San Antonio Woman - March/April 2018

Dawn Lafreeda FROM WAITRESS TO SUCCESSFUL BUSINESWOMAN SAWOMAN.COM

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GAME CHANGERS Women Who Flip Houses

THE DOSSIER Focus: Interior Design

table of contents

MARCH/APRIL 2018

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Contributors

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Trending

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What’s New

24 At Home 40 Fashion 42 Beauty 48 Mommy Matters 67 Health 69 SA Woman Connect 72 Women on the Move 75 Spotlight

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84 Sustainable Gardening 86 Active Living 92 Guy to Know

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96 Travel

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116 Artbeat 120 Entertainment Calendar 122 Coffee to Cocktails 126 Dining 129 Weddings

SPECIAL SECTIONS

33 16 PROFILE Beginning as a waitress at 16, Dawn Lafreeda now owns 82 Denny’s restaurants and reveals insight to her success.

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20 GAME CHANGERS Despite the challenges, four women show flipping houses can be a lucrative investment.

33 THE DOSSIER This new section focuses on specific career fields in San Antonio. In this issue our focal point is on Interior Design.

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Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

77 Women in Real Estate 99 Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas

44 ROLE MODEL There’s a new athletic director in town, and Lisa Campos is plans to lead the UTSA Sports program to new hieghts.

from the editor

MARCH/APRIL 2018

Pamela Lutrell, Editor SAN ANTONIO WOMAN

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PUBLISHER J. Michael Gaffney EDITOR Pamela Lutrell COPY EDITOR Kathryn Cocke FASHION & BEAUTY EDITOR Aquila Mendez-Valdez ARTS EDITOR Jasmina Wellinghoff CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Robyn Barnes, Kim Ford, Iris Gonzalez, Pamela Lutrell, Pamela Miller, Jennifer O’Neill, Dawn Robinette, Janet Turk PHOTOGRAPHY Janet Rogers, Al Rendon, David Teran

dear readers, Finally, spring is here, and it is literally time to celebrate … spring break, March Madness, Fiesta and Tricenntenial. The city is alive with excitement.

Here at SAN ANTONIO WOMAN, we are also celebrating the successful, amazing local women who are gaining daily attention with their accomplishments.

Meet vibrant women like our cover personality, Dawn Lafreeda, an amazing entrepreneur even on the national stage, and Elizabeth Luna, Mary Osborne, Shelia Piazza, and Amanda Fly, women who are flipping houses and enjoying each moment. In this issue, Mommy Matters will help parents share a love for San Antonio with their children and learn how to appreciate the community they live in. You will want to see what suggestions fashion editor Aquila Mendez Valdez has for wearing the color of the year. Do not know what that color is?

We have the answer.

There are two powerful special sections this issue for the Girl Scouts of America and for Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure. We completely support both organizations and love the message from the Girl Scouts to assist in raising strong, intelligent women. Perhaps some of these young ladies will be featured in our magazine one day.

Sunshine has returned … after reading this issue, get out for the celebrations.

Keep Smiling, Pamela

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GRAPHIC DESIGN Tamara Hooks, Maria Jenicek ONLINE MEDIA Raleigh Hart, Social Media BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING Cindy Jennings, Patricia McGrath ADMINISTRATION & CUSTOMER SERVICE Nancy A. Gaffney, Raleigh Hart PRINTING Shweiki Media, San Antonio, Texas EDITOR EMERITUS Beverly Purcell-Guerra FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION call (210) 826-5375 email: info@sawoman.com

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San Antonio Woman is published bimonthly by PixelWorks Corporation (Publisher). Reproduction in any manner in whole or part is prohibited without the express written consent of the Publisher. Material contained herein does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher or its staff. San Antonio Woman reserves the right to edit all materials for clarity and space and assumes no responsibility for accuracy, errors or omissions. San Antonio Woman does not knowingly accept false or misleading advertisements or editorial, nor does the Publisher assume responsibility should such advertising or editorial appear. Articles and photographs are welcome and may be submitted to our offices to be used subject to the discretion and review of the Publisher. All real estate advertising is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention to make such preference, limitation or discrimination.” Printed in the U.S.A.

