“Nothing-NOT a conversation, NOT a handshake or even a hug establishes friendship so forcefully as eating together!”

Jonathan Safran Foer

Avery Island An Unforgettable TABASCO Experience.

Trey Chapman Chow, Travel Experiences

History & Hot Sauce Deliciousness  

Old Salt Mine Recreation.

Howdy! If you’re new to our site, my name is Trey and I specialize in locating creative and talented chefs, delicious dishes, tasty cocktails, and unique travel experiences that everyone should enjoy around the USA.

We’re so grateful for the private tour, tasting and extremely friendly staff at TABASCO® and Avery Island, Louisiana. Jana and I had an unforgettable time learning the history behind the TABASCO® brands and the beautiful surroundings that Avery Island offers. We never understood the true amount of EFFORT and TIME that Edward Mcllhenny spent creating the TABASCO® brands in 1868 on Avery Island. I’m not sure the man ever slept a wink, much like my father Barney – very remarkable!

He not only created TABASCO® on the Island; he also mined salt, planted thousands of different varieties of plants and bamboo for the US government. He’s even responsible for helping save the Snowy Egrets and other species. There is so much more that he and the family did for America and the world, which you can learn about during the tour. This tour is a MUST visit if you love historical facts, beauty and of course deliciousness. The TABASCO® restaurant was wonderful too and the staff was fantastic.

TABASCO® Brand products are made by McIlhenny Company, founded by Edmund McIlhenny in 1868 on Avery Island, Louisiana. It was there that he developed the recipe for TABASCO® Original Red Pepper Sauce that’s been passed down from generation to generation. To this day, the company is still family-owned and operated on that very same island. The McIlhenny family has made TABASCO® Sauce on Avery Island, Louisiana for over 5 generations. Built on a salt dome, it’s a mysteriously beautiful place where the red peppers grow, the factory hums, and abundant wildlife can be seen in Jungle Gardens.

A Small Tastings From 1868.

The Jungle Garden Tour is a must if you LOVE wildlife, history and beautiful surroundings. You can take a guided bird tour, or a self-guided tour through Jungle Gardens and experience the beauty and tranquility of the ancient oaks and bayous. It is truly a stunning tour and inspiring to see the happenings and all the incredible wildlife come to life.

If you’re looking for a truly memorable TRAVEL experience I would HIGHLY recommend a visit to Avery Island. You can spend the day enjoying life and forgetting about your troubles.

Hope to meet you on our travels and see you at a table soon!

With LOVE Trey & Jana

Unique Texas Hill Country Travel Experience

Trey Chapman Chow, Travel Experiences 1 Comment on Unique Texas Hill Country Travel Experience

Howdy Y’all!

If you’re new to our site, my name is Trey and I specialize in locating creative and talented chefs, delicious dishes, tasty cocktails, and unique travel experiences that everyone should enjoy.

I was so excited when I heard about and booked this NEW travel adventure that I literally didn’t sleep for two nights prior to leaving. It combines and encompasses some of my greatest passions: endangered species, history, tasty wines, and unique travel destinations. The GREATEST factor? It’s an affordable experience that everyone can enjoy. It involves learning about the historic and important factors with the endangered Southern White Rhino population.

The RHINORY is now OPEN in Fredericksburg the beautiful hill country of Texas and worth every single second of your time. You can visit, meet, and have an opportunity to touch and rub BIG BLAKE, a beautiful and sweet Endangered White Rhino. During this time, you can also learn about and enjoy some very tasty wines. Drinking is optional – you can still enjoy this incredible experience without the wine. ( You must make reservations for Rhino visit )

Their 55-acre ranch in Fredericksburg is close to everything, but as you pull through the gates you will be entering into a whole new world when you arrive. They have a special area where you will be able to get up close and personal with Big Blake.  The rhino keeper will escort you and guide you through the experience where you will learn more about this rhino and potentially get the opportunity to feed him, touch and or rub him.  This is an amazing experience that will be remembered for a lifetime. All revenue from the experience will go to the International Rhino Foundation to further aid rhino conservation worldwide.

The concept came about after owner Craig Stevens and wife Chesney witnessed a devastating loss while traveling in Africa and wanted to tell the world about the issues rhinos are facing. I was very impressed with Chris and Kristen’s passion, professionalism and knowledge about rhinos. They have over three decades of experience and will educate you and your family on the history of this incredible species that faces extinction, and how we can help save them.

