honor a “fluke.” It was an accident, really. He mailed about 20 tenderloins to publications all around the United States, desperate to drum up interest for his restaurant, now 12 years old and relatively unknown. Thewas running a contest, unbeknownst to Tom, and Perini Ranch’s tenderloin was picked as a winner just before Christmastime.
Great, right? Well: “We didn’t have a mail-order business,” Tom writes in the book. In quick time, they figured out how to take orders via phone, secured USDA approval, and found boxes to ship the food safely.“If you live in Manhattan, you can experience Perini Ranch without driving to Buffalo Gap.” So maybe it doesn’t matter that you can’t see it from the road.
“It’s interesting, [the pandemic] kind of made rural cool again,” Lisa says. “Everybody loved the country, everybody wanted fresh air.” She gives a tip for anyone who travels out that way: Stay for the stars. They’re big and bright, deep in the heart of Perini Ranch. “One of the things our guests love to do is lay in a hammock and look at the sky. It’s just magical,” she says.Meet Me at the WagonIt features stories about Perini Ranch from Reba McEntire, Gov. Rick Perry, chefs Dean Fearing and Stephan Pyles, and more. New book