contributors

Iris Gonzalez

Iris Gonzalez is a freelance writer who enjoys meeting people and learning about the variety of topics she covers. For the Rivard Report, she writes about technology, cybersecurity, bioscience and veterans’ issues. Iris also writes for Edible San Antonio about local, sustainable food. Her first career as a government research analyst exposed her to issues such as public health and emergency planning for the city of Houston and the safety of the U.S. food supply and countering bioterrorism.

Iris blogs on her latest writing project, currently a book in progress about her travels alone across Cuba, on her new website IrisGonzalez.com.

Dawn Robinette

A communications and marketing expert who loves to tell stories, Dawn Robinette was told by her high school English teacher that she couldn’t write. Proving her wrong, Dawn is an award-winning writer who enjoys telling the stories behind the places and faces that make San Antonio such a terrific city. A military spouse and mom who made her way to Texas as fast as she could, she’s Accredited in Public Relations by the Public Relations Society of America and works with clients to help them share their stories. She’s also a regular contributor for Alamo City Moms Blog.

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trending

MARCH/APRIL 2018

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Check out the stories and the extraordinary women making it all happen in the current issue of

/SanAntonioWoman We reach nearly 30,000 people and engage nearly 3,000 on our posts each week. And we are currently liked by almost 12,000 people.

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catch us on the web and through our social media for these and other trending stories

on the cover Dawn has proven herself to be an outstanding role model for all young women. She used intelligence and diligence to rise from waitstaff as a teenager in one Denny’s, to now owning over 80 locations throughout the country.

@SanAntonioWoman Over 10,200 people follow us. Do you?

@SanAntonioWoman We just reached close to 10,500 followers.

Photography by David Teran

SAWomanConnect.com is a resource for connecting professional women from all over San Antonio. For more information, please call 210-826-5375.

ncaa final four

girl scout cookies

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San Antonio plays host to one of sport’s most exciting finals. Follow the fun on Twitter and Facebook.

It’s cookie time! Deliciousness with a new motto: GIRLS are Gogetters, Innovators, Risk takers, and Leaders. #girlscouts

Our most colorful time is trending. Share those pictures with us on Instagram.

SAN ANTONIO WOMAN wants to inspire you. Sharing events and stories of local women via social media. visitsanantonio.com

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color of the year

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did you know?

Quiet rushing rivers, birds singing, relaxing on a blanket… must be Gruene.

Pantone’s Color of the year is Ultra Violet. Show your confidence in Ultra Violet… it’s everywhere.

2018 is NIOSA’s 70th Anniversary. And the party just keeps on trending.

VIVA FIESTA!

We distribute 30,000 copies of SAN ANTONIO WOMAN to nearly 500 locations throughout San Antonio and surrounding areas and to subscribers in 244 cities throughout the U.S.

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whats new

MARCH/APRIL 2018

GRAND OPENING FOR THE ARTS RESIDENCES AND THOMPSON HOTEL

More than 125 guests attended The Arts Residences and Thompson hotel groundbreaking ceremony and celebration on Tuesday, January 30 at the project site, 123 Lexington Avenue, San Antonio.

Immediately following the ceremony guests were chauffeured via golf cart to a celebratory reception for the landmark development at The Arts Residences Sales Gallery. Located at the epicenter of San Antonio’s vibrant performing arts district and across from the River Walk, The Arts Residences is a $116 million, 20-level, 337,000-plus-square-foot mixed-use development at the intersection of North St. Mary’s Street and Lexington Avenue, across the river from the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.

BARONS BASEBALL GIVES BACK

Saint Mary’s Hall varsity baseball took to the diamond for the first time during the preseason by hosting San Antonio Fitness Independent & Recreational Environment (SAFIRE) for its “SMH Night at the Ballpark” on January 27.

