Festive Feast’s Influencing with Purpose: Joey Dierker, the Nacho King

In 2019, we started a new feature called “Influencing with Purpose” to shine a spotlight on local social media influencers who use their platforms for more than just advertising themselves. For our Festive Feast issue, we reached out to Joey Dierker, the genius behind Instagram’s Nachos of Fort Worth because what is a celebration without nachos?

Madeworthy: When did you begin your Instagram Nachos of Fort Worth account, and what inspired you to “blog” about the Fort Worth nacho scene?

Joey Dierker: I joined Instagram in 2017 at the urging of my sister who told me I was missing out on content of my nephew. I thought it was just another Facebook, and I wasn’t really getting anything out of it until I discovered food accounts. (And memes. I heart memes.) Then the lightbulb went on: I love food. I can do this, too! What do I love more than anything? Nachos. Where do I eat them? Fort Worth. Boom.

photo credit: Joey Dierker, Nachos of Fort Worth

MW: How often are you ordering nachos? And do you think you’ve tried all Fort Worth has to offer yet?

JD: More often than is good for me. I find myself ordering nachos even when something else on the menu sounds more appealing. I do it for you, dear reader.

I definitely have not tried all the nachos Fort Worth has to offer. They’re everywhere! And I’m always looking for recommendations. There’s no better place for nachos than Texas. Every Tex-Mex spot has them on the menu, as do many other restaurants. In other places, nachos are a bar snack. Here, they’re a meal.

MW: What are the hallmarks of a great food experience?

JD: I love fine dining. I love dives. I love everything in between. Sometimes it’s a long-awaited dinner out with friends where you chat until you’re asked to leave. Other times, it’s a shrimp-and-human-hair po-boy inside the husk of a former fast-food restaurant with bars on the window. Great food is great food. Frosty gin martinis or agua fresca hand-dipped out of a plastic jug? Give me all of it!

MW: What are some of your favorite Fort Worth memories?

JD: The first thing that comes to mind is dining at the Pizza Hut on stilts at University and Berry where the TCU Bookstore is now. I vividly remember going there for my March birthday one year when it snowed.

I loved going to the Omni Theater at the museum [Editor’s Note: the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History]. I’m looking forward to the reopening, and I hope it includes the Fort Worth flyover intro with the original music that lives in my head rent free. IYKYK.

I worked as a valet at the Worthington in high school. If your parents attended a ball there circa 2001, I probably parked their car, and I certainly drove it too fast.

photo credit: Joey Dierker, Nachos of Fort Worth

MW: What is the one piece of advice you would give aspiring food influencers?

JD: Take good pics. Nothing matters but the shot. Some of the worst nachos I’ve had made the best photos because they were pretty. Frame your shot well. Have enough light. Make it look tasty. I make up for my lack of real skill with enthusiasm.

MW: What’s your favorite book and why?

JD: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. Who doesn’t want to be a cowboy? I’ll leave on cattle drive right now. It’s the only book I’ve ever read that I remember exactly where I was when I finished it. (I was camping – shout out to Troop 50 BSA.)

MW: What is the greatest thing you think Fort Worth is missing?

JD: An H-E-B! They’re getting closer. In the meantime, I’ll keep driving out to Hudson Oaks. These nachos aren’t gonna make themselves.

MW: When making nachos at home, which store-bought chips do you recommend for the best nacho?

JD: Round Tostitos. My nacho story begins with my Nana from whom I get my love of nachos and cooking generally. When the cousins would stay at our grandparents’ house as kids, a few hours after a huge meal we’d have a “night lunch” of nachos, always made the same way: round Tostitos, cheddar, and pepper jack (shredded by hand, of course). I loved making nachos and earned the childhood moniker Nacho King. [Editor’s Note: We agree. He is the Nacho King.]

MW: If you weren’t covering nachos, what other food would you like to explore and share on Instagram and why?

JD: Nachos are the best Instagram food because they’re visually arresting, endlessly customizable, and the best ones trigger visceral reactions. But there’s other great stuff out there: Barbecue, hot chicken, desserts… The best food for Instagram content has toppings. Maybe @PizzaofFortWorth is next…

photo credit: Joey Dierker, Nachos of Fort Worth

And now, it’s time for our Lightning Round! Give us the names of your Fort Worth favorites:

• Coffee shop – Roy Pope Grocery
• Breakfast/brunch place – Yogi’s after the rush
• Hangout with friends – Wild Acre
• Place to relax and recharge – Central Market
• Museum or gallery – The Zoo
• Artist or musician – Trey and the Tritones
• Yearly event – Rodeo!
• Boutique – Tricks of the Trade
• Best bartender/cocktail – Domo Arigato with Komasa Gin at Clay Pigeon.
• Sweet treat – Glitz sugar cookies. Mmmm…
• Hamburger joint – Rogers Roundhouse. Get the tots!
• Barbecue – So much good barbecue. Gimme Brix!
• Best Nachos – And finally… the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Drumroll, please! The finest nachos in all the land can be found at Enchiladas Olé! Meet me there!