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THE WEST (COAST) BEGINS
The Californians are arriving in droves, driving stakes in the ground, and changing the city, but not in the way you might think.
By Brian Kendall
46 Blowing Our Own Saxophone
“Jazz wouldn’t be jazz as we know it today, if not for Fort Worth and its music-making emissaries.” How Fort Worth and its talent shaped a genre.
By Michael H. Price
54 Iconic Fare
From brawny chicken-fried steaks to margaritas the size of your head, the secret stories and cultural influences behind Texas’ signature foods.
By Shilo Urban
They do run, run, run, they do run, run at the
20 Fort Worthian
Tom Sless tossed his accounting ledgers in a bin and drove to Fort Worth to make music.
22 History
Revered innovator, star of the silver screen, even a saver of lives — that’s Bill Pickett.
24 State Lines
There is still more than a taste of the French region of Alsace in Castroville, Texas.
28 Closet Raid
Poking around the closet of Cristina Faulconer, director of marketing at Mule Alley’s Proper Supply Co.
32 The Reverie
The Von Erichs and our duty to go to battle for people like them.
64 Four Courses
XIT Ranch chef Abby Knowles presents a full tour of culinary heaven.
Empanadas are taking up more and more space in Fort Worth’s foodie landscape. No one is complaining.
Any writer who derives even the slightest sense of fulfillment from what they create will admit to an added pressure when working on a “cover story.” After all, if done well, it’s the hook, the point of interest — the marquee display that’s supposed to grab one’s attention, start conversations, and prolong the issue’s shelf life. Conversely, if done poorly, it’s a very public badge of shame, and a potentially viral Facebook post with a nausea-inducing comment thread. While this is an exaggeration, you get the point. Pressure.
This story has been on our editorial calendar since an off-site retreat our team had in July of last year. It wasn’t my idea — that distinction goes to our photographer, Crystal Wise — but I remember liking the sound of it, and, at the time, I thought it could be funny. So, our creative and editorial team elected to make the story our February cover.
While I initially put the story on the back burner— thinking I’d write it, but it’d just be a quirky little piece, so no biggie — it wasn’t long before it started staring me in the face. I had no idea what I wanted to do with this thing. Write it with tongue-firmly-in-cheek? But does that make sense? Is this even a cover story? Do I go serious? Do I have time to do that kind of reporting? What do we do for cover art? With so many questions swirling about my cranium and anxiety mounting, I went into action the only way I know how: by vigorously avoiding the topic. Incredibly exhausting work if you’ve ever experienced this.
Eventually, as is always the case, I had to face the music and dove in headfirst with zero clues as to how I was going to approach
the story. Some desk-side chats with our Fort Worth Inc. editor John Henry gave me some ideas on who I should interview — and so did a few texts to friends Cameron Young and Michael Crain. A photo shoot with Crystal and a fantastic model named Joshua Sloan, whom we found randomly on Instagram, was incredibly invigorating. And working on the feature design with Lauren Deitzer and Craig Sylva provided a great deal of inspiration. I once heard John say — and by once, I mean 15 times — “I never know what I’m going to write until I start writing it.” In this case, that is 100% accurate, but I’m very pleased with the way it turned out — and it was a team effort all the way.
Brian Kendall EXECUTIVE EDITOR
ON THE COVER: What better way to represent Cowtown than with an honest-to-goodness bovine. Initially conceived by our creative director, Craig Sylva, we worked with graphic designer Lauren Deitzer to get the copy just right, and we’re plum pleased with the results. Also, check out our photo on the Table of Contents, shot by Crystal Wise and featuring Dallas musician Joshua Sloan — don’t worry, they’re fake tattoos.
CORRECTIONS? COMMENTS? CONCERNS? Send to executive editor Brian Kendall at bkendall@fwtexas.com.
Great Texas Road Trip
The premier stone distributor in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area, KLZ Stone Supply carries the largest inventory in the
KLZ travels the world to find the most beautiful stone. Your home is very precious and with that in mind we search far and wide to make sure that every one in our family will help and serve your family. Take the time and stop by and be amazed at our selections and friendly faces. After all you really can’t afford not to.
What is your go-to Texas food staple and where’s your favorite spot in town to get it?
No matter the time of year, chili always sounds good to my gullet. They serve a hearty bowl of Texas red at White Elephant Saloon, which is the same served at the much swankier Lonesome Dove.
Smoked brisket. Panther City BBQ by a whisker. Our BBQ offerings are blessed here.
The Carnitas Spicy Chipotle Burrito from a small place on Clifford in White Settlement called El Tequilas Mexican Restaurant — paired with one of their really good margaritas. Can’t miss.
I’d say it’s a toss up between sweet and savory for me. Chickenfried steak from Fred’s Texas Cafe or the German pancake from Ol’ South Pancake House!
owner/publisher hal a. brown
coo mike waldum
EDITORIAL
executive editor brian kendall
contributing editor john henry
digital editor stephen montoya
contributing writers shasta haubrich, malcolm mayhew, michael h. price, charlotte settle, shilo urban
copy editor sharon casseday
ART
creative director craig sylva
senior art director spray gleaves
advertising art director jonathon won director of photography crystal wise
additional graphics: lauren deitzer
ADVERTISING
sales director andrew yeager
advertising account supervisors gina burns-wigginton x150 marion c. knight x135
account executive tammy denapoli x141
account executive jim houston x158
territory manager, fort worth inc. rita hale x133
senior production manager michelle mcghee x116
executive administrator/project coordinator kaitlyn lisenby
MARKETING
director of digital robby kyser director of marketing and audience development sarah benkendorfer marketing manager grace behr events and promotions director victoria albrecht
CORPORATE
chief financial officer charles newton
founding publisher mark hulme
CONTACT US
main line 817.560.6111 subscriptions 817.766.5550, fwmagsubscriptions@omeda.com
My favorite go-to has been and will always be a plate of beef fajitas at Los Asaderos with plenty of homemade salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo.
The OG Rodeo Goat’s Texan Chaca Oaxaca burger with chorizo, avocado, pico, queso, fried egg and Tabasco Mayo stands tall in the saddle!
Chicken-fried steak at West Side Cafe. Theirs is really yummy with delicious cream gravy!
Hands down, Babe’s Chicken. The chicken is always fresh and juicy, and the cream corn is amazing.
Brisket with jalapeño mac n’ cheese from Heim.
DIGITAL EDITION:
The virtual editions of both current and previous issues are available on our website. Flip through the pages to read more about the great city of Fort Worth by visiting fwtx.com.
©2024 Panther City Media Group, LP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.
FortWorthMagazine(ISSN 1536-8939) is published monthly by Panther City Media Group, LP, 6777 Camp Bowie Blvd., Suite 130, Fort Worth, TX 76116. Periodicals Postage Paid at Fort Worth, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send change of address notices and undeliverable copies to Panther City Media Group, PO Box 213, Lincolnshire, IL 60069. Volume 27, Number 2, February 2024. Basic Subscription price: $23.95 per year. Single copy price: $4.99
The magazine was a little over a year old and still experiencing some growing pains when it landed an interview and photo shoot with Cullen Davis, a man who might remain the most notorious North Texan to grace the cover of our publication. The cover story went to press 23 years after he was acquitted for murdering his 12-year-old stepdaughter, Andrea Wilborn, and his wife’s boyfriend, Stan Farr, despite eyewitnesses testi-
fying against him.
One year after the acquittal, Davis was arrested again for attempted murder, when he allegedly tried to hire a hitman to murder his thenwife, Priscilla Childers, with whom he was in the middle of divorce proceedings, and the judge overseeing their litigation.
Again, Davis was acquitted.
In what is undoubtedly one of
the magazine’s most bizarre photo shoots, the once-accused murderer and once-accused attempted murderer showed up with his now wife, Karen, wearing a tie adorned with Looney Tunes characters.
The piece paints the picture of a man who has lost his fortune but gained his faith — devoting his life to his local church in Grapevine after declaring bankruptcy. He spoke at length about his biblical knowledge and claimed himself to be “a Christian who’s very far to the right.” He maintained, and still maintains, his innocence and proclaimed an upswell of support from locals. In the article, Davis said he had received 10,000 letters about the case, and only one was negative.
Davis, now 90, remains as reclusive as ever and unlikely to be on the cover of the magazine again. But say his name aloud in public, and more than a few eyebrows will be raised.
The article is a fascinating read. The amount Davis talks about his faith and speaks of being a “changed man” who “might as well be on the other side of the world” does come across as expressions of guilt when one reads between the lines — guilt for what, we don’t dare presume.
Due to Davis’ subsequent celebrity status and the prominence of his murder trial, Tarrant County authorities chose to keep the court documents of the case as historical documents.
CLOSET RAID
Cristina Faulconer, the creative director at Mule Alley’s Proper Supply Co., happens to have some of the best duds you’ll see this side of the Mason Dixon, and we were lucky enough to get a peek.
by John Henry
Eastern Hills basketball team is building something special.
In every venture, the bold man comes off best.
That’s something some guy named Homer told us in the eighth century. Remarkably, or maybe not so much, the advice very much stands today. And it’s probably the one reason Melvin Miller has been bold with his nondistrict schedules since he became the Eastern Hills boys basketball coach in 2021. He has stacked his schedules with very good teams as a way to improve his younger team.
It’s the iron-sharpens-iron theorem, and it works. Some coaches will tell you lopsided losses shake a young team’s confidence rather than build it.
But remember: Be bold and fear nothing, Odysseus.
“We have a heavy preseason schedule,” Miller says. “Just to get prepared for the long run [of district and the playoffs]. I inherited that schedule from Coach [Senecca] Wall, the guy who was there before me. He was a competitor. He kind of understood
what he wanted his guys to do. So, I kind of ran with it.
“I knew what I had coming down the pipeline [with talent]. I knew it could only make us better.”
North Crowley, among the best boys basketball programs in the state for going on 20 years, has been on the schedule all three years. Two years ago, the Class 6A Panthers defeated the Highlanders by 40. That’s right: 4-0. Last year, North Crowley won by 18.
This past November, an all-grownup Eastern Hills team beat a very good Panthers team, ranked No. 3 in the state in Class 6A, by three.
“We circled North Crowley on our schedule,” Miller says. “We knew that with all the work and the lessons that we had encountered that we had a great opportunity to win.”
The victory propelled the Highlanders, who entered the holiday season ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 4A. They are the prohibitive favorite to win District 9-4A and tapped among the favorites to make a run to the state tournament March 7-9 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
“They are a really good team, and they won a big game on a big stage [against North Crowley] and that gives any team the confidence that they can beat anyone and rightfully so,” says Tommy Brakel, the coach who built a powerhouse at North Crowley. “I do really like their balance of shooters, slashers, and size.
“I think at the 4A level they have a chance to be really good and make a legitimate run.”
In addition to North Crowley, the Highlanders’ schedule has included games against Class 6A No. 21 Arlington Martin, and victories against Class 4A’s No. 13 Pinkston followed by wins over No. 3 Randall, Class 3A’s Nos. 1 and 3 Hitchcock and Shallowater on the way to the title of Navy Division of the prestigious Championship Basketball Tournament, formerly known as the Whataburger Tournament.
You can’t simply pick up a berth in
the state tournament on Amazon. If you could, everyone would have one, perhaps delivered the next day. It requires both excellence and lots of luck. In life, the ball figuratively can bounce the wrong way. In sports, it can do so literally.
But there’s no denying that the Highlanders have something good going, and, though cheering in the press box by the observing journalism sorts is strictly prohibited, I’m violating the spirit of that oath by cheering in the press box for Eastern Hills. (Although I am a fan of all the Fort Worth teams.)
I went to watch Eastern Hills play venerable Fort Worth Dunbar, which, under legendary coach Robert Hughes, a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, put Fort Worth on the basketball map.
The Highlanders got into a slog against Dunbar, having to work their fingers to the bone to finally defeat the Wildcats, 52-45. Kamden McGilveary’s breakaway dunk as time expired put the finishing touches on the game at Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center.
Eastern Hills is well-rounded. Miller says the boys can play at any tempo, like the half-court game Dunbar wanted to play, or fast upand-down the floor. It’s a good, deep team.
Messiah Miller, the coach’s son, leads the team as the point guard. McGilveary, 6-foot; Dorian Johnson, 6-foot-5; Alex Barther, 6-5; and Caden Walker, 5-10, round out a list of key performers. And then there are the Briggs twins, Salyn and Siyan, both 6-3.
“Three and D,” says Messiah Miller of the brothers. “They bring the grit and shooting.”
All of those guys, except for sophomores Barther and Johnson, are juniors.
As of this writing, the Highlanders were 19-4. In 2021-22, Eastern Hills won five games. Last year, they improved dramatically to 26-8 and 11-1 in district before bowing out of
the playoffs in the second round, a loss to Van Alstyne.
“We just didn’t have enough experience to get us past that game,”
Melvin Miller, the coach, says. “We were in the game the whole time. We got in a situation to where there was 10.3 seconds on the clock. We had the ball, it was on our side of the court, and we were in the bonus. And we didn’t even get a shot.”
Another year of experience in big games against good teams is crucial. So is another year of being together.
If Eastern Hills makes a run down Interstate 35 all the way to San Antonio, it’ll ultimately be because of what this team has that so many good teams don’t have. “We’ve been together since like knee-high, like about 7, 8, 9 years old,” Barther says. “I think that’s very, very important because it all comes down to chemistry. How much we talk to each other and how we talk to each other on and off the court. In practices and team bonding stuff. I think it plays a huge part in us going where we want to go.”
The coach believes that, too. Barther, Messiah Miller, Walker, and Brown “all played together since they were babies,” the coach says. It’s that nucleus of team that the others have folded into.
Ah, yes, it’s relationships that make the machine of team — any team, any age, any industry — purr. What did Homer say about that?
The Highlanders trust one another.
“We all trust each other,” Barther says. “If one person is not having a good game, everybody has his back. We cheer him on. It’s a brotherhood.”
That kids see that at such a young age will make a heart pitter-patter. It’s also critical when you get into the nitty-gritty close games of the playoffs.
By John Henry Photo by Glen E. Ellman
Gas remained the primary suspect in causing a major explosion in the 100-year-old W.T. Waggoner Building, recently repurposed as the Sandman Signature Hotel, in downtown Fort Worth that shook and unnerved the central business district last month.
“We don’t have an official cause, but we’re confident that gas is involved in some manner,” said Fort Worth Fire Department Chief Jim Davis during a briefing of the City Council on a day after the explosion.
A total of 21 were reported injured in the explosion, which blew a hole in the southwest side of the recently opened hotel. Fifteen were transported to hospitals. One was in critical condition and being treated at Parkland Memorial Hospital’s burn center in Dallas. Two others were in serious condition when they were transported to hospitals.
“We’re very lucky that at this point there are no fatalities,” said Davis.
The building sustained significant
damage, Davis said, noting that much of the damage occurred on the first floor, basement, and subbasement.
First responders were on the scene within a minute of the explosion, and others nearby, including downtown residents and people doing business downtown, also responded.
“I am deeply proud of the swift and professional response from our FW and area first responders today,” Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I am humbled by the offers from our state leadership to support our city. Pray for the recoveries of the injured.”
It was “Fort Worthians doing what they do, residents and businesses assisting those who were injured,” Noakes said. “It is not something we ever want to see again, but you should be proud of how your first responders and residents responded.”
by Stephen Montoya
Leonard’s Department Store collection has a new home at the Museum of Science and History.
Well over 2,000 items from the historic Leonard’s Department Store soon will adorn a new display at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History.
Marty Leonard, founder of the Leonard’s Museum and daughter of Leonard’s Department Store cofounder Marvin Leonard, says the more than 2,000 items curated by the Leonard’s Museum on Carroll Street — connected to M&O Station Grille — are being moved before the end of the month for a display at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History.
“Leonard’s was definitely part of the history of Fort Worth for a lot of years,” Marty says. “It is very, very gratifying to me, mainly because people have told me how important they think [the museum] is and that they’re so thrilled that it’s going to be preserved for the future. I know that it’ll be well taken care of and be there for a long time, even after I’m gone. I know I can’t last forever, so I wanted to make sure that it did.”
Marvin Leonard opened the store with his brother Green Thomas — G.T. — in 1918, a humble 25-by60-foot space. Soon after, G.T. left to form his own business, and younger brother Obie joined Marvin. “Mr. Marvin” and “Mr. Obie” became
staples in Fort Worth retail.
The iconic and innovative Fort Worth retail giant would go on to span seven city blocks and constructed its own subway system to ferry shoppers to the parking lots near what is Panther Island Pavilion today. It was also the first store in town to order the removal of “white” and “colored” designations — this being a few years before the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Marty Leonard started the collection for what would become the museum in the mid-1980s when she was gifted a wagon with the name “Leonard’s Speedster” painted on the side of it.
“This was so neat because I didn’t have a lot of Leonard’s items and none of the family had really saved things through the years,” she says. “That’s what started the collection, really. And then for a long time I had it in my house. And, of course, that didn’t work. You can’t invite the world into your house,” she says.
After being stationed in a basement spot in downtown Fort Worth for several years, Marty moved the museum to Carroll Street.
Items from the store could be on display at the Museum of Science and History as soon as Jan. 25.
A smattering of things you might’ve missed
1. Puppy Love A faceless, nameless, capeless hero rescues eight puppies dumped along the side of a highway. All eight fidos were taken to the Human Society where each was cared for and subsequently adopted.
2. What a Waste The City of Fort Worth will institute new waste and water fees that will take effect Jan. 1, including a $6 fee for overloaded carts, $3 fee for loose bags, and an additional $8.79 per month in water and wastewater service fees.
3. Silver Medal in Jobs Federal data shows the DFW Metroplex created the second-most new jobs of any metro era in the country in 2023. The data showed that, despite making up on 2% of the country’s population, the area created 4.5% of all new jobs.
4. Catching Strays A stray bullet from celebratory gunfire as the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve struck a man in the leg as he stood just outside his home’s carport. Fifty-five calls were made to 911 that night reporting gunshots in the area.
5. Don’t Pull the Pin The new owner of a home in White Settlement discovered a hand grenade inside a kitchen drawer. Police said the house had been vacant for years, and the Fort Worth Fire Department said the grenade contained no explosive material.
6. Fully Charged South Korean electronics company LG opens a factory in the Alliance area of Fort Worth that will assemble charging stations for electric vehicles. With growing EV demands, such stations will be placed at hotels, restaurants, and transit hubs.
7. Chicken Fingers Former NBA player and current TNT color analyst, Shaquille O’Neal, brings his fried chicken concept to the land of beef. Big Chicken is anticipated to open inside the Victory Shops at Heritage Trace this spring.
8. Goodbye, Vickery Despite efforts to obtain a local designation as a Historic and Cultural Landmark, Como’s Vickery Motel, one of only two motels in Fort Worth that catered to Black travelers during Jim Crow, is set to be demolished.
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1 – 4
Nation’s Best Sports Spring Market
For four days, the Fort Worth Convention Center will play host to rows and rows (and even more rows) of the latest in archery and hunting apparel. In other words, a lot of camo.
Fort Worth Convention Center nationsbestsports.com
2 – 11
Instructions for a Séance
In this theatrical experiment, theatergoers will witness playwright and performer Katie Bender’s wild attempts to summon the spirit of Harry Houdini — releasing him from his proverbial afterlife shackles — at a DIY séance party.
Amphibian Stage amphibianstage.com
6 – 11
‘TINA – The Tina Turner Musical’
The Broadway show vis its the Fort less than three months after the pop star’s death. The careerspanning musical will cover all of the hits, from “River Deep Mountain High” to “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”
Bass Performance Hall basshall.com
11 – May 20
The Fort Worth Botanic Garden is offering a ticket to Pangea, where you’ll visit every continent (no ocean-travel necessary) and get a glimpse of the giant reptiles that once roamed the earth.
Fort Worth Botanic Garden fwbg.org
The Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter, Roberto Carlos, brings his experimental brand of Latin folk to the Near Southside. His new album, Phasor, is set to hit streaming platforms five days before the show. Tulips tulipsftw.com
18
Lora Lee headlines this triple-bill that pays tribute to the U.S. military and benefits The Veterans Ranch, which provides equine therapy services to veterans and Gold Star Families.
Billy Bob’s Texas billybobstexas.com
23 – 25
Cowtown Marathon
The biggest — and, if you choose to do the full 26.2 miles, longest — race in town. There’s no better way to huff and puff your way around the city’s most revered landmarks. Will Rogers Memorial Center cowtownmarathon.org
28 –
March 2
Fort Worth Music Festival
Returning for its second year in the Stockyards, Fort Worth’s namesake music festival is rife with Texas-based musicians, including Ben Kweller, Band of Heathens, William Clark Green, and Summer Dean. Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall fortworthmusicfestival.com
23 – 25
‘Brilliants’ by Texas Ballet Theater
A ballet of vignettes, this mixed repertoire performed by the Texas Ballet Theater features four shorter ballets that mix classical and contemporary elements.
Bass Performance Hall texasballettheater.org
“We’ve been so thankful to have Claffey design, build and maintain our swimming pool investment. Claffey has built at two of our residences.
In our opinion and experience, there is only one choice for high quality, stellar design and buildout when it comes to building your dreams and creating your outdoor living oasis. Claffey and their team is top tier. The quality and craftsmanship as well as the service are unmatched in the market.”
— Satisfied Customer
Tom Sless’ music encapsulates topics that unite us all. He touches on love, pain, identity, and death through smooth vocals, soulful melodies, and a familiar, yet fresh sound. “My style is definitely true to my roots,” says Sless. “My first love was classic rock, so I think that’s definitely where it begins for me.”
Until a few years ago, Sless worked full time as a corporate accountant in Los Angeles. He started dabbling in open mics in his mid-20s, and before long, he quit his job to go all-in on music.
Sless released his first album, California Dream, in March of 2020 — right as the world shut down. “Doing that record release with no fanfare, no album release show, was actually really cathartic,” he says. “I started thinking about what I really wanted out of being a musician.” This period of reflection inspired Sless to sell most of his belongings, buy a transit van, and head to friendly Fort Worth. His vehicle, which he named The VanHudson, became his new home.
When he arrived in DFW, Sless dove headfirst into the music circuit, playing as many shows and meeting as many people as possible. His last few years in Texas culminated in the making of his upcoming record, Heartland Ballerina, which is set for release in 2024. Produced by Dallas-based artist Timlightyear, the album involves almost exclusively artists from the metroplex and will be distributed by Sony Music’s The Orchard.
According to Sless, California Dream was an autobiographical exploration of stepping into his identity as a musician. Heartland Ballerina, on the other hand, is about stewardship and helping others see themselves. “I went through an identity crisis, and now I feel really secure in the meaning I found in my pursuit of music,” he says. “I want to help others see how much they’re capable of.”