The Barons hosted SAFIRE to help assist with autism awareness. With more than 200 people in attendance, the team was able to raise more than $2,400 through personal donations for SAFIRE to help fund their softball season and road to the state championship. The “Night at the Ballpark” event featured a mixed-ability exhibition game, pre-game base-path races, dizzy bat competition, and food concessions.

“This was amazing, absolutely amazing! I had a parent of a SAFIRE player thank me with tears in his eyes,” shared Head Varsity Baseball Coach Josh Baker.

SAFIRE is a local activity organization dedicated to the continuing education, pre-vocational skills, and healthy lifestyles of young adults with intellectual disabilities. A day-activity center for young adults (18-35 years-old), SAFIRE assists with resume building, completing applications, and job searching.

BAPTIST M&S RADIOLOGY OPENS NEW CENTER

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Baptist M&S Radiology announces the opening of a new specialized imaging center — the Orthopedic and Neurologic Imaging Institute (ONI). The new center marks the commitment to provide dedicated orthopedic and neurologic imaging with capability to serve all general radiology needs. ONI features the new 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology with a large bore for comfort and less anxiety.

Additionally, the new 64-slice computed tomography (CT) will provide imaging with lowest radiation doses, with improved resolution and clarity to study fine anatomical detail. Metal Artifact Reduction is available for both MRI and CT machines.

An extraordinary ultrasound machine at ONI uses sound waves to produce highest quality image.

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Opportunity THE PURSUIT OF

DAWN LAFREEDA BEGAN HER CAREER AT 16

By Dawn Robinette

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Photography by David Teran

In

Dawn Lafreeda’s world, a restaurant is a store and a portfolio is a fleet. The

talk of stores, décor packages, designated market areas and general franchise

language rolls off her tongue naturally, but then, it’s a world she knows well.

Lafreeda is president and CEO of Den-Tex Restaurants, owning and operating 82 restaurants. The portfolio includes 81 Denny’s stores across Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois,

Arkansas and Oklahoma, as well as one non-Denny’s in Globe, Arizona.

“Denny’s bought out a chain, and there was one store in Globe, a tiny little mining

town, that they weren’t going to convert into a Denny’s, so they sold it out of the chain,” she explains. She began her career as a hostess at Denny’s at 16, before making her way to waitress. She and a friend who also worked at Denny’s decided to buy it.

But it wasn’t as easy as it sounds. Lafreeda was 23 at the time, going to college and

still waitressing at a Denny’s in Orange County, California. “To buy the restaurant, we

took out every penny we could on credit cards,” she explains. It was 1984, long before credit card loans became popular. “We didn’t know if the restaurant was going to be successful. Denny’s sold it because it was in the middle of nowhere. It did no volume.”

Buying a poor-performing restaurant in the middle of nowhere might seem like an

odd choice, but not to Lafreeda. “I looked at it as a stepping stone, “ she says. “I thought,

I know the restaurant business. I worked in it, my mother worked in it. I was familiar

with it. I liked it. I didn’t know it would quite turn into what it has turned into, but I’m

forever grateful.”

At the time, however, she had to be sure she could pay back those credit card loans,

so she kept her waitressing job in Orange County, working any moment she could. And

she commuted to Globe to work at her own restaurant on weekends, a more than six-

hour trip one way. But she made it work. And Denny’s noticed. When oil went bust in

West Texas, they approached Lafreeda and her partner to buy four ailing stores in Midland, Odessa, San Angelo and Big Spring. They bought the stores, and Lafreeda moved to

San Angelo.

“I was so young and naïve,” she recalls. “I thought every airport was like LAX. I’ll

just fly home if I get homesick.” Once in San Angelo, she discovered that there was just

one flight a day, and the airport was an hour and a half away. “It’s hard to take a girl from Orange County and put her in San Angelo, but it was an opportunity. An opportunity I

wasn’t going to get somewhere else.”

Then she pulled out a map. San Antonio was the next biggest city. “I begged Denny’s to sell us a store here,” she says.

