FOOTBALL LEGEND MIKE RENFRO HEADS TO THE TEXAS SPORTS HALL OF FAME
LEGACY: 10 Black Women Who Shaped Fort Worth / THE FOODIE'S CHEF: Scotty Scott Preps a New Cookbook
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Gregory Smith, D.O.; Cyrus Wong, M.D.; Adrian Harvey, D.O.; Yinn Cher Ooi, M.D.; Tanya Dixon, D.O.; Anita Bhansali, M.D.; Ahmed Shakir, M.D.; Olaide Ajayi, M.D.; Christopher Shank, M.D.
VOLUME 25
03
44 History Makers
For International Women’s Month, we recognize and honor 10 Black women who persevered through heavy circumstances to leave an imprint on Fort Worth.
BY TYLER HICKS
50 Dream Street
The welcome mat is out. Take a tour of our three drop-dead gorgeous homes featuring the best in design and amenities in a magnificent neighborhood.
BY BRIAN KENDALL
170
Top Dentists 2022
Whether you’re looking for a better smile, a cure for a tooth ache, or simple cleaning, our annual list of the area’s top dentists has you covered.
: know
: live
the fort etc. :
12 Buzz
The Fort Worth school district and the city have contracted with a third party to examine development options for the historic 36-acre site housing Farrington Field and Billingsley Field House. The group’s first conclusion: It’s complicated.
16 Calendar
Shrek is making a run through Casa Mañana, and Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival’s Tacos and Tequila makes an all-you-can-eatand-drink appearance at Clearfork. Mic drop. March is in like a lion with things to do.
18 Fort Worthian
Sara Tucker has a nifty little coffee and art collective, Love Local Coffee & Art Shop, on Hulen Street where she dishes up delicious creativity and espresso.
22 Style
We can’t always be bothered with running home before a night on the town. Find an easy way to make the conversion from daytime casual to nighttime elegance.
24 Sports
Fort Worth-native Mike Renfro, an Arlington Heights and TCU grad, will soon have a permanent place in posterity with enshrinement in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
: eat
28 Cooking with Soul
World, meet Scotty Scott, the Fort Worth food blogger behind CookDrankEat, who is taking a shot a widespread renown with his first cookbook due out this month.
34 Restaurant News
High-quality steaks, fresh fish, good wine, and a lively atmosphere: The Fitzgerald’s highly anticipated debut on Camp Bowie is a smash hit.
snaps
180 Camera shutters catch enduring moments at Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl and bright, smiling faces at the Junior League of Fort Worth’s Stock Show and Rodeo’s Grand Entry Gala at the Will Rogers Center.
200 This fortunate cameraman catches mankind and nature in perfect harmony on the Trinity River.
Fair.
Montrachet Trio
In fall 2000, we went to press with our first ever Fort Worth Magazine Dream Home issue. Built in Mira Vista, the Classic European Country home was deemed “Home 2000.” Imagined and produced by the Magazine, the project was created to be the first of many to inspire homeowners’ imaginations and benefit nonprofits.
Twenty-six Dream Homes later, we are still at it. While a lot has changed in the homebuilding industry over the last two decades, the Dream project’s concept, influence, and ambition have remained largely intact. They still bring together the area’s best homebuilders, interior designers, architects, and subcontractors to showcase their work.
From hundreds of people touring our inaugural Dream Home in 2000 to thousands today, the project seemingly expands in size and scope every year. In 2020 our annual Fort Worth Magazine Dream Home evolved into the Fort Worth Magazine Dream Street, expanding to three homes on the same street in an exclusive neighborhood.
This year’s trio of homes resides in the new 254-acre gated neighborhood of Montrachet, adjacent to the estates of Monserrat off Team Ranch Road in Southwest Fort Worth. Including over 50 acres of green space, Montrachet is a true escape into daily countryside resort living.
The first of our three Dream Street homes is situated on a corner lot at St. Michael Court and Esprit Avenue. Tim Windmiller of Windmiller Custom Homes partnered up with wife Amira Windmiller
of Amira Windmiller Interiors to produce a Cape Dutch-style estate that is unique to anything seen in Fort Worth.
The middle home on Espirit Avenue was built by John Webb of Heritage Homes. John teamed up with Susan Semmelmann of Susan Semmelmann Interiors to create a Modern Texas Vernacular, a contemporary Cowtown classic that is featured on the cover of this issue.
Rounding out the trio is HGC Residential Development, who collaborated with Tori Rubinson of Tori Rubinson Interiors to assemble a Modern Tudor masterpiece.
Each home is incredibly unique and offers an entirely different experience. I can’t recommend enough your joining us for the March home tours. The houses are open for touring Thursday through Sunday, March 5 – 27. The touring fee of $20 includes a one-year subscription to the magazine and a $10 donation to a Wish with Wings, a charity that grants magical wishes for young Texans with life-threatening medical conditions.
While the photos of the homes on the following pages are stunning, in the words of Marvin Gaye, it “ain’t nothing like the real thing.”
ON THE COVER:
An image from the living room of 4624 Esprit, the Texas Vernacular stylings from the John Webbbuilt home serve as the perfect canvas for Susan Semmelmann’s unmistakable designs. Semmelmann’s work graces our cover for the second time in three years.
PHOTOGRAPH BY REALTY PRO SHOTS
Corrections? Comments? Concerns? Send to executive editor Brian Kendall at bkendall@fwtexas. com.
Top Doctors
Surveying our Mental Health
Ranger 50th Anniversary
Hal A. Brown OWNER/PUBLISHER
Let’s Chat
A few words from our readers
Russ Rogers It may not have needed federal funding if Kay Granger’s son wouldn’t have been mismanaging the project for so many years with no oversight and no accountability! Mommy took care of it, JD. No worries!
Chris Wigington Looking forward to all the future development! Great project for Fort Worth
advertising account supervisors gina burns-wigginton x150, marion c. knight x135
account executive tammy denapoli x141
territory manager, fort worth inc. rita hale x133
sales support coordinator josh anderson x140
MARKETING
director of digital robby kyser
marketing manager sarah benkendorfer
digital marketing specialist brenntyn rhea
events & partnerships manager melissa mitchell
marketing intern lauren roberts
CORPORATE
chief financial officer charles newton a/r & administrative specialist julia martin
founding publisher mark hulme
mindyfraleyftwrealestate Thank you for embracing our culture and blessing us with your colorful talent! I love your pieces, brings so much energy to the city!
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.
Tickets include access to all events as well as the chefs, Wagyu Burger with Endless fries, Messina Hoff wine tent, Whiskey tasting and all our vendors.
CHILD ADMISSION (AGES 6-14)
Ticket includes access to all events as well as the chefs, Kids Wagyu Burger and all our vendors.
Ticket includes access to all events as well as the chefs, VIP seating area with Hosted Open Texas Centric Bar, Messina Hoff wine tent and all our vendors.
Mike Renfro
The football career of Arlington Heights’ and TCU’s Mike Renfro will be enshrined for posterity with induction into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. Page 24.
Field Marshals
Group begins recommendation process for Farrington Field property.
BY JOHN HENRY
Athird-party group contracted by the Fort Worth school district to look into development options for the 36 acres encompassing Farrington Field and Billingsley Field House has come to its first conclusion.
In Facebook idiolect, it’s complicated.
The school district has on its hands aging structures that, it says, no longer meet the needs of students. Secondly, the city and the school district want the property on the tax rolls, and they both have a good reason. The property is a developer’s never-never land, one of the city’s most valuable pieces of property that would attract tenants like a magnet does cobalt and at premium rates. It’s within walking distance to some of the best cultural assets in the country, plus Trinity Park and the revitalized West 7th district.
On the other hand, the property is also currently home to a
very precious item, next to only the Tarrant County Courthouse (maybe), the most widely identified historical edifice in the city — Farrington Field. Literally hundreds of thousands of her citizens, across racial boundaries and neighborhoods, have an intimate connection at both places from years of going to school in the Fort Worth school district.
Simply sending Farrington Field and Billingsley Field House before a wrecking ball is a terrible message that history, that precondition of self-identification, doesn’t amount to a hill of Ranch Style Beans.
This is the place that binds us all together, regardless of race, creed, or neighborhood.
In February, the stadium and field house were granted spots on the national register of historic places. That designation doesn’t preserve them. Only the owner of the property, the school district, or the city can designate the property a historic landmark, freeing it from a demolition team.
That has as much chance of happening as the most devoted cleric recanting.
No one with an interest in preservation expects historical value to trump the unlocking of the treasure chest that are these 36 acres. However, it appears, the school district and city are taking a sensitive and thoughtful approach to a very sensitive subject.
The study is being performed by a “technical assistance panel” put together by the Urban Land Institute. Technical assistance panels are groups of multidisciplinary teams of five to eight real estate development professionals, who tour the site under review, interview local stakeholders, and meet to develop recommendations.
No cost-benefit analysis has been conducted yet on preservation, says Frank Bliss, who heads the group. They need to know more. However, he says in interviewing stakeholders the past and the history are among their chief concerns.
Exceeding Expectations
Todd Miller was looking for a luxurious vehicle to fit his family comfortably and level up his daily driving experience. He found it in the all-new 2022 Jeep Wagoneer Series III from SouthWest Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Cleburne. “I test drove three completely different vehicles, and the ultimate performance, luxury, comfort, and styling of the Wagoneer made the final decision not only for me but for my wife and kids,” says Miller, a nonprofit executive for hire, former insurance executive, and entrepreneur. “I was the beneficiary of the Gilchrist Concierge Valet Service when test driving all the vehicles I was choosing from.” A Tahoe, Grand Cherokee-L, and the Wagoneer were swapped out, each without ever going to the store. “This was definitely a unique car-buying experience that I enjoyed.”
The premium three-row SUV impresses Miller with everything from its handsome good looks to its host of tech features and interior comfort. “The comfort level is what really stands out,” he says. “While the Wagoneer is a truck, it’s loaded with luxury … there are more comfort and convenience options than can be listed.”
The Gilchrist Automotive family dealership has earned Todd Miller’s loyal kinship. “My salesman David Brooks, GM Mike Brown, and the Gilchrist family went over and above all expectations,” he says. “This was the best car-buying experience I’ve ever had.”
PICTURED: Todd
Miller, customer; Stephen Gilchrist, Dealer Principal; and Mike Brown, GM Partner, SouthWest Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram.
“We need to know more about Farrington Field, we need to know more about Billingsley Field House, and we need to know more about the infrastructure on the site to know what the cost of preserving those assets are, if they can be preserved. We don’t know that yet,” Bliss says. “[But] if a compete redevelopment is the preferred option, we do believe there are pieces of these historic assets that can be preserved and can be integrated into a redevelopment in a meaningful way. Either way, we think history can be connected here.”
The property was part of the estate of K.M. Van Zandt, “the grand old man of Fort Worth” who gets the most credit for bringing the Texas and Pacific Railroad to the city. That event was the springboard to expansive growth in the city of that era. Today, school and city officials are grappling with a tidal wave of population growth that presents as many opportunities as challenges.
The Van Zandts donated the property to the city, which sold it to the school district to build Farrington Field in 1939. Billingsley was erected in 1953. There is some dispute about whether the school district can even sell it. When the city sold the property to the school district in the late 1930s, officials tagged it with a reverter clause: If the property ceased being used for school activities, it reverted back to the city.
That circumstance, however, would not seem to be cause of any delay in the city selling. In fact, the Urban Land Institute group recommended the city be the point person for any such transaction and redevelopment because of its proximity to rezoning and permitting. Plus, the school district might still use some of it.
Jerre Tracy, the executive director of Historic Fort Worth, Inc., notes that both structures would be eligible for state and federal tax credits for upgrades, such as ADA specifications. Those credits, state and federal, can be upwards of 45% of costs, she says, noting the 25 cents for every dollar spent on improvements at Thistle Hill.
Tracy left the meeting still convinced that whatever occurs on the site, the historic buildings must be the centerpiece of a redevelopment. “They just must be.”
»
US Rep. Mark Veasey Leads Effort to Put Opal Lee on Nobel Peace Prize Podium
Opal Lee’s lifelong dedication to the cause of civil rights and racial equality is poised to receive the ultimate recognition from the international community.
In February, U.S. Rep. Mark Veasey (D-Fort Worth) and 33 other members of Congress submitted a letter to the Nobel Prize committee to nominate Lee, 95, for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.
ACCLAIMED ‘¡PRINTING THE REVOLUTION!’ ON EXHIBIT AT THE AMON CARTER »
The Amon Carter Museum of American Art is celebrating the intersection of art and social activism with its newest exhibition, “¡Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now,” which will run through May 8. The exhibit is organized by the Smithsonian
Lee is a native Texan born in Marshall and raised in Fort Worth who has worked for more than 40 years to commemorate Juneteenth as a national holiday and has fought to ensure equality for all Americans.
The dream of Juneteenth as a national holiday became a reality last year, when President Joe Biden signed a bill to set aside June 19 as a federal holiday. Juneteenth is the commemoration of the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Texas learned they were free through Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation 2 1/2 years earlier.
“Ms. Opal Lee is a civil rights icon who has worked tirelessly to ensure that the Juneteenth holiday gets the national recognition it has long deserved,” Veasey said in a statement.
“I have been proud to call Ms. Lee a friend and mentor for nearly my whole life and was honored to work alongside her to finally get Juneteenth made into a national holiday last year.
“I cannot think of a better person who has constantly fought for justice, and that is why I am nominating her to receive this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.”
American Art Museum.
Admission is free of charge.
It examines the rise of Chicano graphics within the context of the early social movements of Chavez and Huerta but expands nationally and internationally, carrying through the broader civil rights era and anti-war on to present day and issues such as LGBTQ and related communities.
There are roughly 119 pieces by more than 70 artists, says Spencer Wigmore, the assistant curator of paintings, sculpture, and works on paper at the Amon Carter.
“We’re thrilled to be able to show something of this depth and range and highlight the ways many of the artists in this show would have seen themselves as activists as well as artists,” Wigmore says. “They used their creativity to develop innovative and aesthetically complex and rich artworks that were meant to support and raise visibility for social justice in the United States while projecting the new political and cultural consciousness for people of Mexican descent in the United States.”
*Please visit each event’s website for information on COVID-19 protocols.
MAR. 11 – APR. 2
“An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf”
Set in the early 1960s, follow the story of a world-famous restaurant owner upon his return to Paris from the bullfights of Madrid in this comedic tragedy.
Circle Theatre
230 W. Fourth St. circletheatre.com
817.877.3040
MAR. 12 – 13
14th Annual Funky Finds Spring Fling
Explore an array of handmade, repurposed, upcycled, and vintage finds from local artisans at this annual event.
Throughout the day, you’ll also see opportunities to support Saving Hope Animal Rescue and CASA of Tarrant County.
Will Rogers Memorial Center
3401 W. Lancaster Ave. funkyfinds.com
MAR. 11
After Hours in the Garden
Experience the beauty of the Botanic Garden after hours with excellent food, drinks, and the acoustic styling of singersongwriter, Joseph Neville.
Fort Worth Botanic Garden 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd., fwbg.org, 817.463.4160
MAR. 19
MAR. 15
Betsy Price: Conversations with Women’s Voices of DFW
First in a four-part series, join former mayor Betsy Price as she shares her experiences in politics.
Downtown Cowtown at the Isis 2401 N. Main St. downtowncowtown.com 817.808.6390
Shamrocks & Shenanigans –St. Patrick’s Day Festival
Bring your family and friends to Crockett Row for its first St. Patrick’s Day Festival where you’ll have the chance to ride miniature ponies, get your face painted, enjoy some green drink specials, and more.
Crockett Row at West 7th crockettrow.com 816 Foch St. 817.810.9076
MAR. 19
The 5th Annual Lucky St. Patrick’s Day Crawl
Get dressed in your best green garb to enjoy an evening of drink specials with Crawl With Us, the largest bar crawl company in the nation. While you’re there, don’t forget to try your luck in the cash-prize costume contest.
Based on the Oscar-award winning animation film, “Shrek the Musical” takes the audience along on a fairy-tale adventure filled with feisty princesses, adorable sidekicks, dastardly villains, and a mess of misfit friends.
Casa Mañana 3101 W. Lancaster Ave. casamanana.org 817.332.2272
MAR. 27
Silver Star Whiskey Sip-NShop
Spend the day at Silver Star Whiskey Distillery shopping local vendors while sipping on some serious cocktails created with spirits made right here in Texas.
Silver Star Whiskey Distillery
1734 E. El Paso St., Ste. 130 silverstarspirits.com 817.841.2837
MAR. 31
Tacos + Tequila
Take part in this all-youcan-eat and drink event where you’ll be able to taste some of Fort Worth’s favorite tacos and tequila. Look at Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival’s website for the lineup of local chefs and vendors.
Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival Heart of the Ranch at Clearfork 5000 Clearfork Main St. fortworthfoodandwinefestival. com
APR. 1
Eric Church: The Gather Again Tour
After almost a two-year performance hiatus, Eric Church returns to the road and stage with his “The Gather Again Tour” where fans will be able to experience the singersongwriter in the round for the first time ever.
Dickies Arena
1911 Montgomery St. dickiesarena.com
817.502.0053
APR. 2 Zoo Run 2022
Contribute to the Fort Worth Zoo’s international conservation and education efforts by participating in its 23rd annual race through the zoo. With a school, team, individual, or new sleep-in option, the race is open to almost everyone.
Getting back in the game, the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters are bringing their jaw-dropping plays and high-energy entertainment to Fort Worth.
Dickies Arena
1911 Montgomery St. dickiesarena.com
817.502.0053
APR. 7 – 10
“Let’s Celebrate”
From the adorable Dory to Elsa the ice queen, witness over 50 of your favorite Disney characters come to life on the ice. And don’t be afraid to dress up!
Dickies Arena 1911 Montgomery St. dickiesarena.com 817.502.0053
APR. 2
Join Cook Children’s in its mission to #blastawaycancer at this family-friendly 5K walk that supports kids battling
Island Pavilion 395 Purcey St., theblastwalk.org, 682.885.4105
Sara Tucker
BY JILLIAN VERZWYVELT
BY
Entrepreneur, Graphic Designer
PHOTO
CRYSTAL WISE
Advice to Aspiring Entrepreneurs
1. Make a plan — “It’s fun to dream,” Tucker says, but one of the most important steps in starting your own business is discovering how exactly to make it happen.
2. Ask for advice — Reach out to other entrepreneurs in your local community to talk to them about their journeys in opening their own businesses. “The Fort Worth small-business community is so nice and friendly,” she says.
3. Use your resources — Tucker used the Small Business Development Centers to hash out a thorough business plan.
4. Overcome the small challenges — These are the ones you don’t expect until you’re in the trenches. If you can get through these, you’re on a good track.
ATexas native, Sara Tucker has been enamored with the Fort Worth art scene since she was young, so it was only natural that she should decide to settle down here to chase her own creative career.
Before opening Love Local Coffee & Art Shop, Tucker’s career included a brief stint in higher education. In her role, Tucker was afforded much time to travel during which she made it a point to explore each area’s local coffee and art shops. Finding herself wishing that there was some way to blend the two, her business plan was born.
Naturally bubbly, Tucker’s bright charisma matches the colorful character of her coffee and art collective. And it makes sense considering she did much of the design herself — from free-handing all of the lettering you see to the careful curation of the art on display. While Tucker acquired an eye for visual design in college, she is largely self-taught.
“I was terrible in the beginning,” she says jokingly, “but I watched a lot of YouTube and just kept practicing.”
When asked what her life looks like outside the shop, Tucker admits that there’s much creative overlap. She visits galleries, attends art walks, and, if managing her own business isn’t impressive enough, doubles as a freelance graphic designer for Near Southside, Inc.
“It’s a lot, but I love it,” Tucker says. Finding a work-life balance can be tricky, but Tucker uses rock climbing and camping as ways to escape the art world for mere hours or days at a time.
“I had always done yoga, but at the height of the pandemic, a friend suggested I try rock climbing,” she says. “I got a membership at the local rockclimbing gym, and now I’m addicted.”
With a designated camping tote bag that’s almost always packed, Tucker is quick to grab her gear and rope her friends into a road trip when weekends allow.
“It’s really important to just unplug for a few days,” she says.
Looking back, being a small-business owner is not what she thought it would be. It’s been a roller coaster, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
1. Plenty of plants and her pet cat fill Tucker’s home. 2. Road-tripping across New England last fall during peak leaf season. 3. When not at work, Tucker enjoys attending local art installations with a few of her baristas. 4. When weather permits, Tucker skips climbing indoors for a climb up one of nature’s beautiful sculptures. 5. Exploring Zion National Park in Utah. 6. Thai red curry chicken is one of Tucker’s favorite recipes to cook. 7. Many of the murals seen around Love Local have been designed and painted by Tucker.
4205 Lone Oak Drive
Texas modern with a contemporary twist. Built by Heritage Homes and interior design is by Susan Semmelmann Interiors. The absolute ultimate in design and attention to detail. The game room / pool house could be 5th bedroom overlooking the spectacular pool and outdoor living area. One story design with open concept. Soaring high ceilings with dramatic see through fireplace. All furnishings are custom for house and can be purchased with the home - move in ready!
Listed By Martha Williams 817.570.9401 martha@williamstrew.com
MARTHAWILLIAMS.WILLIAMSTREW.COM
Day and Night
All it takes is one item to go from daytime casual to nighttime elegance.
BY JESSICA BRESLIN
Morgan Dress: Anna Cate, $215
Diana Vegan Leather Jacket: Dolce Cabo, $189
Celeste Dress: Derek Lam 10 Crosby, $495
Pia Reversible Quilt Jacket: $595
Hall Pass
Fort Worth-native Mike Renfro, who made his profession catching footballs in the NFL, will be taking his place in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
BY JOHN HENRY
If only mankind were in on what fate already knew, the moment in the fall of 1973 would have certainly been even more enjoyable for football fans.
On one sideline at Farrington Field was Mike Renfro — soon-to-be TCU Horned Frog — and his Arlington Heights football teammates. Across the field were the Tyler John Tyler Lions with not one — the one was plenty
enough — but three Campbells, all brothers. On the line was advancement in the Class 4A state playoffs.
