EASTLAND, Texas – If you dig deep while looking for eateries in Eastland, you’ll find a local stop with a story that’ll warm your heart.
Kevin Plowman and his sister Kay opened Mae’s Meat Market in 2014 way off the main drag.
“This was all we could find at the time, and it was all we could afford, so you know restaurants – or anything on the main road – was really expensive,” said Kay.
“That was one thing we talked about,” Kevin said. “We said well, if we’re going to open up back here we’re going to have to be really good.”
These siblings stuck together when they started their own business. Kay had a dream, Kevin had the experience so the pair took a leap of faith.
“Kay’s always wanted a restaurant, and she’d been after me for years – ‘Come on, let’s go do this’ – and I said no, I want a market,” said Kevin. “So, we kind of married the two together, so we’ve got the market and we can supply the restaurant and we can make it work.”
So they made Mae’s, a combination meat market for Kevin to continue his lifetime livelihood as a butcher and a restaurant for Kay.
“It took a lot of trust. Took a lot of trust and faith, and it took everything we had but, it was well worth it. Well worth it,” Kevin said.
But there’s more to Kevin and Kay’s story than simply a satisfying savory stop. You see, these siblings named their hideaway after the mother Mae, a tough but loving Texas woman who raised three children, all of whom were adopted.
“She was our hero,” said Kay, “and she took us when nobody else wanted us, and she was just our hero. She was just the most amazing mother, the most amazing example that we could have, and so it was such an honor to be able to name it after her, and I know she would be so thrilled to see this.”
“She raised us, took care of us, taught us work ethics, morals, you know. Just how to treat people right,” Kevin said. “To me, that’s my, I mean, that’s my real parents. I never, never knew anybody else but them as my parents, and to me that’s just the way I see it. It makes you feel more special. You know you were chosen, and it’s pretty special.”
Well, we’re ready for some family cooking, so we took some fresh ground chuck from Kevin and took it to one of the friendliest and funny cooks we’ve ever met – Pam. After talking with Kay about the assortment of amazing hamburgers Mae’s has to offer, we went with the Maverick burger and let Pam show us how it’s done.
“A Maverick burger, yeah, in support of our home team, the Mavericks, Eastland Mavericks. Go Mavs!” said Pam.
And what’s essential in a burger and good offensive line? Beefiness. The half pound patty hits the flame grill and is hit with Worchester and secret seasoning. After being flip and flame kissed, more seasoning is added and Pam makes of point of putting on the perfect grill marks.
To finish up the cooking, the beef is placed on the flattop and two pieces of pepper jack cheese get placed on top, the bun gets toasted, and Texas toothpicks, a combination of jalapenos and onions, get fried up. Lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onion go on the bottom bun and get topped off with jalapeno ranch while the burger and fried goodies close out the Maverick Burger.
So here we have it – the Maverick burger in Eastland cooked by Pam from the folks at Mae’s. When it comes to burgers with fresh ground beef, and by fresh we mean right across the room, you can tell with the texture, the taste, that it’s just incredible.
“We don’t cut corners. Everything is handmade, and made right here,” said Kevin.
Mae’s Meat Market, well worth cheering on the Eastland Mavericks with a Maverick burger here on The Texas Bucket List!
“Oh, just come in, experience the food, experience the love, the friendship,” Kevin said.