{"id":479057,"date":"2026-10-28T07:32:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T07:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/479057\/"},"modified":"2026-10-28T07:32:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T07:32:12","slug":"this-witte-museum-exhibit-leads-visitors-on-a-texas-culinary-tour-through-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/479057\/","title":{"rendered":"This Witte Museum exhibit leads visitors on a Texas culinary tour through time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before there were tacos and barbecued brisket, there was corn. Before there were culinarians and Michelin star chefs, there were the Caddo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Travel back to 700 A.D., and you\u2019ll find members of Native American tribes cultivating corn beneath the East Texas sun. Leap forward to present-day San Antonio and you\u2019ll see Rico Torres and Diego Galicia<\/a> helming a Michelin-starred restaurant in Southtown.<\/p>\n

A compelling exhibit<\/a> at the Witte Museum<\/a>, \u201cGather \u2019Round the Table: Texas Food Traditions,\u201d compresses 1300 years of gastronomic history into a one gallery that covers 5,500 square feet.<\/p>\n

Near the beginning are the Caddo. Near the end are Torres and Galicia of Mixtl<\/a>. In between are videos and historic photographs, shadow boxes and interactive tables, arresting visuals and glass-encased displays, which illustrate the ingredients, innovations and people behind Texas foods.<\/p>\n

\u201cTexans are foodies,\u201d said Nalleli Guillen, vice president of interpretation and curator of history at the Witte Museum. \u201cPeople love their barbecue. Their Tex-Mex. \u2019Gather \u2019Round The Table\u2019 is what we hope is an accessible way for people to enter and think about Texas history and culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Central to the exhibit \u2014 and to Texas itself \u2014 is corn. From the Caddo to tortilla-makers to the fine dining chefs of today, el ma\u00edz is woven through the culinary fabric of the Lone Star State.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

A shadowbox of Texas pecans from the early 1900s collected by naturalist H.P. Attwater is shown on display as part of the Texas Food Traditions exhibit at the Witte Museum.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach summer, corn harvest season connects Texas to its Mesoamerican cultural and culinary roots,\u201d reads one exhibit label. \u201cAn essential hearty crop in Texas\u2019 hot climate, corn sustained growing communities all across the state and is essential in nearly every Texas kitchen, whether eaten roasted or in a cup, as cornbread, corn fritters, grits, or in the many dishes made from handmade masa.\u201d<\/p>\n

The food exhibit evolved from a kernel of an idea years ago. A Witte team of 80 brought it to fruition in September. It took nearly five months to build and complete the exhibit, which runs through Feb. 7.<\/p>\n

While planning the exhibit, Guillen and her team asked Texans about their food memories. Experiences shared by chef Johnny Hernandez inspired a larger vision for one component of the exhibit.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis memories were rolling tortillas with his grandmother,\u201d Guillen said. \u201cSo that idea of corn or flour (tortillas) grew into a larger section than we had initially started.\u201d<\/p>\n

Texas is home to great food debates. Red salsa or green salsa. Corn tortillas vs. flour tortillas. Chili with beans or without. Those debates play out in six \u201cfood fights\u201d throughout the exhibit.<\/p>\n

Visitors can vote for their favorites by placing chips in acrylic tubes that represent their preference in a given debate.<\/p>\n

Guillen expected \u201cno beans\u201d to easily win the Texas chili debate, but she expressed surprise at the support \u201cchili with beans\u201d received.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere have been so many bean defenders,\u201d Guillen said.<\/p>\n

Chili con carne, popularized in San Antonio by the chili queens in the 19th century<\/a>, became the state\u2019s official dish<\/a> in 1977. Academician and culinarian Ellen Clark<\/a> understands the importance of chili. Its appeal, she explained in an exhibit video, transcends flavor and spice.<\/p>\n

\"Former<\/p>\n

Brenda Baz\u00e1n \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Former UTSA professor Ellen Riojas Clark works in her kitchen in 2025. <\/p>\n

