Fort Worth Magazine - August 2023

GRAHAM ELLIOT : The Celebrity Chef Makes Cowtown Home / TOP TEACHERS: Meet the Area's Best Educators

Take a Ride on the

Taco Trail

12 trucks, stands, and taquerias to satisfy your appetite for tortilla-wrapped meals* (*corn tortillas, that is)

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40

Take a Ride on the Taco Trail

Dip into the East Side of town off of North Sylvania Avenue, where you’ll find a stretch of road occupied by some of the most authentic (and delicious) taco joints in town. Yeah, we tried them all.

BY SHILO URBAN

50

The Greatest Ever

They were already a dynasty. The Texas Wesleyan table tennis team had won 69 national titles since 2002 and at least one title each year since 2004. In April, they attempted to extend this unprecedented streak, and we were there.

BY BRIAN KENDALL

56

Top Teachers

In the words of Socrates, “I cannot teach anybody anything; I can only make them think.” With that in mind, we present 11 of the area’s best educators, encouragers, and challengers.

BY DEV’N GOODMAN

the fort

: know

14 Buzz

Texas A&M-Fort Worth and the Public Market building take giant leaps as hot development prospects on the rise.

18 Calendar

From a monster film fest at the Isis to ex-Mr. Julia Roberts at Bass Hall, there’s a whole lotta everything going on in August.

20 Fort Worthian

Advocate, podcaster, entrepreneur, EJ Carrion wears a lot of hats, and he does it all from a home office.

22 History

Etta Hulme, the trailblazing StarTelegram cartoonist who pulled no punches, had a surprising first cartooning gig: Disney.

: live

28 Art

Abruptly touring with Banksy, impulsively driving to Vegas, and capturing everything as he goes, photog Viktor Villanueva clearly shoots from the hip.

30 State Lines

Rockport, the Gulf Coast town where Texan seafarers go to live out their golden years, is having a moment in the sun, thanks to a few surprises.

34 Profile

Everyone’s favorite cooking show judge, Graham Elliot, teams up with Felipe Armenta to take on the Cowtown culinary scene.

80 Interior designer Susan Semmelmann talks design trends and laughs off comparisons to Steven Spielberg.

CLOSE

88 The best view in Fort Worth comes courtesy of Keith Tiner’s drone, which captured this jawdropping shot of the towering Omni Fort Worth Hotel.

DREAM STREET

I’ve learned to call it table tennis since, but I think the way I initially phrased the question to Crystal Wise, our director of photography, went something like this: “You wanna go to a pingpong national championship tournament in Round Rock in a couple weeks? Maybe get some kickass photos for a feature I’m thinking of writing?”

The response, as I remember it, was, “Down.”

What ensued (read on page 50) was an intense and exhausting day of events that culminated in a shocking outcome — words I never thought I’d use in the same breath as table tennis.

The “Down” word came up again recently — in this office, the last time it came up is almost always recently. This time, it concerned taking off in a car one Friday night to Van Horn (yeah, that Van Horn) so we could photograph and interview an incredible subject early in the morning on a desert ranch. The hastily planned work outing wound up amounting to a $49/night off-brand motel, a group of barefooted men dancing in a parking lot till 3 a.m., and a 4-inch-wide spider with whom I had to learn to share a space for a night. And I won’t even get into the lost dog that had five grown adults panicking for an hour and a half. Down.

And the monosyllabic D-word came up yet again when the suggestion was to blindly search for a sea of pump jacks in the pump jack capital of the world, Electra (yeah, that Electra), for the sake of a single photo and a 100-word write-up that’ll maybe, probably be in our magazine. While my experience beyond meeting a great

Brian Kendall EXECUTIVE EDITOR

subject was limited to a few mosquito bites and a handful of chiggers on the tops of my feet (no great anecdotes from this one, y’all), I did learn that oil and gas waste can be radioactive. I mean, I’d say that’s a net positive.

Also, I forget who said, “Down” on that one, but you get the point.

In a time when people feel liberated saying “no,” and rightly so, I often feel I’ve gone full Jim Carrey “Yes Man” (honestly, never seen that movie) and sworn off negative determiners with mixed results. While, admittedly, the gig brings plenty of opportunities that are hard to pass up, it also brings opportunities that should come with a roll of yellow tape and a hazmat sign. And such experiences are easily the ones I cherish most.

You’ve just, I don’t know, gotta be down.

ON THE COVER:

The magazine’s photo director shot all 12 taco shops listed in our cover feature within two days of 103-degree heat — not exactly when one is craving asada.

Corrections? Comments? Concerns? Send to executive editor Brian Kendall at bkendall@fwtexas.com.

NEXT MONTH

The cover subject is Tacos Estillo D.F., a taco truck at 3501 NE 28th St.

Elaine Agather

The Western Muses Fall Fashion

What is your favorite taqueria in town?

The worst I’ve ever burnt my lip was taking an eager bite into a quesotaco at Tres Betos Taqueria — the cheese did a number on me. Though I’m reminded of the pain, it doesn’t stop me from returning.

2418 NE 28th St.

My favorite spot, Meliam’s Taqueria, is inside the Exxon station on Alta Mere. It currently has a 5-star rating on Google, thanks to a single review. At least someone knows what’s good.

3204 Alta Mere Drive

Danny’s Tacos is set up in the back of a gas station I used to frequent, and one day the fabulous smell got the better of me. Despite the station frequently changing hands (Shell to Chevron, etc.), Danny’s remains.

5815 W. Arkansas Lane, Arlington

Melis Taqueria was my first encounter with tacos al pastor, and my husband and I have since taken a deep dive into the world of street-style tacos.

4304 W. Vickery Blvd.

owner/publisher hal a. brown vice president dream street operations mike waldum

EDITORIAL

executive editor brian kendall contributing editor john henry digital editor stephen montoya contributing writers dev’n goodman, shasta haubrich , mike price, charlotte settle, shilo urban copy editor sharon casseday

ART

creative director craig sylva senior art director spray gleaves advertising art director ed woolf director of photography crystal wise

ADVERTISING

sales director andrew yeager

advertising account supervisors gina burns-wigginton x150 marion c. knight x135 account executive tammy denapoli x141 territory manager, fort worth inc. rita hale x133 client services manager julia martin x116 executive administrator/project coordinator kaitlyn lisenby

MARKETING

director of digital robby kyser marketing director sarah benkendorfer content marketing specialist grace behr

CORPORATE

chief financial officer charles newton founding publisher mark hulme

CONTACT US

main line 817.560.6111 subscriptions 817.766.5550, fwmagsubscriptions@omeda.com

Perched outside Oscar’s Pub on Camp Bowie is La Escondida Taqueria, as righteous a Tex-Mex food truck as you’ll find, certainly on the West Side. It has never failed to serve my appetite well.

6323 Camp Bowie Blvd.

I love Velvet Taco and its #1 (Buffalo chicken taco). It has all the goods and is perfect for quenching that need for something spicy.

2700 W. Seventh St.

After hearing a glowing recommendation from my sister, I decided to try El MIL Tacos for myself. She couldn’t stop praising their fast and courteous service.

4117 Hemphill St.

I found out about Birrieria y Taqueria Cortez straight from our magazine’s Best of Fort Worth list. I guess one could call that a work perk. Between the quesatacos, birria pizza, and rice and beans, everything my husband and I have ordered has been excellent.

2108 E. Rosedale St..

Hot Prospects on the Rise

Texas A&M-Fort Worth, Public Market building take giant leaps.

BY JOHN HENRY

The Aggies called an assembly for midmorning on the first official day of summer perhaps simply to prove that they and their partners intend to build an urban research campus in downtown Fort Worth come hell or high water.

The chancellor was there with lots of water to greet the hundreds who showed up to an empty parking lot partially covered and with fans working overtime to create the desperately needed airflow to assuage the seemingly endless cycle of summer suffering under the thumb of, by every appearance, an irked Mother Nature and her generous serving of humidity.

And this was before it got hot. But we know better: There’s no crying in summer, particularly on this day.

The sweat was merely symbolic of the work that’s already been done here.

In June, Texas A&M-Fort Worth broke ground on the first building for its urban research campus in the southeast part of downtown — the $150 million, eight-story Law & Education Building, home to the Aggies’ law school, as well as other academic programs offered by A&M, A&M Health, and Tarleton State University.

It marked the first of three significant developments on the redevelopment front.

A day earlier, officials with Wilks Development, a real estate development and investment company based in Benbrook, joined others in breaking ground on the long-awaited and highly anticipated redevelopment of the Public Market building, one of the city’s most iconic structures, which sits on the southwest end of downtown, at 1400 Henderson St.

Officials dug shovels into a long mound of poured dirt to more reenact the ceremonial start of construction, which will take about two years to complete, officials say.

Emerging from the cobwebs and rising from the vacant lot behind the historic Spanish Colonial Revival edifice will be The Harden at Public Market, an active senior living facility of 199 rooms in a five-story structure that will include a parking garage.

And a week prior, the Fort Worth City Council embraced a recommendation on the future of the Fort Worth Community Arts Center and the property on 1300 Gendy St. An advisory committee said the best path forward was to redevelop the property at 1300 Gendy St. into a “world-class cultural hub.”

Dirt is moving in Fort Worth.

“As you may know, Fort Worth is not only the fastest-growing large city in the United States of America, but it’s the only large city without a Tier One research university in Texas,” A&M System Chancellor John Sharp said. “And we aim to rectify that.”

It’s like actually watching a flower bloom.

In addition to very important people wearing hard hats and embedding shovels into a mound of dirt set down for the occasion in an Aggie-engineered plant box (just merely an assumption), news emerged during this gathering that the research campus was already bearing fruit.

Lockheed Martin announced that it would become the first company to sign a memorandum of understanding to discuss jointly developing education courses, workforce training and research programs, including the possibility of Lockheed researchers working alongside the staff and students at Texas A&M-Fort Worth.

“It’s not often you break ground on one building while announcing potential tenants for a second building still on the drawing boards,” Sharp said. “It just demonstrates the commitment of the A&M System and our community partners to get this game-changer up and running quickly.”

John Goff, the Fort Worth developer and chair of the Fort Worth-Tarrant County Innovation Partnership, followed by telling his audience that Elbit America and Alcon, both Fort Worth companies, have assured him, he said, that they, too, would be involved with Texas A&M-Fort Worth.

The city of Fort Worth and Tarrant County are collaborating with the Texas A&M System to construct two other buildings over four city blocks owned by the A&M System. The Research & Innovation Building is where several Texas A&M System agencies will work alongside private sector tenants. A third structure, the Gateway Building, will house offices, more classroom and meeting spaces, and a conference center.

Stantec is serving as the architect of record for the Law & Education Building. Stantec is also providing lab planning services on the project in partnership with the design architect, Pelli Clarke & Partners.

The construction management teams on the first build-

Susanna Bartolomei

ing will include Turner Construction Company, CARCON Industries, Fort Worth-based Source Building Group Inc., and Dikita Enterprises.

The Law & Education Building is expected to be complete by 2025. The other two buildings are planned to be completed by 2027.

The old Public Market building, constructed in 1930 and purchased by Wilks Development from Bob Simpson in 2014, has sat vacant for decades.

Inside the actual Public Market will be amenities for residents, including a fitness center, shared working space, a lounge, as well as the leasing office for the property. Also, a coffee shop/café from a to-be-determined vendor will be located in about the same place as a bakery that set up shop there long ago.

There will be public access to it.

The cost of the project will be about $54 million, says Kyle Wilks, president of Wilks Development. The project is being undertaken as a public-private partnership involving Wilks and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“We knew whatever we settled on [with the building] had to do a couple of things,” says Wilks. “One, it had to be very respectful of the history and the community, and then whatever we put in the Public Market building would need to resonate with the community and be something that was public facing. We are proud to be a part of the restoration of this iconic building and to preserve its legacy for the generations to come.”

The future of the Fort Worth Community Arts Center and the property where it sits are now in the hands of the creatives of architectural firms and developers.

Mayor Mattie Parker tried to assuage citizens’ concern that the property as a centerpiece for the arts community would be discarded in favor of developers’ profit margins.

“As your mayor, I will not approve any RFP [Request for Proposal] that doesn’t maintain a priority and requirement that includes that theater is maintained and you have a community arts space,” said Parker, a former dancer who called art “a part of my whole being in life.

“It is imperative for me.”

» She’s History

The board of trustees at Texas Wesleyan last month announced that Emily Messer had been appointed president of the 133-year-old Methodist university in Fort Worth.

In becoming the university’s 21st president, Messer is the first woman in the job. She succeeds Fred Slabach, who left the university after 12 years as president to become dean of the University of Mississippi School of Law, his alma mater.

Messer’s immediate past experience was in the role of vice president for advancement and enrollment management at Jacksonville State University in Alabama.

Messer begins her duties on July 1.

“I am honored to serve as the 21st president of Texas Wesleyan University,” Messer said in a statement. “I would like to thank the board of trustees, faculty, staff, and students for the opportunity to lead this exceptional university into its next chapter. I look forward to joining the TXWES family and working closely with stakeholders to continue to serve our students and community.”

Messer earned a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Alabama and received a bachelor’s in English and a Master of Public Administration from Jacksonville State.

She joined the staff of Jacksonville State in 2018 as the associate vice president for enrollment management and led the school to record enrollment and a record year in philanthropic support, including fundraising for a major gift initiative for the $25 million Randy Owen Center for the Performing Arts.

Before that, Messer was the vice president of enrollment management, assistant dean of students, and director of student life at Shorter University in Rome, Georgia. She also has been involved with several professional organizations, including

the American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, and the Association of Governing Board for Colleges and Universities.

“We were very fortunate to have many qualified applicants who expressed an interest in leading our university,” said Glenn Lewis, chair of the board of trustees.

“After carefully reviewing all options, we concluded that Dr. Messer stood out as the person we felt was best suited to lead Texas Wesleyan University into the future. We are very pleased with our selection.”

Messer’s appointment was the culmination of a comprehensive search conducted by a 15-member search committee chaired by Vickie Stevens, vice chair of the board of trustees. The committee was assisted by Academic Search, an executive search firm. The committee was made up of members of the board of trustees, as well as representatives from the administration, faculty, and student body.

Messer has participated in the American Academic Leadership Institute’s Executive Leadership Academy and EAB Future President’s Intensive.

Texas Wesleyan was founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church South in 1890, originally called Polytechnic College, literally translated “many arts and sciences.” The Polytechnic campus was designated the Woman’s College for Southern Methodism, eventually becoming Texas Woman’s College in 1914, when Dallas was selected by church leaders to be home to Southern Methodist University.

A merger between Texas Woman’s College and Texas Wesleyan Academy in Austin resulted in the coed Texas Wesleyan College in 1935. Its home, of course, was Fort Worth.

Messer is the first female president of the former Texas Woman’s College.

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Emily Messer as the next president of the university,” said Stevens. “As the new president, Dr. Messer will bring her knowledge of enrollment and retention management, student success, advancement and development of new undergraduate and graduate programs to meet the needs of the ever-changing economic markets. Dr. Messer has the skills to build upon the success of President Slabach with her talent and vision, and we look forward to the future of Texas Wesleyan University under her leadership.”

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AN OLD FLAME BURNIN’ »

There’s an old flame burning once again in downtown Fort Worth.

The iconic 20-foot Lone Star Gas neon blue flame logo atop the former Lone Star Gas Co. Building adjacent to City Hall is back.

The flame, a mainstay in the Fort Worth skyline since 1957, came down in October 2018 for restoration. It was so badly damaged that it was considered structurally unsound, according to city records.

The building, designed in art deco style by architect Wyatt Hedrick

CHAMBER TAPS NEW CEO »

The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday announced the appointment of Steve Montgomery as its new CEO.

Montgomery, who brings more than 30 years of public and private sector experience, replaces Brandom Gengelbach, who resigned in February.

Montgomery will begin his duties on July 31.

“We are thrilled to have Steve Montgomery join us as the new CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber,” said Rosa Navejar, chair of the Fort Worth Chamber Board of Directors, in a statement.

“Steve’s extensive experience and deep roots in the community make him an ideal candidate to lead our organization.

