S
avvy Women
Let’s TACO ’Bout It
Making Spirits Bright
Margaret Jabour spills her holiday entertaining secrets to Austin Woman Publisher Melinda Garvey. photo by kevin garner Soon after the age of Prohibition met its demise in 1933, a small Austin family established a simple store on the no-longer-dry streets of downtown Austin. In it, a drug store, a soda fountain and a liquor store formed the establishment known as Jabour’s Package Store. In the 1980s, nearly 50 years and several generations later, the Jabours transformed their family business into Twin Liquors and started cementing their status as Austin’s favorite libation destination. Vice President Margaret Jabour, known for her love of family and festive gatherings, gave us some hints on how to savor—and not stress—the holiday hustle. – Emily C. Laskowski Melinda Garvey: These days, it just feels like people don’t entertain or have guests in their homes anymore, and I don’t understand why that is. I grew up with people always entertaining. Margaret Jabour: Historically, I’m a person that loves to entertain. When someone comes to my home, I want to prepare it. When you break bread
30 | Austin Woman | december 2016
together, you truly connect, and having someone in your home is showing that love. But sometimes I feel that this world has become so materialistic—I have to have this and that and all to detail—and you’re juggling different things and time, and you want to show your finest, but it’s intimidating. MG: It’s that intimidation factor, like Pinterest! What I love to do, I learned from a friend, is the laundry-basket technique, and it’s just taking your laundry basket and dumping everything messy in it and stuffing it in a closet before everyone comes over.
“Every day is a celebration. Every day is a gift.” —Margaret Jabour
MJ: Let’s talk about that because this year, I’ve had construction going on, and I’ve decided that the perfection part is the love. Memories are too precious not to share, and the materialistic things are not what people will remember. MG: Just the other night, I had an impromptu gathering, so I rounded up some wine and cheese and I had friends texting me afterward how much they enjoyed the time because it was spent together.