Southern Living drafts Camila Alves McConaughey for new Texas event

Camila Alves McConaughey is co-hosting Southern Living's

Courtesy of Camila Alves McConaughey

Southern Living is adding some major star power to its first Hill Country Tailgate, the magazine’s new barbecue and football celebration taking place September 26 at Contigo Ranch in Fredericksburg. Author and entrepreneur Camila Alves McConaughey has signed on as the event’s co-host.

Although McConaughey may be best known for failing to lose her husband Matthew in 10 days, she is an apt choice for a Texas food festival. Her lifestyle website, Women of Today, is a popular hub for recipes and cooking tips, and the toddler foods company she founded with Agatha Achindu, Yummy Spoonfuls, is found on shelves nationwide.

She even hosted a barbecue competition show for the Food Network, albeit with kid competitors instead of the top-tier pitmasters headed to Contigo Ranch.

McCounaughey will be joined by two new additions to the culinary line-up. Seth Siegel-Gardner of Houston’s Local Foods Group was tapped as the event’s culinary director, and Austin-based chef and personality Jess Pryles will be representing her Hardcore Carnivore brand.

Announced in April, the inaugural Hill Country Tailgate features a lineup of chefs with James Beard, Texas Monthly, and Michelin recognition under their belts, including Austinites Ali Clem of la Barbecue, Evan LeRoy of LeRoy and Lewis, and Kareem El-Ghayesh of KG BBQ; Kelli Nevarez of Port Lavaca’s LaVaca BBQ, and Adrian Torres of Houston’s Máximo.

The event pairs the smoked meats with cocktails, live music from David Lewis and All Hat No Cadillac, and college football on a big screen. Tickets also include a complimentary tour of the 2026 Southern Living Idea House in Friedën, a 130-acre Fredericksburg development featuring parks, nature trails, and lakes.

Tickets to the one-day event are $195, inclusive of barbecue tastings and drinks (we’re guessing at least one booth will be sampling the McCounaugheys Pantalones Tequila). The shindig runs 6-10 pm at Contigo Ranch, 13454 Lower Crabapple Rd.

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COMING ATTRACTIONS

Popular chain Slim Chickens eyes first New Braunfels restaurant

Slim Chickens/ Facebook

When I dip, you dip, we dip.

Texas’ hottest zip code might soon be ground zero for America’s ever-escalating chicken tender wars. Fast-casual chain Slim Chickens is transforming a former Arby’s at 1395 I-H 35 N. Frontage Rd. into its first New Braunfels location.

Slim Chickens is known for its hand-breaded chicken tenders, which the chain uses in salads, wraps, and mac ‘n’ cheese bowls. Diners can also expect wings, chicken and waffles, chicken sandwiches, and sweets like shakes or trifle-like jar desserts.

The chain is just as famed for its lineup of 14 house-made sauces, ranging from mild options like honey mustard and Korean barbecue to more fiery Slim Reaper. There doesn’t seem to be a clear internet consensus about which is best, but fans are also passionate about layering. The brand is apparently paying attention, launching a new limited-edition flavor each month as part of its Ranch Remix campaign.

Although brands like Layne’s Chicken Fingers, Dave’s Hot Chicken, and of course, Chick-fil-A spar for the nation’s pecking order, Slim Chickens is seeing rapid growth. In 2019, the brand told industry site QSR Magazine that it planned to expand to 600 stores in 10 years. Although it is currently only about halfway to achieving that goal, it has hundreds of stores in development across the U.S. and internationally.

The New Braunfels location comes from Big Star Chicken LLC, the multi-unit operator behind the brand’s expansion in San Antonio and Austin. The franchise operator plans to open up to 20 locations across the two markets, but has not yet released details on all the planned units.

According to newly filed Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation project details, New Braunfels’ first Slim Chickens will finish out renovations in April 2027, although timelines are subject to change. CultureMap has reached out to a company rep for more exact details.

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