Hilah’s Texas Kitchen: Bringing Texas’ Rich Food History to Life

Austin food blogger and beloved YouTube personality Hilah Johnson recently launched a video series that I think you’ll love as much as I do.

In twelve episodes of Hilah’s Texas Kitchen, Hilah visits locations across Texas, samples their food, then takes you back to her kitchen and shows you how to recreate the food yourself. The series demonstrates how a rich blend of cultures has influenced food in Texas. Though non-Texans may try to group our cuisine into a “Southern food” category, Hilah’s research and adventures prove that we’re much more distinctive than that! Many comments on her videos have been along the lines of “This has changed my perception of Texas.”

These are the locations and featured foods of the nine spots that have been featured so far. Some of them you’ll recognize, and others will become fast favorites on your first visit!

• Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart, TX: Beef BBQ Ribs
• Blue Heron Farm near Houston, TX: Goat Cheese Salad
• SouthTex Organics in Mission, TX: Grapefruit Sorbet
• Port A Seafood Company in Port Aransas, TX: Shrimp Boil
• Sweetish Hill Bakery in Austin, TX: German Chocolate Cake
• Teka Molina in San Antonio, TX: Puffy Tacos
• Easy Tiger in Austin, TX: German Soft Pretzels
• El Chilito in Austin, TX: Migas
• Ranch 616 in Austin, TX: Chicken Fried Steak

I love the stories behind these videos. Through my time with Hilah and her partner Christopher, I learned that the owners of Blue Heron Farm got to where they are after quitting their day jobs, spontaneously buying land and goats, and going for it.

Easy Tiger’s “Head Dough Puncher,” David Norman, didn’t go to culinary school. Upon spending his last year of college in Munich and returning to Austin, Norman missed the German food he enjoyed overseas. He started cooking on his own in his apartment, and look at him now!

If you’re a novice in the kitchen, Hilah recommends her Migas recipe. For you more advanced types, she says that the Puffy Tacos are a good challenge.

I hope you’ll enjoy these videos, and keep an eye out for the final episodes of Hilah’s Texas Kitchen, as well as Hilah’s other fun videos.

 

@QuasiBrit asks:

Will you be trying any of the Texas recipes that Hilah demonstrates in her series?

 

Photos courtesy of Hilah Johnson.