Sless will be taking full advan-
tage of living in The VanHudson to promote his new record, touring all over the country for the better part of next year. When choosing locations for his tours, Sless is drawn to small towns that aren’t on anyone’s radar. “I’ve gotten to see a little slice of life in these places, and that’s what’s informed this whole stewardship thing,” he says. “I want to be a force of change for these specific people I’m meeting.”
Whether he’s performing at The Kessler Theater in Dallas or a smalltown farmers market at 9 a.m., Sless treats every show exactly the same. “If there’s only one person listening, I’m still 1,000% invested,” he says. “I always try to connect with whoever is there and make them walk away feeling 1% better about themselves.”
Sless hopes, as any artist would, that his new album garners an influx of streams and turns agents’ heads. But at the end of the day, he takes the most pride in the path he’s forged for himself and the connections he’s made along the way. “A big part of this new record is the exploration of what can help us all see ourselves in one another,” he says. “I think if we bet on ourselves and lead with love, then we can really go a long way.”
Check out Sless’ first single from Heartland Ballerina, “Empty Seat,” on all streaming platforms now.
Shout out to some local music artists. “My favorite artists are also my friends, and I think it has to do with knowing who they are and how they’re expressing themselves through their art. Timlightyear has been such a musical force in my life. I love David Tribble, who used to be a middle school teacher and is now touring. Clint Kirby is a really talented performer who also does a lot of producing and songwriting. Ryan Glenn, a Denton-based guy, has got this really cool rockabilly thing. There are a lot more, but those are some incredible artists I’ve had the chance to work with.”
by Michael H. Price
One of rodeo’s most revered innovators, a star of the silver screen, and — according to the writer of this article — a saver of lives, Bill Pickett remains a legend for many reasons.
Iowe my life to Bill Pickett, that historical mainstay of the Fort Worth Stockyards District. Generationally speaking, anyhow. Bear with me — won’t you? — and I’ll explain.
It was Pickett who taught a unique rodeo-wrangling technique to an early-day Black citizen of Amarillo, Jerry Calloway. Calloway brought a
cowhand background to his citified life as a butler, an all-around handyman, and a protector of Black women on their long walks home from their day-job chores at the uptown hotels and restaurants of Amarillo.
And Jerry Calloway it was, in turn, who used that Pickett-style rodeo tactic to rescue my father-to-be from
a runaway horse-drawn wagon. Kind of goes without saying that I might not exist had my father’s childhood predicament proved fatal. Like I said: generationally speaking.
John Andrew Price (1914-1985) was a captain of industry and a comparatively progressive thinker, given the place and the time: Dad staffed and operated his industrial-supply company with an eye for energetic salesmanship, more so than Whitefolks ruling-class perpetuation. His was an integrated workforce, in other words, branching from the Texas Plains to El Paso and into Eastern New Mexico.
And during the 1950s, Dad was among the few outspoken citizens who objected to a plan by the Amarillo Independent School District to dedicate a new school in the image of the Confederate States of America, complete with symbolic Battle Flag and a reactionary bellyaching nostalgia for such Deep Southern hallmarks as slavery, Klan lynchings, and the scent of magnolia, sweet and fresh.
“Most treasonous development in the history of the USA,” Dad would complain, “and that gol-blamed school board wants to brand in its honor a school where my kids’ll be going. If they’re going to name their campus after the outlaw town of Tascosa, in the first place, then why not name its mascot after Billy the Kid, that juvenile-delinquent punk, and let it go at that? Makes about as much sense, which is no sense at all.” (The concerted objection went unheeded, and Tascosa High School kept its pseudo-Confederate imagery until late in the 20th century, even into an age of decisive desegregation.)
My father’s social conscience stemmed from a fond and desperate memory of childhood: Dad often spoke with reverence of a Black man who “saved my life, yes, he did, once, when I was just a little ol’ sprout.” The story had to do with a runaway horse, harnessed to a buckboard in which the kid who was to become my father was a hapless passenger. The time
was the late 1910s or perhaps 1920, when Dad would have been, indeed, “just a little ol’ sprout,” of age 5 or thereabouts.
Dad’s father, a Canyon-based dairyman named Absalom A. Price, had parked the wagon to make a delivery, leaving his son seated aboard. Something scared the horse — an automobile? maybe a dog? — and it bolted.
“I was all set to either crash or be thrown off,” as Dad recalled. “Looked like certain doom, y’know. But then, all of a sudden, this ol’ Black guy, he runs right up, just as fast as that horse is travelin’ — leaps onto its back — leans forward onto its neck — and sinks his teeth smack-dab into that horse’s lip!
“And that’s the one certain way to stop a horse — no pullin’ back on any reins, no ‘Whoa!’ about it. Just bite down on its lip and don’t let go! Brought that horse to a dead stop, he did. Saved my life, sure enough!”
And did my father recall the identity of this heroic “ol’ guy”?
“Yeah, well, he was a kind of a local-character figure here in Amarillo,” Dad said. “Well known around town, he was.”
Yes, okay — but his name?
“Never knew his right name,” Dad said. “Ever’body just called him by a nickname.” (A moniker that does not bear repeating in enlightened company.)
It turns out that the racially charged nickname — perhaps condescendingly affectionate, certainly dismissive — had been bestowed by
white citizens. An Amarillo-based historian named Bruce G. Todd has solved that mystery in times more recent in a book called Bones Hooks: Pioneer Negro Cowboy.
Matthew “Bones” Hooks (1867–1951), an associate of the aforementioned Bill Pickett, was an entrepreneurial Black frontiersman who developed alliances with white folks in Amarillo early in the prior century. With these connections, Hooks would develop churches and schools and an entire neighborhood where Black residents could become property owners.
Bruce Todd’s book, in due course, reveals my father’s elusive rescuer as “one of the first Black residents of Amarillo since around 1895.” The figure emerges as “a big badass who escorted the Black women home to the Flats [in Northwest Amarillo] from their jobs at the hotels, carrying a bullwhip to deter the white boys who liked to bother the women. He was known to the Blacks as Brother Jerry Calloway.”
And finally: A name to flesh out my father’s reminiscence. The connections among Calloway, Bones Hooks, and Bill Pickett make it patent how Jerry Calloway knew to use the lip-biting ploy as a means of halting a horse. Pickett had invented the method, mimicking the chomping jowls of a cow-herding dog, and he taught it freely to any cowhand with gumption enough to try it.
There. Told you I’d explain, even if the telling would cost us a digression away from our central character, Bill Pickett. Anyhow, Pickett (18701932) was an African American and Cherokee-descended cowboy-turned-movie player whose career ranged from Jenks Branch, Texas (his birthplace), throughout the state, and into Oklahoma and points westward.
skill of leaping to seize a steer by the horns and wrestling it to the ground. Cattlemen would train bulldogs to subdue strays with a bite. Pickett reasoned that, if a bulldog could perform this feat, then so could he. To the tactic of springing from his horse and wrestling a steer, Pickett added the method of biting down on the lip and falling bass-ackwards. (Works on horses, too, but don’t try this at home.) His system became a crowd-pleasing rodeo showpiece.
In 1905, Pickett joined the 101 Ranch Wild West Show, billed as “the Dusky Demon,” and appeared alongside the likes of Buffalo Bill Cody and Will Rogers. The interstate rodeo circuit played up Pickett’s Native American tribal ethnicity. In 1921, he appeared in two Black-ensemble movies, “The Bull-Dogger” and “The Crimson Skull,” from the Florida- and Oklahoma-based Norman Film Manufacturing Co.
Pickett became a ranch hand at around age 10. His practical instincts led him to perfect the technique of bulldogging, the
In 1932, having retired from the Wild West rodeo-circus scene, Pickett died from a head injury, caused by a kicking bronco. His grave lies near the White Eagle Monument, near Marland, Oklahoma. A similarly emphatic memorial, a statue depicting Pickett’s bulldogging maneuver, was sculpted in 1987 by Lisa Perry as a Historical Society installation in the Fort Worth Stockyards District. An additional statue arrived in 2017 at
by Shilo Urban
Nestled in the crook of the Medina River about 25 miles west of San Antonio (or one-day’s wagon ride), Castroville represents one of the six flags of Texas that you don’t see very often: France. You’ll notice the unique heritage of the “Little Alsace of Texas” as soon as you arrive; dwellings have distinct sloped mansard roofs and pretty windows with wooden shutters. Many cottages are fachwerk, half-timber construc-
tion of lime plaster and rough-cut native stone. The old-world village vibe is quite picturesque, and if it seems to balance somewhere between a French and German aesthetic — that’s because it does. Castroville is named after Henri Castro, the pioneer who led a band of settlers to Texas in 1844 from the French region of Alsace. Located east of Paris on the German border,
Alsace has switched hands between France and Germany multiple times throughout history. Today, the region evokes the best of both worlds: artful French cuisine served with German efficiency; German orderliness blended with French savoir-faire.
Like many immigrants to the state, the Alsatians were salt-of-the-earth farming folk who were ready to work hard and create new lives for their families. Their handiwork is well-preserved in Castroville, where successive generations have tried to keep the European atmosphere alive. Almost 100 historic buildings fill the tiny hamlet, and many date back to the first decade of its existence — like the Landmark Inn State Historic Site, a riverside way station constructed in 1849 that doubles as a museum and B&B. The 5-acre complex began life as a simple home and roadside store, eventually adding a two-story gristmill, hotel, tavern, and bathhouse. It was an essential stop for stagecoaches and wagon trains heading west from San Antonio … and the last proper bath you’d have for many days.
Explore the Inn’s garden grounds and pick up a map for Castroville’s self-guided walking tour. On the tour you’ll pass more than 50 structures from the mid- to late-1800s, including the city’s first St. Louis Catholic Church. Construction on the stone relic began just nine days after the
settlers arrived in 1844. The nearby Burger House dates to the same year and still retains its original cypress floors (though the cheesecloth ceiling is long gone). Spring is the best time to visit Castroville, when bright red poppies bloom in yards and fields — a striking juxtaposition against the town’s rustic barns and houses. It all comes together at the enchanting Steinbach Haus, a storybook cottage built in the early 1600s in France. The people of Alsace gifted the house to Castroville in honor of their shared connection, and in 1998 it was disassembled and shipped to Texas. Students and volunteer craftspeople from both locations reconstructed the 2.5-story home, which now serves as Castroville’s Visitors Center. Alsatian furnishings from the 19th century augment the fairy-tale ambiance inside, including a carved wooden bed frame that Goldilocks would certainly claim was “just right.”
Across the street is another local landmark, Haby’s Alsatian Bakery. At 50 years old, it’s a baby compared to much of the rest of the town. Try the kugelhopf, a not-too-sweet Alsatian ring cake that’s perfect with coffee for breakfast. You’ll also find French bread and fruit-filled German stollen, along with Texas favorites like cowboy cookies. Pack a basket for a picnic in the poppies or take some treats home as souvenirs from this one-of-a-kind Texas town.
Savor: Fuel up with a caffeine fix at Magnolia Filling Station, a quaint little coffeehouse in a 1920s gas station — just look for the red vintage pump. Lunchtime hotspot Castroville Café is also a historic gem that’s situated in a beautifully restored 1915 home. Nosh on comfort food favorites like pork schnitzel and roast beef sandwiches but save room for the gooey pecan pie cobbler. True foodies must visit Dziuk’s to try their Alsatian specialties. The multigenerational meat market grinds fresh Alsatian sausage — but you’re here for the parisa, a raw meat appetizer akin to beef tartare that’s made with onions, jalapeños, and American cheese. Eat it fresh and on crackers.
Shop: You can bounce between antique stores and boutiques in compact Castroville; almost everything is located within a few blocks. Firebrand Pottery feels like a French country store that’s stocked with hand-thrown ceramics by Texas artisans. The Rusty Flame Candle Co. sells eco-friendly, soy wax candles along with cozy, vintage-inspired home decor. Discover more goodies at Rhonda J Designs (also called The Barn), from colorful jewelry to Consuela tote bags. And be sure to buzz into BeeSpace. The roadside shop was opened in 2021 by a 16-year-old beekeeper, and his local brush honey is the tastiest around.
Enjoy: Stretch your legs at Castroville Regional Park, a 126-acre green space just south of town that sidles the clear, blue-green Medina River (a popular swimming hole when it’s hot). Climb the Cross Hill Loop (a onemile trail) for the views or wander The Garden of Roots, a flower garden shaped like the region of Alsace. Go farther into nature at Paradise Canyon, another riverside escape with tall limestone bluffs. Play a few rounds at Alsatian Golf Club or see it all from above with Skydiving Castroville.
Snooze: Immerse yourself in the past at the Landmark Inn State Historic Site, where the small, sparse rooms offer a backdrop of the river. Each is decorated according to a different era, the 1850s, 1880s, or 1920s.
You can also stay at the Henri Castro homestead itself and sleep in the house that Castroville’s founder built in 1844. It’s outfitted with all the mod cons but retains its original character with a stone fireplace, root cellar bedroom nook, and antique furniture. If you prefer returning to 2023 when you sleep, the Hillside Boutique Hotel fits the bill with luxe rooms and a hilltop swimming pool with cabanas. Book a citrus and brown sugar body scrub at the spa and drop into the hotel’s Hillside Texas Bistro for a jalapeño-bacon jam burger and some bourbon pecan pie.
How to Get There: The fastest route takes about 4 1/2 hours and follows Interstate 35 south toward Austin. Just before you reach Georgetown, take Exit 265 for TX-130 S (the loop around Austin). Stay on TX-130 S for 87 miles until you reach Interstate 10, then exit onto I-10 heading west toward San Antonio. In 42 miles, continue onto US-90 W for about 23 miles until you reach Castroville.
A knowledgeable agent beside you, an established brand behind you – and results that you’ll appreciate for years to come.
The director of marketing at Mule Alley’s Proper Supply Co. invites us to peruse her closet. You might see a few boots.
By Brian Kendall Photos by Crystal Wise
It’s common to hear of someone born in the wrong era — people whose pop culture sensibilities don’t align with current trends. Less common is someone born in the wrong place. Cristina Faulconer falls into both categories.
While Faulconer wasn’t born in Texas, as she puts it, she got to the Lone Star State as quickly as she could. From the sandy shores of Southern California — no exaggeration, she literally grew up in Newport Beach — Faulconer’s dichotomous upbringing included showing horses, going on vacations to dude ranches with the family, and watching old Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and Hopalong Cassidy shorts. So, naturally, she fell in love with the Western aesthetic at a very young age. “I remember one year I asked Santa at the mall for an Annie Oakley doll,” Faulkner says. “He goes, ‘I haven’t heard that in a really, really long time.”
Bucking whatever California trends might have been present at the time, Faulconer’s love of ranch life and old films would greatly influence her style. “I have a really cool collection of cowboy boots that I’ve collected over the years, which I consider wearable art. I love investing in pieces that are traditional Western pieces, like a fringe jacket or full beaver hat, and mixing it with really high-end designer pieces.”
After finishing her degree in fashion design, Faulconer was plum pleased to receive a call from none other than Craig Cavalier, managing partner of Stockyards Heritage Development Co., who extended her an invitation to become the creative director of Mule Alley’s Proper Supply Co., fulfilling her dream of landing in Fort Worth — the “Mecca of Western fashion.” At least she’s now in the right place, if not the right time.
Below
Hat: Stetson Pure beaver from Proper Supply Co.
Shirt: Manuel couture
Skirt: Anthropologie
Boots: Designed by Cristina Faulconer and made by Stallion Boots
Buckle: The Bohlin Company
Concho belt: The Bohlin Company
Watch: Rolex Submariner
Ring: A gift from Faulconer’s mentor and friend J.A.
Silver charm bracelets: The Bohlin Company
“More is more. And, when I say that, I mean more of your personal style is more. Push the envelope.”
“Find what speaks to you and don’t worry what other people are doing or what other people think because when you have something that you feel comfortable in, that’s what makes or breaks how you look in an outfit. Your confidence is everything.”
“If there’s a piece you’re contemplating buying because you think it’s too over the top for everyday life, trust me, the occasion will always arise. Buy the piece.”
Opposite Page
Jacket: H Bar C
Blouse: Tasha Polizzi
Skirt: Manuel Couture
Boots: Designed by Faulconer and made by Stallion Boots
Belt: Parker Custom Boots
Buckle: The Bohlin Company
Hat: Biggar Hats
“Trends come and go. Stick to the classics, always.”
“Name brands are great, but vintage and thrifting — even on eBay — is the way to go.”
“Let’s all keep cowboy cool. Let’s keep it relevant. I think cowboy’s here to stay, and let’s all keep it a major trend.”
Below
Jacket: Rickrageous
Blouse: Ralph Lauren Purple Label
Jeans: Wrangler
Heels: Ralph Lauren Purple Label
Buckle: The Bohlin Company
Belt: Sunset Trails
Hat: Proper Supply Co.
Above
Dress: RRL
Jacket: Proper Supply Co.
Belt: Parker custom boots
Buckle: The Bohlin Company
Boots: Designed by Faulconer and made by Stallion Boots
Hat: Rand Custom Hat
Necklace and cuff: Susan Adams
by John Henry
Clearly, the Von Erich brand has the longevity marketeers dream of.
More than 30 years after the Von Erichs peaked as an entertainment franchise, the “Iron Claw” has been met with the warm embrace of movie-goers as millions of the family’s adoring fans picked their preferred seats at theaters across the country.
The A24 Films production starring Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White is the somewhat true story of the family’s life in the show business of pro wrestling — the dropkicks, discus punches, and, of course, its patented iron claw — and its terribly tragic ending.
The Von Erichs as wrestlers were the protagonists in the real-world string of machismo storytelling. Dad Fritz and his sons Kevin, David, Kerry, and Mike were the superheroes defending righteousness against the evil doing of the likes of Gary Hart, Bruiser Brody (who became a good guy), The Great Kabuki, Maniac Mark Lewis, and the devil incarnate, the Fabulous Freebirds, the brothers’ archnemesis.
It was all good fun for the teens and preteens of that day, more than 40 years ago, who tuned into the syndicated replay of what had happened on Monday night at Will Rogers Coliseum. Twitter, X, and Elon Musk were unheard of, much less available to give us blow-by-blow accounts in real time.
On KTVT/Channel 11 at 10:30 p.m. each Saturday was, first, Bill Mer-
cer and, then later, Marc Lowrance providing the dramatic play-by-play. The theater reached a fever pitch as the hosts interviewed the combatants afterward.
There, the Von Erichs’ enemies engaged in glorious trash talk, disparaging and taunting their rivals, and boasted about their own abilities. The Von Erichs, too, addressed ongoing feuds and talked tough, but in a more gentlemanly (well, relative to wrestling) tone.
All of it served to build storylines and develop characters, not to mention give us something to talk about at the school cafeteria the next week.
As if we needed more distractions from what we should have been doing, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram published a weekly wrestling column, “On the Mat with Betty Ann Stout,” the creation of writer Jennifer Briggs Gerst.
It wasn’t the stuff of Hemingway, but she effectively spoke to her audience, giving us terms such as “the Handsome Halfwit of Highland Park” — that is, Gino Hernandez — and phrases like “Beef-O-Getti Brains.”
All of it was also more of an act than any of us realized. The human condition stalked the superhero brothers. Hollywood employed its notorious license, we’re told, to take some liberties with the movie script.
For example, patriarch Fritz wasn’t actually Twain’s abusive Pap Finn,
according to son Kevin. We also can safely assume that he wasn’t as wellversed on human development as, say, Mister Rogers. The Expectant Father: The Ultimate Guide for Dads-To-Be likely never passed through his calloused meat hooks.
But Hollywood probably had to alter the story simply in order to try to answer questions long left unanswered. All but one of the Von Erich brothers were robbed of old age, each dying tragically in their youth. David Von Erich died mysteriously while in Japan. Kerry, Mike, and Chris, the youngest brother, died by their own hands. An older brother died as a child. Only Kevin Von Erich is alive today, at age 66.
These muscle-bound warriors whom we thought had everything — the adoration of fame and the materials of fortune — in reality had nothing, particularly as it concerned supporting their brokenness.
In the end, like so many among us, they were done in, not by the villains of the World Class Championship Wrestling, but by silent killers of depression and despair, addiction, isolation, and loneliness.
As it turned out, while we pondered potential outcomes of the current WCCW storylines, the Von Erichs were more than likely grasping desperately for answers for overcoming their demons.
There’s irony in that, in the ring, the brothers always had each other, but in their lowest moment, there was no one there to fight off brute attackers.
Many of the great thinkers of the world have taken up the question of what makes a happy life. The answer has eluded so many for literally eons. Seeking it has doomed many others looking in all the wrong places.
The Von Erichs, ultimately, left a lasting legacy far bigger than conquests in a wrestling ring.
Rather, it’s in understanding that some of our neighbors live in a private hell. And it’s our duty to tag in to help them where we can when they are at their lowest, unspeakable depths by deploying faith, hope, and love.
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The Californians have officially staked their claim in the tax haven paradise of Fort Worth, Texas. The result: They’re changing the city, but not in the way you might think.
BY BRIAN KENDALL
ILLUSTRATIONS BY LAUREN DEITZER
There once was a bear who realized he no longer liked where he lived. The bear, like many other bears from his hometown, was a bit of a character. He loved “catching rays”; shoehorned the word “hella” into every other sentence; and adhered to a glutton-free, dairy-free, and meat-free diet. For the sake of this story, we’ll call this bear “California.”
While California enjoyed his home’s temperate weather, lax marijuana laws, and its Disney theme park, the cost of his honey-only diet and crumbling studio apartment and his inability to find gainful employment — despite being a highly qualified bear — made him consider moving elsewhere. He would also regularly curse the traffic, smog, and “freaking earthquakes and wildfires.”
While searching for a new place to live, California discovered a city where he could thrive. Unlike his previous home, this place had the friendliest people (though they tended to contract “you” and “all” into a single word), an abundance of affordable housing, jobs aplenty, less traffic, and no state income tax. Though he felt the city could use more honey-only restaurants and 70-degree days — along with a better metro — he was happy to call this new place home. For the sake of this story, we’ll call this apparent Promised Land “Fort Worth.”
In his new city, California was bringing in six figures and hibernating in a two-bed, two-bath loft downtown. He was happy. Heck, he was so happy that he told all of his bear friends back home about Fort Worth, singing the city’s praises and urging them to join him. And join him they did. All of them.
And they loved it. They loved it so much that they each invited their own friends to join them, who in turn invited their friends, too.
Though all the new bear residents liked Fort Worth, they also felt it could improve. And, since there was now an abundance of fellow sun-loving bears in the area, they could make some changes and bring some of the wonderful things they enjoyed about their old home to this new city. So, eschewing all the barbecue in town, new honey-only restaurants opened and cries for a better metro ensued … among a few other things.
