Edible San Antonio Winter 2023

DON'T MISS OUR 2023 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

WINTER 2023 | Issue 43

SAN ANTONIO

Winter 16 20

CONTENTS 2

FROM THE EDITOR

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WHAT'S ON OUR COUNTER

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NOTABLE EDIBLES What's Happening Around San Antonio

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SPOTLIGHT ON LOCAL - The Ridge at the Hill is Reaching New Heights - Colette at The Phipps

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LOCAL LEGENDS Bobbie's Cafe

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EDIBLE ENDEAVOR San Antonio Food Bank Mission Farm

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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Find the Best Locally Made Gifts

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LEADING THE WAY Becker Vineyards is Cultivating a Hill Country Cuisine

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FARMER'S DIARY Oyster Farms are Making Waves

COVER Cranberry Citrus Spicy Relish Ingredients (photo by Pauline Stevens)

THIS PAGE Cranberry Almond Skillet Cake (photo by Pauline Stevens) Barrier Beauties (photo by Sonya Sellers)

RECIPES IN THIS ISSUE

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Winter 2023

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CRANBERRY ALMOND SKILLET CAKE

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CRANBERRY CITRUS SPICY RELISH

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FROM THE EDITOR

As crisp winter air (hopefully) envelops San Antonio, we can't help but be swept up in the culinary magic that graces the vibrant Alamo City. In this exciting new winter issue of Edible San Antonio, we close the year with an array of delectable experiences that will tantalize your taste buds and warm your heart.

This season, we're showcasing the ever-surprising and delightful culinary landscape of our city at places where you can celebrate with family, friends and community — starting with the breathtaking new downtown restaurant, Colette at The Phipps.

Take advantage of the cooler weather and dine al fresco in the whimsical romance of innovative cuisine and craft cocktails inspired by world travels. The story of Colette is a testament to the city's enduring commitment to excellence and innovation.

But that's just the appetizer to the culinary adventure we have in store for you. Government Hill has become a thriving neighborhood for food enthusiasts, and that includes the arrival of The Ridge at the Hill. Here, you can indulge in all your favorite scratch-made classics, from scrumptious blackened fish tacos to mouthwatering roasted pulled pork sliders with a signature chipotle BBQ sauce, all set against the backdrop of this charming historic neighborhood near the Pearl.

In Local Legends, we shine a well-deserved spotlight on Bobbie's Cafe, a long-standing destination diner that has captured the hearts of generations with its Texas-sized dishes, from handbattered chicken-fried steak slathered with cream gravy to cheese enchiladas topped with homemade chile con carne. I dare say it can hold its own against the best taquerias and perhaps even some abuelitas, too. The stories of places like Bobbie's are what make our city's culinary heritage so rich and beloved.

Our Notable Edibles section introduces you to a long list of must-tries, including a unique gem known as Camp Hot Wells, nestled near the historic Hot Wells ruins. Here, you can soak yourself in the city's history, as well as the healing waters, while enjoying some tasty snacks and drinks. It's an experience that combines San Antonio's past and present, making it an unforgettable date night or adventure with friends and family.

In What's on Our Counter, we continue to scour the city for exceptional locally-made goods, such as some incredible corn tortillas made by a local chef using ancient heirloom grains. These colorful tortillas aren’t just gorgeous, they elevate absolutely everything you wrap them around.

And, finally, I am so thrilled to share with you the latest news on what’s happening at the San Antonio Food Bank. With local food and land sustainability expert Mitch Hagney at the helm of their Mission San Juan Farm project, San Antonians can expect a bounty of the freshest, locally grown produce, including heat-resistant native plants and a plethora of vegetables you may have never even tasted before.

What could be better than indulging in San Antonio's diverse culinary offerings as we embrace the winter and holiday season? So, dear readers, grab a steaming cup of Mexican hot chocolate, find a cozy spot and dive into the pages of this winter issue. We hope it warms your heart, feeds your soul, and inspires your culinary adventures in this remarkable city we call home.

PUBLISHER Monique Threadgill monique@atxpublications.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/ CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ralph Yznaga ralph@atxpublications.com EDITOR Kimberly Suta kimberly@ediblesanantonio.com

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COPY EDITORS Claire Cella Stacey Ingram Kaleh CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Olivier J. Bourgoin Ashley Brown David Dekunder Pauline Stevens Emily Treadway Francisco Ortiz

ORDER TODAY: WindyBarBeef.com 512-474-2855

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Sonya Sellers Pauline Stevens ADVERTISING SALES Grace McCormick grace@atxpublications.com CONTACT US: 512-441-3971 info@ediblesanantonio.com ediblesanantonio.com 5524 Bee Caves Rd., Ste. J-4 Austin, TX 78746 Edible San Antonio is published by ATX Publications LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used without written permission of the publisher. ©2023. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our apologies and notify us.

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WHAT'S ON OUR COUNTER WORDS BY OLIVIER J. BOURGOIN (AKA. OLIVIER THE WINE GUY)

Groovy Girl Mushrooms Mycology! Here’s a word you don’t hear every day. It involves the study of fungi including molds, yeasts and, indeed, mushrooms.

Delve into this fascinating world of mushrooms with mycologist Angelica “Angie” Torres. A 2012 graduate of East Central High School, Torres became passionate about mushrooms while studying at the Cordon Bleu culinary school in Pasadena. She explains, “I decided to come home to my roots [after studying at the Cordon Bleu culinary school in Pasadena, CA, including a life-changing internship at L.A. FungHi] to continue learning and teaching all about mushrooms.”

As a member of the Central Texas Mycological Society, Torres worked with the Texas legislature to successfully name the Texas star mushroom, or Chorioactis Geaster, as the official state mushroom of Texas. Torres grows her mushrooms locally and organically.

Depending on the season, she offers anywhere from four to 12 different types of mushrooms, plus mushroom powders and jerky.

You can find Torres and her products at the Alamo Heights Farmers Market every Sunday, or online. groovygirlmushrooms.com Left Page, Top: Photo by Groovy Girl Left Page, Bottom: Photo by Ancient Heirloom Grains Right Page,Top: Photo by Microgreen Gems Right Page, Bottom: Photo by Tim's Oriental & Seafood Market

Ancient Heirloom Grains’ Rainbow-Colored Tortillas When local chef Paul Morales decided to go west to take a teaching position at UCLA, he hadn’t planned on losing his job once he got there; but when the campus shut down due to COVID-19, he came back home to San Antonio. Since operating a food truck outdoors was still allowed, he bought one. Then he started looking for high-quality tortillas, like the ones he could find in Los Angeles, but he couldn’t.

That’s when he decided to sell the food truck and start making his own by hand. According to Morales, few tortilla purveyors today take the time to cook the corn and grind it properly. His company now makes thousands of tortillas each day — the proper way. Importantly, the corn they source is high-quality, non-GMO corn from Oaxaca and Texcala in Mexico, and the corn varieties are beautiful colors such as blue, pink, yellow or even purple. Sometimes, you’ll even find a special batch of multi-colored tortillas. Suffice it to say, what Morales is doing is very rare, and as he says, is rarely seen outside of Mexico.

Find Ancient Heirloom Grains on Saturdays at the Pearl Farmers Market or order online for delivery at ancientheirloomgrains.com

Microgreen Gems Tracy Tesson had a successful 37-year career as a general manager for big box retail giants. But when corporate downsizing due to the pandemic began to affect his workload, he decided to take an offered early retirement severance package. With his newly found time he began to research microgreens as a potential solution to his wife’s chronic iron deficiency. He found out that broccoli microgreens contained huge amounts of iron — and so he started growing them to help his wife. “Eventually, she encouraged me to make my hobby into a professional venture, and I started the business on July 4 this year,” shares Tesson. “Our mission is to bring the vibrant, nutrient-rich world of microgreens to your plate.”

Currently, Microgreen Gems grows several different types of microgreens, including broccoli, cantaloupe, cilantro, cucumber, speckled pea, China rose radish, ramble radish and sunflower; each one offering different health and nutritional benefits. They offer free subscriptions with home or office delivery to anywhere in and around the San Antonio area.

Find more information online or go to the Mission Marquee Farmers Market, Picapica Farmers Market or Shavano Park Farmers Market. microgreengems.com

Duck, Duck, Good at Tim’s Oriental & Seafood Market In order to do it justice, Tim’s Oriental & Seafood Market's full name really ought to be: Tim’s Oriental & Seafood & Produce & Meat & Everything Pan-Asian Market & Grocery Store. Located at 7015 Bandera Road, the family-owned-and-operated business has been a must-visit destination for food lovers. Inside, you’ll find 25 aisles stocked with an amazing assortment of prepared hot, cold and frozen items, from unique pickled vegetables and soup stock ingredients to items for a DIY sushi party.

