Get Ready! Tomorrow is Texas Chicken Fried Steak Day

by Steven Lindsey      photo by Steven Doyle

It’s that magical time of year when children make their wish lists, special outfits are purchased in anticipation, and grown men dream of country gravy. Yes, it’s beginning to look a lot like Texas Chicken Fried Steak Day, the one day a year when being naughty is oh-so-nice.

If you’ve never heard of Texas Chicken Fried Steak Day, don’t worry. This is the first official year of the esteemed official recognition. Spearheaded by Jeffrey Yarbrough, CEO of bigInk PR and Marketing, the hope of putting one of the Lone Star State’s most iconic meals on a pedestal became reality when State Representative Ralph Sheffield, Speaker of the House Joe Straus, and Chief Clerk Robert Haney signed the resolution on May 30, 2011.   

Restaurants across the state are participating in the celebration by showcasing their own traditional or unique spins on the classic. Whether it’s deep fried or skillet fried, lightly dredged or heavily battered, topped with cream gravy or something more exotic like chili or chile con queso, there’s no denying that this is a dish that deserves a moment in the spotlight.

“There was an opportunity for restaurateurs and consumers to honor our Texas roots, culture and heritage by recognizing and celebrating this one special day,” says Yarbrough, whose quest to make Texas Chicken Fried Steak Day official began back in 2009.

“The process began with me traveling to Austin and meeting with members of the Agriculture Department and the Texas Beef Council to only find there was so much red tape involved,” he says. “On top of that there was a certain process to even begin this mountain of a task.”

Out of sheer frustration, Yarbrough stopped by HR Ralph Sheffield’s Temple, Texas Las Casas Restaurant  to “vent to an old friend.”

“He told me he thought he could get this moving through the political process, and he did!” Yarbrough says enthusiastically of the official H.R. No. 1419 proclamation.

“I was elated, thrilled and knew this was the beginning of a piece of history that I personally had my stamp on.”

So eat with pride this October 26 and celebrate a taste as big as Texas. With an extra side of gravy.

Tomorrow we celebrate the day with a list of our favorite Chicken Fried Steaks here at craveDFW.