But with all these new bears in Fort Worth, California noticed the city started to look a heck of a lot like the place he left — the place where he no longer wanted to live. Congestion increased, smog filled the air, the cost of living went up, and California even wondered if he once felt an earthquake.
It now seemed the only difference between Fort Worth and his old home was a lack of 70-degree days.
In our state’s supposed decades-long war with California — a feud of rhetoric and policy between the nation’s two most populous states whose identities are greatly at odds — Fort Worth might be its biggest and most important battleground.
Technically, Fort Worth isn’t experiencing anything different from the rest of the state. In case you were unaware, Californians are moving to Texas — a lot of them. And they are doing so en masse. In 2022, over 102,000 Californians made the jump to the Lone Star State, with neighboring Dallas bearing the brunt of the migration. This mass exodus from the Golden State is as much
a result of California’s problems as it is a result of Texas’ policies and opportunism. This past year, Texas held the top spots as both the most moved-to state and the least moved-from state — simultaneously possessing the highest in-migration and the lowest out-migration rates. This, of course, means that the state’s cities are growing at a staggering rate — with Fort Worth being tops among the big ones.
But this growth has also stirred anxiety among the city’s longtime, and even not-so-longtime, residents. Anecdotally, there’s a fear that out-of-state transplants bring with them more traffic, a higher cost of living, and cultural and political differences that don’t mesh with their vision of the city. They fear that big changes will come with little warning, and the city could become unrecognizable seemingly overnight.
“I think this is perhaps a subjective assessment,” assistant city manager Fernando Costa said when asked about resident anxiety stemming from the migration of Californians.
Fair enough.
Regardless, stoking such fear has played out on the political stage. During the 2018 gubernatorial election, “Don’t California My Texas” became a political catchphrase and rallying cry for Governor Greg Abbott, who places the disparity and dispute between California and Texas squarely on the shoulders of right versus left policies. “Texas is being California-ized, and you might not even be noticing it,” Abbott said in 2015 when asked about city councils enacting tree-cutting ordinances and local fracking and plastic bag bans.
And therein lies the double-edged paradox. The state government, lauded for its tax and regulatory policies that many feel are responsible for the state’s growth — growth that brings new people and new ideas — also show an unwillingness to be open to such new ideas or to veer from the “Texas model.” Conversely, new residents who wish to veer from such a model might be tampering with the very thing that brought them to the state to begin with.
Of course, politically, this point may be moot. A CNN exit poll for the 2018 senate race found that a majority of native-born Texans had voted for Democrat Beto O’Rourke to unseat Republican Senator Ted Cruz. Cruz actually owes his reelection to a 15-point margin of victory among transplants. While this is merely one data point, it does show that a larger percentage of California transplants may be averse to interfering with the “Texas model” than one might presume.
While some may fear political change, to say that the Californication of Texas is exclusively a red or blue matter is to oversimplify the change that could play out. And, as this change inevitably does play out — of all the cities in Texas — it’s Cowtown that has the most to both gain and lose.
Fort Worth represents something that Texas, as a whole, holds near and dear to its heart. It’s a steadfast traditionalism and embrace of its roots that longtime state residents tend to romanticize. A yeehaw cowboyism.
To concede such a distinct identity — to concede an In-N-Out in the Stockyards or a Tommy Bahama in Mule Alley — is near blasphemy to traditional Texans.
After all, Fort Worth is where the West begins, not where the West Coast begins.
Your traditional Fort Worthian with a mouthful of tobacco and ears full of hair would likely say that Austin, Dallas, and Houston are already gone — battles long ago lost in the great Cali-Tex War that continues to wage. “Those cities quickly ceded to those sunbaked yippies,” he might say. So, in a sense, Fort Worth represents Texas’ last stand — San Jacinto reincarnated.
But, as the city wages this battle of cultural preservation, it’s simultaneously itching to become a world-class, modern city — a city of innovation and progress. And to achieve such lofty goals, taking gulps from California’s population drain isn’t just helpful, it’s a necessity. Thus, Fort Worth, by its nature, carries two competing interests.
But according to Costa, the city’s navigating these waters with atomic clocklike precision.
“I think Fort Worth, to a great extent, has managed to achieve two purposes that in some cases could be conflicting,” he says. “On the one hand, being a very welcoming community — being open to new ideas, new ways of doing things. On the other hand, holding on to its heritage and preserving what’s best about our culture.”
In fact, one could argue the city leans into and has doubled down on its cultural identity, perhaps even banking on this differentiator to spearhead growth — Mule Alley and Hotel Drover being recent examples. But the city’s certainly not putting all of its eggs in one basket. Agents of growth exist all around town.
Over the last 10 years, TCU started attracting an increasingly large number of undergrads from California, a bevy of West Coastbased companies relocated their headquarters to Fort Worth, and Taylor Sheridan brought large Hollywood productions to the city. All of this, and more, has led to over 177,000 more people now calling Fort Worth home. How many of these relocations came from California, you might ask?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, between 2017 and 2021, the most out-of-state relocations to Tarrant County came via California, with 7,097 Californians moving to the county in that five-year period. This outgains the next closest state, Florida, by over 4,500 people. Of course, to put this in perspective, over 109,000 people in total moved to Tarrant County in that same time frame — the vast majority of which came from within Texas itself (Dallas accounted for 5,120 new Tarrant County residents). So, our new Californians only accounted for 6.5% of new residents to the area.
But ask any long-tenured Fort Worthian, and they’ll tell you the city’s overrun with ’em.
The ongoing California Exodus, as the media has coined it, is far from humankind’s first mass migration. As long as Homo sapiens have been able to walk, they’ve been hitting untrodden routes in search of a better life — the American Dream before the Bering Strait was ever crossed.
In these days, people migrated in search of climates where more food was available. As society elected to become more complicated and Adam Smith’s theories took a stranglehold on our lives, the reasons to pick up and move became economical. Today, the main drivers for state-to-state migration are leaving high-costof-living areas and seeking warmer climates. And since Southern California’s weather is on repeat at 70-degrees and sunny, we can nix that reason.
Though he spoke primarily about Californians sending their sons or daughters to TCU, the university’s dean of admissions, Heath Einstein, hit on another motive that might supplant climate.
“I think there’s a cultural element,” Einstein says. “And this is not a value judgment on my part. It’s just a reality for families who
feel like California is a little too politically liberal for them. Texas is a really reasonable landing spot.”
Brandi Fields, who previously served in the U.S. Navy, and her husband, Marlon, and their two sons moved from Los Angeles to Aledo in 2021. Marlon, whom she met while he served as a Marine, was an LAPD officer for 25 years. After their son transferred to TCU in 2020 — a decision steeped in the states’ differing COVID policies (TCU had reopened its campus by then, while California remained shut down) — the family, after paying a few visits to the city, decided to make the Fort Worth area their home.
“That changed the entire trajectory of our life because Texas was still open and operating,” Fields says. “We liked everything about Texas that wasn’t California.”
Fields’ story is a reminder that one should not discount COVID’s impact on the influx of Californians. In the year 2021, there was an 80% increase in California migration to Texas — among that increase was Fields and her family. But COVID, and people’s opinions of each states’ response, is also a microcosm of the general political divide between the two states. While COVID might have been a heavy straw that broke the camel’s back, Fields expressed that she had long been agitated by California’s politics.
“I know a ton [of people] who have moved to Texas; they’re Republican, right? They don’t like the Democratic ruination of California, if you will,” Fields says. “And then for us personally, I will say that no state income tax helped because [Marlon] could retire and not have to work as hard as he would’ve if we stayed in California. So just everything about the political environment [is what convinced us to move].”
Anecdotally — and if one looks at recent election returns — Fields and her family are likely representative of a large swath of California transplants who fled the West Coast to live in a city that they felt aligned with their political and religious values. However, no data points exist to determine the political leanings of incoming migrants. The only thing we can determine is that those leaving California for Fort Worth are not carbon copies. While they may very well be outliers, not all California transplants are Republicans.
One such Golden State migrant is Erma Sinclair, who is currently attending seminary at TCU’s Brite Divinity School. Originally from Los Angeles, Sinclair moved to the Bay Area to attend UC Berkeley, where she received her bachelor’s in African American Studies.
“After I graduated in the Bay Area, getting financial stability was like pulling teeth,” she says. “Working ministry and doing nonprofit work made it especially difficult — my housing situation could not get stable. I moved six times in six years.”
Her pain is not uncommon. According to Zillow, the average price for a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco is over $3,400 per month. In Fort Worth, a similar apartment is less than half that at $1,600 per month. If one lived in the Bay Area, this difference would be extrapolated across all expenses; the cost of living in San Francisco is nearly 100% higher than Fort Worth. Likewise, housing prices across the three largest metropolitan areas in California — Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco — are 2 1/2 times the average cost of a home in Fort Worth. Heck, they’re over
50% higher than the average price of a home in Austin.
Looking to continue her education — and get out of the vicious circle of annual moves — Fort Worth became an attractive destination for Sinclair and her spouse after she researched seminaries that met her specific criteria. “I was looking everywhere,” she says. “I looked up seminaries that were queer-affirming and had a justice angle, and one of them happened to be in Fort Worth. What do you know?”
Her surprise was, she admits, rooted in assumptions. “In California, there’s an air about Texas, just like there’s an air about California in Texas,” Sinclair says. “We speak in two different languages. We talk about liberation. We talk about creating spaces for reparation. And that is not a language that, at first glance, one would assume is happening in Texas. But that’s what you hear, and that’s what you see. There is such good work happening in this state.”
Asked whether she’s an outlier — someone with progressive views moving to Fort Worth from California — Sinclair admitted her case may be unique.
“I would say yes, but the optimist in me hopes no. But I will say that there are large numbers of people coming to Fort Worth. They’re not necessarily coming from California, and they’re not coming because Fort Worth is a conservative city. They’re coming because Fort Worth provides them opportunity. And those are the people I relate to most.”
Assistant city manager Fernando Costa tells me that, from what he can see, Fort Worth is more culturally diverse than it’s ever been, which he says is important for the city to celebrate. He also suspects this is a product of the influx of people from all around the country.
“People are moving to Fort Worth because they want to live here, and they have brought much vitality to our community,” he says. “I’m not sure that folks coming here from California or anywhere else have changed Fort Worth except for the better.”
I n 19th century California, when cruel blood sport served as a typical Sunday matinee, vaqueros would publicly pit a bear (typically the now-extinct California grizzly) against a bull for show. The fight would serve as the marquee event with an undercard of equally unconscionable contests. According to reports, while the bull would often attack first, lunging at the bear, the grizzly was understood to hold the advantage and usually came out the victor.
Since Fort Worthians are predisposed to think of bovines as representative of Cowtown, the rest of the metaphor is almost too obvious to point out.
Such exhibits like the above occurred while California was under Mexican rule, which itself was a newly independent nation — still working out the kinks of governing. Texas was in a similar boat but would soon revolt and become a nation of its own for a short time. Both were giant, sweeping, seemingly impenetrable
lands — Texas, at this time, having a little over 200,000 residents, and California with 10,000 residents. And with Manifest Destiny entering its peak powers, both Texas and California would become states — Texas by annexation and California by force.
Soon after, in 1848, a young carpenter named James W. Marshall found gold flakes in a river near Coloma, California, and what ensued was droves of people of every country, race, status, and social class converging on the state in hopes of striking it rich. California became the land for prospectors, opportunists, and dreamers — and it would stay that way until 2020. While most gold had already been “panned out” by 1849, the influx of people created a new ecosystem where opportunities beyond prospecting became aplenty. An estimated 300,000 people moved to California during the Gold Rush, increasing the state’s population exponentially.
In some ways, the rush never ceased. With temperate weather and an abundance of opportunity, the West Coast continued to grow by an average of 48% every 10 years through 1930. And Texans were not immune to California’s temptations and welcoming arms. When the Dust Bowl swept through Texas in 1934, an estimated 66,000 Texans migrated to California — this during a decade when migration rates dropped nationwide. Not surprisingly, during the Great Depression, California saw the highest population growth of any state.
While agriculture remained the state’s biggest industry, the ensuing decades’ growth of film and television — and Hollywood’s geographic monopoly on the industry — would ensure steady economic and population growth. It didn’t hurt that most stars of the silver screen called Southern California home and were routinely filmed next to desert mountains and palm trees. Continuing to diversify, innovative tech companies would soon pop up and Northern California’s Silicon Valley would become a mecca of the computer, electronic, and internet industries. Again, leading to more growth. By 1970, California had usurped New York as the most populous state in the U.S. Since then, the state hasn’t come close to relinquishing this title while California’s population has doubled. It’s been a good run, California, but the Gold Rush might finally be over.
So, what the heck happened, California?
While one’s answer likely depends on their political persuasion, one has to only follow the money — specifically the money taken from Californians’ wallets — to understand why.
The past three years, California’s growth hasn’t just slowed. No, the state is bleeding residents. Since 2020, California’s overall population has dipped by 600,000 people. While one can place some of the blame on COVID and the state’s subsequent response, the population has continued to decline despite reopening post pandemic. For the third consecutive year, the Golden State’s population has shrunk, meaning problems exist outside of the pandemic.
And California’s current troubles are not a sudden reverse of trends. Since 2000, the state has experienced its slowest rates of growth ever recorded. And between 2010 and 2020, California’s population growth rate was slower than the rest of the U.S., causing it to lose a congressional seat for the first time in the state’s
history — Texas, meanwhile, gained a couple.
And it’s not just people they’re losing, but whole dang companies, too. And similar to the state’s fleeing residents, many of these companies are coming to Fort Worth.
Since 2020, 88 companies have moved from California to Texas. While Austin made headlines with the very public relocation of Tesla, eight of these 88 companies now operate out of Fort Worth. These companies, many of which have been in business for decades, run the gamut as far as industries are concerned. Among the eight that have moved include a trim manufacturer, sign manufacturer, boot maker, AI software company, and a real estate firm.
“A lot of companies in California have found that the business environment — more specifically the tax structure and the regulations — may not be to their liking,” assistant city manager Fernando Costa says. “And they often find that Texas’ more permissive regulatory environment and its lack of a state income tax might be more appealing.”
According to Costa, the city has been intentional about attracting companies based in California, and he admits they’ve seen a certain degree of success.
“We don’t have a California strategy per se,” Costa says. “But we do have an economic development strategic plan, and we try to use our economic incentives strategically to attract the right kinds of employers and the right kinds of entrepreneurs to Fort Worth. And it happens that California is a large source of jobs. Many, many large employers in our target industries happen to be located in California.”
Dean of admissions Heath Einstein doesn’t know if all those Californians finally became aware of TCU following the Horned Frogs’ Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin in 2011. There was some speculation over whether this win was at the root of why so many young Californians attend TCU — to the point where the school is jokingly referred to as Texas California University.
“I can’t confirm if that’s 100% true,” he says. “But if you look at the numbers, the trend [of Californians attending TCU] had already been underway. But you could see the curve moving upward after that appearance. We can’t prove that that was the reason, but it certainly didn’t hurt.”
For the fall 2023 semester, of TCU’s 12,785 students, 1,595 hailed from California, which easily holds the largest state representation outside of Texas. The next closest was Illinois with 353 students. Even one who’s not big on math can identify the wide disparity.
“TCU enrolls more Californians than any private school outside of the state of California except for three colleges,” Einstein says. “NYU, Boston University, and BYU, which are all very large private schools; we are far and away much smaller than they are. And we enroll more Californians than any school in Texas.”
And it’s not without purpose. TCU has two regionally based members of their staff permanently camped out in California
— one who covers the north and one the south. That’s not to say that this is at the expense of other regions, Einstein, who also hails from Orange County, is quick to say. But it is clear that the university sees Californians as a target demographic.
According to Einstein, Californians would find TCU enticing for a number of reasons, including the ease of travel (thank you, DFW Airport); the school, while competitive, is not impossible to get into (especially when compared to California schools); and the warm weather. In many ways, TCU is a microcosm of the city as a whole — attracting people from the West Coast for many of the same reasons.
According to the data, there’s been a steady increase of students from California every year since at least 2011 — the earliest year I could pull data — growing an average of 88 students per year. And while California’s share of TCU students has similarly risen, the percent of TCU students from the Golden State still only stands at 14% of the student body, far less than most might assume.
Jaden Gaskins, a sophomore at TCU who arrived from Orange County, wouldn’t have been surprised if Californians made up the majority of TCU students. “I haven’t talked to the dean of students, so I don’t have the actual number, but it’s a very high percentage, whatever it is,” she says. “I can’t say there hasn’t been a single class, social event, or night I’ve been out that I haven’t met at least one [fellow student] from California.”
You don’t have to press Gaskins to talk up the school. After arriving at TCU in 2021, largely on the advice of a college counselor, Gaskins compared her first visit and subsequent football game to Disneyland — a place, funny enough, she likely didn’t live far from. But after a couple of years going to class and experiencing the city outside the campus walls, she also admits observing prejudice and stereotyping due to her geographical upbringing. In other words, being from California.
“Every single time that I say I’m from California, or specifically a TCU student from California, and specifically from Orange County, I get a couple looks and preconceptions about where I’m from,” she says. “The majority of the population moving specifically from Orange County is of a wealthier status. So, there’s a lot of prejudice toward the idea of wealthy people moving into a new place just because they can.”
It should be said that Gaskins, to throw egg in the face of those showing prejudice, is on a majority scholarship and works her way through school at a downtown restaurant — far from a freeloader.
While she sings Fort Worth’s praises despite the occasional animus, once Gaskins graduates, she has opportunities that will lead her elsewhere. But saying sayonara to Cowtown after four years isn’t a matter of course. Quite the contrary, many California students stay and earn their Fort Worth stripes, and they may even bring others with them.
“There’s undoubtedly a long-term impact on the Greater Fort Worth community because a lot of students will stay here after college,” Einstein says. “And we have a lot of parents of California students — I’ve heard this repeatedly — who will say, ‘I’m going to buy property in North Texas because as soon as my student graduates, I’m going to come live here also.’
“There’s a little bit of an avalanche effect. One student comes here, they have a positive experience, they’ll go back and tell their friends, they come back to their hometown, settle in, establish roots, and they’re flying the TCU banner on football Saturdays and away we go.”
With all of this information, and it is a lot of information, Fort Worthians can do one of three things. They can either side-eye Californians and continue to reminisce about the way things were; swear off the city and move to California in protest; or embrace the opportunity that this growth brings to the community.
Projections indicate that growth will continue. And, more specifically, growth will continue from California. In fact, according to a study by moveBuddha, the Fort Worth-Dallas metroplex is set to become the most populated area of the country by 2100 — the same year Texas is to supplant California as the most populated state.
With growth comes traffic, rising home prices, increased cost of living, and poorer air quality. Fort Worth can’t be a world-class city without growth, and it can’t have growth without the growing pains. To put it bluntly: The city can’t have its cake and eat it, too.
Ultimately, Cowtown can learn from the mistakes California made so there’s no Cali-ing of the things that make it a distinguishable Western city and a popular destination for hard-working folks seeking refuge from high costs of living. This includes improved infrastructure, education, and finding a way to reduce congestion and emissions that cause unhealthy levels of ground-level ozone.
And there’s little reason this can’t be done without compromising the city’s identity. Saying “Howdy” and possessing family values do not preclude a place from being among the best in the world.
And the people arriving? The Californians coming in by the truckloads to declare our city New Los Angeles? Heck, maybe they’re just Fort Worthians born in the wrong place, which, in itself leads to the inevitable question: What makes a Fort Worthian?
To sum it up in one word: welcoming.
“Fort Worth, unlike some other cities, has had an open door,” Fernando Costa says. “There are some communities even in North Texas that have had no growth or slow growth policies that they’ve seen, and not every community has been as inclusive as Fort Worth. Not only has Fort Worth grown in numbers, but we’ve become a much more diverse community. And I think we’re known for being welcoming of different cultures. I think it’s consistent with our Western heritage that we treat people with dignity and welcome folks.”
So, how does the fable of the Bear Who Moved to Fort Worth end? Fort Worth and the Bears figured it all out, of course. The Bears remembered why they moved to such a wonderful city in the first place, and the people of Fort Worth learned to withhold judgment and discovered the honey-only diet to be quite trimming.
“Fort Worth has produced more avant-garde jazz saxophonists than any city in the world except Chicago. Why that is, I can’t really explain.”
A retrospective of Fort Worth’s remarkably rich jazz scene
BY MICHAEL H. PRICE
It comes invariably as a surprise, the way this burg’s jazz scene springs back to life, time after time and then some, from the brink of extinction. Shut down one wellhead of the music, and two new fonts of practical inspiration burst loose and start pouring.
So it seems, anyhow. And so far, so good. Take nothing for granted.
The element of surprise, after all, is a necessary component, as argued by The New Yorker’s resident jazz critic of the last century, Whitney Balliett. Balliett called jazz “the sound of surprise,” considering its stealth and abrupt pounces. Because jazz is by nature improvisational, its very players are often the most surprised of all.
The persistence and prevalence of Cowtown-style jazz (with its roots in blues and its offshoots into rock) is such that the New Yorkbased rock-and-roll innovators Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller often credited their breakthroughs to a saxophonist from Fort Worth: King Curtis Ousley, the originator of rock’s essential “yackety sax” style.
And Ousley, in turn, would trace his high station to a persistent collaboration with a school-days pal from Fort Worth: guitarist Cornell Dupree. One perennial example of their composite genius has outlived all concerned: That would be Dupree’s rousing guitar introduction to Ousley’s arrangement of Aretha Franklin’s recording of “Respect” — a 1967 hit that transformed the he-man naïvete of Otis Redding’s original lyric into a timeless manifesto of human rights. “R-E-S-P-E-C-T,” indeed.
Jazz is where one finds it. And no sooner has one got it all figured out when jazz sneaks in from another direction to spring another surprise.
“I don’t think we celebrate the richness of Fort Worth’s jazz heritage as thoroughly as we should,” says Tom Martens, director of the Fort Worth Music Office, a companion agency of Visit Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Film Commission. “The scene today is not as robust as it could be, but it persists in such progressive outposts as the Paschal High School jazz-studies program [among others], in the few wholly dedicated public-gathering venues, and in the prevalence of history-conscious, genre-blending performing ensembles.” The range varies from the progressive ensemble 3 if by Sea to the traditionally rooted Bucket List Jazz Band.
“Add to that a vibrant hip-hop [music-making] community that is heavily influenced by jazz,” adds Martens, “and the strengths are obviously here.”
