My name is Winnie Yee — but most people in the food world know me as The Smoke Queen.

My journey started thousands of miles away from the Texas pits and Southern smokehouses most people picture when they think of barbecue. I was born into a Chinese-Malaysian family where food was more than a meal — it was a way of telling stories, honoring heritage, and showing love. My childhood memories are painted with the scents of soy sauce bubbling in a wok, star anise steeping in a braise, lemongrass being pounded for curry paste, and chilies roasting until fragrant.

When my family immigrated to the United States, we brought those flavors with us — but like many children of immigrants, I also learned to navigate another food culture. While my friends grew up on burgers and hot dogs, I came home to steaming bowls of noodles, sticky-sweet char siu, and coconut milk curries. At the time, I didn’t realize how lucky I was to have both worlds on my plate.

Years later, I fell in love with American barbecue. There was something deeply familiar about it — the slow patience, the careful tending to fire and smoke, the pride in a perfectly cooked piece of meat. But there was also a wild, intoxicating newness to it for me. The smell of hickory, the crunch of bark on brisket, the deep, savory comfort of pulled pork — it spoke to me the same way the flavors of my heritage did.

That’s when the lightbulb went off: why choose between the food I grew up with and the barbecue I adored? Why not bring them together?

And so, my style of cooking was born — barbecue without borders. I take the deep soul of American low-and-slow traditions and layer it with the bold, unapologetic flavors of my Chinese and Malaysian roots. My ribs might be glazed with sweet, sticky fermented bean paste sauce. My brisket could be perfumed with clove and star anise. A plate of pulled pork might come with a side of spicy sambal or a crunchy Asian slaw kissed with rice vinegar and sesame.

Cooking this way isn’t just about creating something delicious — it’s about telling my story on the plate. It’s about honoring the people and places that shaped me, while also pushing the boundaries of what barbecue can be.

Over the years, this path has taken me places I never imagined — including competing on Food Network’s BBQ Brawl (S3), Chopped (S54E7) and Beat Bobby Flay (S34E10), alongside some of the most respected chefs in the country. It has allowed me to share my food with people from all walks of life, to open Smoke Queen Barbecue, and to keep building a culinary style that’s uniquely mine.

At the heart of it all, my mission is simple: To feed people with food that feels both exciting and familiar. To bring cultures together on one plate. And to prove that smoke and fire have no borders.

Welcome to my world. I’m glad that you’re here — now LET’S EAT!