Dr. Howard Conyers: BBQ Pitmaster, Distiller, & Rocket Scientist (New Orleans, LA & Manning, SC)

Many of us who are employed full-time might call what we do for fun away from work a hobby. But for Dr. Howard Conyers, the research and practice of BBQ pitmaster and now distiller is part of his life's mission, much more than a pastime when he's away from work. And what interesting work it is. At the age of 27, Howard earned a Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering with a specialty in Aeroelasticity from Duke University, making him one of less than 20 African Americans in the country to earn this degree, so by day, Dr. Conyers is a rocket scientist at NASA's Stennis Space Center. Beyond his days of considering how to break the bonds of the earth's atmosphere, he grounds himself back in the barbecue traditions of his youth (he cooked his first whole hog at 11 after all), and he aims to shine a light on the traditions of black BBQ cooks and the practice of whole animal barbecue in the South. He's a mentor for Kingsford's Preserve the Pit program celebrating Black barbecue culture; he was the host of a 2019 PBS Digital Series called Nourish; he's been featured in the New York Times, Bon Appetit, and Southern Living, and now he's taking his passion for storytelling and real-life practice into the world of moonshine with his new farm distillery, Backyard Distillery, in Manning, SC.