TSU alumna wins Netflix Barbecue Showdown

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University alumna and chef Shaticka Robinson has proven that even dreams can be smoked to perfection. The former TSU executive chef won season three of Netflix’s Barbecue Showdown and the $50,000 grand prize that came along with the title. Robinson competed against the best backyard smokers and pitmasters in the country.

Tennessee State University alumna Chef Shaticka Robinson competes in episode 306 of Netflix’s “Barbecue Showdown,” ultimately winning the competition. (Photo courtesy of Netflix)

The Nashville native said she always believed in herself and knew she would win the competition.

“I put my soul on the table,” Robinson said. “Being on the grill is a peaceful place for me. So, in my mind, I knew I was a winner.”

Robinson was at TSU for nearly six years before leaving to film the show in Georgia. She shared how her parents taught her how to cook at the age of seven, with the mindset of turning a kitchen into a home. This was especially true at TSU, as she prepared the menu for student dining. In 2018, Robinson was hired at TSU through Aramark as the cafe’s chef.

“How do I turn the cafe into everyone’s kitchen or a home away from home?” Robinson said when she took on the job. “That’s what I tried to create at Tennessee State University. I love TSU, so I thought it would be awesome for me to be able to go back to my school and try to make a difference.”

Robinson was at TSU as the executive chef for nearly six years before leaving to film the show in Georgia.

She noted that her time at the university developed her passion for cooking as well. “Being at TSU, handling the cafe and catering, made me a better chef,” she said.

In 2020, during the pandemic, she started delivering home cooked meals in her Hendersonville neighborhood to those in need. Her cooking efforts quickly became the talk of her community. That’s when she decided to take her passion a step further and purchased her own food truck, Coley’s Jook Junt, where she offers a barbecue feast and soul food.

It was last year when Robinson was sought out by a casting agent to compete in the TV show competition, bringing her much more recognition for her craft. From the show winnings, alongside $50,000, she also won a new smoker that will be needed for her food truck business as she says now her menu items sell out every day.

Barbecue Showdown winner Shaticka Robinson showcasing her grilling skills in episode 303. (Courtesy of Netflix)

Robinson also sells her own dry rib rub online and “Bougie BBQ” merchandise such as T-shirts, hats, and glassware to bring a different style and look to the barbecue industry.

Robinson stated that she is grateful for the recognition of her talents and for showing the world that a Black woman can, too, barbecue.

She concluded with little advice to the thousands of TSU students she has served breakfast, lunch, and dinner to every day in the cafe. “Don’t take failure as a no,” she said. “Dream so big that it scares you. Believe you have greatness in you, because you do.”

Robinson is a wife and a mother of five who currently resides in Nashville.

Watch Chef Robinson on Netflix’s Barbecue Showdown and check out her food truck at www.coleysjj.com.