Tom Shirey was set to open a new restaurant in Golden, TX, “the Watermelon Capital of the Lone Star state” and the hometown of singer Kacey Musgraves.
“I bought a little building there,” Tom remembers, “and we were going to be open a few nights a week and sell barbecue ribs and all-you-can-eat catfish. It’s a really nice little town. That was the plan.”
That was in early March and things changed quickly. “COVID pulled the rug out from under me.” With time on his hands, Tom headed to Red River for a little vacation. A frequent visitor over the years to get away from the Texas heat, he came early to see the Bluegrass festival, only to find it was postponed until 2021. He decided to stick around and enjoy the cool air.
His first business venture in Red River was located near a former gas station on the corner of Main and Bunker Hill Trail.
“Eleven years ago,” he laughs. “I had a concession stand on this corner and we cooked barbecue right here on this site, with this very same barbecue pit!”
That corner is now occupied by the Red River Brewing Company & Distillery and Tom is cooking BBQ for the restaurant which offers Tom’s brisket, St. Louis style ribs, chicken, pork tenderloin, sausage and BBQ sandwiches.