\u201cTasting chili evokes so many, many stories,\u201d said Clark, a University of Texas at San Antonio professor emerita of bilingual-bicultural studies. \u201cHow your grandmother made it, how your mother made it, how your t\u00edas made it, how you buy it in a can of all things. How you utilize it left over. And then, of course, our cook-offs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The exhibit uses artifacts and photographs to guide visitors on a journey across Texas: Peaches in the Hill Country. Citrus in the Rio Grande Valley. Oysters on the Gulf Coast. Peanuts and pecans in South Texas.<\/p>\n

One exhibit features a mortar and pestle to grind corn. Another shows the origin of the puffy taco. Photographs feature Ray\u2019s Drive-Inn<\/a>, the five Lopez brothers, and brother Henry Lopez, who launched Henry\u2019s Puffy Tacos<\/a> in 1978.<\/p>\n

From a caption beneath a black-and-white image: \u201cOldest sibling Raymond H. \u201cRay\u201d Lopez opened Ray\u2019s Drive Inn in 1956, building a menu of dishes inspired by Lopez family favorites including the Crispy Dog and the Puffy Taco, originally advertised as a \u2018Crispy Taco.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Guillen shares a nugget of Lopez lore. According to family legend, a great-grandmother in the early 20th century, Maria Rodriguez-Lopez, was frying a corn tortilla on a stove. The woman became distracted and the masa inflated.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd she dropped something on top and it bent,\u201d Guillen said. \u201cThat\u2019s part of the story you can find in a Texas Monthly article<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conversations sparked by the exhibit have captivated Katye Brought, Witte vice president of communications and marketing.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

A section towards the end of the Texas Food Traditions exhibit at the Witte Museum offers insight into the connection between food and celebrations in Texas and San Antonio. <\/p>\n

\u201cI have really enjoyed observing people sit and talk to each other,\u201d Brought said. \u201cIt\u2019s refreshing to see people who don\u2019t know each other come together and share stories about their connection with food, or how their culture interacts with food, and to see others listening.\u201d<\/p>\n

The exhibit wraps with a celebration of contemporary food. A 10-foot replica of the fiesta staple chicken on a stick stands in one corner topped with a large jalape\u00f1o.<\/p>\n

Across the way, a massive mural, \u201c\u00a1Provecho San Antonio!,\u201d depicts people and food traditions across eras. Artist Kat Cadena presents a gathering of prominent faces, from pioneering chili queens to modern chefs, such as James Beard-nominated Nicola Blaque.<\/p>\n

Near the mural are homages to Pearl District<\/a>, the Culinary Institute of America<\/a>, St. Philip\u2019s College<\/a> and Mixtli, San Antonio\u2019s first Michelin star restaurant. Each has played a role in elevating the city\u2019s culinary profile.<\/p>\n

Guillen flavors \u201cGather \u2019Round The Table\u201d with local anecdotes. Consider the Big Red and Barbacoa Taco.<\/p>\n

\"Gather<\/p>\n

Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Gather \u2018Round the Table: Texas Food Traditions will be on display at the Witte Museum through Feb. 7, 2027. <\/p>\n

\u201cOne story I think is wonderful in San Antonio is chef Leo Davila, who is down at Esencia at the St. Anthony Hotel,\u201d she said. \u201cHe\u2019s one of these fine-dining chefs who is making corn tortillas by hand. But he\u2019s adding Big Red (soda) directly into the masa, making the tortillas red, and making them entirely new to South Texas, all set within the traditions that make up his life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Innovation is one hallmark of the Texas food industry. Another is using native ingredients and techniques to advance innovation, in effect, creating a culinary circle of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have fine-dining chefs returning to the idea of making tortillas from scratch, and that\u2019s incredibly arduous work,\u201d Guillen said. \u201cIt\u2019s backbreaking work. But they are returning that traditional art form back to Texas plates today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTasting chili evokes so many, many stories,\u201d said Clark, a UTSA professor emerita of bilingual-bicultural studies. \u201cHow your grandmother made it, how your mother made it, how your t\u00edas made it, how you buy it in a can of all things. How you utilize it left over. And then, of course, our cook-offs.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Before there were tacos and barbecued brisket, there was corn. Before there were culinarians and Michelin star chefs,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":479058,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[82,84,83],"class_list":["post-479057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=479057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479057\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/479058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=479057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=479057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=479057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}