Earl Campbell’s team won that day on the way to the state title, but the other guy left an impression.
“They had this little white guy,” says Campbell, who went on to Heisman Trophy glory at Texas, recalling Renfro with the most endearing of terms of endearment, “and he was beating the
hell out of us. That guy was catching everything. He was this white guy, and he was fast. Our guys could not hold him down.
“That guy was Mike Renfro. The same thing I saw in high school — though we beat them every game in the Southwest Conference — this little white guy Mike Renfro was catching everything. He was a bad little booger.”
What no one knew at the time — no one thought to seek out a clairvoyant and her crystal ball — was that together those two would enjoy some of the finest moments of their pro careers as teammates with the “Luv Ya Blue” Houston Oilers of the National Football League.
Campbell was a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee long ago, his legacy as one of the NFL’s baddest boogers as safe as the bullion depository in Kentucky. Today, Renfro, the product of a good Fort Worth family, is finally getting his just due, membership in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco.
“He’s like all of us athletes,” Campbell continues. “We went farther than any of us thought we would go when we played against each other. I never dreamt that I … I wanted to go and be a pro athlete, but back then in high school, we were just having fun.
“I think this is an unbelievable success for Mike. I’m so happy for him and that his family is able to enjoy it. Mike Renfro is one of the great ones from the state of Texas.”
The TSHOF Class of 2022 doesn’t lack heavyweights. Joining Renfro for the banquet on March 12 will be Olympic gold medalists Bob Beamon and Carly Patterson, NBA stars Chris Bosh and Tony Parker, Heisman Trophy quarterback Robert Griffin III, and Baylor basketball legend Suzie Snider Eppers.
Also being called to the podium will be three-time Olympian Stacy Sykora, whose formative years on her rise to the top of international volleyball competition all took place in schools in the city of Burleson, founded, by mere coincidence, by Rev. Henry C. Renfro. (No relation to our Renfros here.)
Careers can hardly be adequately captured in a summarizing hall-offame bio, but Renfro’s goes like this.
Before his days playing under the spotlight of NFL Sunday afternoons, Renfro starred at Heights and TCU playing under Merlin Priddy, and Jim Shofner and F.A. Dry with the Horned Frogs. The Horned Frogs as a college destination were not even in the picture until the hiring of Shofner — a teammate of Renfro’s dad in Cleveland — and Renfro’s uncle, Dean Renfro, as wide receivers coach. TCU didn’t win much, or at all, in those days, but when you’re behind in games, you throw a bunch to try to catch up quickly. That was good for wide receivers, such as Renfro, who caught 162 passes for 2,739 yards and 17 touchdowns over four seasons. Three times Renfro was an All-SWC first-team performer at TCU and a second-team All-American. He finished his career with the thirdmost receiving yards in SWC history and left TCU with the most receiving touchdowns, yards, and receptions in program history.
Renfro began a good 10-year NFL career as a fourth-round pick of the Houston Oilers. He played for Bum Phillips for three seasons before Ed Biles took over, followed by Hugh Campbell. It was Hugh Campbell in 1984 who broke the news to him that a trade back home to the Cowboys had been hatched. (The Cowboys also received the draft pick that would be used to select Herschel Walker in 1985.)
Over his pro career, including four seasons with the Cowboys, Renfro, 66, caught more than 320 passes for just better than 4,700 yards. His pro quarterbacks were good ones: Dan Pastorini, and Ken Stabler and Archie Manning — both at the tail end of their careers — and, for just a brief spell, Warren Moon. With the Cowboys, he was paired with Danny White for the better part of his four years playing in the iconic stadium with a hole in its roof in Irving.
“He was smart and never complained,” says White. “He wasn’t a guy who always wanted the ball more. I loved playing with him. I don’t know how many times he got a first down on third- or fourth-and-long.”
Renfro was also at the center of one of the most infamous calls in NFL history against the Pittsburgh Steelers, in their day the Hecatoncheires of the NFL, monstrous giants with 50 heads and 100 arms, and all. It’s probably the one play most remember about his NFL career, an unfortunate footnote to a good NFL career, and, he adds, “it doesn’t even count in the record books.”
Looking back on the tale, we can all, without any reservation, describe the call as arrant nonsense, but we can get to all that in a bit.
First things being first, football and the NFL were family business growing up for Renfro, today in the business of breeding thoroughbred race horses with CJ Thoroughbreds. He was the son of Ray Renfro, who starred at University of North Texas before taking off north for the southern shores of Lake Erie and a career with the Cleveland Browns. A coach-
ing career followed for the father, as well as his own induction into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, in 1995.
Joining his father in the Hall makes this all the more special, says Renfro, the product of Ray’s love and lessons on and away from the field.
Renfro notes that during his career, from Monnig Middle School to competing with and against the best in the world in the NFL, he was one of the few who worked for coaching legend Tom Landry twice.
Renfro, a Fort Worth native and graduate of both Arlington Heights and TCU, was a water boy on the Dallas Cowboys’ 1971 Super Bowl VI championship team and accepted another tour of employment in 1984 as a starting wide receiver.
Not many make that kind of journey.
“That was pretty cool to come back and work for him again,” Renfro says by phone one day in February.
Both jobs, he recalls, were important.
“I could kind of outrun everybody in the neighborhood early,” Renfro says in jest, but a fact, nonetheless, the good Lord blessing him with as good a set of hands as feet. “And I had a little passion for the game. It was fun. In football season we would always go up to Cleveland. I remember Dad, obviously, playing with Jimmy Brown. I’d bust into the locker room after a game at age 9 or 10 and run right past Dad’s locker and go sit next to Jimmy Brown.”
As a ball boy and later water boy, he got to hang with some of the more extraordinary characters in NFL history as he was literally learning to read and write. “[Roger] Staubach and [Bob] Lilly, and Walt Garrison, Lee Roy Jordan, and all the greats.”
“Being around the game at that level, my dad coaching [Paul] Warfield early, Charley Taylor with the Washington Redskins, Bobby Hayes with the Cowboys. He’s coaching all those guys in the daytime, and when he comes home for dinner, he gives me the same coaching. I guess being able to run and catch the ball and having that guy coaching you who’s coaching hall of famers … I had a little advantage, I
guess you’d say, on that end of it.”
Renfro was drafted in the fourth round in the 1978 NFL draft, 97 picks after Campbell, who went No. 1 overall. The draft featured a good class of receivers, including Wes Chandler, James Lofton, John Jefferson, and Ozzie Newsome, a tight end. Jimmy Cefalo and Don Bass were also among those selected before Renfro. So, too, were Ron Smith, Danny Fulton, Carlos Pennywell, Terry LeCount, and Jimmy Childs. (If you remember any of those latter guys, you need to get to trivia night at your local tavern.)
“I’m like most [athletes], I thought was going to get drafted earlier than I did,” Renfro says. “It was a great wide receiver class. James Lofton, John Jefferson, Wes Chandler, Ozzie Newsome. They all went in the first round. I thought I’d be next. A couple of rounds went by before I got drafted. That gave me some motivation.”
Renfro and Campbell were both starters on opening weekend in 1978, the wide receiver laying a key block downfield on the future Pro Football Hall of Famer’s first career touchdown.
“I was running down the sideline, and I had no idea who was in front of me,” says Campbell. “I looked up; it was No. 82. People don’t realize that. I scored the touchdown, but he scored the winning block.”
Renfro had one catch for 3 yards in his pro debut. Renfro caught his first TD pass in Week 6, a 58-yard reception from Pastorini.
Those were some fun Oilers teams to watch, with Bum Phillips astride the Houston sideline with his trademark cowboy hat firmly affixed on his cowboy-boot-wearing body. The next year was Renfro’s — and Campbell’s — best chance to advance to the Super Bowl.
In the way in the AFC Championship Game were the Steelers, heavily favored to win this game while vying for their fourth Super Bowl victory of the 1970s. It was a cold day at Three Rivers Stadium, plows having done their work by shoving aside snow to clear the 100-yard field. The wind
Mike Renfro ran across a number of interesting people along the way — or a result of — his 10-year NFL career, including the very complicated Charlie Sheen, who co-starred in “The Big Bounce,” a movie in which Renfro and several of his former Cowboys teammates were extras. That movie also featured Owen Wilson and Morgan Freeman. In the foreground is a football signed by his Cowboys teammates.
chill was 3 degrees at kickoff. Down 17-10 early in the fourth quarter and driving, Pastorini found Renfro deep in the end zone. No one was surprised when Renfro caught the ball, but that he could get the necessary two feet in bounds seemed next to impossible.
But he did it.
“I knew I caught the ball,” Renfro says. “I knew it was very close. When I jumped up and looked at the referee’s eyes, he looked like he had seen a ghost, and he froze and didn’t make a call immediately. We started throwing up our hands for a touchdown call, and the Steelers were going, no, he didn’t catch it. A few pints of whiskey came out of the stands. The referees huddled for a few minutes.”
Supporters of instant replay review of plays in the NFL would go on to use this play as the case in point of why it was needed. The TV replays clearly showed Renfro made the catch, but in those days, game officials had no access to video replay. The referees huddled for a couple of minutes, trying to decide on a call or discussing how to break the news to the aggrieved party.
“I think the decision was if they wanted to get out of that stadium alive, they better make this a nocatch call,” Renfro says. “And that’s what they did.”
Instead of a touchdown, the Oilers had to kick a field goal, their final
points in a 27-13 loss. Who knows what a touchdown and tie game at that point might have meant to the momentum of the game.
Says Campbell: “There’s no doubt in my mind Mike Renfro caught the pass. Pittsburgh had so much better athletes than we did. They were the hottest thing in the ’70s and ’80s. They got all the breaks. It was a great football game; there’s no excuses to be made. Those are the breaks you get in sports. You don’t always get them. When you do you get them, everybody is happy. And when you don’t, everybody is sad. But there is no doubt in our minds that Mike Renfro caught that pass.”
Breaks might be good or bad, unforeseen or heartbreaking, but Oilers fans were angrier than a roused rattlesnake den. Stoicism in the face of anger is not a known response of fanatics of any kind, football or otherwise. To wit, one of the faithful Blue sued the official who missed the call.
This is America after all — land of the free, home of the litigious.
Everybody in the media obviously wanted a piece of Renfro for his thoughts. Would he raise hell? Issue a fatwa? Hire the Texas Hammer?
“Typical me, I loaded up with some buddies, and we went to Mexico for two weeks,” Renfro says. “Might have drunk a little tequila and came home. There weren’t as many people who wanted to talk by then. It was yesterday’s news by then.”
Chuck Roe had never stayed in a hospital before. But when a heart attack struck out of the blue, he trusted his neighbors at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center to take care of him. After being transferred to the cardiac catheterization lab, he learned that one artery was 100 percent blocked. But a minimally invasive stint procedure got his blood pumping again. Today, Chuck is standing in front of a mural in downtown Mansfield, commissioned by the same cardiac care team that brought him back to health.
Scan to watch the cardiac mural being created at Main and Broad streets in Mansfield, Texas.
Cooking with Soul
Scotty Scott, the Fort Worth food blogger behind CookDrankEat, gets his shot at the big time with his first cookbook, due out this month.
BY MALCOLM MAYHEW
PHOTO BY RAMBO
Two years ago, local food blogger and internet personality Scotty Scott received an email that would, eventually, change his career path and, heck, his entire life. Good thing he didn’t do what he was initially tempted to do: Hit delete.
“I thought it was one of those Nigerian prince email scams,” he says. “That’s how reluctant I was to believe it. I still didn’t believe it until I cashed my first check.”
The email was from a book publisher, and the check was an advance for Scott’s soon-to-be-written first cookbook. “After I got that first check, well, after it cleared, I thought, `This is real. I better get to writing.’”
The end result comes out this month. Fix Me a Plate: Traditional and New School Soul Food Recipes from Scotty Scott of Cook Drank Eat drops March 15, courtesy of Page Street Publishing.
The 48-year-old foodie sat down with Fort Worth Magazine to chat about his cookbook, Fort Worth’s restaurant scene, and whose turn it is to do the dishes.
FW: Man, that’s a title.
Scotty Scott: It was going to be called Who’s Gonna Do These Dishes?, but the publisher wouldn’t go for it.
FW: That’s a GREAT name.
Scott: It’s an ongoing battle at my house. I cook 99% of the meals, and I’m of the opinion that if you cook the meal, the other person does the dishes.
FW: Agree!
Scott: Well, that’s the thing about relationships — not everybody sees
things the way you do. It’s kind of a give and take with my girlfriend. We’ve got a toddler and another baby on the way, so I’ve learned to back off some of my hard-and-fast rules.
FW: How did you come to write Fix Me a Plate?
Scott: I’ve always been somewhat of a writer. I was always the kid who in high school wrote the story that made everybody crack up or feel a certain way. I always thought I would come back to it. CookDrankEat has given me a great outlet for writing. Then when the publisher came to me, I jumped at the opportunity.
FW: Do you know how they discovered you?
Scott: The internet. They’ve got a formula. I have a pretty good social base, my own website, I take my own photos. I can do a lot of the web work on my own. I can promote the book to my followers. It eases the workload on their end. I think that’s what publishers are looking for these days. It cuts their overhead in a way. Some of it has to do with the quarantine, too. When the quarantine was going on, people were looking for new things to do at home. A lot of people took up cooking then. There was a demand. I do find a sense of worth in doing something that other people have no desire or ability to do. Those are the people who may want to buy my book and learn a bit about cooking.
FW: What kind of approach did you take to writing?
Scott: I don’t just cook soul food. I cook a little bit of everything. But
we couldn’t settle on one cuisine, and I didn’t want to do a “fusion” cookbook. Finally, we landed on soul food. At the time when I was writing, there was a certain climate in the country, with what was happening with George Floyd. I wanted to be very respectful of the culture. It’s a subject and style of cooking I take very seriously, and I wanted that to come across in the book. I took my time with it. You want to make sure you get all facts straight, and I also wanted to test and taste each of the recipes, and that really can’t be rushed.
FW: Care to share some of your favorite recipes from the book?
Scott: That’s a hard question — there are about 60 recipes. Some are from my family — my mom’s or grandmother’s old recipes that I had when I was growing up. The World’s Greatest Sweet Potato Pie is one of my favorites. That’s my grandmother’s recipe. The Trippin’ Fried Grits is my play on shrimp and grits. One thing I love to do is take a classic dish and put my own spin on it.
FW: What are some of your other cooking passions?
Scott: I love repurposing meals and being creative with leftovers. Let’s say I make a big pot of red beans and rice for dinner, and I have a lot of leftovers. From those leftovers, I would make a week’s worth of other meals. I do a red bean burger. I also do a Southern-style red bean hummus. I mix all the ingredients — the red beans, rice, garlic, sausage — in a processor, mix everything
together, and then I have a brandnew dish. That way, I’m not eating the same ol’ pot of red beans all week. I’m using that same starter dish and turning it into something different, something that’s not boring.
FW: You cooked as a kid?
Scott: From a young age, yes. Food always seemed to be a focal point at my house, the reason so many people were around, that I wanted to be involved with it any way I could. It’s what seemed to bring together all of our friends and family.
FW: Talk about your journey to Fort Worth.
Scott: I moved to Texas from Detroit. That’s where I’m from. I landed in Houston to finish my undergrad, in psychology, and to get my law degree. When I got out of law school, I became a sports agent. I did that for about four years. Then I got involved in the oil and gas business. I’m what they call a Land Man. It’s short for land manager. I’m an independent contractor for EOG Resources. I’ve been working in Fort Worth for about 10 years and living here for about five. I tell people who want to get into the food genre, you really don’t need a law degree to do it, ha-ha. But we all have our paths.
FW: In addition to the book and your ongoing work on CookDrankEat, you’ve launched a new video series on YouTube and Complexity Gaming.
Scott: They’re fun videos with me cooking with one or two other gamers. All the recipes are very simple, easy-to-make, and nutritious. They’re all dairy-based to coincide with a dairy nonprofit called Dairy Max. For the first episode, we did a World of Warcraft-inspired beer cheese dip, which was a blast.
FW: You’ve seen the restaurant scene here grow and change. What do you think is admirable about it?
ROSEMARY ELOTE
Ingredients:
• 6 ears corn in husk
• 1/2 cup mayo
• Chili powder
• 3/4 cup grated cotija cheese
• 1 cup freshly chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 stick chilled butter
• 2 limes cut in quarters
Directions:
1. Carefully pull back the husk of the corn leaving it attached at the bottom.
Remove the stringy corn hairs and discard. Rub the corn cobs with butter, then sprinkle with the rosemary. Fold the husk back onto the cobs. (Corn may be soaked in water to help them stand up to the grill flames if desired.)
2. Preheat grill or grill pan to mediumhigh. Grill corn, turning often. This ain’t the get a beer, cover it up, and walk away, kinda dish. Keep an eye on it until they’re slightly charred all over, about 10 minutes.
3. Remove the corn from the grill, then brush corn with a layer of mayo. Sprinkle with chili powder, cotija, and cilantro.
PHOTO BY SCOTTY SCOTT
Scott: I’ve been working at my same job, which is based in Fort Worth, for 10 years, so I’ve seen how it’s grown and how it continues to grow — I like that. I’ve seen some national chains come to Fort Worth before they go to Dallas, which is good and definitely illustrates the city’s growth.
FW: How does it need to be better?
Scott: It could use some diversity in terms of the types of restaurants it supports and sustains. Sometimes
it feels like it’s not able to sustain much outside of Tex-Mex and barbecue. What was the name of that Asian bakery off West 7th?
FW: 85 Degrees.
Scott: It was very good, but it didn’t last. The location in Houston has a line around the corner. There’s a little Korean BBQ place in Fort Worth, Sam Won Garden, but it’s the only one I know of, and it’s a little hole in the wall. Korean barbecue is a hot, trendy food right now in other
parts of the country. You’d think there’d be more places like it here. That being said, Fort Worth is so big, maybe those cuisines exist here in other parts of the city and I just don’t know about it. I’m looking forward to finding out.
Scotty Scott’s book will be released March 15. It can be ordered on amazon.com or cookdrankeat.com.
PHOTO BY RAMBO
$100M+ SOLD IN 2021 $20M+ IN FARM & RANCH $27M+ IN COMMERCIAL $35M+ IN LUXURY RESIDENTIAL
On the Fitz
Chef Ben Merritt’s new spot on Camp Bowie Boulevard offers west Fort Worthians the upscale dining experience they’ve long craved.
BY MALCOLM MAYHEW
It’s been a minute, for sure, since a brand-new Fort Worth restaurant has been as packed as The Fitzgerald was on a recent January night. Wall to wall would be an understatement. People crammed into corners and crannies waiting on their tables. Even those with reservations were told there’d be a wait. Simply enough, guests didn’t want to leave. Who could blame them? It felt like the place to be.
Right now, it is. The Fitzgerald is the type of restaurant that the west side of Fort Worth has long missed — and possibly long forgotten. It’s nice — dress nice, nice. People order bottles, not glasses, of wine, and dine on beautifully prepared steaks decorated with black garlic butter, blackened redfish peppered with
chorizo, and grilled oysters dabbed with manchego cheese sauce. After dinner, they order coffee or whiskey or dessert, or all of the above. It’s a see-and-be-seen scene.
This is the third restaurant to be opened by executive chef Ben Merritt, and it’s a far cry from restaurants Nos. 1 and 2, Fixture and Ben’s Triple B. Located in the Near Southside, the former offers upscale takes on Southern classics, with a casual, fun, and laid-back menu. The latter was an east side burger joint that also served beer and biscuits — hence the three B’s in its name. Sadly, Ben’s closed during the pandemic.
But ever since Merritt announced he was opening The Fitzgerald in the old Blu Crab space on Camp Bowie Boulevard, the city has practically been counting down the seconds.
“People still want high-quality
New Orleans BBQ Shrimp
The Fitzgerald offers an array of steak, seafood, and mac and cheese.
Ben Merritt
steaks, fresh fish, good wine, and a lively atmosphere,” says Merritt, who worked with new business partner Chris Lynch to open the restaurant this winter. “Fort Worth doesn’t have a lot of those restaurants. I definitely think we’re filling a void.”
The fact that Merritt can easily bounce from running a burger joint to a high-end steak and seafood restaurant illustrates the depth of his versatility. Over the past few years, he has certainly made
a name for himself as one of the area’s most talented chefs. In 2019, his reputation got a major boost via the Food Network television show “Chopped,” an episode on which he not only appeared but also won. Three years prior, not long after he opened Fixture, he was crowned Top Chef by this magazine — perhaps a foreshadow of his career.
The Fitzgerald is certainly the pinnacle of it. Under beautiful chandeliers and against the
backdrop of original artwork (of seafood!), patient servers smile and dote and point to lobster corndogs as worthy starters, although there’s something good to be said about the circular hushpuppies with crispy skins and fluffy insides. Gulf oysters are a good way to go, too.
Entrees include several cuts of steaks, grilled cobia (a not-socommon fish) with pineapple salsa, roasted half chicken, fried catfish with poblano cheese grits, a handful of salads, and mac and cheese made with your choice of lobster, bacon, or crawfish. There are pastas, too, and rotating soups, plus giant slices of hummingbird cake.
As of this writing, weekend brunch hasn’t launched yet, but Merritt says it’ll include his much-missed biscuits from Ben’s Triple B. March should bring nice enough weather to open the spacious, 2,000-square-foot patio out back. “We want this to be more than just a restaurant,” Merritt says. “It can be that, obviously. You can come in, have a quick meal, and leave. But if you want to stay a little longer, have a glass of wine, and hang out for a while, that’s great, too.”
The Fitzgerald, 6115 Camp Bowie Blvd., eatatfitz.com
Grilled Gulf Oysters
Behind the restaurant is a lounge with a bar and seating area.
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Burger Queen
With a slot at this year’s Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival and with her own restaurant opening this spring, local chef Gigi Howell is on track to have one sizzlin’ year.
