The Kitchen Sisters Present Hidden Kitchens Texas — Hosted by Willie Nelson
Jul 15, 2025
Joe Nick Patoski, Texas writer and music/food historian, traces barbecue, cotton-picking and immigrant kitchens. Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Lubbock singer-songwriter, recalls Stubbs and local music life. Robin Wright, Dallas-born actress, shares vivid memories of Fuel City and Texas food places. They roam gas-station taquerias, ice houses, chili queens, chuck wagons and oil-field pits in quick, colorful stories.
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How The Frozen Margarita Was Invented
- Mariano Martinez invented the frozen margarita by adapting a Slurpee/soft-serve machine to keep drinks cold and consistent at his Dallas cantina.
- He souped up a soft-serve machine after 7-Eleven guarded Slurpee machine sources, creating a decades-long party staple.
Fritos Originated In A Small San Antonio Kitchen
- Charles Elmer Doolin invented Fritos in 1932 by buying an extruded chip recipe in San Antonio and starting production with family in a small bakery.
- Kalita Doolin describes homemade test batches, patent purchase, and early hand-made production methods.
Willie Nelson's Cotton Field Childhood
- Willie Nelson recounts picking cotton with his grandmother and growing up in Abbott, Texas, where diverse musical traditions mixed in the fields.
- He remembers Mexican music, blues, and Bob Wills blending into a 'big opera' of rural life.