From a line of dangling (and incredibly enticing) whole roasted duck to galangal root, seaweed and dried squid, all sorts of tofu and fancy noodles (buckwheat, sweet potato, rice and mung bean thread), you can easily satisfy your Asian food cravings at Tim’s. Grab some Filipino pork lechon, thin-sliced meats for hot pot, roasted eel and live blue crabs, plus bones and knuckles to make that velvety bone broth. “My parents, Tim and Cathy Lim, started this business in 1986 after they immigrated from Hong Kong,” says daughter and CEO, Vanessa (Lim) Egle. Today, she and her two siblings manage it. “Although they’re retired now, they still like to come in and cook when they feel like it. This was my father’s dream, to see all his children and now grandchildren, working together in a legacy business.”

My advice: bring several large reusable shopping bags and be ready to do some serious shopping. facebook.com/TimsOrientalMarketSATX Olivier J. Bourgoin has been a wine broker and consultant, as well as a freelance writer, who has been involved in these industries in and around the greater San Antonio area for more than 25 years. A native of France with family roots deep in the wine producting region of Burgundy, he is known as "Olivier the Wine Guy" and featured as such on a local weekly radio segment for 20 years.

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NOTABLE EDIBLES

LUCY COOPER’S OPENS NEW LOCATIONS IN SA & NEW BRAUNFELS

WORDS BY DAVID DEKUNDER

EXPERIENCE FANCY JAPANESE DINING

ENJOY COMFORT FOOD AT COMFORT CAFE If it’s comfort food you’re looking for, there are few better choices than Comfort Cafe — and longtime fans can now rejoice that they’ve recently opened a second location. You might be familiar with their restaurant at Los Patios — an 18-acre site for dining, shopping, social events, and wellness and medical services — overlooking Salado Creek, but now there’s a second option in Leon Valley, located at 6812 Bandera Road, Suite 101. They’ll still be serving their beloved hearty breakfast plates and refreshing lunches. There are a myriad of breakfast choices, including the Rise and Shine, a Greek yogurt parfait with homemade granola, fresh berries and a drizzle of honey; a Texas-sized muffin with your choice of two eggs and a meat; stuffed French Toast crepes and waffles; sweet cream pancakes; and, of course, extreme omelettes. For lunch, expect the usual cold and grilled sandwiches, mouth-watering burgers, and a variety of fresh specialty salads, including the famous chicken curry, made with sweet and spicy chicken, sprinkled with pecans and cranberries, topped off with a strawberry vinaigrette. You can also sip on one of the cafe’s 13 Java Junkies specialty coffees, alongside a decadent dessert.

As usual, a $10 donation is suggested per meal, with all proceeds benefiting SerenityStar, a peer-to-peer program which helps individuals and families with drug and alcohol addiction. lospatios.com/comfort-cafe-east

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TRY OU MAMI’S ASIAN FUSION INSIDE LOMBRANO FOOD HALL Dying for a taste of Asia? Then head over to Ou Mami’s Asian Fusion restaurant. Founded by chef Billy Vongsouvanh, Ou Mami’s menu combines flavors and traditions from across Asia, including Thai, Chinese, Japanese and other Asian culinary traditions. The increasingly popular menu includes pad thai, orange chicken, sushi bakes, bang bang shrimp, pork egg rolls served with sweet chili sauce, Vietnamese-inspired fresh vermicelli noodles and Thai-lu BBQ pork with a signature spicy dipping sauce. Ou Mami’s is a ghost kitchen located inside Lombrano Food Hall at 427 Lombrano Street, specializing in to-go, carry out and catering. Orders for Ou Mami’s are available through Uber Eats, DoorDash and the Lombrano Food Hall website. It’s what could be for dinner!

A unique dining and cultural experience awaits guests who visit the new, highlyanticipated restaurant, Nineteen Hyaku Japanese. The restaurant opened its doors in September at 1900 Broadway, Suite 119, with an exceptional menu consisting of sushi, hand rolls, skewers, Wagyu steak, nigiri and sashimi fish delicacies, noodles, and more. Guests at Nineteen Hyaku get to experience omakase dining, in which the chef gets to choose the courses. Interestingly, some of the dishes are cooked over hot coals by the chefs, known as the robatayaki method. Nineteen Hyaku is a venture of Carpenter Carpenter Hospitality, which has been successful with other fine dining establishments in San Antonio, including Little Em’s Oyster Bar, Restaurant Claudine and Up Scale. nineteenhyaku.com

Whether it’s enjoying a beer after work or spending a Sunday watching football, we now have more Lucy Cooper’s choices on where to go, including their newest location on the Westside at 8403 State Highway 151, Suite 101, not to mention their New Braunfels location at 1515 Kuehler Avenue. Their slogan is “Stop by for a good time,” and, consistently, that’s what you can expect, with a variety of beers and cocktails to choose from and many luscious bar food options from their food menu. Venture out on Sunday for brunch by taking a satisfying bite of the donut brunch burger made with two burger patties, American cheese, a pile of bacon, house-made hash browns and a fried egg lovingly nestled between two donuts. With a wide variety of appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, pizza and seafood, there’s bound to be something you’ll fall in love with. Beverages include a selection of beers, signature cocktails and specialty drinks, including the Smokey Sunrise — a concoction made of mezcal, lime, pineapple and pomegranate. lucycoopers.com

CRAFT BREWERY FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

linktr.ee/oumamis

This Page: Top:: Photo by OU Mami's Asian Fusion Bottom: Photo by Comfort Cafe Right: Photo by Nineteen Hyaku Japanese Right Page: Left: Photo by Dos Sirenos Middle: Photos by Lucy Cooper's Right: Photos by Stixs & Stone

Located in the heart of Southtown, Dos Sirenos Brewing Company prides itself as an independent and family-owned craft brewery.

It offers a wide selection of craft beer, wines and non-alcoholic beverages complemented by its extensive menu of appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, entrees, sides, desserts and, inevitably, brunch items. Guests can dine indoors or outside on the pet-friendly patio.

And, yes, Dos Sirenos is also family-friendly, with menu selections for both kids and older adults. Patrons can also take advantage of happy hour, live entertainment and games.

The brewery is located at 231 E. Cevallos Street in the Blue Star Arts Complex. dossirenosbrewing.com

UNIQUE FUSION CUISINE DEBUTS AT STIXS & STONE

SOAK AND SAVOR AT CAMP HOT WELLS Camp Hot Wells is the new hot springs venue, perfect for a relaxing soak in healing waters while enjoying a beverage or noshing on a snack, just steps away from the ruins of the historic southside San Antonio resort and bath house known as Hot Wells. The venue is named after this once-famous destination.

Built in the 1890s, Hot Wells was visited by many guests — including celebrities and VIPs of the day —who partook of the highly sulfuric waters on the property for healing purposes. Unfortunately, the hotel burned down in 1925, leaving it in ruins. It’s now a Bexar County historical park, located next to Camp Hot Wells. Patrons order drinks and beverages from a 27-foot-long cross timber bar that was recycled from the ruins of Hot Wells’ bath house. Guests can enjoy the therapeutic water of Camp Hot Wells by soaking their feet in the venue’s garden or reserving one of the venue’s bathing suites for a fee. A variety of beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages are offered at the bar, as well as snacks, including assorted meats, cheeses and charcuterie. On occasion, Camp Hot Wells will feature live entertainment, making it a unique space where relaxation, fun and history come together in perfect harmony. camphotwells.com

Owned by UNESCO chef ambassador Leo Davila, Stixs & Stone offers fusion cuisine inspired by culinary recipes from Mexico and Asia. The restaurant is known for its specialty tacos, including the awardwinning Taco Flight, currently consisting of barbacoa, strawberry and Big Red jam, house pesto, chile de arbol salsa, queso fresco and pickled watermelon rind on tortillas infused with Big Red. On Taco Thursdays, guests can choose from a total of eight to 10 specialty tacos, served on blue corn tortillas alongside their signature house-made strawberry jam for $4 to $5 each. Menu selections include a variety of fusion-inspired appetizers, plates, desserts and beverages. Visit them at 5718 B Wurzbach Road. stixs-stone.business.site

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SPOTLIGHT ON LOCAL

The Ridge at the Hill

SERVING UP FAMILIAR FLAVORS AND UNEXPECTED TASTES

I FOOD CLASSES FROM A MASTER CHEF

NEW BAR ROCKS SOUTHTOWN A rock’n’roll ambience combined with cocktails, food and live entertainment is what guests experience when they step into Gimme Gimme, a bar at 803 S. St. Mary’s Street in Southtown. The bar is a partnership between Roger Herr and Aaron Peña, both experienced in the local bar scene; Herr owns Bar Loretta, Peña runs Amor Eterno. Bar customers can drink exhilarating cocktails such as an espresso-tini and fever dream, made with pumpkin purée, lemon and an egg white mixed with vodka. Each Wednesday, starting at 6 p.m., join in on Steak Night, during which patrons can enjoy a ribeye au poivre served with duck fat waffle fries, green peppercorn demi and herb butter. Adjacent to Gimme Gimme is A Perfect Day, a neighborhood wine bar and store that carries foods to blissfully accompany their wine.

