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.
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]
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]
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]
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]