A cold glass of iced tea is the saving grace that carries southerners through the sweltering days of summers that seem to stretch on forever in the American South. Continue Reading
A History of Birria From Jalisco, Mexico To The Trans-Pecos And Rio Grande Valley Of Texas
The list of possible origins of birria is longer than a Mississippi preacher’s Sunday sermon Continue Reading
Seeking The Ghost of Wick Fowler in Terlingua, Texas

The Frank X. Tolbert, Wick Fowler Memorial Chili Cook-Off is held the first weekend of November in Terlingua, Texas
50 years after his death Wick Fowler still casts a long shadow over the world of Texas chili. Continue Reading
In 1970 Wick Fowler Was Crowned The King of Texas Chili

Wick Fowler toils over a chili kettle in 1970 at Terlingua, Texas. Photo via the Wittliff Collection at Texas State University
“It’s the first time the judges have shown good taste!” bellowed Wick Fowler upon being declared the World Champion of Chili at the big Terlingua shootout in November of 1970. Continue Reading
The Story Of Vietnamese Chicory Coffee In New Orleans
Preceding the famous Battle of Vienna in September of 1683, Franciszek Kulczycki, a Polish nobleman, soldier and future coffee merchant, traveled from Turkey where he was under the employ of the Austrian government as a diplomat and courier who aided communications between the two countries. Continue Reading
The Mysterious Origins of TryMe Tiger Sauce
In the summer of 1864, Woodruff and Company of Louisville, Kentucky, ran an ad in the local newspaper announcing that they had landed five cases of that most rare and exotic sundry of the day: Royal Bengal Tiger Sauce. This is the earliest mention that I can find of a “Tiger Sauce” being commercially available in the US. Continue Reading
Wick Fowler Cooked 5 Alarm Water Buffalo Chili in Vietnam
On Carroll Shelby And The High Stakes World Of Texas Chili
The Banh Mi Culture Of Vietnam Is Thriving On The US Gulf Coast
Following the fall of Saigon to the Communist North Vietnamese, 130,000 refugees were evacuated from South Vietnam.
Operation Frequent Wind, the largest boat and air lift in refugee history was a rousing success that would lead to 1.4 million Vietnamese émigrés resettling in the United States between 1975 and 1994.
The Gulf Coast South was a favored destination. Continue Reading
There Will Never Be Another Man Like Texas Chili Boss Wick Fowler
At the dawn of the roaring twenties, Wick and his group of playmates contented themselves the way many small-town Texas boys did. When they weren’t in school they spent their days fishing, playing marbles and hunting small game. Victoria, where Wick grew up, had less than 6,000 residents. Continue Reading