Fernando González & Debby Portillo
Pitmasters/Owners, 2Fifty Texas BBQ | Riverdale, MD
March 2022
Food has always been a source of inspiration for Fernando González and Debby Portillo, who were born and raised in El Salvador during the Civil War. Portillo’s grandmother, Margoth, opened a small pupuseria in 1962 that evolved into a multi-venture empire and turned Portillo into a household name, known across El Salvador. Portillo grew up in the business and later assumed the role of chief financial officer for its subsidiaries abroad.
When Portillo and González met, he was a civil engineer and a self taught cook who resourcefully relied on whatever materials he had access to for his culinary experiments. After becoming hooked on the concept of Texas barbecue, González devoted himself to adapting the technique at home in El Salvador. He traveled to some of the Texas Monthly’s “50 Best BBQ Joints” and approached each meal like a master class. When he returned home, he and a friend built a custom smoker and got to work, crafting their own barbecue under the moniker, Dos6Cinco. An emissary from Texas got wind of what they were doing, placed an order, and before long, expats and locals alike were in love with their meat.
In 2018, the couple and their daughter moved to Maryland to launch their business, 2Fifty Texas BBQ. González and Portillo put their custom smoker to work, filling the gap for quality barbecue in the Washington, D.C. area and honoring Texas tradition while supporting the community’s large hispanic population. Since 2020, The Washington Post has recognized 2 Fifty Texas BBQ as one of “the best barbecue restaurants in DC, Maryland, and Virginia”.
