When\u00a0you hear the name Sweet Sugar High, you might expect cupcakes or candy, not some of the most crave-worthy burgers in the city.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The name may spark a bit of confusion, but for Fort Worth husband-and-wife owners Catherine and Juan Fernandez, that name is their baby\u00a0\u2014a reminder of the years of resilience and reinvention that have carried them to where they are today.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
That journey has paid off in full: In last month\u2019s\u00a0Fort Worth Magazine\u00a0\u201cBest Of issue,\u00a0the Sweet Sugar High Craft Burgers Co. food truck was crowned by readers as Best Burger Joint and Best Food Truck, solidifying their place among the city\u2019s culinary favorites.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Catherine says the name Sweet Sugar High was never meant for burgers. Back in 2018, Juan had registered it for\u00a0a very different\u00a0\u2014 and\u00a0perhaps more\u00a0appropriate \u2014\u00a0business: a CBD caf\u00e9 inspired by his time at the DFW Academy of Cannabis Science in Dallas. He says he envisioned a cozy community hangout serving calming teas, infused coffees, and scratch-made desserts \u2014 his version of comfort food.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
But life took him in other directions, and the caf\u00e9 never materialized, and the name sat on hold \u2014 until 2020 came along.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Like so many families during the pandemic, Catherine and Juan faced job loss and uncertainty. Juan lost his gig working at Pinstripes, and shortly thereafter, the couple had their youngest child, their fifth.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fear has a funny way of making some people want to fly headfirst into the direction of it, and instead of bracing for the worst, the couple daringly took on COVID, launching a food concept while others in the food and\u00a0bev\u00a0business were dropping like flies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
By October 2020, Sweet Sugar High was reborn as a pop-up venture serving Fort Worth\u2019s favorite cuisine: barbecue.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u00a0leaned\u00a0on what we knew best \u2014 comforting flavors and Southern hospitality,\u201d Catherine says. \u201cOur combined influences shaped our original menu, which featured Southern barbecue \u2014 smoked meats, scratch-made sides, Southern desserts.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Later that year, eager to experiment and expand their menu, they added a menu item whose popularity had yet to\u00a0explode:\u00a0smash burgers. Not just any smashburgers, mind you, but smashburgers made with the supremely rich wagyu beef. \u201cWithin months,\u201d Catherine says, \u201cthey completely took off.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Juan, who handles most of the cooking for the couple\u2019s endeavor, says his love of food was shaped early on by his mother, Bicenta, and aunt, Esther, who sold homemade gorditas, tortillas, and tamales from their kitchens. Catherine brought her own family legacy to the mix: For years, her father, Mike Forrester, and grandfather, George Forrester, ran George\u2019s Pit BBQ in Granbury. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
November 10, 2025<\/p>\n
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