La Barbecue restaurant owner dies at 51
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AUSTIN (KXAN) -- LeAnn Mueller, the owner of la Barbecue in east Austin, died Wednesday at 51 years old, according to a press release.
Mueller, a successful chef and photographer, opened la Barbecue with her wife and co-owner Ali Clem in 2012. The popular Central Texas barbecue spot started in a south Austin food trailer park before moving to a brick-and-mortar location in east Austin, per the release.
Mueller died Wednesday morning surrounded by her closest friends and family, the release said. Her family's connection with barbecue inspired her own path.
Her grandfather started Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor. The restaurant was taken over by her father, Bobby Mueller, who won a James Beard Award in 2006.
Her family's barbecue legacy "deeply inspired" and fueled "her desire to open her own award-winning restaurant," the release stated.
Mueller grew up in Central Texas. Before creating la Barbecue, she was a photographer in New York and Los Angeles, landing cover photos on Rolling Stone and Texas Monthly, the release said.
Funeral arrangements are pending, the release stated.