How Lady Bird Johnson Popularized Ro-Tel Canned Tomatoes

When Claudia Alta Taylor Johnson, known as Lady Bird, came to the White House toward the end of 1963 with her husband, President Lyndon B. Johnson, this proud Texan brought with her the downhome flavors of the Lone Star State. Among these was a dish that included an under-the-radar ingredient at the time: Ro-Tel canned tomatoes.

The recipe, initially attributed to her husband, was called Pedernales River Chili and was named after a stream that ran through the Johnsons' Texas ranch. The recipe first appeared in newspapers in 1961, but after the Washington Post featured the chili in an article two years later, it really took off. Besides ground beef, onions, garlic, and various herbs and spices, the recipe called for two cans of Ro-Tel tomatoes. The small company from the Texas border town of Elsa soon took off, thanks to Lady Bird's endorsement. And unlike some canned products popular 50 years ago, such as cheeseburgers or pork brains, Ro-Tel has continued to thrive.

Carl Roettele founded the Ro-Tel company in 1943, and it soon became a Texas staple before making inroads in states bordering Texas. But it took Lyndon B. Johnson's political rise, with Lady Bird by his side, for Ro-Tel to gain a national reputation. When Lady Bird, who was the Second Lady at the time, called Ro-Tel tomatoes her secret ingredient, the brand got the exposure it needed to become a household name from Florida to Maine. The brand is still around today, and these canned tomatoes are the key to recipes like Ree Drummond's restaurant-style salsa.  

Before the age of the internet and social media, people went to newspapers' food sections to find new recipes. And, like today, a celebrity endorsement could go a long way in boosting a recipe, ingredient, or brand-name product, as was the case with Ro-Tel. Similar to today, when the recipe appeared in the Washington Post, it began popping up in other newspapers across the country. Beyond that, Lady Bird also provided the chili recipe to guests at their Texas ranch as a parting gift. 

The Johnsons' chili featuring Ro-Tel tomatoes first appeared in 1961 as part of the "Congressional Club Cookbook." The book featured recipes from Washington D.C. luminaries, including beef stew from President Dwight D. Eisenhower and crème brûlée by First Lady Jackie Kennedy. When Lyndon B. Johnson became president, the White House received so many requests for the chili recipe that they printed cards to be sent out to whoever asked for it.

The famous Pedernales River Chili recipe was always attributed to either Lyndon or Lady Bird Johnson. However, as it turns out, the dish wasn't invented by either Johnson — but rather by their longtime cook, a Black woman named Zephyr Wright, who went with the family from their Texas ranch to the White House. Rarely credited for her work, as was the case here, Wright's importance goes way beyond cooking. She and her husband Sammy were close friends with the Johnsons. Many have credited LBJ's push for civil rights legislation to his relationship with Wright, who was present when the president signed the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act. Lady Bird, through her friendship with Wright, also became a strong advocate for civil rights. And while it was Lady Bird's endorsement of Ro-Tel's products that gave the small Texas company the boost it needed to go national, it was Wright's recipe that made it possible.