By: Amanda Razani | Photography: Kim Torres Photography
Tim Condon set out to bring a specific culinary experience to San Angelo. He found a few hurdles along the way, but fuelled with passion and ambition he cleared them in true champion form.
A topic of much discussion during the planning stages, Tim Condon, the owner and chef, never backed down from his vision, and it has paid off big time. These days, that sign is a big draw for tourists and locals alike, marking the entry into a very unique dining experience.
Condon says his passion for cooking grew from his first job at Burger King in Omaha, NE, where he learned the basics of a restaurant business in general. From that simple job, he knew the cooking business was his calling. After that, his career just snowballed into what it is today.
“I went around from restaurant to restaurant, to country club to country club, and I learned how different people do things. I studied different techniques and the way people ran businesses, because I knew the business side was bigger that the culinary side.”
Condon graduated from the Institute for the Culinary Arts in Omaha NE while working at a top restaurant. After graduating, he chose to move to Hawaii. Upon his arrival in Hawaii, he decided to enjoy his first day at a nice hotel and check out the beautiful beach. Sitting there on the beach, looking at the pristine resort, he thought it would be amazing if he could work there and get to enjoy that beautiful view every day.
“Little did I know that 30 days later I’d be the Executive Chef at that hotel, the Ko Olina Resort at Paradise Cove, home to the largest Luau in Oahu, “says Condon.
From cooking for dignitaries from all over the world, to preparing the food for the NFL Pro Bowl, he gained a lot of knowledge there. Some years went If you have driven downtown San Angelo, Chances are you have seen the giant, spiky Cactus staring down at you from The Angry Cactus restaurant by, and he decided to move to San Angelo, TX and start a new chapter with what he’d learned.
“I realized there were not many 5-star resorts here, but I saw a need for food trucks. That is when I opened Lone Star Cheeseburger,” explains Condon. Since opening, it has earned several awards including, Best Food Truck Burger in Texas, and the 4th Best Burger in North America by Mobile Cuisine magazine. A few years ago, a friend told Condon about an amazing old building he needed to check out. It was all boarded up, but when he glimpsed the archways and blocks of stone inside, he could not stop thinking about opening a restaurant there.
“I had been actively looking for something else to work on, and I knew that building could be transformed into the coolest restaurant ever. “
In 2016, on Black Friday, The Angry Cactus opened its doors. The reaction was remarkable. The restaurant provides unique experiences to diners, including the Chef ’s Table Dinner Club that offers 8-course dinners, as well as special events like the recent Murder Mystery Dinner. Everything in the restaurant is made from scratch. There is also a full bar with an extensive menu.