Holiday Spirit The Leader • Saturday, December 15, 2018 • Page 1B
Crafting cookies: Baker Peterson schools students in decorative desserts By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com Sometimes prettily iced sugar cookies look too perfect to eat and way too complicated to make. That’s where Underwater Oven’s Samantha Peterson comes in. She not only makes beautiful cookies. She teaches decorating classes that give students the skills to decorate them at home. “I started this whole adventure by taking a class,” Peterson said. “I learned through someone who was making cookies and doing classes.” The first time Peterson took a decorating class she was able to learn so much that it made her hungry to dive deeper into cookies. Three years later, she’s teaching cookie decorating classes and helping people learn the craft the same way she was taught. But before Underwater Oven was used for selling homemade cookies, Peterson’s original idea for the business was for cupcakes. This concept was first flirted with while she lived in Rhode Island, but when a move to Houston made her realize humidity
Christmas cookie creations by Samantha Peterson, owner of Underwater Oven.
wasn’t kind to cupcakes, she opted for cookies. It wasn’t just the humidity that changed her mind, but the art aspect of
an iced sugar cookie. “I can’t draw on a piece of paper to save my life, but give me a bag of icing and I’m
Drink a pint, help a kid
It’s leading a Toys for Tots drive that began Nov. 23, concludes Dec. 16 and includes 30 participating bars and restaurants. By Adam For every Eureka Heights pint Zuvanich sold at those businesses, which have committed to offer three of Editor’s note: If you’re thirsty for more beer columns like this the company’s beers during one, good news. Zuvie’s Brews the drive, it will donate $1 to the Houston-area Toys for will appear monthly. Tots organization. The same Children under 21 should goes for pints of the Wicket not drink beer. Let’s make Awesome ESB sold at the Euthat clear, because it’s clearly reka Heights tap room. Co-founder Casey Motes against the law and not a good said the brewery hopes to idea anyway. But needy kids all over raise between $5,000 and Houston should raise a pint $10,000 for Toys for Tots, a glass – filled with juice, of national charity run by the course – to a kind-hearted United States Marine Corps brewery in the heart of the Reserve. “We feel like that can make Heights. Eureka Heights Brew Co., a difference for a whole lot of the 2-year-old craft brewer families,” Motes said. Many of the participating at 941 W 18th St., caught a case of the Christmas spirit locations, which stretch from this year and decided to pour Magnolia to Webster and just holiday cheer all over the city. about everywhere in between,
Zuvie’s Brews
Photo supplied
2018
THE LEADER
READERS’ CHOICE
great at it,” Peterson said. Underwater Oven’s name came from Peterson’s primary vocation as a marine biologist, though she says cookies are taking more and more of her time. Cookie decorating has become the creative outlet she doesn’t necessarily have while being a marine biologist. Underwater Oven doesn’t imply she bakes the cookies underwater. For a little over a year, Peterson has been selling her cookies at Eleanora’s Market, which is held in the parking lot of Cavatore Italian Restaurant, 2120 Ella Blvd., every Saturday from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. “I started going to Eleanora’s right after (Hurricane) Harvey,” Peterson said. “I had heard great things about the market, and this is a good area for the product. I meet people and through that get custom orders. It’s where I build my business even if I don’t sell a lot that day. I get my name out there.”
Tina Tran, one of Peterson’s cookie-decorating students, discovered Underwater Oven at Eleanora’s Market. “They were beautiful and tasted great. I started buying her cookies on a regular basis for over a year now,” Tran said. “I have tried sugar cookies from several bakeries all over Houston and hers are the best.” The creativity Peterson can express in custom orders is what she enjoys most. Some customers give her just an idea of what they want, such as a theme, and she’s able to build a cookie set from that direction. The customer can put faith in Peterson’s product when she’s designing with creative freedom. Conversely, when a customer provides a photo of what they want a cookie to look like, Peterson enjoys the challenge of breaking down the image See Cookies P. 6B
Best Steak House 1st Place Best Patio 1st Place Best Brunch 3rd Place
also are accepting toy donations. So is the brewery itself. Last Friday, there were more than a dozen boxes of toys sitting under a big Christmas tree in the tap room that was decorated with empty beer cans turned into ornaments. Eureka Heights topped off the week by holding the “White Oak Holiday Pub Crawl” that stopped at some of the participating locations. The charitable idea came from Zach Growcock, who does sales and marketing for Eureka Heights. He said he wanted to support Toys for Tots because it fit the season and is an apolitical cause he knew would be well-received. The drive also provides a means for promoting and selling Eureka Heights beer, of course. “It’s definitely helped get some extra taps out on the market and some more exposure for our brand,” Growcock said. Onion Creek Coffee House, See Zuvie’s P. 7B
Readers vote for Aladdin as area’s best new restaurant By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com When a year comes to an end it’s time to reflect on the past 12 months. Instead of thinking back to all that was done right or wrong, let’s think about food. The number of restaurants that opened in the area this year seem innumerous. So we’re going to focus on the top three restaurants of 2018 as voted on by readers of The Leader in a poll on Facebook. Aladdin Mediterranean Cuisine The neighborhood favorite is Aladdin Mediterranean Cuisine, 1737 W 34th St., which opened in July. Owner Ali Nahhas had been looking forward to the location opening
Photo supplied Neighborhood favorite Aladdin Mediterranean Cuisine offers a variety of delicious, healthy dishes.
since the idea first bloomed to expand from Aladdin’s Montrose location. Aladdin offers a variety of Mediterranean goodies, such
as kabobs, freshly baked pita bread, salads and other family-friendly options. Aladdin’s See Top Three P. 7B
Everything you need. Right in Greater Heights. To schedule an appointment or check in online, visit memorialhermann.org/ccc or call 713.222.CARE. 1431 Studemont Street Houston, TX 77007 I-10 at Studemont