BY MALCOLM MAYHEW
This spring, when Gigi Howell opens the doors to her new burger joint on the far west side of Fort Worth, it’ll mark a reunion of sorts.
Not far from where her burger spot will soon open, just a building or two over actually, was where Howell spent much of her time as a kid: Margie’s Italian Kitchen.
“My parents met there while they were both working there,” she says. “My mom was a hostess; my dad was a busboy. We spent so much time there, I grew up thinking Margie was my grandmother.”
Her roots in the area run deep. Decades ago, Howell’s ancestors settled in — and helped develop — the area, known to
many as Westland. Spend a few minutes with Howell, and she’ll tell you about how her grandfather started driving a truck when he was 12, chopping, then delivering firewood all over Fort Worth. She’ll tell you about how her family was instrumental in building many of the homes in Westland, and she’ll show you photos of the area when it was packed with people and businesses.
She’ll also tell you how her strong connection to the area has led her right back to it. This spring, Howell will open JD’s Hamburgers — a good ol’ fashioned burger joint that’ll double as an homage to her family. Occupying a space that started out as a carhop, at 9901 Camp Bowie West, it’ll be just a few feet from Margie’s. After years of working and living in other parts of North Texas, Howell will be home.
“My goal is to help bring the area back to what it was once,” she says. “The area is surrounded by people and development. You’ve got Montserrat, Montrachet, Skyline Ranch, the Walsh development, plus Lost Creek — the area’s packed with people. But they have to go so far west or so far east to get to a fun place to hang out with their families. That’s what I want to do with JD’s — give them a place to go.”
The restaurant — which Howell is opening with business partner Bourke Harvey, along with Joanna and Brendan Bennett and Holman Harvey — is named after her grandfather, J.D. Jimeson, a long-haul truck driver, whose entrepreneurial spirit and strong work ethic have inspired Howell throughout her life.
“No slight to everyone else in my family,” she says with a laugh. “But I just wanted to honor him in the best way I could. What he did in his life, how hard he worked, and what he sacrificed to take care of his family have stayed with me.”
Howell will honor other members of her family in different ways, she says. Many of the recipes come from family members. Dishes will be named after family members. Photos will be hung of family members.
“You notice a theme?” she says. “This place will be all about family. I learned to cook by watching the ladies in my life cook, namely my mom and grandmother. They’re why I do this.”
Anyone who knows Howell knows about her passion for food and family. At 49, she has spent most of her life working in Fort Worth restaurants, going back to the old Celebration at Hulen and Camp Bowie. After Celebration closed (the Dallas location remains open), Howell migrated to Rockfish, Park Hill Café, and finally to Reata, where she was hired as a server and, eventually, worked her way up to guest services manager.
Most recently, she played an instrumental role in the success of 203 Café, a Reata spin-off located in the City Center building downtown. She helped hammer out the menu, train the staff, and run the restaurant. It proved to be a good training ground for her own spot, JD’s, although she won’t be leaving 203 anytime soon, she says.
“I’ll be at 203 during the day and JD’s at night,” says the infinitely energetic, admitted workaholic, minutes before she starts a service shift at Reata. “Reata’s a little understaffed
right now, so I’m helping out over there, too.”
As its name implies, JD’s primary focus will be on burgers, made with “thinnish” patties, Howell says; most burgers will be double-pattied. There will be seven to 12 burgers, some straightforward, some gourmet. Her burgers will taste different than most, thanks to the bread she’ll use: a sweet sourdough from Sweet Mesquite Bakery out of Houston.
“The ingredients are all going to come from Texas, from Fort Worth as much as possible, but definitely Texas,” she says.
Hand-cut fries will be among the sides, along with fried onions. For appetizers, look for fried green tomatoes and gussied-up deviled eggs. Desserts will be numerous, she says, but will definitely include banana pudding and fried pies in flavors such as apricot.
“The older ladies in my family taught us kids these great down-home, country desserts,” she says. “There may be more desserts than burgers.”
For a sneak peek of Howell’s food, head to this year’s Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival, where she’ll be cooking burgers at the festival’s premiere event, Burgers, Brews + Blues, on April 2.
“I’ve been to the festival before. I’ve helped out at the festival before. But this is the first time I’ve actually cooked my own food at the festival,” she says. “I’m going to do my straightforward burger with my not-so-straightforward secret sauce. If you like this sauce, then you’ll like JD’s.”
The Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival is March 31 – April 3 at various locations throughout the city. For tickets and information, visit fortworthfoodandwinefestival.com. For updates on JD’s Hamburgers, visit jdshamburgers.com
Meat You in Mansfield
A new barbecue joint, Del Toro BBQ, has taken up residence in the Fort Worth suburb of Mansfield.
BY MALCOLM MAYHEW
Mansfield’s growing restaurant scene now includes one of the state’s most popular cuisines: craft barbecue.
Of course, barbecue has been a part of Mansfield’s restaurant vernacular for years, but mostly via chain restaurants, where quality can be hit or miss. Craft barbecue, as its many aficionados will tell you, is inspired by the great barbecue joints in Central Texas: brisket comes with fat still intact; meats are slow-smoked for hours; and side dishes — like veggies, desserts and sometimes even bread — are made in-house, by hand.
That’s why Del Toro BBQ is such a welcome addition to Mansfield; a restaurant like this simply hasn’t existed in Mansfield, until now.
It’s the latest concept from Local Favorite Restaurants, a North Texas restaurant group whose concepts include Meso Maya and Tulum. The group has also made a number of local acquisitions, purchasing Twisted Root, Village Burger Bar, and others.
Del Toro’s menu features all of your
’cue essentials: prime brisket, custom cut fatty or lean, spareribs, turkey, pulled pork, and jalapeño-cheddar sausage. Sides include stewed cabbage, macaroni and cheese, green beans, fries, and coleslaw. Beef ribs and smoked quail are among the rotating specials.
Similar to Hurtado BBQ in Arlington and Panther City BBQ in Fort Worth, Del Toro’s menu has a Tex-Mex slant to it, with dishes such as birria tacos and tostadas, brisket enchiladas, and elote.
The restaurant’s chef, Nico Sanchez, a native of Guanajuato, Mexico, describes his menu as “Mex-Cue.”
The full bar includes some nice surprises, drinks you don’t usually see at ’cue joints, such as a pineapple margarita and weekend-only Bloody Mary.
Opened mid-February, Del Toro shares the same space — an old gas station with the pumps still intact — as By the Horns Brewery. The two entities are planning on developing several brews that will be served at both establishments.
Del Toro BBQ, 109 S. Main St., Mansfield, deltorobbq.com
Bits and Bites
La Rueda, one of the city’s best TexMex restaurants, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month. Local restaurateur Javier Villagomez opened the east side restaurant a decade ago, lovingly restoring a 1925 house on Oakland Boulevard. Originally, he painted it lime green; now it’s canary yellow. Either way, there’s no way you could miss it. Over the years, little by little, the restaurant grew bigger: The dining room has been greatly expanded, and a patio was eventually added. By all means, go for lunch, when there are enchilada and chile relleno specials for under $10. But breakfast is where it’s at: Indulge in super-hearty options, like rib-eyes and chicken-fried steaks with eggs; huge plates of migas; and breakfast tacos wrapped in fresh corn tortillas, made in-house. Right now, because of a staff shortage, the restaurant is open only for breakfast and lunch. 2317 Oakland Blvd., 817-535-3792
Speaking of breakfast, Jubes Smokehouse is now serving it on Saturday and Sunday, starting at 7:00 a.m. Pitmaster/owner Patrick “Jube” Joubert, whom I profiled for this very magazine back in 2019, figured as long as he was there super early prepping for his busy weekend lunch services, he may as well serve some food while he’s at it. Breakfast includes eggs, grits, ham and toast, along with coffee and OJ. Jubes’ food goes against the grain of trendy craft barbecue and instead reflects the East Texas/Louisianastyle ‘cue Joubert grew up on. At lunch and dinner, his sausage is the menu’s showstealer, but keep an eye on the specials board. You’re looking for the words “meat” and “loaf” and “stuffed” and “chicken.” Man, oh, man, can this guy make meatloaf. 1900 S. Edgewood Terrace, jubes-smokehouse.com
To celebrate Women’s History Month in March, Central Market is spotlighting the handiwork of several female chefs and female-owned products. Look for items such as beef from Carman Ranch; canned craft seafood (yeah, that’s a thing) from Scout Seafood; and Texas/Mexican heritage-themed chocolates from Coco Andre, an Oak Cliff chocolate shop run by mother-daughter duo Andrea and Cindy Pedraza. Central Market will also feature a month’s worth of cooking classes, all led by female chefs. For more information, hit up centralmarket.com.
Endlessly prolific local chef Tim Love is opening a live music venue/slash/restaurant in the Fort Worth Stockyards’ booming Mule Alley development. Named after Love’s son, Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall will feature live music (to be booked by Live Nation) and a full kitchen. Tim loves the Stockyards, that’s for sure: It’s already home to five of his other concepts, including the new Tex-Mex spot Paloma Suerte. For more info about Tannahill’s, go to tannahills.com.
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Breast Cancer Care –Lymphedema Prevention and Management
By Jennifer Hecht, D.O., FACOS Texas Breast Specialists
Lymphedema, the swelling in an extremity caused by a blockage in the lymphatic system, can be a long-term side effect of some cancer treatments, according to the American Cancer Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). In fact, treatment for breast cancer is the leading cause of lymphedema in the United States. March is Lymphedema Awareness Month – here’s what breast cancer patients and caregivers should know about this condition.
Learn the Risks
Breast cancer patients who receive an axillary lymph node dissection, axillary radiation, mastectomy, and/or sentinel lymph node biopsy are at risk of developing lymphedema after treatment. The likelihood of developing lymphedema increases with the amount of breast tissue removed, the number of lymph nodes removed, and the amount and extent of radiation treatments. Other factors that increase the risk of lymphedema include obesity, lack of exercise, and previous cancer complications.
Know the Signs
The most common sign of lymphedema after breast cancer treatment is a heaviness or weighted feeling to the arm that is on the same side as surgery or radiation. Patients should also look for swelling in the affected arm, hand, and/or fingers, which may cause clothing, rings, watches, or bracelets to become tight. Some patients may also notice a color or temperature change and/or pains and aches in the affected arm. Lymphedema usually develops within 24 months after surgery or cancer treatment. However, in some cases a small incident can stimulate lymphedema several years after surgery or treatment. The swelling from breast surgery is not considered lymphedema unless it is persistent and doesn’t improve over time.
Take Preventative Measures
All patients undergoing breast surgery for cancer should consider lymphedema screening in order to detect lymphedema in its early stages. The Lymphedema Prevention Program at Texas Breast Specialists aims to reduce a patient’s risk of
developing life-long lymphedema through screening and early detection – with the goal of preventing it from getting worse.
To screen for lymphedema, a patient’s care team should measure the fluid status and tissue composition in the arms and legs before surgery (to establish a baseline), every three to six months after surgery for up to five years, and annually thereafter. By tracking small changes in an extremity over time, providers can identify lymphedema in its earliest stages and prescribe treatments to manage its progression.
In addition to screening, patients can also take proactive steps to reduce the chance of developing lymphedema after breast surgery such as avoiding trauma, cuticle injuries, needle sticks, blood pressures, tight jewelry, and carrying handbags on the treated side. Other ways to decrease the risk of lymphedema after breast cancer treatment include avoiding saunas and extreme heat, limiting sun exposure and minor cuts/abrasions by using sunscreen and gloves, and maintaining a healthy weight.
Jennifer Hecht, D.O., FACOS, is a surgeon at the following locations:
• Texas Breast Specialists–Fort Worth Cancer Center 500 South Henderson St., Fort Worth, TX 76104
• Texas Breast Specialists–Southwest Fort Worth 6500 Harris Pkwy, Fort Worth, TX 76132
• Texas Breast Specialists–Granbury 1310B Paluxy Rd, Suite 2000, Granbury, TX 76048
For more information on breast cancer screening and early detection, visit TexasBreastSpecialists.com.
HIGHER STANDARDS GREATER HOPE
For leading edge surgical approaches and high-quality care, visit Texas Breast Specialists, part of the Texas Oncology network. We offer comprehensive breast care, including diagnostics, surgical services, and medical and radiation oncology. With compassion and understanding, our physicians partner with you to help you understand your options and develop a personalized treatment plan. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please visit TexasBreastSpecialists.com.
MORE THAN 20 LOCATIONS IN THE DFW METROPLEX
Alison Unzeitig Barron, M.D., FACS Carrollton and Dallas, TX
Katrina E. Birdwell, M.D., FACS Dallas, Mansfield and Midlothian, TX
W. Lee Bourland Jr., M.D., FACS Dallas, TX
Mary B. Brian, M.D., FACS Bedford, TX
Lynn Canavan, M.D., FACS Denison, McKinney and Plano, TX
Tuoc N. Dao, M.D., FACS Dallas, TX
Allison A. DiPasquale, M.D. Dallas, TX
Amy Eastman, M.D., FACS Rockwall, TX
Archana Ganaraj, M.D. Dallas, TX
Meghan Hansen, M.D. Frisco and Plano, TX
Jennifer Hecht, D.O., FACOS Fort Worth and Granbury, TX
Melissa Kinney, M.D. Flower Mound and Lewisville, TX
Martin L. Koonsman, M.D., FACS, CPE Dallas, TX
Jeffrey P. Lamont, M.D., FACS Dallas, Paris and Plano, TX
Kerri L. Perry, M.D., FACS Denton, TX
Angela E. Seda, M.D. Arlington and Keller, TX
Carolyn L. Thomas, M.D., FACS Dallas and Plano, TX
Rachel Karen Warren, M.D. Dallas, TX
Marie Brooks
Brenda Sanders-Wise
Lucille B. Smith
Norma Roby
Opal Lee
Maryellen Hicks
Lenora Rolla
Lillie M. Biggins
Mae Cora Peterson
Tom Elizabeth Allen Andrews
History Makers
In honor of International Women’s Month, meet 10 Black women who have shaped Fort Worth
BY TYLER HICKS
Brenda Sanders-Wise feels like she is completing a circle. When she was growing up in Tarrant County in the 1960s, her family told her stories about her great-grandfather, a man who was deeply passionate about education. In 1896, he donated land for a school for Black students, thereby creating a family legacy his great-granddaughter is still refining. Sanders-Wise is the first Black school board trustee of Birdville ISD, and for decades, she has been preserving and promoting Fort Worth’s Black history and culture. It hasn’t been an easy road.
In the late ’60s, segregation prevented her from continuing her education in the very same school district in which she is now a trustee. Despite those early barriers, she eventually became the first Black graduate of Haltom High School.
“My cousin and I were there at the same time, but my name starts with ‘B,’ so I technically graduated first,” she says with a smile.
Now, over 50 years later, Sanders-Wise is still making history. In addition to her role on the Birdville school board, she is currently the executive director of the Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society (TCBHGS), which provides educational programming and genealogy workshops for adults and children. Plus, one of her longtime goals has been the opening of a museum dedicated to Fort Worth’s Black history and culture. When it finally does open (“it’s just a matter of when,” she says), there will be no shortage of stories to share.
To help celebrate International Women’s Month, here are some of Sanders-Wise’s fellow local history makers.
“These women they persevere,” Sanders-Wise says. “They knew that if you blaze a trail, there will be someone you can pass the baton to.”
Marie Brooks (1921 – 2009)
“Marie Brooks believed in service,” Sanders-Wise says. Brooks, the mother of Tarrant County Commissioner Roy Brooks, was the founder of the Fort Worth chapter of The Links: the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organization committed to enriching, sustaining, and ensuring the economic survival of people of African ancestry. Brooks was also a charter member of TCBHGS, and she and her husband were prominent members of the civil rights movement in Fort Worth. In an interview given a few years ago, Opal Lee (more on her in a little bit) credits Marie Brooks with helping attract 30,000 people to the Emancipation Day festivals at Sycamore Park.
Lenora Roll (1904 – 2001)
Lenora Roll’s passion for Black history and culture took many forms. Roll worked in the state Legislature, and after serving as a docent for the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, she realized it was pivotal for her city’s Black residents to actively preserve their history. “She didn’t see our stories reflected in the museum,” SandersWise says. “This crucial history wasn’t being archived.” That’s why she founded TCBHGS, whose work continues to this day. Roll also worked as the managing editor of the newspaper, the Dallas Express, and the Dean of Women at Jarvis Christian College, a historically Black institution in Wood County, Texas.
Opal Lee
(Still making history)
Opal Lee is a nationally recognized icon who is perhaps best known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth.” For decades, she led a fight to recognize Juneteenth (a date marking the full emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S.) as a national holiday. Ultimately, her fight was successful: President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law just last year, and Lee was in attendance for the signing. But she isn’t done making a difference. At the same time her fight to
recognize Juneteenth was reaching its apex, she was running a food bank and community garden for those affected by COVID-19 and local food deserts. “Opal is determined, and she is passionate about what she believes in,” SandersWise says. “When she sets her mind to do something, she does it.”
Judge Maryellen Hicks
(Still making history)
Judge Hicks started dreaming of becoming an attorney when she was as young as 5. But she never dreamed she’d become a appellate court justice. In 1974, the revered local legend became the first Black woman to graduate from Texas Tech School of Law. Shortly afterward, she was appointed a municipal judge and then a chief municipal judge in 1978. She later became a family court judge, and in the 1990s, Gov. Ann Richards appointed Judge Hicks to Second Court of Appeals Fort Worth. When asked in a 2015 interview what advice she has for young lawyers, she said, “Do whatever you can to make our society even greater. When you look at the great lawyers of the past … those men and women have made a difference in this country.”
Mae Cora Peterson (Still making history)
Mae Cora Peterson was born in South Carolina but moved to Fort Worth during the Jim Crow era. She experienced firsthand the cruelty of segregation, and in turn, she developed a profound and lifelong passion for education. One of her first public leadership roles was her tenure as executive secretary of the segregated YWCA in 1934. Peterson later became dean of girls and vice principal at Fort Worth’s Dunbar High School, where she worked for 27 years. Now 105, Peterson continues to be a fierce proponent, educator, and supporter of the arts.
Tom Elizabeth Allen Andrews (1913 – 2004)
Brenda Sanders-Wise remembers hearing terrific things about the school founded by “Aunt Tommie” Andrews. “I had younger cousins who went
there, and it was this perfect preschool atmosphere,” she says. Known as “Lil Tommy Tucker,” the preschool was built for Black children in Fort Worth in 1959. Andrews’ goal was to provide early literacy education while introducing children to the arts. The school attained accreditation from Fort Worth ISD, and in the early 1960s, Andrews added first grade, third grade and a comprehensive curriculum that spanned reading, writing, math, and theater. “Even though the school is closed,” Sanders-Wise says, “her legacy lives on through all the children whose lives she helped shape.”
Lillie M. Biggins
(Still making history)
A health care veteran with nearly 50 years of experience, Lillie M. Biggins was the first Black woman president of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth. She was also the chair of the Board of Directors of DFW International Airport. Sanders-Wise has sat on committees with Biggins, and she has seen her leadership skills firsthand. “She is a woman who speaks her mind but does it in a very intelligent way,” Sanders-Wise says. “She never loses composure.” That admirable leadership acumen — and her commitment to her community — has helped Biggins earn many accolades, including the President’s Volunteer Call to Service Award, the nation’s highest honor for volunteer service.
Lucille B. Smith (1892 – 1985)
Smith is often called Texas’ first Black businesswoman. “I would call her a servant leader, too,” adds Sanders-Wise. After all, in the 1960s, Smith baked fruit cakes for the family of every Fort Worth man who was serving in Vietnam. Smith also founded a family-owned corporation, Lucille B. Smith’s Fine Foods, Inc. In the 1940s, she developed Lucille’s All Purpose Hot Roll Mix as a fundraiser for her church, St. Andrews United Methodist Church of Fort Worth. But the mix soon took on a life far beyond Cowtown: First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, President Lyndon Johnson, and heavyweight boxing champion Joe
Louis all became Smith’s customers and friends. Today, her legacy lives on through her great-grandson, who runs his own restaurant in Houston. The eatery is called Lucille’s.
Norma Roby (Still making history)
As Sanders-Wise puts it, “You can’t talk about trailblazers without talking about Norma Roby.” Roby, a longtime member of the Board of Trustees for Texas Wesleyan University, is considered a business pioneer in North Texas. She opened her own concession stand in DFW airport, and she served as a charter member of the Airport Minority Advisory Council. Today, she still contributes to a wide array of organizations, including the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce Advisory Council, Medical Center of Fort Worth, and the Fort Worth Promotion and Development Fund.
Brenda Sanders-Wise (Still making history)
And then there’s Sanders-Wise herself. Like all the women on this list, she blazed trails despite the enormous obstacles standing in her way. And even though she feels like she is completing the circle started by her great-grandfather, Sanders-Wise believes there is still so much work to do. “It’s an honor to be on a list like this, because I feel like I haven’t done enough,” she says. “There’s still so much I want to accomplish.” Chief among her goals is the aforementioned museum: a place that children, their parents, and anyone in Fort Worth and across Texas can visit to learn about the area’s rich heritage of Black trailblazers. “Opal Lee’s dream came true,” Sanders-Wise says of Juneteenth. “I want my dream to come true, too.”
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Dream Street 2022
On the northwest corner of Esprit Avenue and St. Michael Court in west Fort Worth’s new Montrachet development rests three adjacent lots. Over the last several months — on these seemingly innocuous plots of land — the city’s best builders, designers, and subcontractors have teamed to construct and furnish three jaw-dropping, super luxury homes.
This year’s edition serves as the sequel to the wildly successful 2020 Dream Street, which expanded the magazine’s Dream Home project to three homes in a single, exclusive residential development. Like all preceding homes in the magazine’s long-running series, the three homes will feature the latest in building and design trends.
The homes will be open for touring from March 5 – 27, with proceeds benefiting a Wish with Wings, the magazine’s official charity. You can purchase tickets at dream.fwtx.com
BY BRIAN KENDALL | PHOTOGRAPHY BY REALTY PRO SHOTS
Where East Meets West Meets South Africa
4632 Esprit
A synergy of styles, designs, and textures makes its way to Fort Worth in this stunning single-story home.