“We believe his strategic vision and commitment to fostering business growth will greatly benefit the Fort Worth business community. Our search committee, led by Lonnie Nicholson, past chair of the chamber, did an incredible job of identifying a strong slate of candidates, and we couldn’t be

in 1929, is at 901 Monroe St. The general contractor was C.L. Hudgens. Three floors were added in 1957, the year the blue flame was installed. It rotated until 2004.

Lone Star Gas Co. organized in 1909. It provided natural gas from fields in Petrolia to domestic and industrial users in Henrietta, Petrolia, and Wichita Falls. After a pipeline from Petrolia to Fort Worth was completed in 1910, the company became the city’s major source of natural gas distributed through the Fort Worth Gas Co., according to Historic Fort Worth.

Today, the building is the City Hall Annex, with the water department’s customer service lobby on the ground floor. Offices for several other city departments are on the floors above.

The city has said that it intends to sell the building once the new City Hall at 100 Energy Way, just west of downtown, is fully operational.

The city and Fort Worth Art Commission explored opportunities to restore the flame, but without a recognized artist, it could not be accomplished through the arts program. By 2018, after years of freewheeling in the wind, the bearings had failed, and the flame was leaning on its structural mount.

In 2018, the city’s Historic & Cultural Landmarks Commission approved a certificate of appropriateness to allow the removal, restoration, and reinstallation of the flame. The flame was stored at the city’s James Avenue Service Center until Property Management Department PayGo funds were identified for the restoration.

A contractor repaired the existing enamel paint, replaced neon lights with LED lights, and replaced the bearings and motor to make the sign rotate again.

Voila. — Stephen Montoya

more pleased with the results.”

Mike Berry, president of Hillwood, had been interim CEO since Gengelbach’s departure.

Before joining the chamber, Montgomery served as a consultant, providing government relations and strategic communications services to clients across North Texas, including the chamber itself.

The chamber touted his background in executive leadership, strategic planning, stakeholder relations management, and business management.

In a press release, the chamber said Montgomery will work closely with the newly formed Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership and the city of Fort Worth while prioritizing key focus areas, including:

Workforce development: Montgomery will spearhead efforts to evaluate the workforce needs of the Fort Worth business community, ensuring that the necessary training and resources are provided to develop a skilled workforce.

Infrastructure and transportation:

Recognizing the significance of robust infrastructure and efficient transportation networks for business growth, Montgomery will collaborate with stakeholders to advocate for investments and improvements in these areas.

Business retention: Supporting existing businesses in Fort Worth will be a core focus.

Government relations advocacy: Montgomery will engage with elected and appointed officials to advocate for policies and regulations that foster a business-friendly environment, ensuring that the voice of the Fort Worth business community is heard and represented.

“I am honored to join this incredible organization and work alongside our partners to prioritize workforce development, infrastructure and transportation, business retention, government relations advocacy, and membership development,” Montgomery said. “Together, we will continue to build a vibrant and prosperous community for all.” — John Henry

- Susan Semmelmann

AUG. 3

Black Flag

The countercultural punk band whose heyday saw Henry Rollins behind the mic in the early ’80s is coming to the Stockyards. Its lineup may look di erent, but for those longing for the days of retired punk venues like The Axis, it’ll be a fun time.

Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall

122 E. Exchange Ave., Ste. 200 tannahills.com

AUG. 4 – 6

Anime Fest

The Modern will host a full weekend of films and activities for local anime enthusiasts. Film screenings include “Children of the Sea,” “The First Slam Dunk,” and “Lonely Castle in the Mirror,” and a cosplay contest will take place the first night of the festival. So, we recommend getting your Sailor Moon accessories in order.

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

3200 Darnell St. themodern.org

AUG. 5

Clint Black

The Katy-based country star has been pickin’ tunes for nearly 40 years and, thanks to Billboard toppers like “Killin’ Time” and “A Better Man,” has amassed a solid following. Like many a veteran country star, he’s found himself in the collaboratingon-singles cycle the past few years, so expect to hear plenty of his older songs.

Billy Bob’s Texas 2520 Rodeo Plaza billybobstexas.com

AUG. 9

‘Roman Holiday’

Part of the ongoing “My Favorite Films” series curated by Modern Art Museum auditorium manager Tina Gorski, this might be one’s only opportunity to see “Roman Holiday,” considered one of the most romantic films of all time, on the big screen. You’re welcome for the datenight suggestion.

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

3200 Darnell St. themodern.com

AUG. 10 – 20

Disney’s ‘Frozen’

Following in the footsteps of massive Disney films “The Lion King,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Tarzan,” “Frozen” made its way to Broadway before closing due to the pandemic. For those familiar with the movie (we presume everyone with certain-aged children), the stage version contains some new musical numbers.

Bass Performance Hall 525 Commerce St. basshall.com

AUG. 11 – NOV. 26

Jammie Holmes: Make the Revolution Irresistible

This marks the first solo museum exhibition for the world-renowned Louisianabased artist. A self-taught painter, Jammie Holmes’ distinct style and subject matter e ectively portray modern life in the Deep South for Black Americans — all at once joyful, humorous, turbulent, and heart-rending.

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth 3200 Darnell St. themodern.org

AUG. 27 – JAN. 7, 2024

The World Outside: Louise Nevelson at Midcentury

One of modern art’s most original and influential sculptors, Louise Nevelson’s monochromatic, industrial-inspired pieces have become definitive works of postwar America. Fifty of Nevelson’s sculptures — what the Amon Carter is describing as definitive pieces — will be on display through January of next year.

Amon Carter Museum of American Art | 3501 Camp Bowie Blvd. | cartermuseum.org

AUG. 12

Ballet Folklorico de Fort Worth

In conjunction with the Kimbell’s stirring Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art exhibition, the local folkloric dance school, which teaches traditional cultural dances from Mexico, will perform a one-hour set of synchronized movements in colorful ranchero design dresses, large sombreros, and charro suits. Kimbell Art Museum 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd. kimbellart.org

AUG. 19

Ted Nugent

The highly opinionated, Michigan-based musician will bring his brand of hard rock to Billy Bob’s. Attendees can expect sleeveless hunting shirts, a riveting rendition of “Cat Scratch Fever,” and a monologue or two about our nation’s Bill of Rights.

Billy Bob’s Texas 2520 Rodeo Plaza billybobstexas.com

AUG. 19

Bob Schneider w/ Denver Williams

A prolific singer/songwriter, Bob Schneider has been Austin-famous — a hot ticket in his hometown to the south — for over two decades. And, with 17 full-length solo albums to his name, his repertoire of catchy, eclectic, guitar-driven tunes is unmatched. Local indie musician Denver Williams will open.

Tulips

112 St. Louis Ave. tulipsftw.com

AUG. 24

Lyle Lovett and His Large Band

Gold records, Grammy awards, horses named Shiney and Smart, and a year-and-a-half marriage to Julia Roberts — there’s a lot to love about Lyle Lovett. Add a backing band of 13 musicians who will accompany the singer/songwriter at the beautiful Bass Hall, and we’re not sure how you can resist. Bass Performance Hall 525 Commerce St. basshall.com

AUG. 24 – SEPT. 16

The Other Josh Cohen

The down-on-his-luck, sad-sack New Yorker pining for love might be a romantic comedy troupe, but when one adds rock-and-roll to the mix, it opens some new avenues for belly laughs. This will mark the first time the off-Broadway show, which was nominated for six Drama Desk Awards, will debut in Fort Worth.

Circle Theatre

230 W. Fourth St. circletheatre.com

AUG. 26

Stars of the Symphony

In the run-up to the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra’s 2023-24 season, a handful of the symphony’s talent will get their feet wet performing duets and solos of popular and enduring classical pieces, including Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and George Enescu’s “Romanian Rhapsody No. 1.” Bass Performance Hall 525 Commerce St. fwsymphony.org

AUG. 31 – OCT. 1

‘Grand Horizons’

When a long-married couple begins settling into a senior living community, one of them suddenly wants to bail on the relationship. This is the panic-inducing premise of “Grand Horizons” — a Tony Award-nominated play by Bess Wohl and performed by the professional actors of Stage West.

Stage West Theatre 821 W. Vickery Blvd. stagewest.org

AUG. 26

Kauju Go! Japanese Monster Film, Art, & Toy Showcase

Watching someone in a prehistoric reptilian suit causing havoc in a miniaturized Tokyo sounds like a solid Saturday to us. In addition to the Godzilla double feature, the showcase will include a Q&A with kaiju artists and a highly curated collection of art, toy, and collectible vendors.

EJ Carrion

Education entrepreneur and podcaster

BY CHARLOTTE SETTLE

BY

PHOTO

CRYSTAL WISE

EJ Carrion, an Afro-Latino CEO, public speaker, and podcaster, has been fighting systemic educational inequities on a national scale for over a decade.

In 2012, Carrion co-founded Student Success Agency (SSA). The digital mentoring platform pairs students with vetted agents who offer them holistic support with academics, college prep, mental health, and more — outside the confines of school hours. “We know that out-of-school challenges are actually what impacts in-school outcomes,” Carrion says.

Raised by a single mom in Burkburnett, Carrion earned the prestigious Bill and Melinda Gates Scholarship despite academic challenges and became the first in his family to earn a college degree. Since, he has made it his mission to provide underserved students with the support and resources they need to succeed.

“We’re trying to build a more equitable world where, regardless of their ZIP code, kids have support anywhere, anytime,” Carrion says. Not only does SSA offer students flexible access to tutors in 100-plus subjects, but also employs a safety team of social workers, psychologists, and therapists who assist kids in crisis. “School districts are unaware of 95% of the safety cases we bring,” Carrion says. “We’re helping them identify the kids who fall between the cracks because of the overbooked staff, overlooked student problem.”

During the Obama/ Biden administration, SSA was recognized at the U.S. Department of Education’s annual Datapalooza event. “To be in that room and talk about what we were doing that early on was huge,” Carrion says. “It confirmed we were onto something.”

Today, SSA is in 500 schools across 20 states,

costing the average school the price of one district employee.

In 2020, Carrion launched the 817 Podcast — a weekly conversation around significant happenings in Fort Worth. Co-hosted by former City Councilwoman Ann Zadeh, the podcast features esteemed local experts in politics, business, and culture. “I try to create space to get closer to the tough conversations,” Carrion explains. “Mayor Mattie Parker says the average Fort Worthian is 34 and a minority,” he says. “I am that. So, I feel called to fight for the things I believe in.”

FTW DINING RECOMMENDATIONS

“I’m gonna keep it East Side and say Mariscos El Cachanilla. It’s a little red truck that does ceviche and seafood tacos right in front of a laundromat. Asiannights Lao Thai Cuisine and Bar is another great one. Those are two places I go weekly, for sure.”

In his little spare time, Carrion loves to support local events and businesses in Cowtown. And he reads — a lot. He jokes about how much he pays for news subscriptions, but for him, it’s a non-negotiable investment. “To anyone who wants to take being a world changer seriously, journalism and news are like the Whole Foods for your brain,” he explains. “You have to pay for the premium goods to nourish your mind just like you nourish your body.”  Carrion’s favorite mantra is “decades instead of days.” In other words, showing up consistently and doing the hard work will return favor in the long run. “If I can say that I helped schools provide support anywhere, anytime, regardless of ZIP code, I would call that a success.” Depending on how quickly Carrion can scale SSA, he hopes to one day coach and invest in compassionate CEOs who endeavor to preserve their heart within a capitalist system.

FAVORITE LOCAL MUSIC ARTIST

“Abraham Alexander. I went with my wife and some friends to his listening party at the Kessler a couple weeks ago. It’s even more incredible when he sits there and tells you each track’s story. It’s been great to listen to his album but also just to see him do his thing.”

Above all, Carrion strives to be someone people look at and say, “This kid has not only kept his word to Fort Worth, but also to his mission. He’s influential because he’s achieving the things he said he was going to achieve.”

1. Working with staff and kids in Oklahoma. 2. Hanging out with students at SSA summer camp. 3. Speaking at Northside ISD with the new superintendent. 4. Giving a commencement speech in Worchester, Massachusetts. 5. Hanging with my mom and brother. 6. Speaking to 3,000 kids in West Virginia. 7. At a Dallas Wings game with my wife.

Funny Pages

Remembering when Etta Hulme, a Star-Telegram opinion cartoonist,

Disneyfied Texas

BY MICHAEL H. PRICE

Arediscovery of Etta Parks Hulme (1923-2014), one of the last of the old-school pen-and-ink (pre-digital) editorial cartoonists, requires a leap way further back than her lengthy stretch as a provocative opinionizer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The artist seldom spoke of her Disney-studio years, even less often of her post-WWII stretch as a star-player comic-book artist — except when reminded. Whereupon the floodgates of happy memory would swing open and stay swung.

Walt Disney Productions had shown Etta Parks the exit after the war’s end had brought the studio’s masculine talents home from uniformed duty. (Women in motionpicture animation were scarce-to-none until the draft had caused a shortage of male cartoonists — Walt Disney’s preferred personnel.)

Then, upon retrenching in comics-pamphlet production,

Etta found Disney’s affiliated funny-book factory barricaded with trademark-wrangling red tape — and so she invented her own troupe of kid-stuff characters for an independent publisher in Chicago. Her rambunctious “Red” Rabbit series (1947-1951) ran for 22 issues, only to run afoul of a gradual comic-book purge that put many small publishers out of business for lack of distribution.

That industrywide implosion had left Somerville-born Etta Parks without a mass-media outlet, but her marriage to Vernon Hulme, a coal company honcho, and their devotion to family life filled any such gaps. Etta’s interest in politics led her to a cartooning niche with The Texas Observer. The Hulmes settled in Fort Worth during the waning 1950s.

Flash-forward to 1992-1993: My newspaper-of-record, the Star-Telegram, hooked up with a traveling exhibition tracing the centuried history of editorial-opinion cartooning in Texas. The curators, Maury Forman and Bob Calvert, enlisted me to whip their program notes into an accompanying book. The finished result, Cartooning Texas (Texas A&M University Press; 1993), boasts a cover design by a cohort (and Pulitzer medalist), Ben Sargent.

Our expo-opening ceremonies involved in-person appearances by such working cartoonists as Sargent himself, of the Austin American-Statesman, and Etta Parks Hulme, of the Star-Telegram. Etta and I had offices within shouting distance of one another at the Telegram, and I had been urging the “powers that did be” to devote a Telegram-spinoff book to her cartoons. The resulting booklet, UnforgETTAbly Etta, was issued as a subscription premium, priming the pump for a more substantial collection. That one surfaced in 1998 as The Ettatorials: The Best of Etta Hulme (Pelican Press).

Around the time of the Cartooning Texas show, I had been visiting with an artist and feminist historian, Trina

Robbins, in San Francisco, in connection with her research for A Century of Women Cartoonists (Kitchen Sink Press; 1993). I suggested that Trina should consider Etta Hulme as a subject. Trina’s interest lay less with editorial cartooning than with comic-book/comic-strip artistry. I asked Etta about a comic-book background.

“Oh, yeah — you bet!” she said. “Reckon you ever heard tell of ‘Red’ Rabbit?”

“You did ‘Red’ Rabbit?” I asked. The title, from Chicago’s Dearfield Publishing, had been a childhood favorite of mine — a funny-animals comic with an unusual ring of cowhand authenticity.

“Oh, yeah,” Etta said. “One of my more ambitious youthful efforts. Had a pretty good run with it. I was Etta Parks in those days. Sometimes signed myself as just-plain ‘Etta,’ sometimes just ‘E. Parks.’ I had struck out in tryin’ to land some assignments for Mr. Disney’s official Donald Duck funny books, and so I just hauled off and made up some characters of my own. Just as well — I would’ve been forced to sign ‘Walt Disney’ on anything I might’ve done for that company, anyhow.

“And ol’ ‘Red’ Rabbit, now, those funny books gave me good excuse to take off from my Disney-studio experience and combine it with an interest in wild-and-woolly Western adventures.”

Since 1972, Etta Parks Hulme had been a widely distributed opinion-page mainstay, based at the Star-Telegram.

