Jimmy Stovall began selling BBQ from the drive thru window of the iconic Corky’s BBQ in Memphis, TN as a college student back in 1994. Over the past {27 years} he has truly done it all, working in the drive thru, as a waiter, assistant manager, and general manager. All the while he was building a wildly successful run at QVC and creating a whole new host of Corky’s fanatics from across the country. He even has his own 1 hour recurring show on QVC2! Jimmy had the foresight to see the future demand and volume of shipments that would be needed for Corky’s Famous Memphis BBQ as well as many other food manufacturers that didn’t ship direct to consumer, and worked on a fulfillment business that is now more than 100,000 sq/ft direct to consumer frozen fulfillment operation that capabilities of shipping 30,000 packages per day. In his time at QVC Jimmy began to notice a need for a hybrid fulfillment center and television marketing company, so he created Prime Time Strategic Partners. This extremely successful company now ships 1.2 million direct to consumer packages and manages multiple brands from QVC, HSN and beyond! During his tenure at Corky’s Jimmy has had the opportunity to cook for and serve celebrities (including Oprah!) that has taken him all over the country, from Bar Harbor, Maine to the Graceland Mansion right here in Memphis, TN. He also had the opportunity to cook with some of the biggest names at the Food Network.
Jimmy’s distinguished career thus far has landed him the title of “Face of Memphis BBQ for 2020” and for good reason. He is a certified BBQ Judge and has sold more BBQ on television than anyone else in the world. In 2013, he added “Cookbook Author” to his resume with the release of the Cooking with Corky’s cookbook that sold more than 50,000 copies. Jimmy and Corky’s have been humbled and honored to receive numerous awards and nominations, including QVC Star Nominee for Guest Excellence, Golden Spatula Award, Most Recommended Brand, 20+ QVC Customers Choice Awards, and more!
Today, Jimmy leads all operations for the fourteen companies under the Corky’s family of businesses, including El Terifico (a national brand of cheese dips and tamales) and Authentic Gourmet (a brand of pastries, imported directly from France). He is very proud to serve on the Vender Advisory Board for QVC and HSN. Because Memphis Hospitality is central to Corky’s, there are many Memphis charities that lucky to have Jimmy serving on their boards. Being in restaurants most of his life, he enjoys sharing great food with great people and to that end he started this podcast, Ribbin’ with Jimmy, to do just that! Above all, Jimmy enjoys entertaining others and strives to treat everyone as a guest in his home.
