Leonard Botello IV is the owner and pitmaster behind critically acclaimed TRUTH BBQ. Botello opened the original TRUTH BBQ Brenham in a small shack off a rural highway that runs between Austin and Houston in the summer of 2015. Armed with a used Klose pit, and as a complete unknown in the BBQ world, Botello surprised the industry in 2017 when TRUTH BBQ landed the number ten spot on Texas Monthly’s coveted Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints list. Through the universal love of Texas BBQ, Botello has had the honor of hosting dinners for esteemed organizations such as No Kid Hungry and The James Beard House, and has appeared on Food Network’s Chopped, winning his episode. Most recently, in 2021, TRUTH BBQ rose to a top-three spot in Texas Monthly’s 50 Best BBQ Joints list, a definitive indication of Botello’s rise and a promising sign for what is still to come. When not manning the pit room and line at TRUTH BBQ, Botello is often found cooking with friends all over the country at various food and wine festivals or starting fires and building pits in his backyard. He continues to prioritize education of live-fire cooking not only for himself, but also finds joy in sharing his knowledge with others.