Chris and Kristen the passionate Rhino Keepers.

The wine team is also excellent and will explain the wide variety of wines offered and help you make educated choices so you can enjoy sipping on some incredible wines. They will answer your questions and educate you on the flavor profiles as well as the origins of the wine. The Stevens family settled in Hill Country over 150 years ago and they’re proud to continue the ranching and farming tradition, albeit they’re raising rhinos instead of cattle and wine grapes instead of hay.

Don’t forget to join the “Winos for Rhinos” wine club before you leave, this is a must if you love wine. Jana and I joined and took home 12 bottles of tasty wine that we can enjoy as we talk about and remember Blake, the sweet Rhino.

I strongly and highly recommend this travel experience that everyone can enjoy at the RHINORY… It’s one you will cherish for the rest of your life!

This is truly one of the most unique and unforgettable travel experiences you will ever encounter. I was so IMPRESSED and TAKEN by my experience that I had a hard time leaving. We said goodbye to BLAKE and the staff and now we are off to locate more fantastic and memorable experiences.

If you love deliciousness, good times, and real travel experiences, I urge you to follow us on our social channels, watch our TV show, listen to our podcast, or sign up for our email list.

Thank you so much for time!

Trey Chapman 

Trey Chapman / Trey’s Chow Down /Drink With Trey & Craig Stevens OWNER The Rhinory.

DFW Chef John Tesar WINS Michelin star!

Trey Chapman Chow, Travel Experiences

Florida Perfection!

Chef John & Chef Gerald

Orlando Florida has a new reason to celebrate TODAY! Dallas Chef John Tesar WON a Michelin Star for his KNIFE & SPOON Restaurant located at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes. Orlando visitors can now enjoy dinning at the Michelin star restaurant because last night was a FIRST for Florida. The 122-year-old guide book announced its first-ever star rating and dining guide to Florida and chef John Tesar’s KNIFE & SPOON was among the star-rated restaurants.

John created Knife Dallas and Knife Plano award winning steakhouses serving some of the best steaks in the world. Two months ago he opened OUTER REEF in Dana Point, California with steaks, seafood and creative desserts. There’s NO stopping John now! He has no time to rest with his current venture opening in Los Colinas later this year. Knife Italian will open at the Four Seasons Resort in Las Colinas at the Ritz-Carlton later in 2022.

The Michelin star guide awarded 15 restaurants in the inaugural MICHELIN Guide to Florida 2022. Please see the link for the NEW guide below.

https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/article/michelin-star-revelation/2022-florida-michelin-stars

Michelin star 2022

When you visit Orlando a trip to Knife & Spoon is a must for anyone that wants to enjoy a wide ranch of creative deliciousness with an award winning steak, seafood and savory sweet desserts. Congratulations to Chef John Tesar, Chef Gerald and the entire team culinary team for a job well done.

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Addictive Bark-O-lious Texas Style BBQ in California

Trey Chapman Chow
Succulent Pull Pork, Meaty Burnt Ends, Flavorful Sausage and Sides.

Howdy, BBQ Lovers!

If you’re a barbecue lover like me, then no city, state, or country is out of reach – especially when it’s a barbecue joint that’s slinging succulent Texas-style, award-winning, and Bark-O-Licious barbecue.

As we continue on our MEETS, EATS & SWEETS Tour 2022, we headed to the small community of San Juan Capistrano, California. This is an extremely cozy and beautiful town located in Orange County, California, along the Orange Coast. San Juan Capistrano was founded by the Spanish in 1776 when St. Junípero Serra established Mission San Juan Capistrano. It’s a beautiful place with friendly folks and now offers some of the BEST BARBECUE in the state of California.

One of Four Big Beautiful Pits.

I could smell the aromas lofting in the air a block away, and my mouth started watering as we approached. When we pulled up, we saw the beautiful surroundings with the palm trees and landscape dancing with the wind. What an amazing atmosphere to enjoy some delicious barbecue.

