Rock & Vine - Fall 2021

Rock&Vine GOOD LIFE IN THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY

BRUSH FIRE Flaming kicks up traditional cowboy art

SMOKE SIGNALS East meets West in Texas barbecue CUSTOM COWBOY Embracing the hat tradition

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FEATURES 12

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HEAD TOPPERS

Publisher's Letter

Sallie Lewis

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Hats, custom-made and shaped, are making a comeback.

18 PURE TEXAN

Unique. Colorful. Iconic. Artist Jon Flaming’s work hits Texans in the heart.

Sallie Lewis

24 MEAT & SMOKE

A history primer on barbecue in the Hill Country region.

Mike Barr

ON THE COVER: Dallas-based photographer Les Brown captures artist Jon Flaming

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in every issue

Contributors

114 Drinkery Maps

122 End Notes As hunting season approaches, some game recipes to whet your appetite.

DEPARTMENTS 34

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IN THE HILLS

Restaurateur creates a trio of tasty and tasteful stops.

Barbers take a chance and create a place for community.

Ashley Brown

Ken Esten Cooke

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DRINKERY

Eaker Barbecue brings Asian flavor to German town.

Kerrville gets an outdoor place to chill and sip.

Ada Broussard

Lee M. Nichols

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100

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IN THE HILLS

Fredericksburg’s favorite bakers create an in-demand product.

A 24-hour getaway to one of San Antonio’s most luxurious stops.

Ada Broussard

Kimberly Giles

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104

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DRINKERY

Rooted in goodness, writer shares love for her favorite in-ground veggies.

Sipping tasty wines and wetting a line create an amazing afternoon.

Ada Broussard

Andre Boada

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108

HAUS

Designer, entrepreneur shares her style and eye for elegant, effective design.

Kimberly Giles

SCENE

Rock & Vine partnered with The Backyard to raise some funds for the Hill Country Community Needs Council.

Also, we attended a bash with Kalasi Cellars, one of the top new wineries.

photo by Ada Broussard FALL 2021

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contributors

Rock&Vine Featuring the best life has to offer in the Texas Hill Country.

A product of Fredericksburg Publishing Company.

Publisher/Editor Ken Esten Cooke Contributing Editor Kimberly Giles Design Editor Andrea Chupik Contributing Writers Mike Barr, Andre Boada, Ada Broussard, Ashley Brown, Kimberly Giles, Sallie Lewis, Lee Nichols, Contributing Photographers/Artists Les Brown, Justin Clemons, Barney Kane, Kimberly Giles, Ava Snoozy Advertising/Marketing Director Kimberly Giles Account Executives Kim Jung, Cindy G. Burdorf, Ann Duecker Rock&Vine Magazine 712 W. Main St. | P.O. Box 1639 Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 Phone 830 997 2155 rockandvinemag.com SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: $30 for two years www.rockandvinemag.com

COPYRIGHT: Rock&Vine Magazine is published by the Fredericksburg Publishing Company. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without permission of the publisher. Editorial content does not reflect the opinions of the publisher of this magazine. Editorial and advertising does not constitute advice or endorsement, but is considered informative.

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LBJ would have loved everything in this issue.

By KEN ESTEN COOKE Editor and Publisher

reetings from just north of the Pedernales, or as Lyndon Baines Johnson used to pronounce it, “Perd-nales.” The 36th president had a colorful way with language, of course, familiar to any native Texan. (For a good chuckle, and lesson in vernacular, look up online the recording of him ordering pants from a tailor.)

A good hat can be like those good-fitting pants the late president was so insistent about. And hats seem to be making a comeback after near ubiquity through the 1940s, then fading into only ranch wear and baseball caps.

Writer Sallie Lewis visited some area hat shops and gives her account of the artistry of hat makers and shapers, along with a history of these head toppers.

I’ll encourage you to wear your favorite hat to Trailhhead Beer Garden or La Escondida 1962, two watering holes in Kerrville where people can take a swig and relax under live oaks. Those two places are profiles in this edition.

Hats are also surely welcome in Angela Mancino’s trio of Fredericksburg restaurants, which have great reputations for quality among both locals and visitors.

This Texas transplant is taking dining up another level in Fredericksburg and creating casual, yet memorable places to dine. Another wonderful addition to the culinary scene is Eaker Barbecue, which fuses Texas ‘cue with Korean favorites to create a flavor profile unique to that smokeladen part of the food industry. (This editor relishes that it is only a block from his office on West Main Street!)

Another hat-lover is artist Jon Flaming, our cover boy this edition, whose bright cowboy-inspired art is gaining legions of fans.

Design fans will also enjoy our interview with Home Simple Goods’ Christina Atkinson, who transferred the majestic mountain views of Wyoming into her vision for Texas (and beyond) interior design.

We also welcome back Ada Broussard, whose take on root veggies and our favorite local bakery, JoJu, show off her writing and culinary curations.

And wear that hat again to Arrowhead Creek Vineyard, which is a newer Texas winery gem also covered in these pages. It’s located right on the “Perd-nales.”

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Editorial submissions: ken@fredericksburgstandard.com

Michael Barr is a retired teacher who writes a history column. Read his bi-weekly column in the Fredericksburg Standard newspaper.

Barney Kane is our resident ad production designer on staff at Rock & Vine Magazine.

Ashley Brown is a freelance writer and editor living in Wimberley. She loves to travel around the Hill Country to hike, make discoveries, and meet creative people.

Andre Boada, a 20-year veteran in the wine and spirits industry, is a certified Advanced Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Les Brown is a portrait photographer specializing in professional headshots, branding photography, and senior portraits. You can view his work at lesbrown.net

Sallie Lewis is a San Antonio writer currently based in Fredericksburg. She has a Master's Degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University and her work has been published in The WSJ Magazine, Garden & Gun, and Town & Country. Find her online at sallielewis.co.

Lee Nichols is a freelance writer based in Austin. He loves beer and two-stepping in Texas dance halls.

Ada Broussard is a writer, gardener and goat wrangler, who was raised in South Louisiana. Her love of regional foods has led to a career in agriculture, where she has overseen CSA operations, from digging to marketing, and consulted with food producers to cook simple and seasonal fare. See more at instagram.com/adalisab/

Andrea Chupik is a graphic designer / art director living in Fredericksburg. View her work at designranchcreative.com.

Kimberly Giles is our Rock & Vine Ambassador, who is always scouting for stories in our Texas Hill Country, email her @ kgiles@fredericksburgstandard.com

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THE BILGER FAMILY WOULD LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO VISIT ADEGA VINHO. Open 7 days a week, 11am to 6pm 1000 South RR 1623 in Stonewall, Texas 830-265-5765

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By SALLIE LEWIS

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By SALLIE LEWIS Photos by BRITTANY STOVER

nside Herb’s Hat Shop in San Antonio, a plume of steam billows high over a central workstation. Through the fog, a bearded craftsman shapes a straw hat, softening the crown with his bare fingers.

sturdy lamb’s skin. “We have the best hatters in the state,” said Kay. Ongoing education is an important priority for her team, and they are constantly training at revered landmarks, like Greeley Hat Works in Colorado.

Visiting this nostalgic store, located at 4922 Rigsby Avenue, feels akin to going back in time. From the front door, a cowbell announces the arrival of weather-worn ranchers and cowboys, many of whom have been coming here for decades.

The shop was founded in the early 1980s by a gentleman named Herb Carroll. In 2015, four years after his passing in 2011, Kay Maynard of Big Springs purchased the business alongside her husband, Bryan. Today, they run the company from their San Antonio flagship and a new, second location in Blanco.

Shaping is done on a case-by-case basis and modified to each customer’s unique facial features. “The hat is so much of your personality,” she said, pointing out a selection of elegant pins, feathers, and trims available for purchase. In one corner of the shop, a collection of velvet and vintage ribbon lies coiled up like snakes. “Pretty much anything you can envision we can create.”

On the morning of my visit, I strolled through the old, wood-paneled showroom, passing boxes baring brand names like Stetson, Resistol, and Rodeo King.

“Hats are like white pants,” she told me as we mazed through the inventory. “Labor Day to Easter is felt season, Easter to Labor Day is straw season.”

Today, Herb’s specializes in hand shaping and sizing, along with spot cleaning, re-blocking, restoring and repairing the finest cowboy hats in the business. On any given day, the team of master hatters could be washing a loved one’s beloved hat, re-sizing a special heirloom, or hand-stitching a sweat band made of soft,

Today, the ubiquitous cowboy hat is an icon of the West, an unmistakable emblem of American culture and identity. The shape alone, with its bent brim and creased crown inspires daydreams. Throughout history, humans have worn headwear to protect themselves from the elements. Mongolian riders from the 13th century donned tallcrowned, wide-brimmed hats to keep their heads insulated and their necks shielded from the sun. In Mexico, vaqueros wore sombreros for the same reasons while herding cattle.

John B. Stetson of Philadelphia is credited for designing the first cowboy hat in 1865.

The story goes that Stetson, the son of a hat-maker, set out west in search of healing and adventure after being diagnosed with tuberculosis.

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A FINE HAT FITS LIKE A GOOD FRIEND. Charles M. Russell

On a particular expedition to Pikes Peak, the young hatter used techniques he had learned back home to turn animal skins into tents for he and his companions’ protection. By felting the skins, the tents provided a barrier against the sun, wind, and rain. What eventually followed was a hat design using the same techniques. Unlike the coonskin caps of yore, Stetson’s felted “Boss of the Plains” variation was both durable and dependable, and the use of beaver felt made them waterproof, unlike the straw hats of the time.

Over the years, the design became known for its multipurpose utility, creating protection from the elements, while doubling as a fan on a hot day and even a bowl for drinking water.

Today, Stetson remains a household name made famous for its unparalleled quality and comfort, fit and style. Over the years, celebrities of all stripes have embraced the brand, from Western heroes like John Wayne to country singers such as Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.

The making of these iconic headpieces is a meticulous, multi-step process that begins with mixing, blending, and felting fine fur from small animals like beavers, rabbits, and wild hare. When the felting is completed, the hat is died, soaked, stretched, sanded, steamed, blocked and shaped before being finished off with leather sweat bands, liners, and decorative accents.

While Stetson’s age-old artisan craftsmanship undoubtedly adds to its allure, a well-loved hat regardless of the brand is an heirloom through and through; every stain and smudge shows the wear and tear of its life.

Like any art form, making, shaping, and personalizing a cowboy hat requires specific skills.

In many ways, the craft is a language unto its own with a vocabulary made up of creases and crowns, styles and names like the Cattleman, the Gus, and the Pinched Front, to name a few.

For many, these hats remain purely functional in nature, a necessary tool for work and daily life.

For others, however, finding the perfect topper is a declaration of style. No matter which way you lean, there are a plethora of places across the state ready to help you find the one.

Owners of Herb's Hat Shop, Bryan and Kay Maynard.

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Aristotle once said that “the hand is the tool of tools” and the team at Catalena Hatters in Bryan knows this all too well. In their workshop, each hat is made by hand with the utmost quality and attention to detail. Most of the equipment they

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employ, like plating, blocking and pouncing machines, is antique and has been used by professional hatters for more than onehundred years.

Gruene Hat Co is another Texas favorite, located next to the state’s oldest dance hall. At just under 250 square feet in size, this pocketsized treasure, deemed “The Best Little Hat House in Texas” offers a nice variety of fully customizable open crown hats made of felt, straw, hemp and palm leaf.

Recently, I visited The Briscoe Western Art Museum in downtown San Antonio. As I paced the soft, sunlit galleries upstairs, I

stopped at a 1991 painting by Bruce Greene titled, “With No Roof but a Resistol.” In it, two cowboys donning weathered Resistol hats stare off into a dark and stormy sky.

As I took in the brushstrokes and the scene that they formed, I realized that much like this painting, the cowboy hat has come to symbolize something larger, like the Old West, with its cactus and cattle, ranches and pumpjacks, wide open spaces and long country roads. Its values of conquest and courage.

Substance and strength. True grit and raw adventure. The gratification of a hard day’s work and the feeling that in the end, anything is possible – with a cowboy hat in hand.

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photo by Justin Clemons

COWBOY POP

Jon Flaming Heats Up the Texas Art Scene

By SALLIE LEWIS

ears ago, in a Sunday School class in Wichita, Kansas, Jon Flaming (actually pronounced Fleming) was baptized into the world of art. He was just five years old when he saw one of his peers drawing jet airplanes and felt his inner artist take off.

“I thought that was so cool he could draw,” he shared.

“Something clicked creatively … Ever since I have been trying to draw a better jet airplane.”

Growing up, Flaming spent much of his childhood at his grandparents’ 2,000-acre cattle ranch in southeast Kansas.

“Some of my earliest memories are of being on the farm around cattle and crops, farmers and ranchers,” he said. “I have a really soft spot in my heart, a real fondness for small towns and blue-collar workers.”

Flaming’s family moved to Irving when he was still a child, and though he never took art classes growing up, a spirit of creativity was fostered by his parents, both of whom were musicians. Flaming’s father was the music director at their church and his mother taught piano to young students during the week. “They are very creative and a lot of the creative spark came from them,” he explained.

Today, the artist says music is still an integral part of his creative routine. A well-loved Spotify playlist reveals an eclectic interest in music, from classical and old school country to Indian pop, all of which fuels him while working. “It is a real mixed bag of music and that is on purpose,” he shared.

Before Flaming was painting full time, he ran a successful design and illustration studio in Dallas. That vocation ignited after a high school career day. “I remember one of the options on this list of things a person could be when they grow up was a graphic designer,” he said. “I thought, that sounds like something I might enjoy.”

He went on to study advertising and design at Southwest Texas State University (Texas State) in San Marcos and took a job with Sullivan Perkins in Dallas after graduation.

In 1993, he opened his own studio, going on to create branding for companies like Sony and FedEx, Neiman Marcus and American Airlines for the next twenty-five years.

Throughout this time, Flaming and his wife were raising their family, putting their three kids through private school, and keeping up with the rigors of daily life, though he never lost his desire to create. “Creating in some form or another has been there for many, many years,” he said.

Heeding to the whispers, he began harnessing the evening hours to pursue his early artistic ambitions. “I would spend time with family around the dinner table and then about 9 or 10 p.m., once the house was quiet and I’d tucked the last kid in bed, read books and said prayers, I had a choice to make,” he shared. “I said, nobody else is going to do this.”