A newer outcropping is Pinky’s Champagne Room & Velvet Jazz Lounge, 615 S. Jennings Ave., whose listening-room playbill includes such recurring popular favorites as the Johnny Case Trio and the Andres Skates Trio. The tenured standby venues, meanwhile, are Gracey Tune’s nonprofit jazz-and-tapdance emporium, Arts Fifth Avenue, Fifth at Allen in the Fairmount district; and downtown’s
Scat Jazz Lounge, 111 W. Fourth — both dating from the early years of the 21st century.
Arts Fifth Avenue can boast such perennials as a Django Reinhart Festival, honoring the legacy of a pioneering French guitarist; and percussionist Duane Durrett’s recurring James Clay Tribute, named after the influential North Texas jazzman. Pianist-bandleader Joe Rogers graces both the Scat Jazz Lounge and Arts Fifth Avenue. The Scat’s Ricki Derek emphasizes a pop-jazz identity, with his own Las Vegas-styled presentations and an overall dedication to local artists capable of achieving what he calls “that strange and necessary balance between artistry and commercial appeal.”
Such are the city’s primary pure-jazz listening rooms. Additional venues deal in jazz to varying extents. British journalist Matt Fripp devotes a page of his international website, Jazz Fuel (jazzfuel.com), to a broader range of such clubs in North Texas.
“Even the Caravan of Dreams identity seems to be resurgent,” says Martens, citing a new Sundance Square gallery bearing that historic name. The original Caravan had held forth from 1983 into 2001. Its Houston Street showplace served originally as a homecoming gesture to Fort Worth-born saxophonist Ornette Coleman and his touring associates in experimental jazz and poetry.
Caravan also nurtured local talents while settling over the longer stretch into a more commercialized groove, less artistically certain. The Caravan’s closing coincided approximately with the opening of Arts Fifth Avenue and, then presently, with the arrival of Scat Jazz Lounge.
Standard-bearers all along have been the jazz-studies programs of Tarrant County College, TCU, Weatherford College, and Texas
Wesleyan University — all of which can boast career-bound graduates. All such disciplines owe their inspiration to Fort Worth’s I.M. Terrell High School of the last century. In a once-segregated society, Terrell transformed its so-called “separate but equal” status into an academic jazz program that yielded legions of name-brand performing artists. And more about that in a moment.
Jazz as a Local Phenomenon
“Jazz wouldn’t be jazz as we know it today, if not for Fort Worth and its music-making emissaries.” That sweeping assertion comes from Thomas B. Reynolds, a hometown guitarist of international prominence.
Reynolds adds: “Most musicians in Fort Worth, whether they play primarily blues, rock, jazz, country, or whatever, are very open and liberally borrow from one another. The absence of musical bigotry is comparable with that of New Orleans.”
Yes, and New Orleans may own prior claim on jazz in 19th-century historical terms, but Fort Worth caught up with Louisiana’s Crescent City in short order with a breakthrough ragtime composition of 1915, “Twelfth Street Rag,” by the South Side pianist Euday Bowman — recorded by hundreds of massmarket artists from coast to coast and back again.
Jazz and its root-form, the blues, are music-making idioms of defiant social-protest origins and erotic connotations. These qualities are so symbolic of New Orleans that the visual impact there can be distilled to a single image — such as the face of the trumpeter-vocalist Louis Armstrong — and still convey the meaning. Other jazz-defined locales and eras have their signature artists, such as Kansas City (Count Basie), New York’s Harlem district (Duke Ellington), Paris (Django Reinhardt), and even Germany’s long-gone Weimar Republic (the Weintraub Syncopators, banished in 1935 by the jazz-busting Nazi regime).
The historic face of Fort Worth jazz is less readily boiled to an essence: Would that face belong to the free-form saxophone innovator Ornette Coleman? Perhaps the pressure-cooker saxophonist King Curtis Ousley, who set the jazz bar high for both rock ’n’ roll and the soul-music phenomenon of the 1960s? Maybe saxman Gordon “Tex” Beneke, a dominant presence in big-band pop-jazz with the 1940s Glenn Miller Orchestra? Or how about the bandleaders Bob Wills and Milton Brown, whose Depression-era fusions of down-home country music and blues-into-jazz gave rise to the idiom called Western Swing?
“Many musicians from Fort Worth, in all genres and idioms of music, have gone into the world at large and become famous,” as Tom Reynolds writes in our collaborative book, Fort Worth Jazz from the Top. “Since its earliest days, Fort Worth has offered an incredibly varied environment for music — a musical chili composed of almost equal parts blues, country, Tejano, swing, and jazz.”
Fort Worth first put its unique stamp on jazz with the pianist Euday Bowman, who developed a particular interest in the syncopated idiom called Ragtime, itself an invention of East Texas.
A separate idiom, Western Swing, started late in the 1920s at a countrified house party in Fort Worth: Fiddler Bob Wills welcomed a garrulous guest, Milton Brown, as a sit-in singer. Brown called for W.C. Handy’s “The Saint Louis Blues” (not usually associated with country music), and the resulting fusion would spread from
barn-dance fiddling to the addition of Dixieland-style piano, electrified guitars, and horn ensembles.
The Depression-into-wartime era of Big Band Swing was born as ragtime faded. Saxophonist Gordon “Tex” Beneke, from Fort Worth’s Paschal High School, came to the attention of the popular bandleader Glenn Miller. Beneke walked into an audition and said, “Howdy, boys! I’m sure glad to be here!” Miller, impressed by the drawl, immediately started addressing Beneke as “Tex.”
The Glenn Miller Orchestra became the most famous of Big Band ensembles, in great measure because of Beneke’s affable nature and versatile musicianship. Songs like “Chattanooga Choo–Choo,” featuring Beneke as vocalist, also contributed to the band’s popularity. After Miller’s death during World War II, Beneke headed the Glenn Miller Orchestra until he left to form his own outfit. Another Fort Worth native, drummer Ray McKinley, took charge of the Miller Orchestra. Yet another, Clyde Hurley, a Paschal graduate, played trumpet in the Miller Orchestra.
Fort Worth’s I.M. Terrell High School holds pride-of-place in progressive music-making programs, more practical than theoretical. Terrell trained many artists who would achieve international prominence. They include such gold-standard figures as saxman King Curtis Ousley, who helped to define rock ’n’ roll with the Coasters during the 1950s, and whose Kingpins ensemble (based in New York) provided accompaniment for Aretha Franklin during the 1960s and beyond; Cornell Dupree, the signature guitarist with King Curtis & the Kingpins and all-round session man with Atlantic Records; Ornette Coleman, the great free-jazz innovator; and the varied likes of Dewey Redman, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Ray Sharpe, John Carter, Prince Lasha, Julius Hemphill, Billy Robinson, and Thomas Reese. They emerged from the late 1940s through the 1960s, a small army of African American jazz-blues musicians whose most apparent common trait was that they came out of Terrell High School. A definitive job of research on the Terrell scene was performed during the 1990s by the career journalist Christopher Evans. His findings are excerpted here.
There were dozens, if not more — uniquely trained young musicians, mostly men, all either born or weaned musically here, specifically in a six-block area whose vortex was the intersection of Rosedale Street and Evans Avenue on the city’s Short Southeast side. Most who realized big-time dreams were saxophonists — King
(1) “Instant Groove” – King Curtis, 1969 (2) “The Island Song” – Prince Lasha, 1967 (3) “Teasin’” – Cornell Dupree, 1974 (4) “Dream” – Julius Hemphill and Abdul Wadud, 1993 (5) “Lonely Woman” – Ornette Coleman, 1959 (6) “African Songbird” – Ahmed Abdullah and the Solomomonic Quintet (ft. Charles Moffett), 1987 (7) “A Wonderful Guy” – Tex Beneke, 1946 (8) “Kwadwo Safari” – Prince Lasha and Herbie Hancock, 1981 (9) “Memphis Soul Stew” – King Curtis, 1967 (10) “Ignant” –Cornell Dupree, 1993 (11) “Chattanooga Choo Choo” – Glenn Miller (ft. Tex Beneke on vocals), 1939 (12) “Ramblin’” –Ornette Coleman, 1960
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Curtis Ousley, Ornette Coleman, John Carter, Dewey Redman, Jeep Smith, Julius Hemphill, and Prince Lasha. But others, such as jazz patriarch Charles Moffett and percussionist-turned-bandleader Ronald Shannon Jackson, known as “Roundhouse” in his Terrell days, also hit it big.
That they one day might be lumped together as a Fort Worth School of Jazzmen seemed a flight of imagination in the late 1950s. Why Fort Worth produced such a roster of great players, each influenced by others in the group yet developing personalized styles, is a question for perpetual debate.
Why so many from this period headed straightaway into the most intense (but least popular) forms of jazz — the experimental, or avantgarde, edge — is another quandary. Coleman and Redman have pointed to a musical environment that reached outward from the Rosedale-Evans intersection. The influences included church music, all-Black schools, private tutelage, and other performing venues such as the Black-owned Jim Hotel downtown and white-owned clubs where Black music was in demand, but Black customers were not welcome.
The jazz-and-blues styles associated with Fort Worth came from a fecund music environment that suffered from the segregational rules of the time and flourished in spite of segregation. Although it doesn’t make sense in hindsight, Black musicians were allowed, within surreal but confining boundaries, to step inside the white world, play their music, and leave quietly.
Consider blues singer Robert Ealey’s dual-identity crisis of the 1980s — an empire all his own at the Como district’s New Bluebird Nite Club, coupled in contrast with his chronic welcome as a hiredgun entertainer at the Ridglea Country Club. Worlds apart, though within a few minutes’ drive of one another. Ealey, an instinctive integrationist who had welcomed white musicians into his bands as early as 1969, also took pains to make the Bluebird attractive to white customers, defying a prevailing imperative of the day to “keep Como Black,” as Viola Pitts, long the unofficial mayor of Como, often declared. The white-owned establishments across the Camp Bowie divide were not so reciprocally minded.
Midway through the last century, adventurous white clubgoers were left to “go slumming,” as the practice was called, and sneak
into all-Black venues, such as the Jim Hotel downtown, for weehours jam sessions, the better to hear the genuine article. What happened in terms of Black-white crossover music — mainly, in terms of white musicians trying to absorb instrumental techniques from Blacks — was similar to the escalation in bootlegging that had resulted from Prohibition: People on both sides wanted what the rules of segregation forbade.
So rampant were the crossover tendencies that there are reports that jazz immortal Charlie Parker once jammed with Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys — not an illogical possibility, given the convergence of music forms in the midcentury. Fort Worth’s Ornette Coleman once recalled making music around 1948 with white steel guitarist Billy Briggs at Amarillo’s Black-operated La Joya Hotel, which kept later hours than Briggs’s white-folks honky-tonk scene.
If Dallas had its original Deep Ellum district, Fort Worth had its own jazz cauldrons. As Fort Worth-bred guitarist/historian T. Sumter Bruton, III (1944-2022) often stated, “Fort Worth has produced more avant-garde jazz saxophonists than any city in the world except Chicago. Why that is, I can’t really explain, but it must derive from the influence of Terrell High School.”
The 1930s-1950s were a period when music was not so overclassified as it is today. “I think it’s important to remember that people who were around at the time still think of players like Ornette Coleman, Dewey Redman, and Julius Hemphill as blues players, not jazz,” Fort Worth jazz historian Gregory Harris told Chris Evans in 1993. “Even though Ornette, especially, has become known as avant-garde for his innovations, he’s still considered a Texas blues musician. He still has that Texas blues-sax quality that all these guys had.”
Then, too, whatever the nature of the music they made, a key part of the environment was a cornucopia of small taverns and listening rooms near the Rosedale-Evans junction, among them such fabled rooms as the China Doll, the Aristocrat Inn, the Zebra Lounge, the Paradise Inn, and Billy’s Bar.
“The bars where they played were everywhere down here,” said career educator Marjorie Crenshaw (1927-2019), founding president of the Fort Worth Jazz Society and widow of the trumpeter Willie Newton Crenshaw. “[The East Rosedale site that became] Mrs. Drake’s Cafeteria, now, that was the Zanzibar, which had a roof that would roll back so you could sit under the stars. There was the Chili Bowl at Evans and Humbolt, [and so forth]. And every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday they’d all be full.”
As to the larger venues, such as the cavernous Recreation Building on East Vickery Boulevard, Crenshaw recalled: “Your big Black groups — Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Clark Terry — would play at the Recreation Building. There also were local orchestras such as Sonny Strain & His Sultans of Swing, which employed only the best local players. But it didn’t take a building — or a band — to inspire jazz in Fort Worth.”
“Thing was, you didn’t have to have a [paying] gig to play,” recalled jazzman Dewey Redman (1931-2006), while revisiting the memoryladen Rosedale-at-Evans landmark in 1993. “I remember seeing Julius Hemphill playing ..., right on this corner. Around here, there was always a place to play, even if it was the streetcorner.”
Part of the Fort Worth phenomenon, too, is that the musicians who gained international recognition had predecessors locally. The saxophonist Eugene Burnett, for example, was a mentor to children of the 1930s. As Marjorie Crenshaw would explain: “And there were many, many others, including the private music teachers, the church-music people, the parents who put such a great emphasis on music and practice and study. By the time the kids got to Terrell, they knew not only the fundamentals of reading music and some classical music, but also all the [John Philip] Sousa marches. Discipline was the key.”
While some of the great local players made it big in jazz or blues or rhythm-and-blues, some — despite incredible talents — did not. One was a wispy tenor-sax player named Red Connor, whom jazz legend Ornette Coleman likened to jazz innovator Charlie “Bird” Parker. Another was a 500-pound tornado of a saxman named Fronzelle Littlefield, who grew up on East Tucker Street and wowed local audiences with his playing in the 1960s.
Famous or not, all such players mattered in the view of Marjorie Crenshaw, who nurtured homegrown jazz careers to the end of her life. As the matriarch of jazz in Fort Worth, Crenshaw devoted her life to assuring the city of a constancy of purpose in its musical stewardship. Her successor on the board of the American Federation of Musicians, Local No. 72-147, would be a prominent protègé, the saxophonist and composer Rachella Parks-Washington.
Just like we were saying, there, about jazz as a self-renewing phenomenon.
By Shilo Urban
by Crystal Wise and Thanin Viriyaki
From brawny chicken-fried steaks to margaritas the size of your head, Texas’ signature foods do not mess around. They satisfy. They sizzle. They smoke. It’s no surprise that beef is the VIP of Lone Star cuisine, which is hearty, heavy, and heavenly on the palate (if not the waistline). Healthy it is not — though we’ll give fried okra a pass. And just like Texans, our food reflects an incredible diversity of cultural influences including African American, Mexican, German, Czech, Jewish, French, and English.
Many of our favorite dishes were born and raised in Texas, but not all of them. Most of their creation myths are shrouded in mystery, debated, and disputed. We’ll probably never know
the name of the first person to drop ice cubes into their tea or the grandma who whipped up the original pecan pie. Their stories are lost to history, but one thing is certain: Their culinary inventions echo in eternity … or at least, they taste really, really good.
While the entire Tex-Mex panoply could appear on this list, beef fajitas take precedence for their succulent sizzle — a char-ful aroma that you just can’t ignore when the waiter walks by your table with a hot, smoldering skillet. You can follow the smoke back to the cattle ranches of Texas and Northern Mexico, where tough cuts of beef like
skirt steak were grilled right on an open flame. Vaqueros named the strips of meat fajitas, which means little belts or sashes in Spanish. They added native peppers and onions to the mix, and by the 1930s fajitas were an in-demand festival food in the Rio Grande Valley. Even back then, onlookers couldn’t resist the enticing fajita fragrance. The dish slowly made its way onto restaurant menus, including Mama Ninfa’s tortilleria in Houston, and in 1969 the signature sizzling platter was introduced in Hidalgo County. Loaded onto a warm tortilla, fajitas are endlessly customizable. Just remember: Don’t touch the plate, it’s hot!
Where to find it: Pappasito’s, Los Molcajetes, Uncle Julio’s
Greater than the sum of its beef, batter, and grease, the chicken-fried steak sings of wide-open skies and dusty backroads, a symphony of Texas that’s smothered in cream gravy. Or maybe brown gravy, in which case it turns into a country-fried steak … although some Texans hold that gravy doesn’t matter; country-fried steak is cooked in a pan while chicken-fried steak is dipped in the deep fryer. At any rate, the crusty crowd-pleaser is often attributed to the Germans and Austrians who moved to the state en masse during the 1800s, bringing with them a taste for schnitzel: a thin, tenderized cut of meat that’s breaded and fried. The pork and veal that the immigrants preferred were in short supply on the frontier, but cattle were plentiful, so they made do with beef. However, the folks in Lamesa, Texas, (home of the annual Chicken Fried Steak Festival) would beg to differ. They insist that a local restaurant cook created the dish by accident when he misread two separate orders for “chicken” and “fried steak” as one. Others insist it originated in restaurants in Colorado and Kansas before arriving in Texas, where it caused such pandemonium that it’s been indelibly associated with our fair state ever since. Where to find it: 97 West Kitchen + Bar, Star Café, Reata
In Texas, iced tea isn’t a drink — it’s a way of life. Whether you prefer sweet, unsweetened, or half-and-half, it’s no mystery why we guzzle down gallons of the stuff: Our home is as hot as a bonfire on hell’s front porch. We drink iced tea in the summer to withstand soul-blistering temperatures, and we drink it in the five days of winter because, well, that’s what we do. We sip it on the porch and buy jugs of the stuff at drive-through tea barns. Restaurant servers set whole pitchers of tea on our tables because we’re knocking it back so fast. Hot tea has a long history, dating back 4,700 years to ancient China. But iced tea made its earliest confirmed appearance in 1839 in Naples, Italy, as noted by a British countess. The chilly beverage debuted in the U.S. during the
1860s and spread quickly, and the first sweet iced tea recipe was printed in the 1879 book Housekeeping in Old Virginia by Marion Tyree, a native Texan. After a British tea merchant promoted the drink at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, demand soared … and we’ve been asking for refills ever since.
Where to find it: Literally every single restaurant, supermarket, and convenience store in the entire state of Texas
Taking its name from an Algonquin word meaning “a nut that requires a stone to crack,” the hard-shelled pecan is indigenous to North America and was harvested by native tribes for centuries. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew pecan trees in their orchards … but who invented the pie? Sugar pies made of butter, sugar, and eggs were baked across medieval Europe, and colonial
Americans adapted their traditional recipes with ingredients they could find in the New World. They added molasses to make shoo-fly pie, cornmeal to make chess pie, and pecans to make pecan pie. French set-
tlers in New Orleans may have crafted the first pecan pies, putting their homeland’s legendary pastry heritage to work with the local nuts. A published recipe didn’t show up until the late 1800s, but the dessert as we know it was truly born alongside an ingredient every pecan pie baker will recognize: Karo syrup. Launched in 1902 with a huge marketing blitz, the corn syrup took centerstage in a pecan pie recipe whipped up by a Karo salesman’s wife in the 1930s. Calling for Karo syrup, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and pecans, it’s still the same recipe that appears on countless American tables every Thanksgiving — you may have even made it yourself.
Where to find it: Swiss Pastry Shop, Sweet Lucy’s Pies, Emporium Pies
You can call it red chili or chili con carne. You can load it up with shredded cheese, sour cream, onions, jalapeños, or all of
the above. You can eat it with cornbread or crackers — but whatever you do, don’t make it with beans. Described by Will Rogers as a “bowl of blessedness,” chili is the official state dish of Texas. It can be a main course, a side dish, or a topping, and it even shows up in another one of our favorite foods, the Frito pie (see below). Chili’s origins are just as messy as the food itself, with different drips leading back to the Aztecs, Canary Islanders, Texas prisoners, and a Spanish nun. What’s uncontested is that shortly after the Civil War, the legendary Chili Queens of San Antonio started selling their chili con carne from street stalls on Military Plaza. Around the same time, chuckwagon cooks were probably making chili on cattle drives, where wild onions and chili peppers grew along the trails. Beef was too valuable to waste on lowly cowboys, so they opted for venison instead. The dish came into its own during the Depression Era when chili parlors proliferated; people loved the cheap and easy-to-cook meal that could feed a crowd. Chili comes in countless varieties these days, from Cincinnati chili with cinnamon to Hoosier chili with pasta. No comment. We’ll rest on the immortal words of the 36th president, Lyndon B. Johnson: “Chili concocted outside of Texas is a weak, apologetic imitation of the real thing.”
Where to find it: Angelo’s Bar-B-Que, Paris Coffee Shop, Chili Parlor at White Elephant Saloon
Filled with fruits and sweet cheese, the doughy kolache traveled to Texas with the thousands of Czech immigrants who arrived here in the 1800s. Many came from Bohemia and Moravia, settling across Central Texas and especially in the area around West: kolache ground zero. The Czechs stuffed their koláče with whatever they could grow in the region’s rocky soil: peaches, plums, and poppyseed. Homemade cottage cheese called tvaroh was also a favorite. You’ll still find these traditional flavors of kolaches alongside newfangled fillings like cherry cream cheese, pumpkin, and Nutella. But wait! What about that eternal crowd-
pleaser, the juicy, savory, oh-so-delectable sausage kolache? Technically, a sausage kolache is not a kolache at all, because kolaches are always sweet. Instead, it’s klobasnek — and klobasneks were created by Czechs already living in Texas. Now, would you like that heated up?
Where to find it: Pearl Snap Kolaches, A & H Donuts, Busy B’s Bakery
Also called funeral cake for its frequent postmortem appearances, this flat, wide chocolate dessert bears an uncanny resemblance to the West Texas landscape. Buttermilk is the secret ingredient that hides beneath the fudgy frosting and scattering of chopped pecans. You may remember eating a slice at your mamaw’s house or the church potluck (there are always plenty of servings to go around). Many people hold Lady Bird Johnson responsible for the dessert; she was the star contributor to a 1960s cookbook by a women’s group affiliated with the Fort Worth Christian School. But the book’s recipe for “Sheate Cocoa Cake” wasn’t the first — a similar version had appeared in a Galveston newspaper way back in 1936.
Wherever Texas sheet cake came from, we’ll take another slice, please … and a glass of milk, too.
Where to find it: Hot Box Biscuit Club, Blue Bonnet Bakery, Central Market (along with an almond-flavored white Texas sheet cake)
Frito Pie
As soon as Fritos were introduced in 1932, someone was probably eating the corn chips with chili and cheese. But when did the dish become a Frito pie? The earliest known record comes from — gasp! — Oklahoma, where one Lillian Townsend published a casserole recipe in 1948: Layer Fritos, chili, then cheese in a pan; repeat and bake until bubbly. The Frito company followed suit with a pie recipe in 1949 that was written either by the company founder’s mother, secretary, or cookbook writer. The spicy sludge caught on like wildfire. By the mid-1950s, Frito pie was slapped onto school lunch trays across Texas and served at Disneyland’s Casa de Fritos. When Frito-Lay ditched its paper bags in the ‘60s in favor of cellophane, some innovative and/or lazy soul had the bright idea to pour the chili and cheese straight into the bag. Who needs a bowl? Today, Frito pie has conquered football stadium concession stands across America, and only one question remains: What to top it with? Let
the debate begin!