She made it eight months in San Angelo, turning around the stores there, and Denny’s

offered her an opportunity in the Alamo City. Lafreeda then bought out her business part-

ner, built some additional stores and firmly planted her roots in San Antonio, growing

Den-Tex Restaurants from 13 stores then to the 82 she has today, making her the largest single-owner franchisee in the system.

To put that number in perspective, she serves 1.2 million people in her restaurants

each month. “I find a lot of joy in that,” she says. “That means more than a million people

walk through your doors. Issues occur, but I still love it.

“I love what I do. I love that on any given day, I can change paths. I can say, you know what? We’re going to remodel that restaurant tomorrow and make a difference. I love that we call the shots, owning our own company, and that I’m never stagnant. There’s always a new launch of something, a new idea, a new décor.”

She didn’t start out planning to own 82 restaurants. “I always wanted to own maybe

10. I guess once you surpass that, you set the goal higher. After I bought out my business

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partner, I thought maybe I’ll develop until about 40. That sounded like

a good number to me,” she remembers. “I don’t know what was magical about that number. Then I went on a development craze.”

In the franchise world that Lafreeda knows so well, franchisees are

sometimes approached with opportunities to buy existing locations,

as long as they in turn agree to develop additional stores. As Lafreeda’s

success continued, Denny’s approached her with additional opportunities they felt suited her skills, including turning around troubled

stores. She also did 10 stores in one year when Denny’s took over the restaurants inside Pilot/Flying J travel stops. “There were 10 of those in my markets, so I took advantage of every one of them,” she says.

But she doesn’t have a new number in mind. “It’s really what comes

from here (motioning to her gut instinct). I learned a long time ago to

follow my gut,” she says, explaining that she once went with her head

versus her gut instinct and the store ultimately wasn’t successful. “Now

I look at it differently. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”

And yet she doesn’t think she’d do things differently if given the chance to advise her younger self, commenting, “There are things you learn, but I think it’s all just unfolded the way it was supposed to. Even as a result of my mistakes, other things happen. So I would just say, go for it, girl.”

Lafreeda is open about her past and her family’s challenges when

she was growing up — and how that influenced her path. “We were

very poor. I always felt that we were struggling,” she explains. “I’m a hard worker. I think growing up with little was a gift. Coming from

nothing I think contributes to my drive for success as an adult. Just

because right now in your life things don’t seem great, you can still as-

pire to do great things.”

Her inner drive was clear early on. “I always knew I was going to

‘We’re all still going to be here tomorrow. Nothing is so bad that it’s

going to rock your world. It might temporarily set you back, but what’s

be self-employed, and I always knew I was going to own my own com-

the worst thing that can happen? We just start over.”

10 or 11. “One day, I’m going to own my own company and make a lot

spite of her demanding schedule, spending time with them and partner

pany,” explains Lafreeda, who told her mother just that when she was of money. She looked at me and said, ‘Of course you are.’”

Lafreeda’s face lights up when she talks about “her boys,” and in

Lupita Corbeil is a priority. The couple have been together for 24 years

Her mother’s guidance has helped shape Lafreeda’s path. When

and work side by side at Den-Tex, where Corbeil manages human re-

and heard advice that guides her today: “I said to her, ‘These people

average year, human resources may touch as many as 8,000 employees.

she was preparing to buy her first restaurant, she turned to her mother

are depending on me for a paycheck. What if I fail?’ She looked at me

sources for the company’s 3,000 employees. Thanks to turnover, in an “The labor pool is our biggest challenge,” Lafreeda explains. “It’s hard

and said, ‘What’s the worst thing that could happen? You start over at

to get good help.”

thing that could happen?’

time is spent at basketball games, after which the family goes to

26?’ And I never looked back. That’s my motto now. ‘What’s the worst “It’s the best advice she ever gave me. It resonated with me. It was

The boys are avid basketball players, and much of Lafreeda’s free

Denny’s, of course. While her kids can have anything on the menu,

the piece of advice I needed for the journey I was about to take. And

because of the frequency of her Denny’s visits, she limits herself. “I

She gives her children, 14-year-old twin sons Cruise and Connor,

at Denny’s a lot. I went to test menu items in Kansas City and ate 12

the fear went away,” says Lafreeda.

the same guidance when they struggle with something. “I tell them, 18 | sawoman.com

eat there so much, I have to pace myself. If I go tour a market, I eat

orders of pancakes in three days,” she recalls.

