results and began to attract a following. Ed made a decision to refine the quality and create the very best outdoor cooker. While the overall shape and heat retention properties of the kamado were part of his equation, the objective was to move far beyond the inferior fire clay and produce the most technically advanced, highest quality ceramic cooking device ever hatched.
While working on a strategy to generate awareness of this new invention, Ed would often comment how much the product resembled an oversized egg. He decided to make the egg-shaped cooker fun and distinctive by coloring it green, and the Big Green Egg was born.
Forty years ago, Ed Fisher envisioned a new category of outdoor cookers and has worked tirelessly to nurture this design into one of the world’s most iconic and beloved brands, the Big Green Egg. His vision and dedication have been instrumental in the creation of an outdoor cooking category and in the promotion of the barbecue industry as a whole.