Gift Certificate for 2 entrees and 2 beverages  No cash value. Alcohol and gratuity not included; Expires 12-31-18

Hoover's Cooking is Texas cooking.  www.hooverscooking.com

FOR MORE THAN 15 YEARS, HOOVER’S COOKING HAS BEEN A FORCE IN THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY. 

 TEXAS-GROWN & FARM-FRESH
Hoover Alexander’s  roots run deep through Texas. A native East Austinite and a fifth-generation Texan, Hoover and his cooking are inspired by the state itself. Hoover has always associated food with bringing people together, and the delicious and distinct flavors on our menu strive to bring together the melting pot of cultures and people who make up this great state.

Hoover recalls going out to the family farm in Utley, Texas and picking fresh peas, melons, greens, tomatoes from the field and watching his father butcher farm-raised meats. He grew up eating what is now known as "farm-to-table." Hoover’s relationships with area farmers allow us to bring fresh, local food to our tables every day.

Hoover's discovered his passion for food at the Night Hawk while he was attending the University of Texas. He started working there for extra spending money, rolling out pie dough, making gumbo, and filling in for the head chef, Mr. Leon, on his days off. It was there that he came to learn the restaurant business from the ground up: bussing tables, washing dishes, bartending, working the line, planning menus, and finally, managing.

Hoover honed his newfound skills over the next decade at other Austin institutions like Toulouse, Chez Fred, and Good Eats Café (where he was managing partner for six years). Finally, he landed at home with Hoover’s Cooking, a Texas home-cooking restaurant that encompasses his culinary expertise: Southern, Tex-Mex, Cajun, and, of course, BBQ. The Manor Road restaurant also happens to be a stone’s throw away from his childhood home.

A COMMITMENT TO WELLNESS & COMMUNITY
In 2011, Hoover opened his first food trailer, The Soular Foods Garden, to bridge the gap between soulful cooking and fresh-from-the-garden food. He used the veggie-centric trailer to promote urban gardens and more balanced eating habits. The trailer became a community experience, with gardens planted by the Sustainable Food Center’s gardening classes, benches made by the neighborhood’s Alternative Learning Center, and family entertainment by local artists and musicians.

Hoover has helped organize several food and wellness programs from a small-scale model of the Capital Area Food Bank’s Kids Café, to gardening and cooking classes for the BeHive after-school program, to conducting oral history interviews with elders (some over 90 years old!).