Degreed in fine arts at the University of Texas at Austin, Etta spent two years in the Disney animation shop during WWII, after military conscription had caused the studio to ease off on Walt Disney’s insistence upon keeping women out of the more creative roles. Here, Etta worked as an inbetweener (figure movements between character poses) on Disney’s war-effort propaganda films and such theatrical features as “Song of the South” and “Make Mine Music!” (both from 1946). Etta returned to Texas as a commercial artist and art teacher, meanwhile pitching comic-book ideas. “Red” Rabbit proved a success — until its publisher became collateral damage in a nationwide scare campaign that targeted comic books in general as a purported cause of juvenile delinquency.

“Mr. Vernon Hulme and I made a good, counterbalanced team,” Etta would say, “what with my left-of-center political-cartooning career and his corporate-industrial career — coal-mining exploration, at that, during a time [the 1970s] when Texas was just starting to develop an environmental conscience.

“But Mr. Hulme also was ahead of his time in that regard,” she added. “He had a policy of taking great care to minimize the damages of any mining operation, and when his company [Texas Industries] located one huge vein of coal in 1977 at Thurber, Texas, he even took pains to protect the migratory route of a rare breed of bird in that area.” (Vernon Hulme died in 1983.)

The lapse from the old-guard liberalism of The Texas Observer to the provincial Star-Telegram might have found Etta’s readers expecting a softening of her social-critic voice. But, no, the Hulme cartoons retained their bite throughout her involvement with the mainstream daily.

“Good old-fashioned ridicule — that’s the ticket,” Etta said. “And a lot of absurdity, too. Let the readers know you’re having fun, poking fun at the politicians and taking a stand on the issues, and they’re likely as not to get a kick out of a cartoon even if they disagree with it. All except for those miserable souls who can’t take a joke.

“I love gettin’ disagreeable letters,” she adds. “I just love stirrin’ the pot until it boils over. Objections from the readers, disagreements with whatever stance I might take — nothin’ to ’em. Just give me some real-world abuses of power or political absurdities to work with, and I’ll find the humor necessary to point up the seriousness of a situation. The only obstacles I’ve ever encountered have been the occasional editors who’d be leery of my gettin’ ‘too opinionated,’ as they’d say, and want to slam on the brakes for me.

“Well, y’know, there’s a reason we call these things ‘editorial opinion cartoons,’” says Etta Hulme. “I’m in this business to dispense opinions, and — if the job gets done right — to get people stirred up while keepin’ things on the funny side.”

THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP

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Film and Friends

seems to be a common theme for the local photographer.

Despite arriving in Fort Worth only eight years ago, Viktor has quickly become an integral part of the city’s art community, thanks to his collaborations with multiple area artists, including the likes of Dizzy Orbit, Amira Belmashkan, Grace Pham, and Q the Filmer, whom he’s assisting with a Dallas residency. Viktor’s quirks, sense of humor, raw film photographer of local artwork, friends, and his travels feel right at home in a city whose burgeoning art scene has established an eccentric identity. His natural eye, experimental lighting, and varied and humorous subject matter make Viktor a whimsical and well-liked artist. A scroll through his Instagram page might reveal a city few of this magazine’s readers have witnessed.

Photographer Viktor Villanueva captures everything in sight — so what if

BY SHASTA HAUBRICH

Wit happens to be everything he loves.

hile working to expand his photographic repertoire, Viktor Villanueva, like many artists, toiled away at day jobs that led to some unique experiences. Marketing his services on freelance labor site TaskRabbit, Viktor got odd gigs building furniture, painting walls, and mowing lawns. Anything for the sake of keeping one’s head above water.

One day, he agreed to take on a task requesting someone who could “hang up art in a small gallery show in Dallas.” When Viktor arrived, he realized this wasn’t any small gallery show.

“I see some prints that I recognize, and I’m like, ‘Oh, that looks like a Banksy piece,’” Viktor says. “And then everything comes into focus, and I see everything there is Banksy stuff. Hundreds of them.”

Yeah, as it turned out, Viktor was working a pop-up show for Banksy, the revered and famously anonymous (an oxymoron, we know) countercultural figure who might be the world’s most popular living artist. Viktor would hang art and find ways to incorporate some of their “weird stuff” into the store.

“I was being a real problem-solver for them,” Viktor says. “And the lead production guy really took a liking to me. He said, ‘Hey, man, I got, like, 30 more cities of these to do. Do you want to come?’”

Viktor would spend several months touring with Banksyland, but the hectic schedule would eventually bring him back home to the Fort. Regardless, fitting in quickly

Born in Midland but raised in Arlington, Viktor attended UTA where he earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting and journalism. While schooling provided a blueprint of photography’s technical aspects, it ultimately inspired Victor to dive deeper into his own creative style. Working his way through college as a portrait photographer, he eventually caught the eye of Art Tooth, a local arts-based nonprofit, founder Dee Lara, who invited him to shoot portraits of the organization’s original founders. Speaking about the chance encounter and subsequent photo shoot, Viktor says, “As soon as I got in touch with the arts team, I was like, ‘Oh, I dig this.’ And I decided to see if I had any voice in it.”

Today, Viktor remains one of the area’s most prolific photogs and shoot-from-the-hip characters — he, two years ago, impulsively traveled to Las Vegas upon hearing a weather report that predicted rain in the desert. “There’s this thing when, after it rains, all the dust settles and all the plant life is clean,” Viktor says. “So, that’s the best time to photograph all the colors out there.”

“So much of photography is insanely serious. I wanted things to be fun.”

“Viktor 2”

Rockport, Texas

Population: 10,436

BY SHILO URBAN

There’s something special about the light in Rockport. Or maybe it’s the ever-changing moods of the sea, the wild wetlands, or the secluded bays. Whatever the case, the beguiling coastal enclave attracts artists like a shimmering lure on a fishing line. Sand dunes, shrimping boats, and shorebirds inhabit the watery haven, a laid-back landscape where live oaks are slowly twisted and shaped by the wind.

Situated northeast of Corpus Christi and surrounded by water on three sides, Rockport is a nationally recognized hub for creative types. Many move here in midlife to become painters or potters, trading urban

hustle for the evocative beauty of the Texas Gulf Coast aesthetic — the region’s distinct artistic genre.

They’re joined by an abundance of wildlife: bottlenose dolphins, bobcats, javelinas, alligators, raccoons, deer, and especially birds. Tiny hummingbirds and majestic whooping cranes pass through Rockport on the Central Flyway, one of North America’s major migratory routes. See them in spring and autumn on birding trails and boat tours of Aransas Bay National Wildlife Refuge, which appears much the way the Karankawa people saw it four centuries ago.

Rockport’s waters overflow with redfish, flounder, and speckled trout, with marlin and tuna right offshore.

Fishing guides are easy to hire and furnish all the bait and tackle you need, and many local restaurants will be happy to cook your catch to your liking. You can also charter your own boat, try wade fishing on the water-

front, or drop a line from the pier at Rockport Beach. This mile-long strip of sand is one of the cleanest beaches in the state, a popular hangout with conveniences like shaded picnic tables, palapa umbrellas, and well-maintained pavilions with flush toilets. Ride a fat-tire bike along the shoreline or swim in the large saltwater pool. Painters set up easels to work en plein air, and kayakers mingle with jet skis in Little Bay, a protected cove to the north.

Paddlers will find calmer waters at nearby Goose Island State Park, but the big attraction here is the Big Tree. Estimated to be 1,000 to 2,000 years old, this ancient live oak is one of the largest and oldest in the state. The Big Tree survived a Civil War naval bombardment that

decimated everything else around and was relatively unharmed by a more recent cataclysm: Hurricane Harvey. Rockport was ground zero for the 2017 storm, which destroyed entire blocks and displaced thousands of residents. The town has worked hard to rebound and rebuild lost landmarks, like the 6,000pound Big Blue Crab sculpture and the Rockport Center for the Arts. Both are bigger and better than ever. The latter opened in December 2022 with numerous galleries and a sculpture garden, along with spaces for concerts and creative workshops. If you want to learn how to paint with watercolors, carve wood, or fashion whistles out of clay — this is your place.

But fair warning: Some people who visit Rockport decide to stay forever, enchanted by the artist colony’s natural beauty and escapist ambiance. A refuge for creativity and individuality, Rockport’s seaside spirit speaks to the soul through the lapping of waves and the soft glint of sunlight in the cool morning mist.

Savor: Seafood lovers will be in heaven with all the just-caught shrimp, fish, and oysters at local favorites like the Old Fulton Seafood Café and Paradise Key. Artwork bedecks the walls of Latitude 28°02’, an upscale eatery known for the Gilroy: the catch of the day baked in a garlic butter bread crust. Hit up The Groove Steak & Lobster House for surf, turf, and wood-fired pizzas, or try the Maryland-style seafood at 495 Chesapeake Eats. Rockport’s newest waterfront restaurant is Gnarly Marlin, where you can chill on the large outdoor patio with a breakfast-of-champions’ Bloody Mary served with celery, pepperoni, salami, Muenster cheese, shrimp, garlicstuffed olives, a roasted pepper, and a cocktail onion.

Shop: Bounce between a dozen art galleries on South Austin Street, the town’s main retail drag, as well as gift stores, fashion boutiques, and seashell shops by the seashore. Start at Estelle Stair Gallery, where Rockport’s nascent art community was nourished with bean suppers and encouraging words during the ’60s and ’70s. For children of the ’80s and ’90s, Rowdy Maui promises a psychedelic shopping adventure combining nostalgia and neon. If you’re in the mood for a treasure hunt, the Busted Pot Junk Museum sells vintage finds like ship wheels and Depression-era glass — and serves frozen margaritas on Saturdays.

Enjoy: Crabbing, shelling, sailing, skiing, year-round fishing, and all manner of watery activities are on hand in Rockport. Marinas and boat ramps proliferate. Annual events celebrate everything from oysters and hummingbirds to kites, clay art, and crawfish. Summer’s biggest party is the Rockport Art Festival, followed by a boat parade and fireworks on July 4. Rockport Fulton Market Days take place the third weekend of every month, hosting 160-plus arts and crafts vendors on the harborside. Relax with outdoor concerts on the lawn at historic Fulton Mansion and take in the view from the three-story “lighthouse” at the Texas Maritime Museum.

Snooze: Shorefront condos and pastel-colored cottages dominate the short-term rental scene on sites like Airbnb and Vrbo. The most sought-after neighborhood is Key Allegro, an island development with a festive atmosphere and canals lined with luxury homes. Many have boat slips, fish-cleaning stations, and kayaks at the ready. You’ll also find numerous rentals in and around the downtown area near Austin Street, where you can walk to galleries and restaurants. For hotels, The Inn at Fulton Harbor and The Lighthouse Inn offer basic but comfortable rooms on the waterfront.

How

to Get There: Head south on Interstate 35. About 18 miles past Salado, take Exit 265 for Texas State Highway 130 S, the loop around Austin. You’ll stay on TX-130 S for almost 60 miles; follow signs for TX130 S/Lockhart/San Antonio. Take Exit 470 just north of Lockhart for U.S. Route 183 S, which you’ll stay on for about 65 miles. At Cuero, turn left onto US-87 S/E Broadway St. toward Victoria. Drive 24 miles and then turn right onto U.S. Route 77. The road winds around a bit — just keep heading south. In 27 miles, take Texas State Highway 239 E toward Tivoli/Goliad for about 11 miles. At Tivoli, you’ll turn right on State Highway 35 S, and it’s around 32 miles to Rockport. The trip takes about six hours with no stops.

Behind the Frames

Celebrity chef Graham Elliot talks about what inspired him to call Cowtown home, his yearslong battle with weight, and his love of cooking shows.

BY STEPHEN MONTOYA

BY CRYSTAL

PHOTO

WISE

Aseries of flames rise from a hot skillet in the open kitchen at Press Café on Edwards Ranch Road.

Behind the skillet, fanning the flames with a mischievous grin, is celebrity chef Graham Elliot. His signature white-rimmed glasses reflect the blaze that’s stewing a dish he threw together for a quick photo-op.

“I don’t even know if this is edible, but it looks cool,” he says as he strikes various poses. After the flames are extinguished, Elliot picks up a piece of shrimp, still steaming from the pan, blows on it, and takes a quick bite.

“It’s actually pretty good,” Elliot says half-surprised. Following the photo session, he places all of the kitchen accoutrements back in their respective places so as not to disturb the bustling dinner service in full swing.

As we converse, it’s clear that Elliot is at ease. He’s in his element. After all, cooking, cheffing, creating those on-thefly delectable dishes is no doubt where a two-time Michelin star recipient would feel at home. But there’s something else causing this at-home feeling — something else putting him at ease — and perhaps the culprit is the city he now calls home: Fort Worth.

Elliot officially came to the 817 in October of last year after joining forces with local restaurateur Felipe Armenta. In his current role, Elliot oversees the culinary department of FAR Out Hospitality, which includes maintaining all of the brand’s menus and recipes and creating new dishes and concepts for any future openings. As of now, FAR Out owns and operates nine Texas dining spots — seven of which are in Fort Worth — including the aforementioned Press Café, Maria’s Mexican Table, F1 Smokehouse, Towne Grill, Pacific Table, Tavern, Le Margot, Cowboy Prime (in Midland), and The Grill (in San Angelo).

Such responsibilities mean that Elliot’s schedule is in a constant state of flux, be it rolling silverware at the newly opened Le Margot, bussing tables at Maria’s, or doing highlevel managerial stuff at name-the-spot. He fills in the gaps.

“He does a lot of bouncing around,” Armenta says. Which makes sense. A glance at Elliot’s bio, and it’s easy to see how bouncing around has come second nature to the star chef.

Elliot is all smiles as we walk toward a picnic table that sits beneath some bur oaks providing much-needed shade. As we begin chatting, he takes off his white-rimmed glasses, which is like watching Superman take off his cape. The effect is almost jarring; I can’t say I’ve ever seen him without them on.

For many a culinary TV viewer, Elliot and his signature glasses entered the American zeitgeist circa 2007, when

he appeared as a contestant on “Iron Chef.” Despite a close loss to Bobby Flay, he proved himself a fan favorite and continued climbing his way up the celebrity chef ladder. Networks were quick to promote Elliot from contestant to judge, and in 2010, he appeared as a foodie magistrate alongside star chefs Gordan Ramsay, Christina Tosi, and Joe Bastianich on Fox’s “Top Chef.” Elliot subsequently sat in the judge’s chair on two spinoffs, “Master Chef” and “Master Chef Juniors,” and has lent his culinary adjudicating skills to the Food Network’s “Cooks vs. Cons” and several other food-related shows across the globe. Currently, fans can catch him as a judge on Season 2 of “The Great American Recipe” airing on PBS.

“Being a judge on TV shows has been very, very good to me,” Elliot says. “I used to do it thinking, like, it’s a one-off; like I’ll never do it again. Now here I am 13 years in, which is just crazy to think half of my career has been in front of a camera.”

But before his introduction to television audiences, Elliot’s prowess behind a stovetop had already garnered him national attention. In 2004, when he was 27, Elliot became the youngest chef in the U.S. to receive four stars from a major publication — receiving the honor from both the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. That same year, he was also named to Food & Wine’s “Best Chefs” List.

In 2008, a couple of years before his first stint as an onair culinary judge, Elliot opened his first restaurant — the Chicago-based Graham Elliot — which earned him his two Michelin stars (the preeminent global culinary honor that isn’t even available to Texas restaurants). That same year, Elliot also earned a spot on Crain’s Chicago Business List of “40 Under 40,” putting him in an elite club alongside the likes of Oprah Winfrey and former President Barack Obama. He and the former president would again cross paths two years later when Elliot cooked for the then-president’s 49th birthday. On top of this, Elliot has been nominated for three James Beard Awards (the preeminent national culinary honor that is available to Texas restaurants) and even has his mug on a couple of Topps collectible baseball cards. For an avid baseball fan who’s been to 28 of the 30 professional baseball parks that reside in the U.S., Elliot says he’ll take having the cards over any Michelin star or James Beard Award they might throw his way.

Whether he was able to check off a good portion of those ballparks while growing up a “Navy brat” or while hopping around cities during his professional culinary journey, we aren’t sure. Regardless, the Seattle-born chef’s upbringing included short stints in several places. He was in a constant

state of moving — city to city, harbor to harbor. While such an experience had its fair share of hardships, to Elliot, it was worth it, as the constant upheaval played a major role in forming his identity as a chef. Elliot was a chameleon, able to transform into whatever was expected of him in a particular city. If he was in Texas, he’d don a cowboy hat. If he was on the West Coast, he’d bleach his hair. It wasn’t until he was introduced to the kitchen that he found his true purpose.

