Oxford barbecue enthusiast Holly Jubera set for national TV spotlight

Holly Jubera’s latest turn in barbecue came with a national audience and a possible payoff for Oxford’s food economy. The Oxford resident appeared on Barbecue Country Salutes America, a holiday competition tied to America250 and built to travel well beyond Lafayette County through The Heartland Network’s broad station footprint.

The special was filmed at historic Fiddler’s Grove in Wilson County, Tennessee, and was hosted by Alecia Davis with award-winning champion pitmaster Russ Lannom. The judges lineup included Tracy Lawrence, Scotty Hasting, Darryl Worley, HunterGirl and 2 Lane Summer, giving the program a mix of country music and barbecue star power that is meant to play across Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day holiday audiences.

For Oxford, the significance reaches beyond one local contestant. The Heartland Network says it reaches more than 93 million households, which means Jubera’s appearance put a Lafayette County face in front of viewers far outside North Mississippi. That kind of exposure matters in a town where food, visitors and events are tightly linked, and where a stronger culinary reputation can help restaurants, caterers and barbecue-centered gatherings draw attention from both locals and visitors.

Jubera’s path to the screen was built over years, not overnight. She and her husband, Steve, had already competed in Steak Cookoff Association contests, and in 2021 she had beaten about 90,000 other entrants to reach the quarter-finals of the Favorite Chef online competition. Earlier coverage also noted that she had worked in a Chinese restaurant in Springfield, Missouri before moving to Oxford, a detail that helps explain how her food background stretches beyond competition barbecue.

Her name has also been tied to community giving in Oxford. In July 2024, Holly and Steve Jubera used the Velvet Ditch Steak Classic to raise money for Family Crisis Services of Northwest Mississippi, and an all-female rib-cooking contest connected to their barbecue circle brought in $5,100 for the organization. The Juberas had held the Velvet Ditch BBQ contest in Oxford for three years, adding another layer to their local profile as organizers as well as cooks.

That record gives this television appearance more weight than a one-off entertainment booking. Jubera, a Mississippi native and Jackson State University alumna, has built a public identity around barbecue, competition and service. A national broadcast now carries that identity into a much larger market, with the chance that Oxford’s name travels with it, one plate and one audience at a time.