By Dathan Kazsuk
For once, September was giving us a break.
When I sat down outside East of Texas at American Tobacco Campus with owner Claire Calvin, it wasn’t one of those late-summer North Carolina afternoons where simply stepping outside feels like a bad decision.
It was comfortable enough that we stayed on the patio, talked about how nice it was to actually enjoy being outdoors, and acknowledged that it would probably be warm again within a week.
For Calvin, that indoor-outdoor feel is part of what makes East of Texas work.
Her original Winston-Salem location has garage doors, a large patio, and the kind of casual atmosphere where kids can move around while adults linger over barbecue, Tex-Mex and margaritas. Now she is bringing that same spirit to Durham, where East of Texas recently opened its second location in the Reed Building at American Tobacco Campus.
And in a way, the restaurant’s story starts with Calvin missing home.
A Texan East of Texas
Calvin is a sixth-generation Texan who grew up in Houston. She became a lawyer, married, and eventually moved to North Carolina in 2007 when her husband, an ophthalmologist, took a job in Winston-Salem.
The plan wasn’t necessarily to stay forever.
But North Carolina grew on the family. The food situation took a little longer.
“I really missed Texas food,” Calvin told me. “It was like the thing. I was like, I don’t think I can live over here without Tex-Mex.”
So she started cooking.
In 2010, Calvin launched Dinners on the Porch, preparing a weekly meal—fajitas, chips and salsa, enchiladas and other Texas-inspired favorites—and delivering orders to customers’ homes around Winston-Salem.
Word spread. The business grew.
In 2014, she opened The Porch Kitchen and Cantina, followed by Alma Mexicana in 2018. Calvin was also selected for the James Beard Foundation’s Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership program in 2018.
Then came COVID, which ironically pushed Calvin back toward the prepared-meal model that started it all.
A warehouse purchased for that side of the business eventually became something more. As diners returned to restaurants, Calvin saw another opportunity: add a smoker, bring in Texas barbecue, and combine it with the Tex-Mex flavors her company already knew.
East of Texas opened in Winston-Salem in 2023.
Where Tex-Mex Meets the Smoker
Calvin quickly points out that Texas barbecue and Tex-Mex are traditionally two different things.
“In Texas, most of the time you are either having Tex-Mex or you’re at a barbecue place,” she said.
East of Texas deliberately blurs that line.
The restaurant leans into Central Texas-style barbecue, where meats are seasoned with a dry rub and smoked rather than covered in sauce. Before opening the first East of Texas, Calvin took her culinary team to Austin to experience the barbecue culture firsthand—from the food itself to the casual counter-service atmosphere.
Then they started having some fun with it.
Calvin recommends first-timers start with the brisket, but also points toward the smoked salmon, brisket flautas and Twinkies as dishes that show what East of Texas is trying to do.
And save room for dessert.
“We’re famous for our banana pudding,” she said.
Why Durham Made Sense
Interestingly, Calvin wasn’t actively looking for a second East of Texas.
American Tobacco found her.
Someone from the campus leasing team ate at the Winston-Salem restaurant while in town and later reached out about bringing the concept to Durham. The email was unexpected enough that Calvin initially wondered whether it might be a scam.
It wasn’t.
Once she met the American Tobacco team and heard the vision for the campus, the idea began to make sense.
Durham Bulls Athletic Park and DPAC were right across the street. Fullsteam Brewery had already committed to a new home on campus. And the outdoor space felt like a natural match for a restaurant built around people hanging out rather than simply eating and leaving.
The Durham restaurant celebrated its grand opening over Labor Day weekend, and Calvin has been spending roughly half of each week here as the team settles in.
East of Texas is also leaning into programming, including Tuesday night music, collaborations with other American Tobacco tenants and a forthcoming beer collaboration with Fullsteam.
Calvin describes the overall feel as something close to a brewery atmosphere—only with Tex-Mex, smoked brisket and plenty of margaritas.
Sitting outside with her, looking across a campus that keeps adding restaurants, businesses, music and events, that description felt about right.
“I just love it here,” Calvin said.
For a Texan who once wondered whether she could stay in North Carolina without the food she missed from home, Calvin seems to have found a solution.
She brought Texas east with her.