Find Gimme Gimme on Facebook.

LISTEN TO SAN ANTONIO RESTAURANT’S GROUP PODCAST Foodies can learn more about local restaurants, chefs and other foodie news through a weekly podcast, The More You Know, The Better It Tastes, produced by San Antonio Restaurants, a social media group with over 210,000 members. The podcast, co-hosted by Alan Williams and Susie LaFredo, gets personal with local chefs, restaurant owners and food experts to discover truths and tales about the San Antonio culinary industry. The More You Know, The Better It Tastes can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other apps. facebook.com/groups/sanantoniorestaurants

Food enthusiasts have an exciting opportunity to learn from renowned chef Brian West, who you might have seen at some of our city’s top culinary events such as Fiesta’s Taste of the Republic. The local chef is now offering classes through his newly launched West Point Culinary School. The program caters to both beginners and experienced cooks through interactive classes, workshops and real-world industry experiences. chefbrianwest.com

Top and Bottom Left: Photos by Gimme Gimme Middle: Image by The More You Know, The Better It Tastes Right: Photos by Brian West

David DeKunder is an experienced writer who lives in San Antonio. A graduate of both Texas Lutheran University and Southwest Texas State University, David loves reading about history, birding, sports, and the San Antonio Spurs.

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f any two people understand what it takes to run a restaurant, it’s husband-and-wife team Mark and Anna Dortman. They’ve spent the last 19 years operating the renowned La Tuna Grill in Southtown before opening their newest venture, The Ridge at the Hill, this past summer. “Working in restaurants is all we’ve ever done,” Anna says. “It’s what we know.”

Anna didn’t begin her restaurant career until after she’d graduated high school, but Mark missed his senior prom because, at the age of 17, he’d already been promoted to kitchen manager at the restaurant where he worked. Between the two of them, Mark and Anna have worked at some of San Antonio’s most iconic restaurants, such as Casa Rio on the Riverwalk, La Fonda on Main and Cappy’s Restaurant. In fact, they met while working at Cappy’s.

Anna admits that she didn't think she’d ever run or own her own restaurant. That was more Mark’s dream, she says. “He always said he wasn’t leaving Cappy’s until he could run his own restaurant.”

Although they were happy running La Tuna Grill, Anna has had her eye on a certain building in the Government Hill neighborhood for some time. Located off I-35 and the corner of North New Braunfels Avenue, it wasn’t only the convenience of the location that drew the Dortmans to the area —although as Anna exclaims, “It’s right off the expressway so everyone can find us!”

The building was a historic home built in 1910 that offers a large dining room inside and a patio and yard outside — more space than they previously had at La Tuna Grill. Anna and Mark believe The Ridge at the Hill is the culmination of their skills and knowledge from their previous restaurant experiences.

At Cappy’s Restaurant, they learned what fine dining was all about, from how to present, serve and pick up plates to how to prepare dishes differently. From La Fonda on Main, Anna learned about the diversity and complexity of foods of interior Mexico, as opposed to the Tex-Mex she was more familiar with.

“I never knew there were so many different kinds of cheese and fish until I worked at La Fonda,” she says.

She learned new uses for and varieties of

WORDS BY EMILY TREADWAY | PHOTOS BY KIMBERLY SUTA

cheese as well as new ways to prepare various types of fish. At La Tuna, during COVID-19, the Dortmans were challenged to learn how to prepare to-go dishes and how to package them. Most importantly, Anna says, the couple learned how to adapt.

Similar to the lessons they’ve learned over the years, the menu at The Ridge at the Hill is also reminiscent of places Mark and Anna have previously worked. “We use the inspiration.

You take the memory and make it your own,” Anna says.

The Ridge’s menu is eclectic. It’s not Tex-Mex, although chips and salsa and quesadillas are

most certainly on the menu. It’s not American either, although burgers and fries can be found, too. Mark, who is the chef and created the menu, describes the food at The Ridge as “elevated comfort food.”

Anna’s favorite dish is their blackened fish tacos with an Asian-style slaw made with red onions and cilantro, topped with a scrumptious poblano cream sauce and served on corn tortillas with a nopalito side salad. She also likes the roasted lamb sandwich. Topped with a peach and mango chutney and creamy goat cheese, Anna admits she didn’t think a lamb sandwich would sell, but it has turned out to be a customer favorite. She also raves about the desserts.

“We have a wonderful white chocolate cherry bread pudding that Mark has been making for years,” she shares. “Mark’s brother, Phil, also makes the fabulous, flavorful cheesecakes on the menu. He has actually come up with an apple caramel and pumpkin cheesecake for our fall dessert specials.”

The Ridge at the Hill is definitely a family affair. Not only does Mark’s brother bake for them, but Anna’s aunt also works for them.

Mark and Anna’s oldest daughter is their general manager and their other two children can often be found helping out around the restaurant. Staff from La Tuna have followed them to The Ridge and Mark and Anna consider them family, too.

“There’s something about us, we’re all different. You have to be a little crazy to run a restaurant,” Anna laughs. The days are long and hard, but each one is different. Mark and Anna wouldn’t change a thing. “We’re so happy with what we do. We love it.”

Left: Mark and Anna Dortman photo

by The Ridge at the Hill Top Right: Tex Mex Bottom Right: Hamburgers and Fries

As soon as she learned to read and write, that's all Emily Treadway wanted to do. She loves Texas history and, while she hates cooking, she loves eating, especially the diverse tastes and flavors of Texas cuisine.

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SPOTLIGHT ON LOCAL

Colette at The Phipps A RESTAURANT WITH A WHIMSICAL TOUCH WORDS BY KIMBERLY SUTA

S

igns along the River Walk lead the way to Colette at The Phipps, which opened softly in June. I imagine the signs say, “Eat Me.” Ascending the elevator must be akin to what Alice felt as she fell down the rabbit hole, because when the doors parted and I opened my eyes, I was in a Wonderland.

The completely open-air restaurant is whimsical and inviting with a grasslike floor, bright pink and blue chairs and live-edge, wooden dining tables that are enveloped by the canopy of trees that grow along the River Walk.

“I just think San Antonio is the greatest city in the country,” says Martin Phipps, owner of Colette. “We have family, we have culture. We want people to come and see the best of what we have to offer — come and relax and enjoy one of the most beautiful areas in SA.” Once upon a time, the entire space — which is shared with the already wellknown Paramour Bar — was intended to be the home of Phipps, who is a lawyer and the owner of both Paramour and Colette. But, COVID-19 changed those plans and Phipps shifted gears, to the benefit of the local community and food enthusiasts, in particular.

Serendipity was ever on his side, including the discovery of Colette’s executive chef, Darlen Narvaez, a refugee from Venezuela who has found a new home in the Alamo City.

“Five years ago, I left my country, Venezuela,” Narvaez says. “I arrived in Mexico and started as a dishwasher in a seafood restaurant. Two weeks later, they moved me to the line and, in that moment, I started to become more inspired in the kitchen. Venezuelan culture, Venezuelan food are memories for me. Behind those memories, I include flavors that help me remember those moments.”

According to Phipps, Narvaez is very hands-on in the kitchen and the vision of the menu is entirely hers with influences from her homeland, as well as other Latin, Japanese and French flavors.

“It’s a bold menu, multi-dimensional and complex,” says Phipps. “People wonder why I named the bar after French novelist, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, and it’s because that was the spirit I wanted. I think women run the world anyway.”

Narvaez’s seasonal menu is a true delight and one of the most exotic and daring I have ever experienced in San Antonio. Bold, yes indeed, and without fear. The mélange of diverse, titillating flavors made my tongue sing.

Dining there, I felt as if I had awoken in a new world — again, like Alice. I cannot think of a better way to start a meal than with the aji mango ceviche, made with shrimp, citrus caviar, grape slices, charred avocado, togarashi seasoning and served with wonton chips. Other cold starters, like the salmon crudo and scallion ginger sauce, or the caviar board should not be overlooked either.

The rest of the menu is divided into playful sections. “Hope Costs Nothing” features creative choices like a miso napa cabbage steak and a roasted portobello carpaccio and burrata dish. “Close to Your Heart” featured an Asian ramen, while “Close to Your Soul” featured a traditional Brazilian seafood stew with snapper, shrimp, muscles, calamari and a slew of other tasty ingredients.

Although every bite was a blissful revelry, I absolutely fell in love with a sample

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from the fall/winter menu: Narvaez’s pork carnitas dumplings. Executed perfectly with a rich, sumptuous pork in a velvety dumpling, I could have easily eaten a dozen of these gorgeous gifts.

“I think it just feels almost natural, effortless, coming from Chef Narvaez.

She’s making food she feels comfortable with, but at the end of the day, it has a twist. It’s definitely not ordinary,” shares general manager Julisa Medrano.

