know about you?
JW: I can ride a unicycle and I can
do the splits. I have never lost a
dance competition and I am the
Texas State iced tea drinking cham-
pion. all the code knowledge you want but
the invaluable skill, is experience. If
you are new, you will have to listen
to a lot of people who have been
there a long time, so surround your-
self with people with experience.
PCT: What would you most like to be
remembered for?
JW: I would like to be remembered
maybe for being loyal and good char-
acter and an incredible dancer. Two
of my go to songs are: “Yeah” by
Usher and Kesha’s “Tic Toc” song. PCT: What is the coolest thing you
have ever done?
JW: Coming back to Weatherford and
always admiring Mary Martin’s house
from afar, never thought I would have
an opportunity to buy it. My wife has
a Mary Martin birthday party every
year. Full blown Mary Martin.
PCT: What is your favorite way to
pay it forward?
JW: I donate to Saint Jude Hospital
because my friend’s daughter had
cancer. The other day I was at the
gas station and an elderly gentleman
was trying to figure out the outside
credit card machine. I asked if he
needed help. When I noticed he was
putting the card in upside down, I
went ahead and paid for his gas and
pumped it for him.
PCT: If you could have lunch with
anyone, living or deceased, who
would it be?
JW: My wife’s mother came down
with cancer when Jamie was preg-
nant with our first child, and she
was looking forward to being a
grandmother, but she never made it.
She died when my wife was seven
months pregnant. I often think it
would be so great for her to be able
to spend a little time here, maybe just
once. She got robbed and I think she
deserved to be a grandmother.
86
PCT: If you weren’t doing the job you
are doing now, you would be....
JW: Filling propane bottles on the
side of the road, and smoke barbecue
in-between. Just something easy and
no stress just…out in the middle of
the hill country where people would
have to drive out to get your barbe-
cue. That’s when you know you have
good barbecue when they drive 50
miles to come eat your barbecue.
PCT: What advice would you give to
someone wanting to do what you do?
JW: The winter hours are long and
the summer is hot and you can have
Joe Lane
Joe is the owner of Fish Creek
in Willow Park
law school, but always had an affinity
for cooking from my mom. After leav-
ing Razoo’s, I met my longtime friend
Brent Johnson, owner of Rio Mambo,
and was hired and worked there for a
while. By the time I was 27, I started
looking for my own place, which we
all know as Fish Creek.
PCT: What is your favorite novel?
JL: “The Art Of War” by Sun Tzu.
PCT: What is something that people
don’t know about you?
JL: Maybe that I have two personas.
When I go to work, I am one way
and at home I am more of a wear
my heart on my sleeve kind of guy.
I go duck hunting with three of my
friends; we named our group “Duck
Sausage”. Within the group, we’ve
got Primitive Sausage, Harry Sausage,
Missing Sausage, and then they
named me Sensitive Sausage.
PCT: What would you most like to be
remembered for?
JL: My philanthropy work.
Parker County Today: How did you
get into your occupation?
JL: It was an accident. When I gradu-
ated collage, my dad was really sick,
he was on dialysis and I went home
to help care for him. I needed a job
for income, but I couldn’t do some-
thing full time, so looked for some-
thing part time to bring in cash. Then,
my school librarian Ms. Parkman,
found a dog and when she found its
owner, it happened to belong to one
of the founding owners of Razoo’s.
When the man offered a reward,
she declined but said that she knew
a nice young man who needed a
job. That’s how I went on to meet
Brad Warren, the acting manager
at Razoo’s. I quickly excelled as a
waiter and after a couple of years
spoke to my dad about the restaurant
business. My dad thought I had lost
my mind, but told me if I was serious,
I needed to go back and ask them to
make me a dishwasher. My dad said
I needed to know how to work every
aspect of the business and he ended
up being right. I had already taken
the LSAT and was preparing to attend
PCT: What is your favorite way to
pay it forward?
JL: Take care of others first. Be an
ear and not to be selfish. I teach my
daughter that as well.
PCT: If you could have lunch with
anyone, deceased or living, who
would it be?
JL: My dad is my favorite celebrity.
PCT: If you weren’t doing the job you
are doing now, you would be....
JL: As far a career path, an attorney,
but personally I am getting more
involved in politics.
PCT: What is your definition of your
best day ever?
JL: The day my daughter was born.
PCT: What is the coolest thing you
have ever done?
JL: Being a father.
PCT: What are the best words of
wisdom to live by?
JL: Remember who you wanted to be,
and be that. My daughter, Maddy,
says “Faith, Hope, and Love.”