Desert Island Dish with David Muñoz
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Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Courtesy of Green Pastures
As part of our running feature about Austin chefs' favorite meals, we recently caught up with David Muñoz, executive chef at Henry's, located in the new Inn at Green Pastures.
The background: A native of Fort Worth, Muñoz, 35, has been cooking at Green Pastures for nearly a decade, rising to executive chef in 2024.
- At Henry's, a casual day-to-night eatery and bar in the 63-room hotel, he's trying to preserve the legacy of Green Pastures, while pushing forward with a modern Texan menu. A hot dog with green tomato relish and sport peppers shares menu space with a Southern succotash, an elote mousse and a pork tenderloin dusted with huitlacoche.
Between the lines: Muñoz is a new father — he and his wife, a nurse, have a 6-month-old at home, in Manor — but many days he's out of the house from 7am to 11pm to run the restaurant.
You're on a desert island. What's the one dish you'd like with you?
"My mother's Election Night enchiladas. We got them every four years — beef cheek enchiladas, braised in red guajillo sauce, with Oaxacan cheese, rice and beans. My father was usually pretty involved in election cycles, as an election judge at the polls, so it was always a huge deal for us. We had a huge spread, and we'd go from morning menudo or pozole till dad got home after he finished the results."
What about dessert?
"Pistachio gelato from Uncle Nicky's."
You can bring a drink with you.
"It's hard to beat a sun tea, which would make sense on an island. It's pretty nostalgic for me. I don't remember too many families in Fort Worth that didn't have a giant jug of tea brewing out on the porch."