Heritage Barbecue is a Texas-style barbecue joint offering a rotating menu of home-made sides, succulent smoked brisket, beef ribs, and pulled pork. They also offer juicy, flavor-loaded tri-tip, smoked chicken, turkey, K.C-style burnt-ends, and a variety of other proteins, even house-prepared sausages.

They have the ordering process down to a science. It’s easy and organized, and the line moves like a finely tuned Swiss watch. We ordered and then enjoyed the fresh air in the unique and cozy outdoor atmosphere. They have four massive barbecue pits on display that are constantly billowing smoke in the California sun while you sit and enjoy your barbecue. The pits are beautiful, offering a variety of colorful patinas that happen naturally in the barbecue smoking process.

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VooDoo Doughnuts Unique, Colorful & Delicious!

Trey Chapman Chow

Good day, Doughnut Lovers!

They told me: “The magic is in the hole!”  

As we continue our Road Trippin’ the USA: MEETS, EATS and SWEETS 2022 Tour, I’ve located another unique hand-crafted doughnut experience that is savory, sweet and sure to please your sweet tooth cravings.

Today we’re in Houston, TX at the world-famous Voodoo Doughnut. They have other Texas locations in the cities of Cypress and Austin, as well as a total of 12 other locations in six different states as they continue growing in the USA.

Locations👉 https://www.voodoodoughnut.com/locations/ 

The Story goes: Voodoo Doughnut is the brainchild of old friends and entertainment-minded Portlanders Kenneth “Cat Daddy” Pogson and Tres Shannon. In 2000, they decided to embark on a shared entrepreneurial venture – something that combined quality hospitality with their daring do-it-yourself brand of show business.

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Tesar Coast to Coast Perfection in Florida & California

Trey Chapman Chow

Good Day, Everyone!

Celebrity Chef John Tesar

About eight years ago I met a chef in Dallas who I had read so much about and heard so many stories. I had been wanting to meet him for several years, but our paths had never crossed, and I’m not one to push meetings. Being in the food and restaurant business for decades, I understand all too well the complications of restaurant operations and how short on time chefs, managers, partners and owners can be every day. Time is a commodity that everyone is short on these days, especially celebrity chefs. They have a tough schedule already, and if they’re traveling between multiple restaurant concepts, events, charity functions, meetings, and TV interviews, there truly is NO TIME to spare. With that in mind, I waited until the time was right to meet him.

When I met Chef John Tesar and got to spend some time with him hosting him on my TV show, I realized how passionate he was about the restaurant business and how he personally feels about perfection and what that word truly means. In today’s times some folks mistake passion and the pursuit of perfection for something else entirely. To be honest, being deeply passionate and dedicated toward something is a trait few folks will ever understand, but Chef John Tesar knows all too well because he lives it 24/7/365.

You can never fully understand a person by what you read or hear. You really have to spend some time talking with them to understand what they’re trying to achieve, and the path they’re walking to reach their goals. It would be safe to say that John isn’t walking anywhere – he is running full speed all the time in the relentless pursuit of creating deliciousness for everyone to enjoy.

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Old School Sub Sandwich Perfection!

Trey Chapman Chow

Sandwich Perfection isn’t easy, but I’ve discovered it! 

Meat Ball Sub!

Trey’s Chow Down says, “Forgive me father, for I have sinned. I was told at least 50 times about the deliciousness at Dino’s, and it took me 3 years to make the trip.” I TRULY WISH I HAD LISTENED “ and visited years ago when I first received the tip. I had no idea Dino’s had been slinging subs for decades in the DFW area!

Yesterday we were road trippin’ for deliciousness and took a ride over to Dino’s Subs in Arlington, Texas for an unforgettable experience. We walked through the door and could smell the sandwiches being prepared fresh. As we stood in line my mouth was watering at the thought of sinking my teeth into one of Dino’s classic subs. My excitement grew as the line moved forward little by little. It was a great experience once it was our turn to order and we stood at the glass, looking through at the fresh-cut meats and ingredients. If you love perfect food experiences then you will understand what I’m saying.

All I can say is this! It was one of those old school deli meals that you just can’t stop eating. I was like a fat hog at the feed trough. I would bite then chew, BITE then chew, BITE then chew, only to breathe when absolutely necessary! The sandwiches were so savory and freaking delicious. I had crumbs all over me from slinging the sandwiches table to mouth. Heck, I even had hot mustard on my shirt and cheeks, and I didn’t care! You know why I didn’t care? Because it was so F@$#$ Delicious! That’s the truth – all I could think was: THANK YOU SIR, MAY I HAVE ANOTHER?