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CREATIVITY IS SUBTRACTION FOR ME. AT SOME POINT IT MAY EVOLVE INTO SOMETHING THAT IS ABSTRACT. - Jon Flaming

Blanco Canyon near Crosbyton, Texas. Photographer - Jon Flaming Walking into his garage, he’d turn on the lights, play some music, and begin to paint, sculpt, and nurture the creative spark that flickered within him. From the hours of 10 p.m. to 1 or 2 in the morning, he started working his second job, building equity in his fine art brand, knowing that one day he might get to do it full time.

With Flaming’s dogged dedication came gallery representation and increasing interest in his work. By 2017, when his kids had grown up and left home, he decided to leave the branding world behind and pursue his art wholeheartedly. “I had a running head start for sure but that was very intentional and purposeful,” he shared. “There is risk involved with all that and it is certainly scary but those were things I knew I wanted to do.”

Today, those risks are paying off for the artist, whose original, one-of-a-kind canvases are resonating with collectors both new and old. In his most recent “Modern Cowboy” series, Flaming is pushing boundaries, reimagining the genre of western art in an entirely new way.

“I love the western artists like Remington, Russell, and Dixon … they are geniuses and their art is beautiful but that 20

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horse has already been ridden,” he said. “I wanted to get a fresh horse and make a new trail.”

Through his angular, modern studies of western subjects, remnants of Flaming’s graphic design past shine through.

“My style has certainly evolved over the years. It has been a very evolutionary process and things keep getting simpler,” he said. While his earlier work leans more toward realism, his latest material distills subjects down into simplified representations. Flaming draws inspiration from modernist masters like graphic designers Paul Rand and Saul Bass, two of his self-proclaimed design heroes. Their bold, graphic, and minimalistic approach to design echoes in Flaming’s fine art, albeit with a very distinctive end result.

“Creativity is subtraction for me,” he said noting that “At some point it may evolve into something that is abstract.”

Today, the artist describes his look as an amalgamation of styles: primitive, contemporary, folk, and outsider, to name a few. “I love so many different genres of music and it is the same thing with art,” he said. “There are so many genres that have spoken to me that I love and you’ll see a lot of those mixed in to what I’m doing. My brain is constantly

Flaming's art is currently displayed at Hill and Vine in Fredericksburg, Texas.

visualizing and thinking about art and composition and the next painting so it never really gets turned off. There is always something creatively happening inside. Even if I see a scrap piece of cardboard, I pick it up and do something with it.”

These days, Flaming is busy painting, juggling his growing business, and dabbling in different mediums, like photography and sculpture. He always keeps a sketch pad close, ready for inspiration to strike. “The creative process never really stops – even when I’m sleeping, I’ll wake up at night with an idea. I don’t have normal working hours at all,” he said.

“I always start with an idea. It is in the head first and then with pencil and paper I start to sketch. Once I have a sketch, I like I scan that into my computer and pull it up in Illustrator and start doing color studies and then those color studies evolve and get simplified and moved around.

I truly think Matisse, Cezanne, Picasso would have taken advantage of the computer if they had it,” he said. Through the technology, he is able to experiment with multiple color studies before the painting begins.

That commitment to the craft is the mark of a true artist as is his voracious appetite to keep learning and growing. “I am a big fan of continuing education so I’m constantly reading about different artists and how they worked, their thought process…” he shared. One such artist is Picasso.

Color is a cornerstone of Flaming’s popular “Modern Cowboy” series. His pointed, almost cubist graphics are emboldened with brushstrokes of ochre and orange, sage and sky blue. Simply looking at his paintings prickles all the senses of cowboy culture, from the smell of dust and cigarette smoke to the sounds of a fiddle and a rattling snake.

“His work was very realistic and as he progressed and evolved it became simplified,” he shared. Parallels can be drawn in Flaming’s own artistic journey and creative process.

Much like the Western figures he has come to paint, Flaming himself embodies the heroism of the West, boldly taking the genre into new and unchartered territory. R&V

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COMING SOON! Welcome to Grand Central at Milam, a new village market that aims to bring the best flavors and flair of the region together in a single site - along with an outdoor “Great Lawn” area for the community to enjoy.

Located on a 1.6-acre site at 206 N Milam Street, Grand Central at Milam will provide Fredericksburg with fresh restaurant concepts, tasting rooms, and other retail-based businesses all under one roof benefiting local residents and visitors alike. Plus, our lawn will feature unique areas to sit, relax and soak up local energy.

We’ve got room for a few more concepts, and potential tenants should email Jeremy Peterson at jpeterson@stcroixca.com for more information. We look forward to seeing you soon! grandcentralatmilam.com

C A L L I N G A L L A RT I S T S !

“Grand Mural Idea” Contest to Award $8,500 in Prize Money For more details please visit grandmuralidea.com 22

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Francis Heep and Ben Henke at the pit at Fredericksburg Lockers.

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HISTORY

Early shot of Birck's Barbecue Fredericksburg

From left to right: Arthur Dietz, Leona Strackbein, Emil Birck 24

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Mr. and Mrs. Birck in front of Bircks BBQ in Fredericksburg

BARBECUE MOVES UPTOWN AS NEWCOMERS LEARN FROM OLD HILL COUNTRY PITMASTERS

By MICHAEL BARR

OF

SMOKE eal, honest-to-goodness barbecue, afficionados will say, is meat cooked in some way by natural wood coals. In the Czech Belt of Central Texas, most of the barbecue is smoked. In the Hill Country and West Texas, the wood can be cooked down to coals in a firebox, and then transferred to a pit. The meat is cooked on the pit directly over the coals without a flame. Anything else, as they say, is just grillin’.

Whether the meat is smoked or cooked over coals, the process is both science and art. A good pitmaster has to have a feel for his craft.

When asked the best temperature for cooking meat, Terry Wootan, owner of Cooper’s Barbecue in Llano, says “You hold your hand over the grill, and after three seconds, you’d better move it. That’s a perfect temperature.”

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HISTORY Barbecue is both noun and verb, and in either form it invites passionate and long-winded debate. Brisket, sausage, ribs, or chicken? Mesquite or oak? Slow-cooked or hot and fast? With or without sauce?

Fredericksburg. Four years later he bought the Gulf Station at the corner of East Main and Elk Street. He continued to make barbecue at his new location.

And there are as many ways to season barbecue as there are people who cook it. The ingredients in sauces and rubs are secrets as closely guarded as the launch code at the Pentagon.

“He had a barbecue pit under a tree next to the gas station,” Milton Birck says. “Arthur Dietz did a lot of the cooking. There were six picnic tables next to the pit. People could eat there or take it home.”

Even the word barbecue is mysterious. It may have blown in on a hurricane from the Caribbean where “barbacoa” wasn’t just the name of the meat cooked over an outdoor pit, but the method used to cook it. One theory says that Mexican vaqueros brought the word to Texas, where cowboys tonguetwisted barbacoa into barbecue.

When it comes to barbecue, it’s hard to find two people who agree on anything. Some can’t even agree on a way to spell it – using a c or a q, or just the initials BBQ.

Emil Birck’s pit barbecue earned a following.

Business grew. People stopped at the gas station for barbecue and even bought a little gasoline.

In 1950 Emil Birck built a small lunchroom next to the gas station. He expanded in 1954 and 1956.

What we do know is that sometime in the late 20th century, barbecue moved uptown.

No one knows who sliced the first delectable burnt end off a quivering hunk of charred brisket, but barbecue in the Texas Hill Country likely evolved just as it did in many of other places across the southern United States. What seems fairly certain is that Hill Country barbecue owes its beginnings in part to a long tradition of pit-style cooking, and early 20th century meat markets.

HILL COUNTRY ’CUE Cooking meat outdoors on a pit has been going on in the Hill Country since long before anyone can remember.

“My dad learned to cook barbecue as a youngster,” says Milton Birck, son of Hill Country barbecue pioneer Emil Birck. “His family made barbecue at home. I’m not sure when they started, but they’d been doing it for a long time. They burned the wood down to coals in a hole in the ground. Then they cooked the meat on wire mesh above the coals.”

In Fredericksburg, early 20th century meat markets picked up on the idea and began cooking their leftover meat in pits and selling it to the public. Crenwelge’s Meat Market, Henke’s Meat Market and Fredericksburg Lockers, all made barbecue.

“Francis Heep at Fredericksburg Lockers (today Opa’s Smoked Meats) made barbecue every Wednesday and Saturday,” Milton Birck recalls. “Francis and Ben Henke made it out of the meat they couldn’t sell. People stood in line to get it.”

In 1938, Emil Birck began cooking barbecue on an outdoor pit at his Conoco station at the curve on the Austin Highway in 26

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Original Salt Lick

INTERNATIONAL EYE Barbecue really got a boost when Lyndon Johnson gave it the presidential seal of approval. On December 29, 1963, President Johnson threw a Texas-style barbecue for German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard at the gym in Stonewall. Pitmaster Walter Jetton of Fort Worth did the cooking. That event introduced barbecue to the world.

Then on August 29, 1964, Emil Birck supervised the cooking of 7,000 lbs. of beef for LBJs birthday bash at the Stonewall Rodeo Arena. Suddenly barbecue was in the national spotlight. People who dismissed barbecue as junk food were starting to pay attention.

Henke's Meat Market on Main across from the Nimitz (today Luckenbach Outpost)

Two years later, Emil Birck built his restaurant on Main Street in Fredericksburg. Birck’s Barbecue, the red barn with the windmill out front, wasn’t a joint with a few mismatched tables and rickety chairs. It was a comfortable, modern restaurant, with air-conditioning, that seated 150 in the main dining room and 125 more upstairs in the banquet hall.

“We served beef, chicken, sausage and ribs,” Milton Birck explains. “Clinton Klaerner at Crenwelge’s Meat Market made the sausage.

“We also served mutton. We bought five sheep every week from a guy in Comfort and had them butchered at Crenwelge’s.”

Salt Lick Founders are: Thurman and Hisako Roberts

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Salt Lick Pit

REGIONAL FAVES Over in Llano, Tommy Cooper started Cooper’s Barbecue back in 1962. At first business was slow enough to bankrupt Rockefeller, but persistence paid off. Today, Cooper’s Barbecue, now owned by the Wootan family, is a barbecue empire with six locations and a mail order business.

Meanwhile the Salt Lick in Driftwood, the mega-church of Hill Country barbecue joints, began cooking meat on an open pit in 1967. Today the enormous restaurant seats 800. It feeds 2,000 on an average Saturday. On special occasions, like University of Texas graduation, it’s hard to find a parking place within hiking distance.

STAR POWER

The serving pit at Coopers Bar-B-Que in Llano

In recent years, the popularity of barbecue has exploded.

On weekends hungry carnivores stand in line all morning for a plate of brisket at some of the trendier barbecue establishments. Food Channel superstar Aaron Franklin sold barbecue out of a truck in East Austin before smoking his way to the top of the food chain.

And barbecue is big business all over the country. Yelp lists at least 40 barbecue joints – in Manhattan.

By the 21st century, a funny thing happened. Barbecue, once dismissed as hick food, became fashionable. After decades of hiding in the shadows this once humble outdoor dish slipped into the house through the back door, but even then it took a while for it to be invited into the formal dining room. R&V

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The dining room at Coopers Bar-B-Que in Llano

SALT LICK BBQ 18300C FM 1826, Driftwood, Texas Sunday – Thursday: 11 am - 9 pm Friday – Saturday: 11 am - 10 pm COOPER'S OLD TIME PIT BAR-B-QUE 604 W Young St, Llano, Texas Sunday – Thursday: 11 am - 8 pm Friday – Saturday: 11 am - 9 pm

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HABERDASHERYBOUTIQUE.COM 221 E MAIN STREET, FREDERICKSBURG (830) 990-2462

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830.998.1556 • BLACKCHALKHOME.COM FOLLOW US @BLACKCHALKHOMEANDLAUNDRY FALL 2021 31

“You can’t forget memories.”

-Hondo Crouch

FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS

312 W. Main • 997-1633 www.HondosOnMain.com 32

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TASTE A TASTE of life in the Texas Hill Country.

Chef focused, Farm inspired.

In every issue of Rock & Vine Photo provided by Broken Arrow Ranch. brokenarrowranch.com

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Angela Mancino at her Granite House location

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Building Her Own

RESTAURANT

ROW

MANCINO BUILDS QUALITY EATERIES IN DOWNTOWN FREDERICKSBURG

By ASHLEY BROWN Photos by KIMBERLY GILES

hef, restaurant-owner, and visionary Angela Mancino was recently named the runner-up for the Texas Restaurant Association’s Rising Star Award. And it’s no surprise, as in just over a decade she has created three unique, thriving restaurants in Fredericksburg.

Whether it’s breakfast at the cool, casual Sunset Grill; lunch at the bustling, farmhouse-style Woerner Warehouse; or fine dining and cocktails at Granite House Lounge, Fredericksburg residents and visitors have countless delicious dishes to choose from.

Mancino was born and raised in San Diego and first came to Fredericksburg to visit a friend, Sue Porter, who had opened a shop called Rawhide on Main Street. Porter ultimately convinced her to follow suit and move on down in 2006.

“I packed my stuff up, sold my condo, moved here, and never looked back,” said Mancino.

She quickly realized Fredericksburg could benefit from more restaurants, especially ones serving breakfast. “I felt like I wanted to bring a little bit of where I was from to this community. We had such great places to eat for breakfast in California, and I wanted to share the things that remind me of home with people here.

“I opened Sunset Grill in November of 2009. And then I heard that the Woerner Warehouse was for sale, and I thought, ‘An old feedstore—what a cool concept!’

I converted it into what it is today is—a full-service bakery, café, and restaurant with full catering.”

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WOW. THIS IS IT. I’M GONNA BUY THIS BECAUSE I KNOW THIS IS GOING TO BE SOMETHING REALLY WONDERFUL ONE DAY. - Angela Mancino

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Mancino continued to imagine new culinary ideas for the town.

One day her mom insisted on showing her a property. “We pulled in front of what is now Granite House, and it was like a shanty— completely rundown. It was this old ’30s Craftsman house. I was like, ‘Mom!’ But she told me to just go inside. I looked around and thought, ‘Wow. This is it. I’m gonna buy this because I know this is going to be something really wonderful one day.’” Her vision: a dinner house.

She decided to create a menu that’s simplistic, that everybody can connect with, that’s not overly pricey. Inspired by her travels, especially in the south and New Orleans, she knew she wanted the look of a dark dinner house, plus a full bar with craft cocktails, and a combination of Southern cuisine with a specifically Texas flair. That became Granite House Lounge.

It’s a lot to run three restaurants, but it helps to love the work.