Phipps adds, “She knows different fruits and spices, but I think what she’s really doing is providing layers of flavor. That’s what makes her special. Venezuela showcases a lot of seafood, obviously, and chef [Narvaez] is also well-versed in different peppers from where she grew up. We like to incorporate them as long as we can source them.”

The cocktail program is on par with what you’ve come to expect from Paramour. The drinks are inspired by Phipps’ travels around the globe to favorite restaurants and bars. There’s a Buenos Aires Old Fashioned featured on the menu, for example, along with an impressive array of top shelf bourbon and tequila.

“I use the word balance because making custom cocktails takes a little time, but when you drink it everything’s supposed to blend together. Come to Colette every day for a month and you can enjoy something different,” notes Phipps.

Unusually, your table is yours for the evening. There is no turnover; you are not rushed. You are there for the night, and thankfully so, because Colette is empirically a one-of-a-kind experience you will want to savor. It’s a memory in the making — a rare chance to disconnect and see San Antonio from the eyes of an insightful world traveler and an exceptionally talented Venezuelan refugee.

In Alice and Wonderland, Alice says at one point, “Why sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast,” which pretty much sums up dinner at Colette.

Left: Ceviche photo by Kimberly Suta Top Right: Pork Dumplings photo by Kimberly Suta Bottom Right: Outdoor photo by Colette at The Phipps

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What's In Season

SEASONAL HIGHLIGHTS

This Winter

Dark greens galore, including collards, kales, mustard and rainbow chard

Roots rule! Beets, carrots, sunchokes, sweet potatoes, turnips

Cranberry Almond Skillet Cake

Recipe and photos by Pauline Stevens ½ c. unbleached almonds ¼ c. chopped almonds ¼ c. brown sugar 1 c. flour 1 ¼ t. baking pwder ¼ t. salt 1 stick cold, unsalted butter ¼ c. white sugar 3 eggs ¼ t. almond essence 1 t. fresh cranberries (can substitute for frozen) 1 t. fresh thyme Confectioners sugar for decoration

Winter squash, from acorn and buttercup to kabocha and red kuri

PREPARATION Heat oven to 350 degrees. You will need a 10” cast iron skillet. In a food processor,

And as always, pick those ‘P’s: pecans, pomegranates, pumpkin

grind the almond and brown sugar until fine. Set aside one quarter of mixture for the topping.

In a bowl, whisk the remaining almond

Grapefruit, kumquats,

sugar mixture with flour, baking powder

Meyer lemons, oranges,

and salt until blended.

satsuma and other citrus

Mix butter and white sugar together on medium speed until fluffy. Add one egg

For more information on farmers markets, seasonal recipes and what’s in season, visit ediblesanantonio.com

at a time. Incorporate chopped thyme, chopped almonds and almond essence.

With a mixer on its lowest speed, add the flour mixture until smooth. The batter will be thick. Spread it evenly into the cast iron skillet. Distribute the cranberries over the cake, sprinkle the reserved almond sugar mixture.

Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and fresh thyme.

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Cranberry Citrus Spicy Relish Recipe and photos by Pauline Stevens Serves 4

1 small navel orange, julienned 2 small lemon peels, julienned 3 c. fresh cranberries coarsely chopped 1 fresh pepperoncini pepper, chopped Modify pepper to serrano or jalapeño for a more spicy flavor 11/2 T. coarse pepper ¼ c. honey 2 T. lemon juice Salt to taste PREPARATION Mix ingredients, modify honey, salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for one hour before serving. Use it to accompany your turkey on holidays and to make salmon and fish more delicious.

Beside her passion for photography, Pauline Stevens enjoys traveling and baking. She also visits every possible farmers market, even between frequent visits to NYC where her quadruplet sons live. Follow her store on IG @redbirdshouse.

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LOCAL LEGENDS

BOBBIE's CAFE A MOM-AND-POP-ULAR STOP FOR 51 YEARS WORDS BY FRANCISCO ORTIZ | PHOTOS BY KIMBERLY SUTA

G

reg and Ana Ferris have owned Bobbie’s Cafe since February 2020, but for the Ferrises, running a 51-year-old mom-and-pop restaurant is a longtime family tradition.

That’s because Bobbie’s Cafe has become, over the decades, a destination stop on San Antonio’s Southside, serving up Southern-inspired, home-cooked meals in a low-key atmosphere.

Greg’s great-grandparents, Robert and Vida Condra, bought a busy Southside truck shop on Roosevelt Avenue in 1972. It was, in a sense, a practice run for them. Their daughter, Bobbie, and her husband, Santo, eventually went on to buy the family business and rename and relocate it in 1986 to the brick-and-mortar where Bobbie’s Cafe still stands today. Bobbie and Santo’s daughter, Nancy and her husband Randy Ferris — Greg’s parents — later took the reins. As a teenager, Greg waited tables, washed dishes and did other things around the cafe. Ana recalls how and when Greg got a long-expected call — one offering a chance to take over the operations.

“One day, Greg’s sister called him up. She's a little frantic and tells him their mom is going to sell the cafe,” Ana remembers. “He calls me up. I'm at an event, and he's like, ‘My sister just called me. My mom's going to sell the cafe. Can we buy it?’ I said, ‘Yes, we’ve got to pray first,’ but then I said, ‘Heck, yeah.’ This has been his dream. I mean, Greg grew up here with Santo fixing things. So, this has been his heart.”

Greg said, since the start, he and his family have prided themselves on delighting hungry customers with comfort food dishes that include pancakes, biscuits, giant hand-battered chicken-fried steaks, burgers and French toast.

“It’s always been about down-home, country cooking,” he says.

Ana and Greg thank diners at Bobbie’s Cafe, many of which are Southsiders who enjoy the scratch-made comfort food and friendly, familiar faces. Ana says many regulars now bring their children or even grandchildren. It’s become a tradition passed down to the younger generation — in the kitchen and in the dining room.

“I think a lot of our success is because of the community, and a lot of it is because of the service. Our food is amazing, but you can have amazing food and not have good service. Our team is amazing at service, too,” she explains.

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Ana and Greg say it’s not just neighborhood residents who frequently line up outside the restaurant on busy days. In truth, people from all around the San A ntonio a rea a nd be yond ma ke t he trip to Bobbie’s Cafe, based solely on word of mouth.

The chicken-fried steak is one of the most sought after menu items at Bobbie’s Cafe.

Ana notes that the beef is locally sourced, hand-cut by a butcher and fried to order. Greg confides the key is breading the beef cutlet in cracker meal, deep frying it to a golden brown and serving it with their homemade country gravy.

“When we're serving you this big chicken-fried steak, we want you to leave with a full tummy, happy and better off,” Ana says.

Big buttery biscuits are another diner favorite. While their traditional biscuits and gravy plate is a staple, a dish called the Morning Wrecker has become exceptionally popular — at least for those looking to splurge. It features a chicken-fried steak and two eggs stuffed between a hand-sized biscuit, all topped with sausage gravy and cheddar cheese.

“You get a little bit of everything there,” he says.

It’s these and other comfort food delicacies that make Bobbie’s Cafe a venerable dining institution on the Southside, but we’re here to tell you to get ready because more is coming! The Ferrises have recently bought an adjoining space, which is slated to become an elevated coffee shop, serving premium coffee and phenomenal pastries, like cro-nuts.

While the cafe will be open to any visitor, Greg says he and Ana were moved by seeing crowds of hungry diners waiting for a seat at Bobbie’s Cafe.

“On the weekends, we’d have up to a two-hour wait. We've gotten better about moving them, but it's still about 40 minutes to an hour,” Greg said. “I thought that would be a perfect place for people to wait. They can grab a coffee or a pastry while they're waiting for their breakfast.”

The new coffee shop will be named Birdie’s — Ana’s childhood nickname — and lend a French Provincial look and feel, with specialty teas and coffees, croissants, salads and soups.

“We’re constantly evolving. There’s always newness happening,” says Ana. Greg and Ana hope to have Birdie’s open by December. Although the coffee shop will be new, the owners of Bobbie’s Cafe say they and their family will continue to provide old-fashioned comfort food and homestyle cooking, just like we’ve grown to love.

Left Page, Top: The Ferrises Left Page, Bottom: Chicken Fried Steak Right Page, Top Left: Pancakes Right Page, Bottom Left: Fried Chicken Sandwich Right Page, Middle Right: French Toast Right Page, Bottom Right: The Morning Wrecker

A native San Antonian, Francisco Ortiz has been a local journalist for more than 25 years, having worked full time or freelanced for several area news publications, including Edible SA. Francisco studied mass communications at San Antonio College and Texas State University. When he's not writing or editing, he enjoys hiking, reading, and watching or playing basketball.