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A Meat LOVERS Dream Houston BBQ Festival 2022

Trey Chapman Chow

Houston BBQ Festival 2022 at the Humble Civic Center

Just some of the meat delicious I enjoyed!

If you ever wondered how popular Texas BBQ has become, you need to look no further than the number of successful BBQ Festivals these days. We’ve attended four and hosted two in the last 6 months alone, and there have been many more that we just couldn’t attend.

Texas BBQ has really made big strides in the last 15 years, and has really surged in the last decade. While traveling around the state and attending events, doing restaurant reviews, and hosting my live TV show and podcast, I’ve seen so many changes and new ideas, and they’ve all been for the better. During my travels around the USA, I get asked quite often about the surge in popularity of Texas BBQ. I make my answers brief and easy to understand, because everyone seems to be short on time these days.

To me, the popularity is quite simple: It’s the creativity, hard work, and dedication to producing that perfect meaty flavor. It’s the TEXAS pride that says, “We’re going to be the best, create the best, and sling the BEST Q anyone has ever tasted, or we’ll die trying!” You sure can’t leave out the competitive nature of Texans – that in its self is simply INCREDIBLE! I guess to put in simple terms you can just say, “Well It’s a Texas thing and you wouldn’t understand!” LOL. 

They understood 9 years ago when they hosted the first ever Houston BBQ Festival and it’s still standing strong today!  On April 3rd, 2022, 28 BBQ Joints, chefs and pit masters attended the 9th annual BBQ festival in Humble. Trey’s Chow Down got a tip from some of our followers in Texas about this amazing festival and we took a ride out to Houston to see what it was all about. After 2 years of waiting due to covid, the FESTIVAL WAS BACK! Chefs and pit masters were smoking up Humble, TX and slinging creative, delicious Texas BBQ for everyone to enjoy.

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30 Must Try Restaurants & Food in Dallas & Fort Worth for 2022 (Best Thing I Ate)

Trey Chapman Chow
Best Thing I Ate On Fox 4 Good Day.

Hello Food and Drink Lovers!

Have you ever taken a bite of something so delicious that you thought to yourself, “I have to tell someone about this!” I’m sure you have because we all feel that way sometimes. It doesn’t matter if it’s savory, sweet, or both, we just want to tell someone about how perfect a dish was. After traveling around in 2021, eating and visiting with chefs and restaurant folks, I had an idea. I wanted to spread a little deliciousness among my friends; I wanted to share with everyone the BEST DISHES I ATE in 2021.

2021 was our most successful year at locating creative chefs and delicious dishes. We traveled through 10 different states, logging our most miles ever and visiting a record number of chefs and restaurants. I wanted to highlight some of the most unique and delicious dishes you should try in 2022.  These are my top restaurants with dishes, and there’s a big variety so there’s something for everyone!

I enjoyed visiting and eating with some of the best chefs and restaurant folks in the business. Each dish has been carefully chosen and is a chef-driven dish prepared by the best! They only use fresh ingredients, vegetables, and spices to create some bold, modern flavor profiles that everyone will love. Most of the eats are simple dishes that are prepared with passion, love, and creativity.  Remember, a simple dish is sometimes the most difficult to facilitate because all parts must be complete perfection. I believe that in most cases simple is better because it gives each ingredient that culinary jingle to create deliciousness.

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BIRRIA PIZZA PERFECTION IN TEXAS!

Trey Chapman Chow

Hello Chow Hounds!

BIRRIA CHEESE PULL!

Last week Trey’s Chow Down took another Road Trip for deliciousness as we headed out to beautiful East Texas to the town Paris, Texas. Paris is a wonderful and beautiful city, complete with a downtown country feel and beautiful views. Paris is in Northeast Texas at the western edge of the Piney Woods.  It’s in Lamar County and as of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 25,171.

We made the trip to Paris because someone told me about a little food trailer slinging some of the BEST BIRRIA TACOS, PIZZAS, and RAMEN in Texas. If you follow me, you know we live to discover deliciousness for our followers. I’m telling you this an amazing find!