“The reason I’m able to do what I do,” Mancino explained, “is because I have wonderful people to help me. Bobby and Mary help manage everything at Granite House. My business partner Jamie Lucky helps over at Woerner House, and Alicia over at Sunset Grill. So I have this incredible team where we all strive for excellence, take our jobs seriously, and love what we do.”

It’s become a well-oiled machine that Mancino worked hard to put together. She also feels blessed to be surrounded by a tightknit family; her brothers even work at the restaurants, too.

The Granite House cocktail menu is seasonal but always features classic staples—like the Sazerac and the Pops Old Fashioned— sometimes with a twist. Some cocktails remind Mancino of her travels (a French 75 just screams New Orleans), and some remind her of bartending days in San Diego when she’d regularly shake up drinks like the Pomegranate Martini and Ruby Red Cosmo.

It’s tough for her to choose favorite items on the menu, because she must admit, it’s all so good! Highlights include the southern New Orleans BBQ Shrimp appetizer with a rich, smoked-bacon sauce, served with olive ciabatta bread for dipping; the light House Salad with candied pears, gorgonzola, and a cane sugar dressing; the sweet and spicy Voodoo Shrimp Poor Boy (yes, Poor Boy); and, of course, the Chicken Fried Steak served with a fried egg on top. She’s also worked for years to perfect the bread pudding dessert.

Mancino isn’t stopping now. She’s bought the two lots next to Granite House and will essentially be creating “Restaurant Row,” moving both Sunset Grill and Woerner Warehouse right next door and adding a retail shop. That will help this rising Texas restaurant star continue to shine. R&V

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V I N O CA D R E AN ALLIANCE OF WINE SPECIALISTS

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@GraniteHouseLounge Tuesday-Saturday 5pm-9pm Closed Sunday & Monday

504 Granite Avenue • Fredericksburg, Texas

granitehouselounge.com

HOURS Wednesday - Saturday 7:30am - 3pm Sunday 10am - 2pm Closed Monday + Tuesdays

607 South Washington Street ▮ Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 ▮ emmaolliefbg.com

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MOM & POP INTERNATIONAL ’CUE HOUSTON BARBECUE FINDS A HOME IN THE HILLS

Owners Lance and Boo Eaker

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By ADA BROUSSARD Photos by KIMBERLY GILES

n Texas, it feels fair to judge barbeque. Be kind to your neighbors, follow the golden rule, sure.

But by all means, be fiercely judgemental of your barbecue. Perhaps you’ve waited in a six-hour line for what you were told is “the best” brisket, and all other cuts are weighed against that plate. Or maybe you can’t help but compare each potato salad to your mother’s. Wherever your bar, we’re happy to report that Fredericksburg is now home to a barbeque joint we think will certainly meet judicious standards, if not surpass them. Meet, Eaker Barbecue.

Owners Lance and Boo Eaker opened the doors to their Fredericksburg restaurant this past June. The couple is always there, Lance checking on the mammoth smoker (named Mrs. Lucky) or maybe slicing brisket, and Boo serving up sides or visiting with patrons, a generous serving of which they already have – a feat considering the fact they’ve only been open a few months. The new eatery seems to be calmly smoking along, but for Lance and Boo, owning a brick-and-mortar restaurant is a new adventure since the two started out as (food) truckers.

Before barbecue, Lance worked in IT and Boo had a job as the head designer at a children’s clothing line based in Houston where the couple lived. Boo’s 15-year career

with this company was a good one, and given its stability, it seemed unreasonably reasonable for Lance to leave his career and try his hand at owning and operating a food truck – a move that would push his backyard obsession to a business. I asked Boo about the details of this transition and we started talking about her father, who with her mom, traveled from Korea to Houston to lend a hand after Boo and Lance’s first son was born.

“My dad was always the guy...if I’d make Italian food for dinner, he’d say, ‘This is so cool. You need to open an Italian restaurant’… and whatever we’d do, he’d tell us we need to open a restaurant.” The family would joke about the idea, encouraged by Boo’s father’s enthusiasm, but it was always in jest.

In 2016, Boo’s father passed away and while spending time in Korea for the funeral, Lance and Boo stumbled across a Texas-style Barbecue restaurant in Seoul, ironically owned by a Houston couple. The barbeque was good, and the restaurant’s existence, inspiring. The two considered moving to Korea, but ultimately Houston was the chosen home for what was to be Lance’s forthcoming food truck trial. For her part, Boo was settled in her job in fashion.

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WE KNEW THAT THE FOOD TRUCK WAS GOING TO BE LIKE BOOT CAMP FOR US… BUT WHAT WE DIDN’T REALIZE IS THAT THE LAST YEAR [MARKED BY COVID’S IMPACT ON THE INDUSTRY] WAS GOING TO BE LIKE SPECIAL FORCES TRAINING. - Lance Eaker

events and competitions, and won awards, including first place in the people’s choice category of the HOU vs ATX BBQ Throwdown. In addition to bragging rights, the couple was bestowed a trophy featuring an adorable miniature BBQ pit, an accolade you can see when you visit their restaurant.

The pandemic wreaked havoc on Eaker’s usual truck locations – large office buildings and crowded bars – and so Lance and Boo began to set up in a church parking lot.

Business became centered around neighborhood customers and friendly supporters who were visiting the truck “way too often,” as Lance put it. “We knew that the food truck was going to be like boot camp for us… but what we didn’t realize is that the last year [marked by Covid’s impact on the industry] was going to be like special forces training.”

Lance tells me about the menu shift that happened during this time, “We thought, we can’t keep just giving them the same thing…. So that’s where Boo said, ‘All right. I’m gonna stretch my wings. We’re gonna have some fun.’”

By the end of 2019, Boo and Lance started to think about the next step: graduating out of the truck, into a restaurant, and out of Houston.

Sometime around the end of 2016, she remembers telling Lance, “You know what, if you want to do it, just go ahead and do it.” Not two weeks after picking up their large new food truck (and making a harrowing journey home, in 5 o’clock Houston traffic), Boo unexpectedly lost her job.

Suddenly, barbeque was the Eaker family’s livelihood. Boo shrugs and smiles remembering the huge jump. “I guess we’re that kind of people... We committed, and we just don’t look back, and we just go.” The two have a spirit of tenacity that would surely make a father proud.

Eventually, the two landed on Fredericksburg, and just a couple of weeks before the winter storm, the family, including their two sons and Boo’s mother, moved to the ’Burg. “I can literally write a book of things that happened that weren’t supposed to happen to lead us here,” Lance tells me, “And all of the things that we did, and that three years [of running the food truck] prepared us for this. We saw nothing but barriers for the last three years that we just had to crawl and push over to make it work. And then we got here and things just started falling [in place] for us… The road got easier to walk down.”

“Everything just opened,” Boo agrees.

Over the next couple of years, Boo and Lance entered a BBQ truck gauntlet. For a brief moment in their college years, Lance worked at Subway and Boo at Quiznos, but this education in fast sandwiches was the extent of their restaurant experience.

Sourcing, pricing, marketing, and cooking to scale was all a learning experience for the couple, and this period in Eaker Barbecue’s evolution was glazed by very long days that turned into nights. Briskets go on the pit at 6 a.m., and because the truck was often serving at Houston bars, service bled into the wee hours.

Craft barbecue in Texas, not unlike craft beer, has a cult following. Once the quality of Eaker Barbecue was sampled by enough Houstonions, Lance and Boo found themselves surrounded by a community consisting of fellow pitmasters and hungry diners, alike. Eaker entered into barbecue

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Lance and Boo, despite undergoing three tiresome years of trucking, aren’t hardened by their time in boot camp.

To be sure, they are still currently living the life of long hours babysitting a smoker and risky startup costs – a great unknown – but their fresh dining room only hangs heavy with hospitality and immense enthusiasm for what they’re building.

At Eaker, everything is made from scratch, and several of the menu items draw inspiration from Boo’s Korean heritage, like fried rice and the housemade kimchi, a fermented pickled vegetable medley and a perfect foil to rich meats like moist brisket and juicy sausage.

The queen of the menu, for me, was the gojuchang ribs – pork ribs that have been marinated with homemade gojuchang, a fermented Korean red pepper paste that is equal parts warm as it is sweet, that are caramelized with a

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blow torch when plated. I was delighted when the sliced ribs were garnished with a sprinkling of green onions and sesame seeds – a confetti of fusion flavors that can be difficult to find in small-town Texas.

Lance Eaker with “Mrs Lucky”

There are mainstays like sliced turkey, chopped beef, and pulled pork, all done exceptionally well, in addition to rotating specials like brisket tacos featuring homemade tortillas made with brisket tallow, and japchae (Korean sweet potato noodles). The back wall of the dining room is one big window that looks out into a screened in pit room, an honest showing of Eaker’s craft as well as the beautifully patinated pit, or the hearth of the operation. Just next to the rowdy firebox, there is a neat stack of mesquite, the primary hardwood of choice and an homage to Lance’s South Texas roots.

Lance takes time to show me the impressive tank, “It’s not just a hunk of metal melted together. Everything is engineered.” We peek at a brisket whose prized bark is readily forming. Lance explains that the coarse spices on the outside of the meat dutifully capture the airflow, and imbue flavor, on tomorrow’s lunch.

It may take a few visits to try everything on the menu, but the one requisite to each and every visit is undoubtedly the boozy (not for kids) banana pudding which is so delicious I wonder if I should serve it in lieu of my wedding cake.

When you visit Eaker Barbecue, you’ll walk through an entryway featuring a gallery wall of dimensional square photos. There are Instagram-worthy shots of tantalizing plates, fusion dishes, friends, and family, all surrounding a wooden sign that says, “Every family has a story. Welcome to ours.”

“We got this at Hobby Lobby,” Lance tells me. There is room for more photos on the gallery wall, and in no time, the Eaker’s will fill the space with Hill Country memories and big plates of delicious barbecue. R&V

Boo glazing her gojuchang ribs.

EAKER BARBECUE 607 W Main St Fredericksburg, TX 78624 eakerbarbecue.com

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Arrowhead Creek Vineyard

m ar rf u ! o e l m b F ro you r ta to

EVENTS Arrowhead Creek Vineyard is about bringing people together, in a uniquely enchanting Texas Hill Country setting.

Located on 14 beautiful acres right along the Pedernales River, with 2,000 feet of water front- you are sure to find the perfect spot to sit and enjoy a glass of wine. Arrowhead Creek Vineyard is a family owned artisanal vineyard- growing and sourcing the highest quality wines. From the minute you set foot on our property you will feel like part of our family. Everyone is sure to find a wine they love at Arrowhead Creek. Come visit our tasting room- we can’t wait to meet you.

13502 E., US-290 Stonewall, TX 78671

C AT E R I N G

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830.238.3737 W W W . B R I D G E T S B A S K E T. C O M

Open everyday 12-6 830-307-7200

GARDENS MARKET RESTAURANT VINEYARD 44

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Life is Sweet, Kelani makes it Better!

• Acai Bowls • Botanical Blends • Smoothies • Shakes • Floats • Frozen Yogurt • Gelato • Pressed Juice • Crépes • Waffles • Coffees, Salads & Sandwiches 2 locations to serve you 463 S. MAIN STREET, BOERNE

*301 EAST MAIN STREET, FREDERICKSBURG *serves lunch at this location only

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• Home decor • Paper goods • Jewelry • Garden tools • Planters & Pots • Garden decor • Art • Apparel

301 EAST MAIN STREET, FREDERICKSBURG • TUTUS.GARDEN FALL 2021 45

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Unlike some bakers, JoJu's sourdough starter isn't hundreds of years old. The family does, however, take the starter - a living culture of wild yeasts and bacteria that must be continuously fed to stay alive - along with them on weekend getaways, most recently to Marfa.

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GOOD

JoJu

BAKERS SNIFF OUT RECIPE FOR SUCCESS IN SENSORY FILLED FREDERICKSBURG TREATS

Article and photos by ADA BROUSSARD

visit Bakery JoJu on Wednesday, a baking day. Like an eager hound, I follow the warm, nutty smell of baking bread. As I walk alongside the building toward the entrance, I notice the next-door neighbor’s noisy troop of enthused Yorkshire Terriers, and can’t help but wonder if the incessant breeze of artisanal bread drives them mad or keeps them calm.

How much hound is there in a terrier?

The large warehouse that houses Bakery JoJu, once a Lonestar Beer distributor location, is now home to a mélange of enterprises. There’s a garage space where a limousine is sometimes stored, a cabinet maker hidden in the back, presumably near the cans of wood scraps, a CPA, and last but certainly not least, the series of rooms where Josh and Julie Raymer, owners of Bakery JoJu, make their bread. This random assortment of business isn’t unlike the current landscape of Fredericksburg itself – limousines to drive the wine-drunk visitors, custom cabinetry to welcome the newcomers, a CPA helping to steer the growth… and a couple of ambrosial bakers, there to keep everyone happy and nourished, full bellies of rye and wheat.

Humans have consumed grains for thousands of years, and for nearly as long, bakers have occupied a central role in communities; one baker often tasked with the breadmaking for many. Despite the sourdough craze that came and went during the pandemic, even the most industrious home cooks often buy, instead of make, bread. Add to that the fact that Josh and Julie mill around 40% of their own flour, and it should be clear that bread is best left to them.

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Josh and Julie work quickly as they bake, prep, and organize orders. On the days they're not slashing and baking bread, they are milling grain and building levain.

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ALL THE GERM IS IN THERE. ALL THE OIL, ALL THE FLAVORFUL, GOODSMELLING, YUMMY THINGS ARE IN THERE... I GET TO MILL, AND THEN TAKE THAT MILLED FLOUR AND I GET TO MAKE BREAD WITH IT...

IT ALL STAYS IN IT. AROMAS AND ALL. - Josh Raymer

The majority of the JoJu magic happens in one of two rooms. On my visit, we spent most of the time in a small, rectangular-shaped room. There are two large ovens that have dutifully warmed the room to several degrees above comfortable. The walls are cream brick and soft yellow tile, emphatically vintage. Accessories include haphazard piles of just-emptied proofing baskets, a couple of long wooden paddles to move the hot bread around, and a wall of wire shelves lined with just-cooling toothsome sourdough and sweet cranberry-walnut loaves, rich, brown crusts protecting soft, airy centers. The room hums in golden hues, and smells that way too, but by the time I leave, the bread has already disappeared, out for delivery to Fredericksburg’s La Bergerie and Fresh Pickens where it will be sold as to customers, as well as to Farm Connection, a farm-to-table delivery service in San Antonio.