Where to find it: Dutch’s Hamburgers, Bullfrog Grill, Spiral Diner
Frozen or on the rocks? Salt or no salt?
Every day or every other day? On a sunny Texas afternoon, a frosty margarita hits the sweet spot — and the sour spot and the salty spot. This refreshing balance of flavors helps to elucidate the cocktail’s enduring popularity, but it certainly doesn’t clarify its origin story. Depending on who you ask, the margarita was invented in the 1930s in Chihuahua, Baja California, Houston, Galveston, or London. Perhaps a restaurant owner dreamed it up for a vaudeville dancer who
was allergic to whiskey and vodka. Maybe a bartender named his new drink after the daughter of the German ambassador, a faithful customer. A milkman, a Dallas socialite, and an Irish bartender all take credit for the concoction. Whatever the case, a similar cocktail called a brandy daisy (made with brandy, orange liqueur, sugar syrup, and lemon juice) was on the scene in the late 19th century, long before the margarita appeared. Someone, somewhere substituted tequila and limes for the brandy and lemons, calling the new drink a margarita — which is Spanish for daisy.
Where to find it: Joe T. Garcia’s, Muy Frio Margaritas, Taco Heads
The trusty sidekick of barbecue and chicken-fried steak, these hot little nuggets have a unique texture and taste that stands apart: slightly earthy, mildly sweet, grassy, and fresh. Whether you like your fried okra encased in heavy batter or lightly dusted with cornmeal, it’s a bona fide vegetable that passes as “healthy” if you close your eyes and squint. Okra was initially cultivated in tropical Africa thousands of years ago before spreading through the Middle East and into India. Ancient Egyptians carved pictures of the pods on their temples, and Arabs used toasted, ground okra seeds as a feeble substitute for coffee. The vegetable went even further when it was transported to the Americas in the holds of slave ships. Enslaved people from the Congo and West Africa brought a tradition of frying the pods, which are
now essential in several Southern cuisines including soul food, Cajun, Gullah Geechee, and of course: Texan.
Where to find it: Tricky Fish, Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, Campfire Grill
Delectable smoked brisket began popping up on Texas restaurant menus in the 1950s and ’60s; Black’s BBQ in Lockhart claims they were the first to sell the slow-cooked beef. But you could find it in meat markets decades before that, particularly in delis that served the Jewish community. Along with other Central Europeans, many Ashkenazi Jews also emigrated to Texas in the 1800s, and they brought brisket with them. It had long been a staple of Jewish cuisine (especially on holidays), a tough yet affordable cut that met the strict kosher requirements of their religion. They adopted the smokehouse cooking methods of the Texas Czechs and Germans, and by the early 1900s, Jewish grocery stores were running ads for smoked brisket alongside corned beef, kosher sausage, and pastrami. Half a century later, the rest of the state finally caught on and the quintessential Jewish meat became a worldwide Texas icon.
Where to find it: Panther City BBQ, Brix Barbecue, Smoke-A-Holics BBQ
New Mexico can claim this handheld delight. The term “breakfast burrito” premiered on the menu at Tia Sophia’s restaurant in Santa Fe in 1975, although the dish was making the rounds in the Southwest long before that. Burritos date back to the 19th century, when burros carried the convenient meals at worksites. But breakfast burritos bring American, Mexican, and Latin American flavors together. Bacon, eggs, and potatoes join forces with chorizo, peppers, and avocado to create a perfectly portable morning meal. Don’t forget the hot sauce!
Where to find it: Salsa Limon, Esperanza’s, La Rueda
Delicious dipped in cream gravy or piled high with pulled pork, burly Texas toast is crispy on the outside and spongy in the middle: straight buttery goodness. The carb-loaded comfort food came out of the 1940s from a barbecue chain called the Pig Stand, a Dallasbased operation that expanded to more than 100 restaurants across the country. Either at the Denton or the Beaumont location, the owner ordered extra-thick sliced bread from a local bakery to try
and make a splash with the customers. It was so big, however, that it wouldn’t fit in the toasters! They decided to slather it with butter on both sides and brown it on the griddle instead, and a Texas legend was born.
Where to find it: Jon’s Grille, Fred’s Texas Café, Whataburger
With thicker dough and easier prep, peach pie’s deconstructed cousin is one of the most sought-after sweets in the state. We can thank New England colonists and American pioneers for “cobbling” together this gooey dessert, which was born out of necessity: The settlers didn’t have the right cooking equipment to bake a fancy peach pie. So, they improvised by dumping fruit into a Dutch oven, topping it with clumps of biscuit dough, and cooking it over the open fire. They used the fruit they could find, and in Texas that usually meant peaches. Unfortunately for the early Americans, Blue Bell’s vanilla ice cream wouldn’t come along until the early 1900s. We’ll have an extra scoop in their honor.
Where to find it: Lucile’s, Shady Oak Barbeque, Drew’s Place Soulfood
4 Courses
Impress even the most discerning of foodies with this fourcourse meal courtesy of XIT Ranch chef, Abby Knowles — complete with sommelier-recommended wine pairings.
By Abigail
ROASTED RED PEPPER AND TOMATO BISQUE
Ingredients:
• 2 red bell peppers, roasted and peeled
• 8 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Basil pesto for garnish
Instructions:
1. Gently sweat onions and garlic in a pot of olive oil until they are translucent.
2. Add the roasted red peppers, tomatoes, and broth, and simmer together for 20-25 minutes.
3. Use an immersion blender or traditional counterpart to blend these ingredients. Tailor to your thickness preference by incorporating additional water to attain your desired viscosity.
4. Season with salt and pepper; serve soup hot with a spoonful of basil pesto.
Wine Pairing: OrangeWine
2021 Le Ragnaie Civitella Toscano Bianco
If you have yet to jump on the orange wine (in which there are no actual oranges) train, this is the perfect place to start. Its zesty, light, and refreshing flavor highlights the roasted qualities of the pepper while managing to bring out that sweet vibrancy of the tomatoes.
Ingredients:
• 2 cups mixed greens
• 2 oranges, segmented
• 1 grapefruit, segmented
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1/2 cup almonds, toasted
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons citrus juice (orange or grapefruit)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Lay a bed of assorted greens upon the plate. Gently place the citrus segments, pomegranate seeds, and toasted almonds atop the greens.
2. Whisk the extra virgin olive oil, citrus, honey, a pinch of salt, and a grind of pepper in a bowl.
3. Prior to serving, drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad.
Wine Pairing: Bordeaux Blanc
2019 Chateau Suduiraut S de Suduiraut Bordeaux Blanc
Don’t ditch your whites when the weather cools. Heartier whites that still exude freshness are a great match for lighter dishes in winter months. You’ll love the rich, silky texture of the Bordeaux Blanc to help accentuate the almonds, while the bright Meyer lemon profile complements the citrus vinaigrette.
Abby Knowles
BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS WITH GARLIC MASHED POTATOES AND ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Ingredients:
• 4 beef short ribs
• 2 cups red wine
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups beef broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 large potatoes, peeled and large diced
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
Instructions:
1. Season your short ribs with a blend of salt and pepper. Sear in a medium-hot pan in a bit of oil until they obtain a uniform, golden-brown exterior. Remove ribs from pan.
2. Reduce the heat to a medium setting. In the same pan, delicately sweat the onions, carrots, and garlic to form an aromatic base.
3. Return the seared short ribs to the pan. Add the red wine and beef broth. Elevate to a boil, then down to a low, gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 2-3 hours, until tender. Pay attention during this process and add liquid, if necessary.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
5. In a large pot, bring your water with your potatoes up to a manageable boil. Allow to cook for roughly 20 minutes.
6. Toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper and into a cooking pan. Place into the hot oven to roast for 10-12 minutes or until crisp and golden brown.
7. Once potatoes are soft and break apart easily with a fork, drain the water from the pot. Add milk and butter and mash. For a more whipped version, throw the mixture into a blender or food processor.
8. Present the short ribs atop the bed of mashed potatoes, accompanied by the roasted Brussels sprouts. Finish by delicately drizzling the reduction of liquid from the pan over the short ribs.
Wine Pairing: Barbaresco
2020 Giuseppe Cortese Rabaja Barbaresco Piedmont
Because their zesty acidity and structure cuts through the richness and intensity of the meat, Nebbiolo grape wines pair perfectly with braised dishes. Barbaresco is 100% Nebbiolo from the Piedmont region of Italy but requires less aging and decanting than Barolo, its less budget-friendly sister.
CRÈME BRÛLÉE
Ingredients:
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 6 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for the caramelized topping
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• Fresh strawberries to garnish
Instructions:
1. Begin with the vanilla bean, split and steep in cream while over low heat to extract the essence of the vanilla.
2. Whisk the yolks of eggs. Slowly pour the warm cream into the yolks, creating a velvety custard.
3. Add the granulated sugar and whisk.
4. Strain the custard through a sieve. This is not paramount, but the extra step is worth the effort.
5. Transfer the liquid into four large ramekins, already set in a high-sided baking dish. Add enough water to reach halfway up each ramekin to create a water bath. This ensures a uniform bake.
6. Allow the custards to cool before adding a thin, even layer of brown sugar. Apply the flame, moving across the top of each dish slowly and consistently, caramelizing the surface into a glassy perfection.
7. Serve each dish with fresh berries and powdered sugar.
Wine Pairing: California Grenache
2022 Vinos Finos de California Sabroso Central Coast
When pairing sweet items, the rule of thumb is to serve wine as sweet (or sweeter) than the dessert — or opt for something that has “perceived sweetness.” California Grenache has ripe fruit flavors that trick your brain into thinking sugar is present and complements any berrygarnished dessert.
Sweet or savory, baked or fried, empanadas are a centuries-old staple of Latin American cuisine. Now these buttery pastries are the culinary centerpieces of several Fort Worth eateries.
Alittle girl slides her fingers along the glass display case, pointing to what she wants for lunch.
“I want that one and that one,” she says on this crisp Saturday afternoon at Del Campo Empanadas in north Fort Worth. Choosing an empanada filled with pepperoni and another stuffed
with Nutella, she says she likes their unusual shapes — one is triangular, the other oblong — and the fact that “one’s for lunch, one’s for dessert.”
Over the past few years, scenes like this have become more common, as empanadas have started to play a broader role in Fort Worth’s culinary
vernacular. They’ve long been a mainstay of eateries and bakeries near and far, small and large, but several new and newish area restaurants — Del Campo, Lola’s Cuban Food in southwest Fort Worth, Tinie’s Mexican Cuisine in the South Main area, newly opened Bissy’s in Pantego, and Boca 31 on the south side, among them — are giving empanadas top billing on their menus, helping breathe new life into these flaky, buttery staples of Latin American food and culture.
“When I opened my first restaurant here, most people didn’t know what they were,” says Andres Meraz, the chef and owner of Boca 31, a charmingly tiny restaurant in the hospital district that specializes in housemade empanadas. “I usually tell people they’re like turnovers. People here know what turnovers are, but empanadas — that’s still a new type of food here.”
Empanadas are similar to turnovers in that they are made by folding dough over a savory or sweet filling. With the filling resting inside, the dough is then either baked or fried.
It’s believed that empanadas originated in Portugal and Galicia, Spain, in the 1500s. Over time, numerous variations emerged, each prepared differently, depending on the country of origin. In Venezuela, Mexico, and Colombia, fried corn dough is used to house fillings such as pork and chicken, and, on the sweet side, native fruits.
In Bolivia, they’re baked using a sweetened flour dough and a stew-like filling comprised of meat, potatoes, carrots, and peas; they’re often called salteñas. In Peru, they’re both baked and fried and filled with creole ingredients such as a spicy chicken stew called aji de gallina.
At Boca 31, a hidden gem in the hospital district run by Andres Meraz and his wife Marlene, empanadas are prepared in fryers, in the style of those closely associated with Puerto Rico, where they’re sometimes called pastelillos.
A California-raised chef who has worked in kitchens around the world,
Meraz says he has been greatly inspired by the empanadas he had while working as a chef in Miami. “Miami has a huge Puerto Rican population and a great food scene that goes along with it,” he says. “You can find empanadas on just about every street corner there.”
When he and his wife moved to North Texas in 2014, they wanted to bring with them the flavors they had come to love during their time in Miami. The two opened the first location of Boca 31 in Denton in 2016, devoting their menu to Latin street food. A subsequent location opened in Keller; then, in 2022, the pair opened a Fort Worth location in a tiny spot on Eighth Avenue. (The Denton location was destroyed in a fire, and Meraz closed the Keller store last year to focus on the Fort Worth branch.)
While Meraz serves empanadas in commonly popular flavors such as ground beef and chicken, he also utilizes his extensive — and impressive — culinary background (he’s cooked at two Ritz Carltons and a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Spain called Akelarre) to develop his own unique flavors, such as guava and cream cheese and chile verde stew; the latter is based on a recipe developed by his mother.
“I see empanadas as a vessel for creativity,” he says. “They’re like tacos. You can put anything in them. You can experiment with different flavors and different flours and ways of cooking them. I think that’s why they’ve been popular for so long. They’re so versatile; it’s easy to put your own spin on them.”
In countries like Argentina and Uruguay, empanadas are typically baked. This is the style you’ll find at Del Campo Empanadas, a family-run empanada shop in north Fort Worth.
Opened in 2000 by couple Andrea Cacho and Leo Gigante — who originally hail from Buenos Aires — and their children, Sebastian, Rebeca, and Lautaro, the small cafe offers a dozen permanent and rotating varieties of Argentina-style empanadas in both sweet and savory options.
Their cafe resembles a doughnut shop: People peer at the empanadas from behind a glass case, trying to decide what flavors they want: broccoli and corn, shrimp and cheese, pepperoni, or banana-Nutella.
Each empanada is shaped differently, depending on the flavor, and if you order more than one, you’re given a paper menu with images of the empanadas so you don’t get them mixed up.
Their signature empanada is “Argentine-style,” a mix of ground beef, eggs, raisins, onions, bell peppers, and green olives.
All of Del Campo’s empanadas are served with a side of wildly addicting chimichurri sauce, a bright green sauce made with parsley, garlic, olive oil, and other ingredients; it’s a staple of Uruguayan and Argentinian food.
The north Fort Worth location has been so successful, the family recently opened a second store in Flower Mound.
“People of all ages and races are discovering us and what we’re doing,” says Lautaro Gigante, one of the owners. “A lot of customers grew up on empanadas, and they remind them of where they’re from. Others are just discovering them for the first time and making their own memories here.”
“When I opened my first restaurant here, most people didn’t know what they were,” says Andres Meraz, owner of Boca 31, adding that he generally tells people they’re like turnovers.
Boca 31 1000 Eighth Ave. Ste. 101, boca31.com
Del Campo Empanadas 10724 North Beach St. delcampoempanadas.com
by Malcolm
Local chef Mark Hitri has returned to his French cuisine roots and is helping take the Paris 7th restaurant in bold, new directions.
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But in other ways, Hitri and business partner Chris Salvador — who purchased the restaurant from Tronche last year, with Salvador being the majority owner — are helping steer Paris 7th in exciting new directions.
Gone is the somewhat prim vibe of Le Cep, the French restaurant that occupied this space before Tronche’s Paris 7th took over. In its place are popping interior colors and youthful energy, an upbeat dining room filled with laughter, buzzing servers, and an overall sense of fun.
Dinner specials are handwritten on blackboards, which are then transported, by Salvador or servers, from one table to the next. Each table is given this white-glove treatment — a five-star level of service orchestrated by Salvador, a Dallas native and hospitality veteran who has known and worked with Tronche for several years. Paris 7th’s menu consists of the many French classics for which the cuisine is known: roasted duck cooked in a wood-fired oven, one of the restaurant’s signature dishes; French onion soup; caviar and charcuterie and escargot; seared duck foie gras; and steak frites, a pairing of french fries and a 16-ounce rib-eye steak.
On the blackboard of revolving specials is where Hitri often stretches his legs. Recent specials included sous vide, bone-in veal chop with Yukon whipped potatoes and a rosemary Dijon soubise sauce; prawn gratin with roasted salsa butter and sunchoke puree; and trout with marble potatoes and fresh veggies dressed in a squid ink butter sauce.
he’s carrying on a tradition long established by the restaurant’s previous owner, Bernard Tronche, who often floated from one table to the next, shaking hands, chatting, and often befriending his restaurant’s guests.
“The key is to make Paris 7th a chefdriven restaurant, where I engage with the guests, develop daily and weekly blackboard specials, and develop a trust with our diners that will allow them to try new flavors,” he says. “But I also want to maintain the classics of our mission: No. 1, to honor the guest; No. 2, honor the cuisine, and No. 3, honor the tradition of fine dining.”
For Hitri, becoming chef and co-owner of Paris 7th is a full-circle moment. Among the many Fort Worth
restaurants where Hitri once cooked are Sapristi Bistro & Wine Bar, which he opened with Tronche in 2000, and Saint-Emilion, the acclaimed French restaurant that Tronche opened with his wife Karin Kelly in 1985. “He became a mentor to me,” Hitri says of Tronche. “He was the reason I got the job at Saint-Emilion, and he was my connection to buy Paris 7th with Chris.”
Hitri, a native of Cleveland who lived in Pennsylvania and Cleveland before his family moved to Texas in 1984, initially envisioned himself taking a far different path through life. A writer, poet, and musician who once played in one of North Texas’ most popular bands, pop poppins, Hitri spent much of his youth infatuated with the art of music and words.
“When I was in high school, I was into literature and writing,” he says. “The plan was to be an autumnin-New-England-foliage-enjoying, patched-elbow-tweed-jacket-wearing literature teacher in some Ivy League school. But then I got sidetracked by rock-and-roll.”
Needing musical equipment meant needing a job. “So, I started working at a Dairy Queen,” he says. “The first things I cooked professionally were Hungr-Busters and Blizzards.”
At that point, restaurant work was only meant to fund his budding musical career.
The turning point in his life in which he decided to embark on a career in food came over dinner at a fine-dining Italian restaurant in Dallas called Mi Piacci.
“It was penne arrabiata, rosemary half-chicken, and tiramisu,” he says. “That meal was life-changing. After that meal, I decided I wanted to be a chef.”
Thus began a lifelong career in Fort Worth’s restaurant scene. Over the years, he has worked at the Petroleum Club, City Club, Texas Motor Speedway, Glen Garden Country Club, World of Beer, and Billy Bob’s Texas, where he helped rebrand the honky-tonk’s food menu and catering business.
Hitri also spent years at the Worthington Hotel; that time shaped him into the chef he is today, he says.
“All of my training came from the Worthington,” he says. “It was a completely different place then. There was a butcher shop, a bakery, a fine-dining restaurant. I was able to work in all the different restaurants and departments, and it was the equivalent of a culinary school. James Morris and Jeff Glick took me under their wing and really mentored me.”
Before he and Chris purchased Paris 7th from Tronche last year (Tronche still owns Saint-Emilion), Hitri had left the restaurant industry to become a teacher at the Culinary School of Fort Worth. It was gratifying work, he says, teaching students what had been taught to him — a major perk of the job. Married and a father of four, Hitri was also able to spend more time with his family.
Six years in, though, he started to miss the life of a chef.
“Seeing all the students go off and do fun and cool things in kitchens, I was starting to get a bit envious,” he says. “But I would not have gotten back into it without Chris. Even though I’m a chef, I understand that service is the most important thing in a restaurant, and that’s where he excels. Feeling like I still have it in me to be a good chef, I think we make a great team.”
Glad to report that local chef Alex Drury has launched a pop-up series after the abrupt closing of Tre Mogli, the swank Italian restaurant where Drury was chef de cuisine. Under the name Kiyomi Street Food, he’s hosting weekly pop-up events every Wednesday night at The Down ‘n Out and every Friday night at Lottie’s, focusing primarily on Asian cuisine. Some of his recent menu items have included coconut fried rice, adobo pork steamed buns, and, the dish du jour these days, freshly made dumplings. A little more randomly, Drury is also hosting pop-ups at Jackie O’s Cocktail Club. The 30-year-old chef is from Missouri, but he’s been in Fort Worth for years, cooking in a wildly dissimilar variety of restaurants — Piattello Italian Kitchen, Wishbone & Flynt, and Tokyo Cafe, among them — that exemplify the wide swath of his talent. He’s someone to watch in ‘24, that’s for sure. Get info on his pop-up events here: instagram.com/ kiyomistreetfood.
So many great restaurants have closed recently, including one of my absolute favorites, Da Crab Trap, a small mom-and-pop seafood boil spot in far south Fort Worth. Good news is, husbandand-wife owners Terrence and Daisey Shields have started a food truck and are continuing to serve many of the Low Country-inspired dishes for which their restaurant was known, such as seafood mac and cheese, fried catfish, and combo boil platters with shrimp and some of the biggest crab legs I’ve ever seen. Follow them on the socials to see where they’re serving. instagram.com/dacrabtrap. official
The historic Candlelite Inn in Arlington has launched a new lunch menu aimed at cheapskates like me. Ten lunch plates, all priced at $10. Dishes include grilled chopped steak, pork chops, chicken cannelloni, chicken Parmesan, manicotti, cheese enchiladas, and a Mexican salad. Most come with a side or two. The specials are available 11 a.m.–2 p.m., Monday-Friday. If you haven’t been to Candlelite Inn, consider this an inexpensive way to give it a whirl. The eclectic menu and old, old, old, old-school atmosphere truly make it a one-of-a-kind place. 1202 E. Division St., Arlington, candleliteinnarlington.com
Paris 7th 3324 West Seventh St. paris7th.com
Popular Vietnamese restaurant Four Sisters: A Taste of Vietnam, which closed in 2022 after a four-year run on South Main, has found a new home in Mansfield. Owner Tuan Pham reopened his family-run restaurant in a strip mall space at 3806 E. Broad St. A Fort Worth native who cut his teeth in the local restaurant scene at Shinjuku Station and Tokyo Cafe, Pham named the restaurant after his four sisters, two older and two younger, and strives to recreate the traditional Vietnamese dishes his mother made for him when he was growing up. Menu items include crab fried rice, shaken beef, and scratch-made pho. foursisterstx.com
by Malcolm Mayhew
The opening of the new Hudson House in west Fort Worth is cause for celebration.
Two years ago, when Hudson House announced a Fort Worth location would soon open in Arlington Heights, many longtime Fort Worthians began to anticipate the chance to, once again, after more than 20 years, have a meal inside 4600 Dexter Ave.
