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    Michelle Matthews and William Warren of Pig Pen BBQ, winner of the Dripping Springs Century News ‘Best of Dripping’ award in Barbeque and Food Trailer. CENTURY NEWS PHOTO BY GARY ZUPANCIC

Innovative plus Fresh equals Delicious

Food trucks, lean startups

Some of the tastiest cooking in the country today is happening in food parks-- collections of food trucks with a common dining area, allowing for picnic-like outdoor dining or take home meals-- and Dripping Springs has an exceptional food park in Pig Pen Station, right near the center of town. Here, we profile Pig Pen BBQ and 'Tai Tai and I' at the food park, along with Le Muse Coffee Bar, formerly of Pig Pen Station but now transitioned to brick and mortar at the Caliterra Welcome Lounge.

 

"Pig Pen BBQ" and "Tai Tai and I"

By Gary Zupancic

 

Head west on 290 and immediately after Whole Pets Market, turn left into Pig Pen Station; you’ll see a wealth of trailers and foods to choose from, from burgers to shaved ice to pizza, but let’s talk about just two of them, to start.  

The first trailer you encounter is Pig Pen BBQ, winner of the Dripping Springs Century News ‘Best of Dripping’ award in Barbeque and Food Trailer.  The big white trailer with the cartoon pig on the side is awash in customers, even at 2:15 p.m.  It obvious is that the food is pretty darn good.

Proprietor Bill Warren is a former cop, who retired as a Sergeant from the Austin Police Department. That is the reason for the police badge on the cartoon pig. Get it? Pig pen. He wanted something different for his retirement. “I wanted to follow my passion from over the years.  I drove around and saw a lot of BBQ. [I came to Dripping] and fell in love with the lot,” Warren said.  “I thought I might have a chance. There was only one established BBQ place here.” In 2010 he started doing catering in the Wedding Capital of Texas, and bought the lot on which his trailer and the others sit. “With the pension, I was able to afford what I wanted.”

Warren puts a lot of time, money and effort into contributing to the local community.  He is often one of the first businesses to be contacted for fundraisers. “It is the best part of this community. I help the school boosters at cost, help with meals on wheels, philanthropy is a passion.” 

Dream chasing though, can be tough, with so much to learn about running a business.

“Learning how to do this is an uphill battle...learning taxes, fees to the state. That’s the part that people don’t see,” he continued, “and it’s why most restaurants fail. People just don’t know [the cost of operating a restaurant]”.  Warren says it’s more economical to open a food business with a food truck.  But for himself, he sees a brick and mortar restaurant being built on the property within a few years.

Warren’s BBQ is, in fact, heaven on a bun.  Or heaven with sides, as you prefer.  While he is justifiably proud of his standbys of ribs, brisket, and sausage, almost all of his dishes have a flair that sets them apart from ordinary.  In fact, my favorite item on the menu is the humble turkey sandwich.  A dish that in some places screams “dry protein on cardboard”,  Pig Pen’s version is a generous helping of moist turkey on a perfectly textured potato bread bun, with a spicy green dressing that accentuates without overpowering.  

“Most BBQ joints are traditional, just a salt and pepper rub. I do it differently, I have my own seasoning…I try to be different. That’s my goal,” says Warren.

Just a few trailers down is Tai Tai and I, with a full menu of Asian entrees and side dishes.  Owner Robert Friedland is a trained culinary chef, who has cooked in venues around the world, including in Amsterdam, Belgium, France, and China.   He is fanatical about freshness and using authentic ingredients like Thai basil, instead of regular basil.  

And it shows.  Even the simplest dishes at Tai Tai and I are made special with freshness and flair.  I once ordered the marinated cucumbers appetizer on a whim, thinking that it would be a standard vinegar-sugar-cukes dish.  Wrong!  The fresh veggies and herbs with a little bit of spicy heat meshed into a treat, the perfect appetizer for the meal to follow; in my case, a fresh and delicious order of thai beef.

After cooking all around the globe, why settle in Dripping?  Friedland and his wife, Ling Ling (“Tai Tai” is Mandarin for “wife”) came to Dripping Springs for the same reason as almost everyone else:  the schools.  “We have a nine year old and a three year old,” Friedland said.  “We wanted public schools, not private.  We like the small town feel, close to Austin, but not in their growth model.  We want to grow with the town.”