Josh and Julie are baking around 250 loaves on this day, about average for a Wednesday, one of their big baking days of the week. Josh assuredly taps on a sourdough loaf that he’s checking for doneness, “Sounds good. Like a cheap door.” I’m surprised by the fact that there is an auditory cue, specifically that of a hollow core door, involved in making such delicious bread, but of course there’s a lot I don’t know about how JoJu manages to pack so much flavor into one small bundle.

The Raymer’s bread journey started innocently enough.

Josh, a Houston native, worked in and around restaurant kitchens since he was 14 years old. After some years cheffing in Colorado, he moved to Austin where he met Julie, who was a floral designer. It was the late ’90s, and Austin was

young. Josh and Julie fell in love and started a family, and in 2004, they decided to relocate to Fredericksburg where Josh took a job as the executive chef of Navajo Grill. The menu had a farm-to-table ethos similar to Josh’s own, and many of the vegetables and proteins were being sourced locally.

The bread? “We were using a par-baked product which was fine, but it just bothered me. Like, I know where the pig comes from… I can tell you all about the goat cheese. I can tell you all about the tomato. But then this [bread] comes from California.”

Josh began to make simple flatbread and table breads for Navajo Grill and in his own words, “I became obsessed.”

With one kid at home and another on the way, Josh had only ever worked restaurant dinner shifts for his entire adult life – a schedule less than conducive to starting a family. The bread life was calling, and around 9 years ago, Josh and Julie answered.

Whereas the baking room is all golden and yellow, the other niche in the bakery is crisp and white. Against one wall is the mill, an existence that bestows Josh with a designation as a miller-baker. In the echelon of bread-obsessed, millerbakers, or those bakers who choose to grind raw grains into usable flour, sit comfortably at the top. The mill looks simple – the top is a sleek-looking funnel shape, connected by a drawstring sleeve to a plastic bin underneath. Somewhere at its core hides a granite stone which grinds whole berries of cereal grains like Sonora, Turkey Red, and Yecora wheat into fine (but not too fine) flour. Like a powdered donut, everything in this vicinity seems to be dusted in a white veneer, though a more careful look at the freshly milled flour reveals a mixture more nuanced than just white: flecks of tan bran, the seed’s outer shell, sit amid the endosperm and germ. Whole berry to whole wheat… and sometimes rye. While I idly lean on a stainless-steel table, Josh keeps working and unrolls a piece of canvas called a “baker’s couche” and begins to expertly form a neat line of baguettes.

Slender, pale dough snakes swiftly emerge and are set on the woven cloth, an important step to ensure thin, crackly crusts.

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Most commercially produced flour is ground using industrial roller mills; during processing, some of the grain’s inherent qualities are stripped out – primarily to create a product that is more shelf stable. But the majority of the flour Josh uses, both that which he mills himself as well as that he sources from Barton Springs Mill located in Dripping Springs (also where he buys his grains), is something different – a fresh product that seems more alive than dead.

In the same way that many chefs make an effort to find local farmers growing the best tomatoes, Josh, with the help of Barton Springs Mill, has managed to tap into a network of Texas farmers (and a few in Oklahoma) that are growing organic grains that fall into the heritage and landrace category. Some would argue that these heirloom varieties are inherently more flavorful. For his part, Josh focuses on the increased flavor that you can garner from the milling process itself, “Whole wheat that you mill on a stone mill is milled cool. All the germ is in there. All the oil, all the flavorful, good-smelling, yummy things are in there... I get to mill, and then take that milled flour and I get to make bread with it... It all stays in it. Aromas and all.”

Cold-milling preserves a grain’s natural oils, phytochemicals, and antioxidants making JoJu bread more nutritious and more flavorful than your average wheaten treat.

If you’re lucky enough to meet either the Jo or the Ju of JoJu, you’re in for a treat. Josh and Julie are warm and friendly, and when you consider how delightfully their affable dispositions pair with their delicious bread, it feels like the happy ending of a tale starring the farmer, the baker, and the candlestick maker. As a gluten lover myself, it’s easy to ennoble JoJu’s role in our community.

I ask Josh about this idea and he admits that there is an element of romanticism involved in his trade, “You don’t do this without having some kind of, you know, Don Quixote kind of thing happening, right? It doesn’t make any sense. It doesn’t make any money. I mean, I pay my bills...I’m really lucky. But if I just bought bags of flour, I could charge the same amount of money [and] could save so much labor.”

But bread only seems worthy of the modifier ‘artisan’ if the ingredients – the parts to its whole – are truly precious, themselves. “It’s incredibly rewarding to make those connections,” Josh says of knowing both the grain producers as well as the customers eating his bread, “So yeah, I feel like I’m part of that. I don’t know that I’m the hub, but I do feel a connection.”

Salt of the earth bakers, and a salty and herb-infused pool of olive oil is all you need to turn a loaf of fresh, chewy sourdough into a rustic meal for two. Diet culture has had its

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way with so many of us, making us tremble at the thought of carbohydrates. If you’re eager to shed its grip and enjoy the nutritious energy that can come from bread, might I recommend a JoJu focaccia, so flavorsome I usually buy two – one to tear and eat on the way home, and another to share. JoJu’s theoretical position as a baker central to the community feels less metaphorical when you see the buzz around their stand at the year-round Kerrville or seasonal Fredericksburg Farmers Market – the setting that makes them familiar faces to so many.

In addition to selling (out of, usually) several different types of freshly baked bread, they also make pizzas that puff up in a blazing wood-fire oven in a matter of minutes. It’s clear that people flock for the bread, and the pizza, but also the bakers. R&V For more information about your town bakers, grab a loaf and follow JoJu on Instagram: @jojubaker

New Texas focused restaurant in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Open 7 days a week.

Brunch on Saturday and Sundays 210 S ADAMS ST HILLANDVINETX.COM

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Best Brunch in town!

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BREAKFAST SERVED ALL DAY BEER • WINE • MIMOSAS FULL BAR

902 South Adams Fredericksburg, Texas 830.997.5904

Open Daily 7am-2pm Closed Wednesday

sunsetgrillfbgtx.com 52

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l u f e t s a t e r Whetions begin crea

Serving Breakfast and Lunch Outdoor Seating • Wifi Beer • Wine • Mimosas Catering • Parties & Private Events Rehearsal Dinners - Your Place or Ours 305 S. Lincoln Street • Fredericksburg, TX • (830) 997-2246 Mon - Sat 9 am - 3 pm • WoernerWarehouse.com

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May close sooner any day due to sell out!

Plenty of Parking Available! • Tour Buses Welcome! • Indoor & Outdoor Dining 320 FM 2093 (Tivydale Road) • Fredericksburg • 830-992-3262 www.Backwoodsbbq.net FALL 2021 53

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THE FALL JOY OF ROOT VEGGIES AWAIT SIMPLE, TASTY PREP

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taste Article and photos by ADA BROUSSARD

ight around the time when Lonestar beer cans give way to their camo skins, I feel myself gathering armfuls of root crops to fill the larder and crowd my cutting board. This is not the season to naively enter the produce section with a hand basket instead of a push cart because you’re only grabbing “a few things.” Roots are dense, growing slowly underground and building mass by way of water and nutrients gathered from the surrounding soil. Botanically, roots anchor plants to the ground and function as a storage organ supplying the greens above with the energy they need to grow, bloom, and eventually reproduce. Gastronomically? They’re doing about the same.

Root vegetables and all their starchy wonders are the ideal guest to invite to your weekly dance in the kitchen. A big tray of roasted roots can easily mingle and marry with just about anything you’re able to whip up to fuel yourself during that Monday-Friday jive. Degree by degree, the temperatures here will eventually fall, and while that’s happening outside, we’re usually speeding up inside.

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We all know the trajectory: back to school suddenly turns into pumpkins, morphs into turkeys, and then the holidays and their surrounding kerfuffle. Before you know it, we’ll be sipping cider and remembering the anniversary of the snowpocalypse. All this to say, when you get busy this fall and mindfulness seems like a practice of quarantine-past, why not give yourself over to the humble root and its easy ability to feed you?

S

Root vegetables like carrots, turnips, radishes, rutabaga, and potatoes (technically tubers) are easy to prepare in big batches and easy to incorporate into a nexus of meals throughout the week.

On the first night, enjoy roasted carrots, perfectly caramelized on the outside and bright orange on the inside, hot off the sheet pan. On the subsequent nights, you may decide to fold your carrots, or whatever roots you decided to make, into a tortilla, stir into a stew, or use them to add some heft and heart to a green salad.

All roots need salt. It’s the one ingredient absolutely necessary to nudge a beet from an underground appendage to a meal. I like to roast root vegetables at around 400-425 degrees – hot enough to actually brown the outside by the time the inside is tender.

taste It doesn’t matter what size you chop your vegetables so long as they are roughly the same size, which will allow them to cook at the same rate. I like to cut turnips into big wedges, the sides of which will develop a rich color when tossed with oil and spread out on a pan. I most often cut long colored carrots in half, lengthwise, and roast them this way. When done, they pile up so nicely like a stack of sweet, limp chopsticks, and when garnished with some chopped herbs or a drizzle of yogurt, your dinner guests will most certainly “ooh and aah,” mesmerized by your simple roasted root.

You can also grate a root… just about any root. I used to underestimate the utility of my box grater and kept it in the back corner of a large drawer. It tried to announce its fitness, inevitably jamming the drawer’s smooth operation, but it wasn’t until I watched a farmer friend whip up a grated root slaw in a matter of moments that I decided to relocate the grater from drawer to open shelf – just next to my cutting boards and favorite bowls. With little effort, you can also grate roots and turn them into a fritter or an okonomiyaki, a savory Japanese pancake. For the most part, roots behave the same, and you can use many root vegetables interchangeably, which is a part of their appeal.

Anything a red beet touches, however, will obviously leave its mark.

Roasting and grating roots is great, but of course there are other ways to prepare them like frying, steaming, braising, or boiling.

Beets and potatoes are my favorite vegetables to boil. Sometimes, while I’m washing the unfortunate pile of dishes intruding on my Zen, I’ll put a salty pot of water on to boil and drop in whatever roots need using. Boiling whole roots requires no cutting board or knife, and most importantly, even less attention than roasting. Though boiled veggies lack the texture you can achieve when roasting, there is plenty of time to add that later.

Toss boiled and peeled beets in butter and herbs on night one, and the leftovers can then be blitzed into a hummus-type dip on night two simply by adding a can of chickpeas, yogurt, and tahini. Boiled potatoes, stored in the fridge, have limitless potential. They can be mashed, fried, served as the base of a salad, or any other number of things that there isn’t time to mention here.

Perhaps one of the best root-crop transformations comes in the form of a creamy soup. Simply sauté an onion and garlic in some fat (like butter or olive oil), and then add to this pot whatever roots you have. This can be a combination of things, or a straight-run; you can even use leftover cooked roots, which will simply shorten the cooking time. Next, add a few cups of water or stock. Simmer until your roots are soft, and then blend it all together. Soup season is when my immersion blender earns its cupboard keep. As a final step, stir in some milk, cream, or the like. Milk is consumed quickly in my house and is rightfully prioritized for coffee and smoothies. Hence, I usually keep a few cans of coconut milk on hand. Truthfully, I prefer coconut milk for these creamy weekday soups and find I can eat bigger bowls with less consequence. Plus, coconut milk can live in the pantry, meaning I always have what I need for this meal.

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taste If you’re shopping at a farmers’ market or trying to eat more seasonally, you know that cooking with what can grow in Texas at any given moment doesn’t exactly match what’s happening in the grocery store. This style of cooking – one which supports the livelihood of local farmers and a look towards agroecology – requires a spirit of flexibility.

Potatoes are a spring and early summer crop here in Texas though they’re ubiquitous in many soulful winter pots.

Turnips, rutabaga, or even the alien-like kohlrabi bulb (not technically a root, but who’s counting?) will happily fill in for a potato when there is none.

And when you do undoubtedly find yourself in the (beautiful) H-E-B produce section that miraculously boasts produce from equatorial tilts all over the world, take a moment to notice the players you may regularly overlook. At the Fredericksburg H-E-B, the bulk beets, rutabaga, and turnips live on the top left corner of the refrigerated shelves just near the door leading to the back. Don’t let their grizzly size or suspect hiding spot deter you: these root crops have a long shelf life, and even if you don’t immediately have a plan for them, why not grab a few bulbs to stock the fridge?

If there are bits of the farm still clinging to any root vegetables when you get home, kindly wipe them off, or if they’re especially clingy, fill up a bowl of water and soak the roots for a bit before scrubbing. If you’re lucky enough to get a bunch of carrots with the greens still attached, remove the greens from the root before storing each edible separately. If left attached, the leaves will continue to wick moisture from the roots, leaving limp ghosts of taproots past. The same goes for any root-and-green combo like bunched radishes, turnips, beets, or kohlrabi (once again, kohlrabi is more stem than it is root, but who’s counting).

Properly storing your fresh produce will extend the shelf life of your precious food, helping prevent future compost trips and that all-too-familiar wasted-veggie shame spiral.

Crops like turnips, beets, carrots, and radishes, if divorced from their greens, will last anywhere from 3-6 months in the crisper drawer of a fridge. For the ultimate pioneer experience, you can store root crops in bins placed in a cool dark space. Either with a pan of water or a layer of damp sand, it’s important to introduce some element of humidity in a storage solution like this in order to prevent the crops from shriveling up.

Alternatively, you can always dig a deep hole in your backyard, line it with peat moss, and invest in some rodent-proof containers and build a backyard root cellar. Or, if you’re growing root crops in the garden, you can also experiment with simply leaving the crops in the ground, and harvesting as needed. To lessen the chances of frost damage, cover the plants with a thick layer of straw, and make sure to cut off (or seriously delay) the irrigation – too much moisture will cause the vegetables to rot. If you weren’t looking to involve shovels or integrated pest management strategy into your vegetable storage, then forget everything I’ve said, and just slide open that perfectly-suited crisper drawer and fill with roots. R&V

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LUNCH & DINNER 6 DAYS/WK

BREAKFAST SAT & SUN 8-11:30

The Hill Country’s premier theater for live music and entertainment!

Buy tickets online or call (830) 997-7625 109 N. Llano, Fredericksburg

ROCKBOXTHEATER.COM GREAT FOOD - LIVE MUSIC - FULL BAR - PATIO 228 W. Main St., Fredericksburg, TX 78624 WWW.WESTERNEDGECELLARS.COM

99 Steps off Main Street

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830.456.1883

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224 W. Main St. MAJESTYONMAIN.COM

R&V

232 W. Main St. TOWNLOT164.COM

Outshine holiday expectations.

