Matt Martinez Jr., 'King of Tex-Mex,' 63
Matt Martinez Jr., the "King of Tex-Mex," died on Friday. He was 63. Martinez and his family owned the Dallas restaurants Matt's Rancho Martinez and Matt's No Place as well as a stake in Matt's El Rancho in Austin, the restaurant his father founded. Robb Walsh, on his embrace of the term:
Matt Jr. was attending a cooking class taught by Englishwoman Diana Kennedy, who spoke derisively of Americanized Mexican food."She said she only did authentic Mexican food, not Tex-Mex," Martinez fumed in the introduction to his book [Matt Martinez's Culinary Frontier]. "I was so insulted." To defy Kennedy and those who belittled his heritage, he decided to abandon any claim to "authentic Mexican" and call everything he cooked Tex-Mex.
Our condolences go out to Martinez's family, friends, and fans.
Related
Matt Martinez, Jr., R.I.P. [D Magazine]
Rumination on food and family: Matt Martinez, Jr., R.I.P. [Salt Lake]
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