A hard worker at a young age, Elliot’s first job came at 15 — having to get a work permit to do so — at a CVS, a gig that had some lingering effects. “I still like facing the (product labels) in a kitchen forward [something known as “front of face” in the retail industry], which is something I learned while working (at CVS).”

Two years after his stint at the ol’ Consumer Value Store, he and his family moved to Virginia Beach, where he quickly got a job as a busboy and a dishwasher at a local eatery. This would mark Elliot’s introduction to the culinary realm, an experience, he says, that changed him forever.

“I fell in love with the kitchen, and the next thing you know, I decided to drop out of high school,” he says. “I was done with school at this point. I had already gone to 15 different schools growing up, so going to another school wasn’t going to break me.”

Despite pulling the plug on high school, Elliot wound up continuing is education at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island — a school whose culinary arts program counts fellow celebrity chefs Emeril Lagasse, Tyler Florence, and Chris Cosentino as alumni. And, post graduation, Elliot got his first taste of North Texas after earning a gig at the Mansion on Turtle Creek, a fine-dining establishment in the Rosewood Hotel. He then headed north to Vermont, where he worked at Jackson House Inn & Restaurant in Woodstock before working for three separate restaurants — Charlie Trotter’s, Tru, and Avenues — in Chicago.

A perpetual student by nature, Elliot is now taking a crash course in the Fort Worth culinary scene with assistance from his new partner, Armenta.

Armenta says this auspicious pairing is a result of his vice president Ryan Kavanaugh’s wife, who is national recruiter. With industry knowledge and a long list of contacts in the culinary world, she reached out to Elliot about a potential partnership.

“Over a year ago, I was living in Hawaii looking for an opportunity to kind of go to the next level and was put together with [Armenta],” Elliot says. “The next thing I know I flew out to meet him, and we were instantly like brothers.”

Elliot met the rest of Armenta’s team the next day, an experience he likens to nailing an audition to join a rock band.

“Now I live in Fort Worth, and I am here pretty much seven days a week,” Elliot says.

And to Armenta, whose everexpanding culinary ventures were overextending his capacity, Elliot came in at exactly the right time.

“I could no longer be the guy doing the food because I was really trying to build a company,” Armenta says. “I was looking for somebody with a high pedigree and caliber that could take on my role and that I would feel comfortable with. Who better than a two-star Michelin chef?”

Since this duo’s first meeting, the pair have been busy refining menus, opening new concepts, and expanding existing brands.

Outside of the kitchen, Armenta and Elliot have a great non-foodie relationship. Whether it’s fishing, hunting, or creating new music playlists, the two have a bond that extends well beyond their culinary visions.

“After hanging out together over the past few months, I’ve learned that we actually like the same music and love talking about movies and baseball,” Armenta says.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that they’ve built a bond at a breakneck speed.

Recently, the two culinary titans, along with several FAR Out team members, traveled to New York City for a couple of days. The mission: to eat at 18 of the best restaurants in the Big Apple in just over two days. “We went everywhere in the city,” Armenta says. “We ate so much and gleaned ideas from each spot. That was a great bonding experience for sure.”

Back at Press Café, Elliot’s gaze switches from our interview to the outdoor tables in the restaurant’s back patio, surveying the outside dining area intently.

“I’m watching the patio and wondering why one of the umbrellas isn’t open and why no one has refilled that guy’s water, plus, I see a light bulb is out,” he says. “I always try to look at the places I work from a different angle to gain insight on things we can improve.”

In July 2013, that intent gaze and desire to improve ended up on himself, when Elliot underwent sleeve gastrectomy surgery. The procedure reduced the size of his stomach from the normal 30-40 ounces to approximately 3-4 ounces.

Before the operation, Elliot weighed nearly 400 pounds. As a result, he says he suffered from sleep apnea, gout, and hypertension, on top of various other aches and pains.

“It wasn’t for lack of trying,” he says. “I ran several mara-

Graham Elliot and Felipe Armenta

thons, I had numerous trainers, and I don’t know how many gym memberships … nothing seemed to stick.” After several years of being on TV as a food judge, Elliot says he felt like he was put in the mix to be the fun “round guy,” a role he just accepted.

It wasn’t until one of his son’s classmates, looking for a laugh, put a soccer ball in their shirt to mock Elliot’s weight that he became motivated to change.

“It was at that point that I realized my weight issue wasn’t just affecting me,” he says. “It was then that I made the decision to do something about it.”

Following his procedure, Elliot says he lost 150 pounds, leaving him at a healthier 250 pounds. “Some people have criticized me, saying I took the easy way out. To me, the easy way out is staying on the couch and being depressed all day.”

Though he has since, admittedly, put on some weight — largely thanks to his stomach expanding and his body acclimating to the surgery — Elliot is determined to continue his health-conscious path.

“This can be doubly hard when you are a chef,” he says. “Because you are always around food and people are always watching you and judging what you eat.” “Food has always been my demon,” he says. “I don’t smoke, I don’t really drink, I don’t do drugs, but food has always been that thing.”

For just under an hour, Elliot has willingly tackled every question I’ve asked. His welcoming of these inquiries is likely a result of his experience living in the spotlight for over a decade. The flip side to this notoriety is when Elliot has to go incognito to certain places, devoid of his iconic white rim glasses while donning a baseball cap.

“I get some people who will still kind of recognize me in my stripped-down style,” he says. “They will point and ask, ‘Aren’t you …?’ I kindly nod and most times end up posing for a selfie.”

Although he cringes sometimes when he thinks about these encounters, Elliot takes it all in stride since his celebrity status also allows him to be on camera. Ever since his first stint on TV in 2010, Elliot says he fell in love with the process of making different shows and being a culinary judge.

Not unlike his involvement in restaurants, Elliot remains highly involved and inquisitive in the production of each show. He observes the lighting setup, learns the themes of each show, and is in a constant state of wanting to improve.

“I learned from Gordon [Ramsay] we should give contestants six minutes instead of 10, which will make them run so there’s more energy on screen,” he says. “Watching the entire scope of a show is very similar to owning a restaurant and being a partner in a restaurant, as opposed to just being a chef.”

Outside of the kitchen, Elliot stays involved with his other passion, music.

Long before he ever put on an apron, Elliot spent most of his time with a guitar strapped to his body. His older brother, Brian, who is five years his senior, was Elliot’s inspi-

ration and gateway into the world of music, which was the path he started on before entering the kitchen as a chef. And he was able to merge these two worlds when he became the culinary director for Lollapalooza, a three-day music festival in Chicago, beginning in 2009.

During his 10 years as a chef for the fest, he was able to cook for such rock icons as the late Chris Cornell, the English rock band Radiohead, and of course for Lollapalooza creator and Jane’s Addiction frontman, Perry Farrell.

“I’ve always cooked like I play music, by putting my heart into it,” he says. “The plate is my canvas, and the food, or my take on something traditional, is my art.”

As we walk back to the main dining room at Press Café, we continue our conversation about his exciting partnership and dynamic duo potential with Armenta, the merits of living in Fort Worth, and the Lone Star State in general. Elliot, whose left arm is tattooed with all of the states in which he’s lived, proudly points to his tattoo of the unmistakable shape of Texas.

“What I like about living here is that Texans are Texans first and Americans second,” he says. “Like this is their own country with more pride than anywhere I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying something because I’ve been to and visited every single state.”

Kris Karr Joseph Berkes Kamryn Browning

Claire Berkes Chelsea Albright Kendall Kostohryz

Take a Ride on the

Taco Trail

BY SHILO URBAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRYSTAL WISE

Searching for the perfect taco? Hunting for the handheld holy grail of fresh-roasted meat and bright salsa wrapped up in a warm corn tortilla? Head to Sylvania Avenue and 28th Street on the East Side to find more than two dozen taquerias, food trucks, and sit-down restaurants to explore on your epic taco quest. Each outlet offers a unique take on the ubiquitous Mexican street food, with taqueros (taco chefs) dishing out everything from trendy beef birria and spicy chorizo to chicken and vegan eats. But don’t overlook the suadero and deshebrada — unfamiliar meats are a good indication that the taqueria is more authentic.

Another good sign: No hablan inglés. Some taqueros don’t speak English, so you might want to brush up on your menu Spanish before you go. Most of these taquerias are small family-owned businesses, many with inconsistent hours and no websites. Some

take only cash, and ambiance is lacking in general. Yet with vibrant flavors and modest prices, this string of taco shops is the ideal destination to broaden your gustatory horizons.

Just remember, the only rule when it comes to tacos is, there are no rules. One man’s barbacoa is another woman’s tlaquepaque. You say cabeza, I say cachete. Is it al pastor, trompo, or adobada? The only way to discover the truth is to try them all, which is exactly what we did to bring you the ultimate Tex-Mex foodie adventure: the Fort Worth Taco Trail.

We’ve chosen a dozen of the top taco spots to include on the Fort Worth Taco Trail, a route that covers five miles from Guapo Taco to Tres Betos — so you could theoretically visit all 12 eateries on one heroic bicycle ride. Mere mortals can simply pick and choose, following new paths to your favorite fillings … and finding even more to love about your hometown.

1 Guapo Taco

You can’t judge a book by its cover, nor a taqueria by its gas station environs. Situated in the back corner of Dave’s convenience store (and stumbling distance from Martin House Brewery), this hidden gem serves up street tacos and mess-worthy birria tacos made with lamb or beef barbacoa. Guapo’s three signature tacos show up on flour tortillas, a default that you won’t see elsewhere on the Taco Trail, where corn tortillas reign supreme. The tacos showcase the vivid colors and flavors the taqueria is known for, with a rainbow of ingredients like purple onions, red guajillo crema, and blistered yellow corn. They’re the brainchild of chef Angel Fuentes, who captains the griddle and crafts the house-made chorizo. His elote loco (crazy Mexican corn) is tricked out with tangy Takis chips and cotija cheese, along with crema, mayo, and chile lime dust — one of the best side dishes on the Taco Trail. Fuentes’ not-too-hot red salsa goes well with his flame-kissed asada, and the green is thick and lush. Guapo Taco transcends every other establishment around for vegan cuisine with a whole menu of plant-based eats and specialty tacos loaded with proteins like soy asada, al pastor-seasoned cauliflower, and mushrooms with pico.

Tastiest taco: Asada

Standout salsa: Red

Best for: Taco lovers with a thing for vegetables

Heads-up: You won’t see them on the menu, but you can order mini churros drizzled with chocolate and/or caramel sauce for dessert

Dine-in? Yes

Credit cards? Yes

301 N. Sylvania Ave.

2 Taqueria Don Taco

Parked in the lot of Stagecoach Ballroom just south of US 377, this green and yellow truck plays it a little differently with a few of its fillings. Al pastor lacks the pork’s standard vermillion

Guapo Taco

Taqueria Don Taco

coloring, which comes from a marinade of chile, pineapple, and achiote (a redorange paste made from seeds). Yet it’s missing none of the potency — it’s juicy and dripping with deliciousness. The carnitas seem more like roast pork, tender instead of crispy, with a peppery taste. Asada is also a solid bet. All the tacos come with grilled onions and lime, plus some of the freshest corn tortillas on the Taco Trail. You’ll need the citrus to balance the cabeza, a fattier cut from the beef cheek. The elote is basic but cool and creamy with mayo and heaps of cotija, and you can wet your whistle with a Topo Chico or Mexican Coke. For dessert, peruse three shelves stacked with Mexican candies and packaged pastries like caramel empanadas, guava rolls, and pineapple coconut bars.

Tastiest taco: Al pastor

Standout salsa: Green

Best for: Taco lovers with a sweet tooth

Heads-up: Both red and green salsas are hot, hot, hot

Dine-in? No, but there is a card table with four chairs in front of the truck Credit cards? No

309 N. Sylvania Ave.

3

Taqueria Adrec’s

With an alchemic blend of seared, sweet, savory, and hearty flavors, Adrec’s asada is one of the highlights of the Taco Trail. Whether its secret is in the seasoning, the cut of beef, or the wood smoke — this blue truck attracts a thick crowd from all walks of life to the convenience store parking lot it calls home. Another hit: adobada, one of al pastor’s closest cousins. The two pork fillings share similar marinades, but al pastor is traditionally roasted on a spit while adobada is grilled or braised (fried lightly then stewed). Adrec’s braised adobada is saucy and dripping with goodness, an outlier in the street taco realm of drier meats. It also serves tasty trompo and uber-tender barbacoa, although asada is its top seller. Adrec’s scorchy red salsa pairs with all three, while the grassy green one proffers a

smoldering burn that lingers on the lips long after your final bite. Tacos come in fluffy corn tortillas and are sprinkled with chopped cilantro only (instead of the usual cilantro and onion mix). Instead, you’ll have a mound of grilled onions on the side with a hunky charred jalapeño, sliced radish, and some lime. Thirsty? They bust out the house-made horchata around 7:30 p.m.

Tastiest taco: Asada

Standout salsa: Red

Best for: Taco lovers who hate onions

Heads-up: If you think you’re seeing triple, you’re right: Taqueria Adrec’s has three locations. The blue truck mentioned above is directly north of U.S. 377 on N. Sylvania. There’s also a white truck on N. Sylvania about three blocks north and a dine-in location on NE 28th inside a convenience store. But the menu items are not consistent, and the blue truck is our favorite.

Dine-in? No

Credit cards? Yes

401-403 N. Sylvania Ave.

4

Calisience

Stuffed with slow-simmered beef and a pillow of melted cheese, then griddled to a golden crisp and dipped in rich consommé — birria tacos have taken Fort Worth by storm in the last few years. And we have the owner of Calisience, Jacqueline Anaya, in part to thank for that. Her wildly popular food truck showcased birria tacos and stoked the fires of the toothsome trend, which we all hope is here to stay. Her award-winning brick-and-mortar (opened in late 2022) keeps the delectable beef birria front and center, starting with her signature tacos dorados (golden tacos). Every element is infused with the luscious consommé: the succulent beef, the corn tortillas, and the final bite as you drip it from the bowl to your mouth. The consistent crispiness of the tortillas and deep nuances of the broth set Anaya’s birria tacos above the rest. All the other entrees feature birria as well. The birria ramen shines with a zing of lime, and

Adrec’s

Taqueria

the seared cheese sandwich is fall-apart heaven. You’ll end up dipping it in your bowl of consommé, too, or maybe in the mild salsa verde. Calisience is also known for its strawberry horchata, and the mango is just as tempting — an iced-down tropical creamsicle that’s the perfect foil to the birria’s savory verve.

Tastiest taco: Birria

Standout salsa: Green

Best for: Taco lovers who want to dine in style

Heads-up: A liquor license is in the works and will hopefully arrive soon

Dine-in? Yes

Credit cards? Yes

2707 Race St., Ste. 117

5

Tortilleria La Nueva de Zacatecas

“BE PREPARED TO SPEAK SPANISH.”

Don’t be intimidated by the sign on the window at La Nueva de Zacatecas; they’re super nice inside and graceful about mangled attempts to pronounce their menu items. With 10 branches scattered around the DFW area, this tortilla shop sells takeout tacos in addition to its house-made tortillas fresh off the comal (tortilla griddle). You can also pick up to-go containers of its nopales (cactus) salad and seven types of salsas including habanero, avocado, and tomatillo. As expected, its tortilla game is on point: supple and warm with flecks of char and a springy texture. Wrapped around rajas (strips of onion and poblano) and molten Monterey Jack, they’re cozy and comforting. The menu here is more diverse than many, with 15 fillings including veg-focused options and three barbacoas (beef cheek, tongue, and lamb). Small hunks of potato hide in the beef picadillo, and the mellow deshebrada (boiled beef) plays well with the soft corn tortillas. Most of the meats need a little salt, which you might be tempted to amend by dashing on the brilliant red arbol salsa. Be wary: Its brawny, nutty flavor is soon usurped by a raging inferno in your face. Luckily, there are jugs of milk and juices (beet,

carrot, and cactus) in the fridge to douse out the firestorm.