‘Tis the season to create memories and cherish time spent together.

At La Cantera Resort & Spa, relaxed sophistication is our specialty. A vacation unlike anything else in Texas–here, discovery awaits you at every corner. lacanteraresort.com | 210.558.6500 FALL 2021 59

your source for

HILL COUNTRY CONTEMPORARY FINE ART

MARK BOWLES

MARTHA REA BAKER

AMY VAN WINKLE

FREDERICKSBURG, TX

AUGUST E’S RESTAURANT 203 E. SAN ANTONIO

BETTE RIDGEWAY

KERRVILLE, TX

235 EARL GARRETT STREET 830.315.3150

SLATEGRAYGALLERY.COM 60

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TELLURIDE, CO

209 EAST COLORADO AVENUE 970.728.3777

HAUS We invite you into our HAUS section, where we will explore our area architects, home styles, and elegant décor.

Photo provided by Black Chalk & Laundry

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BIG VIS

Photo by Michael Hunter

ION

FROM WYOMING TO THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY, HOME SIMPLE GOODS’ CHRISTINA ATKINSON BRINGS COZY AND COMFORTABLE TO HER DESIGN.

Christina Atkinson Photo by Ely Fair

Interview by KIMBERLY GILES Christina Atkinson grew up in Kerrville and lived in Jackson, Wyoming for seven years.

She is the owner of Home Simple Goods and offers design services to clients all over the United States but mostly Dallas, Oklahoma and Wyoming, with some projects in Hawaii and New York. Her main focus is on home furnishings, but she also does finish selections and design for remodels and new construction.

Rock & Vine interviewed Atkinson about her vision and style.

How did you begin your career in design?

I’ve dabbled in design for most of my adult life but got serious about it when I lived in Jackson Hole. I took a position at a retail furniture store and that evolved into design services and then a partnership with the founder.

When and why did you decide to open a retail location in Fredericksburg?

I spent many weekends in Fredericksburg in my teens and early twenties browsing local home decor shops and always dreamed of having my own store there one day. My mom moved to Fredericksburg some years ago, so when I decided to move home to the Hill Country, it seemed like the perfect place to move and fulfill my lifelong dream of having a shop there.

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haus

Who are your typical clients?

A lot of my clients are people who have homes in multiple locations so I travel a lot to help furnish their homes. I also have a large, short-term rental clientele. They want their homes to look up to date and well-appointed, but may not live here or have the time to tackle that themselves.

Other than that, my shop attracts clients from around the region who then ask about my design services.

What are some of the most inspiring projects you have been asked to design?

Among the most inspiring are the mountain homes, the raw beauty of the materials selected and the breathtaking views are easy inspiration.

I also love transforming older homes that previously were very basic. It’s a blank canvas for my creativity to go wild.

What is your preferred focal point when asked to design for a client’s home?

In Wyoming, it’s all about the view or the sometimes-massive fireplaces that are central to the home. In some homes, we have to create the focal point with an interesting grouping of furniture or art.

What is your personal favorite space to design in a home?

I love to create cozy living rooms. My favorite is a large great room that can have multiple seating areas and points of interest.

What fall trends do you see or past-year trends in home styling and decor?

For me, I tend to focus on timeless fall styles like wool and leather. But lately I have been loving warm, terracotta and earthy, natural materials like terrazzo, fire clay and oak.

Photos by Michael Hunter

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Photos of Simple Home Goods store on Adams Street in Fredericksburg. - Photos by Jeremiah Dearinger

You have a very organic and textured style that is reflected in your design for clients as well as your retail space.

Where did this attraction stem from?

I have to credit my time in Wyoming. I think warm sophistication is what I took from the homes, architecture and furnishings of that region. Wool, leather, plaid, piles of books and cozy, layered spaces paired with modern art and accessories.

My mother also was a great influence in my design. She was the master of a collected look as most of our furnishings and decor came from thrift shops or roadside finds but she effortlessly made our homes feels warm and inviting.

How has business positively or negatively changed for you in the past year?

Initially, I was very concerned that Covid would be the end of the retail store for me, but shortly after the shutdown, clients came through for me with large projects that sustained us.

I’ve never been busier on the design front. One negative side 66

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is that the supply chain has been largely affected and it can take months to get what I used to get in days or weeks.

What, in your opinion, are clients’ biggest struggles on receiving your design vision?

I think the biggest struggle clients have is just trusting the process. When I ask a client to change their kitchen cabinets or counters or paint the whole house, it takes a lot of convincing. But ultimately, I know that’s what is going to give them the vision they had from inspiration pieces they showed me. We can’t always just place furniture in a home and make it look like their favorite design photo – the surroundings matter. But I don’t think any of them have regretted taking that leap in the end. R&V HOME SIMPLE GOODS + DESIGN 109 N Adams St Fredericksburg, TX 830.307.9798 simplegoodsshop.com

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305 S. LINCOLN STREET • FREDERICKSBURG

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301 S. LINCOLN STREET | 830.997.5551 | CAROLHICKSBOLTON.COM

CAROLHICKSBOLTONANTIQUES

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KERI KROPP

Designer

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KERI

K RO P P

CUSTOM INTERIORS

+

D E S I GN

HOME DECOR

Where every project and product is personal.

FALL 2021 73 728-732 Water St. Kerrville, Texas 78028 | 830.315.5374 | kerikropp.com

S C H R E I N E R

WOMEN’S CLOTHING

+

G O O D S ACCESSORIES

For bold women with timeless style.

214 Earl Garrett St. Kerrville, Texas 78028 | 830.315.5000 | schreinergoods.com 74

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2011

2011

CE LEBRATIN G

2021

THANK

YOU!

2021

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mustard

D E Sa r Ic hG N i t e c t s

mustarddesign.net

fredericksburg

830.997.7024

It’s time to take the chill off.

Come in today for our beautiful gas logs, electric fireplaces, and unique gifts just in time for Fall!

Gas logs | Firepits | Outdoor heaters | Electric fireplaces | and more 1000 Sidney Baker St. S. | Kerrville | 830.890.5532 2000 US Hwy 281 S. | Marble Falls | 830.798.9761 outbackpatiofurnishings.com

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AMAZON SOIL 2115-30

MUSLIN OC-12

1707 BROADWAY KERRVILLE, TEXAS • 830-257-3622 • SOUTHTEXASPAINTANDSUPPLY.COM

1800 A BROADWAY KERRVILLE, TEXAS • 830-257-2425 • HILLCOUNTRYLIGHTING.COM

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A Luxury Hotel Pillow made just for you!

You select the pillow size (standard, queen or king), and the density (7) x-soft, soft, medium, firm, x-firm, xx-firm, xxx-firm, based on your sleeping habits and style.

The YBP pillow feels and acts like a luxury down pillow but is hypoallergenic because it is made from the highest quality micro-down fiber!

EXPERIENCE THE MOST COMFORTABLE BED PILLOW

Available at: Linens-n-More 302 E. Main St, Fredericksburg, TX 78624 830-990-1212 yourpillow.com | info@yourpillow.com 78

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LINENS-N-MORE

302 EAST MAIN STREET | FREDERICKSBURG, TX WWW.LINENSNMORE.COM | 830-990-1212

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Veteran owned business providing discounts for veterans and first responders Metal & shingle roof installations for residential and commercial properties

830-992-8992 www.battalionroofing.com

Discover a l l the good th i ngs we have gathered for you r home a nd you r l i fe...

Old & New Farmhouse Vintage Home Décor Gifts

830.307.3032

www.gatheredandgood.com 401 Augusta, Fredericksburg (2 Blocks from Nimitz Museum) 80

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Woodworking at its finest

401 S. Lincoln Street, Fredericksburg | (830) 990-0565 | www.kingwoodcabinets.com

2 Blocks from Main Street above KingWood Studio 401 S. Lincoln St | Fredericksburg, TX 78624 | 830.992.9681 | www.kingwoodsuites.com

Fredericksburg Flooring Center Keeping the Hill Country Covered

• vinyl plank

• tile

• wood

• stone

• carpet

• blinds

401 S. Lincoln Street, Fredericksburg | (830) 997-8375 | fbgflooring@gmail.com FALL 2021

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Daniel Medrano gives a straight-razor shave to a customer.

Facing page: A vintage-style barber chair sets the tone.

in the hills

Clippin’ it

Old School BARBERS, BAR OWNERS LOOK TO THEIR PAST AND CREATE A CASUAL PLACE TO HANG

By KEN ESTEN COOKE Photos by KIMBERLY GILES

art Tex. Part Mex. Part hangout and all Hill Country, but with no pretensions whatsoever.

That describes 1962 Barber Company and La Escondida 1962 bar, an evolving community gathering place in Kerrville.

Parked between a NobiliTea and across from the cool Pint & Plow brewery and restaurant, this business run by two thirty-somethings has gained a following for being oldschool cool and a relaxing hangout.

Growing a business and expanding, during the coronavirus era and some personal challenges, may not be in everyone’s business plan, but Daniel and Anabel Medrano have rolled with life’s punches and taken their chances.

“Whenever we moved into this building, we didn’t have any idea that Kerrville would move in this direction, so it’s been a pleasant surprise,” Anabel Medrano said. “I think [we’re growing] because thanks to Pint & Plow and NobiliTea, this is just a more happening street now. It’s getting more attention. A lot of people say it has good vibes.”

1962 Barber Company opened almost five years ago in a 1931-era brick and tin building. Growing up in nearby small towns, the Medranos wanted to create a space that was unlike any other in town and was one of a kind. They target men’s grooming customers, using traditional, straight-razor and scissor cuts, grooming tonics and pomade. It’s old school right down to the barber chairs.

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The Medranos, Daniel and Anabel, bring old-soul barber skills to a new clientele.

A stage area, tables and room for dancing under the live oak canopy.

Vintage posters and art inspiration include everything from Rosie the Riveter to sugar skulls.

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Cow skulls and simple paintings make for a pure-Texan mix.

in the hills

“I think we’re old souls,” she said, saying both may have been born into the wrong era. “But we had to grow up fast because we were young parents. We get along better with older people, so that’s who we wanted for our clientele.”

Daniel is a Hill Country native of Ingram and Anabel’s family moved from San Jose, California to a ranch near Center Point and the two met when they were in their early teens.

The Medranos took a detour to Austin for eight years when they were in their early twenties. In Austin, they worked in barber shops and Daniel also did landscaping work. He had been cutting men’s hair since he was 16, and and got licensed before opening the shop. Anabel was trained in cosmetology, but went to barber school to focus strictly on men’s grooming.

“We were getting the barbershop ready before we even unpacked our belongings at our house,” she said when they decided to return to Kerrville and take the plunge.

“We had a smaller shop and were paying rent, and we didn’t want to have a landlord anymore,” Daniel said. “When we came to tour this building, I saw the openness of it. We saw the large open area in the back and thought, ‘This is perfect for a bar.’”

Enter ‘La Escondida 1962,” or the Hidden One. This backof-shop bar also wants to create a customer base that is loyal and comfortable. The casual setting has a large, sliding door that opens onto an outside area covered with large live oaks. They added a stage for live music and a food truck.

“We’re fixing it up slowly and the past year, we finally put in the bar,” she said. They did so with an eye and ear toward their pasts. Both their fathers had performed as Norteno musicians around the Hill Country and in Kerrville’s Lopez Club, which no longer exists. “We met dancing, and wanted to incorporate that into what we have here.”

But it wasn’t a linear path to popularity. “Life hit hard when we moved from Austin,” Anabel said. “Two weeks after we moved here, my dad had three strokes and I was in a fire accident myself.” Medrano was helping burn a pile of wood and gasoline fumes spread to her clothes and caught fire.

She spent time in San Antonio’s BAMC burn unit “wrapped up like a mummy.” But she recovered and resumed work toward getting her bar licenses.

An artist’s tools.

The Medranos have purchased the building next door and will move the barber shop into the smaller space and expand the bar and community space. Deer mounts, a cow skull, and papel picado add a flavor and color that is a 100 percent mix of all things Texan.

“We’re now being called ‘the melting pot’ because of the diversity of people we get. We’ve been super blessed because our culture has really been supportive and anyone and everyone feels right at home. We have Spanish bands and English bands, so it’s for everyone,” Anabel said. R&V See more information on their Instagram.

1962 BARBER COMPANY La Escondida 1962 516 Jefferson St. Kerrville 830-955-9063

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• The

Yellow Door & Next Door Art Studios • Paint

& Sips

Art Classes & Workshops

ART MAKES YO U HAPPY

Children’s Art Programs Private Parties Paint Your Own Pottery Hours Hand Building Pottery Classes DIY Board Art Classes

www.theyellowdoorstudio.com 810 & 808 N. Llano St. • FBG, TX • 830-456-1097

When security and trust are in the name, why bank anywhere else?

PERSONAL BANKING

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Celebrating 80 Years of Hill Country Commitment

ssbtexas.com

830.997.7575 | 201 W. Main St. | Fredericksburg 17 Convenient Hill Country Locations 86

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NMLS #402941

The place to be.

Drinks, Food & Live Music

78624 THE BAR 229 E MAIN • FREDERICKSBURG, TX 78624 • WWW.78624THEBAR.COM

Check out our full menu

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ĬšàƢÃĦ˘êğêŋĆÃĦŜ˘ÃĦæ˘ÿÃğğ˘ĉĦ˘ğĬŷêʧ˘ ÃŋŜšŎê˘žĬšŎ˘ĥêĥĬŎĉêŔ˘ŸĉŜƢŋğêĦŜž˘Ĭÿ˘ŋĆĬŜĬŔʧ

êŔêŎŷÃŜĉĬĦŔ˘ êōšĉŎêæ˘ <Ĭ˘ŜĬ˘¯ĉŔĉŜ Ćê ŎêŔêŎŷêʧàĬĥ˘ŜĬ˘ŔàĆêæšğê˘žĬšŎ˘ŷĉŔĉŜ ʓʒʍ˘#Ĭšßğê˘BĬŎĦ˘ æ ;ŎêæêŎĉàĜŔßšŎĀʨ˘ µ˘ʔʕʓʏʑ˘̦˘ʕʐʍʧʖʖʏʧʍʐʔʐ

The place to shop

for the children you love!

We specialize in boys’ and girls’ clothing, shoes, and accessories to dress babies, toddlers, and tweens.

www.liebeskindfbgtx.com 88

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Grape minds

think alike JUST LIKE YOU MAKE AND SERVE THE BEST WINE, WE ARE FOCUSED ON PROVIDING THE BEST SERVICES TO OUR CLIENTS.

