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HIC PROFILE
Summer 2007
Meet Elizabeth Karmel & find out why she's called The Queen of the Grill

IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS BARBECUE Elizabeth Karmel grew up in North Carolina where she was raised on BBQ. Her passion for ‘the flame’ served her well, as she grew up to work in public relations, playing with fires everyday while she handled marketing, PR and culinary initiatives for Weber-Stephen Products Co. for a decade.

TAKING BACK THE BACKYARD As the years passed, Karmel realized that her true calling was to spread the good word about barbecue and grilling. She recognized that most women she met – even the great cooks – never stepped one foot in front of a grill. So she decided it was time for girls to take back the backyard and she was going to lead the charge!

GIRLS AT THE GRILL Karmel created Girls at the Grill® in 2001 to share her passion for outdoor cooking with girls (and any willing guys) everywhere. www.GirlsattheGrill.com is committed to providing backyard cooks with easy-to-understand instructions and recipes for everything from classic cookout food to gourmet grilled meals. Karmel shares her knowledge and enthusiasm every week through GrillNEWS, the free newsletter she sends to members of the LadyBug Club (check out www.GirlsattheGrill.com to join). The club boasts tens of thousands of members, both male and female.

TAMING THE FLAME Elizabeth Karmel is the author of an all-inclusive grilling and barbecue cookbook, Taming the Flame: Secrets for Hot-and-Quick Grilling and Low-and-Slow BBQ published by John Wiley & Sons (released in May 2005). In addition she is a writer and the resident grilling consultant for Fine Cooking Magazine and has written articles for Cooking Light, Bon Appetit, Saveur, Everyday with Rachael Ray, Chile Pepper, Redbook and Rosie and has been featured in many more magazines including Food & Wine, Gourmet, REAL SIMPLE, Marie Claire, Fitness, SHAPE, Women’s Health, New York, CHICAGO, Better Homes & Gardens, Midwest Living, Cosmopolitan, PARADE, Wine and Spirits and Wine Spectator. In June 2002 she kicked off www.GirlsattheGrill.com as the guest chef at a James Beard Foundation dinner.

CAMP BBQ Elizabeth teaches grilling and authentic Southern barbecue in cooking schools across the country and is an instructor at ICE (formerly Peter Kump’s Cooking School) in Manhattan. In 2007 she launched Camp BBQ – a series of trips to America’s most honored barbecue regions (www.campbbq.com).

AWARD-WINNING DESIGN In addition to grilling, writing and teaching, Karmel designs a line of grilling tools and accessories called GrillFriends™, which she premiered in 2004 at the International Housewares Show. Her Super Silicone Angled BBQ Basting Brush won a Silver Trophy in 2005 in the category of best non-food product at the Fancy Food Show in New York. To learn more about this outstanding line check out www.grillfriends.com.

AMERICA'S FEMALE GRILLING EXPERT Karmel is a grilling and barbecue information resource for the country’s media and food writers, chefs and cookbook authors. She is frequently quoted and generally regarded as America’s female grilling expert. She has been a featured guest on many Food Network programs and specials and on the Today Show. She has also appeared on MSNBC in-flight programming and on local television stations.

BUBBA MEETS BACCHUS Elizabeth is a certified judge for the Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) and a member of the team Swine and Dine. She was previously head cook of Bubba meets Bacchus and says she has picked up some of her favorite recipes, tips and techniques through these experiences. Her goal is to continue to de-mystify outdoor cooking so that cooks everywhere can live her mantra: “If you can eat it, you can grill it!™”

ASSOCIATIONS Elizabeth has represented manufacturers including All-Clad, The Pork Information Bureau, St. Francis Vineyards and Winery, The Soy Foods Information Council and Kingsford Charcoal. She is a member of IACP, the James Beard Foundation, Southern Foodways Alliance, KCBS, NBBQ and Slow Food. She serves on the Culinary Advisory Board of the Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow, was as a judge of the 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 IACP Cookbook Awards and the 2004 James Beard Awards.

TEXAS HILL COUNTRY To keep her culinary skills sharp, Elizabeth volunteers in restaurant kitchens and also trains with barbecue champions. She has now parlayed this experience into a new venture as the executive chef of Hill Country restaurant in New York City—the restaurant will celebrate and honor the barbecue traditions of Central Texas and the Texas Hill Country and opens in June 2007.

ELIZABETH KARMEL AND H.I.C. Harold Import Company is honored to work so closely with Elizabeth Karmel and to be the exclusive distributor of the GrillFriends line. We look forward to many years and many barbecues with The Queen of the Grill.