Jean Cates

Tasty traditions have always been served up in Jean Cates and Sue Cunningham’s family. Born in Turkey, Texas, the sisters learned what it meant to be real cowboy cooks thanks to their father. They began the C-Bar-C Chuckwagon and made history in 1992 when they walked away with the winnings at the Western Heritage Classic Cook-off in Abilene, Texas, as the first women team to claim the top honor. In 1996, they were awarded the American Cowboy Culture Award presented by the National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration. They were also named Chuckwagon of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists. Cates was also talented at leather stamping. She stamped a bicentennial saddle in 1976 that is now in the XIT Museum in Dalhart, Texas.

2014 Cowgirl Honoree – Texas

1938-2015