Looking back at how he got started, Condon says he always had a drive to do something impactful, and at age 10 he realized he enjoyed cooking. Condon says his passion for cooking and many of his basic cooking skills grew from his first job at Burger King in Omaha, NE.  From that simple job at age 13, he knew the cooking business was his calling.   From there, his career just sort of snowballed into what it is today. 

“I went around from restaurant to restaurant, to country club to country club, and I learned how different people do things.  I studied different techniques and the way people ran businesses, because I knew the business side was bigger that the culinary side.”

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Condon attended and graduated from the Institute for the Culinary Arts in Omaha NE while working at a top restaurant.  Once graduated, he really wanted to go somewhere where the restaurant scene was bigger.  Upon his arrival in Hawaii, he decided to enjoy his first day at a nice hotel and check out the beautiful beach.  Sitting there on the beach, looking at the pristine resort, he thought it would be amazing if he could just work there and get to enjoy that beautiful view every day.

“Little did I know that 30 days later I’d be the Executive Chef at that hotel, the Ko Olina Resort at Paradise Cove, home to the largest Luau in Oahu, “says Condon.

His experience there was nothing short of amazing.   From catering large weddings to cooking for dignitaries from all over the world, to preparing the food for the NFL Pro Bowl, he gained a lot of knowledge and had a lot of fun.  After a few years went by, he again made the decision to follow his family to remain close to his daughter.  He began a new chapter in San Angelo, TX.

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“I realized there were not many 5-star resorts here, but I saw a need for food trucks. That is when I opened Lone Star Cheeseburger,” explains Condon.

A few years into running his food truck, a friend told Condon about an amazing old building he needed to check out.  So, he went downtown to see the place.  It was all boarded up, but he managed to find a space he could look through, and when he peeked inside and saw the archways and blocks of stone, he could not get his mind away from the idea of opening a restaurant there.

“I had been actively looking for something else to work on, and I knew that building could be transformed into the coolest restaurant ever. I started thinking about my business model and making sure it wasn’t too risky,” he explains.

In 2016, on Black Friday, The Angry Cactus opened its doors to the public. The reaction was remarkable.

 “My inspiration for this restaurant was to take old favorites and refine the technique. I wanted to share what fine dining means and provide something people couldn’t get anywhere else in the world.  I was told I couldn’t do fine dining in San Angelo, but we are doing it, and doing it well.”

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