Charles Goodnight is sometimes known as the “father of the Texas Panhandle.” Essayist and historian J. Frank Dobie said that Goodnight “approached greatness more nearly than any other cowman of history.” But all we really care about is that our uncle Chuck is credited with operating the first chuck wagon. Out of the scores of cattle drivers, western wanderers, donner partiers, and miscellaneous drifters your uncle chuck stood up, squashed the culinary status quo and brought the fruits of a functioning kitchen to the wild west.  Why, because Chuck had more guts than a snake has hips and he wanted those guts filled with more than a can of beans cooked on an open fire.  So the next time you are sitting on the curb enjoying some delightful amalgamation of seasoned meats wrapped in tin foil raise a glass to your uncle Chuck and all he has done to make your fat ass fatter, even on the go!

Thanks to Chuck (no relation) and Josh of Stuff You Should Know for opening our eyes to the founding father of street food