At the end of this year, after fifty years with Texas Monthly, dining critic Patricia Sharpe will be closing her tab and retiring. Pat bid her readers farewell and answered a few final questions about her gustatory adventures in an essay in Texas Monthly‘s December issue, but here, colleagues past and present share their anecdotes about and praise for Pat’s five decades with the magazine.
A few weeks ago, Pat and I were waiting to be seated at the host stand of a restaurant in San Antonio, and the young woman asked for the phone number on the reservation. If you’ve read Pat’s wonderful December feature, you know she always makes a reservation under a fake name, but, of course, technology blew her cover long ago. This woman put in her number, looked up at Pat very confused, and said, “Uh, are you Pat? Margaret? Brenda? Steve?” I’m always hyperaware of her commitment to remaining anonymous, so I tried to create a diversion: “She has multiple personalities!” Without missing a beat, Pat said, “Yes, we’ll need a table for eight.”
I’m so grateful to have spent almost three decades working with Pat. I could talk all day about her wit, her impeccable standards, her kindness. I’ve watched her remain unflappable through the many ups and downs at the magazine. Her fun-loving spirit and boundless energy have been such an inspiration. I’m not going to say I’ll miss her because Pat rarely turns down an invitation—to lunch, happy hour, a party, karaoke. That comforts me, because it means I’ll get to see her all the time. —Courtney Bond, senior editor
In 2008, after I tasted the brisket from a little-known spot called Snow’s, in Lexington, I panicked, called Pat, and told her we had an emergency. Was I crazy, or was this tiny shack making the best barbecue in the state? Pat was having a great time at a party, but not only did she answer the phone, she dropped everything, drove over, and conducted a thorough tasting of the brisket I’d obtained. She has approached her job with the seriousness of a war correspondent. —Katy Vine, distinguished writer
Pat created and ruled her own fiefdom within the magazine, specifically the listings and restaurant reviews. She oversaw her territory with a master’s touch, so every editor left her alone to work her magic. —Gregory Curtis, former editor in chief
Some of my favorite days on the job have been spent with Pat, driving around in search of the top ten barbecue joints in Texas. As a glutton, I always admired her restraint when a hulking tray of barbecue was set down in front of us. I’ve never seen someone take in so much gustatory data from such small bites. —Daniel Vaughn, barbecue editor
Pat is very old-school. Her desk is always dotted with sticky notes, and on a stand-up pad next to her computer is her typed-out “Pat’s To-Do List” for that day. She types on an ancient yellowed two-toned Gateway keypad that she swears by.
She is one of the calmest people I’ve ever known. My office is next to hers so I often hear her talking on the phone, and she is always patiently managing the listers who write for the Dining Guide or talking to people at restaurants. Pat always has a gentle tone and polite laugh. But every once in while somebody says something funny and Pat lets loose with this loud, ricocheting laugh that shoots out of her and echoes down the hall. You know how when you hear someone laugh genuinely, it makes you feel good? That’s the way I feel when I hear Pat laugh. —Michael Hall, distinguished writer
When I first started copy editing Pat’s Pick, in 2018, I was a bit intimidated. Pat, always chic and unruffled, felt like the closest thing to a celebrity on staff. But after years of working with her (and many chats about life beyond the office), I consider Pat a cherished colleague and a lot of fun. She has a wonderful Texas drawl and a deliciously bawdy sense of humor—and so many great stories. —Amy Weaver Dorning, copy editor
Pat and I are often the last two folks in the office in the evening, and one of my great pleasures is leaning into her doorway to ask about her latest dining adventure. In conversation, as in her writing, she’s always discerning—and always enthusiastic about what’s new, in a way I find amazing given her half century on the dining beat. —Dan Goodgame, editor in chief
Pat is the kindest, most generous colleague a person could have. Never stingy with what she knows, never afraid to ask about what she doesn’t. —Mimi Swartz, distinguished writer
I hired Pat in 1974, and for the next fifty years neither I nor any future Texas Monthly editor had to spend five minutes worrying about its food coverage. Because of her high standards and her passion for food as art form, ceremony, and pleasure, because of her graceful writing and her compassionate, curious heart, she, more than any single other human being, has been responsible for Texas restaurants lifting their game to compete with the best in the world. She truly made our state a better place, and how many writers can say that? “Patricia Sharpe is in the house” will be heard no more in restaurant kitchens across the state, but her legacy will live on.
—William Broyles, former editor in chief
An abbreviated version of this article originally appeared in the December 2024 issue of Texas Monthly with the headline “A Toast, If We May.” Subscribe today.