At SWBC Insurance Services, we are focused on providing customized insurance coverage to protect wineries and/or vineyard operations—so they can focus on their craft. When we partnered with Chris Brundrett, we knew our shared value of excellence would help us form a strong, lasting partnership.

Visit or call one of our Hill Country experts today to learn more about how we can find the best coverage for your winery, vineyard, or brewery.

C.W. Lees SWBC Insurance Services Commercial Lines Producer

Cell: 830.307.4202 Email: clees@swbc.com

“At William Chris Vineyards, we work hard to provide the best possible customer experience every day. We strive to be the very best at what we do and having a great partner like SWBC, who understands our goals, makes a big difference. It’s clear they care about us and our success, and we’re proud to work with them.”

Monty Melcher

—Chris Brundrett | Co-Founder and Winemaker, William Chris Vineyards

609 N. Llano Street, Fredericksburg, TX 78264

SWBC Insurance Services Commercial Lines Producer 924 Jefferson Street. #4, Kerrville, TX 78028 Cell: 830.285.5439 Email: mmelcher@swbc.com

©2020 SWBC. All Rights Reserved. 1045-A8529 04/20

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A H E R I TA G E R E I N C A R N AT E D

Five generations ago our family began farming in India, cultivating crops of cocoa, coconuts, rice, and turmeric. Today, our family calls Texas home. We believe our wines exemplify how the blending of two cultures can create something authentic, yet entirely new and exciting. Come experience a heritage reincarnated!

5 MINUTES FROM DOWNTOWN

414 GOEHMANN LANE • FREDERICKSBURG KALASICELLARS.COM

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Walk with Us Enjoy our wines and views at our Winery & Vineyard.

LOCATED AT

6331 South Ranch Rd 1623 in Stonewall (830) 644-2144

WILLKOMMEN Welcome to THE site for Fredericksburg, Texas Real Estate and properties for sale.

Nestled in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, Fredericksburg’s Small-town atmosphere, relaxed lifestyle, and the quality of life draw families and retirees from all over.

Whether you are buying or selling, or just considering the perfect place for your retirement years, I would love to serve you - EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

CAROLE REED

CAROLE@CAROLEREED.COM

830.992.9446

Broker J.R. Russel Lic# 601430 92

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WELCOME TO YOUR HOME IN THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY. Discover our family-owned, boutique wine resort in a rustic-meets-upscale oasis in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Stay in our spacious villas with luxury amenities.

Pamper yourself in The Spa. Whether you’re visiting for a day or a much needed get away, Carter Creek Winery Resort & Spa is the perfect escape.

WINE, DINE & BREW Equal parts rustic and refined, Old 290 Brewery combines Hill Country craft beer with hearty, Texas-inspired cuisine featuring locally-sourced ingredients. Enjoy awardwinning wines inspired by a founding family of Texas Wine Country. In true Lone Star State style, enjoy live entertainment every Friday and Saturday night.

4064 West US Highway 290 | Johnson City, Texas 78636 855.729.0443 | reservations@cartercreek.com | CarterCreek.com FALL 2021 93

drinkery

Manager, musician Staci Foster is a friendly face in this casual place.

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drinkery

KERRVILLE’S RIVER TRAIL RESPITE TRAILHEAD BEER GARDEN IS THE PERFECT PLACE FOR SPREADING OUT

By LEE M. NICHOLS Photos by KEN ESTEN COOKE

t almost sounds like some science fiction movie script: You’re out for a bicycle ride, heading down a trail you’ve never explored before, and suddenly you stumble upon paradise – an amazing cornucopia of delights, seemingly tailored to meet your every need.

Of course, the movie script always turns dark – there’s some sinister force secretly at work and paradise wasn’t what it seemed.

Relax – this time it isn’t a movie. It’s real, everyone really does want you to be blissfully happy, and they’re devoted to your satisfaction.

The place is Trailhead Beer Garden, located on the edge of the Schreiner University campus, right at (as the name implies) the access point to the Kerrville River Trail.

“The bike trail brings in wanderers,” says Staci Foster, Trailhead’s manager. “They don’t know it’s here. They roll in and say, ‘What is this place?’”

It’s easy to imagine the bikers’ eyes widening as they imagine they’ve landed in heaven. They stumble upon a rustic, lovingly restored frontier building, surrounded by the spacious green lawns of a manicured college campus. There are games to play. Chairs to relax in. Shade. A roomy, wraparound porch. And best of all, drinks and live music.

And it didn’t happen by accident. It was all part of a plan.

“A collage of people worked together on this vision,” Foster says. “Schreiner, Bill Muse [a Schreiner vice president and music lover], the city of Kerrville did a lot, and Jeremy Walther, the owner of Pint & Plow Brewing Company in Kerrville.

“They got together and let their visions start rolling. They even walked around the campus and asked students what they want. Students said they wanted food trucks, a stage, washers, cornhole, sand volleyball, and bike trail. The only thing not on the list was a mechanical bull. The students came up with their own coffee roast, too! It’s pretty strong, which I guess is what you need when you’re in college.

“The goal here is to create community – a pocket of community. And what’s better than beer, music and games, and big ol’ 200-year-old trees on a college campus? I don’t know if everyone notices that, but I think that’s why it feels so good here – it has old trees.

“And the bikers roll in and they’ll want to get a beer but don’t have wallets because they were just on a bike ride. Thankfully, patrons like Joe Herring (a local historian and print shop owner) here will buy them a beer,” Foster says, gesturing to the next table over.

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WE ONLY SERVE HILL COUNTRY BEERS AND WINES. WE BOOK HILL COUNTRY MUSICIANS, AND ALL THE MUSIC OVER OUR SPEAKERS IS FROM TEXAS. - Staci Foster

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The idea for Trailhead began in 2019, so it’s not quite accurate to call it a Covid project for the collaborators, but the end result certainly provides an antidote to the pandemic blues. There’s plenty of room in front of the stage to spread out and listen to that night’s band. And even inside the 1800s-era building that houses the bar, fresh air is still in abundance – wide doors on three sides are flung open, just as breezy as the patio.

Foster keeps returning to that theme of home. It permeates the entire concept of trailhead.

“We only serve Hill Country beers and wines,” Foster says.

“We book Hill Country musicians, and all the music over our speakers is from Texas.”

The libations selection is small, but big on quality. During Rock & Vine’s visit, the beer taps were draining kegs of Pint & Plow’s La Madruga Porter, Middleton Brewing’s Third Coast IPA, Bandera Brewing’s Black Pepper Saison and Roughhouse Brewing’s Rice Lager. Wines on offer included the Albarino and Red Blend from Kerrville Hills and also Wild Basin Lime Hard Seltzer. The taps rotate, so the selection will likely be different when you arrive.

And because it’s on a college campus with underage students and Trailhead strives for a family atmosphere, “mocktails” and the aforementioned coffee are available. (Foster laughed that she doesn’t worry too much about fake IDs because she knows exactly who to talk to at the university should any student dare to present one.)

Trailhead doesn’t produce food, but there’s always a food trailer on hand serving something delicious.

The very act of accepting a job at Trailhead was a homecoming for Foster. The Kerrville native was making a living as a fulltime musician in Fort Collins, Colorado, playing in the folkrock trio Whippoorwill.

“Then Covid hit, and it affected musicians greatly,” Foster says.

“It became a waiting game, constantly delaying when we could start doing gigs again. Eventually I thought, ‘I’ve been waiting around for a year and I’m going to try something new.’ I hit the road, and right away I got a call about this job.

“I grew up here and I knew Jeremy. I’ve watched him with Pint & Plow for years. He’s just an amazing curator. He thinks about the details, he doesn’t just throw it all together. He thought about it and did it right. He’s a big part of the reason why this place feels and looks this way. It’s a gift for me to work with him.”

Walther’s business acumen dovetailed nicely with Foster’s musical background, as well as Kerrville’s.

“I started going to the Kerrville Folk Festival when I was 14,” Foster says. “Kerrville has a rich musical tradition, and the Folk Festival is a big part of that. I’ve been all over the world and when I wear a Kerrville Folk Festival T-shirt, people point at it and say ‘I’ve heard of that!’”

In fact, that tradition explains in large part how this project ended up on the Schreiner campus. The aforementioned Bill Muse, in addition to being a Schreiner executive, leads the university’s Songkeepers Learning Community, nurturing songwriters, and a Sunday Afternoon Songwriters Concert Series. Bill’s wife, Mary, is no less than the executive director of the Kerrville Folk Festival.

All these elements, you might say, come together in perfect harmony.

“Our goal is to curate community for everyone,” Foster says. “I think the best thing about this place is that you can come in on your bike, jump in the river and get a beer all in the same trip.

And sit and hear live music. I always thought I was the most river rat in town, but as I’ve been working here this summer, I’ve seen so many people come in here all wet. Clearly, they’ve just gotten out of the river, and they come in to get beer and music. And I’m like, ‘Wow, I’m living my best life right now!’”

R&V

TRAILHEAD BEER GARDEN 2100 Memorial Blvd, Bldg 11 (On the Schreiner University Campus) Kerrville, TX 78028 830.370.6586 Trailheadbeergarden.com Hours Wednesday-Thursday 3pm-10pm Friday 3pm-11pm Saturday noon-11pm Sunday noon-6pm

FALL 2021 97

COMING 2021

this THEORY will soon be FACT 98

Rock&Vine

Just 4.2 miles from downtown Fredericksburg, the estate features 40 acres of vineyards and nearly a dozen boutique Texas brands including the wines of 1851 Vineyards.

The historic farm, settled in 1851, is the location of the first Pioneer Flour Mill, founded by Carl Hilmar Guenther.

WWW.SLATEMILLWINECOLLECTIVE.COM Tasting Room Hours Thursday-Saturday: 11-6pm Sunday-Monday: 12-5pm Cellar tours are available by appointment:

tours@slatemillwinecollective.com For more information about our tasting room:

info@slatemillwinecollective.com

4222 S STATE HWY 16, FREDERICKSBURG, TX 78624 • 830.391.8510 FALL 2021 99

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Rock&Vine

24 HOURS of GETAWAY CHECKING IN TO CHECK OUT AT LA CANTERA RESORT & SPA Article and photos by KIMBERLY GILES

Nestled atop that last distinctive hill off Interstate 10 heading into San Antonio from Fredericksburg, the oasis that is La Cantera Resort awaits. Not quite city or country, but safely perched upon the last highest granite outcropping that defines Hill Country, one can view the city lights of San Antonio and yet find no need to venture into the city below the hills.

The city has its vibe, but for the express purpose of checking in to check out, I chose to remain in a bubble that offered a reason to escape solo into a 24-hour tranquility experience sans job or children.

9 PM

Checking into the 7 – an adult floor with private concierge service – and no families hugging the hallways, one can immediately relinquish adulting personas and get giddy about the prospects of some enjoyable options on site. Let valets park the car and happily forget about being anywhere else.

11 PM

3 PM

10 AM

Checked in to a room with a grand view. Just learned there is a Women and Whisky event happening this evening.

Checking out, but not leaving! Concierge service will happily check your luggage, so you can continue fun and activities on site.

4 PM

Sweet Fire Kitchen is a wonderful dinner selection on site.

Highly recommended are: Toad Hollow white wine with oven-roasted oysters, which was the perfect blend of sea salt brine that matched with suggested wine.

Burrata and heirloom tomato salad The filet with a chimichurri sauce and corn ribs paired with a roasted pepper sauce.

Enjoyed a nightcap at the Sire bar and was not disappointed by the crafty cocktail menu. I sipped and soon dove into luxury linens for an uninterrupted sleep.

Wandered to the spa and perused the menu of treatment options, managing to squeeze in a quick workout. Then I took a plunge in the dedicated spa pool and enjoyed a freshsqueezed, berry packed juice from the spa bar.

Golf, spa treatments, shuttle services to nearby retail stores and theme parks are all options. However, the pool seemed like the most relaxing choice.

6 PM

Lunch poolside at the Primero Cantina included street tacos with a Paloma.

The Whiskey and Women event took place in the lobby and everyone partook in the featured whiskey of the night “Balfour,” which was paired with an array of decadent chocolates.

7 PM Sunset Cinema at the Topaz Pool started. This was a wonderful way to immerse oneself in a movie while floating without the distracting splashes of nearby children. This adult-only infinity pool has an expansive view of the rolling Hill County and the Arnold Palmer golf course below.

Ordering cocktails poolside is the perfect way to watch a film while floating at sunset.

12 PM

3 PM Finally exiting this lovely checked-out getaway. The valet offered a refreshing bottle of water for the drive home.

R&V

For your next check in: LA CANTERA RESORT AND SPA 16641 La Cantera Parkway, San Antonio Reservations: 855-499-2960 lacanteraresort.com

FALL 2021 101

THE CLUB

The Locals’ Place

Opening Hours: Thursday - Saturday 5-11 pm Saturday Afternoon: Bluesic - Wine - Bistro Wine Tasting by Reservation 316 Goehmann Ln. Fredericksburg, TX • 830-992-3421

LIVE M US FINE B IC AND I SPECIA STRO LTIES

18 CABINS on 26 acres just two minutes to Main Street along the creek.

The only Vineyard IN Fredericksburg!

Home of the “Cabelas” photo shoots

Barons

The Romantic

830-990-4048

Getaway

www.baronscreekside.com

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Rock&Vine

Fall Faves LIFE IS GOOD YELLOW BOX SPERRY HAUTE SHORE BAGS BRÜMATE DAYDREAMER TEES BIRKENSTOCK RAY-BAN KENDRA SCOTT DEAR JOHN FREE PEOPLE Z SUPPLY PJ SALVAGE ALEX AND ANI SANUK STEVE MADDEN KUT

Honoring the Past While Celebrating the Present.

100% TEXAS WINES • LIVE MUSIC EVENTS

106 E. MAIN ST. FREDERICKSBURG, TX

830.990.8900

zertz.com @zertzfbg zertztagram/

830.992.3323 • TexasHeritageVineyard.com 3245 E. US Hwy 290 • Fredericksburg FALL 2021 103

drinkery

104

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drinkery

GETTING HOOKED AT ARROWHEAD CREEK VINEYARD

By ANDRE BOADA Photos by KIMBERLY GILES

t’s often said in the wine industry that sharing a bottle of vino with friends creates an emotional journey, often enhancing moments in time. In the case of Arrowhead Creek Vineyards, located on Highway 290 in Stonewall, I found myself engulfed within a unique trifecta experience, a magical blend of food, wine and fly fishing.