Located near the intersection of Hulen and Camp Bowie, the building is considered sacred dining turf to those who remember Celebration, an American restaurant that many locals considered at the time — and still do to this day — to be among the city’s best. The Fort Worth offshoot of the Dallas-born restaurant was open from 1988 to 2000.
Another restaurant occupied the historic building in the 1980s, The Ice House. Its name was a reference to the building’s origins as the Crystal Ice Co., which served as an ice factory in the days before refrigerators; the building was erected in 1935.
After Celebration closed, the building was occupied by Into the Garden, a garden center that moved to the Shops at Clearfork, freeing up the space.
Vandelay Hospitality Group, the Dallas-based owner of Hudson House, gave the 6,200-foot space a warm makeover, outfitting the dining room with brass and opal light fixtures that cast sepia tone rays; plush, leather booths; and greenery meant to emulate what you might find in a New England home. Overhead are cast-iron machine parts left behind from the ice house, repurposed into cool industrial decor.
The main dining room is bookended by two bars — one located just as guests walk
in, the other hidden on a sunken level — that serve classic cocktails, martinis, and an impressive selection of wines.
The menu, too, has a New England slant, with dishes such as a lobster roll, clam chowder, fresh oysters, and a seafood tower. Elsewhere, there are traditional American staples, done with varying levels of pizzazz: a thin-pattied burger draped in American cheese; a quartet of salads dotted with popcorn chicken and ahi tuna; steak frites; and an exquisite French chicken, comprised of thinly sliced breast dressed in Cajun seasonings and a supremely rich, buttery sauce.
The Fort Worth Hudson House is one of a few in the chain to serve sushi, as well.
While this is the first Hudson House in Fort Worth, it’s not the first Vandelay Hospitality concept in the city. The company opened — and closed — a somewhat similar concept, East Hampton Sandwich Co., in WestBend.
Vandelay has had several legal woes over the years, having been sued multiple times, according to People Newspapers; the majority of the suits have been settled or dismissed.
Since opening in December, a table at Hudson House has been one of the toughest reservations to get, with dinner slots filling up days in advance. Makes perfect sense: Some people, after all, have waited two decades to eat here again.
Hudson House
4600 Dexter Ave. hudsonhousehp.com
Pioneers in their fields, the following pages feature some of Fort Worth’s finest.
Those spotlighted in “Faces of Fort Worth” want to share their expertise in various industries from medicine and retail to professional accomplishments, personal pastimes, and so much more.
The Complete Backyard creates meticulously designed pools, sustainable outdoor living spaces, kitchens, exotic fire features, decks, cabanas, and more. We are passionate about building complete backyards for families in the North Texas area. With over 20 years’ experience helping customers in North Texas, there’s no project we can’t tackle. We pride ourselves on supplying our clients with the perfect blend of aesthetics and quality. Whether you’re looking for a clean post-modern swimming pool or a Caribbean backyard oasis, we are your team. We believe that actions speak louder than words, and we apply the “golden rule” to every project we undertake, treating our clients as we would like to be treated. We take responsibility for our work and provide constant communication with our customers from the beginning of their project until the end. PICTURED: Ross and Laura Woerner.
201 E. Oak St. | Aledo, Texas 76008 | 817.441.6878 thecompletebackyard.com | consult@thecompletebackyard.com
At Frenkel & Frenkel, highly experienced and dedicated personal injury attorneys fight the unfair practices of insurance to get you the medical care you need and the compensation you deserve after suffering an injury from a wreck that was not your fault. The firm has helped thousands of individuals in their time of need and given their clients the ability to take on any adversary. Founding partners of Frenkel & Frenkel — Mark D. Frenkel, Scott B. Frenkel, and H. Gene Burkett have built a team of attorneys dedicated to pursuing justice for the injured, bereaved, and wronged. The firm is focused on handling cases involving commercial vehicles accidents and car wreck cases and motorcycle wrecks. The attorneys also handle cases involving dangerous products, such as automotive defects, premises liability, and dog bite cases. Among their many recognitions, the three partners have been named Super Lawyers in Texas Monthly, a Thomson Reuters publication, the past four years; Top Attorneys in Fort Worth Magazine, the past seven years; and Best Lawyers in D Magazine, 16 consecutive years. Scott and Mark Frenkel previously defended insurance companies, hospitals, and doctors, their experience on the defense side of the docket gives them insight into how the opposition works. With resources to take on any adversary, the firm can handle and fund any size case; employ advanced techniques learned over 30 years; and stay at the front of technology useful in presenting clients’ cases. Having been practicing in Texas for more than 30 years, insurance companies and defense lawyers know the attorneys at Frenkel & Frenkel fight vigorously to get their clients what they deserve. PICTURED: H. Gene Burkett (Partner), Scott B. Frenkel (Partner), and Mark D. Frenkel (Partner).
12700 Park Central Drive, Ste. 1900 | Dallas, Texas 75251 | 817.333.3333 | 214.333.3333 | truckwreck.com
Good people get arrested in Fort Worth every day. We know because we represent them — teachers, doctors, athletes, police officers. Sometimes, their arrest stems from a poor choice or rash decision. Other times, it may be a false accusation or case of mistaken identity. Whatever the reason, facing criminal charges is an overwhelming experience. It is a terrifying moment to be handcuffed. It’s a horrible feeling to worry about your job, your family, and your freedom. At Varghese Summersett, we recognize the profound impact an arrest can have on a person’s life, liberty, and livelihood. We also understand that an arrest does not have to define you. We are dedicated to helping our clients through their darkest days and come out stronger on the other side. Our criminal defense team is made up of 10 lawyers of the highest caliber. All of our senior criminal attorneys are former Tarrant County prosecutors, and four are board-certified in criminal law, the highest designation a Texas attorney can reach. Collectively, we have more than 100 years of criminal law experience and have tried more than 700 cases to state and federal juries. We have a proven track record of success, but don’t take our word for it. Read our 730plus, five-star Google reviews and find out why we are the criminal defense firm people turn to when faced with life’s greatest challenges. PICTURED: (left to right) Christy Jack, Tiffany Burks, Mitch Monthie, Rachel Zahn, Alex Thornton, Letty Martinez, Leah Pfeil, Benson Varghese, Bresha Shepherd, Lisa Herrick, Anna Summersett, and Melody Lanier. 300 Throckmorton St., Ste. 700 | Fort Worth, Texas 76102 | 817.203.2220 | versustexas.com | info@versustexas.com
Meet Daisy Williams, a registered nurse and owner of A Nurses Touch Skin Care Spa. This award-winning spa is the only business in the country that offers these exclusive combinations of services. Daisy started as a critical care and oncology nurse and later opened A Nurse’s Touch Spa to follow her passion for transforming people’s lives and being a health and beauty ambassador to others. Our team of four incredible nurses and estheticians and their unrivaled experience set us apart from other skin care spas. Unlike our competition, we tailor our services to meet every client’s unique needs. We customize permanent makeup, electrolysis, facial, and skin care treatments to meet those individual desires. We understand that every client chooses to invest their time and trust in us, and it is a privilege to give our clients transforming aesthetic results. 4255 Bryant Irvin Road, Ste. 204 | Fort Worth, Texas 76109 682.200.3278 | anursestouchfortworth@gmail.com | anursestouchfortworth.com
Accent On You
Y. Anthony Nakamura, M.D., F.A.C.S., P.A.
Staying humble and enjoying the combination of my love of science with the artistry of cosmetic surgery make Accent On You unique. We take the time to explore with our patients their individual needs and concerns. With over 30 years of experience, we work hard to find a surgical plan that is both realistic in expectation while achieving beautiful aesthetic results. We understand that each patient comes to us by choice and consider this a privilege. We are continually self-evaluating and improving the pre-, intra-, and post-operative experience for our patients. Our biggest wow factors are my facility and my wonderful staff. They all love what they do, and it shows. They work closely with me to create a safe, inviting, and individualized plan of care for each of our patients.
3030 South Cooper St. | Arlington, Texas 76015 | 817.417.7200 | accentonyou.com
You, first. That simple phrase says everything you need to know about how we approach client relationships at Argent. As fiduciary wealth managers, we understand that each client’s situation and challenges are unique, and we strive to serve each excellently and according to what’s in their very best interest. Clients choose Argent because we listen first and then have the competence to confidently recommend the best course of action. We are approachable, accessible, and highly responsive. Furthermore, our experience with complex trusts and wealth management needs, our objectivity, and our integrity are second to none. Call us today to discuss how we might meet your needs for wealth and investment management, wealth transfer and estate planning, and oil and gas management. PICTURED: Charles Denison, Sr. Portfolio Manager; Jen O’Connell, Trust Officer; Jonathan Berry, JD, SVP; Kathy Christoffel, Market President; Travis Gist, Mineral Manager; and Patrice Parks, VP & Trust Officer.
4200 S. Hulen St. | Fort Worth, Texas 76109 | 817.502.3586 | kchristoffel@argenttrust.com
A family-owned business, BlueWater Pools LLC has been in the swimming pool industry for over 25 years. Our new pool builds are custom designed and custom built for our customers’ needs and wants. Our unique pool designs and specialty installations — such as infinity edges, vanishing edges, unique tiling, lighting, and water features — set us apart from our competitors. Our customer service base is always willing to do their utmost to provide our clients with help in answering questions or solving any problems that may arise. Over the years, we have had numerous clients who have returned to us to build their second and third swimming pools. We believe this loyalty is due to the personal attention we give them. We listen to their ideas and address any concerns they may have. PICTURED: (left to right) Mike Hammonds, Scott McFarland, and Angela Tucker. 10424 FM 1902 | Crowley, Texas 76036 | 817.297.7120 | bluewatercustompools.com
The Face of Child Custody Law
Law Office of Lauren L. Boysen, PLLC
Something I don’t talk about often is my journey. I grew up in extreme poverty. I’ve lived through some pretty horrific events in my lifetime, and I worked extremely hard to get where I am today. What I think is unique about me is my ability to empathize with my clients. Often, the events surrounding their lives are traumatic or downright scary. It’s important for my clients to know that they’re not just a paycheck to me. Their lives, their stories, their well-being ... it matters to me and my team. It’s sometimes hard to make a difference being one person in a world of billions, but I’ve found that making a difference to the people I represent is more fulfilling than words can convey.
1008 Macon St. | Fort Worth, Texas 76102 | 817.768.6468 | lawofficelaurenboysen.com | lauren@lawofficelaurenboysen.com
Cadence Bank is proud to present the dynamic collaboration of two accomplished teams led by Courtney Lewis and Wayne Parkman in spearheading commercial banking for the Fort Worth market. Courtney Lewis, a leader known for strategic financial acumen, heads a team of professionals dedicated to providing innovative solutions to Middle Market clients. Complementing this, Wayne Parkman’s team brings a wealth of experience, ensuring a comprehensive approach to Community Banking. Together, these teams form a formidable force, merging expertise and commitment to deliver unparalleled banking experiences. Cadence Bank’s clients can expect a renewed focus on tailored solutions, personalized service, and a commitment to elevating the financial landscape of Fort Worth. The future of commercial banking looks promising under the collaborative leadership of these two esteemed professionals. PICTURED: Courtney Lewis, Wayne Parkman, Jacob Juba, Tim Carpenter, Ryan Vance, Carter Jennings, Blake Simpson, and (not pictured) Jack Biffle. 111 NW 24th St. | Fort Worth, Texas 76164 | 682.285.1540
Eli Golemi began cooking at an early age with her mother and aunts. These women knew the ingredients necessary to provide classic yet innovative dishes. They were the inspiration that sparked Eli’s skills in preparing authentic Italian dishes and serving her Café Bella customers for 24 years. Many of those first customers are still customers today. At Café Bella, Eli wants her customers to have that family-oriented and “at home” dining experience. Quality and service are always important, but Eli truly loves to take care of her customers by providing that personal touch and connection. Café Bella is unique, not only in serving delicious authentic Italian dishes, but also offers the option to bring your own wine. Eli welcomes you with a smile and is grateful for her customers’ love of Café Bella. Westcliff Shopping Center |
The Face of DFW Real Estate
Chase Realty DFW
Chase Hall, Broker/Owner
Trust earned over the past 14 years and hundreds of satisfied clients — who not only repeat their business but also refer friends and family — make me the Face of DFW Real Estate. In addition to home improvements and construction processes, I have extensive experience remodeling and flipping houses. Also, recently I have started building both custom and spec homes. What sets me apart from my competition is the one-on-one approach with all my clients and making their goals my top priority. Making their dreams and wishes a reality is what makes my job so rewarding. Personal attention and customer service are the wow factors that keep most of my clients coming back when they are ready to sell or buy again. Because of my knowledge in real estate and home construction, my clients trust me to put their best interests above all else.
6017 Reef Point Lane, Ste. 150 | Fort Worth, Texas 76135 | 817.237.SOLD (7653) | chaserealtydfw.com | chase@chaserealtydfw.com
With more than 28 years of experience in helping patients with hearing needs, Dr. Diane Blaising, owner and founder of Cityview Audiology & Hearing Aids, Inc., is the Face of Audiology and Hearing Aids in Fort Worth. Dr. Blaising and the staff at Cityview are well known and greatly appreciated for taking the time to listen to each patient’s needs and concerns. Treatment plans are customized with the latest, cutting-edge technology available to fit seamlessly into each patient’s lifestyle. A full range of audiometric tests and evaluative instruments, including tinnitus assessment, is available to meet each patient’s unique needs. Cityview Audiology & Hearing Aids, Inc. is devoted to providing the best care and service to each patient for quality living in the world of sound. PICTURED: Dr. Diane Blaising. 5701 Bryant Irvin Road, Ste. 202 | Fort Worth, Texas 76132 | 817.263.1800 | Fax 817.263.1802 | DrBlaising@CityviewHearing.com
Closet Factory DFW creates accessible luxury by custom-designing storage solutions for any area of your home, from closets and garages to home offices, pantries, mudrooms, laundry rooms, and more. We are locally owned and Texas made. Pride in workmanship means something to us. Every custom project is designed and manufactured locally in our factory, located in Grapevine. Every Closet Factory team member is a trusted, experienced professional. Our Seven Key Values: 1) Obsess: over our customers, always. 2) Dependable: to ourselves, our families, our customers, and our community. 3) Relentless: in the pursuit of our goals, turning challenges to opportunities. 4) Meticulous: with a constant focus on quality and attention to detail. 5) Team-Oriented: because all we accomplish is the result of a team effort. 6) Resolute: in our confidence to achieve our objectives. 7) Thoughtful: in every decision we make. PICTURED: Jeff Henderson, Owner. 600 E. Dallas Road, Ste. 150 | Grapevine, Texas 76051 | 214.530.9447 | closetfactory.com
The Face of Fine Jewelry
Collections Fine Jewelry
At Collections, we redefine luxury through exceptional craftsmanship and a dedication to our customers. We’ve earned a reputation for never compromising on the finest, highest quality pieces — not only within our exquisite collections but also in our ability to bring your vision to life with custom designs. Each piece becomes a personal, unique symbol of timeless beauty. We offer a pressure-free, luxury shopping experience with unmatched personalized customer service. We’re not just your one-time jeweler; our family-owned business has served clients for over 40 years. Our clients have become family as we’ve been fortunate enough to be a small part of many memorable, magical occasions for them. PICTURED: Sharon Evans, Founder/CEO. 708 S. Saginaw Blvd. | Fort Worth, Texas 76179 | 817.232.9251 | info@cfjmfg.com | collectionsfinejewelry.com
As part of an exemplary team whose track record far exceeds others in this field, the Walsh Wegman Giordano Team is a top-performing real estate group with a proven track record of success. As a result, not only do I offer my expertise in the market, but my team multiplies its expertise tenfold. In 2022 alone, we achieved $181,000,000 in sales and completed 400 transactions, solidifying our position as one of the most productive teams in the industry. Our commitment to excellence has been recognized by the Compass Texas ranking, where we proudly hold the No. 1 spot in sales volume. Our success is built on a foundation of inspired service and deep expertise across a range of industries and specialties. We approach each new opportunity with a spirit of adventure and a commitment to delivering exceptional real estate services. PICTURED: Hollie Lancarte. 5049 Edwards Ranch Road, Ste.220 | Fort Worth, Texas 76109 | 817.229.3238 | compass.com/agents/hollie-lancarte/
Courtside Kitchen is the Face of Pickleball in Fort Worth. We are the perfect place to learn America’s fastest-growing sport with our weekly Intro to Pickleball clinics. We have everything you need to have a great time on the courts and around the table! At Courtside Kitchen, we serve up delicious options whether you join us for coffee, lunch, happy hour, dinner, or weekend brunch with friends and family. Courtside Kitchen offers the only covered, heated courts within Fort Worth. Our pickleball pros are available for private lessons and clinics to start learning pickleball or to improve your game. We offer league play, community social events, and open play sessions for all levels. Treat your guests to a unique social experience featuring our excellent cuisine, craft cocktails, and custom pickleball programming. PICTURED: Aly Cyrino, assistant general manager; Chelsi Hollie, events manager; Michelle Harney, head pro. 1615 Rogers Road | Fort Worth, Texas 76107 | courtsidekitchenfw.com
As the Face of Sunless Tanning, Cowtown Tanning represents the top-rated tanning salon in Fort Worth, acknowledged by our exceptional reputation with over 400 five-star reviews. Our commitment to excellence extends beyond customer satisfaction, encompassing the use of high-quality products that ensure a radiant and natural tan for our clients. What sets us apart is our unwavering dedication to personalized service. With top-notch products and highly trained service providers, we create tailored solutions that guarantee a flawless, natural-looking tan every time. From the precision of our applications to the unique blending process to the comfort and cleanliness of our salon space, every aspect of the client experience is impeccably executed. Our commitment to outstanding customer service ensures that each client feels valued and leaves with not just a beautiful tan, but with an exceptional overall experience that keeps them coming back. PICTURED: Whitney Lombardy, Owner. 3501 Bluebonnet Circle, Ste. B | Fort Worth, Texas 76109 682.708.9606 | info@cowtowntanning.com | cowtowntanning.com
As one of the largest dance studios in Fort Worth, DanceMakers of Texas is a full-service dance studio and one of the only independently owned studios in the city. At DanceMakers, individuals and couples come to pursue their dance dreams. From beginner to advanced dancers, there is something for everyone. Our dance styles include ballroom, Latin, country western, and swing. Join us to dance, have fun, get some exercise, and meet new people. No dance partner is needed in the private lessons or group classes. There are Variety Dance Socials on the second and fourth Fridays of the month, and every third Friday, you can join the Latin party called Pura Fort Worth Salsa & Bachata Social, hosted by Amanda Brown, owner, at DanceMakers. People love DanceMakers because it’s such a fun, inviting place where all are welcome. PICTURED: Amanda Brown, Owner.
6125 SW Loop 820, Ste. 140 | Fort Worth, Texas 76132 | 817.244.8500 | dancemakers.com
Dr. Jason Tinley has a passion for optimizing spine surgery outcomes through development and utilization of new techniques and materials. On the forefront of new technology, Dr. Tinley has become a leader in instruction and research in avoidance of fusion (disc replacement) where possible and minimally invasive fusion when necessary. He has spoken around the world on these techniques and is involved in several FDA trials. Frequently these procedures are outpatient surgeries with minimal recovery times (one-two weeks.) Though his specialty is in addressing surgery for spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, and degenerative and herniated discs, nonsurgical management is almost always directed through him first, and only 15% of patients require surgery. Dr. Tinley attended Medical College of Georgia on full scholarship and completed his training at the prestigious H.H. Bohlman Spinal Surgery Fellowship in Cleveland, Ohio. PICTURED: Jason Tinley, M.D. 6900 Harris Parkway, Ste. 310 | Fort Worth, Texas 76132 | 817.916.4685 | dfwspinecenter.com
We are the Face of Fort Worth with our love of welcoming everyone and warm hospitality that are the signatures of the Fort Worth culture. Each member of our team adores bringing an extraordinary experience to each of our guests in an environment that articulates the modern, vibrant cosmopolitan energy of the city. We are inspired each day to bring our guests delicious menus and relaxing hospitality that reflect the traditions of the Texas steakhouse with a fresh approach in a city that has a foundation of friendliness, kindness, and great living. Our culture of service and attention to detail is our wow factor that keeps bringing customers back. When our guests come to Wicked Butcher, they know they will have the best and that every detail will be thought of and attended to with unsurpassed excellence. PICTURED: Demetrius Anagnostis, Director of Operations.
512 Main St. | Fort Worth, Texas 76102 | 817.601.4621 | wickedbutcher.com
Enchiladas Ole
What makes Enchiladas Ole the Face of Enchiladas is that our popular restaurant is based solely on enchiladas. Our enchilada sauces are all unique and bold in their individual flavors. Even during the worst time in our industry’s history, we opened two locations and plan on opening more. Enchiladas Ole has brought back the enchilada! All of our food is made to order, rice is cooked every 45 minutes, beans cook all day long, and enchiladas are made to order. So that the stoves are never off, I work with every one of our cooks to ensure consistent and excellent flavors. Our wow factor is freshness, made to order. Yes, our food takes longer to prepare, but that’s what keeps our customers coming back! PICTURED: Mary Perez.
2418 Forest Park Blvd. | Fort Worth, Texas 76110
6473 Camp Bowie Blvd. | Fort Worth, Texas 76116
The Face of
Fly by Night Cattle Company – Steakhouse
Fly by Night Cattle Company is an award-winning steakhouse capturing the spirit of Texas while honoring our rich heritage of ranch culture. We are dedicated to providing our customers with an authentic experience inspired by family traditions and the best of Texas cuisine. What sets us apart is our one-of-kind steakhouse located on a 250-acre working cattle ranch, serving superior Texas grown beef and ranch favorites with true Southern hospitality. Customers keep coming back for not only our fantastic food to share with family and friends but also to enjoy the serenity of wide-open spaces and impeccable sunset views. PICTURED: Bill & Jennifer Craft.
2705 County Road 1125 | Cleburne, Texas 76033 | 817.645.7000 | flybynightsteakhouse.com
Dr. Mitch Conditt practiced cosmetic dentistry for 25-plus years in Fort Worth. Over the last 10 years, he focused on saving lives and marriages by treating snoring and sleep apnea. As a board-certified sleep dentist, he is one of the few dentists in Texas that has limited his practice to this type of treatment. Fort Worth Snoring and Sleep Center focuses on treating those who are intolerant of the CPAP or prefer something more current and comfortable. What continues to wow us and our patients is what a huge difference these appliances can make in someone’s life. Let us help you get your life back together by reducing your snoring, improving the quality of your sleep, and decreasing your daytime fatigue. PICTURED: (left to right) Candra Lawrence, Brandi Kapka, Dr. Mitch Conditt, Jackie Henning, Bethany Montoya. 451 University Drive, Ste. 102 | Fort Worth, Texas 76107 | fortworthsnoringandsleepcenter.com | office@fortworthsnoringandsleepcenter.com
As part of Gilchrist Automotive, we strive to continuously deliver excellent service and treat our customers as if they were family. The ease of doing business with us sets us apart from the competition; we make the buying experience quick, easy, and transparent. So much so that we have received the Mark of Excellence Award at our stores for outstanding customer service. You can purchase your vehicle completely online, and it will be delivered to your doorstep at no extra charge. Whether you are looking for a new vehicle purchase or service for your existing vehicle, our “everyone is family” culture keeps our customers coming back for all of their automotive needs. We invite you to come Drive the Difference.