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EDIBLE ENDEAVOR

S a n A Nt o nio Fo o d BA N K MIS S ION Fa R M

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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY KIMBERLY SUTA

f you live in San Antonio, you probably already know of the feats and accomplishments of our San Antonio Food Bank and the monumental efforts they make to feed families in need in our community. They currently distribute over 80 million pounds of food each year, but what you may not know is a small but integral portion of that — hundreds of thousands of pounds of food — is grown and harvested on the Southside, on historical land owned by the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.

In 2018, a land-use agreement was struck between the SA Food Bank and the National Park Service regarding the Missions’ farmable land, a total of 50 acres. The intent was and is to cultivate the land in order to help feed people.

The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park is made up of four Spanish colonial missions established over 300 years ago. Mission San Juan is one of them — and while it may not feature the most impressive church building, compared to some of the others, it has something extraordinarily fascinating: an ancient acequia that runs throughout the entire property. An acequia is a manmade channel that uses gravity flow to transport water from, in this case, the San Antonio River (once called the Yanaguana River) to the farm lands.

“It’s the exact same acequia that was used almost 300 years ago by the mission folks — the Indigenous community and colonists,” explains Mitch Hagney, the new director of food sustainability. Hagney is not only helping to re-envision the existing 25-acre garden at the Food Bank facility, but is also putting a significant amount of time and resources into the farm at Mission San Juan.

According to Hagney, the written history of the missions does not clarify exactly which Indigenous populations lived and used the acequia at the time, but said they were often referred to as the Coahuiltecan people. In an effort to preserve this rich history, part of the property has been designated as a Spanish Colonial Demonstration Farm.

“So for that part of the property, we irrigate using the historical method.

We use sluice gates to control the flow of water, which allows us to flood the fields where we’re demonstrating the Spanish Colonial agricultural styles,” says Hagney. “We use more modern techniques like a pump and drip line irrigation on the rest of the property.”

Hagney, who is an experienced proponent for food and land sustainability (he is the owner of Local Sprout and the former president of the San Antonio Food Council), is also planning on bringing some new things to the table, quite literally.

“I want us to demonstrate agriculture that is resilient to climate change in this region. The summer we just had showed us that farming has to change, because our growing conditions are changing. I want to plant more resilient crops like figs and nopal and crops we haven’t grown before, like amaranth, malabar spinach and purslane, that can really handle serious heat and be productive,” he shares.

This past summer, they grew squash, beans, corn, herbs, eggplant and melons, while this past fall they grew radishes, turnips, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, collards and cabbage, offering SA Food Bank patrons produce that is locallygrown without any synthetic pesticides or herbicides, which is better for food health as well as soil health.

“I think it tastes better if it’s fresher,” says Hagney. “Plus, there’s more nutrient content in fresher vegetables. When it comes to lettuce, for example, as soon as you harvest it, it starts to decrease in nutrient value.”

One of the challenges Hagney and the SA Food Bank team face is educating

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the community on how to use ingredients, like amaranth, that aren’t already part of their diet. With a staff that also includes 15 nutritionists, they hope to provide exciting opportunities for people to learn how to cook these unique ingredients and incorporate them into their everyday dishes.

“I really want to grow nopal, which was an important ingredient in the diet of the Indigenous people here but it’s fallen out of fashion, so it will be a challenge to integrate it back into our diet. It has a compound called mucilage that can help regulate blood sugar naturally, and I can grow nopal through the worst summer ever because it’s a cactus,” Hagney says.

A not her project Ha gney intends to focus on is enhancing their meat-processing facility, which is currently only being used to process venison for their Hunters for the Hungry program.

If you’re wondering, like I was, if folks enjoy the venison, not to mention access to a beautiful bounty of the freshest, local produce grown on historic land, the answer is a resounding yes.

“I think we’ve reached a moment in food culture in general where people want to eat locally grown, sustainable, healthy crops and food And they’re really excited to come out to the farm,” says Hagney.

Chief Sustainability Officer, Michael G. Guerra agreed, adding, “As an organization focused on food, we believe it is extremely important to build awareness and engagement around our complex food systems An easy starting point into Hagney’s efforts is helping our community understand farming in South Texas. We farm to feed, for sure, that’s core to our mission, but we also farm to raise the consciousness of our city on the origin of food and the value of eating local, fresh fruits and vegetables.”

If you’re itching to get your hands in the dirt, connect with nature and help feed our San Antonio community at the same time, the SA Food Bank is always looking for volunteers, particularly for harvesting and tree planting events. Visit the website (safoodbank.org) and look for the “Give Help” tab to sign up. The farm itself also has a newsletter so you can stay up-to-date on their progress and needs.

Raised With Care

®

All natural pork, beef and lamb raised sustainably and humanely by a

community of more than 600 independent family farmers and ranchers

to produce the highest quality meat.

To learn more, visit safoodbank.org

Top and Right: Mitch Hagney at Mission Farm

100% Certified Humane® No antibiotics or added hormones—EVER No crates—EVER Raised outdoors and in deeply bedded pens 100% vegetarian feeds

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Gift Guide

Cornucopia Popcorn

Shop these local gifts

Popped locally in Austin, TX. using Non-GMO corn & a little love. Get 10% off using code Edible10 $30-$80 PopcornDelivery.com

New Canaan Farms Stunning gift boxes custom filled with handcrafted jams, salsas and sauces from Utopia, Texas.

From $35 newcanaanfarms.com

William Chris Wine Co. The Fancy Marshmallow Co. Indulge in a marshmallow wonderland this holiday season with The Fancy Marshmallow Co.! From delectable marshmallow treats to holiday-themed goodies, their locally made, gift-ready delights are sure to sweeten your celebrations.

Gifts start at $10 thefancymarshmallowco.com

CulturedCarrot The Cultured Carrot fermented vegetable dressings are power packed with organic fermented vegetables, avocado oil, functional nutrition, and ready to dress the best of Austin's tables.

Four pack of functional dressings $40 theculturedcarrot.com

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Griller Package Windy Bar Beef 100% locally raised and fed in the Texas Hill Country.

Quarters and halves also available.

Starts at $165 windybarbeef.com

Blinking Owl Acres - Holistic Self-Care Gifts Makeup, skincare, foot care. Everything made locally from the highest quality ingredients, with so much love.

Gift Sets $30 - $72 blinkingowlacres.com

Hill Country Holiday Pack William Chris Vineyards 2022 Mary Ruth 2020 Enchanté Winter Wonder Pack Glorious Gifting Pack William Chris Vineyards Lost Draw 2022 Cinsaut Rosé, La Pradera Vineyard 2020 Tempranillo, Texas Hill Country 2020 Hunter 2022 Marsanne, Timmons Estate Vineyard shop.williamchriswines.com

Edible San Antonio 1 Year Subscription

4 issues of the best of local Texas ediblesanantonio.com

Gift the Ultimate Foodie Experience with a Multi-Day Boot Camp or Single-Day Class at The Culinary Institute of America San Antonio A world-class culinary college in the heart of a UNESCO-recognized Creative City of Gastronomy. Cook, learn, think, and eat like a chef under the guidance of CIA’s expert chef-instructors. ciafoodies.com/tx-classes

The Bloody Buddy The first premixed Bloody Mary product made in Texas is available at local wine and spirits stores and online. thebloodybuddy.com

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lEADING THE WAY

Cultivating a Wine Country Cuisine

BECKER VINEYARDS IS ON A MISSION TO START A MOVEMENT AND EARN A MICHELIN STAR

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WORDS BY ASHLEY BROWN

ith Michelin-star chef Jean-Claude Balek at the helm, Becker Vineyards is setting out to be at the forefront of developing a Texas Hill Country wine cuisine, bringing the culture and philosophy of the wine and food lifestyle — guided by the spirit of local products and sustainability — to Fredericksburg.

Becker Vineyards was established in 1992 by Dr. Richard and Bunny Becker. They shared a love of wine, fine dining and international travel. Bunny, known as the soul of the winery, passed in 2019. And when Dr. Becker was looking for a general manager to run things, he wanted to bring someone on board who shared his vision for the art of pairing wine and food to bring out the best in both.

Dr. Becker fou nd t hat in Patrick Connelly, whose roots run deep in the wine world of Napa where he grew up on a cattle ranch that also grew grapes. As a teenager, Connelly worked for Margrit Biever and Robert Mondavi, the renowned wine family of Napa. “What Margrit Biever started then was so ahead of its time for the American culinary world,” says Connelly. “We now think of Napa Sonoma, and it’s synonymous with wine and food. I was really blessed to watch and have my career follow that and learn from the original Mondavi philosophy.”

Today, California is the epicenter for Chef Jean-Claude photo by Ralph Yznaga “wine country cuisine.”

Chef Jean-Claude explains the concept of wine country cuisine. “It’s a different thought process in developing the dishes,” he says. “A lot of famous chefs develop dishes for their ego, their future, their popularity. But in a winery, you have to gear your menu outside of your ego. The dishes have to pair with the wine.”