The inspiration for this home, according to builder Tim Windmiller, of Windmiller Custom Homes, was the simple idea of trying new things. “People are scared to do new things. They copy,” Windmiller says. “They’ll go into a model home and say, ‘Oh, I want that cabinet color. I want that tile. I want that wallpaper and those lights.’ But on this planet, there’s so much you can pick from, and there’s so much you can enjoy.” If Windmiller’s goal was to give Fort Worth something different, there’s little doubt he succeeded. The home’s unique Cape Dutch architectural style has its origins in South Africa, and the interior design, which gets its cue from designer Amira Windmiller’s Welsh and Jordanian ancestry, is unlike anything seen in Cowtown. Ultimately, the hope is to inspire others to see the beauty in every style of architecture or home décor. But, objectively, it won’t take much to convince anyone this handsome home is marvelous.
Floor Plans
THE ARCHITECT:
Originally from San Antonio, Costantino graduated from Texas Tech University College of Architecture in 2004 before moving to the metroplex and working under an architect in the DFW area for a decade. He then formed Montebello in 2018. Tackling a Cape Dutch style — an architectural style rarely seen in Fort Worth, Costantino shows his willingness to tailor his designs to any approach.
4632 ESPRIT
Home designer: Michael Costantino, Montebello Architecture and Design
Style: Cape Dutch Stories: 1
Sq. ft.: 5,456
Bed: 4
Bath: 5
Garage: 3-car
The home’s entryway contains a feature present throughout the whole home design: a mixture of metals and real brass touches. If you look closely, the custom marble mosaic from Marble Systems — the star of the home’s foyer — includes a brass border.
The game room includes combating masculine and feminine themes, with the metallic wallpaper — which surrounds the pool table — representing the masculine side and the floral pattern wallpaper, the feminine. You can also change the color of the bordering lights in the tray above the pool table.
Designer Amira Windmiller wanted the living room to be comfortable and “not too ostentatious.” So, she applied linen and earth tones for a warm, inviting ambiance. The fireplace’s symmetrical overmantel is a thin porcelain material from Laminam.
The kitchen’s island includes a lower-set table than what most homeowners have become accustomed to, allowing for a more traditional dining experience. The table is made of Peruvian
and has gold painted around its edges. The formal dining, meanwhile, contains splashes of orange with custom-made chairs from
walnut
Arhaus.
The prep kitchen, located behind the normal kitchen, is where one would make their mess while cooking a meal. It includes a 400-pound marble sink, ovens, and electric burners. The cabinetry is painted a forest green, and juxtaposed tile patterns adorn the walls and floor.
The master bedroom is designed as a comfortable retreat away from any chaos, so Windmiller again applied a lot of earth tones for its calming effect. From the bed frame to the blinds, everything in the room — and the house as a whole — is custom. The table that occupies the large space in the middle of the sitting area is real petrified wood.
the
One of
defining features of the master bathroom is the see-through fireplace that cuts through two matching quartzite slabs of marble from a retired Brazilian quarry. Beneath the working fireplace is the large tub, custom-made with a mirror exterior.
Each of the additional bedrooms gave Windmiller the opportunity to play with mixed patterns. Windmiller, whose ancestors hailed from Jordan and Wales, consistently incorporates design elements of both East and West in her work.
Each of the bedrooms includes custom-made bed frames, curtains, and light fixtures.
The backyard, designed for entertaining, includes countless places to sit, lie, eat, and converse. The pool furniture comes from Ledge Lounger, a company whose clientele consists mainly of hotels. The Willow Branch Pools-designed zero-edge pool also features a fire element that brings the outdoor space to life at night.
4632 Esprit
Here’s the lineup of partners for our Dream Home at 4632 Esprit in Montrachet.
Builder: Windmiller Custom Homes Realtor: John Zimmerman, Compass Interior Designer: Amira Windmiller Interiors
Appliances:
Factory Builder Stores
Artificial Grass: WinterGreen Synthetic Grass
Cabinets Kitchen: The Kitchen Source
Cabinets Master and other: Village Cupboards
Countertop Fabrication: American Marble & Granite
Countertop Materials (all): Levantina
Doors Front: Silverado Custom Door & Window
Doors Study: A&A Custom Iron Doors Corp
Electrician: C&B Electric
Fireplaces Interior linear plus inserts:
Overhead Door Company of Fort Worth
Flooring (wood and carpet material):
Skyline Floorscapes
Flooring tile (material all spaces): Crossville
Garage Doors/Openers: Open Up Garage Doors
Gutters: Loveless Gutters
Hardware/Cabinet Hardware: Pierce Fine Hardware and Plumbing
Home Plans:
Montebello Architecture & Design
HVAC (materials and labor): Southern Air Mechanical LLC
Low Voltage/AV/Security: Comware AV
Lumber and Trusses: Builders FirstSource
Mattresses: The Original Mattress Factory
Outdoor Fire Pit: Kindred Outdoors and Solutions
Paint (labor & supplies): J&V Painting
Plumbing (labor & supplies): Pro Serve Plumbing
Pool: Willow Branch Pools
Pool Table: Fort Worth Billiards
Roofing/Flashing: Texas Tile Roofing
Safe Room: Ground Zero Storm Shelters
Stucco (material and labor): MCD Stucco
Windows and Doors: Builders FirstSource
Builders/Designers
The builder: Tim
Windmiller Windmiller Custom Homes
There’s a famous line in an essay penned by Mary Schmich that reads, “The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives.” Tim Windmiller, who initially went to school at the University of Missouri to become a medical doctor, fits this description to a tee. Despite ambitions to enter the medical field, Windmiller — thanks to some convincing from his cousin — moved to Texas where he worked in home sales at Legacy Homes (which eventually became Meritage Homes).
Windmiller followed this up with a stint at Clarity Homes, where he picked up a few things about homebuilding before starting his own company, Windmiller Custom Homes, in 2008.
“Where [Windmiller Custom Homes] is very unique is we have our own architects [with whom] we work directly that we’ve groomed,” Windmiller says. “We draw our own plans. We engineer everything from a slab to the actual structure of the home. And our buyers have the ability to customize it as little or as much as they want.”
The designer:
Amira Windmiller Amira Windmiller Interiors
Some people are just good at what they do — call it a natural gift. Some artists are able to pick up a brush, canvas, and palette and create a masterpiece with little knowledge of color theory or perspective. For Amira Windmiller, it was kind of the same with interior design. The wife of homebuilder Tim Windmiller, she got her start when the company’s interior designer unexpectedly retired, and she filled the gap. To Windmiller’s surprise, she had a natural knack for the art and has been doing it ever since.
“You know how you’re just thrown into something, and you’re like, ‘This is going to be a beating,’” Windmiller says. “But then you’re pleasantly surprised that you actually have a hidden talent you didn’t know about.”
Windmiller credits growing up in Jordan and spending her summers in the UK for helping to develop her sense of style. “I have traveled a lot and feel that has helped me understand design with an international mindset,” Windmiller says.
Contemporary Cowtown
4624 Esprit
Dream Home veterans John Webb of Heritage Homes and Susan Semmelmann of Susan Semmelmann Interiors team up for an ode to Fort Worth.
This home is, in essence, an homage to Fort Worth — Cowtown. Much like the city, which straddles the line between tradition and progress, the home clearly has one foot in the West and the other in the modern world.
The home’s design is Texas Vernacular, an architectural style becoming increasingly popular in the Texas Hill Country. Designer Susan Semmelmann complements this aesthetic with an interior design she’s coined “Contemporary Cowtown.” In essence, think metallic bull heads and clean lines instead of taxidermied animals and rough edges. One step in the home, and there’s no question builder John Webb of Heritage Homes and Semmelmann succeeded in giving the home a uniquely Fort Worth ambiance. The single-story home, which clocks in at 5,914 square feet, also includes a detached game room that requires homeowners, visitors, and guests to walk outside to get to the certain spaces. According to architect Christopher Hough, this allows one to engage with nature a little more. As you’ll see on the following pages, nature is another element weaved throughout this magnificent home.
Floor Plans
THE HOME DESIGNER:
Christopher Hough has always been interested in design as a general rule of thumb. Originally from Boston, his family moved to Texas just before he entered high school. “I was used to going through houses up in New England and knowing what those were,” Hough says. “When I came down here, it just opened my mind, and I realized a house can be anything you want it to be.” Hough graduated from UT Arlington and had an apprenticeship for six years before he started Heritage Design Studio in 2000.
4624 ESPRIT
Home designer: Christopher Hough, Heritage Design Studio Style: Texas Vernacular Stories: 1
5(.21#
How do you make something that’s innately Fort Worth without it being Western? This was the question Susan Semmelmann tackled when designing this Texas Vernacular Home.
“Everything is very cleanlined,” Semmelmann says. “We were able to put a spin on the traditional Western look to give it a contemporary edge.”
The living room, a showstopper, includes a four-sided Dekton fireplace with a copper inset. On the fireplace’s overmantel is a large photograph of a horse, which is juxtaposed by giraffe-pattern chairs and sheepskin pillows.
A mix of metals, woods, and animal patterns adorn much of the home. Once you enter the living room and look directly up, three stainless steel bull heads are there to greet you. The decision to avoid using real bull heads is in line with the home’s contemporary design.
Semmelmann designed the unique venthood, located above the burners, on a napkin. “And we put that on CAD, and that thing is the bomb,” Semmelmann says. Again mixing metals, the hood has both stainless steel and copper. Next to the kitchen, the dining room table comes from Italy. Combining the natural wood table with leather chairs continues the Cowtown thread.
All of the headboards in the home were custom designed and manufactured in-house. In the master is a hairhide headboard whose texture presents a duality against the snakeskinpatterned wallpaper.”
While much of the home is engineered to give a feeling of
Cowtown, the master bathroom takes guests on a quick trip to Hollywood. “Yet, it was elegantly done by keeping the colors neutral,” Semmelmann explains. All bathroom tile within the home was provided by Daltile, and all lighting fixtures by Passion Lighting.
Semmelmann likes each additional bedroom to have a unique feel. In this case, because the home is well suited for a family, she designed one with a more masculine aesthetic, another with a feminine aesthetic, and a third that was more neutral. Be sure to look up at the ceiling when visiting the rooms for surprise art pieces.
“What’s so fun about the outdoor space is that you can see it from all four sides of the house,” Semmelmann says. Detached from the main home is a game room office, which includes a pool table, tree-trunk coffee table, and a large flat-screen TV. The home office, meanwhile, includes an art piece that’s an old train made out of nails.
4624 Esprit
Here’s the lineup of partners for our Dream Home at 4624 Esprit in Montrachet.
Builder: Heritage Homes
Realtor: Martha Williams, Williams Trew
Interior Designer: Susan Semmelmann Interiors
Appliances: The Jarrell Company
Architect:
Heritage Design Studio
Cabinets Kitchen: The Kitchen Source
Cabinets Master Closet and Other: Metroplex Cabinets
Countertop Fabrication: Stone Systems
Countertop Materials (all): Levantina
Drywall and Texture: Alliance Drywall
Electrician: C&B Electric
Fireplace Tile: Cosentino
Flooring (tile, wood and carpet labor): Galvan Floors
Flooring (wood material): Riva Floors
Flooring Tile: Daltile
Framing: Lone Star Framing
Garage Doors/Openers: Overhead Door Company of Fort Worth
Garage Epoxy Coating: Premier Custom Floors
Glass (showers-mirrorsother): Galactic Glass
Gutters: Loveless Gutters
Hardware/Cabinet Hardware: Rick’s Hardware
HVAC (materials and labor): Indoor Climate Interior Climate Experts HVAC
It’s not that the third time’s the charm for John Webb, since his previous two Dream projects — he built the 2019 Dream Home and participated in the inaugural Dream Street in 2020 — were quite charming themselves. However, the veteran builder has a few surprises up his sleeve to complete his trilogy of Dream Homes.
Webb has over 30 years in the building business, and he formed Heritage Homes in 2014. He’s mostly concentrated on the Southlake and Colleyville areas, but he’s recently gotten into the Southwest Fort Worth market.
So, why does he keep returning?
“It’s a huge amount of exposure, and I enjoy doing it,” Webb says. “I’m able to show off what we can do and what we’re capable of doing as far as the creativity. It’s nice to show off what all the talented team members are able to accomplish.”
The designer: Susan Semmelmann
Susan Semmelmann Interiors
Susan Semmelmann likes to say she married into the world of interior design. Getting her introduction to the industry through her mother-in-law — who was also an interior designer — Semmelmann hit the ground running, doing new home builds with her husband for 12 years. She’s now been in the business for a quarter of a century and is a veteran of Fort Worth Magazine’s dream projects — she’s done three previous projects with the magazine.
In the midst of a pandemic, Semmelmann’s output has been at an all-time high. “We’re getting calls daily to renovate, design, furnish, update, and upgrade,” Semmelmann says. A recent Entrepreneur of Excellence winner, last year, Semmelmann opened a 10,000-square-foot design center at 4372 West Vickery Blvd.
One of her main motivators for continuing to partner with the magazine is the charity aspect of the Dream Street project. “Nothing is a greater blessing than to take our God-given talents and use our resources to participate in something that can benefit a great charity like a Wish with Wings,” Semmelmann says.
A Timeless Tudor
4616 Esprit
A traditional home with modern flares ensures this Dream Home will age like a fine wine.
Like a solid pair of blue jeans or a plaid pearl snap, the A-frame elevations of the traditional Tudor are unmistakable, classic, and — for lack of a better word — timeless. This ageless style is exactly what builders HGC Residential Development had in mind when building the home. “Our home is traditional and not ‘of the moment,’” Rick Wegman of HGC says. “We build homes with timeless character, and this one is a perfect example of this.” While the style is Tudor, the design includes a bevy of modern elements to keep the home from looking too archaic or antiquated. For instance, instead of using clay chimney caps, HGC Residential Development used metal in order to minimize the cottage-like aspect one may think of when considering a traditional Tudor. This marriage of classic and contemporary is also seen in the home’s interior design by Tori Rubinson of Tori Rubinson Interiors. One could bottle this home in a time capsule, and in 50 years, it would still impress.
Floor Plans
THE HOME DESIGNER:
Architecture and home design run in Karl Hahnfeld’s family, who’s been in the construction and design business his entire life. Hahnfeld’s father is a retired architect who did a lot of large-scale projects in Fort Worth, and his brother now runs the company, and he has another brother who does home design in Houston. “So, I’ve been designing my whole life,” Hahnfeld says. He started building houses when he started HGC with partners Rick Wegman, John Giordano, and Rob Cocanower in 2000, and he never looked back. “I just kind of grew from there,” Hahnfeld says. “I started designing most of the homes we built, and I eventually formed a separate entity [Karl Hahnfeld Design Group].”
Home designer: Karl Hahnfeld, Karl Hahnfeld Design Group
Style: Tudor
Stories: 2
Sq. ft.: 6,255
Bed: 5
Bath: 6
Garage: 3-car
Modern Tudor. Classic contemporary. The duality of these phrases are seen throughout this Dream Home as Tori
expertly blends the juxtaposing styles. The front space takes its color palette from the
Rubinson
Oushak rug that dominates the entryway.
All of the furniture in the living room is custom-made and reupholstered. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, lead times for upholstery are up to one year, so Rubinson was forced to purchase furniture and the separate fabric and have them reupholstered in her company’s workroom.
Capitalizing on the two-story ceiling, Rubinson panelled the first level and covered the second level in an abstract grass cloth wallpaper.
“Without some sort of contrast up there, it could have fallen flat,” Rubinson says.
“It’s a lot of dead space, and we really wanted to make it stand out.”
According to Rubinson, the original design called for two kitchen islands. “We instead did one large island,” Rubinson says. “Which is great for whoever owns it — just to have one large area where everyone lands in a home.” All cabinets, provided by The Kitchen Source, are oak with a natural finish. “And they’re flat front inset panels, which gives it that really clean, more modern kind of look,” Rubinson says.
Rubinson went with panelling the walls of the formal dining room, giving it a more traditional element that’s juxtaposed with contemporary furniture. The light fixture, which is also traditional, is Murano glass from Italy.
Another traditional element, the grass cloth wallpaper from Shoemaker proves to be the master bathroom’s showstopper. The bathroom also includes marble from Interceramic that complements the gold color palette.
Rubinson explains that the master contains a lot of creams to give the homeowner a sense of tranquility. “It’s layers of that serene and some grays and greens, and a little bit of pink,” Rubinson says. “So, it just feels really relaxing in here.”
Moody is how Rubinson describes the office space. The room includes black-and-white photography from Stephen Karlisch, printed grass cloth on the ceiling, and layered drapery whose colors complement a portrait of Jack Nicholson by Brenda Bogart.
The majority of the art in the additional bedrooms, as is the case throughout the entire house, has been comissioned by Tori Rubinson and completed by area artists. “Art is a big thing in this house,” Rubinson says. “We wanted the majority to be all local artists or from local galleries in the DFW area.”
The home contains a lot of outdoor and patio space, including an upstairs balcony that faces the front. “[The builder] wanted to make the front of the house have outdoor spaces because the views in the spring when it’s green are really beautiful out here,” Rubinsons says. The backyard also includes a custom gold mesh art piece from Gut Gallery in Dallas.
4616 Esprit
Here’s the lineup of partners for our Dream Home at 4616 Esprit in Montrachet.
Builder: HGC Residential Development
Realtor: Christie’s International Real Estate | Ulterre
Interior Designer: Tori Rubinson Interiors
Appliances: Expressions Home Gallery
Cabinets Kitchen: The Kitchen Source
Countertop Fabrication: Absolute Stone
Countertop Materials: KLZ Stone
Doors Front: Durango Doors of DFW
Doors Exterior: Omniview Window and Door
Electrician: Mackey Services
Flooring (tile, wood and carpet labor, wood and carpet material): Vintage Floors
Flooring Tile (material all spaces): Interceramic USA
Gutters: Loveless Gutters
Hardware/Cabinet Hardware: Pierce Fine Hardware & Plumbing
Home Plans: Karl Hahnfeld Design Group
Landscape/Irrigation/Grade: Guardado Landscpaing
Low Voltage/AV/Security: H Customs Audio Visual
Mattresses: The Original Mattress Factory
Patio Screens (motorized): Blinds Brothers
Plumbing Fixtures: Expressions Home Gallery
Pool: J Caldwell Custom Pools
Roofing/Flashing: WeatherShield Roofing
Stone and Brick Supplies: Metro Brick and Stone
Builders/Designers
The builder: Rick Wegman, Karl Hahnfeld, John Giordano, and Rob Cocanower
HGC Residential Development
Garages and humble beginnings seem to go hand-in-hand when it comes to major companies: Amazon started as an online bookstore in a garage; Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built Apple’s first personal computer in a garage; and Microsoft’s first office was in a garage. It was also a simple garage build in 2000 that skyrocketed the trio of Karl Hahnfeld, John Giordano, and Rob Cocanower into custom homebuilding.
Partnering with Rick Wegman, each member of this dream team of homebuilders brings a set of skills that assists in the homebuilding process — whether it be accounting, real estate, or home design. This marks the second time these four men have partnered with Fort Worth Magazine for a Dream project — they previously built the 2014 edition of the Dream Home.
After 22 years in the Fort Worth area, HGC Residential Development continues to “transform a homeowner’s dream into a one-of-a-kind home of distinction and grace built with the utmost care and attention to detail.”
The designer: Tori
Rubinson Tori Rubinson Interiors
Tori Rubinson grew up in a DIY household.
“My mom and dad were very into home and their home, and they never hired out anything,” Rubinson says. So, my dad built on our addition with his own two hands. And my parents were Sheetrocking and wallpapering and painting and doing trim work.”
The family would also frequent weekend showcase homes and Parades of Homes, so, while she wouldn’t call anyone in her family an interior designer, she was exposed to the world of interior design at a young age, and the career felt like a natural fit.
Rubinson sees the Dream Street project as not just a way to showcase her own design work, but also as a way to promote Fort Worth as a serious design city.
“I think that Fort Worth is in a really interesting spot,” Rubinson says. “I think we’re starting to get a little more recognition than in years past, and there are a lot of great designers in Fort Worth. So [Dream Street] is an opportunity to showcase the talent that we have in this city.”
BUILD. DESIGN. REMODEL.
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Windmiller Custom Homes
A&A Custom Iron Doors
Bradley Green
FOCUS: Our focus is to create enormous value by offering safe, detailed, professional, custom entryway solutions. We are dedicated to a hands-on personal experience that creates a unique entryway for our customers to enjoy for years to come. We pride ourselves on offering the most professional installation in the DFW metroplex. Our concentration is on the quality of the installation. Small company ... detail oriented. EDUCATION: University of Tennessee, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree. Studies were specifically targeted at enterprise management, marketing, logistics, and customer service. MEMBERSHIPS: University of Tennessee Alumni, 2008 – present; BBB Accredited, 2007 – 2020; Greater Fort Worth Builder Association member, 2017 – 2018. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: My greatest professional achievement has been growth. Not in the traditional business sense. I have grown to understand that I don’t just sell doors. I’m providing a product and service simultaneously that solve real entryway problems while also creating stunning and architecturally matching products. Doors are easy ... quality and professional installation are hard. WHY CHOOSE THEM: Simply put, we have processes that no other door company is utilizing. Our overall goal when designing a custom entryway for a client is matching the architecture of the home. We want our retrofit door units to look like they were installed when the home was built. MOTTO/MISSION STATEMENT: “Unique Creations for Unique People.” Be selfless: We always give more than we take. We always put others and the company before individual accolades. We believe that ultimately what is best for the company is best for us anyway. BIGGEST MISTAKE
PEOPLE
MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: The biggest mistake people make when building a door is expecting perfection. Although the door is brand new, these wrought iron and steel glass doors are fabricated and painted by hand. They do have imperfections in the iron, steel, and sometimes paint. That’s what makes them one of a kind. FREE ADVICE: When making a major purchase or doing a renovation to your home, get several quotes, but don’t stop there. You may need to reach back out to a company you already contacted after speaking to a competitor to clear up any questions you may have.
