Sizzle, Smoke & Success

A native of St. Louis, Michelle Wallace is informed and inspired by flavors from her childhood, her culinary training, and her time spent in Houston, the most deliciously diverse city in America.

 Wallace worked her way up (and up!) from serving the front of the house at iconic Houston’s restaurant on Westheimer, to tending bar, to a management position. Soon, she’d work under celebrated chef Mark Holley and as a personal chef for famous Houston athletes.

In 2017, she began working with Greg Gatlin of Gatlin’s BBQ, and fell instantly in love with the sizzle and smoke. Over the course of six years, she developed a supreme skillset as a pitmaster, and garnered praise both local (CultureMap’s Rising Star Chef, 2021) and national (appearances on Netflix’s High on the Hog, Food Network’s BBQ Brawl).

Wallace stepped out on her own in 2023 with the endlessly innovative B’tween Sandwich Co., an endeavor that coincided with her debut on Bravo’s Top Chef, on which she won the coveted Fan Favorite award for Season 21. 

Today, Wallace gives back to her community, raising money for and personally chaperoning culinary field trips for high schoolers, and participating in Reading with the Pros literacy program. Stay tuned for more information about upcoming television appearances and urban-farm dinners.

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