She notes that her list of menu favorites is long and ever-changing

due to frequent menu updates and limited time offerings, like special

pancakes. “I have a lot of favorite things, but what I allow myself to

have is another story. When we had the peanut butter milkshake, I was

addicted to them. So I’d say, ‘Make me a kid’s size,” she laughs. But her

children are a different story. “They can have anything on the menu.”

While the footprint of her portfolio covers a wide geographic area,

her service on Denny’s franchise board and committees keeps her on

pany. “I’m with a great brand that’s been around a long time with a

good track record. If I had the name ‘Dawn’ on the sign, it might not

do as well,” she notes, refuting the criticism that franchisees pay royalties, or that franchising can be expensive. “If I was doing it myself,

and had to create the sign, the menu, the décor package, the architect

plan, all of that—I might have 10 restaurants. But because I buy into a franchise, I’m able to do more.”

The size of Lafreeda’s portfolio also earns her the distinction of

the road more than the stores. Lafreeda serves on the Denny's Fran-

being the largest female full-service restaurant franchisee in the coun-

on the board’s Special Events Committee. She also serves on the De-

a girl who bought her first restaurant off of credit cards,” she smiles.

chise Association Board, where she is a director and treasurer, and also

velopment Brand Advisory Council and the Corporate Social Respon-

try, something she’s proud of. “I think that’s a big accomplishment for “I’m really proud of the choices I’ve made. Most of them have been

sibility Committee.

right. You make mistakes along the way, but when I put my head on

evolution of Denny’s building and remodeling, working on the chain’s

done things the way I’m supposed to.”

But that’s not all: She’s on the committee that’s responsible for the

next prototype and décor package. She’s also working with a commit-

tee to pick and test uniforms. She says, “I do a lot of testing for the

Denny's. New products, equipment, software, vendors, etc. We typi-

cally go through a test process before we roll out new initiatives.”

All of that, as well as the nature of the restaurant business, means

that Lafreeda’s free time is limited. She jokes, “I collect restaurants—it’s what I do. When you love what you do, it’s like you don’t

have a hobby. I like to build restaurants. I like to find deals. It’s work, but I like it.”

However, she does make a point to work out and enjoys going to

the theater and eating out—even at non-Denny’s, especially since she

doesn’t cook. She also doesn’t drink. “I just don’t like it. I prefer a cookie,” she says.

She also enjoys traveling, especially with her family. “When the kids

were born, I said, ‘I’ve got 18 summers. I’m going to make the most of them.’ We take a lot of good family vacations. It’s really important be-

cause I do work a lot. I think it binds us—I always feel closer to the

kids after a vacation, and the boys love to travel,” she says.

Honest and open, Lafreeda is quick to point out that “what you see is what you get” and that she doesn’t sugarcoat things: “I’ll always tell you the truth. You might not like it, but if you come to me for advice, I’m going to give you the truth.”

That quality earned her a spot on a show on the Food Network,

where she advised young restaurant owners how to take their business

to the next level or expand. Last year, she appeared on Entrepreneur’s

online series, Elevator Pitch, giving advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.

The series garnered 20 million views, and a second season is in pro-

duction. She enjoys participating in the series, though her first love

the pillow at night, I feel I’ve done my best job for the day, that I’ve

She sees the size of her portfolio as proof that being a woman has

not been a barrier to her success. However, she has had a few hiccups

along the way, especially early on, including those days in West Texas.

She took all of her corporate paperwork to open an account with a

bank in San Angelo and was greeted with a doubting male banker.