PICTURED: Bradley Green and Terry Adams.
7001 E. Lancaster Ave., Ste. 105 Fort Worth, Texas 76112
817.876.7750
aacustomirondoors.com
A&A Custom Iron Doors
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: HGC Development
Durango Doors of DFW
CONCENTRATION: Durango Doors of DFW specializes in custom decorative iron doors and thin-profile steel windows and doors. The trends of indoor/outdoor living and more contemporary architecture have spurred the use of bigger door panels that function as bi-fold and multi-slide panels that are basically moveable walls. We still sell a significant amount of decorative wrought-iron doors, but our thin-profile millennium steel line
is becoming the choice of the market. PHILOSOPHY: We always strive to exceed our customers’ expectations through personalized service, creative design, and service after the sale.
MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS: Better Business Bureau and Fort Worth Builders Association. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Purchasing the old Ajax glass building that will be paid off this year. WHY CHOOSE THEM: We think of ourselves as an
architectural products boutique, where customers can get a level of personalized service that is not offered at the big box retailers, lumber yards, or millwork companies. WHAT SETS THEM APART: Quality custom-made products and service after the sale. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Trying to build it themselves. PICTURED: Scott Pereth, owner; Susan Benson, bookkeeper; Heath Smith, sales; Ray Barnes, service manager.
Durango Doors of DFW 4015 W. Vickery Blvd. Fort Worth, Texas
817.732.8181
Fax 817.732.1690
durangodoors.com
official project partner for: HGC Development
Expressions Home Gallery powered by
Reece
FOCUS: Building luxury homes calls for a dream team; and getting to know you, your style, and your vision is our top priority. We understand no project is the same, and we go above and beyond to help bring your dream bathroom and kitchen to life. OUR PURPOSE: To improve the lives of our customers and our people by striving for greatness every day.
PARTNERSHIPS: Expressions Home Gallery powered by Reece was proud to partner with Karl Hahnfeld Designs and Tori Rubinson Interiors for the stunning Modern Tudor luxury home built on this year’s 2022 Fort Worth Magazine Dream Street. WHY CHOOSE US: Expressions Home Gallery has got your back every step of the way. With our curated product assortment and design tools, you can feel confident you’ve chosen quality products that fit your needs and represent your lifestyle. OUR PROMISE: Part of your dream team, your trusted partner from start to finish (and beyond). PICTURED: (left to right) Allison Greenhaw, Expressions Home Gallery powered by Reece; Karl Hahnfeld, Karl Hahnfeld Designs; and Tori Rubinson, Tori Rubinson Interiors.
Expressions Home Gallery powered by Reece
5001 Bryant Irvin Road North Fort Worth, Texas 76107
817.259.0920 expressionshomegallery.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes
Facets
Appliances, Kitchens, & Baths
FOCUS: Providing decorative plumbing, appliances, cabinets, lighting, countertops, flooring, and hardware to the new home, remodeling, multifamily, architect, designer, and consumer segments of the industry. RECOGNITIONS: Best new showroom in Dallas via the Dallas Home Builders. MEMBERSHIPS: NKBA, NAHB, DBA, FWHBA, NARI, FEI. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: The continued innovative growth of a 150-year-
old company building a 27,000-square-foot showroom offering decorative products from various industries to the building and remodeling industries. WHY CHOOSE THEM: We are a customerand consumer-focused company dedicated to exceptional service for all of our clients, one at a time. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Biggest mistake is not realizing how many choices there are across the product spectrum and
then getting overwhelmed during the process. FREE ADVICE: Come into our showroom with your basic colors decided, so we can then suggest your decorative plumbing, cabinet, appliance, flooring, lighting, and countertop colors. PICTURED: Eric Hadley, Susan Morford, Brittany Brown, Phelia McDermott, Keith Cross, Cathy Stein, Derek Dimoff, Guy Minnix, Zach McAlister, Donna Clanton, and Paul Knigge.
Facets Appliances, Kitchens, & Baths
11925 N. Stemmons Freeway, Ste. 100
Dallas, Texas 75234
972.329.0387 facetsofdallas.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: HGC Development
H Customs Audio Video
FOCUS: Since 2004, H Customs Audio Video has concentrated in the sales and installation of residential and commercial electronics with a focus on automation. Home automation integrates lighting, HVAC, cameras, security, televisions, home theaters and whole house audio that can easily be controlled from any tablet, smartphone, computer, or Control4 touch screen. BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY: H Customs Audio Video strives to provide the best in high-performance audio and
video with a dedicated, personalized approach to meet each of our customers’ needs. We help create home automation simplicity by using the best smart home technology. ADVICE: Contact a custom integrator instead of going to the “big box” stores. We have a larger selection of products and know how to tailor them to fit your specific needs. Big retailers sell parts; we sell a quality working system. EXPERTISE: We have been in business for 16-plus years and have handled thousands of
different types of jobs. Control4 Home Automation is a great area of expertise for our company as they advance in technology.
H Customs Audio Video performs all project interior design, systems design, sales, service, installations, and most project construction in-house, thereby reducing the number of other contractors needed to perform a project. PICTURED: Patrick, Brian, Samaa, Aidee, Matt, Mike, Adrian, Brendon, Brad, Craig, Alex, Clay, Kevin, Cisco.
H Customs Audio Video
5059 Martin Luther King Jr Freeway
Fort Worth, Texas 76119
817.300.1518 hcustoms.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
builder HGC Development
FOCUS: Building luxury homes. Celebrating 20 years of excellence. AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: In addition to being published in a multitude of books and magazines, HGC has been recognized as Fort Worth Magazine’s “Best Of” homebuilder and has received multiple Kaleidoscope of Homes awards through the Greater Fort Worth Builders Association for outstanding quality and craftsmanship. MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS: The company is run by a Certified Public Accountant, licensed Realtors, as well as a home designer and construction manager. All with over 20 years of experience in their craft. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL
ACHIEVEMENT: With hundreds of custom homes built over the last 20 years, HGC is extremely proud of our contribution to the growth and shaping of the residential landscape in Fort Worth and surrounding areas. WHY CHOOSE THEM: HGC Development is a full-service custom homebuilder. We handle everything necessary to transform your vision into a reality. We will work with you on every aspect of your build, starting with finding the perfect location, to designing your dream home, to adding the final details and finishing touches before handing you the keys. MISSION: Our mission is to build a one-of-a kind home of distinction. To transform
HGC Residential Development
your dreams into a reality. To build with the utmost care and attention to detail. To work at only the highest level of integrity and to deliver a timeless product, which enhances the neighborhoods in which we build. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Work with a builder who works on lowering their costs and improving their quality. HGC believes we owe it to our clients to deliver the highest quality home for the best cost. This takes hard work, dedication, and commitment and is an aspect of custom construction often not addressed by luxury custom builders. FREE ADVICE: Make sure your budget matches
your expectations. The right builder will help guide you through this process to make sure you are making the right choices and appropriate selections for your budget. PICTURED: Rob Cocanower, Rick Wegman, Karl Hahnfeld, and John Giordano.
HGC Residential Development 4624 Saint Amand Circle Fort Worth, Texas 76124
817.336.5172
hgcdevelopment.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes | Windmiller Custom Homes
Levantina
MOTTO: The Natural Stone Company. FOCUS: Distribution of natural stone, quartz, and porcelain. RECOGNITIONS: Awarding-winning customer service. MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS: National Association of the Remodeling Industry, NARI; National Kitchen & Bath Association, NKBA; American Society of Interior Design, ASID; National Stone Institute; International Decorative Surfaces, IDS. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Levantina is the pioneer of large format porcelain tiles and panels, “Techlam,” which today Is revolutionizing the industry. WHY CHOOSE THEM: We excel in customer service and highquality products. We are one of the very few fully integrated companies that owns quarries, factories, and distributions throughout the world to service the U.S. markets. MISSION: Continuously innovate and develop our products, systems, processes, services to ultimately have a satisfied customer base, create value for the shareholder, and have a motivated and qualified staff. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Taking an inspiration for the space might not be practical for living. Think through how you would live in and utilize the space you are designing. FREE ADVICE: Provide your contractor, builder, and designer multiple examples of the design you are trying to achieve. PICTURED: Raul Telodo, Juan Rodriguez, Ruben Gonzalez, Martin Gonzalez, Ryan Ritsema.
FOCUS: Our company’s focus is to educate the buyer in our field of low-voltage integration services so that the buyer can make decisions for their home or office that will best suit their specific needs. We strive to never let a buyer purchase any product or service that will not serve a need or desire while staying the most knowledgeable in our industry and offering the most innovative solutions. AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: CE Pro100.
GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT:
Evolving with our industry to not only bring the best and latest in technology, but to provide the best in quality at each project. Last year we found that the need to create an electrical division made automation, lighting and lighting fixtures, and shade installation more seamless, due to design, installation, and quality control. It also afforded us the opportunity to offer lighting service to integrate with low-voltage applications. WHAT SETS THEM APART: Clients become lifelong partners because of the relationships that are created alongside our unmatched design, products, and customer service. MISSION: Our mission is to provide our clients the best turnkey solutions. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Not consulting with their integrator early in the process so design and implementation can be installed correctly. FREE ADVICE: Consult early in your building process with your integrator and electrician to save you costs and know the budget for what you want to invest in your home.
PICTURED: Rachel Stewart, Andrew Thornton, Mike Stewart, John Carter and Gabe Caldera.
Solutions and Powered Solutions
2030 Diplomat Drive Dallas, Texas 75234
972.488.1084
multimediasolutionsgroup.com poweredsolutions.com
Multimedia
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes
Passion Lighting
FOCUS: Everything lighting, interior and exterior, including decorative lighting, lighting design, and landscape lighting. AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS:
National Lighting Showroom of the Year finalist nine times since 2010, winner in 2012; National Arts Award finalist five times since 2011; Lutron RadioRA 2013 winner; Lutron 2014 Visionary Award winner. MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS: American Lighting Association, Grapevine Chamber of Commerce. Bruce is an American Lighting Association Certified Lighting Consultant, one of five in Texas. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: We started our business 15 years ago from scratch, with zero customer base, building it into a major regional showroom in the DFW area with national recognition. MOTTO: Everything Lighting. FREE ADVICE: Lighting makes a huge difference on any project when done right; use professionals from the lighting industry for expertise. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Not using high-quality recess lighting, not using enough, and not using it properly. Another mistake is not investing in lighting controls. PICTURED: Bruce D. Paul, CLC. and Gloria Paul.
1649 W. Northwest Highway Grapevine, Texas 76051
817.310.3261
Fax 817.310.5584
bruce@passionlighting.com passionlighting.com
Passion Lighting
official project partner for: Heritage Homes | Windmiller Custom Homes
Pro Serve Plumbing LLC
Kenneth and Melissa Golden
COMPANY FOCUS: To provide exceptional quality plumbing services with attention to detail. We want our customers to feel confident in selecting us and to know that we will provide them with professional service every time. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: We have created a company that continues to experience professional growth, and our employees really like working for us. We have created long-lasting relationships with them, which allows us to provide our customers with the knowledgeable and professional workmanship that we promise. MOTTO: We take care of you so you can take care of what is important. FREE ADVICE: Do your research and ask questions. Nobody knows you like you know yourself. Most of the time, people know what they want, and it helps in the overall building process if they are able to convey that to their contractor. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Sacrificing on the things they really want, thinking they will do it later. Often times, later never comes, and they wish they had gone ahead and gotten that beautiful freestanding tub, or exotic granite, or elaborate light fixture. It’s your dream home; get what you want!
11255 Camp Bowie W., Ste. 120 Aledo, Texas 76008
817.244.0614
melissa@proserveplumbers.com
proserveplbg@yahoo.com proserveplumbers.com
Pro Serve Plumbing LLC
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes
RIVA SPAIN
FOCUS: Luxury hardwood flooring manufacture and distribution. AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Borja Iglesias, CEO, was awarded “40 under 40” by the NWFA magazine. MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS: NWFA and Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Opening our RIVA Gallery in the heart of the Miami Design District, which gave us the exposure to be featured in iconic projects such as Acqualina Hotel, Arte Surfside, and Waldorf Astoria Miami. WHY CHOOSE THEM: Apart from having stock of all our products on both coasts (Florida and California), our technical features, such as fixed lengths, 4 mm top layer, Baltic birch plywood, zero VOC, and zero formaldehyde, make us different from our competition. MISSION: Mass production of luxury, sustainable hardwood flooring that is attainable to a wide public. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Thinking short term, instead of buying high-end products for a long-term duration, making their homes more valuable in the long run. FREE ADVICE: Find something you are passionate about and make it unique. PICTURED: (left to right) Borja Iglesias, RIVA CEO; Dan Henry, Texas territory manager; and Francisco de la Rosa, RIVA COO.
RIVA SPAIN
9960 NW 89th Court Medley, Florida 33178
800.525.2711 rivaspain.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Windmiller Custom Homes
FOCUS: To install a roof that is not only beautiful but one that will last for many years. AWARDS/HONORS: “Voted favorite roofing company in Fort Worth, 2015”; Golden Hammer Award. MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS: North Texas Roofing Contractors Association, Roofing Contractors Association of Texas, and Western States Roofing Contractors Association. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Our greatest achievement is to be known as a company that has integrity. WHY CHOOSE
THEM: Choose Texas Tile Roofing because of our knowledge on all areas of roofing, and we will be up front with you on what will and will not work on the roof. MOTTO: The Roof Tile Specialist. We are unique in that we will take care of our customers long after the roof has been installed. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Not allowing the builder to handle the job that you’ve hire him to do. As an example, we have seen homeowners trying to push the builder to install
Texas Tile Roofing LLC
Larry Cremean
expensive imported floors before the outside walls and roof are complete. FREE ADVICE: Do your research on any contractor you hire. Check references, reviews, and the Better Business Bureau. Also, make sure they are insured! PICTURED: (front, left to right) Javier Sosa, Renee Cremean, Larry Cremean, Andrea Hernandez, Evencio Gaona; (back, left to right) Arturo Castillo, Lazaro Castillo, Melvin Maldonado, Hugo Sandia, Pedro Marquez, and Miguel Sandia.
Texas Tile Roofing LLC
817.838.6100
texastileroofing.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: HGC Development
Absolute Stone & Tile, Inc.
FOCUS: We concentrate on natural stone materials in custom homes and commercial buildings. PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS: Absolute Stone & Tile has worked with Fort Worth Magazine on three Home of Dreams projects and has a close affiliation with Betty Baker, a prominent builder in Tarrant County. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Servicing the DFW area and becoming a trusted business for the past 16 years. BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY: Being locally owned and operated, our business focus is on the individual attention to our customers. We do our own work from estimating, consulting, and outlining to fabrication and installation, which ensures a prompt and reliable service. FREE ADVICE: Absolute Stone & Tile, Inc. is your “one stop” service company for all your granite countertops and other natural stone applications. We will help you in your project through every step of the process and provide you with a wide selection of materials and finishes that you can choose from. Whether you are a homeowner looking for just a kitchen upgrade, custom designs, or a commercial builder with multiple divisions, we can help you. PICTURED: Roman and Felisa Abundiz.
11655 Alta Vista Road, Ste. A Fort Worth, Texas 76244
469.621.8387
Fax 817.753.6140
absolutestonemex@hotmail.com absolutestoneusa.com
Absolute Stone & Tile, Inc.
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes
FOCUS: Alliance Drywall Inc. is a Texasowned and -operated, turnkey drywall contractor. Providing both residential and commercial drywall systems, we supply and install for the following: metal stud framing, suspended ceilings, all gypsum products, soundproofing products, tape-bed-texture, special hand textures, Level 5 finishes, an array of drywall trims, and demo/cleanup services. RECOGNITIONS: Alliance Drywall Inc. is recognized as a leader in high-end residential construction with financial stability. GREATEST
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT:
Next year we celebrate our 27th anniversary and feel extremely blessed and proud to be here. Serving the many successful architects/ builders/homeowners for this span has been very rewarding for us. MOTTO: “Whatever it takes.” FREE ADVICE: Homeowners tend to hire unqualified builders that tell them what they want to hear instead of the facts. It is expensive to build a true custom home. For most folks, the single largest investment you ever make is your home. Why hire someone inexperienced with the custom process? You get what you pay for! PICTURED: David Maserang and Jason Blaser.
official project partner for: Windmiller Custom Homes
American Granite & Marble Inc.
Paul Romig, Owner
FOCUS: American Granite & Marble is a stone fabrication and installation company with a showroom and offices located in Burleson. WHY CHOOSE THEM: We are family-owned and family-operated and have been creating custom countertops for 26 years. Here at American Granite & Marble, we take great pride in our workmanship, competitive pricing, installation, and prompt turnaround time. We strive to build a genuine, cohesive working relationship with all of our customers and builders. We bring your vision to life with custom countertops. MEMBERSHIPS/ AFFILIATIONS: Burleson Chamber of Commerce. PICTURED: Dustin Romig, Robyn Romig, Paul Romig, Katlynn Romig and Olivia Romig.
American Granite & Marble Inc. 2875 S. Burleson Blvd. Burleson, Texas 76028 817.295.5799
americangranitemarble.net
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Windmiller Custom Homes
Amira Windmiller Interiors
FOCUS: Design planning; interior and exterior selections based on the style of home and the client’s aesthetic palate, including furniture, shades, and drapes, in mainly new construction, as well as remodels. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Being able to produce beauty and timelessness at any budget. WHY CHOOSE THEM: First and foremost, we spend time getting to know our clients’ way of life and unique aesthetic. By working with the architect early in the first stages of schematics, we help clients through details before they are set in blueprints. Clients can choose materials and finishes from a huge array of resources that are available. MISSION: Our mission is to ensure that your home is an extension of you and that the style of the home you choose flows from exterior to interior with unique finishes and accents that reflect who you are.
BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: The biggest mistake people make is not taking time at the front end of design to make sure their house represents their needs and personality. FREE ADVICE: Make sure you find someone knowledgeable to walk you through your plans before you build. Be adventurous and don’t be overly safe and choose materials you’ve seen time and again. Don’t be afraid to research and ask questions. PICTURED: Amira Windmiller.
official project partner for: Heritage Homes | HGC Development
Blinds Brothers LLC
FOCUS: Blinds Brothers’ main focus is selling and installing motorized screens for patio/outdoor living spaces. GREATES PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Family owned and operated, Blinds Brothers prides itself on our customer service. Due to that focus, we have tripled our business volume over the past four years. WHAT SETS THEM APART: We provide a unique product from Tucson Rolling Shutters, and we are exclusive in the Fort Worth-Dallas area. Our customer service and warranties set us apart from the competition. MISSION: At Blinds Brothers, our goal is to give you a wide range of choices from a variety of manufacturers to make a decision that improves the value of your home. We strive to provide our customers quality products with the personalized service you normally get from a decorator without the higher prices. FREE ADVICE: Always look at warranties and customer reviews. Do not make purchases based on timeframe or price.
1929 Golden Heights Road, Ste. 200 Fort Worth, Texas 76177
682.226.6750 By appointment only blindsbrothers.com
Blinds Brothers LLC
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Windmiller Custom Homes
ComwareAV
FOCUS: ComwareAV is an installation and design firm that provides a wide range of state-of-the-art technology and network integration services to a highly discerning clientele and luxury homebuilder. We work with end users, architects, builders, and interior designers to install and design the right environmental, entertainment, automation, network, and security controls into existing or new residential properties. AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Home Technology Association – Estate Level, Elan Elite Dealer, Elan Dealer Council, Lutron Platinum, Sony Diamond, Samsung Platinum, Seura Platinum. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Working with the Gary Sinise Foundation to provide a specially adapted intelligent home and entertainment system for a severely wounded American hero through the R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment) project. WHAT SETS THEM APART: Our company is in the top 10% of companies that will meet the standards to pass the Home Technology Association certification. ComwareAV is certified at the Estate Level, which means we specialize in luxury residences of any size, though with the skill set needed for residences 10,000 square feet and up. MISSION STATEMENT: We are perpetually devoted to enhancing and simplifying the lives of our clients through only the most efficient, exciting technical innovations in home automation and convenience. PICTURED: Kyle Couch, owner/CEO; Jason Hanifan, director of technology; Isabel Guerrero, office manager; Jordan Couch, system design; James Cobble, system design.
450 N. Kimball Ave., Ste. 100 Southlake, Texas 76092 214.393.3121
comwareav.com
ComwareAV
FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes
Cosentino
FOCUS: Cosentino Group is a global, Spanish, family-owned company that produces and distributes high-value innovative surfaces for the world of design and architecture. It works together with its clients and partners to provide solutions that offer design and value and inspire the life of many people. This objective is possible thanks to pioneering and leading brands in their respective segments such as Dekton®, Silestone®, and Natural Stone by Cosentino®, technologically advanced surfaces that allow the creation of unique environments and designs for the home and public spaces.
CERTIFICATIONS: GreenGuard – The GreenGuard Environmental Institute (GEI) guarantees that construction materials maintain air quality and can be used in closed spaces; ISO 14001 – A standard that guarantees that the company manages the environmental risks associated with their business activity; NSF –This certification, ratified by the FDA and the World Health Organization, recognizes that Cosentino’s surfaces may be in direct contact with food without contaminating it. AWARDS/ RECOGNITIONS: 2016 Product of the Year, Interior Design and Architectural Record magazines; 2017 Architizer A+ Popular Choice Award, Interior Surfaces and Materials; 2017 Designer Kitchen & Bathroom Awards (United Kingdom); 2018 “Materials and Surfaces” Award, German Design Awards; 2020 Poncé de León “Company of the Year,” awarded by Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Florida.
