Lisa Fain, photo by Jan Cobb

You don’t have to be a seventh-generation Texan to feel a deep connection to the Lone Star State and a sense of longing when you are away from it.

That Lisa Fain does have those very deep roots made her longing more pronounced.

Listen to Lisa Fain talk about Texas food and cooking.

In 1995, when she was 25-years-old, Lisa took a job in Manhattan and thus achieved a lifelong dream of living and working in New York City. It was a thrill for this young Texan, and she took it all in: the skyscrapers, city lights, and the people.

Once the newness and excitement of the city began to wear off, she started to miss home–especially the aromas and the flavors of good Texas cooking: her father’s chicken fried steak; the spicy pork tacos she could find at nearly any gas station in Dallas; the custard-like chess pie, her grandmother’s favorite dessert.

When she went in search of familiar food in the City that Never Sleeps, she could not find it. So, she started cooking up her favorite foods in her small urban kitchen. Eventually she started the blog Homesick Texan to document her recipes, photography and stories.

Homesick Texan has been named one of the top 50 food blogs in the world by the Times of London and Best Regional Cuisine Food Blog by Saveur. It has also received recognition from The New York Times, Bon Appetit and Gourmet.

Lisa Fain’s culinary curiosity and enthusiasm are a combination of nature and nurture. She said nearly everyone in her family cooks, and growing up they would all gather around the dinner table at mealtime to break bread and talk about their day.

Cooking is a family value on both sides of her family, which Lisa said she considers “really neat.” She even thought about attending culinary school at one point.

Instead she moved to New York to pursue a career in advertising and marketing.

Lisa is an active member of Foodways Texas and The Southern Foodways Alliance, and is also a certified barbecue judge.