Tastiest taco: Rajas con queso Standout salsa: Green

Best for: Taco lovers looking for the freshest tortillas

Heads-up: If you want to take home a package of tortillas, get there early — they run out before the end of the day

Dine-in? No

Credit cards? Yes

831 N. Sylvania Ave.

6Tacos Los Irresistibles

A knife-wielding skeleton chef with a dramatic mustache greets you at the door of this well-branded establishment, which specializes in tacos de trompo. A spit-roasted pork with a citrus-chile pep, trompo is al pastor’s cousin from the Mexican city of Monterrey. Los Irresistibles stacks it up high and offers complimentary pineapple if you’d like (just ask for piña). You’ll also get a generous pile of grilled onions and access to the condiment bar, the only one on the Taco Trail (with minced onion, cilantro, lime, pickled vegetables, a satiny green salsa, and a toasty red sauce). The juicy pork chicharrón arrives sauced up already, but the frijoles charros preparados (prepared charro beans) steal the show. Bits of trompo, ham, hot dogs, cheese, onion, and bell peppers fight for space in the beer-based broth with a few puny pintos at the bottom. Nacho cheese fries are mountained with asada and best enjoyed on the late-night trip after you’ve had a drink or two (try them in a flour tortilla). Try to save room for dessert: cajeta-filled churros so dense and rich that they need a little ice cream to lighten them up. The piping-hot caramel will likely squirt onto your hand when you take the first bite — so totally worth the first-degree burn.

Tastiest taco: Trompo Standout salsa: Green

Best for: Taco lovers who like a big menu Heads-up: Tacos de trompo are just $1

Tacopedia

You’ve probably tried asada and carnitas, but what about campechano, lengua, or nopales? Use this handy guide to help you savor new flavors on the Taco Trail.

Adobada – Braised or grilled seasoned pork, similar to al pastor

Al Pastor/Pastor – Pork seasoned with chile, achiote, and pineapple or another citrus, then roasted (traditionally on a vertical spit) and sliced thin

Asada – Seared, flame-grilled or roasted beef with a charred flavor

Barbacoa – Tender, slow-roasted beef, usually beef cheek

Birria – Stewed, slow-cooked meat, typically beef or lamb

Bistec – Flavorful, chewy beef skirt steak cooked on a griddle and chopped

Borrego – Lamb

Buche – Soft, simmered pork stomach

Cabeza – Beef head (usually cheek) slow-roasted until it’s falling apart

Cachete – Beef cheek

Campechano –Combination of beef and pork

Carnitas – Pulled pork that’s slowcooked then roasted or fried until crisp

Chicharrón – Pork rinds with meat attached, fried then slow-cooked in sauce

Chorizo – Pork sausage seasoned with paprika and other spices

Deshebrada –Boiled, shredded beef

Higado – Liver

Jamon – Ham

Lengua – Beef tongue

Nopales – Prickly pear cactus

Pollo – Chicken

Picadillo – Ground beef, often with small chunks of potatoes

Rajas – Strips of poblano peppers and sometimes onions

Suadero – A cut of beef between the sirloin and flank that’s slow-cooked for a smooth texture

Tripas – Boiled, grilled beef intestines

Tlaquepaque –Stewed barbacoa

Tocino – Bacon

Trompo – Spitroasted pork with a slightly smoky, paprika-based seasoning

Calisience

Tortilleria La Nueva de Zacatecas

Tacos Los Irresistibles

each on Tuesday and Thursday

Dine-in? Yes

Credit cards? Yes

1308 N. Sylvania Ave.

7

Comedor El Zabrosito

With a comfy dining room and cold Modelo in the fridge, this highly rated Salvadoran restaurant is worth the swerve around Central America from Mexico into El Salvador. But there’s still plenty of Mexican cuisine to try. Asada, barbacoa, pollo, tripas, and lengua tacos share the menu with traditional Salvadoran dishes and seafood. They also sell dreamy pupusas made to order, hot and buttery corn flatbreads stuffed with melted cheese and vegetables or meat. Other Salvadoran delights include yucca con chicharrón (deepfried cassava root with nobs of pork) and curtido (a tangy fermented cabbage slaw with carrot, onion, and oregano). The earthy green and thin red salsas are the mildest on the Taco Trail; try the slaw on your tacos instead for a blast of pizzazz. It’s especially appealing with the oh-sosoft lengua (beef tongue) and the stewy pollo, which is made with chicken thigh and a touch of tomato. Friendly, attentive service matches the restaurant’s upbeat atmosphere, though the food takes a while to arrive. Just put a little lime and salt in your cerveza and relax, Central American style.

Tastiest taco: Pollo

Standout salsa: Green

Best for: Taco lovers who don’t do spicy

Heads-up: Ask about their off-menu dessert specials, like quesadilla Salvadoreña (a sweet cheese pound cake)

Dine-in? Yes

Credit cards? Yes

1712 N. Sylvania Ave.

8 Taqueria Temo

Vehicles crowd the Texaco parking lot around this long-standing taco truck that hands out pagers to keep track of all the orders coming

Taqueria Temo

Taco The Town

The spice of your taco life is this corridor on the East Side at the corner of Damn and That’s Good.

through. Temo’s specialty is the crowdpleaser al pastor, and its version of the peppy red pork has an edgy sharpness and just enough kick. The crumbled, smoky asada and tender barbacoa are quite tasty too — you may have a hard time deciding your favorite. The juicier barbacoa fits with the creamy green salsa, which isn’t very acidic but works nonetheless. Temo’s also makes sincronizadas. A bit like quesadillas on steroids, sincronizadas are half-moon tortilla sandwiches full of meat and melting cheese with tomato, onion,

avocado, and pickled jalapeños. Wash it all down with a bottle of Sangría Señorial, a nonalcoholic fruit soda with hints of cola and wine.

Tastiest taco: Barbacoa

Standout salsa: Green

Best for: Taco lovers running on empty Heads-up: You might want to ask for extra salsa; their portion size is a bit small, especially for larger orders Dine-in? No

Credit cards? Yes 2611 NE 28th St.

Mount Olivet Cemetery

1. Guapo Taco

2. Taqueria Don Taco

3. Taqueria Adrec’s

4. Calisience

5. Tortilleria La Nueva de Zacatecas

6. Tacos Los Irresistibles

7. Comedor El Zabrosito

8. Taqueria Temo

9. Tacos El Barrio

10. Gorditas Mi Durango

11. Tacos Estilo D.F.

12. Tres Betos Taqueria

Comedor El Zabrosito

Tacos El Barrio

Team Rojo or Team Verde?

When it comes to salsa for your tacos, should you go red or green?

Salsa rojo usually packs more heat than salsa verde, and many people stick with the classic pairing: red for beef and green for pork and chicken. But just like the rebellious taco, salsa refuses to play by the rules. To choose wisely on your quest, consider the following guidelines (and the sturdiness of your stomach).

Classic red salsa is made with tomatoes. Red salsas are also more likely to have roasted, dried, or smoked elements such as chile de arbol, which complements heartier dishes like asada and tamales. Some red salsas skip the tomatoes in favor of red chiles mixed with a little oil, onion, cilantro, and/or lime juice. These often have an orange hue.

Tomatillos are typically the main ingredients in green salsa, and avocado is a popular add-in. A mellow green salsa is ideal for milder, lighter foods like grilled chicken and veggie tacos. But don’t be fooled — green salsas can also be hot! Some go heavy on the jalapeño

and serrano peppers and will set your mouth on fire.

The basic difference between many red and green salsas corresponds to the ripeness of the chiles. Red salsas use more mature chiles, which generally make them hotter and sweeter. Less ripe chiles go into green salsas, so they often taste milder and more bitter.

Red and green salsas are just the beginning! Step into the infinite salsascape and discover an incredible variety of ingredients, including peanuts, mango, pineapple, cinnamon, roasted corn, cacao nibs, guajillo chiles, pasilla chiles, and every other chile that grows under the warm Mexican sun. Pass the tortilla chips, please!

9

Tacos El Barrio

Neon-colored signage beckons you into Tacos El Barrio with the energetic promise of TACOS, and the cheerful mood continues inside with yellow and turquoise walls. It serves tacos estilo D.F. (in the style of the Federal District aka Mexico City), a catch-all label for classic, no-frills street tacos. For the most authentic experience, try the suadero — it’s the only taco to originate in Mexico City. A thin cut that’s found between the sirloin and flank, this slow-cooked beef has a smooth and slightly chewy texture. It’s fatty in a good way, as is their chunky barbacoa. Each table here is set with two saltshakers and no pepper, but you’ll have spice enough in the fiery red sauce. The green gives off more back-end heat, and both salsas might necessitate an icy glass of agua de jamaica (sweet hibiscusflavored water) to cool off. Side dishes? There are none unless you want to count the alambre, a full-size slathering of steak, chopped bacon, onion, bell pepper, and cheese with a short stack of corn or flour tortillas.

Tastiest taco: Suadero

Standout salsa: Green

Best for: Taco lovers who don’t need bells and whistles

Heads-up: “Gringas” on the menu is basically a quesadilla: a flour tortilla filled with meat and cheese then folded in half and griddled

Dine-in? Yes

Credit cards? Yes

2705 NE 28th St., Ste. 108

10 Gorditas Mi Durango

This white-and-yellow food truck has fewer taco fillings on offer (al pastor, asada, buche, and cabeza), but that’s because gorditas are the star of the show. Its slow-roasted cabeza brings a beautiful balance between flavor and chew. If you love barbacoa and want to branch out, cabeza is a great place to start. Skip the asada in favor of the al pastor and be sure to sample the red and

green salsas. Both hit the Goldilocks spot in the middle of the road: not too spicy or too bland, not too thick or too watery — just right. And for some classic Mexican comfort food, don’t leave without trying a gordita, a cushy disk of masa bursting with soul-soothing goodness like beef picadillo, pork chicharrón, eggs or beans, and cheese. Cold cans of soda are in the ice chest at your feet.

Tastiest taco: Cabeza

Standout salsa: Red

Best for: Taco lovers who must have melted cheese

Heads-up: If you stop by on Saturday or Sunday you can try the menudo, especially if you’ve tied one on the night before. It’s a traditional Mexican hangover cure.

Dine-in? A few outdoor tables with seating and shade Credit cards? Yes

3321 NE 28th St.

11

Tacos Estilo D.F.

You’ll find a warm welcome and feelgood vibes at this red taco truck. Asada and suadero are high on the list here, and the al pastor has a subtle sweetness that’s set off by a squeeze of lime. But don’t sleep on the robust, ruddy chorizo. It doesn’t even need the palate punch of the red and green salsas, which dance right on the line of almost too hot but not quite. Little touches like a baggie of rations (sliced carrots, radishes, red onions, and lime) add a homey feel that’s amplified by the friendly faces. Still hungry? Add a zippy Mexican shrimp cocktail, prawns, and raw veggies in a cold tomato soup. Or if you didn’t come to play, try the pambazos: the messiest sandwich known to humankind. Torta bread is dipped in a red guajillo sauce and fried, then packed heavy with meat, potatoes, refried beans, crema, queso fresco, jalapeños, onions, lettuce, and tomato.

Tastiest taco: Chorizo

Standout salsa: Green Best for: Taco lovers who brought some wet wipes

Heads-up: With the noisy traffic of 28th Street so close, you’ll probably prefer to take your food and go

Dine-in? No, but there are three random chairs and a small side table

Credit cards? No

3501 NE 28th St.

12Tres Betos Taqueria

Located west of Interstate 35, this strip mall restaurant has an extensive daily menu for breakfast and lunch, plus dinner on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. You can order huevos rancheros and pork chops anytime they’re open, but we’re here for the tacos. Choose the queso taco combo for a birria-like experience. Fluorescent orange tortillas have been steeped in consommé, less salty and rich than some — which just makes you want to sip it. Monterey Jack oozes out of the tacos, with some bits cooking to a crisp on the griddle. Street tacos are on the greasy side and come with copious lime, grilled jalapeño, and onion; asada is the fan favorite. The chilled green salsa is velvety and thick, and the free-flowing red one will curl up your toes. Good thing that Tres Betos’ drink menu is off the chain, with watermelon agua fresca and strawberry horchata served in giant cups with lots of fruit. But their eye-catching michelada wins the prize. Five jumbo shrimp hang on for dear life beside a pile of sliced cucumbers, all doused with spicy sauce and seasonings that climb right up the straw. Salud!

Tastiest taco: Queso/birria

Standout salsa: Green

Best for: Taco lovers who need a picture menu — or a drink

Heads-up: Serving sizes are large, including the beverages

Dine-in? Yes

Credit cards? Yes

2408 NE 28th St.

Tacos Estilo D.F.

Tres Betos Taqueria

Lucas Eto returns a serve during the finals against NYU at the College Table Tennis National Championship.

The Greatest EVER

The

disintegration of Yugoslavia, a golf coach’s persistence, and how Texas Wesleyan transformed table tennis into the winningest idea ever.

BY BRIAN KENDALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRYSTAL WISE

FIRST SET

A ball should not be able to move like that.

Don’t misunderstand me; I’m well aware of, if unscientifically, the existence of what sports commentators call spin. But this … this is different. This paddled strike of a near-weightless ball made of celluloid seems to have broken one or two laws of physics. It’s as if the thumb and index finger of a ghost keen on hijinks flicked the tiny object as it struck the table, causing it to evade any and all paddles. To put it simply, the shot is a damn miracle.

And yet, despite the amazing play and the gravity of the moment, there are no audible gasps or claps. The only sound that follows is a screaming of the word “Cho” from Lucas Eto, the Texas Wesleyan student responsible for the shot. The lack of a response makes me wonder if my eyes have played a trick on me. Perhaps the speed of the game is causing my internal processor to go into buffer mode. But this isn’t the case. Only later do I realize that, in this sport — and, yes, table tennis is a sport — this shot is nothing out of the ordinary. These things, call them gravity-defying moments, just happen.

Following the point, Lucas, a bespectacled sophomore whose loose-fitting basketball shorts still fit snuggly, has gone up two points in the second set. He’s also up 1-0 on sets, so the opposing player, a medium-statured man with “Cal” written on his chest, is

getting visibly frustrated. Makes sense; the stakes are high.

The match, part of the coed semifinals at the College Table Tennis National Championships, is taking place in mid-April in Round Rock, and the magazine’s photographer, Crystal Wise, and I are in attendance. Our presence is the result of curiosity more than anything else. If all goes according to plan, and Texas Wesleyan wins, there’s nothing newsworthy about this particular championship. It’s not a historic match. After all, history was made long ago by the Texas Wesleyan table tennis team.

Though this might be news to the uninitiated, the Ram table tennis team is on one of the greatest, if not the absolute greatest, winning streaks in the history of college sports. Every year since 2004, when Texas Wesleyan first joined the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association, the Rams have won a title in at least one of the championship’s now six events (coed team, women’s team, men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles). This includes 74 total titles and 14 coed titles — losing college table tennis’ crown jewel event only three times in the past 18 years.

“They’re the Yankees of college table tennis,” Willy Leparulo, president of the NCTTA, says. “They’re who every other program looks up to. They want to be them, and they want to beat them.”

While the Yankees might seem like an apt comparison, their 27 titles over the past 110 years pale in comparison to Texas Wes-

leyan’s run of 74 trophies in less than two decades. Scouring the internet in an attempt to find a comparable team in all of America’s college and professional sports proved futile. Even the New Zealand national rugby union team, the All Blacks, considered the most dominant team in the history of teams and sports, have “only” won three of nine Rugby World Cups.

The truth is, the Yankees are the Texas Wesleyan of baseball. And I suddenly realize that only if Texas Wesleyan were to get shut out of all first-place finishes would this championship then become historic. A loss by so dominant a team would be a seismic rumble felt across the table tennis world.

Lucas, who played in the match’s second contest, beats his UC Berkeley opponent in straight sets. It was an important victory given that the first man up, Eduardo Tomoike, lost to Olympian Nikhil Kumar in the first game. So, the overall match, which uses four players per team in a first-to-three format (a doubles match serves as a tiebreaker if the score is 2-2), is now 1-1.

Fortunately, in this semifinal, it wouldn’t have to go to a doubles match. The next two players, Santiago Montes and Nikki Deng, won their matches.

They knock out Cal and move on to the Finals, where they’ll face NYU, the reigning coed champions.