Cosentino
11639 Emerald St., Ste. 400 Dallas, Texas 75229
214.256.9700 cosentino.com/usa
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes
Daltile
FOCUS: For the past 75 years, Daltile has been the industry-leading brand of ceramic, porcelain, glass, and metal tile as well as natural stone, large-format slab, and countertop products. AWARDS/ RECOGNITIONS: Floor Covering Weekly Best Tile Manufacturer; Best Bath Product in the Best of IBS Awards; Most Familiar Ceramic Tile Brand in Builder Magazine’s Brand Use Study; Floor Covering Weekly Dealers’ Choice Award; Interior Product in the Green Home Builder Editor’s Choice Awards; Best of Tile Expo Style & Design winner. MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS: Tile Council of North America, American Society of Interior Designers, and National Tile Contractors Association. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Our company’s greatest achievement is becoming the leader in the tile industry, offering an unparalleled breadth and depth of product through our 235 Sales Service Centers, 44 Countertop Slab Centers, and nine BDCs to support you. WHY CHOOSE THEM: With products and styles for every budget, Daltile delivers the broadest array of tile with unmatched availability, helping customers bring any design imaginable to life. FREE ADVICE: When moving forward with developing a design, it is important for homeowners to focus on the things that will make them happy in their home, addressing current and future needs. Don’t skimp on big-ticket items, like floor tile or countertops, as those features define a space.
Fort Worth Showroom & Design Studio 3328 Fossil Creek Blvd. Fort Worth, Texas 76137 daltile.com
Daltile
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes | Windmiller Custom Homes
FOCUS: Our specialty is to provide superior quality in billiards and game room furnishings. Our focal point is to exceed expectations with unparalleled customer service. With over 100 years of combined experience, our sales and service are second to none. RECOGNITIONS: Several Brunswick Billiards Top Ten Dealer awards, including Top Dealer as a single store in the U.S. and Brunswick’s No. 1 single store worldwide dealer; “The Best Place to Buy a Pool Table,” by the Dallas Observer GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT:
We have proudly served the DFW metroplex since 1952 and will be celebrating our 70th anniversary throughout 2022. Our employees have dedicated their time and have illustrated perseverance in making our company successful. WHY CHOOSE THEM: At Fort Worth Billiards, our customers always come first. As an independently owned company, our commitment to excellence in products and customer service reflects our knowledge and integrity you will experience as a valued customer. MOTTO: A successful business is built on exceeding customer service. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Making an assumption that you have enough room for a pool table. Proper room dimensions ensure that you, your family, and your guests enjoy playing without disruptive obstructions ruining your game. PICTURED: Ernest Lazo, vice president; Deryck Gildon, manager; and Albert Trujillo, president.
Fort Worth Billiards Superstore
3970 W. Vickery Blvd. Fort Worth, Texas 76107
817.377.1004 billiardsuperstore.com
promotion FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes
Galactic Glass LLC
FOCUS: Frameless Showers, Glass Handrails, Custom Mirrors and Residential Glass. We offer a variety of services that are needed in residential construction. WHY CHOOSE THEM: Our goal is to give our customers the best service and best product in the metroplex. We are not your cookie-cutter glass company. We step outside of the box on every project we are a part of. Our extensive inventory of mirror and flat glass gives our customers a variety of options for color, texture, and thickness. If a customer needs a piece custom cut, that can be done easily.
PICTURED: Jeff Benson and Jordan Lively.
Galactic Glass LLC 2401 E. Loop 820 N. Fort Worth, Texas 76118
682.626.5447
galactic-glass.com
Jeff@Galactic-Glass.com
Jordan@Galactic-Glass.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes
Galvan Floors LLC
FOCUS: We specialize in all residential and commercial installations in tile, wood, LVT, VCT, and carpet. We also fabricate and install custom quartz and granite countertops in-house. MEMBERSHIPS: We are MBE and HUB certified and are a member of the Bluebook Network. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Our greatest achievement is having our customers request services to be rendered by us and look to Galvan Floors to do their work as returning customers. WHY CHOOSE THEM: We strive to meet our customers’ expectations and address their concerns. We take pride in finding solutions and concentrating on keeping up with new trends and products in the market. MOTTO: We are always up for a challenge! BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: If people rush when building, they select products without being fully aware of what is the best solution in an application. FREE ADVICE: Please do a little research before making an executive decision on what finish to install in each area. Price should not always be top priority. PICTURED: Juan Galvan, Azenette Galvan, Juan Galvan Jr, and Jocelyn Galvan.
Galvan Floors LLC 3140 South Freeway
Fort Worth, Texas 76110
817.920.0931 Fax 817.920.1758 galvanfloors.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes | HGC Development
CONCENTRATION: Guardado Landscaping is a landscaping and retail garden center.
RECOGNITIONS/AWARDS: Guardado Landscaping has been the official landscaper for 11 Fort Worth Magazine Dream Homes; 2008 Kaleidoscope Home. PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS: Texas Nursery and Landscape Association, Alabama Nursery Association, Better Business Bureau, and Greater Fort Worth Builders Association. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Every day there is a professional achievement. The entire staff receives a sense of accomplishment when a project begins and when it is completed. That’s important not only to me but to my staff. PHILOSOPHY: You only get one chance at a first impression — let us design a landscape that they will remember. FREE ADVICE: The team at Guardado Landscaping believes that a job well done means that promises have been kept and the customer is delighted with their project. Always keep your word and offer your customer the best possible service. There are many landscaping companies to choose from, so be sure that the vendors you choose are licensed, bonded, and fully insured. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Not taking the landscaping seriously is one of the mistakes people make when building a home. Because landscaping is the first thing people see when they drive up to a home, shouldn’t it be the best impression as to what’s inside?
Guardado Landscaping
3228 Alta Mere
Fort Worth, Texas 76116
817.732.3434
Fax 817.732.4545
sales@guardadolandscaping.net
guardadolandscaping.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes
Heritage Design Studio
FOCUS: Timeless residential Architecture and Interior Design, holistic 3D Modeling, creating Development Standards. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: When we present a new design to our client and see their tears of joy, this is the ultimate compliment for our team. WHY CHOOSE THEM: Heritage serves our clients through a fully comprehensive effort, bringing Architecture and Interior Design together, which results in a cohesive flow between inside and exterior spaces. As an Architecture and Interior Design firm, we believe our greatest contributions are timeless creativity and a listening ear. Each home is created as a one-of-a-kind work of art, shaped around the lifestyle of our clients. By asking key questions and listening to our clients’ needs and desires, we reach the ideal vision. Founded in 2000, we serve families all over Texas and beyond. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Avoid compromising in areas that are a high priority while your home is being designed. You’re living in the home for many years and should be proud to pass the home on to future generations. FREE ADVICE: If you desire a home that will beautifully stand the test of time and outlast trends, Heritage Design Studio and Heritage Interiors are your source in creating that dream. PICTURED: Carole Harston, Renee Chappell, Chris Hough, Angela Hough, Shawn Webb, Marta Chavez, Marlene Small.
Heritage Design Studio 596 N. Kimball Ave., Ste. 100 Southlake, Texas 76092 817.988.9680
heritagedesignstudio.com
FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
builder: Heritage Homes
John Webb – Heritage Homes
SPECIALTY: We build custom homes that retain architectural authenticity. Whether you want a modern farmhouse, something with Mediterranean flair, or a traditional Tudor, our designs stay true to its heritage, all while reflecting your personal style. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: We are so proud that with just a small team of passionate industry professionals and a dream, we have been able to grow Heritage Homes into the innovative builder of choice for many North Texans. WHY CHOOSE THEM: The small size of Heritage Homes allows for an agile and fully committed team — focused singly on creating a custom home unique to the needs of each client — surpassing their expectations. We build each home with attention to detail, master-level craftsmanship and planning. FREE ADVICE: The best advice we can give interested homeowners is to plan and budget. Know what you want, how you want things to look, and how you want to live daily life. Address and prioritize must-haves and want-to-haves and match them with an honest budget. Second bit of advice would be to be patient. Some aspects of the homebuilding process seem to move quickly, others take more time. Understanding the process, communicating, and working closely with your project manager are critical to surviving the process with peace. PICTURED: Stephanie McPherson, John Webb, Betty Dixon.
John Webb – Heritage Homes 2011 Kirkwood Blvd., Ste. 110 Southlake, Texas 76092
817.601.4576
yourheritagehomes.com
FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
builder: HGC Development
Karl Hahnfeld Designs
FOCUS: Residential design. RECOGNITIONS: Featured in several publications, including 76107 360 West Indulge Southern magazines, Traditional Home Magazine The Scout Guide, CandysDirt.com, Unmistakably French GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Karl’s greatest achievement is his 21 years of designing in Fort Worth’s most exclusive neighborhoods for prominent community members, resulting in many lasting friendships. WHAT SETS THEM APART: Karl Hahnfeld Designs stands above other design companies by having the knowledge and ability to create and visualize a home’s design from conception through completion due to Karl Hahnfeld’s extensive construction background. His expertise is grounded in his family’s decadeslong history of designing some of Fort Worth’s most recognizable structures. MISSION: Karl’s mission is to design homes that meet his clients every want, providing a space for years of growth and everlasting memories. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Having a short-term mentality can often hinder a home’s design. For example, choosing to focus a design on the current age of children or trendy features, rather than timeless elements. FREE ADVICE: Take your time to not rush the design process. It will save you time and money to achieve your goals up front rather than further along in the construction phase. PICTURED: Karl Hahnfeld.
Karl Hahnfeld Designs
4624 Saint Amand Circle
Fort Worth, Texas 76126
817.822.2374
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
FOCUS: Real estate brokerage, luxury real estate, commercial real estate, farm and ranch properties. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Growing our real estate business from three to 80 agents with locations in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Burleson. WHY CHOOSE THEM: Our team offers the highest level of professionalism and service in the real estate industry — over 60 years of combined real estate experience, with extensive expertise in residential and commercial development, commercial and residential construction, investment property acquisition and sales, farm and ranch sales, luxury home sales and acquisition. WHAT SETS THEM APART: Our team has been transacting real estate for over 20 years and has been an integral part of the residential landscape of Tarrant County. There is no other team in the DFW market with more extensive experience in such a multitude of disciplines as the WWG Team. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Rushing through the design and the pre-development phases of construction. Building a home takes patience. Careful planning will pay dividends in the long run. FREE ADVICE: When buying, selling, or building a home, it is important to choose the right partners. Work with people who have integrity — professionals that have a deep understanding of real estate and who are comfortable negotiating real estate transactions at the highest levels.
PICTURED: Eric Walsh, Rick Wegman and John Giordano.
Christie’s International Real Estate | Ulterre 4838 White Settlement Road
Fort Worth, Texas 76114
817.991.1862 wwgteam.ulterre.com
promotion FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes
ICE HVAC
MOTTO: Where comfort and efficiency are no accident. FOCUS: Residential HVAC Sales and Service. WHY CHOOSE THEM: It is imperative to take measures to improve indoor air quality. We focus on your HVAC needs for the good health and well-being of your family. At ICE HVAC, we understand the importance of providing careful consideration to each aspect of your project. We want to leave you feeling healthier, confident, and satisfied with our services. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Not focusing on the items that affect the comfort and efficiency of the house is the biggest mistake people make when building a home. PICTURED: Roger Thoes.
ICE HVAC
1114 S. Airport Circle, Ste. 110
Euless, Texas 76040
972.414.0236
icehvac.com service@icehvac.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: HGC Development
Interceramic
FOCUS: Interceramic has been an industry leader in manufacturing innovative ceramic and porcelain tile in North and Central America for over 40 years. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Interceramic changed the way the industry looks at ceramic tile. Its Durabody Ceramic Tile is a revolutionary hybrid technology that fuses the technical characteristics of ceramic and porcelain tile. The result is a ceramic tile that features all the benefits of porcelain tile, twice as strong as the industry standard, at an affordable price. WHY CHOOSE THEM: Dedicated service to customers by understanding their business and needs in tile and stone, along with a distribution center located in Carrollton, Interceramic meets their needs quickly. The tenured sales staff can provide personalized on-site service or dedicate design sessions in their showroom. MISSION STATEMENT: At Interceramic, we believe that tile matters and that it has the unique ability to lay a foundation of beauty that can help any home be at its best for a lifetime. Interceramic Is Crafted for Life. FREE ADVICE: Tile is the healthiest building material for your home. Families can confidently choose tile and keep their family safe from harmful toxins. PICTURED: Bret McIntire, branch manager; Don Scruggs, territory manager; Lindsay Andrews, showroom sales.
Interceramic
Fort Worth Showroom 6318 Airport Freeway, Ste. A Fort Worth, Texas 76117
official project partner for: Windmiller Custom Homes
J & V Painting
FOCUS: J & V Painting services your commercial, residential, and faux painting needs. We specialize in small sheetrock jobs, texture, faux finishes, and tape and bed work. We are the leading edge on acrylics as noted by our competition. We also use oil bases, epoxy, and lacquer. AWARDS/ RECOGNITIONS: 2000 Southern Living; 2002 Historic Fort Worth Designer Showcase; 2008 Charity Designer Showhouse; 2017 – 2021 Fort Worth Magazine Dream Home; 2017 – 2021 Fort Worth Magazine Best Of; 2018 Fort Worth HOME Design Winners. MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS: BBB, IDAL - International Decorative Artisans League. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Continuing to service nine out of my first 10 customers for the last 41 years. MOTTO: Doing it right the first time by continuing to deliver quality work for over 47 years with a dedicated workforce. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Getting in a hurry at the end of the job. Don’t start with a deadline. If you must, let everyone involved in the process be aware so that they can tell you if it is possible. FREE ADVICE: Don’t expect to get a perfect paint job for a cheap price. Ask what you are going to get; for example, what type of paint, number of coats, what will I get for this price? PICTURED: To be determined.
J & V Painting
4429 Birchman Ave. Fort Worth, Texas 76107 817.313.7027 jandvpainting.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes
The Jarrell Company
Appliances, Plumbing and Decorative Hardware
SPECIALTY: We work with both professionals and homeowners to find the perfect highend appliance, plumbing and decorative hardware solutions to suit their needs. Whether you are working on a large kitchen remodel, building a custom home or adding a new bathroom addition, The Jarrell Company wants to be your go-to supplier for everything that makes your home both gorgeous and functional.
MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS:
Dallas Builders Association, Greater Fort Worth Builders Association, National Association of the Remodeling Industry, National Kitchen and Bath Association. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Since we opened our doors, we have seen a wonderful response from the community and incredible growth. We owe it to our dedicated and knowledgeable employees and our passion for everything that makes a house a “home.” PHILOSOPHY: The Jarrell Company is where beauty and function meet. It is our mission to help people find the perfect high-end appliance, plumbing and decorative hardware solutions that will fulfill their practical and aesthetic needs. FREE ADVICE: Talk to an expert first. It will save you time, money and frustration. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Not planning for the appliances and plumbing properly. It is more complicated than you think. PICTURED: Eric Neel and Morris Wells.
The Jarrell Company
2651 Fondren Drive • Dallas, Texas 75206
214.363.7211 • Fax 214.363.3100
1900 S. Main St., Ste.110 • Grapevine, Texas 76051
817.532.5530 • Fax 817.532.5531
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Windmiller Custom Homes
Kindred Outdoors and Surrounds
FOCUS: At Kindred Outdoors and Surrounds, drawing people together is what we do. With handforged fire bowls, fireplace surrounds, and outdoor living spaces, we create atmospheres where people can commune, converse, and return to comfort. Spaces distinguished by craftsmanship, accentuated by firelight, and designed to draw us near. It’s a little bit of nature and a little bit nurture, all brought together into one kindred space, where we can be together among the elements. AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: 2021 Good Design Award winner; 2022 Best of Houzz Design Award winner; recently featured in Kitchen & Bath Business, Unique Homes, Gallery and Qualified Remodeler. WHY CHOOSE THEM: There’s nothing quite like the pleasure of gathering friends and family in your own luxurious outdoor living space. With our outdoor products, there are a number of ways to create your very own personal retreat ranging from elegant fire bowls to inviting seating walls to beautiful outdoor kitchens. Kindred Outdoors and Surrounds seamlessly marries design and functionality, making it easier than ever to create your memorable space.
MOTTO: At Kindred Outdoors and Surrounds, drawing people together is what we do. FREE
ADVICE: An intentional conversation space anchored with a fire bowl or fire pit may be just what’s needed to elevate the ambiance as you build and reinforce your personal connections.
Kindred Outdoors and Surrounds
1370 Grand Ave., Building B San Marcos, Texas 92078
800.925.1491 mykindredliving.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes | HGC Development | Windmiller Custom Homes
FOCUS: The Kitchen Source is a full turnkey design and remodel firm dedicated to providing the best client experience in the DFW metroplex and throughout Texas. The Kitchen Source’s award- winning team of designers will bring your vision to life. RECOGNITIONS: Legacy of Design awards for kitchen and baths; WoodMode’s Platinum Level Award; ASID’s Designer’s Choice Awards for Cabinetry/Cabinet Materials; NARI’s Contractor of the Year for Residential Kitchens; NARI’s Contractor’s Choice Awards for Kitchen & Bath; Sub-Zero/Wolf’s Regional Kitchen Design Contest winner and NARI’s CotY awards for Residential Kitchens. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Thirdgeneration, family-owned business, serving the DFW metroplex for over 30 years. Having had the opportunity to serve clients on projects from New York to Hawaii to the Cayman Islands. MISSION: The Kitchen Source has built a reputation for professionalism and quality work. Our goal is to give our clients an exceptional experience throughout their remodeling or building project. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: One of the biggest mistakes is going with the cheapest bid. You want to make sure that when comparing bids, that they include the same scope of work and materials. You may not be comparing apples to apples. PICTURED: Corinne Danicki, Haley Meredith, Amber Paulk, Natalie Jacinto, Jennifer Johns, and Elizabeth Tranberg.
The Kitchen Source
The Kitchen Source
3116 W. Sixth St., Ste. 101 Fort Worth, Texas 76107 817.731.4299 thekitchensource.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: HGC Development
FOCUS: KLZ Stone Supply Inc. was founded in 2009 and has become the premier distributor of natural stone slabs in Texas. KLZ scours the world to bring you the most unique and exquisite slabs of granite, marble, quartzite, travertine, and onyx. RECOGNITIONS: ASID kitchen renovation. MEMBERSHIPS: American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and Marble Institute of America (MIA). GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: KLZ Stone Supply has the largest inventory in the U.S. and is the largest supplier in the state of Texas. WHAT SETS US APART: Our vast selection, exceptional quality, utmost integrity, and unmatched customer service have led KLZ to become the best choice for all your natural stone and tooling needs. FREE ADVICE: Don’t settle for a supplier who does nothing more than take orders. At KLZ we pride ourselves on service and guidance. PICTURED: Maggie Habashi.
Greg Leschber Leschber Designs Pools + Outdoor Living
FOCUS: Company focus is the detailed custom design of a backyard. From the pool, to the outdoor living space, to the landscape and landscape lighting to accent the entire project — “The complete backyard.” WHY CHOOSE THEM: Clients should choose Leschber Designs for several reasons: experience and personal attention. Greg Leschber meets every client, designs the project, helps guide clients through the material selection process, and personally oversees the construction of the project.
MISSION STATEMENT: We are not trying to build as many pools in the metroplex as we can. We want to build a handful of top-quality projects each year in order to maintain the personal attention that we believe is crucial to providing a top-quality project and producing not just satisfied customers, but excited and happy customers. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A POOL: Trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. In the end, the best-looking and most functional pools and outdoor spaces are the ones that “fit” the space they are in. FREE ADVICE: Don’t design the pool for someone else. Don’t make decisions about what kind of project you want to do simply because you think it’s what other people may like. If you are spending the money, get what you want … within reason!
Leschber Designs, LLC
Pool + Outdoor Living 1704 Bellechase Drive Keller, Texas 76262
817.586.5709
LeschberDesigns.com
sales@leschberdesigns.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes | HGC Development
Metro Brick & Stone Co.
SPECIALTY: Since 1983, Metro Brick & Stone Company has provided folks all over the U.S. with superior brick and stone products. AFFILIATIONS: The Brick Industry Association (BIA) and the DFW Brick Council. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: Being in business for 42 years, Metro Brick & Stone Co. has provided superior brick and stone products to help build the DFW metroplex. WHY CHOOSE THEM: With a large selection of products to select from, Metro Brick & Stone specializes in custom, unique projects, and our company’s combined knowledge and experience surpass others in our industry. MOTTO: Your Specialty Brick and Stone Source. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Waiting until the last minute to order products is the biggest mistake people make when building a home. FREE ADVICE: Get the brick and stone you want. You can’t change it like wallpaper. PICTURED: Dennis Calander, Shirley Calander, Dusti Calander, and Paul Calander.
Metro Brick & Stone Co. 2184 Joe
972.991.4488
Fax 972.991.6769 metrobrick.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Windmiller Custom Homes
Montebello Architecture & Design
FOCUS: Architecture and Custom Home Design. WHY CHOOSE THEM: At Montebello we feel that when someone entrusts us with the design of their home, they should be treated as more than just another project. We have implemented a personally tailored concierge service to keep clients apprised of the status of their design project with consistent, collaborative communication.
BIGGEST
MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN
BUILDING
A
HOME: Some people begin the homebuilding process by finding a floor plan they think will fit their lifestyle by square footage or a specific room count. Oftentimes they fail to conceptualize how they would live in the spaces and make the square footage functional for their lives. While we understand why they select plans in this manner, we encourage them to give some real thought into how or if that plan will enhance their lifestyle.
FREE ADVICE: Whether you choose to work with Montebello, find an architect with whom you feel comfortable in their design abilities. In an industry that is constantly evolving, be sure whomever you choose is open to new ideas and willing to truly listen. If you are ready to start designing the home of your dreams, we would love the opportunity to open your eyes to what’s possible.