Friedland has plans, but doesn’t take himself too seriously (“Man plans, God laughs”, he quipped.) “I got a trailer and will see how that goes,” he said.  “It’s much quicker to get up and running this way, and I wanted it to be in Dripping, not downtown Austin.”  He and his family have been in Dripping Springs for about a year and a half, and opened Tai Tai and I in May 2018.  His plans for the future include a commercial kitchen in the Dripping area, and a brick and mortar restaurant.

For Friedland, the best thing about Tai Tai and I is doing what he loves.  “Oriental culture teaches you balance. I give of myself when I cook. In life, I cook even when I’m not working,” he said.  “If you call me at midnight and it’s a big enough order, I’ll come down and cook it for you. I love what I do and cooked my first meal when I was 8 years old.  I’ve wanted to do this since I was 12. I’d set up a restaurant in the backyard.” 

Friedland rotates his menus regularly, and is starting to add food from around the world while keeping Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese favorites.  “I have to be fluid and adjust to my customers. The first thing you learn in culinary school is to make what customers want to eat.” If a certain menu item isn’t selling, he may rotate it off the menu, but can still prepare it with advance notice.  Give him a call - you’ll be happy you did.

Pig Pen BBQ – & Catering

1005 W Hwy 290

Phone: (512) 858-0600

Website: pigpen-bbq.com

Tai Tai and I

1005 W Hwy 290

Phone: (512) 375-2092

Website: taitaiandi.com

 

Le Muse Coffee Bar

By Alyssa Weinstein

 

In 2016, Juan Chan and his wife came to Dripping Springs and opened Le Muse coffee shop, now located in the Caliterra neighborhood’s Community Welcome Lounge.

It’s been a long journey. Chan, who was previously an ICU nurse in his hometown of Los Angeles, had no prior experience in the food or beverage industry, but he and his wife loved coffee. And his family recipes for coffee, hot chocolate, breakfast tacos, and more gave him the confidence to open Dripping Springs’ first permanent food truck.  He started with a 20-foot trailer located off of Fitzhugh in May 2016. He developed a following, and later moved his business to Pig Pen Station, where he continued to serve his craft beverages.

In October 2018, Chan received a phone call from Caliterra developers eager to fill in the vacant brick and mortar space that had once been occupied by Mazama Coffee. They asked him if he could move into the community Welcome Lounge in two weeks.  A bit shocked, Chan said he couldn’t move in that quickly, but that he’d be there in a month.  

Making the transition from trailer to brick and mortar, while at the same time moving to a different part of town, is a challenge for any business.  But Chan is happy; Le Muse in Caliterra is always busy.  “I wasn’t worried at all, because we have a following here in Dripping Springs,” Chan said. “The way I see things is that everybody has a different taste in coffee and every coffee shop has their own style. We’re more of a craft and fresh -focused coffee shop.”

Chan’s Hispanic, family-inspired food and drinks are one of a kind here in Dripping Springs.  “The way my mom used to make hot chocolate is the way I make it for people. Everything is freshly made to order. When you order the drink, I don’t have anything pre-mixed. I’m making it there for you – that’s the difference between us and a lot of the places,” Chan said. The same applies to the food Chan serves as well. Whether it’s his holiday tamales, or the carne asada tacos he serves when he caters business meetings, he puts the same quality and care into his meals as he does his drinks.

Chan’s next goal is to expand the food and catering side of Le Muse.  “I think we’re going to jump into having a food business. I’m still going to cater, but it’s going to be more like a takeout set-up,” Chan said. “I have an opportunity here in town that’s being remodeled right now, but I’m still thinking about it.”

Chan believes his next vision will become a reality, especially if more members of his family move to Texas.  “My mom kind of wants to move here, too. If I do have my mom, she’s the chef,” Chan laughs. “It wouldn’t be Le Muse anymore, it would be my mom’s restaurant, but it would still be branch of Le Muse.”

“Le muse” is someone who inspires and gives you ideas. From the beginning, Chan wanted his coffee to be the ‘muse’ of his customers - to help them wake-up and brighten their day. Ever since he opened his small trailer off Fitzhugh, he’s given Dripping Springs exactly that.

Le Muse Coffee Bar

505 Wynnpage Dr

Phone:  (512) 270-9474

Dripping Springs Century-News

P.O. Box 732
Dripping Springs, Texas 78620

Phone: (512) 858-4163
Fax: (512) 847-9054