Ford Fry - Tex-Mex Cookbook: Traditions, Innovations, and Comfort Foods from Both Sides of the Border

FORD WOULD LIKE TO THANK

Its surreal thinking about how this book ever came to be. Im often bewildered at the way things have come together in my life, but when I stop to think about it, I realize just how fortunate Ive been to be surrounded by gracious, helpful, and passionate people. Through this pretty amazing journey, I have found that putting others first, and serving them well, has opened so many doors for me and my team to all do what we love. For me, it doesnt get any better than that.

Digging deep into my earliest moments of eating Tex-Mex food, I see a laid-back, fun-loving boy sitting in a booth at Felix Mexican Restaurant in Houston with his mom and dad. I owe my love for this cuisine to them. Without their love and encouragement in my life, I wouldnt be who I am today. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

The depth of my gratitude is equally as profound for my wife and kids, who keep me grounded and have loved and encouraged me through the long hours and late nights of restaurant life. I love you.

In this restaurant life, Ive found a number of chefs and friendsmany of whom have become as close as familyto whom I owe much of my success. And my Tex-Mex compatriot, Kevin Maximize Maxey, is a true brother. Kevin, this book is as much yours as it is mine. Thanks for all the time matching your memories with mine and getting all of it onto the plate.

I owe a super-big thanks to Amanda Englander and the whole Clarkson Potter crew for making amazing books and believing that this one belonged in your stable. Your passion and creativity absolutely inspire me. To my agent, Lisa Ekus, thank you for making the connection to Potter. And to Katie Williams, thank you for strategizing to put the best possible team together.

Working on this book meant I needed two important things: someone to translate my recipes to come alive (and work) in a home kitchen, and someone who could conjure up the right words to express my devoted passion not only for delicious food but for a regional cuisine thats part of the soul of every Texanand a growing number of people beyond the Lone Star State. To my partner and lover of all things spicy, Tamie Cook: You tested and tested and tested these recipes, and Im grateful for your diligence. You rock! And a huge thanks to my cowriter and fellow Texan, Jessica Dupuy, whose expertise on Texas history and culture along with her own personal memories combined in a way to truly express my voice and convey my heart for Tex-Mex cuisine; through this book, were truly family.

To my boy Johnny Autry, Charlotte, and crew, your photographic vision totally brought me back to a time when old plastic-covered tables, fiberglass tortilla warmers, and oversize oval plates of smoking-hot cheese enchiladas, beans, and rice were all a Texas boy truly needed to be happy. Thank you for that. I loved every minute of it.

On a sentimental note, I wish I could tell the late Jim Goode in person, Jim, thanks for being the best cook I know and inspiring me by your love for everything Texas. He left an indelible mark in Houstons restaurant story, and Texas cuisine altogether. May we one day toast with cold beers over the eternal combo plate in the sky.

And finally, a word of thanks to David Crowder, for reminding me that Tex-Mex isnt meant to be anything overly technical or special. For those who grew up on it, Its just food!

JESSICA WOULD LIKE TO THANK

A heartfelt thanks to Ford Fry for his unshakable commitment to all things delicious particularly with regards to Tex-Mex. Thank you for giving me a chance to tell your story. Thanks to my mom for letting me sit on the counter next to her as a baby while she baked; to my dad for mastering the grill with all manner of meats; to my native-Texan extended family for making Tex-Mex an integral part of our daily lives; and to Marilu for loving on my kids and giving me the real scoop on authentic Mexican fare. Thanks to Amanda Englander and Clarkson Potter for wanting to make this book a reality; David Hale Smith for guiding me along the path; Stacy Hollister for your keen eye; and Katie Williams for keeping Ford and me on task! And finally, a special thanks to Robb Walsh, Melissa Guerra, Gustavo Arellano, Lisa Fain, Patricia Sharpe, and Courtney Bond for paving the way in documenting the stories of Tex-Mex and giving me a deep and profound love for Texas, its history, and the food that defines its identity. Most important, to Myers, Gus, and Ashlyn: I love you.

A NATIVE TEXAN, FORD FRYS culinary style developed over many years of cooking across the country: from eating out with his family as a child in Texas to studying at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont to working as a chef in Florida, Colorado, California, Texas, and Georgia. In 2007, Ford opened his first restaurant in Atlanta: JCT. Kitchen, a seasonally inspired neighborhood restaurant focused on new Southern cooking. He later spread his commitment to local ingredients and friendly service to other chef-driven restaurants in Atlanta and in his native Houston. But in 2014, Fry honed in on the one cuisine that connected him most to his Texas roots: Tex-Mex. He opened The El Felix, a casual neighborhood Tex-Mex joint, in Atlanta, and it set him on a renewed mission in life: to bring true Tex-Mex beyond the borders of Texas. In 2015, he dug even deeper with the opening of Superica, an Austin-inspired Tex-Mex joint with two locations in Atlanta. He has since expanded Superica to Charlotte, and all the way back home to Houston, which, for Fry, is where it all began. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and children.

JESSICA DUPUY is a cookbook author and magazine writerand also a native Texan. She has collaborated on many cookbooks, including James Beard Award-winning chef Tyson Coles Uchi: The Cookbook; The Salt Lick Cookbook: A Story of Land, Family and Love; Jack Allens Kitchen Cookbook; and Southern Living magazines The United Tastes of Texas and The United Tastes of the South. She is a regular contributor to Texas Monthly magazine, Imbibe magazine, SevenFifty Daily, and numerous other regional publications. She is a member of Les Dames DEscoffier and lives in Austin with her family.

they picture the breakfast taco. (Note In Texas, we call them breakfast tacos, not breakfast burritos, which is a California thing.) But while the breakfast taco may be popular today, its a relatively new phenomenon. In fact, I dont remember seeing it on menus until I was well into adulthood. The classic breakfast dishesthe ones served in restaurants and diners across the state of Texasinclude chilaquiles, migas, and huevos rancheros