SECOND SET

There’s no “the” reason Texas Wesleyan’s table tennis program is so successful. There’s nothing singular about it. It’s a collection of people, circumstances, hard work, and a little luck. But if someone were to point their finger at the program’s biggest catalyst, it would be Jasna Rather, the team’s coach since 2006.

blueprint that other schools can follow. We just need other colleges and Ivy Leagues to accept [table tennis] as a recreational sport.”

In her own words, Jasna is from a place that no longer exists. Born in what is today Bosnia and Herzegovina, she mostly grew up in the city of Zagreb in what is now Croatia. But ask her whether she considers herself a Croat, Bosniak, or Serb, and she’ll tell you she considers herself Yugoslavian, the union of six republics that would become six separate countries in the early ’90s. Even when referring to home, she’ll call it “former Yugoslavia.”

“It’s like if you represent the U.S. and then somebody just says, ‘You know, now there’s a Texas nation.’ But you’re, like, ‘No, I’m American.’ And especially if you lived in a couple different states, like I did, it feels weird.”

In hopes that this doesn’t suggest any of her political sympathies (because she did not make any known to me), she clearly looks back on her time in communist Yugoslavia with fondness. When she’s looking at things in retrospect, it’s with a certain wide-eyed naivety.

Despite having a father who was a gymnast, Jasna was forced into table tennis at a young age, thanks to her uncle who was a coach and her older sister who already played.

“The truth is, the Yankees are the Texas Wesleyan of baseball.”

Nearly three months after the college national championships, a different national championship, the USA Table Tennis National Championship, took place in the Fort Worth Convention Center. Having missed a chance to chat with her in Round Rock, this is where Jasna agrees to meet me.

“I had no idea this was going on,” I tell her when I arrive. It’s hard to pin an exact number on it, but my knack for exaggeration wants me to say over 1,000 table-tennis tables had seized the entire square footage of the convention center for the event.

“Really? You had no idea?” she asks. “So, we had this here last year, but the year before it was somewhere else. They messed everything up. And every time, when they mess up somewhere else, the membership complains, and they come back here.”

As a side hustle, Jasna is the para program manager and director for USA Table Tennis. This means she works closely with para-athletes, table tennis players with disabilities, including physical and cognitive. Given that this event includes para-athletes, she’s working. I follow her as she weaves through the maze of table-tennis tables, stopping to chat with every fourth person she crosses, all of whom give her and the Texas Wesleyan program unsolicited praise. In this world, a small world that seems mighty in this convention center, Jasna is royalty.

“Texas Wesleyan is the gold standard,” former Texas Wesleyan assistant coach Keith Evans said after Jasna introduced us. “I mean, in terms of collegiate table tennis, it’s the starting point. It has the

“I never thought I was doing something important,” Jasna says. “It was more something to do.”

But she was a natural. She was gifted. And she hated practice, something for which she’s known in the table tennis community.

“I knew her since she was 6 years old,” Matjaž Sercer, current coach of the Great Britain para table tennis team, says. “She was amazing. Everybody trained much more, but she had the feeling, and those who have the feeling can train a bit less.”

It was eventually a tournament that piqued her interest in the sport. The thrill of competition suddenly supplanted the monotony of practice that she associated with table tennis. She made the national team at 12 and was playing in adult international competitions at 13. At 16, Jasna, along with her playing partner, Gordana Perkučin, won the tournament for Olympic qualifications and eventually earned a bronze medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. In what is perhaps the antithesis of a good example of grit and grind, Jasna is an Olympic medalist who unabashedly hates practice and is naturally gifted at the sport.

And then the war came. Just two years removed from her medaling performance in Seoul, Yugoslavia, her country, began the gradual process of fracturing into nonexistence. “When you grow up in some country, play for that country, and then suddenly, someone tells you, ‘There’s no more country. This country doesn’t exist.’ That was really difficult.”

At the time, Jasna had fallen in love with and married a fellow table tennis player, Ilija Lupulesku, who was avoiding conscription. The mandatory military service would have put him in the thick of the war and taking up arms with a side that was seemingly indefinable. So, the pair managed to stay out of the country, dodging the conscription while hoping for the Olympic committee to step in. One of the places they spent time was in the U.S., where some

Americans she’d met convinced the two to apply for green cards. With her husband unwilling to tag along — the two had been playing tennis table professionally in Japan — combined with some other incompatibilities, Jasna filed for divorce and eventually ended up in Michigan, where she took up residence at an Olympic training center and started going to school. In 1999, she received her citizenship just two days before the deadline to sign up for the Olympic trials. Again, admitting to barely training, Jasna made the 2000 United States Olympic team. Throw in stints in Japan, Chicago, Belgium, and Germany; another name change; perhaps a couple no-good-for-her boyfriends; another trip to the Olympics in 2004; and you have Jasna’s story before becoming the Texas Wesleyan table tennis coach.

Jasna first came to Fort Worth in 2002 as a player when the program’s first coach, Christian Lillieroos, recruited Jasna after promising the school he’d recruit an Olympian. She would resurface in Fort Worth a second time in 2006, this time serving as a player/coach before eventually dropping everything preceding the coach part of her title.

The program was the brainchild of then-assistant golf coach and Texas Wesleyan alum Bobby Cornett, who had lobbied for the creation of a table tennis team since 1982 when he first started working for the university. But, with table tennis not sanctioned by either the NAIA, the college sports association in which the Rams currently belong, or the NCAA, the college sports association in which the Rams once belonged, it was a difficult pitch. Table tennis, to the college sports world, was and largely still is a club sport. The table tennis governing body is the aforementioned NCTTA, which has over 200 members (including many NCAA Division I schools one would recognize). But, after a short stint in the NCAA, then-college president Dr. Harold Jeffcoat saw the potential for a table tennis program to set the school apart from other smallcollege athletic programs.

programs’ dislike for Texas Wesleyan. But Jasna and those associated with the school are also not shy about the scholarships being a positive differentiator. After all, they’re bringing in good kids from around the world, giving them a great education, and opening a pathway to American citizenship. What about this should make them bashful?

“I am American now,” Zhe Feng, a member of the 2017 Texas Wesleyan team, told me quickly after saying he was originally from China.

In that same Fort Worth Weekly story, Jasna explained her hope that more schools would follow Texas Wesleyan’s lead in offering scholarship money. Yet, since that interview’s publication in 2008, only one additional school, nearby Dallas Baptist University, is offering scholarships to table tennis players.

“TWU needed something different, something unique for the sporting public in Fort Worth,” Jeffcoat told the Fort Worth Weekly in a 2008 interview. “We needed something new and exciting, fast-paced, and where for a modest investment we could be very competitive.”

What set the university apart from other NCTTA programs was its willingness to award scholarships to players. No other NCTTA school was, and only one other currently is, doing this. This, naturally, causes some irritation among other member schools, who might feel the playing field isn’t entirely level. There’s likely a reason Jasna, on more than a few occasions, referenced other

Another question concerns whether or not the sport will one day become NCAA sanctioned, an upgrade in collegiate athletic clout that the NCTTA remains hopeful could come. Such a promotion in athletic associations would bring more, bigger, better programs offering scholarship money to players. Great for the sport. Not so great for Texas Wesleyan’s dynasty. However, according to NCAA associate director Gail Dent, table tennis remains on the outside looking in.

“We have not seen the minimum numbers yet with table tennis,” Dent says via email. In other words, after Title 9, the NCAA requires all new and emerging sports to be geared toward and offer substantial opportunities for women — this due to men having a disproportionate number of athletic opportunities when compared to women. Thus, table tennis must not only recruit new players (a hard enough task), but female players. And they must do so in a sport that, according to Jasna, is male dominated. Sports currently in the NCAA’s emerging sports for women program include rugby, wrestling, equestrian, and triathlon.

Another wrinkle is the fact Texas Wesleyan is not an NCAA school; they compete in the NAIA. And, unfortunately, the two don’t play nice with one another; you can’t be a full-time member in one and a part-time member in the other. This means the gold standard for table tennis teams, the Rams, could end up on the outside looking in.

“But surely, they’d make an exception,” Leparulo says. “I can’t imagine they’d leave a program like Texas Wesleyan out.”

Jasna, for her part, is neither convinced a jump to the NCAA is plausible nor that the school could easily take a sip from the NCAA well. But regardless of what happens to the team, she’s not going

Jasna Rather

anywhere and feels right at home in Fort Worth. She’s remarried, has a kid, can take off to the former Yugoslavia (Croatia) to visit her sister whenever she pleases, and loves her job.

“I used to, in the beginning, no matter which country I was in, it was my country [whether Croatia or U.S.],” Jasna says. “Now, this is my home. I feel Fort Worth is my home; when I go [to Croatia], I miss Fort Worth.”

THIRD SET

On March 28, 2020, when COVID became more than the next tinhorn pandemic scare — it became very, very real — Zhen Deng and Jiaqi Lin, two new Texas Wesleyan recruits, came to Fort Worth via a flight from China. Jasna didn’t know this at the time, but this would be the final flight from China to the U.S. before China shut its borders. They wouldn’t reopen until January of this year, and the frequency of flights to and from China are only 6% what they were pre-pandemic.

“I picked them up and drove them from the airport to the school,” Jasna says. “All of my friends said I was crazy.”

No one got COVID, and none of the three were patient one in Tarrant County. However, this meant that Zhen and Jiaqi wouldn’t be able to return home. And to this day, neither has. They now had to become accustomed to life across the Pacific without any reprieves of going home. If one got homesick, an airline flight to catch a respite was not an option.

ship money, no scholarship money. I don’t care if their program has a leg up or if they contradict my typical love for underdogs. As I sit watching the final between NYU and Texas Wesleyan, my competitive spirit begins manifesting into some negative opinions toward the NYU guys. And guys they are, unkempt and kinda brutish, all four of them. Texas Wesleyan’s coed team, on the other hand, is a true coed team, with Zhen serving as the anchor.

After the Rams had lost earlier in the women’s team final to UCLA — an expected loss given UCLA’s team — combined with another runner-up finish at the women’s doubles, all of the proverbial eggs are now in this basket. The No. 1-ranked Texas Wesleyan, if they want to keep their monumental streak of titles alive, have to win the coed team tournament.

“This means the gold standard for table tennis teams, the Rams, could end up on the outside looking in.”

“I think, in the beginning, it’s very hard because in China, we always only do one thing,” Jiaqi says. “You only study or you only play. So, this was my first time practicing and studying all at the same time. And then it was the beginning of COVID. So, for me it was hard because I cannot see my family.

“But after a half or one year, it’s much better because I know a lot of international friends, and my teammates, they’re not only my friends; it’s like my family because we’re all taking care of each other.”

I asked a number of people who attended Texas Wesleyan and played for the table tennis team about their experiences. Without fail, even with Jasna walking away due to bashfulness, every person once under Jasna’s coaching stewardship mentioned the word “family.” It stood out.

The majority of Texas Wesleyan’s table tennis team is international. The men’s side, at least those competing in Round Rock, is currently dominated by Latin Americans, including two who hail from Brazil (Lucas and Eduardo) and one Colombian (Santiago). On the women’s side is Zhen and Jiaqi from China and Sofija Scepanovic from Serbia. With few opportunities to go home to visit family, and, in the case of Zhen and Jiaqi, no opportunity, it becomes a necessity to build their own family — their own support system — at Texas Wesleyan. Despite, in some cases, being from separate continents tens of thousands of miles apart, the student athletes relate to one another in the most fundamental of ways: They need someone.

And it’s damn near impossible not to root for them — scholar-

But whatever confidence I may have had was deflated when Eduardo, the team’s star and unequivocal best player of the bunch, loses in straight sets. After, Lucas, hyped and hitter of the greatest shot I’ve seen, loses 3-1. Texas Wesleyan was now in the hole 0-2. While I kept pumping my fist out of enthusiasm and clinching my jaw out of nervousness, it became obvious early on that this wasn’t Texas Wesleyan’s year. It wasn’t in the cards. They were, for the first time in 18 years, going to lose in every event.

Santiago and Zhen kept it interesting, winning their respective matches to force a doubles tiebreak. But Eduardo and Zhen would have to face the same two guys who earlier won the men’s doubles championship.

They lost in straight sets, and NYU, in a large arena filled with empty seats and a few dozen people sitting on two rows of mobile bleachers, celebrated like anyone would — like they won the damn World Series ’cause, well, they did.

The following day, Eduardo would lose in the quarterfinals of the men’s singles tournament, and Zhen would lose in the finals to UCLA’s No. 1-ranked Amy Wang, finishing, for the second year in a row, second place.

While they wouldn’t add to their massive win tally, Texas Wesleyan, when it was all said and done, would finish runners-up in four of the six events.

When I asked Jasna about the streak coming to an end — going home empty-handed for the first time since she became coach — she didn’t give any soliloquies or meditations on losing because, even though she doesn’t like losing, it’s not worthy of such contemplation.

“When I was younger, I didn’t like to lose. And the next day, you need to read the newspaper, and the newspaper is going to have something about how this person beat you. I just don’t buy the newspaper that day.

“There’s always a next tournament. It’s not a big deal. At the end of the day, you can’t take losses heavily because you’re gonna quit.”

Most of this year’s team will be returning next year, so the good guys will have another crack at it. And, based on my conversations with them, they aren’t letting a string of runner-up finishes eat at them, either.

Besides, what more is there to prove?

TOP TEACHERS 2023

“Teachers help tiny seeds grow into mighty trees.” This phrase has been featured on many teacher appreciation gifts over the years because it’s true.

BY DEV’N GOODMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRYSTAL WISE

Founding Father John Adams once said, “There are two types of education … one should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live.” The Top Teachers of 2023 share this key understanding, which might explain why peers, parents, and students agree: These educators are leading the way in the work to empower the next generation.

A piece of advice often passed down from teacher to teacher is “build a relationship with each student” — something easier said than done. No matter the age, grade, or subject being taught, each 2023 Top Teacher has found a way, their own special way, to ensure their students receive far more than a simple letter grade.

Leo Vaughns Jr. Kirkpatrick Middle School

Whether they have him as a teacher or not, when students enter Kirkpatrick Middle School, Leo Vaughns Jr. is the first to greet them. For generations, students have referred to Vaughns as an “uncle” or “father” or even “Papa Vaughns”; he’s a mentor for every student in the school. While those attending his class will learn the lesson for the day, they will also learn how to be the best version of themselves. One can feel the impact of Vaughns’ investment well beyond the walls of Kirkpatrick Middle School, where he will continue to teach multitudes of youngsters to lead with love.

Meredith Cunningham

Fort Worth Country Day

Every elementary student at Fort Worth Country Day is a student of Meredith Cunningham’s — at least as far as she’s concerned. Of course, it’s those assigned to her class who are in for a special treat. From the first day of school, these students become aware that they are now part of Cunningham’s family. For 15 years, Cunningham has worked closely with parents to create a classroom community that encourages students to both learn and assist. You see, in Cunningham’s class, every student gains an understanding that they are part of a team that must help one another achieve success.

Ann-Marie McCollough

All Saints’ Episcopal School

When Ann-Marie McCollough arrived at All Saints’ Episcopal School, she was determined to make sure every student benefited from her knowledge and expertise in project-based learning and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). McCollough took the time to truly bond with the All Saints’ family, a school that emboldens students to achieve greatness. This vision for success begins in the lower s chool, where the Exploratorium provides hands-on learning for their students, growing their eagerness to learn daily.

Kendall Ladner

Briscoe Elementary

Briscoe Elementary is a school where learning is considered the gateway for students to better understand their own world and the world around them. The prekindergarten teacher Kendall Ladner brings her love of culture and learning to her students by way of books and activities, where Ladner is able to join in and witness her students’ growth. While Briscoe is where Ladner began her teaching career, she’s in no hurry to leave and plans to enlighten little minds in the Morningside community for years to come.

Lindsey Lane

Oakridge School

Lindsey Lane walks into her art classroom at Oakridge School every day ready to welcome students with an open mind. Lane’s goal is to make students feel comfortable and confident with who they truly are while exploring new ways to express who they are growing to be. While many students begin the school year as novices with little interest in art, as the year goes on, her class transforms into a laboratory of risk taking on ambitious projects her students previously thought were unachievable.