FOCUS: As a specialist in the luxury custom home market, OmniView Window and Door recognizes the importance in the details. Our unique focus on Marvin, Trustile, and Brombal products allows our team to build exceptional knowledge in every window and door we provide. AWARDS/ HONORS: Marvin Window and Door Presidents Award. GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT: OmniView’s greatest professional achievement is 16 years of growth in the DFW market and now expanding into the Austin market. We are thankful to be based in Texas and in two top-growing markets ranked nationally. WHY CHOOSE THEM: Clients should use OmniView Window and Door because our goal is to provide the best fenestration products and service through a focused approach and a specialized local team. We strive to utilize the team’s extensive experience and our high-end boutique feel to build long-term relationships with every homeowner, builder, designer, and architect we meet. MISSION: Our mission is to provide the best fenestration products available coupled with unrivaled professional services. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: The biggest mistake we see people making when building a home is not taking into consideration the true value of a quality window. Windows and doors can not only add unique architectural detail to a home but make ideal functionality and efficiency. PICTURED: Scott Huffman, owner.
OmniView Window and Door
3001 W. Loop 820 S. Fort Worth, Texas 76116
817.334.0707 Fax 817.334.0796 omniview.us
FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Windmiller Custom Homes
Open Up Garage Doors
FOCUS: Our team provides quality products, a professional and knowledgeable staff, and unbeatable customer service. AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Over 15 years of being a C.H.I. dealer. We have acquired gold, ruby, and premier award status with our manufacturer, and we are a 4-star distributor. MEMBERSHIPS: Accredited BBB member since 2004; International Door Association (IDA) member since 2008; awarded No. 1 garage door company in the nation for customer service in 2015. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Providing a combined 45 years of industry knowledge and building a company that reflects our experiences and expertise in what we do. BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY: We live in a business world where it is impossible to make everyone happy at the same time, but we will do our best every day to try. FREE ADVICE: Research all your options of garage doors and garage door operators for your long-term best interest. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Homeowners not understanding or realizing the product choices made in regard to safety, maintenance, and the overall aesthetics of the home. PICTURED: Accents Woodtone plank-style garage door by C.H.I. Overhead Doors. Open
FOCUS: Building America’s best mattress and selling it directly to you – quality, service, and value! AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: A-plus rating with the Better Business Bureau for more than 10 years. PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS: CCCA, ACA, BBB, and ISPA. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: In business since 1896, our greatest achievement is building relationships with our customers. MOTTO: Have a great night’s sleep on us! FREE ADVICE: Always buy the most you can afford and make sure it’s double-sided for longer wear. PICTURED: Peter, Tami, and Trey Duncan.
The Original Mattress Factory
originalmattress@gmail.com themattressfactory.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: HGC Development | Windmiller Custom Homes
Pierce Fine Hardware and Decorative Plumbing
FOCUS: Offering Exclusive, Luxury Hardware, Plumbing and Lighting. AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: DPHA Showroom of the Year, Forte Brands Showroom, multiyear Best of D Magazine winner. MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS: DPHA, NKBA, Forte Group. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: The tenure of our staff. As a 100% employee-owned company, the longevity, education, and experience of our staff allow us to build trust with our customers. WHY CHOOSE THEM: We offer exclusive luxury brands sourced from across the globe. We feature items that you just can’t find elsewhere beautifully displayed in our expansive showrooms. We have knowledgeable staff that provide expert guidance for your selections. Our team is diligent to see your project through from start to finish. MOTTO: “Buy quality; cry once.” We understand that few homeowners have an unlimited budget. However, products that are used every day should not be compromised. Some products, like whole home filtration, steam showers, or custom kitchen workstations enhance life daily. We can help navigate the complex process of where to save and where to spend on products that will continue to provide lasting satisfaction. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Not coming to visit our showroom before starting the building or remodeling design process. PICTURED: Kelly O’Neal, Steve Beck, Lisa Priest, Jared Prewitt, Heather Ethridge, Dayana Munoz, and Lenny Russo.
Pierce Fine Hardware and Decorative Plumbing
4030 W. Vickery Blvd. Fort Worth, Texas 76107
817.737.9090 piercehardware.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes
Premier Custom Floors
FOCUS: Every floor is unique. We work with our clients to create a floor personalized to enhance the beauty of their home or place of business. AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Fort Worth Magazine 2020 Dream Street vendor, Brightest Floor in North Texas, recognized by D Magazine — Brown Lane Studios. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Our clients’ appreciation and satisfaction will always be our greatest achievement. WHY CHOOSE THEM: We service all types of customers — residential, commercial, and industrial with interior and exterior floors. We use the highest quality material the industry has to offer. Our pricing is competitive, and our trained professionals are eager to help you understand the coating process and choose the perfect floor for your style and budget. MOTTO: Serving DFW and surrounding areas for all your epoxy needs since 2010. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: The biggest mistake people make when choosing an epoxy floor is believing that “epoxy is epoxy,” and the cheapest option will get the job done. Without high-quality material and proper preparation and installation, the floor will likely not last. FREE ADVICE: When designing a home, don’t stop at the garage door. Designing your garage gives your home or commercial property a completed look and adds to property value. PICTURED: Paul Giatas, owner, and his wife, Adrienne. Premier Custom Floors
817.914.1431
premiercustomfloors.com
premiercustomfloors@gmail.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes
Ricks Hardware & Decorative Plumbing
SPECIALTY: Rick’s Hardware & Decorative Plumbing is a family-owned decorative plumbing and hardware store based in Grapevine. Since 1976, Rick’s Hardware & Plumbing has served customers in Grapevine, Granbury, Dallas, Fort Worth, Southlake, Frisco, Keller, McKinney, Flower Mound, Argyle and Aledo with great prices and top-notch customer service. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL
ACHIEVEMENT: We are very proud to announce that we will be opening a new location in Fort Worth off Camp Bowie Boulevard. We have continued to expand our company and hit our goals every year and are very excited about our fourth location coming to one of our favorite cities. MISSION STATEMENT: Our mission is to bring the highest quality products and services to our customers to make the building experience as seamless as possible. With our expertise and knowledge, we strive to increase our customers quality of life and build long-term relationships.
SPECIALTY: Interior Design. RECOGNITIONS: 2021 D Home Best Designer, 2021 – 2022 Scout Guide member, numerous Fort Worth Magazine awards, and many national and local magazine publications. MEMBERSHIPS: IIDA.
GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: We have enjoyed working on so many incredible projects and are thrilled to have one of our projects included in Luxe Magazine 2022. WHY CHOOSE THEM: We offer a high level of service to help achieve a very detailed and layered aesthetic that is unique to every client. We focus on whole home design and assist clients from the architectural planning phase to the final accessory on the shelf. Our goal is to help make the process enjoyable and the results one that our clients will enjoy for years to come. MISSION: We are passionate about classic interiors and homes built to last. We have a reputation for creating layered interiors that seamlessly blend old with new — and for creating spaces that are as comfortable as they are beautiful. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Being afraid of incorporating color. FREE ADVICE: I would advise selecting a designer and architect at the same time when starting a new project. Having a team that you trust from the start is key to a successful project. PICTURED: Tori Rubinson.
torirubinsoninteriors.com
torirubinson@gmail.com
Tori Rubinson Interiors
Tori Rubinson Interiors
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes
Susan Semmelmann Interiors
FOCUS: Construction detailing and interior design. EDUCATION: Bachelor of Science, Texas Christian University. BUSINESS RECOGNITIONS: Best of Interior Design in Fort Worth, Fort Worth Magazine; Best of Houzz, 2019 – 2022; Entrepreneur of Excellence, Fort Worth Inc., 2021. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: The greatest professional achievement is to look back at a 23-year career from building homes to serving hundreds of clients, with design expertise and resources. PHILOSOPHY OF MANAGEMENT: Zig Ziglar said it best: “You’re getting what you’re getting because you’re giving what you’re giving.” I believe in a positive environment, praising my team and appreciating their efforts, giving them recognition, and knowing it is not about me but about a design team that gives all it has, resulting in the best for our clients. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Raquel’s Wings for Life, a Wish with Wings, Susan Semmelmann Interiors Foundation, and other local charities. FREE ADVICE: The more you can give of yourself to anyone or any project, the more you will get back in return. Finding balance with work, family, and friends is critical to any successful woman, as well as keeping your outlook positive, keeping faith in God, and continually growing in your field to learn more each day and be able to offer more knowledge and experience. MOTTO: The Spirit of Living is in the Giving. PICTURED: Susan Semmelmann.
Susan Semmelmann Interiors 4374 West Vickery Blvd. Fort Worth, Texas 76107 940.577.1000 semmelmanninteriors.com susan@semmelmanninteriors.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Windmiller Custom Homes
Silverado Custom Door & Window
Rick Parrilla
FOCUS: Handcrafting custom, oversized, exterior, solid wood doors is our specialty. We also build wood windows and provide the latest in hardware trends. RECOGNITIONS: Doors featured in Interior Design’s 2021 Best of Year Awards and in Architectural Digest; recognized in Dream Home Showcase Magazine article “Artisans in Wood.” GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: We had the honor of working on a historical project in Santa Fe, N.M., building all the doors and windows replicating the architecture of John Gaw Meem. Another favorite is an arched 15th century medieval-style church entry door — a beautiful project in South Texas and featured in the book “In Stillness, I Hear My Father.” WHAT SETS THEM APART: Rick’s decades of experience are not only in wood and building doors but in the construction industry as a whole. This is a must for understanding and conquering any unique project. All our projects are built to a specific need, desire, and design. We pay the utmost attention to detail, from selecting the right wood for each project to sanding by hand. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Not investing in the finish products. The ones that make their home unique and are touched and used every day — products like their entry door. PICTURED: Rick Parrilla.
Silverado Custom Door & Window Graham, Texas 940.362.4571 silveradodoors.com
info@silveradodoors.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Windmiller Custom Homes
Southern Air Mechanical, LLC
Clint DeArman
FOCUS: Southern Air Mechanical, LLC is a full service, locally owned, heating, air conditioning and ventilation (HVAC) company. CONCENTRATION: Quality service and integrity above all. RECOGNITIONS: Lennox primier dealer. MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS: Better Business Bureau of Fort Worth. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: Railhead Smokehouse BBQ in Willow Park and StoneWater Church in Granbury. WHAT SETS THEM APART: Southern Air Mechanical is independently owned and operated. The owner is hands-on. MOTTO: Ask your neighbor about us. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Choosing the right builder. FREE ADVICE: Research, research, research. PICTURED: Clint DeArman, owner.
Southern Air Mechanical, LLC 4669 S. I-35 W. Alvarado, Texas 76009 817.447.8247 Fax 817.783.7810 southern-air.net
FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Windmiller Custom Homes
Village Cupboards, LLC
FOCUS: Distinctive cabinets and furniture. Village Cupboards cabinets and furniture are expertly designed and crafted. Our craftsmanship is second to none. RECOGNITIONS: Nominated for Associate of the Year in the Greater Fort Worth Builders Association. PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS/ AFFILIATIONS: Associate board member of the Greater Fort Worth Builders Association and Trustee of the Government Affairs Committee. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Our work was published in Traditional Home Magazine, Spring 2021 issue. WHAT SETS THEM APART: Our ability to bridge the gap between our clients and the project at hand, be it with interior designers or their builders, is our real business. There is always a calm when clients realize we understand the details they are asking for. We bring a designer’s eye and a builder’s knowledge to every project. MISSION: Our goal is to bring our clients’ ideas to life while enabling them to enjoy the process. PICTURED: Justin Andrews, Nicky VanZandt, and Stanton Andrews.
Village Cupboards, LLC 2653 Blue Mound Road W., Ste 100A Haslet, Texas 76052
817.750.0525
villagecupboards.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes
FOCUS: Vineyard Wine Cellars is the leading provider of wine cellars for enthusiasts seeking inspired solutions for the preservation and enjoyment of their collection. We source state-of-the-art products and materials in wine cellar cooling, construction, finishes, lighting, and racks to provide wine storage solutions for all applications and to suit any design style. Over the last 20 years, Vineyard Wine Cellars has earned a reputation as Texas’ premier wine storage provider by bringing ingenuity and quality workmanship to the process of designing and installing award-winning wine cellars. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: We have created more than 2,000 wine cellars in homes, businesses, retail and hospitality spaces nationwide. BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY: Our consultative approach, attention to detail, and superior customer service are the foundation of our reputation.
FREE ADVICE: Building a wine cellar is a specialized project that requires a team of creative and technical experts. Be sure you have professional guidance on the design and the function of your wine cellar. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A WINE CELLAR: The most common mistakes are related to the enclosure of the space and ensuring a consistent and optimal climate.
PICTURED: Sarah Palmer and Andy Daniels (second generation brother and sister team; son and daughter of the company founders, Bonnie and Gary Daniels).
FOCUS: We specialize in custom wood floors, tile, stone and carpet. AWARDS/ RECOGNITIONS: Our greatest reward is the smile on the faces of happy, satisfied clients.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS: National Wood Flooring Association, Greater Fort Worth Builders Association, Custom Builders Association, Better Business Bureau, Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, ASID Industry Partner.
GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT:
Our ability to maintain a large, loyal client base. We are so privileged to work with wonderful people who refer and recommend us to others.
MOTTO: Quality products, trusted service.
FREE ADVICE: When making selections for your home, always invest in quality products. Remember, “the bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten.”
BIGGEST BUILDING MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE: Being in a hurry to complete the project. When building a new home or remodeling an existing one, please be patient. You can’t rush quality. Unforeseen delays can occur, but you must allow the necessary time to properly complete the project so the quality and craftsmanship are not compromised.
PICTURED: Bryan Page.
Vintage Floors
5136 Camp Bowie Blvd.
Fort Worth, Texas 76107
817.877.1564
Fax 817.882.1162
vintagefloorstx.com
Vintage Floors
FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: HGC Development
WeatherShield Roofing, LLC
FOCUS: WeatherShield Roofing provides turnkey commercial and residential roofing services, with a custom sheet metal fabrication shop that produces metal roofing components, trim, panels, etc. We provide disaster recovery services all over the Gulf Coast Region. GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT: Our company’s greatest achievement is consistent growth over the last 10 years without adding a huge sales force. Most of our work is referral or repeat business, and there is no better compliment than that. WHAT SETS THEM APART: We believe we are unique in the fact that we concentrate our efforts and resources on the best crews, project managers, tools, and equipment we can find. MISSION STATEMENT: Do things right the first time. MOTTO: Protect your investment for years to come, WeatherShield it! BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: The biggest mistake we see our customers make is choosing the lowest bid or selecting a roofing material because it was a little cheaper than the other options. FREE ADVICE: Do your research when selecting a contractor. Check references, project history, financial history, license status with roofing manufacturers, etc. PICTURED: Matt Goggans, Brenna Tregellas, Brandon Flowers, Melinda Gonzales, Cole Thompson, and Riley Davis.
WeatherShield Roofing, LLC 377 Savage Lane Aledo, Texas 76008
817.441.1446
Fax 817.441.1457
weathershieldroofs.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Windmiller Custom Homes
Willow Branch Pools
FOCUS: Pool construction and outdoor living spaces. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Building the Dream Home pool for Windmiller Custom Homes. WHY CHOOSE THEM: We are a small company focused on the needs of our clients. With us, you aren’t just another pool build or number for the year. We proudly stand behind our work on each and every project. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: Most often clients just choose builders without interviewing the person versus the company. It’s a mistake to overlook choosing a builder that fits the client’s personality. FREE ADVICE: Research. Do your research on whom you choose to build with, learn their character, and get a feel for their staff. Don’t be afraid to ask for references and call them as well. PICTURED: Josue Loya and Joel Senger.
Willow Branch Pools
279 W. Hidden Creek Parkway, Ste. 1301 Burleson, Texas 76028
817.300.8717
willowbranchpools.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
builder: Windmiller Custom Homes
Windmiller Custom Homes
Timothy Windmiller
FOCUS: Windmiller Custom Homes provides customers the opportunity to customize their home to fit their lifestyle, from minor modification to anything they can dream of.
GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Providing affordable custom home living with innovative, functional design/energy efficiency, luxury features, and time period architecture. We do this by combining innovative processes and technology with buyers’ ideas and dreams. WHY CHOOSE THEM: We have created a network of companies that support our buyers so they can experience a seamless process from beginning to end. MISSION: Windmiller Custom Homes works to enrich lives through best-in-class service with a focus on honesty, integrity, intelligent plan design, quality workmanship, and personal service. We are a Christ-centered organization whose success is derived from our family values, customer service, and valued trade partners. We have fun serving others with a passion for excellence. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: They don’t find a builder with a sales and design team that can support them and help them think through their lifestyle needs. They end up with a new home that doesn’t meet their needs, and this realization doesn’t happen until after they move in. FREE ADVICE: When interviewing builders, ask what separates them from other builders — what are their building standards and what separates them from the rest of the market.
Windmiller Custom Homes
279 W. Hidden Creek Pkwy., Ste. 1301 Burleson, Texas 76028
817.637.6001 windmillerhomes.com
FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Windmiller Custom Homes
WinterGreen Synthetic Grass LLC
FOCUS: WinterGreen installs synthetic grass lawns and putting greens for both residential and commercial applications. RECOGNITIONS: One of Fort Worth Inc.’s Fastest Growing Companies of 2021. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: Over 1 million square feet of turf installed. WHY CHOOSE THEM: When starting WinterGreen, Winter and Ashley decided against purchasing a franchise because they knew being affiliated with one specific manufacturer would limit their offerings to customers. This decision allows them to choose the best product for each job as well as provide numerous artificial grass styles for each customer to choose from. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: The biggest mistake made when installing artificial grass is missing the importance of a perfect base system. You can choose the highest quality turf on the market and have it look less than perfect simply due to a lack of detail on the base system. FREE ADVICE: We leave landscaping to the professionals; make sure you leave synthetic grass installation to the professionals, too. PICTURED: Winter Moore; (not pictured) Ashley Moore.
WinterGreen
Synthetic Grass LLC
1507 E. First St. Fort Worth, Texas 76102
817.386.7261
wintergreengrass.com
FOCUS FORT WORTH MAGAZINE DREAM STREET
official project partner for: Heritage Homes
FOCUS: Yard Art Patio & Fireplace is focused on creating a relaxed shopping experience with a knowledgeable team and the best selection of outdoor furniture in the world. AWARDS/ RECOGNITIONS: Apollo Award winner in 2015, 2010, and 2004; Apollo Award finalist in 2020, 2019, 2018, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2008; MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS: ICFA, ASID, HPB, and AFHA. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: Our greatest professional achievement is that we were able to stand strong and grow during a times of adversity. This is thanks to our team’s dedication, hard work and, most of all, our customers.
PHILOSOPHY: Our business philosophy is to provide our clients with the best outdoor furniture at the best prices! FREE ADVICE: Like everything else out there in the world, you get what you pay for. We are lucky because we specialize in quality outdoor furniture. BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN BUILDING A HOME: The No. 1 mistake people make when building their home is space. Most people do not consider how much space they actually have. This is one of the reasons that, if it is in stock, we will send out extra furniture at the customer’s request to make sure they get all they want. PICTURED: Garrett Wallace.
Yard Art Patio & Fireplace
Fort Worth • Colleyville • Plano • Allen • Prosper • Grapevine Info@MyYardArt.com MyYardArt.com
The Best Custom Cabinet Quality and Value in Texas
We Are Metroplex Cabinets
DFW’s Choice for Quality Custom Cabinetry since 1973
Since 1973, Metroplex Cabinets has been the leader in premium custom cabinetry for the DFW area. All projects big or small are 100% custom designed and built in our Corinth, Texas factory to precise specifications. From milling of your trim to the final caring touches in your home we control 100% of the cabinet process to guarantee quality and satisfaction.
PRINT IS MEMORABLE.
Print creates an emotional connection. Print builds relationships.
Physical material is more “real” to the brain, involves more emotional processing, is better connected to memory, with greater internalization of ads — all important for brand associations.
(FORBES)
An Oral Argument
“Look for someone who can be a coach to motivate you, a trusted adviser to turn to when health issues arise and a partner to make dental care decisions with,” says Cathy Taylor-Osborne, an ADA dentist and director of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s Bureau of Oral Health.
Location, location, location is an important element. Is the office easy to get to from home or your job? Do their hours accommodate your routine and regimen? Some need translation or interpreter services. Does the dentist have those?
Insurance, of course, is another dynamic. Are the dentists you are exploring in your network?
Once those determinations have been made, it’s time to start the search.
Start with asking friends and family, people whose judgment you trust. If your sister loves her dentist, you might, too. They won’t steer you wrong. However, that doesn’t mean their dentist is the right fit for you.
The importance of a good smile can’t be overstated, but are you doing everything you should to ensure you have the right doctor looking at your teeth?
In addition to being the father of his country, George Washington is known to history for another less excellent reason, as a man who suffered terribly from poor dental health throughout his adult life.
Toothaches, decay, and tooth loss. Ouch. All of them caused him unmanageable pain, not to mention endangered his overall health. We know now what they didn’t then: Good oral health is a critical component to whole-body health. Problems in your mouth can impact your entire body.
What poor George needed desperately was a good dentist. However, finding a trusted, reliable mouth mechanic can be a chore tantamount to finding good barbecue in north of the Red River.
A dentist is far more than someone merely to clean and whiten your teeth, though cosmetics matter.
We’ve compiled some pointers from a few sources, including the American Dental Association, for finding the right, competent dentist who has your best interests always in mind.
“The best doctor-patient relationships are based on truth and trust, and trust in treatment planning is absolutely critical,” says Ada Cooper, a dentist in private practice in New York City and spokesman for the American Dental Association, in remarks to U.S. News and World Report. “Once you and your dentist have that trust, you can go forth and be partners in a way that will help you gain so much in terms of your dental health.”
Finding your “dental home,” she calls it.
This person is ultimately an important part of your total health care team. A partner.
The ADA has a handy tool, Find-A-Dentist, on its website, ada.org. It will pull up dentists in your area and specialty. If you don’t have insurance or otherwise have trouble affording dental services, the Tarrant County Health Department can lend advice. The ADA also recommends a nearby dental school for a recommendation on how to proceed.
Once you have candidates, don’t be shy about calling or visiting dentists for a “consultation” to meet the dentist and staff before making an appointment.
“Make a list of questions and bring your records so the dentist can take a look at your dental history if you want to ask something more specific,” says Taylor-Osborne.
