The romantic mythology surrounding Texas cowboys and cattle drives is the gift that keeps on giving—and giving and giving—and few people know that better than Fort Worth chef Tim Love.

From his steak, wild-game, and seafood flagship, Lonesome Dove Western Bistro (named, of course, in honor of Larry McMurtry’s sprawling novel), to White Elephant Saloon and Woodshed Smokehouse—to cite only three of his major concepts in two states—the Denton-born Love has found the epic of Texas rewarding in every sense of the word.