Tootsie Tomanetz
Tootsie Tomanetz | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 21, 1935 |
| Occupation | Barbecue pitmaster |
| Years active | 1966-present |
| Known for | Texas hill country barbecue |
Tootsie Tomanetz (born April 21, 1935) is an American pitmaster and restaurateur. She is pitmaster at Snow's BBQ.
Early life
Tomanetz was born on April 21, 1935.[1] Tomanetz was raised on a farm outside of Lexington, Texas.[2] She was the oldest of three children.[3] She recalls growing and canning most of their own food and homesewn clothing.[4]
Barbecue career
Tomanetz is the pitmaster at Snow's BBQ in Lexington, Texas, which in 2008 was named the best barbecue in Texas by Texas Monthly.[2][5] Her style of barbecue is a style originating in the Texas hill country.[3]
Tomanetz began cooking barbecue in 1966 at City Meat Market in Giddings, Texas, when they were shorthanded.[2][6] She learned from Orange Holloway.[5] She became pitmaster at a second City Meat Market in Lexington, and she and her husband eventually bought it, selling it after her husband had a stroke in 1996.[2] She got a job in the maintenance department for the local school district.[2] In 2003 she started working Saturdays at Snow's; as of 2024 she was still working as pitmaster.[2]
She was featured on 2020's Chef's Table: BBQ.[5]
Recognition
Tomanetz was inducted into the Barbecue Hall of Fame in 2018. She was a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Best Chef:Southwest the same year.[5][4]
Personal life
Tomanetz married Edward Tomanetz, who worked as a butcher at City Meat Market in Giddings, Texas, in July 1956 when she was 21; she was widowed in 2015.[2][5][3] The couple had three children. Tomanetz lives in Giddings and as of 2024 was still working in the local school district's maintenance department.[2][5] She is Lutheran.[7]
References
- ^ Bradshaw, Robin (2024-04-16). "Texas BBQ legend Tootsie Tomanetz turns 89". Beaumont Enterprise. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h Vaughn, Daniel (2016-09-21). "Snow's Queen". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
- ^ a b c Chef's Table:BBQ Tootsie Tomanetz. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- ^ a b Meewes, Veronica (10 March 2023). "These Women Have Made Texas Barbecue So Smoking Hot". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
- ^ a b c d e f Lundstrom, Kathryn (2024-11-25). "How This 89-Year-Old Became a Texas BBQ Legend". Elle. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
- ^ Filloon, Whitney (2015-02-25). "How Snow's BBQ Rose From Obscurity to Texas Barbecue Stardom". Eater. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
- ^ Jones, Jim (2022-12-08). "I'm a Lutheran: Norma Frances "Tootsie" Tomanetz". Living Lutheran. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
Further reading
- Vaughn, Daniel (2020-04-14). "A Week From Turning 85, Tootsie Tomanetz Misses Her Barbecue Family". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2024-12-14.