Tracy Vaught had tired of so little human interaction in her corporate world and, since she enjoyed cooking, longed to open a restaurant. Her uncle Jack Blalock, a former fighter pilot and CIA agent, was always game for an adventure. In 1983 niece and uncle found a little house on South Shepherd near West Dallas and began to turn it into Backstreet Cafe.
In 1986, a handsome young Mexican immigrant named Hugo Ortega was hired as Backstreet’s dishwasher. He spoke no English, but Vaught could see he was smart and a hard worker. You probably know where this story is going: Ortega learned English, worked his way up the hierarchy of the kitchen, became executive chef and married Vaught in 1990. Together they still run Backstreet Cafe, as well as Hugo’s and Trevisio. Their newest spot, Caracol, will open this fall.
Vaught’s Uncle Jack passed away in 2001 but his mark is indelible on Backstreet Cafe – and on Tracy and Hugo’s hearts. This year, as the Backstreet Cafe celebrates its 30th anniversary, the couple is giving Houston a gift: Backstreet Kitchen: Seasonal Recipes From Our Neighborhood Cafe.
Sommelier Sean Beck and pastry chef Ruben Ortega (yes, he’s Hugo’s brother) both contributed to the book as they have to Backstreet Cafe for many years. The book contains recipes that Houston loves, and they are written for the home kitchen. October 11, 2013, is the official release date for the book, and it will be available for sale and signing at the restaurant.
SideDish took the opportunity to chat recently with Vaught and Ortega about family, food and the restaurant business.
What is the first meal you cooked for one another?
TV: I made him smoked duck gumbo.
HO: I made chile rellenos.
What makes your marriage last in this crazy marriage-killing industry?
TV: We take vacations together. Even if it is hectic we find the time to be together. We bought a beach house so we have a place to get re-balanced whenever we want.
HO: It feels like yesterday. This relationship, this love was dictated in my heart since the first day I met her.
What is your favorite sound in the kitchen?
TV: “Mmm” – it means I’ve pleased my guest.
HO: The sound of a busy ticket counter clicking.
If you were not in the restaurant business, what would you most like to do or be?
TV: Be a singer in a rock band or a designer of famous gardens.
HO: A great American designer like Ralph Lauren. He understands country very well. He gets the essence of country.
What was the first meal you taught your daughter to cook?
TV: Bread, cookies, pancakes and waffles and pasta. She’s very good at banana bread.
What are you reading right now?
TV: Food magazines, reference material for training, opening-a-restaurant magazines, etc. I sit in my easy chair in the evening and read.
HO: Old recipes from very old cookbooks. I have stacks and stacks of cookbooks, and I enjoy reading the really old ones.
Who would you want to have dinner with, alive or dead?
TV: James Beard, Julia Child, Katharine Hepburn
HO: Picasso, Charlie Chaplin, Ralph Lauren, Winston Churchill, Diana Kennedy and Jack Blalock.
What is your favorite food memory?
TV: Pot roast gravy on white bread before the roast is done cooking and hand-churned peach ice cream.
HO: Barbacoa in the pit and on my plate and ceviche Veracruz when I was 11years old. A glass of Vigneti Massa white wine about 20 years ago in San Francisco.
What is your greatest fear?
TV: Failure as a parent and failure as a restaurant owner.
HO: Same as Tracy.
What is your greatest happiness?
TV: Building my life with Hugo.
HO: My life with Tracy and to see [our daughter] Sophia get married.
A recipe from Backstreet Kitchen
BLUE CHEESE THUMBPRINT COOKIES
Tracy says: These easy-to-make thumbprint cookies go well on any cheese plate and are a great accompaniment to sangria. The flavor combination of pineapple jam and the blue cheese is spectacular.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 (4 oz.) sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 oz. mild blue cheese, preferably Gorgonzola
- ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup pineapple marmalade or jam, store-bought
METHOD: Preheat oven to 350 ̊F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. Place all the ingredients except the marmalade in food processor. Pulse until ingredients begin to form a dough ball. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
Using a floured rolling pin, roll out dough into a disk of an even thickness of about 1/8 inch. Cut out cookies using a floured 1-inch cutter and transfer to prepared sheet pan. Using your thumb, gently make a small indentation in the center of each cookie. Spoon about ¼ teaspoon of marmalade or jam in each indentation.
Bake until golden brown on the bottom, about 10 to 11 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Makes about 3 dozen.
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