What leads a former New York ad-exec to pack his bags and leave the big city to open a little restaurant in East Austin? Ask Ben Edgerton. This San Antonio native did exactly that and the reasons lay deep in his roots.

A Texas A&M grad, Edgerton began his career in the Big Apple managing accounts for a major advertising agency. And while his head was entrenched in the ad game of the big city, his heart was still in Texas. Growing up, he spent much of his free time riding down U.S. Highway 281 to a brushy expanse of land in Jim Wells County (about 3 hours south of Austin.) where his family owned and managed Contigo Ranch, historically a part of the famed King Ranch in the late 1800s. “Contigo” is a name derived from the Spanish word meaning “with you”. For Edgerton it represents being with both the land and loved ones.

As a family, the Edgertons mended aging fences, hunted quail and dove, managed a population of world class white tail deer and explored their portion of the mesquite scourged desert like there was no place better in the world. And for Edgerton, there really wasn’t. Life in San Antonio was for school, friends, and sports. But it was all a means to getting back to the ranch where he and his dad could dig post holes, ride around in their old Chevy truck and watch beautiful Texas sunsets.

It wasn’t long after his father retired that the property evolved into an exclusive guest ranch in 2004 hosting serious game hunters from around the world. While most come to the ranch in search of copious coveys of quail and white tail with scale-tipping Boone & Crockett numbers, what they come away with is a sense of warm, southern hospitality, a trait that comes naturally to the Edgerton family. (Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the hunters usually score their trophy goal as well.)

When you watch Edgerton talk about it, you can tell from the light in his eyes that an agency career in New York wasn’t meant for him. “It’s just how my family is. We love having people down to the ranch, whether its family or hunters, and showing them a good time,” says Edgerton. “It’s kind of my passion. I love creating experiences for people where they can really enjoy being with friends and family. That’s what makes a place memorable.”

As the name suggests, Contigo Ranch stays with you. And while it’s impossible to have everyone down to the ranch—it only hosts around a half dozen people at one time—it is possible for Edgerton to extend the essence of the ranch through Contigo Austin, which he and chef/partner Andrew Wiseheart opened in May 2011 as the latest hot spot to join the Austin dining scene.

Recently lauded as the latest “it” spot for outdoor dining by Paula Disbrowe in Food & Wine magazine, Contigo Austin blends the rustic mission architecture of stucco and stone walls and tiled roof tops of the ranch with contemporary accents and an earthy, laidback vibe.

“We really wanted to create a place where people can relax with a beer or cocktail, eat good food, and enjoy being outside. That’s how it is down at the ranch and we wanted people to experience that here,” says Edgerton who confesses the biggest downfall of the South Texas Ranch is his inability to share it with others all at once.

Coupled with the inviting atmosphere is a progressive fresh ingredient bar program originally designed by Tipsy Texan David Alan and now managed by former Fino and Eastside Showroom cocktail guru, Houston Eaves (read more about Houston and Contigo Austin cocktails from CultureMap Austin contributor, Nicole Carbon), and a sizzling small plates menu developed by chef and part owner Andrew Wiseheart, who hails from San Angelo and has garnered a respectable resume from a few top Napa Valley restaurants as well as Austin’s own Olivia. Wisehart’s menu plays off of the rustic nature of Contigo Ranch featuring elevated bar food with house-made charcuterie, spicy nibbles such as purple hull pea salad with blue berries and ricotta, and tasty finger foods like house-made pickles and crispy tempura green beans.

In the spirit of chef Wiseheart’s culinary style and Edgerton’s penchant for hosting dinner parties, the restaurant recently hosted an evening for Death’s Door Spirits, the Wisconsin-based makers of Death’s Door Gin, Vodka and White Whisky. The distillery is known for providing the remaining mash of product left from producing their spirits to a local pig farm as feed. For the event, the distillery sent a mash-fed pig to Contigo to serve up for a special whole hog dinner paired with Death’s Door Spirits.

The result is something a former ad exec can be proud of. “We’re thrilled with all of the attention we’ve received since opening,” says Edgerton. “One of the biggest compliments we’ve had is seeing a whole table full of chefs and staff from other restaurants enjoying food and drinks. You can’t get a better pat on the back than that.”