What is Birria? Let me explain! Birria is a Mexican dish from the state of Jalisco. The Spanish term “birria” is used to describe immaterial things without value or quality. It is a traditional ancestral soup or stew made from a combination of chili pepper-based goat meat adobo, garlic, cumin, bay leaves, and thyme, and cooked at a low heat. After cooking it’s usually simmered for about 20 minutes, then blended in a high powered blender until nice and smooth. An authentic Birria Taco, Pizza or Burrito is served with “Consome de Birria” sauce and it is #StupidDelicious.

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The BEST Fried Chicken in Dallas and Fort Worth, North Texas.

Trey Chapman Chow

Howdy Fried Chicken Lovers!

Rapscallion Dallas “Long Walk To Nashville” Fried Bird. ABC Studios.

I’ve been excited and wanting to create my list of top fried chicken joints for over two years, but like fried chicken itself, you just can’t rush perfection. We’ve been enjoying fried chicken all over North Texas from casual, fast casual and fast-food joints and I’ve finally decided it was time to let the feathers fly and expose what I consider to be the BEST fried chicken in the North Texas area.

We have many places selling various forms of chicken nowadays, so I want to be clear about what I mean when discussing fried chicken. I’m talking about fresh, bone-in chicken fried to GBP – Golden Brown Perfection. Wikipedia defines fried chicken as: “Southern fried chicken,” also known simply as fried chicken, is a dish consisting of chicken pieces that have been coated with seasoned flour or batter and pan-fried, deep fried, pressure fried, or air fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or crust to the exterior of the chicken while retaining juices in the meat.

Growing up, we served fried chicken at some of our Chapman Family Restaurants and it was very good. Under our restaurant umbrella we also owned a Churches Fried Chicken franchise, and this is where I truly learned the preparation techniques and the time it took to cook and deliver fresh fried chicken. There really are no shortcuts in the process – if you try and eliminate a step, you’re asking for subpar chicken. Preparing fried chicken isn’t very technical, but I strongly believe that simple cooking processes are sometimes the hardest to pull off. The simpler the dish, the less places there are to hide from subpar preparation.

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The 50 Best Burgers in North Texas 2021

Trey Chapman Burgers, Chow

Howdy Burger Lovers!

I’m honored to present this year’s BEST burger winners. Any burger on my list is here because they are fresh and delicious. Please support local and try all of these burgers. Below at the end of the blog we created a full color poster of this years winners. You may screen shot from your phone or print it off and plan your BURGER adventures of 2021. By saving our list you will have instance reference for your barbecue cravings. 

WOW! What a year 2020 was for the restaurant, food, and culinary world. In my five decades in the restaurant business, I’ve seen disasters of all types and nothing comes close to the devastating effect Covid-19 had on our economy. Restaurants, chefs, pitmasters, and restauranteurs had to make big changes if they wanted to survive the pandemic. Nationwide, we lost over 251,000 restaurants forever and 2.5 million restaurant jobs at the latest estimate. The good thing is that NOW we are on the mend and the Texas economy is in full giddy-up mode! This is why it’s so important to support local restaurants to keep us in giddy-up mode.

Even though things were crazy due to Covid-19 we still worked hard reporting on food and hunting down the best burgers we could locate in North Texas. The pandemic allowed us plenty of extra time to chow down on some tasty burgers; it also allowed burger creators time to come up with some new delicious and creative burgers for all of us to enjoy. If you follow me, you know how much I enjoy a great and tasty burger.  This is our seventh year for the BEST BURGER contest in Texas and I’m excited to tell everyone about my delicious burger discoveries.

Did you know that burgers are one of the most sought-after sandwiches in the world? The burger business is crazy in the U.S.A. I don’t have the newly updated numbers of burgers sold in 2020 during the pandemic (and it would be an oddly skewed amount), so we are using the last updated numbers. A national research company states that we sell 6.48 million burgers a day, and around 75 burgers a second! What? Yes, 75 burgers a second! This roughly breaks down as 4,500 burgers every minute, 270,000 every hour, 6.48 million a day, and 2.36 billion burgers a year. A worldwide research study states we sell 50 billion a year worldwide. 50 Billion a year that to me is shocking, but I know how many folks just love a succulent, savory, and delicious burger.

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