PICTURED: Daniel Arceneaux, GM, Pegasus Chevrolet; Justin Rudd, GM, Platinum Chevrolet; Stephen Jimenez, GM, Spur Chevrolet Buick GMC; Stephen Gilchrist, Dealer Operator, Gilchrist Automotive.
Pegasus Chevrolet | darceneaux@gilchristautomotive.com | pegasuschevytexas.com | 469.988.5637
Platinum Chevrolet | jrudd@gilchristautomotive.com | platinumchevytexas.com | 469.652.7379
Spur Chevrolet Buick GMC | sjimenez@gilchristautomotive.com| spurchevybuickgmc.com | 254.944.9598
The Face of Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Jeep
SouthWest Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram; Pegasus Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram; Platinum Chrysler Dodge Ram Jeep; Spur Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Gilchrist Automotive
At SouthWest, Platinum, and Pegasus Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Jeep, personalized service is paramount in every customer interaction. Our teams know that the customer relationship does not end with the sale, and we will always do what is right to earn our customers’ business and their trust. When you work with our dealerships, your experience will be exceptional. Our team’s high quality of service and attention to detail are a few reasons why we are some of the fastest growing Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealerships in the region. We invite you to come Drive the Difference. PICTURED: Chris Kosa, GM, Platinum CDRJ; Chase Bradley, GM, SouthWest CDJR; Daniel Arceneaux, GM, Pegasus CDJR; Stephen Jimenez, GM, Spur CDJR; Stephen Gilchrist, Dealer Operator, Gilchrist Automotive.
Platinum Chrysler Dodge Ram Jeep | platinumcdrjtexas.com | ckosa@gilchristautomotive.com | 469.430.9980
SouthWest Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram | southwestcdjrtexas.com | cbradley@gilchristautomotive.com 817.402.1357
Pegasus Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram | pegasuscdjr.com | darceneaux@gilchristautomotive.com | 469.988.5635
Spur Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram | spurcdjr.com | sjimenez@gilchristautomotive.com | 254.223.6252
The Face of Ford
SouthWest Ford; Platinum Ford; Triple Crown Ford; Platinum Ford North
Gilchrist Automotive
Not only will you find quality new and used Ford models at SouthWest Ford, Platinum Ford, Triple Crown Ford, and Platinum Ford North, who are among the Top 100 Dealers in the Nation — you’ll also find friendly and accommodating staff eager to assist you. You can purchase your vehicle completely online and have your vehicle delivered to your doorstep at no extra charge. Our dealerships strive to go above and beyond customers’ service expectations to create a premier car buying and service experience. We invite you to come Drive the Difference. PICTURED: Adam Vincze, GM, Platinum Ford; Stephen Gilchrist, Dealer Operator, Gilchrist Automotive; Chris Bonnett, GM, SouthWest Ford, Weatherford; and Dustin Rodgers, GM, Triple Crown Ford and Lincoln, Stephenville; Jonathan Franco, GM, Platinum Ford North.
Platinum Ford | avincze@gilchristautomotive.com | platinumford.com | 469.595.0099
SouthWest Ford | cbonnett@gilchristautomotive.com | southwestford.com | 817.596.5700
Triple Crown Ford | drodgers@gilchristautomotive.com | triplecrownford.com | 254.968.7000
Platinum Ford North | platinumfordnorth.com | 940.286.7468
Personalized service is foremost at SouthWest Honda and Platinum Honda, where the customer relationship does not end with the sale. We value our customer relationships and strive to provide the best service to every customer. Our experienced team and their high level of service make us unique among our competitors. With attention to detail and our insistence on abiding by our core values, we deliver a buying experience that is far superior to any other dealership. You can even purchase your vehicle completely online, never set foot in the store, and we will deliver your vehicle to your doorstep at no extra charge. We invite you to come Drive the Difference. PICTURED: David ElAttrache, GM, Platinum Honda; Roosevelt May, GM, SouthWest Honda.
Platinum Honda | 2020 N. Highway 75 | Denison, Texas 75020 | 430.204.1186 | platinumhondatx.com
SouthWest Honda | 5010 NW Cache Road | Lawton, Oklahoma 73505 | 580.360.6487 | southwesthonda.com
As a part of Gilchrist Automotive, we strive to continuously deliver excellent service and treat our customers as if they were family. We provide a vast selection of new and used vehicles, exceptional car care, and customer service with a smile. At Triple Crown Lincoln, it is our mission to be by your side whenever you need any car service or repair work done. We are proud that our customers are loyal, and the biggest testament is that they refer their friends and family. Our red-carpet treatment and willingness to always go the extra mile for our customers set us apart from our competition. Triple Crown Lincoln delivers and offers valet pickup and delivery service, a personalized experience that gives back your most important asset – time. We invite you to come Drive the Difference PICTURED: Dustin Rodgers, GM, Triple Crown Lincoln; Stephen Gilchrist, Dealer Operator, Gilchrist Automotive. 2975 W. Washington St. | Stephenville, Texas 76401 | 254.968.7000 | triplecrownlincoln.com
Gilchrist Automotive
Experience VIP treatment while selecting from an incredible lineup of vehicles at either SouthWest Nissan or Platinum Nissan. Our teams provide you with great customer service, and our family-friendly atmosphere shows we are committed to really “Drive the Difference” in our community. Nissan has such an exciting lineup of inventory right now that is not only extremely stylish with tons of technology, but we also have the largest selection of new vehicles under $30,000. We take care of our customers before, during, and after the sale with our transparent pricing and our dedication to providing each customer with an exceptional buying experience. It is important to us that we create customers for life. We invite you to come Drive the Difference. PICTURED: Chad Shelton, GM, SouthWest Nissan; David ElAttrache, GM, Platinum Nissan; Stephen Gilchrist, Dealer Operator, Gilchrist Automotive.
SouthWest Nissan | 817.596.3811 | southwestnissantx.com | cshelton@gilchristautomotive.com Platinum Nissan | 430.210.2157 | platinumnissantx.com | delattrache@gilchristautomotive.com
At Spur Chevrolet GMC and SouthWest Buick GMC, we strive to deliver exceptional service and treat our customers as if they are family. With transparent pricing and no hidden fees or agendas, the buying experience is enjoyable and on the customer’s terms. To make the buying experience even easier, we can even do the entire deal online and deliver the vehicle. It is rare to find dealerships with no dealer add-ons, where the price you see is the price you pay. With our attention to detail and our insistence on abiding by our core values, we deliver a buying experience that is far superior to any other dealership. We invite you to come Drive the Difference. PICTURED: Stephen Jimenez, GM, Spur Chevrolet GMC; Roosevelt May, GM, SouthWest Buick GMC.
Spur Chevrolet GMC | 210 S. Highway 36 N. | Gatesville, Texas 76528 | 254.944.9598 | spurchevygmc.com SouthWest Buick GMC | 5002 NW Cache Road | Lawton, Oklahoma 73505 | 580.360.6488 | southwestbuickgmc.com
The Face of Toyota
Platinum Toyota
SouthWest Toyota of Lawton, Oklahoma
Gilchrist Automotive
At Platinum Toyota and SouthWest Toyota, personalized service is paramount in every customer interaction. Our teams know that the customer relationship does not end with the sale. We care about our customers and will always do what is right to earn their business and, more importantly, their trust. When you work with our dealerships, your experience will be tailored to you. Our experienced and welcoming team are ready to listen to your needs and provide you the best service in the industry. We invite you to come Drive the Difference. PICTURED: Justin Rogers, GM, SouthWest Toyota of Lawton; David ElAttrache, GM, Platinum Toyota; Stephen Gilchrist, Dealer Operator, Gilchrist Automotive. Platinum Toyota | platinumtoyota.com | delattrache@gilchristautomotive.com |
Buyers choose SouthWest Volkswagen because of the hassle-free buying experience. We make it an enjoyable experience that allows you to get the car you want at a fair price with no hidden fees, and we never price over MSRP. Our genuine care and appreciation for our customers keeps them coming back for their service and new car needs. We treat you like you are part of the family ... because you are! Whether it’s sales, service, or parts, we are all under one rooftop and ready to fulfill all your automotive needs. We invite you to come Drive the Difference. PICTURED: Stephen Gilchrist, Dealer Operator, Gilchrist Automotive; Chad Shelton, General Manager, SouthWest Volkswagen. SouthWest Volkswagen | southwestvolkswagen.com | cshelton@gilchristautomotive.com | 817.458.5400
Girl Scouts, an organization led by and for girls, provides a sisterly bond that is a wonderful lifelong experience. While a large organization, there is always room for new girls to join and become sisters. During cookie season, the uniqueness of each troop shines with their special ways of providing customer service. Girl Scouts run the largest girl-led entrepreneurship program in the world, allowing them to learn the art of running a business starting in kindergarten. Each Girl Scout in the photo is part of the Girl Scout Media Corps, a group of Girl Scouts who serve the council throughout the year by creating content, serving as event emcees, and honing their interview skills as official spokespeople for Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains. They are the next generation of women leaders in their communities. PICTURED: Cheran Hooper, Sydney Tucker, Taylor Tate, Henley Baker, and Azure Riley (seated). 4901 Briarhaven Road | Fort Worth, Texas 76109 | 800.582.7272 | gs-top.org | info@gs-top.org
Greg Jackson Law
Greg Jackson is the Face of Personal Injury Law in Fort Worth. Greg is experienced to handle your injury case. Trained in the famed Practice Court Program at Baylor Law School, Greg has exclusively handled injury cases for more than 25 years. He founded Greg Jackson Law in 2004 to help injury victims. Greg has unique experience — nine years as an injury defense lawyer and 18 years as an injury victim lawyer — to represent his clients. He works hard for his clients and treats them like family members. He represents them to the limit of the law, but at the same time deals with his opponents in a courteous and professional manner. You can trust him to handle your case the right way: “Turning Wrongs Right.” PICTURED: Greg Jackson. 201 Main St., Ste. 600 | Fort Worth, Texas 76102 817.926.1003 | Fax gjackson@gregjacksonlaw.com817.886.3653 | gregjacksonlaw.com
The Otium Group, an innovative design company, specializes in a wide range of low voltage solutions tailored to enhance modern living. Brian Hugghins, founder and CEO of The Otium Group, combined his most successful award-winning businesses to form a design group capable of handling the most complex projects with ease. Comprising an electronics and automation division, indoor and outdoor lighting expertise, automated shade solutions, and a dedicated Security division, The Otium Group has evolved into a one-stop destination for residential and commercial clients. Under Brian Hugghins’ astute leadership, The Otium Group is unwavering in its commitment to revolutionize technology experiences in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Their focus extends beyond mere functionality, emphasizing aesthetic appeal. Brian Hugghins and his adept team prioritize understanding your unique requirements, ensuring tailor-made solutions that seamlessly blend with your lifestyle.
5059 Martin Luther King Jr Freeway | Fort Worth, Texas 76119 817.300.1518 | hcustoms.com
Family owned and operated since 1990, with a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility at a new convenient location, Hiley Subaru is your premier Subaru auto dealership in Fort Worth. Whether you’re in the market for a new Subaru, a used car from a top brand, competitive auto financing, or a professional service center with original equipment manufacturer parts, they have you covered. Drop by the Fort Worth location to get to know their knowledgeable team members and check out the extensive Subaru inventory or learn more about the full range of dealership services by browsing their website. At Hiley Subaru, your vehicle buying experience is as straightforward as possible. Earning the J.D. Powers customer service award five years in a row, the management team, sales staff, and service department will ensure you have a phenomenal experience at Hiley Subaru of Fort Worth.
3100 W Loop 820 South | Fort Worth, Texas 76116 | 817.632.8800 | hileysubaru.com
Family owned and operated since 2004, Julien & Lambert Commercial Photographers specialize in providing exceptional photography services that capture the essence of your brand and create stunning visuals that will wow your audience. Our team of three expert photographers is committed to excellence and dedicated to bringing your vision to life. Whether it’s architecture, food and beverage, products, headshots, or branding and editorial photos, we have it all covered. Our attention to detail and commitment to quality make us the perfect choice for businesses who want their images to stand out from the crowd. We value attention to detail and work with our clients to capture their unique vision and bring it to life in a quick and affordable way. “Your Image Is Our Business.” PICTURED: (top) Charles C. Lambert, BFA; (bottom) Jon R, Lambert, BSA Architecture; (left) Malinda M. Julien, CPP, Master Photographer, Photographic Craftsman; (right) Jon Julien. 100 S. Hampshire, Ste. 200 | Saginaw, Texas 76179 | 817.681.9851
The Kitchen Source is a full turnkey and remodel firm dedicated to providing the best client experience. Our award-winning designers collaborate directly with you to bring your kitchen and bath vision to life. We have built a reputation for professionalism and quality work. We provide exceptional design services that are unmatchable and use only the finest materials and topof-the-line appliances. Customers keep coming back because we have been a family-owned, third-generation business serving clients for over 30 years. Serving clients on projects from New York to Hawaii to the Cayman Islands, our goal is to give our clients an exceptional experience throughout their remodeling or building project. PICTURED: Corinne Danicki, Jennifer Johns, Christine Martin, Natalie Jacinto, Elizabeth Tranberg, and Amber Paulk. 3116 W. Sixth St., Ste. 101 | Fort Worth, Texas 76107 | 817.731.4299 | thekitchensource.com
The Face of
For over half a century, Little Tyke has remained committed to developing a culture where our children and families are nurtured, loved, and educated in a stable safe environment. Everyone who enters our doors becomes a part of the Little Tyke Family Legacy. We are driven by five core values: to love, trust, grow, nurture, and serve. Through our unwavering commitment to our vision, Little Tyke will always be locally owned, locally operated, and locally loved. It is an extraordinary place where the best is always the outcome. Our vision resonates beyond the walls at each campus. This passion and commitment have been our driving force for five decades and continues to transcend generations. PICTURED: Alex Little, CEO; Brandy Little, M.Ed., President. 817.788.1884 | littletykechildcare.com | Enrollment@littletykechildcare.com
Talia Lydick
Williams Trew
Longtime Fort Worth native Talia Lydick has sold some of the most prominent residential and farm and ranch properties in Fort Worth and the surrounding areas. Her knowledge of real estate ranges from being a seller’s agent, giving her clients confidence in their representation, to being the buyer’s agent, finding the perfect home or property. One of Talia’s interests is the equine industry, having owned and shown many horses over the years. Her experience in the equine industry has broadened her network to the farm and ranch community. Talia’s energetic personality and love for working with people enhance her capabilities in communications, sales, negotiations, and ability to maintain satisfied clients. All indications show that 2024 is going to be an active year for farm and ranch properties. If you have any questions about the market or your property, give Talia a call.
3707 Camp Bowie Blvd., Ste. 300 | Fort Worth, Texas 76107
Established in 1998, Metro Architectural Finishes has been responsible for providing outstanding stucco and waterproofing. We have expanded our business with the addition of specialty interior plasters and thin stone installations. Our adaptability allows us to handle projects of various scopes, ensuring top-tier craftsmanship tailored to specific requirements, whether it’s affordable solutions or luxurious finishes. Our range of specialized expertise sets us apart. From repairs to remodels, interior and exterior finishes, including stucco, brick, CMU, stone, fine stucco, tile, and venetian plaster, we offer a comprehensive suite of options. This breadth enables us to provide tailored, unique solutions for each project. Our hallmark lies in transforming ordinary spaces into the extraordinary visions of our clients. With creative finishes and meticulous attention to detail, we consistently exceed expectations, keeping clients coming back for more. PICTURED: Founder Jeff Casey’s daughter, Kurstyn Casey; Bear, aka “Shop Dog.”
230 Miron Drive, Ste. 120 | Southlake, Texas 76092 303.598.7787 | kurstyn@classicalplaster.com
Instagram: @classicalplaster | classicalplaster.com
With 20 years in the real estate industry, Ashley Moss takes an innovative approach to real estate. By effectively combining proven principles and practices with the latest in techniques and technology, she is providing industry-leading service to her clients and delivering quality results. She has refined the process of buying and selling homes to make it an enjoyable and rewarding experience by providing creative solutions for clients and ensuring that she is always one step ahead of the competition. Today’s market requires proactive, aggressive marketing with an excellent understanding of the overall market. Ashley is diligent in keeping her clients apprised of changing market conditions. She attributes her sales success to four factors: pricing homes properly, marketing effectively, negotiating aggressively, and building long-term relationships. She is a multiaward-winning agent who prides herself in providing high-quality service and delivering quality results.
3707 Camp Bowie Blvd., Ste. 300 | Fort Worth, Texas 76107 817.966.7904 | ashley.moss@williamstrew.com | williamstrew.com
The Face of Home Pickleball Courts
NexCourt, Inc.
NexCourt stands as the sole authorized dealer and certified installer of Sport Court products in North Texas and Oklahoma for over 30 years. After three decades in the court building business, there is no guess work on design and installation. We walk our customers through the entire process of design and construction. What sets us apart and keeps bringing customers back is our communication channel with clients and always going the extra mile to make their experience exceptional. Our greatest professional achievement is building a partnership with the Dallas Mavericks Foundation, Nancy Lieberman Charities, Dallas Stars Foundation and FC Dallas Foundation. With these combined relationships expanding for 23 years, we have been able to donate to over 100 community courts for nonprofit charitable organizations. 1127 South Airport Circle | Euless, Texas 76040
817.283.4646 | nexcourt.com | info@nexcourt.com
Founded in 1962 and celebrating over 60 years in business. Voted Best Breakfast in Fort Worth many times, Ol’ South Pancake House has become known as THE spot to go to for breakfast in Fort Worth. And, except for Christmas Eve, we don’t close. Ever! Owner Rex Benson continues to carry on the same tradition of serving homestyle cooking that his father, late co-founder David Benson, started over 60 years ago. And Rex has started some of his own traditions, such as the Mega Pancake Challenge and a beautiful, fully equipped catering trailer for events. Now, we have added a brand-new location that’s open in Burleson to that list! We always welcome families and children, hungry TCU students craving some homestyle cooking, tourists looking to grab a bite from a true local joint, and everyone in between. So, try us out — see how sweet life can be, the Ol’ South way!
1509 South University Drive | Fort Worth, Texas 76107 | 817.336.0311 | olsouthpancakehouse.com
Growing up in a family business performing service in customers’ homes, I always considered my customers to be my best source of new customers. Whether it’s service or delivering new appliances into thousands of homes, I’ve seen how my customers react when a worker respects their home. Everyone at Oliver Dyer Appliance knows his or her customer will refer friends, neighbors and family members, so they go out of their way to create a satisfied customer. We only sell appliance brands where the manufacturer backs our efforts to do whatever necessary to satisfy every customer. If it’s not good enough to be in our homes, it isn’t good enough to be in yours. My name, email address and personal cell phone number are on every invoice. In over 40 years, I’ve only had a handful of calls with a problem, but I’ve received thousands of calls complimenting my employees. 8320 Camp Bowie W. | Fort Worth, Texas 76116 | 817.244.1874 | oliverdyersappliance.com
A 127-year-old, Fort Worth family business, the Original Mattress Factory manufactures quality bedding and sells directly to the public nationwide. We are focused on innovating the best way to give our customers a great night’s sleep at a low price. Not settling for anything less, we believe that we need to own and control the production process to make sure quality is second to none. A Texas original since 1896, our family takes pride in continuing the tradition of excellence, quality, and value in our products that the generations before us established. Our employees, customers, and vendors are our lifeline for our success. We are proactive in our approach to making sure everything from ordering the raw materials, to production, to delivery is done in a timely manner and with top quality and integrity.
900 East Vickery | Fort Worth, Texas 76104 | 817.334.0361 | originalmattress@gmail.com | themattressfactory.com
The Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute
Dr. Michael Boothby continues to provide excellent minimally invasive knee and shoulder orthopedic surgeries for his patients and is working to expand the geographic access and number of orthopedic surgeons who comprise The Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute. Originating in Fort Worth in 2011, a second physical therapy location also opened in Aledo. OSMI established its Decatur office in 2018. A new building in Mansfield is expected to be ready in summer 2024. This building will serve many different patient needs including a second Orthopedics Today walk-in clinic like the Fort Worth location and state-of-the-art physical therapy facility. What distinguishes OSMI is the pursuit to deliver orthopedic and sports medicine care with faster access and unparalleled service experiences on the path to creating the best results for clients’ health and their functional abilities. This includes children, adults, and athletes. 2901
Premier Property Media is the Face of Architectural Photography and Videography because we meticulously capture imagery of some of the very top echelon properties in North Texas! Spotlighting the distinctive features with a critical eye, our expertise lies in creating stunning visuals and delivering high quality results. Premier Property Media brings a level of precision that ensures your project or property stands out in a competitive market with the consistency and reliability that you can depend on. Our distinctive edge is the ability to go beyond traditional visuals by creating enticing narratives through the lens and highlighting the personality of each space. This combined with an acute attention to detail evokes a sense of connection and resonates with potential buyers, setting us apart and bringing clients back time and time again! PICTURED: John Walsh. Serving all of North Texas | 972.533.5079 | info@premierpropertymedia.com | premierpropertymedia.com
Pro Serve specializes in both residential and commercial new construction. Our current operations consist of custom and volume production in residential plumbing including multifamily and the latest niche — build to rent. Our commercial division focuses on industrial structures, accommodations, and sports facilities. We have experienced tremendous growth over the years and have forged many relationships that continue to contribute to our success, along with community involvement. We believe and operate under servant leadership. We believe in empowering our team to achieve all they seek personally and professionally. Our leadership team focuses on encouraging and empowering individuals to engage, explore, and initiate growth for themselves and the company. Continued education, skill improvement, integrity, and quality service are what set us apart from the rest.