“In Europe, it’s just a known thing that wine is part of the meal,” adds Connelly. “It comes with it like salsa does with chips. That’s a newer concept for America. People might drink wine with a meal, but they’re not thinking about the cuisine in relationship to wine in a harmonious and balanced way.”

The goal of bringing on Chef Jean-Claude for Dr. Becker was to bring an appreciation for the food and wine relationship to Texas. “Food is really important to being able to taste wine,” he says. “There’s a reason that French food tastes like it does.”

It even goes beyond the gustatory. “If we learn what wine does for the whole concept of eating — how it slows you down, how it makes you think about the food you’re eating, how you spend more time in the kitchen with people you love — that’s a very special thing,” says Connelly.

When Becker Vineyards began the search for a chef to pave the way for this ambitious endeavor, they had high standards. So they employed a well-respected

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Estate Winery & Vineyard Tasting Room & Main Street Tasting Room Wine Tastings & Tours / Elevated Experiences Private & Public Events Beckervineyards.com

recruiter who usually recruits CEOs for Fortune 500 companies, but happens to love food and does the occasional “chef search” on the side.

When Chef Jean-Claude came to the vineyard to serve a five-course trial meal, Connelly says there are two things that sealed the deal: when Chef pulled a truffle out of his pocket — (“That’s badass,” Connelly laughs) — and when Dr. Becker took his first bite of his vichyssoise — a soup made of cooked and puréed leeks, potatoes, onions and cream.

“When he cooked that first meal for us, our wine had never tasted better,” says Dr. Becker of the experience. “And I like Jean-Claude’s affect; he’s as much of a Texan as someone of his background could be, and his commitment to local is music to my ears. Here you’ll taste wine made from grapes grown in our region paired with food grown in our region, prepared by someone who knows how to do this.”

Chef Jean-Claude has spent four decades honing his craft. His training started in San Francisco, where he apprenticed with a French chef who guided his early career. He then went on to kitchens in Napa Valley “to learn speed,” and to the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco “to learn finesse and California cuisine.”

He was always drawn back to Napa, though. He loved how every restaurant had its own little farm and a connection to the community. Rather than ordering shipments of expensive products to be flown in (as any high-class chef can), he revels in things like the sweet lady who lives down the road from the restaurant and who stops by with the best cherry tomatoes you’ve ever tasted in your life.

Even during a stint as executive chef at Google, he was known for food guided by the principles of sustainability and supporting local farms and food ecosystems. Coming to Becker Vineyards was an easy decision for him. He’s already received all the career accolades he’d hoped for; now he just wants to work with people who share his passion. Just three months in, he’s already connected with many local farmers and artisans — including Rowdy Roost Family Farms, Enchanted Mushrooms and Five Roots Farms — who provide most of the food they serve at the vineyard.

To showcase this Hill Country wine cuisine in the making, Becker Vineyards already has a number of programs and events in the works. Great Chefs of Texas, inspired by Mondavi’s Great Chefs of France, brings in the state’s best chefs to cook for 100 guests. They also host a monthly Chef’s Table for about 40 guests, with a seven-course tasting menu.

Having retired from his practice as a doctor this summer, Dr. Becker is enjoying his involvement in tasting the food from Chef Jean-Claude and the wines from the vineyard — and is committed to striving for success with this new passion project. “There’s not a winery in America who has earned a Michelin star … and we want to,” says Connelly.

In all they do, they are guided by a philosophy of wine not as something daunting or “fancy” but accessible and enjoyable, and of food as a nourishing, delectable way to celebrate our sensory experiences, our local ecosystem, as well as one another. Cheers to that!

Writer and editor Ashley Brown lives in Wimberley with her family of rescues: a dog, two cats, and two donkeys. In addition to animal welfare, her passion is exploring the Hill Country's natural beauty, small farms, eateries and drinkeries.

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FARMER'S DIARY

Making Waves

“Oysters on the ranches are filtering water that improves ecosystem health and creating fish habitat.

Everyone wins if they are successful.” Dr. Joe Fox

HOW TEXAS OYSTER FARMS ARE POISED TO BRING MORE BELOVED BIVALVES TO OUR TABLES

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WORDS BY MM PACK | PHOTOS BY SONYA SELLERS

exas oyster lovers, rejoice! There’s a new day dawning on the Gulf Coast. From Galveston to Corpus Christi, newly permitted oyster farms (sometimes called “ranches” in timehonored Texas fashion) are springing up along the coast. As they become established and productive, they will provide more of these tasty bivalves for Texas tables and oyster bars, supplementing the traditionally harvested oysters dredged from the bottom of local bays.

From Maritime Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, Crassostrea virginica (Eastern oyster) is the American native species that thrives in areas where saltwater and freshwater converge — marshes, estuaries and bays. For millennia, they’ve provided nourishment to Atlantic and Gulf coastal inhabitants. In Texas, Indigenous Karankawa and Atakapa peoples left mounds of oyster shells that remain to this day. These same oysters are now being raised on Texas oyster farms.

While farming oysters — or oyster mariculture — is just getting started in Texas, it’s hardly a new concept. It was practiced in China in the fourth century B.C.E. Ancient Romans enjoyed oysters so much that they established farms in British waters to supply Roman banquet tables. Modern oyster cultivation methods evolved in Europe and the U.S. in the 19th century as natural oyster beds became depleted from over-harvesting and pollution. Today, according to Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, farmed oysters account for approximately 95 percent of oyster consumed in the world.

Hannah Kaplan, co-founder and vice-president of Barrier Beauties on Galveston Bay, is an unlikely pioneer in Texas oyster farming.

Her background is in hospitality and commercial real estate and, having grown up in a kosher household, she’d never eaten an oyster until Barrier Beauties’ first harvest in 2022. During the pandemic, she and her father, Houston businessman Joe Kaplan, became interested in

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opening a newly legal sustainable oyster farm on the Texas coast. They spent six months visiting farms and hatcheries in other parts of the country, researching methods and equipment, and learning the state’s requirements and regulations. In 2021, having leased a suitable location and fulfilled the complex application requirements, Barrier Beauties was granted the second permit to farm oysters in the state.

“I’ve always wanted my own business, and the sustainability factor of farmed oysters was an important consideration for me,” Kaplan says.

“Finding the right location is critical, and the conditions on our farm are perfect. Our oysters are very happy there.” In the summer of 2023, Barrier Beauties “planted” 1.6 million baby oysters, which should take 7–10 months to mature.

Although oyster farms are well established in Florida, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana, Texas was the last Gulf Coast state to sanction oyster mariculture. In 2019, the Texas Legislature unanimously passed House Bill 1300 to legalize it. The new law granted the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) authority to develop and regulate a program. Legislators were persuaded by the efforts of various interested groups, including marine researchers who emphasized the need to augment the declining wild oyster population and improve coastal ecology. (It didn’t hurt the cause that funds from the BP Deepwater Horizon settlement were available.)

TPWD also regulates the commercial oyster fishery that harvests from seabeds along the coast. This once thriving industry has taken serious hits from hurricanes, droughts and industrial pollution, and yields have declined steadily as demand increases. In recent years, TPWD has regularly closed oyster beds to allow the reefs — important components of marine health — to rejuvenate, rebuild and recover from weather incidents.

Left Page: Middle Left: Sorting and inspecting farmed oysters at Barrier Beauties Bottom Right: Barrier Beauties oyster farm on Galveston Bay

Right Page: Mesh bag used to grow farmed oysters at Barrier Beauties

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Dr. Joe Fox, formerly of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and now the executive director of the Palacios Marine Agricultural Research Institute (PMARI), is widely considered the father of Texas oyster mariculture. He was instrumental in getting the 2019 legislation passed. “A healthy aquaculture industry takes pressure off the commercial fishery, conserving reefs, creating new jobs and adding to the coastal economy,” says Fox. “At the same time, oysters on the ranches are filtering water that improves ecosystem health and creating fish habitat. Everyone wins if they are successful.”

To aid that success, PMARI is establishing a Texas hatchery in Palacios. Hatcheries are controlled oyster breeding operations where adult oysters, or broodstock, spawn to produce millions of eggs that grow into larvae and then into the juvenile seed oysters that will be raised on the farms. Up to this time, Texas farmers needed to transport their broodstock to hatcheries in Alabama or Mississippi and then bring the babies back to grow to maturity in their native waters.

Farmed oysters are typically bred to be sterile, which means that their energy is spent, not on reproduction, but on growing larger and faster.

Texas oysters must be a minimum of 2.5 inches to be legally harvested, and farmed oysters can reach this size in as little as seven months.

Wild or cultivated, oysters feed on phytoplankton or algae suspended in the water. They open and close hinged shells, filtering food from the water passing through their gills. They play a critical role in the ecology of their surrounding waters. As it feeds, a single oyster can clean up to 50 gallons of seawater a day. Unlike other seafood farming operations, oysters are not fed through human intervention; they eat the same food and in the same way that wild oysters do.

