Davila’s BBQ featured in Wall Street Journal

Seguin, TX, USA / Seguin Today

Darren Dunn

(Seguin) — The Wall Street Journal on Saturday featured Seguin’s own Davila’s BBQ in the newspaper’s salute to all things related to barbecue. Davila’s BBQ was chosen to be part of an article that appeared in Saturday’s “Off Duty” section of the WSJ.

Pit-master Adrian Davila, who’s been featured on a number of cable television programs, including appearances on the Food Network, says he was thrilled to have his family’s restaurant chosen to be part of this profile in the Wall Street Journal.

The featured piece was called “BBQ: The Ultimate Guide — Our A-to-Z survey takes a global view, with a world of tools, ingredients and tips you’ll need to break out of your cooking routine and harness the power of fire.” The article was written by Matthew Kronsberg.

Davila says that he could hardly believe it when Kronsberg first reached out to him and said that he wanted to feature the restaurant in the Wall Street Journal. Davila says that Kronsberg had lots of choices when it came to choosing someone to represent Texas barbecue, but he says that Davila’s just happened to be the right choice for this particular piece.

“The cool thing about the whole barbecue scene is the — as the reporter did mention, ‘you know a lot of these other places get a lot of play. We like your story. We like your area.’ They really wanted to put Seguin and South Texas on shine. They were, of course, very much aware of the other barbecue places around the state that are famous, but he really was drawn to our story and our community and our style, with our South Texas barbecue and the Latin, sort of, Hispanic story (that goes along) with our family and that sort of thing. That really drew him in. He said I want you to be part of this piece, which is, ‘we are doing A-to-Z barbecue, with products, people and foods — and we want you guys to represent Texas with the Texas Trinity of ribs, brisket and sausage,”‘ said Davila as he recalled his conversations with Kronsberg.

Davila says that the restaurant not only got to have its food featured on the front page of the section, but it also got a chance to share how it continues to serve up its meats and sides to people, not just in Seguin, but also to others across the nation.

“The Wall Street Journal is obviously is an economically driven publication, so their whole thing was (also) focusing on our Goldbelly program, which is where we sell barbecue (online) and ship it all over the United States. We’ve been doing that about four years. And now with the pandemic and everything that’s going on, it’s really, really grown in size and scope. It’s probably tripled since the pandemic started,” said Davila.

The WSJ liked Davila’s food and they liked the restaurant’s story. It’s South Texas recipes aren’t your run-of-the-mill barbecue. Davila says this latest story helped to share something that he’s been saying to anyone who would listen for years. He says Davila’s is special because it’s tied to family, culture and community. He says those things are what make them so unique.

“It’s important to me, because this is who we are. This our legacy. This is what we get up in the morning to do. This is what we knew as kids. As a person and a family — that’s what we do. We barbecue. We barbecue and we are supported by our beautiful community. We are a part of that Texas barbecue family and community,” said Davila.

“Who we are is important to me, because I’m proud of who I am and I’m proud of my community. I definitely want to make sure that I always put that on my back, because that’s who made me.”

Adrian Davila is not only a pit-master and television personality, but he’s also a successful author. His cookbook, “Cowboy Barbecue: Fire and Smoke form the Original Texas Vaqueros,” was a big hit. Davila says they are always trying to make sure they take care of their customers here in Seguin, while also looking for more ways to share their food with others. He says this story just makes him again grateful for their customers. He says he’s also grateful for all the support the he also has been shown over the years.

“Sometimes, it’s hard to say stop and smell the roses. With me, it’s always like, what’s next? What can I get at next? Sometimes I don’t know exactly what I’m chasing. But if I want to add anything, it’s just that I’m so absolutely thankful for the opportunity to get in front of these platforms. It’s been quite an experience for me to deal with these publications and just dabble in this world that I never thought that I would be in. And again, I always want to be a good steward of my community and my family,” said Davila.

Davila’s BBQ continues to expand its brand. It currently is offering its dry spice rub at HEB stores across the state. It’s also moving to offer customers a chance to take home bottles of their unique Davila’s Barbecue Sauce.  Davila’s BBQ is located at 418 W. Kingsbury St. in Seguin.

If you missed the feature in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal, you can obtain a digital copy of the newspaper online.

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