Chef
Matt Martinez
Matt’s
No Place, TX
A
True Texas Culinary Legend
If
Matt Martinez’s grandfather had not escaped his
own hanging, we would not be sitting here today telling
the tale of how Delfino Martinez got to be the legendary
chef of the west. A Mexican soldier in Pancho Villa’s
army, Delfino Martinez was captured by the Federales in
the Mexican Revolutionary War and sentenced to hang. The
young and vigorous Delfino had the good grace to escape,
crossing over the Mexican border and settling down in
Texas with his wife, Maria.
You
need to picture the pleasure that Matt gets in telling
this story — his feet propped up, drink in his hand
and a grin on his face. “What I do know is that
his new lease on life either gave him an appetite for
cooking or he had it all along.” Matt tells this
and the many other stories, punctuated with laughter.
We are being entertained by one of America’s grand
personalities. Matt is wearing a custom-made brown cowboy
hat, Margarita in hand, and has in five minutes welcomed
us like we’ve known him since childhood. “Get
out of here,” you hear Matt exclaiming to one of
our own stories. Matt’s food is fearless and tasty,
using rich wonderful ingredients, a roaring wood flame,
and plenty of Tex Mex personality. Matt, like Texas, is
bigger in person than his reputation.
“Howdy,
little Matt!” is how President Lyndon Baines Johnson
used to greet Matt when he came to Matt’s daddy’s
place. Out of the 4 children that they raised, Matt Jr.
was the one that caught the bug, as he stood knee high
to President Lyndon Baines Johnson, listening to him rave
more than once that this was the best food under the Texas
prairie sky. He ain’t little Matt no more.
Today,
Matt enjoys his status as one of Texas’ legends.
His original Tex-Mex style, that has also been referred
to as “prairie/range” style, is the embodiment
of high quality culinary ingredients, live fire, and tried
and true seasoning rubs he has developed over the years.
Culinary
Background
•
4th generation Tex-Mex Chef
•
Matt’s father was President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s
favorite barbecue chef
•
Restaurant Owner of : Matt’s in Jefferson, Matt’s
No Place, Matt’s Rancho Martinez, and Matt’s
No Place.
•
Author of Matt Martinez’s Culinary Frontiers, and
Matt Makes a Run for the Border
•
Serves on the board of Texas Restaurant Association, focusing
on the free trade agreements with Mexico.
•
Voted “Best Kept Secret in Dallas” by Money
Magazine, along with many other awards
•
Inducted into the Texas Restaurant Hall of Honor in June,
2000.
“This
is the way cooking was done under the prairie sky, and
how it’s supposed to be. We’re merely perfecting
what was done right in the first place.”—
Matt Martinez, Author of Matt Martinez’s Culinary
Frontier
Chef
Recipes:
Matt’s
Simple Barbecue Sauce
Las
Casas Famous White Wings™
Smoked
Brisket
Texas
Sprinkle
Other
Related Links:
Great
Chefs in the Great State of Texas
|