The Leader • Saturday, January 5, 2019 • Page 1B
Collaborative couple brings locals cornucopia of flavors By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com Flavors of the world meet on the plates at Mastrantos restaurant, much like the lives of owners Xavier Godoy of Venezuela and Marisol Chacon of Spain. The couple first met when Godoy, a tennis coach in Venezuela at the time, became Chacon’s instructor. While opportunity in the United States separated the two for a time, they found themselves reunited in Houston. During the period Godoy was completing his degree in electrical engineering at Prairie View A&M, Chacon was at Houston Baptist University completing a dual degree in business management and Spanish. They got married, started a family and entered the corporate world after college graduation, having three children and taking jobs that took them to Chile, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela and back to Houston. Then they invested in a restaurant project started by Godoy’s brother, who eventually gave it up. The couple took over operations and in the process created their own concept, which became Mastrantos. “One thing we said was if we do something, it’s going to be something we love, not just like,” Godoy said. “Food has always been around our house, around our culture.” Realizing Mastrantos was a three-year journey for the couple, with construction being completed in November. The restaurant is now open in the Heights at 927 Studewood St. Ste. 100. Godoy and Chacon operate on three pillars -- transparency, global taste and balance. They achieve the first pillar with an open kitchen,
Photo by Zarah Parker Xavier Godoy and Marisol Chacon are the owners of Mastrantos at 927 Studewood St. Ste. 100.
Photo by Zarah Parker Mastrantos will feature flavors and tastes from around the globe, such as the Middle East and Peru. Owners Xavier Godoy and Marisol Chacon’s restauarant offers customers both breakfast and dinner.
where former executive chef of Tiny Boxwoods, Tony Castillo, leads. The prep area, dough lab and
wine bar are open concepts as well. Not only does the space showcase their transpar-
Life Savers gives critical service close to home By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com Despite its many advantages, one prominent downside of hospital waiting rooms is that it can at times take hours for emergency patient care due to sheer capacity. But now, residents have a free-standing emergency room always at the ready, right in the heart of Garden Oaks. Dr. Foye Ikyaator, M.D., founded Life Savers Emergency Room in 2015 to provide a safe and comfortable environment for communities to receive emergency medical care without having to experience long wait times in a bustling hospital emergency room. Now opening its second Houston-area location in the Garden Oaks Shopping Center at 3820 N. Shepherd Dr., Life Savers provides hospital services for patients who are in need, and have developed an observation program that saves patients thousands of dollars in hospital fees while allowing them the comfort of receiving personalized oneon-one care with a team of dedicated health care providers. “We’re here, and we’re ready for the community whenever they need us,” Ikyaator said of the clinic, which officially opened its doors Dec. 23. Ikyaator and her staff offer the same services found in a typical hospital – CT scans, X-rays, certified nurses, 24hour radiologists and doctors, on-site pharmacy and more – all within a several-minute drive of local residents. Ikyaator said most patients would rather avoid the hospital at all costs, and Life Savers can provide them that care with a
ency, but the management style they’ve chosen to adapt does, too. They want to be seen as regular people who come into the restaurant with their kids and customers can see who they are. “As long as you’re coming here to enjoy dinner through conversations with friends and family, that’s all we ask for,” Godoy said. Global tastes are found in Mastrantos’ menu, which serves one of the country’s most diverse cities. Every dish is meant to be complemented by a flavor that’s found in another region of the world. Their salmon, a more America dish, features Middle Eastern and Peruvian flavors. The menu and wine list will rotate every quarter to
Business Briefs
Fashion show funds hygiene care closets
Strut HTX is a nonprofit, started by area resident Emily Pennington, that focuses on fashion-forward fundraisers, with all proceeds from events going to purchase personal hygiene products for care closets at area schools, such as Wainwright Elementary and Stevens Elementary. The next fundraiser is happening in Bellaire at Evelyn’s Park on Jan. 12. For more information, visit www.struthtx.com. Cane Rosso, closing in Montrose, remains open in the Heights Cane Rosso announced on social media that it was closing its Montrose location Dec. 30. The post said, “Looking ahead to the new year, unfortunately, we have had to make the difficult decision to close this location for good and are currently working on handing over the space to another group that will hopefully bring Montrose a new and exciting restaurant that will be embraced by all.” The post went on to state that the Heights location would remain open. In another email sent by the company’s marketing arm, Cane Rosso announced its new glutenfriendly pizza. “While we cannot call this new pizza ‘gluten-free,’ it is handmade with the highest quality gluten-free flour and prepped and fired on separate sheets to avoid as much flour contact as possible,” the release said. Free spay/neuter sign-up event BARC is offering a sign-up event for a free spay or neuter - don’t bring your pet for the sign-up - on Jan. 12 at the Gar-
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Let the New Year’s resolutions begin Body Rock Pilates in Ella Plaza is offering 20 percent off its session packages. Use promo code Christmas20. After-Christmas sale at Noted Noted, the new stationery store at 1901 Lawrence St., recently profiled in The Leader, is having an after-Christmas sale of holiday items with 40 percent off. Ten-year anniversary at Deuce Electrical To celebrate 10 years of service, Deuce Electrical is offering 10 percent off a service call. Offer expires Jan. 31. Coupon available at www. deuceelectrical.com.
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GATEWAY ACADEMY 3721 Dacoma Street, Houston, TX | 713-659-7900 | www.thegatewayacademy.org Photo supplied Dr. Foye Ikyaator, right, poses with her staff at Life Savers Emergency Room.
minimal wait. “Doctors are able to treat patients the same way they would in an emergency room, and our services are dedicated to just our patients,” she said. “In a normal hospital, all departments are going to one lab – here, we have one department, so all equipment is dedicated to our ER patients. Patients like its convenience.” Life Savers also partners with doctors in the area who will travel to see their patient – as opposed to the patient needing to come to them – such as those at Memorial Hermann Greater Heights and surrounding care centers. “We build relationships with the community doctors, and we like them participating in our patients’ care,” Ikyaator said. “It’s more like a familyoriented and close-knit patient
care program. We do need backup.” The Garden Oaks expansion represents Life Savers’ second Houston-area location, joining their office in Tomball. Since opening in December 2015, Life Savers ER has provided care to more 10,000 urgent need patients. You want to provide a service where it’s needed, and the Garden Oaks/greater Heights community really didn’t have a facility like this,” Ikyaator said. “If someone has issues in the middle of the night, they have to go across 610. There’s a need for it here, so we felt like if we could provide something the community needs and a spot for it, we’d be a good fit here. Patients can walk-in at any hour of the day, or call 281766-8911.
Hours: Mon-Sat 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-4 p.m.