Our Story
From selling spices out of a garage to four Houston-area grill stores. Meet the family behind Texas Star Grill Shop.
Rick & Michelle Martin
From Texas Star Foods to Texas Star Grill Shop
2001: A family business begins
Rick and Michelle Martin started Texas Star Foods in 2001, providing sales and marketing for products sold in grocery stores. Their work included brands such as Eckrich, Butterball, Badia Spices and Healthy Choice, along with locally made smoked sausage and other meat products. They also began importing products to serve Texas families arriving from Latin America.
2007: A grill that changed the plan
At a family gathering in Portland, Oregon, the Martins discovered the Traeger Wood Pellet Grill. The smoky flavor it brought to food caught Rick's attention. His reaction: “This is going to be huge.” They bought a truckload of Traeger grills and set out to introduce them to Texas.
They became Traeger distributors for Houston and eventually Texas, adding hardware-store partners and hosting events. Demonstrations helped people understand pellet grilling, but sales slowed when the events ended. The Martins decided a dedicated store could give customers that hands-on introduction every day.
Finding our footing in Houston
Their first retail store, Texas Star Pellet Grill Company, opened at 2045 Southwest Freeway. They worked with Traeger on sports-radio advertising to bring customers through the door.
The early days were challenging. Pellet grills were still unfamiliar to many customers, and a difficult one-star Yelp review added to the setbacks. The Martins closed the shop and returned to their southwest Houston warehouse.
They kept going. As word-of-mouth grew and customers returned, they reopened at 2045 Southwest Freeway under a new name: Texas Star Grill Shop. Over time, they added brands including Kamado Joe, Saber and Weber.
Four locations, one family story
Today, Texas Star Grill Shop serves grill enthusiasts through four Houston-area locations and an online store. What began with food, family and a truckload of grills has grown into a place to explore outdoor cooking in person.
Visit one of our showrooms to see the grills and talk with our team about your next cookout.