| Tootsie Tomanetz | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1934 or 1935 (age 89–90) |
| Occupation | Barbecue pitmaster |
| Years active | 1966-present |
| Known for | Texas hill country barbecue |
Tootsie Tomanetz is an American pitmaster and restaurateur. She is pitmaster at Snow's BBQ.
Early life
Tomanetz was raised on a farm outside of Lexington, Texas. She was the oldest of three children. She recalls growing and canning most of their own food and homesewn clothing.
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. Her style of barbecue is a style originating in the Texas hill country.
Tomanetz began cooking barbecue in 1966 at City Meat Market in Giddings, Texas, when they were shorthanded. She learned from Orange Holloway. 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. She got a job in the maintenance department for the local school district. In 2003 she started working Saturdays at Snow's; as of 2024 she was still working as pitmaster.
She was featured on 2020's Chef's Table: BBQ.
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.
Personal life
Tomanetz married Edward Tomanetz, who worked as a butcher at City Meat Market in Giddings, Texas, in July of 1956 when she was 21; she was widowed in 2015. The couple had three children. Tomanetz lives in Giddings, Texas and as of 2024 was still working in the local school district's maintenance department. She is Lutheran.
References
- ^ Vaughn, Daniel (2016-09-21). "Snow's Queen". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
- ^ Chef's Table:BBQ Tootsie Tomanetz. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- ^ Meewes, Veronica (10 March 2023). "These Women Have Made Texas Barbecue So Smoking Hot". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
- ^ 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.