“’Young lady, are you sure you’re not the waitress?’ Yes, I own the restaurant. ‘Are you sure you’re not the manager?’ I’m sure I own the restaurant, and I’d like to open a bank account,” she recalls. “He would not take my money. So I found another bank. Every week, the president of the bank would come in and ask, ‘Is there anything we can do to earn your business?’ No. I moved on.”

Lafreeda doesn’t let little things like that stand in her way. When

she wanted to buy the office building that Den-Tex calls home in San

Antonio, she turned to her local bank. “I had as much money in savings

as the building cost at the time. The banker looks at me and says,

‘Young lady, you don’t know real estate. You need to stick to the restau-

rant business,’” she recalls. The next day, she took all of her money out

of the bank, then went to another bank to secure a loan. “You can let it beat you down or find another way. You have to rise above it.”

She’s also been asked if she and her husband own her business, or

if it’s a family business. “People don’t think a woman could do this, but

I think times are changing and shifting. It’s all about education. We

will always be Denny’s.

need to not allow it or tolerate it,” she says.

plans of stopping. “It’s been good to me my whole life. When I was 14,

has taken care of me my whole life and it’s taken care of my kids,” she

Denny’s. It’s been in my life my whole life, and it’s given me opportu-

to make something out of it.

She just celebrated her 40th anniversary with Denny’s and has no

my mom started working at Denny’s. When I was 16, I got a job at nity I’m not sure I would have had anywhere else.”

She credits part of her success to her decision to stay with the com-

“I’m really very lucky that I get to do something I love. Denny’s

explains. “I’m just really blessed that I got an opportunity and was able

“I got a chance and I took it. I’ve been able to do something really

great with a really great brand.”

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game changers

Beyond the Flip

Four Women Go REAL ESTATE INVESTING

By Iris Gonzalez

Photography by David Teran

These women share lessons learned about managing contractors, common issues found in older homes, and other challenges and rewards from flipping houses.

Born and raised in San Antonio, Elizabeth Luna has run Real Estate Ventures for 20 years. She started flipping homes while she was still working full time in various marketing, community relations, public relations and event-planning positions for more than 15 years with several Fortune 100 companies, including USAA, Cricket Wireless and Humana.

In 2004 Luna experienced her first corporate layoff. “I realized I needed to have a backup plan,” she said. She started investing in real estate, cashing in her 401(k) retirement fund to get started. Taking a two-year sabbatical from her corporate career, Luna started flipping properties and working on houses for the rental market. Some houses she held on to for rental income and some she sold. She returned to the corporate world but kept acquiring properties, managing the ones she kept for rental.

After her third corporate layoff, Luna decided to commit her time and resources to real estate. Using her experience in real estate market research, property acquisition, overseeing renovation, property sales and leasing and property management, Luna brings creative real estate solutions to people with real estate challenges. “If you're facing foreclosure, have a home you need to sell, or can no longer afford to make your mortgage payments, I can help,” Luna said.

Her growing portfolio of older homes reflects how many people she has been able to help over the years while growing her real estate investments. Luna has helped seniors with reverse mortgages and in some cases has connected sellers to Medicare and assisted living resources to help seniors transition to life after selling their home. As for her investors, Luna helps private money lenders “earn between 10 to 14 percent rate return on their capital investment. It’s protected with collateral and is insured,” she said Luna stresses the need to understand the market and its buying cycles, ever-changing mortgage regulations and the latest resources and programs available for buyers to help them qualify.

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Elizabeth Luna

ED REAL ESTATE VENTURES “Your buyer is your boss — it’s not easy,

nor is the flipping process fast,” Luna warns.

“It’s about helping people, ultimately.”

Luna advises those new to flipping to align themselves with a mentor who has their best interests at heart. She researched real estate groups and joined a local group to access its mentorship program. By the end of her first year flipping, Luna was able to match her previous corporate salary. In her second year she doubled her previous salary.

“The best resource you have to help you get started is education; it will help you face your fears,” Luna said. “The hardest transaction will be your first one.”