Emily Wardlaw

Southwest Christian School

As the junior Bible teacher at Southwest Christian School, Emily Wardlaw has a keen understanding of her students and meets them where they are as teenagers. She takes the time to understand everyone’s distinct perspective and gives each student the individual attention required to achieve their goals. Ultimately, upon graduation, Wardlaw wants her students to enter the next chapter of

their lives with confidence of self and a better understanding of the world around them.

Jennifer Tuff

North Side High School

Learning about science is just the beginning when Jennifer Tuff is the one teaching. Tuff believes in nurturing students’ curiosity and helping them connect what they learn about science to other subjects, themselves, and the world around them. Her classroom discussions work to endear students to ask the big questions.

Will Mitchell

Arlington Heights High School

Once an Arlington Heights student himself, Will Mitchell, who teaches agriculture and is the sponsor for Future Farmers of America, motivates his students to learn far beyond simply memorizing text they see in a book. Mitchell’s hope is that students will develop skills that serve them in all walks of life. Similar to his experiences as a student, Mitchell is continuing a long tradition of a stellar FFA program and agriculture department at Arlington Heights.

Kenneth Scagel

Cassata Catholic High School

At Cassata Catholic High School, educator Kenneth Scagel delights in the opportunity to teach in a classroom where each student is working on something different. Any given day, Scagel might be teaching up to five subjects in one period, a feat he does with grace and a knowledge of exactly what each student needs. While this might seem overwhelming to some, Scagel has the tools and the discipline to ensure every student succeeds.

Chayla Caires

Young Women’s Leadership Academy of Fort Worth

For the art students of Chayla Caires at Young Women’s Leadership Academy of Fort Worth, they know that Caires is both cheering them on and challenging them to push boundaries with every piece they create. Exploration and a cando spirit are key to classroom success, as Caires goes outside of the typical schooling to introduce students to local artists and art spaces. Students and parents alike rave about Caires’ ability to encourage each child to broaden their skills and to increase their understanding of art.

Morgan Pyles

Green Valley Elementary

Having a deep sense of gratitude, after graduating from Birdville High School, Morgan Pyles knew she wanted to give back to the place that provided her foundational education. A few years later, she would return to Birdville ISD, becoming a teacher at Green Valley Elementary, where she emphasizes the importance of creating a calming environment for her students. Thanks to pursuing a career in education running in her family, Morgan knew from Day One she wanted to be a teacher. And she knew when she graduated high school precisely where she wanted to teach. One could say she’s living the dream.

Lindsey Lane

Kendall Ladner

Kenneth Scagel

Ann-Marie McCollough

Jennifer Tuff

Emily Wardlaw

Morgan Pyles

Will Mitchell

Chayla Caires

Meredith Cunningham

2023 School Guide | private

All Saints Catholic School, Fort Worth, 817.624.2670, ascsfw.org

All Saints’ Episcopal School, Fort Worth, 817.560.5700, aseschool.org

Anderson Private School for the Gifted, Talented and Creative, Fort Worth, 817.448.8484, andersonschool.net

Bethesda Christian School, Fort Worth, 817.581.5131, bcsfw.org

Burleson Adventist School, Burleson, 817.295.6812, burlesonadventistschool.net

Calvary Christian Academy, Fort Worth, 817.332.3351, calvaryacademy.com

Cassata Catholic High School, Fort Worth, 817.926.1745, cassatahs.org

Children's University, Arlington, 817.784.6655, childrensuniversity.com

Chisholm Trail Academy, Keene, 817.558.4404, ctanet.org

Covenant Christian Academy, Colleyville, 817.281.4333, covenantchristian.net

Covenant Classical School, Fort Worth, 817.820.0884, covenantfw.org

Creme de la Creme, Colleyville, 817.416.3683, cremedelacreme.com

Cristo Rey Fort Worth, Fort Worth, 817.720.3023, cristoreyfw.org

Crown of Life Lutheran School, Colleyville, 817.251.1881, colschool.org

Ekklesia Christian School, Fort Worth, 817.332.1202, ekklesiachristianschool.org

Fellowship Academy, Kennedale, 817.483.2400, fellowship-academy.org

Flint Academy, Arlington, 817.277.0620, flintacademy.com

Fort Worth Academy, Fort Worth, 817.370.1191, fwacademy.org

Fort Worth Adventist Junior Academy, Fort Worth, 817.370.7177, fwaja.net

Fort Worth Christian School, North Richland Hills, 817.520.6200, fwc.org

Fort Worth Country Day School, Fort Worth, 817.732.7718, fwcd.org

Fort Worth Montessori School, Fort Worth, 817.294.9850, fortworthmontessori.com

Fusion Academy Southlake, Southlake, 817.416.0306, fusionsouthlake.com

Grace Preparatory Academy, Arlington, 817.557.3399, graceprep.org

Grapevine Faith Christian School, Grapevine, 817.442.9144, grapevinefaith.com

Harvest Christian Academy, Fort Worth, 817.485.1660, hcasaints.org

2023 School Guide | private

Hill School of Fort Worth, Fort Worth, 817.923.9482, hillschool.org

Holy Cross Christian Academy, Burleson, 817.295.7232, hccaburleson.com

Holy Family Catholic School, Fort Worth, 817.737.4201, hfcsfw.org

Holy Trinity Catholic School, Grapevine, 817.421.8000, holytcs.org

Immaculate Conception Catholic School, Denton, 940.381.1155, catholicschooldenton.org

Joshua Christian Academy, Joshua, 817.295.7377, joshuachristianacademy.org

Key School, Fort Worth, 817.446.3738, ksfw.org

Lake Country Christian School, Fort Worth, 817.236.8703, lccs.org

Liberty Christian School, Argyle, 940.294.2000, libertychristian.com

Lighthouse Christian Academy, Fort Worth, 817.237.7641, lcafw.org

Messiah Lutheran Classical Academy, Keller, 817.431.5486, mlcatexas.org

Montessori School of Fort Worth, Fort Worth, 817.732.0252, msftw.org

Mosaic Academy, Fort Worth, 817.204.0300, mosaicacademy.org

Nazarene Christian Academy, Crowley, 817.297.7003, fwf.org

Nolan Catholic High School, Fort Worth, 817.457.2920, nolancatholichs.org

North Park Christian Academy, North Richland Hills, 817.498.8456, northparknow.com

Pantego Christian Academy, Arlington, Mansfield, 817.460.3315, pantego.com

Park Row Christian Academy, Arlington, 817.277.1021, parkrowchristian.net

Primrose School of Bedford, Bedford, 817.545.5485, primrosebedford.com

Primrose School of Columbus Trail, Fort Worth, 817.423.4000, primrosecolumbustrail.com

Primrose School at Eagle Ranch, Fort Worth, 817.236.6760, primroseeagleranch.com

Primrose School of Grand Peninsula, Grand Prairie, 817.477.0077, primrosegrandpeninsula.com

Primrose School of Hall Johnson, Grapevine, 817.416.0404, primrosehalljohnson.com

Primrose School at Heritage, Keller, 817.741.5044, primroseheritage.com

Primrose School at Hidden Lakes, Southlake, 817.337.4666, primrosehiddenlakes.com

Primrose School of Keller, Keller, 817.337.0717, primrosekeller.com

Nolan Catholic High School

2023 School Guide | private

Primrose School of Mid-Cities, Hurst, 817.485.8993, primrosemidcities.com

Primrose School of NE Green Oaks, Arlington, 817.543.2626, primrosenegreenoaks.com

Primrose School of Parkwood Hill, Fort Worth, 817.281.5322, primroseparkwoodhill.com

Primrose School of Southlake, Southlake, 817.421.8087, primrosesouthlake.com

Primrose School of Walnut Creek, Mansfield, 817.477.0880, primrosewalnutcreek.com

St. Andrew Catholic School, Fort Worth, 817.924.8917, standrewsch.org

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School, Keller, 817.431.4845, seascs.net

St. George Catholic School, Fort Worth, 817.222.1221, stgeorgecatholicschool.org

St. John the Apostle Catholic School, North Richland Hills, 817.284.2228, stjs.org

St. Joseph Catholic School, Arlington, 817.419.6800, stjosephtx.org

St. Maria Goretti Catholic School, Arlington, 817.275.5081, smgschool.org

St. Paul Lutheran School, Fort Worth, 817.353.2929, stpauleagles.org

St. Paul's Preparatory Academy, Arlington, 817.561.3500, stpaulsprep.com

St. Peter's Classical School, Fort Worth, 817.294.0124 , stpetersclassical.org

St. Peter the Apostle Catholic School, Fort Worth, 817.246.2032, spsfw.org

St. Rita Catholic School, Fort Worth, 817.451.9383, saintritaschool.net

Southwest Christian School, Fort Worth, Elementary: 817.294.0350; Preparatory: 817.294.9596, southwestchristian.org

Temple Christian School, Fort Worth, 817.457.0770, tcseagles.org

The Clariden School, Southlake, 682.237.0400, claridenschool.org

The Montessori Academy of Arlington, Arlington, 817.274.1548, tmaonline.org

The Oakridge School, Arlington, 817.451.4994, theoakridgeschool.org

Trinity Baptist Temple Academy, Fort Worth, 817.237.4255, tbta.tbtchurch.org

Trinity Christian Academy, Willow Park, 817.441.5897, tcaeagles.org

Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, 817.321.0100, tvs.org

Waypoint Montessori, Colleyville, 817.354.6670, waypointmontessori.org

Trinity Valley School invests deeply in every student’s journey of learning. We are committed to fine scholarship in its many forms. Learn more about TVS today!

2023 School Guide | college, university, & graduate program

Abilene Christian University, Abilene, 800.460.6228, acu.edu, acu.edu/graduate

Amberton University, Garland, 972.279.6511, 325.942.2555 (GP), amberton.edu

Angelo State University, San Angelo, 800.946.8627, 325.942.2555, angelo.edu

Arlington Baptist University, Arlington, 817.461.8741, abu.edu

Austin College, Sherman, 903.813.3000, austincollege.edu

Baptist University of the Américas, San Antonio, 210.924.4338, bua.edu

Waco, 800.BAYLORU, baylor.edu/law

Concordia University, Austin, 512.313.3000, concordia.edu

Dallas Baptist University, Dallas, 214.333.7100, dbu.edu, 214.333.5242, dbu.edu/graduate (GP)

DeVry University-Keller Graduate School of Management (grad only), Fort Worth, 817.810.9114, devry.edu

DeVry University, Irving, 972.929.6777, devry.edu

East Texas Baptist University, Marshall, 800.804.ETBU, etbu.edu

Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene, 325.670.1000, hsutx.edu

Health Science Center at Fort Worth (grad only), Fort Worth, 817.735.2000, unthsc.edu

Houston Baptist University, Houston, 281.649.3211, hbu.edu, 281.649.3269, hbu.edu/GRAD (GP)

Howard Payne University, Brownwood, 800.880.4HPU, hputx.edu

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2023 School Guide | college, university, & graduate program

Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, 936.261.3311, pvamu.edu, pvamu.edu/graduatestudies (GP)

Rice University, Houston, 713.348.7423, rice.edu, 713.348.4002, graduate.rice.edu (GP)

St. Edward’s University, Austin, 512.448.8400, 512.488.8600, stedwards.edu

St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, 210.436.3126, stmarytx. edu

St. Mary's University School of Law (grad only), San Antonio, 210.436.3524, law.stmarytx.edu

Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, 936.294.1111, 936.294.1971 (GP), shsu.edu

Schreiner University, Kerrville, 800.343.4919, schreiner.edu

Southwestern Adventist University, Keene, 800.433.2240, swau.edu

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, 817.923.1921, x 2700, admissions.swbts.edu, 1.877.GO.SWBTS, swbts.edu (GP)

Southwestern University, Georgetown, 800.252.3166, southwestern.edu

Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, 936.468.2504, 936.468.2807 (GP), sfasu.edu

Sul Ross State University, Alpine, 1.888.722.SRSU, sulross. edu

Tarleton State University, Stephenville, 254.968.9000, tarleton.edu, 254.968.9104, tarleton.edu/graduate (GP)

Tarrant County College, Fort Worth, 817.515.8223, tccd.edu

Texas A&M University, College Station, 979.845.3211, tamu.edu

Texas A&M University-Commerce, Commerce, 888.868.2682, tamuc.edu

Texas A&M University School of Law, Fort Worth, 817.212.4144, law.tamu.edu

Texas Baptist College, Fort Worth, 817.923.1921, texasbaptistcollege.com

Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, 817.257.7000, tcu. edu, 817.257.7515, graduate.tcu.edu (GP)

Texas Lutheran University, Seguin, 830.372.8000, tlu.edu

Texas Southern University, Houston, 713.313.7011, 713.313.4410 (GP), tsu.edu

Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law (grad only), Houston, 713.313.4455, tsulaw.edu

We can’t wait to see you on the first day of school! Find all the information you need to start the year strong at www.fwisd.org/backtoschool

HSC offers the nation’s most comprehensive health science education on a single campus.

• Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine

• School of Biomedical Sciences

• School of Public Health

• School of Health Professions

• College of Pharmacy

• College of Nursing

Six schools with one shared purpose. Creating an environment where innovation and ideas can thrive, and all people feel informed, empowered and understood.

2023 School Guide | college, university, & graduate program

Texas State University, San Marcos, 512.245.2111, txstate.edu, gradcollege.txstate.edu (GP)

Texas Tech University, Lubbock, 806.742.2011, admissions.ttu.edu, 806.742.2787, depts.ttu.edu/gradschool (GP)

Texas Tech University School of Law (grad only), Lubbock, 806.742.3791, law.ttu.edu

Texas Wesleyan University, Fort Worth, 817.531.4444, txwes.edu

Texas Woman’s University, Denton, 940.898.2000, twu.edu

Texas Woman’s University (grad only), Dallas, 940.898.2000, twu.edu

Texas Woman’s University (grad only), Houston, 940.898.2000, twu.edu

University of Dallas, Irving, 972.721.5000, udallas.edu

University of Houston, Houston, 713.743.1000, uh.edu  32,915

University of Houston Law Center (grad only), Houston, 713.743.2100, law.uh.edu

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Belton, 800.727.8642, umhb.edu

University of North Texas, Denton, 940.565.2108,

University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, 817.272.2090, uta.edu, 817.272.2688, uta.edu/gradschool (GP)

University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 512.471.3434, utexas.edu

University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, 972.883.2111, utdallas.edu

University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, 915.747.5000, utep.edu

University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, 210.458.4011, utsa.edu

University of Texas School of Law (grad only), Austin, 512.471.5151, utexas.edu/law

University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, 210.829.6005, 210.829.6000 (GP), uiw.edu uiw.edu

Wayland Baptist University, Plainview, 806.291.1000, wbu.edu

Weatherford College, Weatherford, 817.594.5471, wc.edu

/

FOCUS

Sports Health Professionals

Participating in sports and exercise is a great way to stay fit, build endurance, and grow community. When it comes to a physical injury, who wants to sit out on the bench? Whether you go to the gym, participate in sports, or just need preventative health care, it’s critical that you have a team of professionals in your corner. The individuals showcased in the following section are the esteemed behind-the-scenes sports health care heroes of game day.

The information in this section is provided by the advertisers and has not been independently verified by Fort Worth Magazine.

MEDICAL SPECIALTY: Spine surgery. EDUCATION: Biology, Chemistry, Business Administration, magna cum laude, Presbyterian College; M.D., with honors, Medical College of Georgia. HOSPITAL AFFILIATIONS: Baylor Surgical Fort Worth, Texas Health Fort Worth, Baylor Oakmont Surgery Center, Wise Health Surgical Hospital. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: Medical mission work in indigent countries has been the most gratifying for me. These people with cancer, infections, or paralysis have no access to help, and repairing them feels wonderful. INNOVATIONS: Disc replacement in the neck is a brilliant development to avoid fusion and minimize risk of breakdown of other levels. When fusions are necessary, however, I use techniques that spare the muscle and use biologic properties of the implants placed to allow for less stiffness created, less exposure required, and faster healing. UNIQUE PATIENT CARE: I think I tend to place a larger focus on exercise, strength, and flexibility than others. I also would say at times I am brutally honest, but in general, I treat patients like they are my family, and I take their pain very personally. FREE ADVICE: Almost all spinal issues need to fail nonsurgical efforts prior to surgery. I prefer to direct that nonsurgical care through collaboration with other providers to ensure the patient has the best chance of improvement. PICTURED: Jason Tinley, M.D.

