Trailblazing LeAnn Mueller of La Barbecue dies at 51

A trailblazer in the Texas barbecue scene and a member of one of the state’s proudest barbecue families, La Barbecue founder LeAnn Mueller died Wednesday, according to a statement posted on her restaurant’s Instagram. No cause was given, though the statement said Mueller passed peacefully surrounded by her closest friends and family.

Mueller, the daughter of Bobby Mueller and granddaughter of barbecue legend Louie Mueller, who opened his eponymous Taylor restaurant in 1949, opened La Barbecue as a trailer on South First Street in 2012, publicly taking the reins of the barbecue business her brother had previously run as J Mueller BBQ.

A longtime professional photographer, Mueller opened the truck with her wife, Ali Clem and pitmaster John Lewis, who quickly made La Barbecue one of Central Texas' top purveyors of smoked meat. The trailer moved to East Sixth Street the following year before moving into the Quickie Pickie on East Cesar Chavez Street.

Lewis, who owns and operates two Lewis Barbecue locations in South Carolina and Mexican restaurant Rancho Lewis in Charleston, told the American-Statesman he considers Mueller and Clem family, adding that the fiery Mueller would always go to great lengths to help and protect those whom she considered part of her inner circle.

It was Mueller's fearlessness and relentlessness in the face of skeptics and critics that Lewis said inspired him to have the confidence to hastily open an understaffed La Barbecue in the highly competitive Central Texas barbecue scene in 2012.

"She was a very, very encouraging and supporting person. She created this place where it was possible to happen and gave me free reign," said Lewis. "I wouldn't be where I'm at, doing what I'm doing, with three restaurants, without that time at La Barbecue."

Lewis added that he felt a kindred spirit in the fiery and competitive Mueller, whom he said didn't care what other people thought.

"I love a competition, and I love winning at a competition. And she was the same way," Lewis said. "She's so much into it that sometimes she turns some people off because she's fierce at it, but I think it was a good thing. What she and Ali created, if you think about the barbecue joints that are up at the top in Texas, and you trace their roots back, there's a bunch of them that go back to La Barbecue."

In addition to Lewis, who worked at Franklin Barbecue before opening La Barbecue with Mueller and Clem, the list of celebrated La Barbecue alumni includes Esaul Ramos, co-owner of 2M Smokehouse in San Antonio, and Dylan Taylor, co-owner of Goldee's BBQ in Fort Worth.

La Barbecue finally got a brick-and-mortar to call its own in spring 2021, when the business took over the former Mongers space at 2401 E. Cesar Chavez St. Mueller's beef ribs rivaled that of the ones served by her late family members, and the hulking rib, along with exceptional brisket and fierce sausage, were stars on a menu that regularly had diners lined up outside, sometimes for hours.

Mueller was proud of her love for her late father, Bobby Mueller, who was immortalized in a mural at the East Austin restaurant, and was known for a colorful personality and bright spirit that burned in similar fashion to her late brother, John, who passed at 52 in 2021.

“LeAnn was incredibly generous, undeniably fiery, and deeply funny,” the restaurant’s message reads in part. “Her tough exterior masked a sensitive and kindhearted person who would — quite literally — give you the shirt off her back, and that shirt would likely be a bold print, short-sleeve button down. A coveted invite to her home meant a good drink (or a cold White Claw), a great meal, and a chance to peruse her extensive art collection.”

Though deeply associated with her hometown of Taylor and adopted hometown of Austin, Mueller worked as a photographer in New York and Los Angeles for years, before relocating to Texas. Her work, which included profiles of Willie Nelson, Jay-Z and Leon Bridges, appeared regularly in Texas Monthly, as well as national publications like Rolling Stones.

A proud gay woman who married Clem in 2014, Mueller smashed stereotypes connected with the old boys club of barbecue. The duo made La Barbecue one of the most beloved and respected barbecue restaurants in Texas while also inspiring other women.

“We get credited all the time for being the first LGBTQ+ or woman-owned barbecue business, but they are the ones who faced all of the difficulties and challenges of actually being the first,” Haley Conlin, co-owner of the recently opened Barbs B Q in Lockhart, told the American-Statesman. “She has always been incredibly supportive and it felt like she put us under her wing. She was one of the few who truly understands what it takes and what it is like to be a woman in barbecue, and to do her own thing truly and fully and not care about what others think. We are so heartbroken and shocked and only want to honor her legacy as best we can.”

Mueller is survived by her wife, Clem; their dogs, Mr. Pickles and Bobby Dingle; and her nephew, Johnson. Funeral arrangements are pending.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Trailblazing LeAnn Mueller of Austin's La Barbecue dies at 51