Obtaining an oyster farm permit is somewhat arduous. While TPWD issues the permit, it must also be approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Texas General Land Office, the U.S. Coast Guard, and in some cases, the Army Corps of Engineers. The regulations include a farm’s minimum distance from sea grass and wild oyster beds and use of only locally sourced broodstock and approved equipment.

Although extensive, the stringent regulations are designed to avoid genetic contamination and to maintain the highest standards of marine ecology.

The first Texas oyster farmer to obtain a permit was Brad Lomax, owner of the Water Street Oyster Bar in Corpus Christi, who was very involved in getting House Bill 1300 passed. In honor of that G-0001 permit, the oysters from his Texas Oyster Ranch on Copano Bay are called Copano Unos. David Aparicio of DJ’s Oyster Company near Palacios earned the third permit. His oysters are called Matagorda Pearls. Currently, there are 13 Texas oyster farms that are fully or conditionally permitted, ranging in size from two to 30 acres.

The Barrier Beauties oyster farm floats at the surface of Galveston Bay about seven nautical miles from Bolivar Peninsula. Picture a sevenacre grid of posts and wires, with rows of attached bulky mesh bags that contain growing oysters. This is one of the approved methods for raising off-bottom oysters. Almost daily, general manager Gordon Lipscomb and a handful of employees go out in a bay boat, maneuver among the floating bags and perform the hard physical work required to maintain oyster health and well-being. They regularly lift the 50- to 80-pound bags into the boat, clean the bags, inspect the oysters and divide them into additional bags so they’ll have room to grow.

“These are animals, this is the ocean, conditions change, and you can control only so much,” says Lipscomb. “You need to be out there every day, keeping a close eye on things and making adjustments as needed.”

At least twice during their lives, the oysters are hauled back to the company’s boat dock, where they are tumbled in a rotating contraption that rounds out their rough edges, promoting more uniform size and development of a deeper cup (the bottom shell).

As wine is defined by its terroir, oysters have merroir. The environment where oysters are raised is what primarily differentiates their various qualities. The mineral and salt content of the water, available food, and water temperatures all affect taste and texture.

Traditionally, oysters are named for the place where they grow — like Malpeques from Prince Edward Island or Murder Points from Alabama — with each locale providing a distinctive flavor profile. Texas wild oyster reefs have identifying names, but in recent times, this naming convention hasn’t been used much for Texas oysters. That’s changing as Copano Unos, Matagorda Pearls and Barrier Beauties identify their farmed locations. As more farms continue to develop and begin harvesting, there will be more named oysters from coastal locations.

In early 2023, Carol Huntsberger, owner of Austin-based Quality Seafood restaurant and wholesale operation, hosted a tasting of farmed oysters for Austin restaurateurs and food professionals. Brad Lomax, Hannah Kaplan and David Aparicio were there to introduce their oysters and talk about the new mariculture industry in Texas. “People could definitely discern taste differences among the oysters from the different farms,” Huntsberger says. “This industry is in its infancy, and it’s exciting to be involved at the ground level of something so brand new.

Quality Seafood has a goal to support the Texas economy and this is one way we can do that.”

Chris TenEyck, chief culinary officer of Jack Allen’s Kitchen and Salt Traders Coastal Cooking in Austin and Round Rock, has been an early supporter of Texas oyster mariculture and is enthusiastic about their future gastronomic possibilities. “How cool will it be a few years down the line when you can order a flight of Texas oysters and compare them, knowing by their names what farm on what part of the coast they come from?” he says. “It’s going to take time, but we are so looking forward to this; oyster farmers are sitting on a goldmine, something really special.

We’re excited to be a part of it, and we want to help customers learn about farmed oysters on our coast.”

So, oyster lovers of Texas, start looking for farmed oysters on restaurant menus near you. As you enjoy their distinct merroir, also appreciate the dedicated hard work that brings them to your table and remember the role oysters play in maintaining the health of Texas’ coastal waters.

Left: Hannah Kaplan of Barrier Beauties photo by Lightbulb League Right: Barrier Beauties oysters

Gordon Lipscomb of Barrier Beauties

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MM Pack, a fifth-generation Texan with deep roots in Harris and Brazoria counties, writes about food and food history and splits her time between the Texas Gulf Coast and San Francisco.

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Dining Destination

SPECIAL ADVERTISING FEATURE

WIMBERLEY OFFERS CHARMING SPACES AND ECLECTIC OPTIONS WORDS BY ASHLEY BROWN

T

en years ago, Wimberley would not have been considered a food destination. Yes, it boasted a few tasting rooms serving primarily Texas wine, and there were a handful of restaurants the locals counted on.

But these days it’s tough to keep up with all of the options, each bringing something unique to the town. You now need more than a full weekend to hit up all of the great eateries and drinkeries. Here are just some of our favorites to start with: THE LEANING PEAR “The Pear,” as it is affectionately known, has been a Wimberley institution since 2006. It’s one of a handful of restaurants that’s long been the place for delicious food in a beautiful setting, atop a bluff overlooking a meadow along Cypress Creek. Having moved into a new space in 2013, the environmentally sensitive design concept is the perfect mix of clean, modern, and rustic. The spacious interior features tall ceilings and plenty of windows looking out onto the meadow and woods. Outside, in addition to garden beds of herbs and large rainwater collection tanks (that are actually visually appealing), there are a number of tables on the shaded porch, family-friendly picnic tables on a lower level, and the beloved “treehouse,” a small semi-enclosed indoor/outdoor dining area among the trees. The eclectic menu has something for everybody from seasonal soups and always-scrumptious salads to sandwiches and wood-fired pizzas. If you’re craving comfort food, you can choose from Mac & Cheese, Meatloaf, Chicken & Grits, or The Crab Cake. They offer a great wine and beer selection, and, in exciting news, this winter they’ll be expanding their bar menu! leaningpear.com JOBELL CAFÉ & BISTRO Jobell Café & Bistro was like a gift to Wimberley, bestowed by David and Jessenia Bober, eight years ago after they moved their family from New York to bring their dream of opening a small, creative, locally sourced restaurant to life. At the time, there weren’t many “romantic” dining options where ambience and design are just as important as the menu. The bistro combines local rustic character — reflecting its charming woodsy surroundings — with the European flavor of little sophisticated bistros David and Jess loved in New York. The space, both inside and out on the patio among the trees and twinkle lights, exudes a spirit of family, friendliness, and intimacy while also offering a lovely, relatively upsc a le d ining experience.

Jobell is located on RR 12, just north of town. Whether you choose to dine al fresco, or inside where you can enjoy a cozy atmosphere — including a fireplace — you’ll want to start with an order of the Crispy Thai Chili Brussels Sprouts. If you think you don’t like brussels sprouts, give these a try and think again! In addition to tasty salads and soups, the menu features a wide variety of entrees from Steak Diane and

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Smoked Duck Breast to Shepherd’s Pie…and they always have at least one seasonal vegetarian option. If you’re on your way into, or out of, town on a Sunday, Jobell is the perfect place for a traditional brunch.Relax with a mimosa — or a glass of wine from their carefully curated list — and fuel up with Chicken and Waffles, Eggs Benedict or The Lox (among many other options). jobellcafe.com LONGLEAF CRAFT KITCHEN + BAR Despite its convenient location right in the middle of the bustling Square, Longleaf Craft Kitchen & Bar is a charming oasis with a beautiful bar area inside, and what might be the most peaceful restaurant courtyard in town. You don’t want to come here if you’re in a rush. Sit down, relax, make a friend if you’re sitting at the bar, and please order the Fried Olives appetizer! If you eat nothing else, these delightful little balls of crunchy brininess are the perfect snack to go with whatever drink you choose from the extensive cocktail menu or wine list. Bartender Fletcher Wright has made quite a name for himself, having won 12th place in an international cocktail competition with his “Lord of the Rings” inspired cocktail made with Laphroaig Scotch. Fletcher also won the Flor de Cana's Sustainable Cocktail Competition with his "Hill Country Huerta.” While you could make a meal out of the apps — from the olives to the Hangtown Deviled Eggs topped with fried oysters to the Bruschetta with fresh local tomatoes, mozzarella and kalamata olives — there are plenty of satiating entrees to choose from, like the Red Snapper, Eggplant Parmesan or Lasagna (Wagyu Beef or Vegetable). With its charming setting and satisfying menu, it’s no surprise Longleaf was recently featured in an episode of Outside Watch’s “Road Less Eaten,” in which “Chef Biju Thomas connects with his outdoor adventure-loving friends in their hometowns to find some of the town’s best apres eats.” longleafwimberley.com RR12 THE SUPPER CLUB The Supper Club offers a dining experience like no other in town. Its beautiful décor — marble bar, chandeliers, green leather booths, warm lighting — attentive staff dressed in formal all-black attire, and eclectic yet traditional steakhouse-esque menu make this a true fine-dining supper club. And it is an actual club, where members enjoy perks like unlimited free drinks and one members-only night a week (Tuesdays). Outside of Tuesdays, anyone is welcome, though reservations are highly encouraged. This is not a place to pop by for sustenance. This is a place to luxuriate in the ritual of dining.

