Pitmaster IndexTootsie Tomanetz
Pitmaster
Tootsie Tomanetz
Snow's BBQ60+ years activeGiddings, TX
Signature:Brisket
Norma Frances "Tootsie" Tomanetz began cooking barbecue in 1966 at City Meat Market in Giddings, where her husband worked. She has run the pits at Snow's BBQ in Lexington since it opened in 2003. Snow's drew wide attention after Texas Monthly ranked it the best barbecue joint in Texas in 2008, and she was featured in Netflix's Chef's Table: BBQ in 2020. In December 2025, at 90, she was still the pitmaster at Snow's.
Technique
Tomanetz learned to cook in the Central Texas tradition, over a post oak fire. At Snow's she uses indirect heat for long smokes and direct heat for most other meats, holding the smokers at 250 to 275 degrees for brisket.
Recognition
- Snow's BBQ — No. 1, Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ Joints (2008 and 2017)
- Featured on Netflix's Chef's Table: BBQ (2020)
- Barbecue Hall of Fame (American Royal, 2018)