[dropcap]A[/dropcap] pioneer who helped bring an iconic Driftwood business to life passed away Jan. 18.
Hisako Tsuchiyama Roberts, co-founder of the Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood, died at the age of 104, according to her obituary.
Roberts, according to her obituary, was born Nov. 20, 1913 in Lihue, Kauai and completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.
After returning to Kauai to complete her education, Roberts met her husband, Thurman Roberts, while he was serving in the U.S. Navy.
After World War II, Hisako and Thurman married and then moved to Texas; it wasn’t until the 1960s that the duo came upon the idea of creating the Salt Lick.
According to the Salt Lick website, Thurman and Hisako “took out a yellow legal” pad and wrote down a list of things they could do to stay in the Driftwood area.
Opening a business, later known as the Salt Lick, was on the list, and the two began selling produce to locals, along with making candies and raising pecan trees.
In 1967, Thurman, who was known for his barbecue, began selling it to paying customers. Ever since then, Hisako continued working in the Salt Lick helping Thurman run the restaurant until his passing in 1981.
After that, Hisako ran the business with her son, Scott Roberts. Hisako continued to work at the Salt Lick until she was 93.
Hisako’s dedication to her restaurant was more than apparent, said Wynette Barton, who was a friend of the Roberts family.
But Barton said Hisako’s personality stuck out beyond all else. Barton recalls times when Hisako and groups of friends would “talk for hours” about everything. Topics could range from history, politics, books, religion and much more.
And while the discussions were at times loud, Hisako was always “thoughtful and informed.”
“She was very bright, very interesting and she had firm ideas about things,” Barton said.
But Hisako wasn’t a pushover, Barton said, even though she was a “very lovely, loving person.”
She also helped keep Thurman, who was an idiosyncratic personality, “grounded,” Barton said.
“He liked to argue and turn over ideas and he always had a different view of things,” Barton said. “That made him very interesting. Hisako was calmer but she also had her own ideas.”
Hisako was also able to win over many in the community with her personality. Barton said she gained the respect of many in the community over the years.
Barton believes Hisako was one of the first people of Asian decent to have made her way into the Hays County area.
“She gradually made her way into everyone’s heart,” Barton said. “People had high respect for her.”