11255 Camp Bowie West Blvd., Ste. 120 | Aledo, Texas 76008 | 817.244.0614 | proserveplumbers.com
R Bank
R Bank opened its doors in 2009 with 12 bankers to serve the Round Rock area. Today, we have 10 locations ranging from Edna to Fort Worth with 175 R Bankers to service our local communities. R Bank first entered the Fort Worth market in 2019 with a Loan Processing office and in 2020 opened a full-service banking center to meet the needs of the Fort Worth community. Our goal is to develop a high-touch relationship with our customers and understand their needs to help them meet their goals both personally and professionally. At R Bank, we take pride in knowing our customers by name when they walk in the door. What keeps customers coming back is entirely about the relationships we build with them. PICTURED: Kent McCune, Alyssa Al Sabi, and Charles McElrath. 451 University Drive | Fort Worth, Texas 76107 | 817.885.5910 | fortworth@r.bank | r.bank
Member FDIC
Martin Reinke, M.D.
Dr. Reinke has been performing cataract removal with lens implantation for over 20 years. A fellowship-trained retina subspecialist (Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School), Dr. Reinke has experience using the latest technology and intraocular lenses available for cataract surgery, including laser-assisted cataract removal. Dr. Reinke personally sees every patient at every appointment and spends time with patients in order to determine the best lens implant option for their lifestyle. Patients receive a comprehensive retina evaluation prior to and after cataract surgery. Cataract patients often have co-existing problems, such as diabetes or age-related macular degeneration, and Dr. Reinke is able to manage these issues without additional referrals elsewhere. With personalized attention by highly empathetic and skilled staff, Dr. Reinke is able to provide excellent care for patients as part of the cataract removal experience.
1310 N. White Chapel Blvd. | Southlake, Texas 76092
817.310.6080 dfwlasercataract.com | martin_reinke@yahoo.com
The Schweitzer Group – Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty
Selling or purchasing a home can be a big and overwhelming decision. The Schweitzer Group is committed to partnering with its clients every step of the way. These real estate advisors provide the highest level of service, professionalism, and expertise to make buying or selling a home a truly positive experience. When a client chooses The Schweitzer Group, they will get a group of professionals with various strengths and backgrounds that work well together to find or sell a home. They have access to their own construction company to help clients create their dream home no matter what their budget is. They have a proven listing process that is tailored to each client’s needs, with a project plan of everything that needs to be done prior to listing the home on the market. PICTURED: Thurman Schweitzer, Barbara Schweitzer, Trey Young, Shelly Forrest. 4828 Camp Bowie Blvd. | Fort Worth, Texas 76107 | briggsfreeman.com/realestate/agent/the-schweitzer-group817.821.2694 | bschweitzer@briggsfreeman.com
Owned and operated by health and wellness practitioner
Dr. Bryce Calvillo and nutritionist Angela Calvillo, SciFit Center offers one of the most unique and successful weight loss programs in the industry. SciFit Center provides an all-encompassing treatment approach for weight loss, nutrition, exercise, and overall health and wellness. The program includes weekly one-on-one appointments with SciFit professionals to help you stay accountable and provide constant guidance and education. The routine utilization of the Fit3D Body Scanner monitors your progress and keeps you motivated throughout the journey. Food Sensitivity Testing reveals how your body metabolizes certain foods and which ones are most effective for your genetic makeup. Semaglutide weight loss injections are an optional accessory to the program to reduce cravings, control appetite, and accelerate progress in a safe and effective manner. PICTURED: Dr. Bryce Calvillo, Health & Wellness Practitioner, and Angela Calvillo, B.S., B.A., Nutrition Specialist. 4000 Bryant Irvin Road | Fort Worth, Texas 76109 817.975.7583 | HealthyLife@SciFitCenter.com SciFitCenter.com
For more than 35 years, Sean Knight Custom Homes has been recognized as a premier homebuilder in North Texas. Sean Knight is a certified master builder and remodeler and has a reputation for delivering luxury, quality, and elegance. We are dedicated to growing relationships through trust and respect. At Sean Knight Custom Homes, we continually aim to go above and beyond. Vast experience in the industry and a reputation for superior quality, attention to detail, honesty, and integrity make us unique. We believe that our expertise, dedication to quality, and strength of communication set us apart from many in the industry. We do more at Sean Knight Custom Homes than just build superior homes; we build long-lasting client/contractor relationships focused on service, detail, and trust.
109 S. Ranch House Road, Ste. 107 | Aledo, Texas 76008 | 817.560.0828 | sknight@flash.net | seanknightcustomhomes.com
Sarah C. Seltzer is Board Certified in Child Welfare Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, AV Pre-eminent Peer Rated through Martindale-Hubbell, Super Lawyers’ Texas Rising Star since 2019, and Top Attorney in Family Law by Fort Worth Magazine since 2015. For over 10 years, Sarah has utilized her experience and expertise to equip her team to deliver an unparalleled level of strategic representation — excellent, efficient, and effective — throughout the legal process. The attorneys at Seltzer Family Law take time to understand each client’s unique situation and explain the law so the client can make informed decisions during a demanding and vulnerable time. Sarah and her team understand that sometimes family law matters require an aggressive approach to deliver results and are not afraid to take action, when necessary, to protect clients’ rights. PICTURED: Sarah C. Seltzer. 6777 Camp Bowie Blvd., Ste. 340 | Fort Worth, Texas 76116 817.887.9206 | YourTexasFamilyLawyer.com
The Face of Shooting Sports
As the oldest modern range in the area, Shoot Smart reset the bar on excellent facilities, safety protocols, training, and customer service in recreational shooting during the past 12 years. What sets us apart are our private lanes, where beginner and experienced shooters alike enjoy privacy and exclusivity, and a prescribed Path to Proficiency in training. People come to Shoot Smart for an entertainment experience. Everyone is welcome; we pride ourselves on embracing diversity among customers and staff and in giving each visitor, from new shooter to urban guerilla, an unforgettable day. PICTURED: Sidney Delgado, Kaila Fountain, Brendan Summers, Joe Loza, Taylor House, and Cody Luna.
10305 North Freeway | Fort Worth, Texas 76177 | 817.984.8020 | info@shootsmarttx.com | shootsmart.com
Simmons Bank offers comprehensive financial solutions delivered with a client-centric approach with over 200 branches in Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas. As a community bank, it realizes helping the community pays countless dividends at all levels. Investing in our communities is a core component of Simmons Bank’s business and culture. This is evidenced prominently in Fort Worth through its commitment to the realization of Dickies Arena with Simmons Bank Plaza and its support of TCU and TCU women’s athletics. For 120 years, we’ve worked hard to make our customers’ financial goals become reality, whether those goals are buying a home, starting a business, sending a child to college – or simply having greater confidence when it comes to managing money. PICTURED: (top, left to right) Andre Glover, Ryan Jones, Lori Baldock; (middle, left to right) Anthony Rojas, Tracy Bradley; (bottom, left to right) Brana Banjac, Laura Condley. 2200 W. Seventh St. | Fort Worth, Texas 76107 | simmonsbank.com
Member FDIC
All Accounts Subject to Approval
Susan Semmelmann Interiors
Susan Semmelmann is a designer on a mission. Susan says her mission is to use her gifts and talents “for the greater good of everyone in her reachable sphere.” Semmelmann Interiors’ mission statement reads “The spirit of living is in the giving.” To Susan, those words are much more than a tag line beneath a logo. She strives to make clients’ dreams a reality with custom crafted furnishings and accessories created in-house and manufactured drapery and bedding directly from fabric mills. Semmelmann Interiors has its own workroom for clients that allows it to turnkey any project in a timely manner and accommodate every style. “Our wow factor is definitely the eye for design and the client relationships. Over the years the clients come back because they had a great experience. Customer service is the highest priority for us, and we make every client a VIP.”
4374 West Vickery Blvd. | Fort Worth, Texas 76107 | 940.577.1000 | semmelmanninteriors.com
The best of authentic Mexico dining from Chef Ludim Hernandez awaits your discriminating taste at Taco Master Grill. Enjoy fine dining selections direct from Mexico City with chef Ludim’s interpretations of Mexican flavors with enticing presentations. Her unique combination of seasonings and textures are a “foodie’s dream.” At Taco Master Grill you can find varied menu options including traditional tacos pastor, carne asada fries, and seasoned rib-eye steak. You’ll also find family-dining menu options during the week or a candle-lit, date-night dinner on Saturday evenings. Don’t forget Taco Tuesdays either! Decadent dessert selections include tres leches cake, flan, and sweet fried bananas, to name a few. All ingredients are made fresh daily!
7057 Ridgmar Meadow Road | Fort Worth, Texas 76116 | 817.909.9371 | tacomastertx.com
Tanner and Associates, PC, has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a Tier One law firm in three areas: Labor Law – Unions, Employment Law –Individuals, and Labor and Employment Litigation. Rod Tanner, the firm’s founding shareholder, is a Fellow in the prestigious College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, and he is widely recognized as one of the state’s preeminent labor and employment attorneys. Texas Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters) named Mr. Tanner one of the state’s Top 100 Super Lawyers in 2019-2020. Noting that the purpose of our labor laws is to establish justice in the workplace, Mr. Tanner has said that “our passion for accomplishing this vision is matched only by our dedication to our clients’ interests.” PICTURED: Rod Tanner.
6300 Ridglea Place, Ste. 407 | Fort Worth, Texas 76116 817.377.8833 rodtannerlaw.com | rtanner@rodtannerlaw.com
The Face of The Most Trusted Bank in America
Texas Capital Bank
Texas Capital holds a distinguished reputation as a financial institution committed to personalized service and innovative solutions. Recently honored with the coveted “Best Regional Bank” award by Bankrate, you can expect a dynamic and customer-focused approach characterized by cutting-edge services tailored to your unique needs. PICTURED: Fort Worth Relationship Management team - Rusty Anderson, Group Manager; Paul Hissin and Jennifer Baggs Kamacioglu. Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc. is the parent company of Texas Capital Bank d/b/a Texas Capital, a full-service financial services firm that delivers customized solutions to businesses, entrepreneurs, and individual customers. All services are subject to applicable laws, regulations, and service terms. Member FDIC. 300 Throckmorton St., Ste. 100 | Fort Worth, Texas 76102 | 817.852.4000 | texascapitalbank.com
For over 60 years, Texas Hot Tub Company has been Fort Worth’s go-to destination for home health, relaxation, and fun! We sell and service the world’s No. 1 selling brands of hot tubs, swim spas, and saunas. Whether you are shopping for a HotSpring® Spa to take at-home relaxation to a new level, an Endless Pool® to add to your fitness routine, or a Finnleo® Infrared or traditional sauna to improve your overall health, our team of industry experts is here to find the perfect product to match your needs and budget. With a combined 106 years of industry experience between Craig, Robert, and James, we have helped thousands of North Texans create their ultimate at-home relaxation space. Our award-winning showrooms highlight the largest selections in DFW, where you’ll be greeted by name with a smile! PICTURED: Robert Aguilar, James Bryant, Craig Engelhardt. 4820 SE Loop 820 | Fort Worth, Texas 76140 817.572.0004 | info@texashottubco.com | texashottubco.com
Private jet pilots have ranked Texas Jet at Meacham Airport a Top Five Independent FBO (private aircraft terminal) for 17 years straight! Not too bad, considering there are 3,500 FBOs in the U.S. Credit for this accomplishment goes to our 40 team members, who deliver exceptional service to our customers every day and have a great time doing it! They live our “Culture of Excellence” and earn smiles and kudos from pilots and passengers alike. Pictured are six of our newest team members, ready to continue the tradition of “wowing” our customers. Experience Texas Jet’s superb service and see why our customers are considered friends! 200 Texas Way | Fort Worth, Texas 76106 | 817.624.8438 | customerservice@texasjet.com
As an incubator for innovation and a champion of student access, UT Arlington is a national model for urban institutions. Designated a Texas Tier One university, UTA has established itself as a top-choice destination for education in Arlington and downtown Fort Worth. UTA Fort Worth offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs, professional certificates, student support services, and tailored training opportunities to students and employers in North Texas. Fort Worth students can pursue an Executive MBA or MBA or degrees in nursing, social work, health care administration, real estate, and public administration. Fort Worth is home to new graduate engineering degrees and the Institute of Urban Studies. Smaller class sizes maximize networking in the classroom, and convenient evening and weekend classes make it easier to balance career, school, and life. PICTURED: Betty Mutai, UTA Fort Worth Events Manager and UTA alumna.
With a culmination of over 200 years of flooring and design experience, Vintage Floors is the Face of Flooring in Fort Worth. It is this vast industry experience that sets us apart. When making selections for the largest asset in your life, where you live, entertain friends, and raise your family, it’s important to choose a trusted company that’s been providing flooring for many years in the community. The staff at Vintage Floors cares about your 100% satisfaction. We believe that our teamwork approach, superior customer service, and solid commitment to our clients are the key to our company’s success. Quality products and exceptional customer service keep our satisfied customers coming back and recommending us to their friends and family. PICTURED: Bryan Page (President).
5136 Camp Bowie Blvd. | Fort Worth, Texas 76107 | 817.877.1564 | Fax 817.882.1162 | vintagefloorstx.com
VLK Architects
Since 1984, VLK Architects has made its mark on Fort Worth, from designing extraordinary spaces with our clients to being recognized year after year as a top place to work. Fort Worth’s Southside neighborhood is home to our headquarters, and from here we provide our clients uncompromising excellence every day. We work here, live here, and serve the community on many levels. Today, VLK has five offices to serve clients across Texas, but Fort Worth is always our home. At VLK, we are driven to build strong relationships. That means we are passionate advocates for our clients, putting their needs before our own. We’re collaborative, responsive, and receptive to their input. Over time, that kind of devotion results in trust and respect — in short, an authentic partnership — which in turn often results in a repeat client. There is no higher honor. PICTURED: Sloan Harris, CEO and Partner. 1320 Hemphill St. , Ste. 400 | Fort Worth, Texas 76104 | 817.633.1600 | vlkarchitects.com
Dr. Molly M. Warthan has performed over 8000 skin cancer surgeries in her career. Specializing in Mohs Micrographic skin cancer surgery, she excises skin cancers from the face and neck mostly and does frozen tissue sections on the skin cancer to ensure that the skin cancer is completely removed before suturing the area. A board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Warthan had the unique opportunity to do her fellowship for Mohs skin cancer surgery with a Mohs surgeon and a plastic surgeon who did all the skin cancer surgery repairs. She is able to ensure skin cancers are removed prior to patients leaving the office. The Warthan Dermatology Mohs Skin Cancer Surgery Center wants its patients to feel comfortable with the staff and the physician and offers its patients a warm, friendly environment while they are having surgery.
Warthan Dermatology Mohs Skin Cancer Surgery Center 5751 Edwards Ranch Road, Ste. 101 | Fort Worth, Texas 76109 817.923.8220 | mohsdermatology.com | info@mohsdermatology.com
At the Martha Williams Group, we know you want a house in the Fort Worth area that feels like your forever home. A place that goes beyond just a living space into your own private sanctuary. In order to get there, you need real estate professionals with unparalleled knowledge of the area and a unique ability to uncover exactly what you’re hoping for. As Fort Worth natives, The Martha Williams Group team possesses an intimate understanding of the city–from the historic charm of the Stockyards to the upscale elegance of the museum district. Leverage the group’s unrivaled experience and gain access to exclusive listings and a wealth of opportunities. The Martha Williams Group offers an entire team of professionals that works tirelessly to ensure you have the care and attention to detail required. Discover The Martha Williams Group difference. The Martha Williams Group | 3707 Camp Bowie Blvd., Ste. 300 | Fort Worth, Texas 76107 | marthawilliamsgroup.com
Martha Williams | 817.570.9401 | martha@williamstrew.com
Amanda Massingill | 817.570.9451 | amanda@williamstrew.com
Patricia Williams | 817.504.2410 | patricia@williamstrew.com
Trey Freeze | 817.559.5529 | trey.freeze@williamstrew.com
The Face of Luxury Real Estate
John Zimmerman
What makes John Zimmerman the No. 1 agent in Fort Worth? A relentless pursuit of excellence and dedication to providing the best results for his clients across every price point. Innovation and hard work are not just taglines but an obsessive pursuit that inspires fierce client loyalty. As the founding agent for Compass Real Estate’s Fort Worth office, Zimmerman combines over 30 years of residential real estate experience with Compass’ best-in-class data and technology to optimize the client experience. 817.247.6464 | john.zimmerman@compass.com | jzfortworth.com
Arch House Collaborative is a dynamic architectural firm known for its innovative and sustainable design solutions. With a passion for creating spaces that blend functionality, aesthetics, and environmental consciousness, Arch House Collaborative has established itself as a leader in the industry.
Led by a team of highly skilled architects and designers, Arch House Collaborative takes a collaborative approach to every project. They believe that the best designs emerge from a combination of expertise, creativity, and client input. By actively engaging with their clients throughout the design process, they ensure that the final result reflects the unique vision and needs of each project.
With a diverse portfolio that spans residential, commercial, and public spaces, Arch House Collaborative has garnered recognition for their excellence in design. Their projects have received numerous awards and have been featured in prestigious publications.
Make-A-Wish
Make-A-Wish hosted its third annual Wranglers & Wishes fundraiser on Nov. 2 at River Ranch Stockyards. Guests enjoyed a delicious dinner, placed bids in the silent and live auctions, and learned all about the power of a wish come true. The event helped raise funds to grant more wishes.
KWC Performing Arts
Cookin’ for Kids is KWC Performing Arts annual fundraiser - 2023 was the 24th year of this Iron-Chef style competition and party that features DFW’s greatest chefs teamed up with DFW notables and celebrities competing to take home the top prize.
The on-fire cooking competition was enhanced by dinner, drinks, live entertainment, and a live and silent auction. This year’s Grand Cham-
pion was Hao Tran, cooking with Macy Hill, with Katrina Carpenter, cooking with Anette Landeros, coming in a very close second.
The judges were Denise Shavandy (American Revelry), Kevin Martinez (Tokyo Cafe), and Zameika Williams (Luckey G’s Bistro).
The participating chefs were: Tran (Hao’s Grocery Cafe), Carpenter (Carpenter’s Cafe), Dayne Weaver
(Dayne’s Craft Barbecue), Reggie Robinson (Lil’ Boy Blue), Joshua Donovan (Heirloom), Nehme William Elbitar (Chadra Mezza & Grill and West Fork Grill); and the DFW notables were Airin Barnett, Hill, Landeros, Leah King, Larry Anfin, and Nancy Lamb.
Beautiful Concerto Techlam Top Porcelain is ideal walls and countertops. It is the beauty of Marble and the strength of Granite. Porcelain is suitable for direct contact with food and the durability is outstanding!
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Levantina Dallas
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www.levantina.com/us
2250 Morgan Parkway, Suite 140 Farmers Branch, TX 75234 in Mercer Business Park 972-488-2800
dallasshowroom@levantina.com
www.levantina.com/us
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2250 Morgan Parkway, Suite 140 Farmers Branch, TX 75234 in Mercer Business Park
» It’s resistant to chemical products, such as solvents, disinfectants and detergents. They do not alter its surface.
972-488-2800
dallassales@levantina.com
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On Nov. 30, FortWorthMagazinehosted a cocktail reception at the newly renovated Wild Salsa in downtown Fort Worth to celebrate the 2023 Top Attorney winners and their guests. Although Wild Salsa is scheduled to reopen in the coming weeks, the restaurant graciously made an exception to offer a sneak peek to our esteemed attorney winners. Guests enjoyed a myriad of delightful treats at the cocktail reception, including the venue’s signature jalapeno margaritas served at the open bar, flavorful authentic-style street tacos, along with passed hors d’oeuvres. Special thanks to Wild Salsa, Vendor Partner, and DRG Concepts for its hospitality. Fort Worth Magazine expresses gratitude to all of the sponsors of the event, with a special acknowledgment to FORVIS, the Gold Sponsor.
Feb. 3
GRACE Poker Tournament
Park Place Land Rover DFW
GRACE Grapevine
Feb. 4
Spread the Love Party
Lake Arlington Event Center
Jacob Way Organization
Feb. 7
Peace. Love. Shine. Fundraiser
Annual Galentine’s Event
Glass Cactus - Gaylord Texan
Resort & Convention Center
House of Shine
Feb. 10
Taste the Love
Taste Community Restaurant
Taste Project
Feb. 10
Bleeding Hearts Ball™: The Dark Kiss
The Woman’s Club of Fort Worth Patriot Paws
Feb. 24
Celebration at Sundown
Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Feb. 24
Dancing for the Stars
Hurst Conference Center
Colleyville Rotary Club
Feb. 24
Run Against Breast Cancer
Trinity Trails River Park Trailhead
American Cancer Society
Feb. 24
Shaken Not Stirred
Walnut Creek Country Club
Mansfield Cares
Mar. 1
Go Red
The Worthington Renaissance
Fort Worth Hotel
American Heart Association
Michael Rung thought all he captured was a photo of pure white, like a blank sheet of paper. As he set up his camera, the fog over Eagle Mountain Lake grew so heavy that the trees he was attempting to photograph had disappeared. “I actually captured this frame as a bit of a joke, thinking I’d send it to a few friends to show them the awesome all-white shot I made,” Rung says. “As it turned out, once I had the file on the computer and played with the processing a bit, I was able to tease out this ethereal, ghostly image with the data the camera sensor was still able to capture.” In the words of poet A. R. Ammons, “Anything looked at closely becomes wonderful.”
Get your photo on this page and win a $100 gift card to Fort Worth Camera. Just tag FortWorthMagazine (@fwtxmag) and Fort Worth Camera (@fwcamera) and use the hashtags #fwtxmag and #fwcamera on all your amazing Cowtown images.
Range Rover owners are an extremely loyal bunch, like repeat owners Amy and Clint Hailey, TCU alums, who both drive Land Rover Range Rovers. Amy’s 2023 Range Rover is a longwheelbase model with a third row of seats to accommodate the couple and their three kids — two daughters, 22 and 24, and a 16-year-old son. Amy, a nurse by training who works in administration at a large local hospital, likes the style, performance, and plush interior of the big, three-row, super-luxe SUV. After driving Amy’s Range Rover, Clint wanted one, too, he says, because of the BMW-sourced engines that Range Rover is using in current models.
“The performance of the BMW engine is outstanding,” says Clint, an attorney who works for physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare providers. Clint just took delivery of a 2024 SWB Range Rover that comes exclusively with a more powerful turbocharged V8 engine.
The Haileys chose Park Place Land Rover DFW to purchase their vehicles because of its exceptional service and the relationship with their sales associate, Cade Mannetti. “Amy has owned six Range Rovers over the years with the most recent three being supplied by Cade,” Clint says. Plus, Cade helped Clint purchase his 2024 Range Rover and assisted the Haileys’ oldest daughter, Kennedy, purchase a 2023 Land Rover Defender. “Park Place is Our Place because of the personal service that Cade and the team at Park Place Land Rover DFW provide.” It’s this unparalleled service that will ensure the Haileys return to the award-winning dealership time and time again.
