Born in Biloxi and trained at the New England Culinary Institute, Mike Johnson refined his craft under Emeril Lagasse, Chicago's Charlie Trotter and Gabino Sotellino, Paris's Le Buisson D'Ardent, and Belgian Master Chef Daniel Joly in Beaver Creek, CO. Forty years in the kitchen later, 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. Anthony Bourdain personally selected Sugarfire to cater his Fox Theatre VIP reception in St. Louis.

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 — and as of 2026 is competing at the WFC Final Table, the championship's ultimate round. He is a sponsored ambassador for Royal Oak Charcoal. In March 2025, following tornadoes in Florissant, Missouri, he mobilized Sugarfire as a World Central Kitchen Chef Corps member to feed storm victims. He speaks three languages. He recently crossed Africa off his bucket list.