Yes, I know the art of Fly Fishing normally isn’t associated with the pleasures of wine. How could that fold into a Texas Hill Country winery visit? Is there a synergy between the artful flyrod cast of a delicate lure toward a finned animal in the river and raising a perfectly balanced glass of wine? I would argue yes, with both providing a sense of amazing mental pleasure.

At Arrowhead Creek Vineyard, visitors immediately feel surrounded by nature. The entrance parlays majestic estate vineyards that unfold toward an open, grass meadow and outdoor tasting pavilion. Just a few steps from the pavilion, visitors see the gentle flow of the Pedernales River, which marquees an ideal excursion from the norm, the combination of Fly Fishing and Vino.

It sounds simplistic in crafting this distinctive experience, but the journey of having an estate vineyard with river access wasn’t so easy, as explained by Arrowhead Creek proprietors Chris and Tia Aspra. It’s also one of the rare Texas Hill Country winery stops that offers river views while visiting a tasting room.

“We purchased the 100-year-old Beckmann Ranch, rich in native tribal history due to high land and Pedernales river access. The land is full of Indian artifacts, so we wanted to protect the history prior to our ownership,” Chris said. “We slowly remodeled the original farmhouse into a tasting room, then transformed the old barn to a Texas-inspired retail setting. We also added an outdoor kitchen area next to the tasting room, so we are quite complete for handling picnic needs. Over time, we will showcase the Indian artifacts found on the estate as a respectful, historic reminder.

“The riverbank was one of our biggest challenges,” he continued.

“Overgrown with plant life, we took on a five-year clean-up process. It’s now available for scenic views, accented by picnic tables and shade trees. It’s perfect for family food and wine outings next to the river.”

FALL 2021 105

drinkery Building out the Fly Fishing and Vino experience involved the services of Lone Star Fly Fishing, based in the Texas Hill Country. Owner-guides John Shank and fiancé Kelli Prescott worked with the Arrowhead Creek family by inviting an eclectic group of guests.

Guests were welcomed by the Aspra family toasting the occasion with refreshing 2019 Texas-grown Albariño hailing from the Mcpherson ranch in the High Plains. The Albariño grape is famous in Rias Baxias area of Spain, yet is slowly becoming a crowd favorite dry white wine on the estate.

This wine offers an array of fresh lemon zest, grapefruit and nectarine flavor, and is perfect for outdoor sipping.

Lone Star Fly Fishing guides John Shank and Kelli Prescott

Small, breakout groups were organized with each Lone Star Fishing guide, one for instructional fly-fishing practice, the other for an into-the-river jaunt with the expertise of John Shank. As the day progressed and groups rotated, a signature estate driven Mourvèdre Red Blend “Nihcaro Campfire” filled the glasses. The name “Nihcaro,” translated as “Dance” in Comanche, reflects a tribute to the native Indian culture of the area. Blended perfectly with Petite Sirah and Tempranillo, the staff often jokingly claims it makes you dance by a campfire. Charcuterie boards accented the river gathering, as live music floated from the pavilion. The result was a harmonious expression of magical engagement with all parts in balance.

“The family run estate, Arrowhead Creek, stands out as a rising star with a unique flair,” said Clara Aspra, daughterin-law of the proprietors. “There is plenty of space for family fun, including the Pedernales River that runs adjacent to their outdoor pavilion.

Clara & Tia Aspra of Arrowhead Vineyards Brooke Rogan and mother Monica Greene

“We as a family strive to bring people together and find passion in presenting the perfect glass of wine to our guests,” she said. “There is something for everyone here and cater to all spectrums from novice wine drinkers to wine enthusiasts. The fly fishing and vino gathering gave guests a chance to experience exceptional food, wine, education and the art of fly fishing in a creative, outdoor Texas setting only found here.”

Somehow this Fly Fishing and Vino journey took me deeper emotionally. Sharing wine with friends made a mark and newfound special memories shaped the day, including respect to land history, the foundation of family values evident to each guest, and the artful elegance of fly fishing seamlessly intertwined with raising a glass. I walked away with a smile and got hooked on Arrowhead Vineyards.

It’s almost as if this ancient Indian tribal site cast a spell.

I’m destined to return to this family owned, Texas estate vineyard. R&V Arrowhead Creek Vineyard is open daily, 12 noon to 6 p.m.

Arrowheadcreekvineyard.com

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Rock&Vine

Brooke Rogan, Monica Greene, Andrea Rizk Willams, Mellisa and Bobby Humphries

FALL 2021 107

SUBSCRIBE

Tex as

2 years for $44.95

GUIDE. Annual guide to the HILL COUNTRY’S BEST FOOD & WINE.

Includes Rock & Vine tshirt.

rockandvinemag.com

108

Rock&Vine

Now accepting space reservations.

Contact

KIMBERLY GILES

830.285.7230 kgiles@fredericksburgstandard.com

NOW OPEN

38 JENSCHKE LANE | FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS 78624 | WWW.FOYTWINES.COM FALL 2021 109

scene

Luke Hricik and Vanessa Tosoni with Barbi Biedermann and State Rep. Kyle Biedermann.

The team from Slate Mill Wine Collective.

Kyle Manning and Bridget Symm with Rock & Vine Publisher Ken Esten Cooke.

Cooking up Mexican food treats was the team from Nury’s on Main.

Butter Me Sweet’s Derek and Libby Downer.

Red Hotts Dance Troupe kicked it up.

Rock & Vine’s Kimberly Giles, right, with wine writer Andre Boada and Vanessa Tosoni.

Christa Peyton had door prizes from Battalion Roofing.

The team from Tutu’s Garden.

A classic car from Street Dreams.

Serving up the goods at Good Licks wine-infused ice cream was Amy Simpson-Maize and friend.

The staff from Foyt Winery & Museum, the 290 Wine Corridor’s newest unique offering.

Fredericksburg Publishing Company’s Kim Jung and

Denise Rizzo of the Hill Country Community Needs Council.

The all-ages team from the award-winning Texas Heritage Winery.

Denise Rizzo of the Hill Country Community Needs Council

SUMMER LOVIN’ EVENT Photos by AVA SNOOZY In early August, Rock & Vine partnered with EVO Entertainment to host a Summer Lovin’ event at The Backyard in Fredericksburg, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Hill Country Community Needs Council, which serves the area’s needy in many capacities. We thank the following vendors for their enthusiasm in showing up for this great cause: Fredericksburg Ranch Realty, Battalion Roofing,

110

Rock&Vine

Foyt Winery, Slate Mill Wine Collective and Slate Theory Wineries, Butter Me Sweet, Bridget’s Basket, Good Licks Ice Cream, Street Dreams, which showed off classic cars, Feast & Merriment, Nury’s Cuisine, Texas Heritage Vineyards and Vanessa Tosoni Jewelry. We also were pleased to feature the Fredericksburg High School Red Hotts Dance Team.

scene

KALASI CELLARS ONE-YEAR MILESTONE Photos by AVA SNOOZY Rock & Vine was also on hand to help celebrate the oneyear anniversary of Kalasi Cellars, one of our newest wine destinations in August. (Read about them in our summer issue online at rockandvinemag.com.) The party featured traditional Indian fare, wine, music and much more inside the facility’s expansive tasting room. Winery owners Greg and Nikhala Davis are at top right. Next row, top left, Abby Blake and Daniel Malakiman of Austin joined the party;

Indian fare; house-made samosas were a hit; Scot Clifford and guests posed before diving into their plates; an exterior view of main tasting room; guests line up for their wines; Andre Boada and Kimberly Giles with Rock & Vine Magazine; the detailed work of a henna tattoo artist; guests in the tasting room; Kalasi wine at sunset; drums were a part of the live music.

FALL 2021 111

JYPSY SISTERS unique gifts • home décor • vintage

3000 SQUARE FEET OF UNIQUENESS IN HISTORIC FREDERICKSBURG!

112

Rock&Vine

we are located at: 905 E. Main 830-997-6767 7 Days a Week www.jypsysisters.com

FALL 2021 113

drinkery maps Pontotoc

35

SAN SABA 108

113

Lake Buchanan

Florence

Tow

281

Blufftown Buchanan Dam

MASON

LLANO

42, 71 & 84

Inks Lake

Castell

104

Oatmeal

Lake LBJ

87

Sunrise Beach

290

FREDERICKSBURG

7

SEE PAGE 116

12

Stonewall

90

83

80

98

49

107 3

13

JOHNSON CITY

61 64

Hye

99

Luckenbach

Center Point

1

7

16

9 11 10 11 91 2

DRIPPING SPRINGS

1 15

10

281

3

Bandera

67 Vanderpool

35

4

6 69

87

12

Canyon City

Gruene

34

Bulverde

NEW BRAUNFELS

LEGEND

Wineries

Breweries

BREWERIES 4700 Fitzhugh Rd • Dripping Springs

2. Altstadt Brewery

6120 E. US Hwy 290 • Fredericksburg

3. Boerne Brewery

106 Sage Brush • Boerne

4. Cibolo Creek Brewing Company 122 N. Plant • Boerne

5. Comfort Brewing

523 Seventh St. • Comfort

6. Dodging Duck Brewhaus 402 River Rd. • Boerne

7. Fitzhugh Brewing 15435 Fitzhugh Road Dripping Springs

8. Fredericksburg Brewing Company

W

28 Seguin

103

12 Fox Brewing

N

100

60 Smithson Valley

183

SAN MARCOS

Canyon Lake

BOERNE

53

112

62

39 82

AUSTIN

36 Driftwood 35

WIMBERLEY

Spring Branch

87

83

33

88

21

9

290

3

BOURBON

Sisterdale

5 73 5

245114 E. Main St. • Fredericksburg Rock&Vine

Bee Cave

8

17

18

1.

Lakeway

109

87

COMFORT

Jonestown Lago Vista

94

50

9

75 Blanco

KERRVILLE

ROUND ROCK

68 Cypress Mill

24

Lake Travis

93

Round Mtn.

58

10

40

Spicewood

WILLOW CITY

45

183 Travis Peak

MAP

25

14

MARBLE FALLS

Horseshoe Bay

15

GEORGETOWN

Liberty Hill

Granite Shoals

RV DRINKERY

Rogers

35

76

Kingsland

31

Andice

Bertram

Burnet

105

102

78

Distilleries

E S

Highlighted areas on page 116

DISTILLERIES 9. Hitmaker Brewing

1.

10. Last Stand Brewing

2. Deep Eddy Vodka

11160 Circle Dr • Dripping Springs 12345 Pauls Valley Rd Bldg I & J • Dripping Springs

11. Jester King Brewery

13187 Fitzhugh Rd • Dripping Springs

12. Kinematic Brewing Company 635 E. Hwy 46, Suite 207 • Boerne

13. Pecan Street Brewing

106 E. Pecan Dr. • Johnson City

14. Pint & Plow Brewing Company 332 Clay St. • Kerrville

15. Real Ale Brewing Company 231 San Saba Court • Blanco

Andalusia Whiskey Company 6462 N. Highway 281• Blanco 2250 E. US Hwy. 290 Dripping Springs

3. Dripping Springs Vodka 5330 Bell Springs Rd. Dripping Springs

4. Garrison Brothers Distillery 1827 Hye Albert Rd. • Hye

5. Hill Country Distillers 723 Front St. • Comfort

6. Hye Rum

11247 W. US Hwy. 290 • Hye

7. Iron Goat Distillery

817 Usener Rd. • Fredericksburg

8. One Shot Distillery and Brewing 31610 Ranch Rd. 12 • Dripping Springs

9. Revolution Spirits Distilling 12345 Pauls Valley Rd Bldg H Dripping Springs

10. Salvation Spirits

10091 US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

11. Treaty Oak Distilling Company

16604 Fitzhugh Rd. • Dripping Springs

Listing numbers correspond with numbers on map. Locations are approximate not to scale.

WINERIES 1.