A few questions Taylor-Osborne suggests are the following:
1. Will the dentist explain ways to help you prevent dental health problems? Is dental health instruction provided?
2. How does the dentist and office staff handle emergencies outside of office hours?
3. Is the office staff familiar with your benefit plan, and do they offer financial options for treatment costs?
Taylor-Osborne tells her audience through the ADA that you should also share past dental experiences or dental concerns, including any anxiety.
“Make sure the dentist understands your concerns and answers all your questions,” she says.
Cooper says not to overlook professional affiliations and accolades, encouraging people to look for dentists who are members of the ADA, which represents more than 162,000 member dentists across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
“The ADA requires that their members make certain promises,” Cooper says. “Those are promises that are critical for patients, but they’re also critical in helping to determine whether a dentist is a good dentist.”
Among those promises are preserving patients’ rights to be involved in making decisions about their treatment; doing no harm; staying current with dental science and developments in treatment options through continuing education, professional groups, and research studies; and offering appropriate technology and medical innovations.
2022
This list is compiled and provided by topDentists (Copyright 2012-2021 by topDentists, Augusta, GA) a database of dental professionals who have been selected as “tops” by vote of their peers. The complete database is available at usatopDentists.com. For information email info@usatopdentists.com or visit usatopDentists.com.
Endodontics
Chad R. Allen
Sayeed Attar
Charles “Trey” E. Brown
Susana M. Bruce
Joseph Creasy
Steven E. Dazey
Ray C. Gillespie
Pei Kang
John W. Loeffelholz
Deborah C. Loth
Miguel Martinez
Francisco J. Nieves
Rajiv Patel
Jill Peterson
Todd W. Remmers
Jeffrey L. Saunders
Casey L. Turner
Ryan M. Walsh
General Dentistry
Franklyn Alexander
Kevin M. Altieri
Stephen P. Anderson
Kimberley A. Baker
John E. Barroso
Barrett L. Bartell
Garron Belnap
Amy N. Bender
Gina A. Biedermann
Jessica H. Brigati
Brian L. Britton
Stephen G. Brogdon
Jacob S. Brown
Kent R. Brown
Timothy S. Casey
Sean M. Cerone
Johnny S. Cheng
Thomas F. Cockerell
Michael A. Colangelo
Stacy V. Cole
Barry S. Cole
Mitch A. Conditt
Katie M. Coniglio
William L. Cook
Rupal B. Davé
Daniel H. Davis
N. Dakota Davis
Paul G. Davis
Thomas W. Dawson
Ravi V. Doctor
Lee C. Dodson
Chad L. Drennan
Michael R. Drennan
Lauren A. D. Drennan
Terry L. Drennan
Chad C. Duplantis
T. Paul Dyer
Caitlin Flosi
Jason R. Fowler
Tonya K. Fuqua
James B. Getz
Mark S. Givan
Michael J. Goulding
Gary R. Granger
Nikki P. Green
David J. Greer
Justin B. Harlin
John C. Harris
Christopher Hawkins
Victoria C. Heron
D. Brent Hicks
Lindsey A. Horwedel
Timothy M. Huckabee
J. Edward Irving
Kelly R. Kemp
Zane V. Kemp
Christopher Kim
James R. King
Kenneth D. Kirkham
Timothy S. Knight
Justyna S. Laska
Ronald Lee
J. Bradley Loeffelholz
D. Michael Mabry
Patrick R. Malone
Yahya M. Mansour
David Kyle Metzger
D. Keith Metzger
Jason M. Miller
Mark S. Moore
Sarah J. Morris
Partha Mukherji
Ashley K. Murrey
Karen L. Neil
David M. Nelson
Brett A. Nielsen
Thomas J. Novak
Tim Oakes
Depal P. Parikh
Sahil K. Patel
Chad Perry
Gary N. Pointer
J. Richard Polson
William H. Ralstin
Diana H. Raulston
Edward N. Reiter
J. Michael Rogers
Amos B. Ross
John S. Rubin
William W. Saunders
Joshua T. Smith
Brent A. Spear
Lewis H. Stephenson
Brooks M. Stevens
John B. Struble
Mark E. Studer
J. Tyler Tate
Steven W. Thomas
Gregg H. Tillman
Jean A. Tuggey
Bryan S. Wall
Timothy M. Warren
Eric S. Wear
Todd White
Gary L. White
William C. Whittle
Eric M. Wilson
Marshall H. Wright
Gregory B. Wright
Saam Zarrabi
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Brandon R. Brown
Craig E. Buchmann
Ryan Carmichael
Mazen Duraini
Eduardo A. Humes
David K. Hunter
Haroon Ismaili
Herman Kao
David W. Kostohryz
Todd A. Kovach
Timothy A. Lew
Diana Lois
James Macholl
John P. McPhillips
David E. Parmer
Charles R. Payerle
Robert B. Peak
William F. Runyon
Gregory B. Scheideman
Michael D. Sheppard
John V. Shroyer
John P. Stella
Gregory D. Taylor
Chris L. Tye
Michael R. Warner
Fayette C. Williams
Orthodontics
J. Moody Alexander
J. Andy Barron
Daniel J. Bekish
Sheila G. Birth
Jae Brimhall
Jose G. Chow
Monte K. Collins
Brian Dugoni
Basma M. Fallah
Robert W. Gallagher
Ronald D. Groves
Bradley S. Hall
Cameron Jolley
John M. Kelley
Jeremy R. Lustig
David C. McReynolds
David M. Mikulencak
Tamara S. Miller
Robert J. Montoya
Scott A. Myser
Mike Obeid
Anthony Patel
Evan Perkins
Nicholas R. Ridder
Paul Robinson
Monica W. Saunders
Christopher A. Sorokolit
Aaron V. Swapp
Shane R. Tolleson
Andrew N. Young
Pediatric
Dentistry
Sandra L. Armstrong
R. Nelson Beville
Jerod W. Brazeal
Austin R. Church
Jody D. Cremer
Christopher M. Davis
Daniel E. Donohue
Debra C. Duffy
John R. Gober
Elizabeth Gold
Drew M. Jamison
Jennifer P. Ketchel
Elizabeth M. Laborde
Mark C. Lantzy
E. Dale Martin
Bridget D. McAnthony
Charles W. Miller
Jack W. Morrow
Arti Patel
Janell I. Plocheck
G. Stan Preece
Robert Casey Stroud
Meghan Thorburn
Chris Walton
Amy K. Watts
Ed Watts
John B. Witte
Daniel E. Wright
Jason A. Zimmerman
Periodontics
Scott Bedichek
Farhad E. Boltchi
Steven K. Britain
Brent F. Gabriel
William M. Grover
N. Joseph Laborde
Shelby Nelson
Paula A. Ortiz
Matthew R. Steffer
Elise Woody
Daniela A. Zambon
Prosthodontics
Hanife C. Bayraktaroglu
James C. Fischer
Steven J. Fuqua
Jorge A. Gonzalez
Shab R. Krish
Annie C. Wilson
SPECIALTY: Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics is one of the premier multi-specialty dental groups in the country. Born with roots in the Fort Worth Stockyards, the company’s team of 120-plus award-winning doctors provides a full range of general dentistry, orthodontics, endodontics, oral surgery, and pediatric dental services in over 30 Rodeo locations throughout the state of Texas and Colorado. Rodeo fuels its brand reputation by providing a high-end patient experience. AWARDS/ HONORS: The dentists and the company have won numerous awards including Best Place to Work in Fort Worth; 2014–2022 Fort Worth Magazine Top Dentists; 2019 Entrepreneur of Excellence winner (Dr. Saam Zarrabi); and 2014–2021 D Magazine Best Dentists.
INNOVATIONS: Rodeo has the largest production stages in the health care industry, with themed lobbies, upscale audio/visual equipment, and colorful window graphics that set the mood and experience backdrop. Additional color, music, fashion, and team vibe are mixed in to create an interactive pop art experience that sparks emotion and fuels one-of-a-kind interactions that patients share and remember. Patients are fanatical about the Rodeo brand and have submitted over 50,000 five-star Google and Facebook reviews!
PICTURED: Dr. Sahil Patel and Dr. Saam Zarrabi.
Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics
3204 N. Main St., Ste. 120 • Fort Worth, Texas 76106
817.997.4990
3330 Mansfield Highway, Ste. B • Fort Worth, Texas 76119
817.727.4189
2540 Gus Thomasson • Dallas, Texas 75228
469.791.7146
3557 N. Beltline Road • Irving, Texas 75062
469.784.9181
RodeoDental.com
Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics
SPECIALTY: Orthodontics. We specialize in straightening teeth with braces and Invisalign, as well as specializing in the treatment of TMJ/TMD, facial pain, and persistent headaches caused by dental and muscle imbalance. We also offer simple orthodontic appliances for sleep apnea for patients that cannot tolerate or do not like the CPAP.
EDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONS:
Both Drs. Sheila Birth and Cristi Fletcher have Board Certification in Orthodontics. AWARDS/ HONORS: Both doctors are Invisalign Diamond+ providers, which means that they treat more patients with Invisalign than 99 percent of other Invisalign providers. MEMBERSHIPS/ AFFILIATIONS: American Board of Orthodontics, American Association of Orthodontists, Texas Dental Association, American Dental Association, Fort Worth Dental Association. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Dr. Birth is now starting to treat a third generation of patients with continued satisfaction of treatment. INNOVATIONS: We use a scanner and 3D X-ray, which are more accurate and more comfortable, replacing “gooey” impressions. UNIQUE PATIENT CARE: We treat all patients like they are family. MISSION STATEMENT: Our mission is to create “Better Smiles Forever.” FREE ADVICE: Always do your best for your patients. PICTURED: Drs. Birth and Fletcher.
SPECIALTY: General Dentistry. EDUCATION: BDS, King’s College London (U.K.); DDS, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. RECOGNITIONS: Graduated with honors from both dental schools; Fort Worth Magazine Top Dentist 2015–2021.
MEMBERSHIPS: Academy of General Dentistry, American Academy of Physiological Medicine and Dentistry. INNOVATIONS: At Mint Leaf Dental, we have overhead televisions, noisecanceling headphones, and music in our treatment rooms for relaxing and comfortable visits. We have digital radiography and intra-oral scanning which improves accuracy and safety. We use intra-oral photography and iPads to educate our patients. UNIQUE PATIENT CARE: We enjoy getting to know our patients and take the time to listen and create individualized treatment plans. In our judgment-free environment, we create treatment plans that consider each person’s needs and desires. With whole patient care, we find and treat the underlying cause of dental problems. Many times, the cause goes beyond the mouth, and patients are routinely referred to other health care providers for further evaluation and treatment. FREE ADVICE: Most dental diseases are preventable. Whether it is dental decay, gum disease, or a broken tooth, if you find and treat the cause, it can prevent future pain and expense as well as improve overall health and well-being. PICTURED: Dr. Depal Parikh, husband Keith, and daughters Aanya and Iyla.
Mint Leaf Dental
8544 South Hulen St. Fort Worth, Texas 76123
817.529.4444 mintleaffortworthdentist.com
FOCUS DENTISTS
J. Morris, DDS and Associates
SPECIALTY: General Dentistry. EDUCATION: Morris – B.S., Hardin-Simmons University; D.D.S., University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. Klein – B.A., Texas A&M University in College Station; D.D.S., University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. AWARDS/ HONORS: Morris – America’s Top Dentist with Consumer Research Counsel of America; Cambridge Who’s Who; Fort Worth Magazine Top Docs and Top Dentists 2007–2022; Master in the Academy of General Dentistry, Fellow in International College of Dentists, Fort Worth Business Press 40 under 40 recipient.
GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT:
Establishing trust and confidence in our patients with the realization that dentistry is an experience to be embraced, not feared!
INNOVATIONS: Digital radiographs, intraoral cameras, latest tooth whitening systems, 3D Cone Beam Computed Tomography, Cerec 3D technology with in-office CAD CAM milling, Invisalign, Itero digital impressions, Carivue diagnostic imaging to minimize X-rays, massage chairs, flat-screen TVs in each room, water purification system, and a soothing environment to help your treatment experience.
UNIQUE PATIENT CARE: We take time with each patient to hear their needs so they will be comfortable with their customized treatment and procedures. The team is professional and compassionate, provides exceptional service, and delivers excellence in dentistry. FREE ADVICE: Dentists are oral health care physicians. Get educated and involved in both your dental and overall health care. PICTURED: Sarah J. Morris and Laura Jo Klein.
Sarah J. Morris, DDS and Associates
2551 River Park Plaza
Fort Worth, Texas 76116
817.732.4419
Fax 817.732.4420
sarahmorrisdds.com
Sarah
Fort Worth Cosmetic & Family Dentistry
SPECIALTY: Comprehensive Dentistry. EDUCATION: Doctors of Dental Surgery. RECOGNITIONS: Texas Dentist of the Year nominee; Texas New Dentist of the Year nominee. UNIQUE PATIENT CARE: We strive to give a remarkable patient experience. INNOVATIONS: The team at Fort Worth Cosmetic & Family Dentistry insists on staying on the cutting edge of dental technology and keeping up with the latest dental advances. Whether it’s the feel of their state-of-the-art facility, the experience of a porcelain crown prepared and placed in a single appointment, or watching your implant be virtually placed on a computer screen with greater accuracy and precision, Fort Worth Cosmetic & Family Dentistry will change the way you experience dentistry. FREE ADVICE: Take care of your oral health as it is the gateway to your overall health. PICTURED:
Caitlin Flosi, D.D.S., and Nikki P. Green, D.D.S.
Fort Worth Cosmetic & Family Dentistry
5720 Locke Ave. • Fort Worth, Texas 76107 817.737.6601 ngreendental.com
Last Chance to Apply
Fort Worth Inc. is once again presenting the Best Companies to Work For in Fort Worth awards. Our program uses a two-part assessment process taking into account the employer’s policies, practices, benefits and demographics, as well as the company’s employees and their engagement and satisfaction. After all, employees know best if their company is a great company to work for or not. The winning companies will be recognized in Fort Worth Inc. and honored at an awards event to be held in August.
Bowl for the Brave
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl for Veterans
The Armed Forces Bowl had an incredible start to the game with a night jump from an all-veteran parachute team. Special forces veteran John Wayne Walding spoke at the kickoff luncheon. Among many other awards and honors, Gary Sinise, the founder, president, and chairman of the Gary Sinise Foundation and Golden Globe-winning actor, was the recipient of the 2021 Great American Patriot Award. Army West Point won with their walk-off field goal to beat Missouri 24-22.
Freedom Mobility Giveaway
John Wayne Walding Luncheon
All Veteran Parachute Team
Purple Hearts Recipients
Trophy Celebration
Grand Entry Gala
Junior League of Fort Worth
The Junior League of Fort Worth kicked off the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo with its Grand Entry Gala on Saturday, Jan. 8, at Will Rogers Memorial Center. The highlight of the evening was entertainment from Billboard, ACM and CMA award-winning singer Sara Evans. Honorary chairs were Debbie and Albon Head. The Junior League of Fort Worth, Texas, Inc. is committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.
Sally & Paul Prater
Justin & Michel Toon, Caroline & Kyle Padron
Susanna Bartolomei, Hannah Witten
Debbie & Albon Head
Katy Magruder, Nicole Shelton, Meghan Ortowski
Give Back Calendar
MAR . 5
Dream Street Tours a Wish with Wings
MAR . 5
Jewel Charity Ball
Cook Children’s
MAR . 10
Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival: Reserve
Wine Tasting
Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation
MAR . 10
Dinner Party for Life
Cuisine for Healing
MAR . 24
Sponsor Appreciation Event
MHMR
MAR . 25
ABLAZE
Alzheimer’s Association
MAR . 26
Medicine Ball
Tarrant County Medical Society
MAR. 31 – APR. 3
Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival
Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation
APR. 7
Project Goodwill
Goodwill North Central Texas
APR. 16
Cinderella Ball
The Ladies Auxiliary
APR. 21
Stars in Recovery
Recovery Resource Council
APR. 22
Butterfly Wishes Gala a Wish with Wings
APR. 22
Black Dog Dinner
Black Dog Charity
APR. 22
Purple Party
Safehaven
APR. 28
TCU Night of Champions
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
APR. 29
Double Down for Good Colleyville Woman’s Club
APR. 29
Empty Bowls Event
Tarrant Area Food Bank
Give Back Calendar
There’s nothing more rewarding than giving back and making a difference in the lives of people in this great community. As the city’s magazine — which has the eyes and ears of some of Fort Worth’s most affluent and philanthropic citizens — we feel a responsibility to give back to the people of the city that is our namesake, which is why Philanthropy is one of our core values.
Every year, Fort Worth Magazine sponsors more than 100 charity events, which range from luncheons to black-tie galas. The following promotional section is devoted to these charities and their fundraisers. We invite you to consciously peruse and consider lending a helping hand by either making a donation or attending these events.
Baylor Scott & White All Saints Health Foundation thanks the generous sponsors of the THE 11th ANNUAL
Beyond theBag
BENEFITING THE JOAN KATZ CANCER RESOURCE CENTER
THE CHIC BAG
Joan and Howard Katz
THE CUSTOM BAG
Dianne and Jim Bosler
Mary Lowe
In memory of Dick Lowe
THE CLASSIC BAG
Ben E. Keith Beverages
Richard and Connie Bertel
In memory of Sally Ann Clark
Shirley and John Dean
Fenom Frost
GM Financial
J.P. Morgan Private Bank
Dr. and Mrs. Andre Le
Jim and Lara Newman
Rozanne and Billy Rosenthal
Drs. Daniel and Elisabeth Wagner
THE CLUTCH BAG Bank of Texas
Media Sponsor
Kristi and Lennard Christensen
Harriette and Arnold Gachman
& Dr. and Mrs. Allen Schuster
Jeanie and Ken Huffman
Mr. and Mrs. Adam Hurley
Dr. Vaishali and Mr. Chris Kent
Debra and Aaron Koppelberger
In memory of Moira Koppelberger
Michelle and Dan Lowrance
Mearl and Sharon McBee
Michele and Fred Reynolds
Rosalyn G. Rosenthal
Molly and Mitch Snyder
In honor of Debbie Hyde
Susie and Robert Ursprung
Lisa and Burch Waldron
Media Sponsor Fort Worth Magazine
FACT SHEET
WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE DO
The JLFW Diaper Bank launched in 2019 in partnership with the Tarrant Area Food Bank.
We are a National Diaper Bank Network member and are the only diaper bank serving Fort Worth/Tarrant County.
We provide both children and adult diapers in an effort to assist all individuals experiencing diaper need.
Our operations rely heavily on donated diapers.
We are even able to accept open diaper packages!
420,000+ diapers distributed to 31 partner agencies SEP 2021 NOV 2019
Diaper Bank soft launch MAY 2020 Official diaper distribution begins
Approximate cost for a one week supply of newborn diapers
Diapers the average household with diaper need falls short each month
Approximate cost for a one week supply of toddler diapers
Approximate cost for a one week supply of adult diapers
Gary Patterson & Leon Bridges
i n n e M A R C H 1 0 , 2 0 2 2 H O T E L D R O V E R 6 : 0 0 - 9 : 3 0 P M
a r t y f o r l i f e
This year’s event benefited Fort Worx food service and culinary apprentice program. To donate to this Fort Worth community program please visit www.tafb.org/donate Tarrant Area Food Bank and Reliant AC Proudly Congratulate Pam Minick For being the 2021 Bank on Women honoree
Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Fort Worth Convention Center Ballroom 1201 Houston Street , Fort Worth 10 a.m. Champagne Reception 11: 30 a.m. Fashion Presentation and Luncheon
Proceeds provide mobile health outreach to under-served women in Fort Worth and surrounding communities.
To become a sponsor or purchase tickets, visit TexasHealth.org/POP or contact Robin Moore at RobinMoore3@texashealth.org.
Clay Sports Ranch
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022
SIMMONS BANK PLAZA IN DICKIES ARENA
CHAIRS: LORETTA & DON MARABLE
Presenting Sponsor Media Sponsors
For over 21 years, FortWorthMagazine’s Dream Home projects have brought together the area’s best industry professionals to build one-of-a-kind, luxury homes that are toured by our readers. Dream Street 2022 will feature 3 homes side by side in the new Montrachet development in southwest Fort Worth.
$20 entry fee: includes a one-year subscription to Fort WorthMagazineand a $10 donation to a Wish with Wings.
Location: Montrachet Fort Worth 4700 Montrachet Blvd. 76126 To learn more and purchase tickets, visit dream.fwtx.com BENEFITING:
SPONSORS:
Texas Hill Country
Cape Dutch
Modern Tudor
No doubt one must be quick in photography — capturing elusive images that can disappear in the blink of an eye. But it also doesn’t hurt to take a few seconds to get your framing right or to square things up. Such patience is exactly how David Hollister captured this stunning image of the Belknap Bridge along the Trinity River. “In the early morning, the sunlight illuminates the columns of the Belknap Bridge, casting strong, lined shadows against the riverbank,” Hollister says. “I used this time to square off the
Michelle McKee Marlow spends much of her life in service to others. Author of a series of books for children with speech impairments and a licensed speech language pathologist, Michelle is an active Fort Worth community volunteer. While her accomplishments are too numerous to list here, she serves on fundraisers, special projects, and boards, including the Jewel Charity Board and TCU Chancellor’s Advisory Board. And when it comes to her auto, she looks to Park Place Motorcars Fort Worth, a dealership with an affinity for lasting service. Michelle’s 2018 Mercedes-Benz E-350 Wagon is her fifth one from Park Place. “I love Park Place! And love my car … my boys say it’s my signature –
my statement,” she says. “I have the style and performance of a premium sedan with the room of an SUV.” As a daily driver or vacation car, the E-Class Wagon pampers them with a smooth ride and luxurious cabin, whether Michelle and her husband, Scott, are road-tripping to Telluride, Colorado, with their four boys — George, Thomas, Henry, and William — or driving to a football game. “Tailgating in Lot 6 at TCU is a fall favorite,” the avid TCU alum says.
“Park Place is My Place because they are always there when I need them … for purchase, for service, or even that untimely flat tire,” Michelle says. “We feel like part of their family.”
