Grill Power Legend Spotlight: Tootsie Tomanetz

Legend Spotlight: Tootsie Tomanetz

If you want proof that barbecue isn’t just a boys’ club — and never has been — look no further than Tootsie Tomanetz, the 88-year-old pitmaster at Snow’s BBQ in Lexington, Texas.

Tootsie started barbecuing in the 1960s, stepping in when a pit hand didn’t show up at her husband’s butcher shop. What began as a fill-in job turned into a lifelong calling — and the start of a legend.

Today, she’s the heart and soul of Snow’s BBQ, a Saturday-only joint that routinely ranks among the best barbecue spots in the country. Tootsie still wakes up at 2 a.m. every Saturday to fire up the pits — after working weekdays as a school maintenance worker in nearby Giddings.

Her style is old-school Texas barbecue:

• Direct heat on open steel pits

• Shoveling hot coals by hand

• Turning and mopping meat with a vinegar-Worcestershire blend

• And doing it all with quiet toughness, humility, and grit.

You’ll find her tending ribs and pork steaks before sunrise, scrubbing pots by mid-morning, and mingling with guests by lunch. She’s not just a pitmaster — she’s a reminder that barbecue is about passion, endurance, and heart.

Tootsie didn’t just break the mold. She built her own.
And we think that’s exactly the kind of energy this summer needs.

Credit: Wyatt McSpadden