12 Fires Winery

30. Cross Mountain

61. Lewis Wines

2. 290 Vinery

31. Dancing Bee Winery (Off Map)

62. Limestone Terrace

3. 290 Wine Castle

32. Das Peach Haus

4. 1851 Vineyards

33. Driftwood Estate Winery

5. Ab Astris

34. Dry Comal Creek Vineyards

6. Adega Vinho

35. Duchman Family Winery

7. Alexander Vineyards

36. Fall Creek Vineyards

100 Durango • Johnson City

308 E. Main St. • Fredericksburg

300 W. Main (Hwy. 290) • Johnson City 101 Durango • Johnson City

411 S Lincoln S • Fredericksburg

4222 S. Hwy. 16 • Fredericksburg

4001 Elder Hill Rd. • Driftwood

320 Klein Rd • Stonewall

1741 Herbelin Rd. • New Braunfels

972 S County Rd. 1623 • Stonewall 6360 Goehmann Lane Fredericksburg

37. Fat Ass Winery Tasting Room

2 Locations 8898 US Hwy. 290 308 E. Main St. • Fredericksburg

153 E. Main St. • Fredericksburg

38. Fat Ass Ranch Winery

9. Arc de Texas

51 Elgin Behrends Rd. • Fredericksburg

4555 Hwy. 281 • Johnson City

39. Fawncrest Vineyard & Winery

10. Armadillo’s Leap Winery

1370 Westside Circle • Canyon Lake

2 Locations 134 E. Main St 6266 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

11. Arrowhead Creek Vineyard

13502 E., US Hwy. 290 • Stonewall

12. Augusta Vin

140 Augusta Vin Ln • Fredericksburg

13. Baron’s Creek Vineyard

N

W

E

463 Bell Mountain Rd. • Fredericksburg

16. Bell Springs Winery / Brewery 17. Bella Vista Ranch

S

3101 Mount Sharp Rd. • Wimberley

18. Bending Branch Winery

142 Lindner Branch Trail • Comfort

19. Bingham Family Vineyards

3915 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

20. Blue Lotus Winery

8500 W Hwy 290 • Hye

21. Branch on High

704 High St. • Comfort

22. Brewbonnet (inside Wildseed farms) 100 Legacy Rd • Fredericksburg

23. Calais Winery

8115 W. US Hwy. 290 • Hye

24. Carter Creek Winery

4064 W US-290 • Johnson City

25. Chisholm Trail Winery

2367 Usener Rd. • Fredericksburg

26. Cicada Cellars

14746 E. US Hwy. 290• Stonewall

27. Compass Rose Cellars Inc. 1197 Hye Albert Rd. • Hye

28. Copper Star Cellars (Off Map) 13217 FM 1117 • Seguin

29. Covington Hill Country Wine 8262 W US HWY 290 • Hye

147A E. Main St. 6260 US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

41. Flat Creek Estate

24912 Singleton Bend East Rd. Marble Falls

42. Fly Gap Winery (Off Map)

43. Foyt Winery - coming soon 38 Jenschke Ln. • Fredericksburg

2 Locations 307 E. Main St. 464 Becker Farms Rd. • Fredericksburg

15. Bell Mountain Vineyards

40. Fiesta Winery - 2 locations

2851 Hickory Grove Rd. • Mason

5865 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

3700 Bell Springs Rd. Dripping Springs

13308 FM 150 W. • Driftwood

2 Locations 18059-A FM 1826 • Driftwood 1820 County Rd. 222 • Tow

8. Andreucci Wines

14. Becker Vineyards

8060 W. US Hwy. 190 • Rogers

44. Fredericksburg Winery

247 W. Main St. • Fredericksburg

45. French Connection

1197 Hye Albert Rd. • Hye

46. Georgetown Winery

715 Main St. • Georgetown

47. Grape Creek Vineyards

10587 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

48. Grape Creek Vineyard on Main 223 E. Main St. • Fredericksburg

49. Hahne Estates Winery

14802 US Hwy. 290 East • Stonewall

50. Hawk’s Shadow Estate Vineyard

7500 McGregor Ln. • Dripping Springs

51. Heath Sparkling

10591 US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

52. Hilmy Cellars

12346 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

53. Hill Country Cellars & Winery 3540 S. Hwy 16 Ste 2D • Bandera

54. Horn Wineries

9953 E. US Hwy. 290 • Hye

55. Hye Meadow Winery 9953 US Hwy. 290 • Hye

56. Inwood Estates Winery

10303 US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

57. Kalasi Cellars

414 Goehmann Ln • Fredericksburg

58. Kerrville Hills Winery

3600 Fredericksburg Rd. • Kerrville

59. Kuhlman Cellars

18421 E. US Hwy. 290 • Stonewall

60. La Cruz de Comal Wines 7405 FM 2722 • Canyon Lake

3209 W. US Hwy. 290 • Johnson City 101 Rocky Meadows Lane Wimberley, TX

92. Southold Farm + Cellar 10474 Ranch Road 2721 Fredericksburg

93. Spicewood Vineyards 1419 CR 409 • Spicewood

63. Longhorn Cellars

94. Stone House Vineyard

64. Longhorn Hills and Winery

95. Tejas Winery

65. Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards

96. Texas Heritage Vineyards

66. Lost Draw Cellars

97. Texas Wine Collective

67. Lost Maples Winery

98. Turtle Creek Winery

68. McReynolds Winery

99. Texas Hills Vineyard

69. Mendelbaum Winery/Cellars

100. Three Dudes Winery

70. Messina Hof Winery

101. Torr Na Lochs

71. Murphy's Cellars

102. The Vineyard at Florence

72. Narrow Path Winery

103. The Vintage Cellar

315 Ranch Rd. 1376 • Fredericksburg 555 Klappenbach Rd. • Johnson City 6009 US Hwy. 290. • Fredericksburg 113 E. Park St. • Fredericksburg 34986 Farm Market 187 • Vanderpool 706 Shovel Mountain Rd. • Cypress Mill 10207 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg 9996 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg 120 Fort McKavett St • Mason 2 Locations FM 1623 (South of Hye) • Albert 111 E. Main St. • Fredericksburg

73. Newsom Vineyards 717 Front St. • Comfort

74. Pedernales Cellars

2916 Upper Albert Rd. • Stonewall

75. Pelota Wines, Inc.

3209 US Hwy. 290 • Johnson City

76. Perissos Vineyards

7214 W. Park Road 4 • Burnet

77. Perspective Cellars

247 E. Main St. • Fredericksburg

78. Pilot Knob Vineyard 3125 CR 212 • Bertram

79. Pontotoc Vineyard

320 W. Main St. • Fredericksburg

80. Ron Yates Wines

6676 W. US Hwy. 290• Hye

81. Safari

5479 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

82. Saint Tryphon Vineyard 24 Wasp Creek Rd • Boerne

83. Salt Lick Cellars

1800-C FM 1826 • Driftwood

84. Sandstone Cellars (Off Map) 211 San Antonio St. • Mason

85. Santa Maria Cellars

12044 S. Hwy. 16 • Fredericksburg

86. Signor Vineyards

362 Livesay Lane • Fredericksburg

24350 Haynie Flat Rd. • Spicewood 8638 US 290 West • Hye 3245 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg 10354 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg 211 Earl Garrett Street • Kerrville, TX 878 RR 2766 • Johnson City 125 Old Martindale Rd. • San Marcos 7055 W. State Hwy. 29 • Burnet 8711 W. FM 487 • Florence

6258 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

104. Thirsty Mule Winery & Vineyard 101 CR 257 • Liberty Hill

105. Timber Ridge Winery

2152 Timber Creek Rd. • Pipe Creek

106. Untamed Wine Estates 202 RM-1320 • Johnson City

107. Vinovium

214 Edmonds Avenue • Johnson City

108. Wedding Oak Winery

2 Locations 316 E. Wallace (Off Map) • San Saba 290 Wine Rd., • Fredericksburg (Under construction)

109. Westcave Cellars Winery & Brewary 683 Ranch Rd 1320, Johnson City

110. Western Edge Cellars

228 W. Main St. • Fredericksburg

111. William Chris Vineyards 10352 US Hwy. 290 • Hye

112. Wimberley Valley Winery

2825 County Road 183 • Driftwood

113. Wines of Dotson Cervantes 13044 Willis Street • Pontotoc

114. Winotus

115 E. Main St. • Fredericksburg

115. Woodrose Winery

662 Woodrose Lane • Stonewall

116. Zero 815 Winery

11157 W. US Hwy. 290 • Hye

87. Singing Water Vineyards 316 Mill Dam Rd. • Comfort

88. Sister Creek Vineyards 1142 Sisterdale Rd. • Boerne

89. Six Shooters Cellars

6264 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

90. Slate Mill Collective

4222 S State Hwy 16 • Fredericksburg

91. Solaro Estate Winery 13111 Silver Creek Rd. Dripping Springs

FALL 2021 115

drinkery maps

FREDERICKSBURG 16

22

290

65

Rd

Meusebach Creek Rd.

BLUMENTHAL

1376

69 56

86

38

52

115

47 51 43

14

Albert

fort

111

59 6 116

6 74

ALBERT

HYE 20 55 27 45

4

1623

Rd

CAIN CITY

10

97

.

Rd

io on

-Cain nbach LuckeCity Rd.

70

8

290

STONEWALL

30 & 106

Lower Albert Rd.

13 63

26

11

Hahn Rd.

ROCKY HILL 81

89 7

LBJ STATE HISTORICAL LBJ NATIONAL PARK HISTORICAL STATE PARK RANCH Pedernales River

Upper

nt Old San A

19

Pedernales River

Jenschke Lane

96

101 2 40

Luckenbach Rd.

290 87

Woodland Dr.

33

Goehmann Lane

57

Hye Albert Rd

Gellermann Lane

Goehmann Lane

Klein Rd.

5

72

Old

Com

LUCKENBACH LEGEND WINE CORRIDOR

Wineries

Breweries

Distilleries

DOWNTOWN FREDERICKSBURG W. CENTRE ST.

PECAN ST.

ELM

W. COLLEGE ST.

TRAVIS ST.

ORCHARD ST.

FREDERICKSBURG

RV DRINKERY MAP

16

SCHUBERT ST.

PIONEER MUSEUM

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72 114 40 37

44 SAN ANTONIO ST.

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UFER ST.

PARK ST.

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Rock&Vine

29 48

8

MUSEUM OF THE PACIFIC WAR

14

77

MAIN STREET

8

87 EK ST

S

LINCOLN ST.

MARKTPLATZ

LLANO ST.

ADAMS ST.

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VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER

AUSTIN ST.

S WASHINGTON

MAIN STREET

79

ORANGE ST.

MILAM ST.

EDISON ST.

BOWIE ST.

ACORN ST.

AUSTIN ST.

CROCKETT ST.

SCHUBERT ST.

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TRAVIS ST.

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1 95 3 54 23

M O R E T H A N A B R E W E R Y. RELAX ON OUR

OUTDOOR

BEER GARDEN & PATIOS

LIVE MUSIC EVERY WEEKEND THURSDAYS

1/2 PRICE PINTS & HOUSE WINE

WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY

DINE WITH US LUNCH & DINNER

6120 EAST US 290 | FREDERICKBURG, TX | WWW.ALTSTADTBEER.COM FALL 2021

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MAY 2021 —

— MAY 2022

175 years of German influence.

One year of Texas-sized celebration.

Fredericksburg, Texas is 175 years old! To honor our heritage, and all those who have helped make this unique community what it is today, a year-long tribute began in May — and you’re invited to join the celebration! From arts and music, to health care and education, each month throughout the year will highlight a meaningful and lasting characteristic of Texas’ favorite Hill Country destination. To learn more about Fredericksburg history and get the most up-to-date schedule of events, visit

175TH.ORG

Climbing Adventures 512.415.0804 • ROCK-ABOUT.COM

Photo compliments of Gillespie County Historical Society

Do you recognize Fredericksburg’s landmark building?

Sincere thanks to the generous sponsors who are making the Fredericksburg 175th anniversary year possible.

See 175th.org/sponsors for details.

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Yee Haw Ranch Outfitters

3915 HWY 290 E. • Fredericksburg www.yeehawranch.com • 830-998-2079 FALL 2021 119

FREDERICKSBURG General Store TEXAS

Your Fredericksburg Souvenir Headquarters We have something for everyone. Open seven days a week, earlier and later than most others.

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143 E. Main St. ~ 830.990.4100 www.fbgEnEralStorE.coM

Proud member of

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notes

WILD BOAR POZOLE Pozole is a pork and hominy stew that has been served for centuries in Mexico and the American Southwest. In this version, the nutty flavor of wild boar nicely compliments the earthy flavors of the chilis and hominy.

3 lbs wild boar stew meat Flour 3 13 oz cans hominy, drained (white, yellow, or mixed) 3 qt. chicken or pork broth 1 medium onion, chopped 8 cloves garlic, minced 3 dried New Mexico (Anaheim) chilis, ground (or 2 Tbsp chili powder) 1/2 tsp oregano, dried 1/2 tsp black pepper 2 Poblano chilis, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped (or 1 7 oz can diced green chilis) Salt Optional Additions: Sour cream Green onions, chopped Cabbage, chopped Radish, sliced Lightly coat stew cubes with flour. Knock off any excess flour and brown stew cubes over medium-high heat in small batches, preferably using the pot you will be cooking the stew in. Once all stew cubes are browned, deglaze the pot/ pan with a small amount of broth, scraping up all the bits, and add this mixture to your cooking vessel.

Meanwhile, roast the poblano chilis. Broil the chilis 2-3 inches below the coils in a rimmed baking pan or roasting pan until the skins are nicely charred, about 7 minutes. Flip the chilis over and broil about 5 minutes longer until the other side is also charred. Remove from oven and drape foil over the chilis for about 10 minutes. (This will make skinning the chilis much easier.) Pull off skin, stems and seeds - discard. Rinse chilis and then chop.

In a large pot or dutch oven add: wild boar stew cubes, hominy, onion, garlic, ground New Mexico chilis, roasted poblano chilis, oregano, pepper, and broth. Bring mixture to a boil then cover and gently simmer until wild boar is fork tender, about 2 hours. Add salt to taste.

Serve in bowls garnished with sour cream, green onions, cabbage and/or radish.

Serves 6 to 8.

Broken Arrow Ranch brokenarrowranch.com

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CHRIS’ ALMOST FAMOUS WILD GAME CHILI Everyone here has their own chili recipe and as the weather turns cold the pots start simmering. Here’s how I make my pot of “Texas Red.” Not to brag but it’s won a few sparsely attended competitions.

3 lbs Broken Arrow Ranch chili meat (2 lb venison, 1 lb wild boar) 2 tbsp cooking oil 1 12-ounce can/bottle beer (preferably ale) 1 large onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped 2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, chopped 1 tbsp adobo sauce (from the chipotle peppers in adobo) 1 tbsp tomato paste 5 tbsp chili powder 4 tsp ground cumin seed 1 tbsp paprika 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp black pepper 2 tsp cornstarch (optional) Use a heavy pot with tight fitting lid. Brown meat in cooking oil.

Add ½ can of beer and cook the browned meat, covered, over low heat for about 1 hour. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

While meat is cooking, chop the onion, garlic, jalapeno, and chipotle then drink any leftover beer. To make a mild version, before chopping the jalapeno split it in half and use a spoon to remove the seeds and internal membrane (these produce most of a pepper’s “heat”). You can make the chili spicier by leaving more of the seeds and membrane. Drain the juices into a skillet and sauté the onion, jalapeno, and garlic in the juices until the onion is opaque. Pour this mixture back into the pot with the meat and add the remaining ingredients.

Cook covered over low heat for about 2 ½ - 3 hrs, adding more beer if needed. The key is cooking it slowly for several hours. The chili should be cooked at a low simmer, not boiling.

Stir occasionally. Add chili powder, cumin, and salt to taste. If you desire a thicker chili, make a slurry with the cornstarch and a little water. Stir in the cornstarch mixture to the chili just before it has finished cooking. Serve over tamales or Fritos with cheese and sour cream.

Serves 8 to 10.

Broken Arrow Ranch

Fredericksburg’s first one-stop destination to sip, savor + stay.

An elevated tasting room experience featuring English Newsom Cellars.

Sitting on 140 acres located on the Pedernales River. The Resort features on-site cottages for rent, The Edge tasting room, a five-story wine memberexclusive Tower, a seasonal food menu, incredible water features, golf putting green, and much more.

English Newsom Cellars is proud to be 100% Texasgrown, with one of the largest production facilities in the state. From the stem of the vine to the stem of the glass, each English Newsom wine is carefully crafted in the heart of the Texas High Plains.

T H E E D G E | T H E T O W E R | T H E C OT TA G E S | THE STORE | THE MARKET | THE CELLAR Discover more at www.TheResortAtFredericksburg.com

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We don’t just sell the Texas Hill Country…

WE LIVE HERE.

Since 1965, Fredericksburg Realty has been known as the premier real estate brokerage firm in the Texas Hill Country. Over the years, we’ve helped families and investors discover the property of their dreams, from second homes to sprawling ranches and everything in between. Clean country air. Rolling green pastures. Breathtaking golden sunsets. Discover what could be, from our family to yours.

8 3 0 - 9 97- 6 5 3 1 F R E D E R I C K S B U R G R E A LT Y.CO M 124

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