Small town eatery draws national praise for its pie

For many who live in Hutto, The Texan Caf and Pie Shop has become synonymous with great food and even better pie, but the restaurant's reputation has slowly spread beyond city and state lines.

The restaurant, housed in a historic building in downtown Hutto, has played host to diners from across the United States, said co-owner Ron Yaudes, who owns the restaurant with Roger Joughin.

Yaudes credits much of the cafe's success to the Hutto Economic Development Corp. and stories in several statewide and national magazines.

"We've had all these people from not just Central Texas, but kind of from all over the country that have walked in here, all holding up a [Southern Living article that featured the restaurant] saying, 'Is this the place?'" Yaudes said. "Roger and I are very proud that [we met] our little dream of doing a 'Route 66' diner and not being a chain and being able to cook from scratch."

Besides Southern Living, The Texan Caf has been featured in Texas Highways magazine, Texas Monthly's 40 Best Small Town Cafes and the Austin-American Statesman.

Before buying his own restaurant, Joughin spent many years working in various restaurants.

"For him, it was, 'What could I do to get back to that down-home cooking?'" Yaudes said. "We had a couple of road trips going back to relatives in Michigan where we stopped at 'Route 66' diners, and were like, 'Could you still do that?'

"That's kind of the fun thing here. We've really created the old-style diner, and [we are] proud to say we don't have any TVs. You want to watch TV, go home," he said, laughing.

The pair purchased the restaurant in 2006 and added their own flair to the menu, which features many of Joughin's creations, Yaudes said.

While the daily menu is set, Yaudes said every once in a while inspiration will strike and Joughin will put a new item on the specials board.

"Recently, he's been doing an eggplant casserole. It's stuff you just can't find somewhere else in most of the chain [restaurants]," Yaudes said.

"We have a number of things all the time, and some other things that we just jokingly say [are on the menu] depending on the mood of the cook and the heat of the kitchen," he said.

Joughin learned to cook from his grandmother and his mother, and many of the recipes featured on the menu came from them, Yaudes said.

"It's like going back to grandma's for Sunday dinner," he said.

Pie happy hour

The Texan Caf and Pie Shop features a pie happy hour Tuesday through Saturday from 3–5 p.m. A slice of pie and nonalcoholic drink are $3.74, when normally a slice of pie alone is $3.75. There are about 20 types of pie on the menu, co-owner Ron Yaudes said.

Yaudes' favorite desserts

• Brandy apple pie, served in a cast-iron skillet with ice cream
• Coconut cream pie
• Peanut butter pie
• Peppermint patty pie
• Chocolate-covered cherry pie

Owner recommendations

• Chicken-fried steak or chicken, hand-breaded and covered with cream gravy, served with two sides
• Fried pickles or fried green tomatoes, hand-battered and served with ranch dressing
• Cobb salad, a bed of greens topped with diced tomatoes, fried chicken, chopped boiled eggs, peppered bacon, onions, Roquefort cheese, diced avocados and a special dressing made in-house
• Fried Green Tomato BLT, a BLT sandwich served with a fried green tomato in place of red tomato

The Texan Caf and Pie Shop, 207 East St., Hutto, 846-2885, www.texancafe.net