The Dish a Prince Requested Twice

In February 1986, at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, then-Prince Charles (now King Charles III) tasted cheese and spinach enchiladas at a formal dinner and made an unusual request: "One more plate, please." The caterer behind this royal-approved dish was Gourmet Gals and Guys, and Tricia Henry, who ran the company for 25 years, recently recalled, "Our entire family worked those events in tuxedos."

Henry served as operations director for the catering company owned by her friend and neighbor Betsy Nozick. "Betsy had a genius for combining ingredients, and I made sure everything ran smoothly," she explains. After retiring, the duo published a cookbook in 2007 documenting their experiences: 'Tuxedos and Tacos: The Mystique of Entertaining in Texas' (Eakin Press), which became a bestseller.

From 2,000 to 10,000 Guests: Catering at Scale

The events handled by Gourmet Gals and Guys were extraordinary in scope. Serving over 2,000 guests at a single event was routine, and at one shopping mall opening, they provided food for a total of 10,000 people.

Their client roster was equally impressive:

• Former Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Gerald Ford and their spouses
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
• Motion Picture Association President Jack Valenti
• Journalists Walter Cronkite and Bill Moyers
• Columnists Ann Landers and Art Buchwald

"Our client base was definitely 'Old Austin,'" Henry notes. At the time, Austin, Texas was a gathering place for political, media, and cultural figures, and Gourmet Gals was the go-to brand for their official events.

Theater Without Rehearsal

Henry and Nozick likened their work to "theater without rehearsal." They produced a Hawaiian luau party in Las Vegas and transformed sections of a new Texas shopping mall into Academy Award-winning movie sets:

• 'Gone with the Wind' zone: Staff dressed as "Rhett" and "Scarlett" served Southern cuisine
• 'Grease' zone: John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John lookalikes handled tables with a rock-and-roll theme
• 'Casablanca' zone: A "Humphrey Bogart" character served champagne in the dessert area

At this event, which featured rising star Faith Hill as headliner, the biggest challenge was "the chef becoming so mesmerized by Faith's performance that he couldn't focus on kitchen duties," according to the book.

For a Round Rock hospital opening, they added humor by placing ice cream and pickles in the obstetrics section, and at another event, they positioned a harpist at the center of a large conference table, simultaneously providing music and food service in an innovative presentation.

One Year Writing, One Year Testing Recipes

'Tuxedos and Tacos' required one year of writing and one year of recipe testing. The book contains everything from the enchiladas served at the royal dinner to techniques for managing 2,000-guest buffets—a comprehensive guide to Texas catering. It's currently available at the Marble Falls Public Library and can be ordered online.

Co-author Betsy Nozick passed away in 2018, but Tricia Henry enjoys her retirement in Marble Falls and vividly remembers those days. "We didn't just serve food," she says. "We created a new stage every single time."