Mike Johnson's culinary path ran through Emeril Lagasse's kitchen, Chicago's Charlie Trotter and Gabino Sotellino, Paris's Le Buisson D'Ardent, and Belgian Master Chef Daniel Joly in Beaver Creek, CO. Then he came home to St. Louis and lit it on fire.

He founded Sugarfire Smoke House in a strip mall wedged between a copy center and a pet store. Fourteen locations later, it's the best BBQ in the city. He also built Hi-Pointe Drive-In — nationally acclaimed for its smash patty burgers — and Chicken Out in the Delmar Loop.

In 2018 he broke a Guinness World Record. In 2021 he won Best Burger in the World. In 2025 he claimed the World Live Fire Championship — his second world title. He speaks three languages. He was fired from Wendy's on his first day. His sanctuary is a house in the Turks and Caicos.