Orange County pitmaster competing on Food Network’s 'BBQ Brawl'
Brothers Barbecue co-owner Chris Farella says support from the Hudson Valley has been “surreal” as he competes for the title of “Master of ‘Cue.’”
May 27, 2026, 2:51 PM
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Brothers Barbecue co-owner Chris Farella is taking his Hudson Valley barbecue to national television.
The New Windsor pitmaster is competing on the newest season of Food Network’s “BBQ Brawl,” where chefs face off in weekly grilling and smoking challenges led by celebrity chefs Bobby Flay, Maneet Chauhan and Brooke Williamson.
Farella says he almost ignored the phone call that changed everything.
“I got a phone call two or three times in a row from a number I didn’t recognize,” he told News 12. “It was from California and like maybe I should call this number back.”
Production took place last October in Austin, Texas, where competitors spent three weeks filming the nine-episode season.
“Weeks away from my son, three weeks away from my business, being isolated,” Farella said. “It was the greatest experience of my life, but also one of the most challenging.”
Farella made it through the first three episodes and remains in the competition, though he says he can't reveal how the season ends. He says viewers may not realize how intense the timed cooking competitions really are.
“All those people who are curious — do you really have 30 minutes to cook this? No, no. You have 30 minutes to cook this,” he said. “And everything is off the cuff.”
The chef says support from customers and longtime friends back home has been overwhelming.
“The outpouring of love I’ve had from the Hudson Valley and my hometown — just unimaginable and kind of surreal,” he said.
Farella and his brothers started Brothers Barbecue in 2008 when he was just 19 years old. He says the restaurant and his cooking are deeply tied to his family history and North Carolina roots.
“My great grandmother migrated to Mount Vernon. That’s how my family got to New York,” he said while describing generations of family history tied to barbecue traditions in North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
Farella says cooking on national television has become a way to honor that legacy.
“Honestly, It's been such a privilege to tell my family story through food,” he said.
The latest season of “BBQ Brawl” airs Mondays on Food Network and streams the next day on HBO Max.