In fact, there’s even a note at the top of the menu: “At your Supper Club, we take pride that all our menu items are fresh and made to order. Your dining experience may last anywhere from 1½ to 2½ hours, during which we hope you will enjoy the atmosphere and the pleasure of your guest's company.” While the interior is stunning, there's also a lovely patio underneath a large oak tree, lit up with twinkle lights, where you can dine al fresco and enjoy the cool night air with a stiff drink from the elaborate bar menu. The entrée menu features prime steak, fresh seafood and pasta.

If you want to check this place out but aren’t ready or able to indulge in the full dining experience, visit at lunchtime — the extensive menu of “The Carvery” offers equally delicious options but with a slightly more casual flare (and lower price). supperclubstx.com RANCH BRAND WINE & SPIRITS One of the most recent additions to the Wimberley eatery-drinkery scene is Ranch Brand Wine & Spirits. Walking distance from the Square on RR 12, this is an ideal spot to take a break from shopping and relax with a snack and a sip.

The intimate interior has a classy, modern ranch-style vibe with its whitewashed barnwood walls and warm Southwestern décor. The staff, and the patrons you’ll find there, are always friendly, and the tasting room radiates that “where everyone knows your name” vibe. Christopher Ware and West Stone brought the restaurant and bar to Wimberley, in addition to their own brand of wine and spirits. Since 2020, Ranch Brand has introduced a diverse range of spirits, including vodkas, gins, rums, bourbons and liqueurs. Axis Jack, Catch & Release, and Cosmic Armadillo were their first wines to showcase small-batch Texas varieties in collaboration with local vineyards through “custom crush” capabilities, and they’ve continued to come out with new varieties, both red and white. The food menu features about 10 options that vary seasonally, though regular favorites are the Cowboy Caviar, out-of-this world Burrata Ball with a balsamic glaze and sea salt, and a uniquely delicious hummus served with buttery slices of baguette and/or pita depending on the day. You can also find heartier sandwiches, as well as nachos, that serve as a full meal. ranchbrands.com

Left Page, Top Left: Photo by Leaning Pear Top Right: Photo by Longleaf Bottom Left: Photo by Jobell

WIMBERLEY INN + BAR A great place to end your night, especially if you’re staying there, the Wimberley Inn + Bar offers a relatively quiet, beautiful spot to indulge in one last cocktail and nibble. The bar feels like an intimate, cozy but classy living room, with a little library on the other side of the entry, where you can take a drink, peruse the books, and relax on the velvet benches. Renovated and reopened in early 2021, the Wimberley Inn + Bar stands out from the rustic crowd as a modern take on small-town Texas. While the interior is lovely, as is the case with so many spots in Wimberley, it’s really about the patio, where you can settle in among the oak trees lit up with Christmas lights yearround. The cocktail menu is all about delighting in the best local ingredients.

It features some Wimberley spins on classic favorites, like the Wimm’s Cup — Pimm's #1, lemon, simple syrup, fruit bitters, ginger ale, strawberries, cucumber, orange and mint — and Fancy Ass Ranch Water, a jazzed-up version of this popular drink including muddled cucumber, cilantro and jalapeño. Just about every cocktail is enhanced with the freshness of herbs like rosemary, basil or mint. If you are ending your evening here, you might also be interested in a dessert cocktail, like their Boozy Hot Cocoa or Spiced Pear Mule and maybe a cheese plate! And when you wake up the next day, you can head right back to enjoy their special brunch menu, available on Saturdays and Sundays. wimberleyinn.com THE SHADY LLAMA If you’d like to enjoy a glass of wine, beer and/or bite of food surrounded by the natural beauty of the hill country, head to The Shady Llama and soak up the amazing sunset view. You might even get lucky and run into one of the many llamas or two mini donkeys who roam the property. This all-outdoor beer and wine garden features 24 taps of Texas beer and a rotating menu of Texas wines.

They also carry local ciders and hard seltzers, as well as a wide assortment of non-alcoholic beverages. Perfect for the whole family, including dogs on a leash, there are two kids' areas, yard games, and hammocks. Food truck, The Deli Llama, serves pressed hot sandwiches (including a pork Banh Mi and a classic Cubano), salads, rice bowls (frequently featuring a Vietnamese pork rice bowl) and small bites like charcuterie boxes and hummus. All food is prepared fresh in house. theshadyllama.com Right Page, Top Left: Photo by The Supper Club Top Right: Photo by Ranch Brand Middle Left: Photo by Ranch Brand Middle Right: Photo by Wimberley Inn + Bar Bottom Left: Photo by The Shady Llama

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SIP! ON THE SQUARE If you’re spending a day, or weekend in Wimberley, you’re definitely going to want to stop into Sip! on the Square for an energy boost. Smack in the middle of the Square, next door to the Wimberley Café (another Wimberley institution with a diner-style vibe and menu), Sip! is the perfect spot to take a break from milling around. Often, when you walk in, you’ll be met with the aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies coming out of the oven, and you may find yourself tempted by the selection of cookies, scones and muffins. No matter what, one of their lattes or cappuccinos is a must. Their espresso is so good, this Wimberleyite has been spoiled and no longer really enjoys lattes from any other coffee shop. For a unique treat, try the Turmeric and Spice Latte (it doesn’t come with caffeine, so if you want that energy boost, ask to add a shot or two). During the holiday season, the Pumpkin Spice Latte is always a great go-to, and it’s not overly sweet. The Mayan Mocha and Mexican-Spice Mocha are also decadent ways to get a pick-me-up. Whatever your pleasure, the super friendly staff at Sip! is always happy to make recommendations and help tailor your beverage just to your liking. siponthesquare.com

Welcome to

Longleaf

Wimberley

C R A F T

K I T C H E N

A N D

RR12 SUPPER CLUB OF WIMBERLEY

B A R

314 Wimberley Square / Wimberley, TX 78676 longleafwimberley.com / (512) 842-3044

WHERE YOU BELONG

Enter nostalgia - where supper club has long been celebrated as an American tradition. A finely cooked meal complemented by a stiff drink in a warm atmosphere highlights the weekly regimen that will have you coming back at the same time next week.

Featured on ‘The Road Less Eaten’ People’s Choice Award at The Official Drink of Treaty Oak Competition

www.supperclubstx.com 512.610.1677 @rr12supperclubofwimberley

FRESH / RUSTIC / INTIMATE 512.847.5700 / JOBELLCAFE.COM LUNCH TUESDAY - SATURDAY 11-2 16920 RANCH ROAD 12, DINNER TUESDAY - SUNDAY 5-1 WIMBERLEY, TEXAS 78676 BRUNCH SUNDAY 10:30- 2:30

THE LEANING PEAR Unique.

CASA V

Hill Country -inspired Cuisine

If you’re heading into Wimberley from the north, you’ll want to stop into Casa V to pick up a bottle of wine to take home with you for a special occasion.

Casa V is a tasting room where you’ll find a unique selection of very carefully and lovingly chosen wines by owner Nancy Sallaberry. As you sip on the day’s offerings, Sallaberry will tell you all about where each wine comes from, why she chose to carry it, and what else you might like given your particular tastes.

Unlike other wine bars in the area, Casa V celebrates primarily European wines made by small, family-owned vineyards. casavindemia.com

Well-crafted.

Unique. Well Crafted.

Delicious.

Delicious.

111 river road, Wimberley

MULTI-AWARD WINNING NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTOGRAPHER

FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY UNIQUE GIFTS SPECIAL EVENTS

Hill Country-Inspired Cuisine

13620 Ranch Rd 12 Wimberley TX 78676 512.289.2472 rodneybursiel.com rbursiel@yahoo.com

512-847-pear 111 River leaningpear .Com Road Wimberley TX 512-847-PEAR leaningpear.com

Top: Photo by Sip! Bottom: Photo by Casa V

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between Dripping Springs & Wimberley

ing featur premium roast coffee

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Discover the Hill Country in Every Sip – Ranch Brand Wine & Spirits: Where Flavor Meets Tradition.

Visit Our Tasting Room in the Village of Wimberley Today for Unforgettable Tastes and Memories. Open 7 Days a Week!

Join us in the village of Wimberley at 13619 Ranch Road 12, TX 78676.

What we offer: • • • • • •

Premium Fine Wines Artisanal Handcrafted Spirits Full Cocktail Menu Extensive Wine Tasting & Retail Freshly Prepared Tapas Kid-Friendly Mocktails

Open 7 days a week, Ranch Brand is your destination for quality drinks and memorable moments.

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Visit us at www.ranchbrands.com or on social media @ranchbrandwineandspirits or email us at info@ranchbrands.com ediblesanantonio.com 33