Tom Perini

Tom Perini wasn't always a Texas cowboy gourmet. His love for ranch life began as a young boy, growing up and working on his family's ranch. Later in life when the death of his father brought him back to the ranch he loved, he combined his two passions: ranch life and cooking. In 1973, his official culinary career as a chuck wagon cook took off. After working through traditional chuck wagon recipes and developing a few unique dishes of his own, Perini believed the time was right to open a restaurant on the family's working ranch. In 1983 after years of cooking at the wagon, Tom opened the Perini Ranch Steakhouse. Proudly located on the Perini Ranch in Buffalo Gap, Texas – population of 463 – this rustic ranch eatery is home to some of the best chuck wagon style food around.

Perini Food Philosophy

Tom Perini believes all a good steak needs is a little traditional Texas dry rub seasoning and a very hot fire of mesquite coals. While beef takes center stage, catfish, ribs and hamburgers also share the grill. Add his signature Green Chile Hominy (made with bacon, cheddar cheese and green chiles), Zucchini Perini and you have a meal to satisfy the heartiest appetite. For dessert, a must is the famous Bread Pudding made with sourdough bread and pecans, topped with Jack Daniels Whiskey Sauce or a slice of the unique Jalapeño Cheesecake. Relax outside under the stars, listen to the band, watch the kids chase the cats and dogs, and enjoy ranch living and Texas hospitality at it's finest.

The Perini Expansion

Tom Perini's culinary career quickly soared to a new level following the introduction of his Mesquite Smoked Peppered Beef Tenderloin. Taking each individually selected and hand trimmed tenderloin, a special seasoning of freshly ground peppers and herbs is applied to enhance the rich, full flavor of the beef; followed with gentle roasting and mesquite smoking. It was a recipe Tom liked so much; he ventured out to market it as a mail-order item in 1995. It quickly reached national acclaim when the New York Times (November 1995), proclaimed it "Superlative...spectacular....the tasting star...," and reviewed the tenderloin as one of the Best Mail Order Gifts of the 1995 Holiday Season. Tens of thousands of tenderloin have been sold since its introduction. Perini Ranch's Mesquite Smoked Peppered Beef Tenderloin can be found in the upscale Williams-Sonoma catalogs, as well as in first-class cabins of Northwest and KLM Airlines.

Tom's next venture began after catering a Texas-themed fundraiser for the National Arboretum in Washington in the summer of 1998. While relaxing around the fire after a full day of cooking, a gentleman approached him and asked if he had ever considered writing a cookbook. After laughing, Tom joked "no, nor had any of my English teachers." When he returned to the hotel and looked at the card the gentleman handed him, he discovered he was joking with the president of Time-Life Publishing. In 2000, Tom Perini debuted, "Texas Cowboy Cooking," a coffee-table style cookbook. This book features a collection of 75 all-time favorite recipes served at the Perini Ranch Steakhouse and includes cooking tips, such as his secrets to selecting and cooking the perfect steak. Stunning photography and great western art along with bits of Perini's Texan wit bring to life the romance, adventure, character, and humor of life in cowboy country. With over 70,000 copies sold, the book is in its fifth printing. It is available online on this site, and in bookstores across the country.

Perini Across America

Tom Perini's unique style of cooking coupled with his natural Texas demeanor has gained him national and international attention. Perini has been featured on many national morning television news programs discussing his authentic, classic Texas-style of cooking, twice on CBS' Early Show with Bryant Gumble and also on Good Morning America. He has also appeared on The Outdoor Channel, The Food Network, and Fox News segment, Fox and Friends. Tom Perini has been invited six times to cook at New York's James Beard House (1995, 1997 and 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006), a highly coveted honor among the culinary arts.

In 2002 Perini Ranch was invited to sample its world famous Mesquite Smoked Peppered Beef Tenderloin at The Food & Wine Classic in Aspen . With over 1000 vineyards and a few select restaurants and chefs from all over the world, the invitation was a great honor. The Food & Wine Classic in Aspen is now a yearly event for Perini Ranch Steakhouse.

In 2002, Pace© Foods, a subsidiary of Campbell Soup Company partnered with this leading authority on cowboy cooking, to showcase the heritage of chuck wagon cooking. As the national spokesperson, Perini and his authentic 1850's chuck wagon travels on behalf of Pace to PRCA rodeos, demonstrating his classic Texas-style cooking for rodeo fans. He also appears at other media-related events representing Pace.

Perini Goes Global

In 2002, Tom traveled internationally promoting US Beef. In both Moscow and St. Petersburg, Tom conducted chef's seminars utilizing US Beef. Highlighted was first and foremost, the quality of US Beef and its safety. Brisket, 109 Export Rib, Flank Steak, Ball Tip, and Tenderloin were just a few of the cuts featured in the seminars. Tom also was featured on a Russian cooking show and met with many individuals in the restaurant and hospitality industry. In November of 2004, select chefs from Russia traveled to Perini Ranch Steakhouse to experience first hand Tom's work with beef and his chuck wagon cooking. In February of 2002, Tom and Lisa traveled to Poland on behalf of the United States Meat Export Federation and the Texas Beef Council.  The purpose of this trip was to work with Polish chefs and a Polish meat processor (Sokolow) with briskets. As a result of this adventure, the processor entered into the new product category at Eurogastro, a large food show in Warsaw, and the Texan style brisket won the prize for best new product.

With all this national and international exposure, Tom still remembers to keeps his roots close to home, staying involved in the community that helped him start his unique career. As part of his community involvement, he is active in the Abilene Restaurant Association, serving as a previous president. He is also active in the Abilene Chamber of Commerce, who named "Small Business Person of the Year" in 2002. The award is awarded based on several factors, contributions to the community's quality of life. Perini has also served as president of the Texas Restaurant Association and in 2005 named to the TRA Hall of Honor. Tom enjoys traveling, collecting, and history – with a focus on Texas, of course.