DFW Center for Spinal Disorders

6900 Harris Parkway, Ste. 310 Fort Worth, Texas 76132

817.946.4885

Fax 817.769.3718

dfwspinecenter.com info@dfwspinecenter.com

The Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute

SPECIALTY: Orthopedic Surgery; Sports Medicine; Minimally Invasive Arthroscopic Surgery of the Shoulder, Hip, Knee, Foot and Ankle; Shoulder, Hip and Knee Replacements. AWARDS: Top Docs Awards for a decade. AFFILIATIONS: Baylor Surgicare Fort Worth, Mansfield; Park Hill Surgery Center; Baylor Surgical Hospital Fort Worth; Texas Health Downtown Fort Worth, Southwest, Cleburne, Mansfield; Methodist Hospital Mansfield, Midlothian; Medical City Hospital Fort Worth. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: State-of-the-art care including robotic-assisted hip and knee replacements; reverse total shoulder replacement technique.

INNOVATIONS: Orthopedics Today, walk-in clinic for same-day treatment of orthopedic injuries, provides convenient, expert care on-site at OSMI Fort Worth. Physical therapy at Fort Worth and Willow Park delivers expert rehabilitation by highly experienced therapists. Adjustable depth, Hydroworx Pool with underwater treadmill for training and rehab is available at Fort Worth. PATIENT CARE: OSMI’s philosophy is to provide professional athlete level of care to all who seek it. ADVICE: Determine your personal goals for your health care. Seek that level of care and trust until you find the physician who meets your needs and expectations. PICTURED: (clockwise) Michael H. Boothby, M.D.; Jonathan N. Tran, M.D.; Vincent J. Inglima, DPM; G. Keith Gill, M.D.; Nicholas E. Martin, M.D.; Bret D. Beavers, M.D.; G. Todd Moore, D.O.

The Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute

2901 Acme Brick Plaza • Fort Worth, Texas 76109 305 Regency Parkway, Ste. 405 • Mansfield, Texas 76063

817.968.5806

1000 Medical Center Drive • Decatur, Texas 76234

940.626.2410

OSMIFW.com

Ortho2day.com

Texas Health Care Bone & Joint Clinic

SPECIALTY: Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Total Joint Replacement, Spine Surgery, Hand Surgery. EDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONS: Board-certified orthopedic surgery, fellowship-trained sports medicine, hand, total joints, spine, arthroscopy. AWARDS/HONORS: Team physicians, Fort Worth Country Day School and the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo; TCU’s official orthopedists and team physicians, 58 years until 2015; Fort Worth Magazine Top Docs; Texas Super Doctors; Fort Worth Business Press Heathcare Hero. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: Established in 1958, the Bone & Joint Clinic is the oldest and largest orthopedic clinic in Fort Worth. INNOVATIONS: Hip arthroscopy, minimally invasive total hip replacement, regenerative orthopedic injections with patients’ own platelets and stem cells. MEDICAL STAFF ADDITION: The Bone & Joint Clinic is pleased to welcome Grace Reynolds, M.D., a Fort Worth native who specializes in sports orthopedics. PATIENT CARE: With highly specialized physicians and integrated, on-site physical therapy, we can diagnose, treat, and rehabilitate any orthopedic condition, either a degenerative condition or injury, including traumatic sport and overuse injuries to any part of the body. PICTURED: James Brezina, Jr., M.D.; Steven J. Meyers, M.D.; Joseph C. Milne, M.D.; Stephen L. Brotherton, M.D.; Torrance A. Walker, M.D.; David P. Brigati, M.D.; Andrew Lee, M.D.

Texas Health Care Bone & Joint Clinic 1651 W. Rosedale St., Ste. 200 Fort Worth, Texas 76104

817.335.4316

Fax 817.336.2504

thcboneandjoint.com

MEDICAL SPECIALTY: Chiropractic Care. EDUCATION/ CERTIFICATIONS: Doctorate of Chiropractic, Webster Certified, Fascial Distortion Model Certified. AWARDS/ HONORS: Expertise.com featured Fort Worth Chiropractor three consecutive years; Best of Fort Worth Editor’s Choice 2023. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: Best of Fort Worth 2023. INNOVATIONS: EPAT shockwave therapy, spinal decompression, dry needling, therapeutic massage. UNIQUE PATIENT CARE: Our purpose is to help our community get out of pain without drugs or surgery. We do this by focusing on soft tissue modalities to get to the root of the injury for long-lasting results. Our patients are like family. FREE ADVICE: If you don’t take time for your wellness now, you will be forced to make time for your illness later. Don’t wait. PICTURED: Dr. André Marse, D.C.

Peak Chiropractic and Rehab

3200 Riverfront Drive, Ste. 207 Fort Worth, Texas 76107

817.882.6754

dr.marse@peakchiroftworth.com peakchiroftworth.com

TMeet One of Our Dream Street Interior Designers

Always

full of zest, the great Susan Semmelmann chats with us about this year’s Dream Street, design trends, and Steven Spielberg.

BY BRIAN KENDALL

he 2023 Fort Worth Magazine Dream Street in the Oak Alley subdivision of Colleyville will mark the sixth time interior designer Susan Semmelmann has teamed with Fort Worth Magazine on a Dream project. This will also represent the third time in a row she’s tackling the interior of a Dream Street home — teaming with a builder every year since the magazine expanded the initial single-house Dream Home concept to a three-home undertaking.

This year, Susan teams up with John Webb of Heritage Homes to design the interior of a 7,700-square-foot Mediterranean masterpiece.

We caught up with Susan to answer a few of our questions ahead of the Dream Street home tours, which are slated to begin this October.

FW: Hi Susan, thanks for chatting with us. So, this being your sixth home project with the magazine, we’re sure you’re getting used to talking to journalists about your homes. What makes this one different from previous years?

Susan Semmelmann: The thing I love about Dream Street is it gives [interior designers] a complete blank canvas to show something completely unusual in your portfolio. We always wanna be cutting edge. We always wanna be ahead and progressive and not always placating to the current market but designing for the future market. This year, we’re doing an organic Spanish modern home that will be clean, light, and fresh. But this won’t be your typical past Dream Home. This year is more of a dryer palette with lots of textures and greenery.

FW: Interesting, because something I find with a lot of the homes you design, and I think it’s a good thing, you can almost tell that it’s a Susan Semmelmann home. While still very much customized to the client, it has a specific flare. Like, how you know a Steven Spielberg movie is a Spielberg movie just by seeing it.

SS: Well, you can compare me to him any day you want. That’s just fine (laughs). I mean, it’s funny. It’s, like, someone will say, “You have so many different ranges of styles.” To be strong in the design industry, you have to be able to do every style well. I think for a good, talented designer, it’s their job to embrace your style. Whatever that is. But, I see what you mean — it will have the SSI spin on it.

FW: I know this requires you to play fortuneteller, but what are some current design trends you see?

SS: Well, this year, we stayed very, very, very far away from gray, and we went with very cool, warm creams color palette and brought in and implemented very natural greens. So, when you think of basil, thyme, oregano, these are literally the names of our paint colors.

FW: Very cool. What inspires you to come up with these certain designs?

SS: I always wanna do something you haven’t seen before. That is the No. 1 rule for Susan Semmelmann Interiors. We want to bring something unique to the game that you haven’t seen. That’s what makes it called a Dream Home; you wanna go and see something that you would dream of having.

Dream Street 2023 Project Partners

FortWorthMagazine’sDream Street wouldn’t be possible without the partnerships of local home industry professionals. Our project partners bring talent, passion, and experience to the project and are an integral part in bringing the homes to life.

HERITAGE HOMES

Appliances: The Jarrell Company

Architectural Design: Arch House Collaborative

Artificial Grass: WinterGreen Synthetic Grass

Cabinetry (Kitchen): The Kitchen Source

Cabinetry (Master): Closet Factory

Countertop (Fabrication): Absolute Stone & Tile, Inc.

Countertop (Materials): KLZ Stone Supply, Inc.

Drywall and Texture: Alliance Drywall Inc.

Electrician: Powered Solutions

Fencing: Lambert’s Ornamental Iron

Fireplaces: Fireside Hearth & Home

Flooring Labor: Premier Designs Flooring

Flooring Material (Wood and Carpet): Premier Designs Flooring

Flooring Material (Tile): Daltile

Framing: Lone Star Framing & Construction LLC

Garage Doors and Openers: Open Up Garage Doors

Garage Epoxy Coating: Firehouse Garage

Glass: Galactic Glass

Gutters: Loveless Gutters

Hardware: Rick’s Hardware & Decorative Plumbing

HVAC: Interior Climate Experts

Insulation: Texas Insulation

Interior Design: Susan Semmelmann Interiors

Lighting Fixtures: Passion Lighting

Low Voltage, AV, and Security: Multimedia Solutions

Outdoor Furniture: Yard Art Patio & Fireplace

Paint (Labor): J&V Painting

Paint (Materials): Benjamin Moore & Co.

Plumbing (Fixtures): Expressions Home Gallery

Plumbing (Labor and Supplies): Pro Serve Plumbing

Pool: Leschber Designs

Realtor: Randy White Real Estate Services

Roofing: Tarrant Roofing

KENSINGTON CUSTOM HOMES

Appliances: The Jarrell Company

Architectural Design: Heritage Design Studio

Cabinetry (Kitchen): The Kitchen Source

Countertop (Fabrication): Absolute Stone & Tile, Inc.

Countertop (Materials): KLZ Stone Supply, Inc.

Drywall and Texture: Alliance Drywall Inc.

Electrician: Prewitt Electrical Services

Fencing: Lambert’s Ornamental Iron

Fireplaces: Overhead Door Company of Fort Worth

Flooring Labor: Vintage Floors

Flooring Material (Wood and Carpet): Vintage Floors

Flooring Material (Tile): Daltile

Front Doors: Silverado Custom Door & Window

Garage Doors and Openers: Overhead Door Company of Fort Worth

Garage Epoxy Coating: Premier Custom Floors

Glass: Galactic Glass

Gutters: Loveless Gutters

Insulation: Texas Insulation

Interior Beams: Green Valley Beam & Truss Co.

Interior Design: Heritage Interiors

Landscape and Irrigation: Guardado Landscaping

Lighting Fixtures: Passion Lighting

Low Voltage, AV, and Security: H Customs

Motorized Patio Screens: Blinds Brothers

Outdoor Furniture: Yard Art Patio & Fireplace

Paint (Materials): Sherwin Williams

Plumbing (Fixtures): The Jarrell Company

Pool: Claffey Pools

Realtor: Randy White Real Estate Services

Roofing: Texas Tile Roofing

Stairs and Railings: Aaron Ornamental Iron Works

BRIAN MICHAEL DISTINCTIVE HOMES

Appliances: Expressions Home Gallery

Architectural Design: C.A. Nelson Architects

Cabinetry (Kitchen): The Kitchen Source

Countertop (Materials): Levantina

Drywall and Texture: Alliance Drywall Inc.

Electrician: MPT Electric

Fencing: Lambert’s Ornamental Iron

Fireplaces: Fireside Hearth & Home

Flooring Labor: Galvan Floors

Flooring Material (Wood and Carpet): Galvan Floors

Flooring Material (Tile): Daltile

Garage Doors and Openers: Open Up Garage Doors

Garage Epoxy Coating: Professional Garage Concepts

Glass: Galactic Glass

Hardware: Pierce Fine Hardware & Plumbing

Interior Design: Elements of Design

Landscape and Irrigation: Guardado Landscaping

Lighting Fixtures: Passion Lighting

Low Voltage, AV, and Security: Comware AV

Outdoor Furniture: Yard Art Patio & Fireplace

Paint (Labor): J&V Painting

Paint (Materials): Sherwin Williams

Plumbing (Fixtures): Expressions Home Gallery

Plumbing (Labor and Supplies): Pro Serve Plumbing

Pool: BlueWater Pools

Realtor: Randy White Real Estate Services

Roofing: Texas Tile Roofing

Stucco (Material and Labor): Metro Architectural Finishes

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Friday, October 20, 2023 | 6:30pm to 11pm @ The Fort Worth Zoo, The Reserve – ENTERTAINMENT BY–

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scan for more info/ticket info or go to cowtownball.org

Bring the Esperanza Center to Life

EVENT CHAIRS

Nissa and Ryan Harrington

EVENT SPONSORS

Nissa and Ryan Harrington | Ramona and Lee Bass | Anne and Orlando Carvalho | Kelly Hart

Frank Kent Cadillac | Tarrant Construction Services, Ltd. | Bennett Partners | Byrne Construction Services

Kimberly and Joseph DeWoody | Carol and Jim Dunaway | Elbit America | Frost Bank

JP Morgan Chase Bank | Tammy and Ty McKinney | Noel and David Nolet | Madolin and Ben Rosenthal

Judy and Brad Rupay | Tricia and Jon Schwartz | The Projects Group

Cindy and Russ Anderson/Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty | Alpine Building Maintenance

TASTING SPONSORS

Bob’s Steak and Chop House Fort Worth | Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream | Enchiladas Ole | Fitzgerald

Galligaskins and Fort Worth Catering | Heim Barbecue | Magdalena’s Catering and Events

Reata Restaurant | Taco Heads | Trident Restaurant Group | Tierra A Taza | Ben E. Keith

MEDIA SPONSORS Fort Worth Magazine

At 477 feet in height, the Omni Fort Worth Hotel, which also serves as a sleek residential tower, is the sixth-tallest building on the better side of the metroplex. Though original plans called for only 15 floors, the Omni’s sky-high 33 floors wound up making it the tallest building erected in the city in the 21st century — having been completed in 2009. The photo also shows three centuries of Fort Worth architecture, with the 19th century St. Patrick Cathedral at left. With off-kilter geometry and a gigantic, sloping glass façade, the Omni stands out as a modern masterpiece. Using a drone, local photographer Keith Tiner captured this shot of the building’s south face at dusk, which highlights the large corner balconies a few lucky condo owners get to enjoy.

Get your photo on this page and win a $100 gift card to Fort Worth Camera. Just tag Fort Worth Magazine (@fwtxmag) and Fort Worth Camera (@fwcamera) and use the hashtags #fwtxmag and #fwcamera on all your amazing Cowtown images. main line 817.560.6111 | subscriptions 817.766.5550 | website fwtx.com

@photogkeith

PHOTO BY KEITH TINER

PICTURED: left to right: Chris Bonnett, GM, cbonnett@gilchristautomotive.com, Southwest Ford, Weatherford; Jonathan Franco, GM, jfranco@gilchristautomotive.com, Platinum Ford North; Stephen Gilchrist, Dealer Operator, Gilchrist Automotive; Adam Vincze, GM, avincze@gilchristautomotive.com, Platinum Ford; and Dustin Rodgers, GM, drodgers@gilchristautomotive.com, Triple Crown Ford and Lincoln, Terrell, TX.

Ties

That Bind

The ties that bind the Geesbreghts and the Moores have spanned well over a decade. In addition to their love and appreciation for Mercedes-Benz vehicles and their loyalty to Park Place Motorcars Fort Worth, DeeAnn Moore has represented Alex Geesbreght and his brother, Andrew, in the buying and selling of several houses over the years. These old friends recently found themselves as professional neighbors in their respective new office buildings outside the gates of Mira Vista and just up the road from Park Place. For DeeAnn and Barry Moore, owners of Moore Real Estate, purchasing a vehicle from Park Place Motorcars Fort Worth is also a family affair — with their son, Bryce, partial to a 2020 Mercedes-AMG C63S; Barry, ecstatic about his 2021 Mercedes-AMG G63; and DeeAnn, delighted with a 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 and 2021 Mercedes-Benz G550.

Both Alex and Andrew, founders of Geesbreght Group, are “car guys,” and whether it is a 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG or a 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, they get all of them at Park Place Motorcars Fort Worth. “We’ve literally purchased well over a dozen vehicles from Park Place over the years,” Alex says. “Park Place is Our Place because of the people, the selection, the service, and the convenient proximity to where we live and work.” His friend and neighbor, Barry, adds, “We’ll be customers for life.”