Sheila Piazza

PIAZZA REALTY GROUP

Born in Atlanta, Sheila Piazza has lived in San Antonio since fifth grade, when her active-duty military father relocated the family here. Piazza was a jewelry designer for 12 years, holding two utility patents on her jewelry design. After her parents became ill when she was a single parent, Piazza decided on a more sustaining career.

She started as a licensed mortgage broker in 2006.

Soon after, Piazza became a real estate agent and then acquired her real estate broker license. In 2016, she launched her own insurance company and now runs Piazza Realty Property Management. The property management company’s tag line says it all: “We know so much about space, even NASA is worried.”

Piazza is a business owner who understands the mort-

gage broker process of assessing a borrower's ability to secure financing and has the real estate broker skills needed to match up sellers with buyers. Because Piazza trained as an insurance agent, she can also spot issues during an inspection that could raise a red flag for investment clients interested in a house to be flipped.

She has discovered that many buyers in San Antonio find it difficult to qualify for an affordable home.

“Being a mortgage broker is powerful because you have at your disposal tons of financial products you can leverage and search to find the best one for your client,” Piazza said.

Piazza Realty has offices in Dallas to serve real estate clients there and works with investors who make up a large portion of her client base. Many people are coming to San Antonio from California, Dallas, Houston and Austin to buy affordable housing as investments, according to Piazza. “I call it the ‘five-year frenzy,’ like the big surge of development that’s happening in Austin,” Piazza said. “I predict the same will happen in San Antonio.”

There are opportunities for investors and house flippers who want to venture into this business sector in San Antonio, buying well-priced houses and holding them as the market values for homes rise, creating equity for buyers. “If you draw a perimeter around San Antonio’s core, anything you buy within that will be a good buy because of the equity capture,” Piazza said.

“This is the time to buy.”

For those contemplating real estate investment and flipping houses, Piazza recommends novices get educated and partner with someone experienced in order to learn the business. She helps many who are interested and is the organizer of a local networking group for Women in Real Estate Development (WIRED).

“If you have a problem property, we can find an investor buyer or short sell it to help the community,” Piazza said. “Let me help you solve it -- we can tailor the solution to your situation.” march/april 2018 | 21

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game changers

Mary Osborne WYNN WIN FLIPS

Mary Wynn Osborne was not in real estate before

venturing into flipping. She became a flipper because she

was looking for rental investments. “I realized there

were other opportunities for potential profit by looking at properties that needed some work,” Osborne said.

“After finding my first house, I jumped in and did it. I love flipping houses now.”

This Refugio, Texas, native started her business in

2016 with help from real estate mentors. Her first lesson

was to find a house and renovate it so it appealed to the

widest possible group of potential buyers. Osborne’s first home was on the far northwest side of town. She up-

dated the kitchen and bathroom and added a new deck — however, it ended up needing a new roof.

After that experience, Osborne learned to look at

each potential structure critically, picking up home con-

struction knowledge from her mentors and experiences.

“There is a big shortage of starter affordable

homes,” she said. “That’s why I focus on updating homes in older, established neighborhoods.”

Dealing with contractors has been Osborne’s chal-

lenge. Her advice to those considering this career is to

supervise subcontractors closely and learn from profes-

sionals when it comes to inspecting homes. “I have high standards for the quality of work done in these houses, so I stay on site to ensure my standards are met,” she

said. “I also recommend you use professionals to help

you assess the condition of a potential home before you purchase it. Good deals on houses go quickly, so you have to act fast.”

Osborne cautions there is a steep learning curve to

flipping houses. “There’s the search, the offer, the pur-

chase, the insurance and utilities you’ll need while you’re working on the house, writing checks to your contrac-

tors on Fridays, making sure the rehab passes inspection

and marketing the house as you sell it,” she said. “If you

keep good records of every house you work on and what

you used to get the house purchased and rehabbed, you’ll have it at your fingertips so it’s not overwhelming the next time.”

Pinterest and Houzz are helpful sources for Os-

borne’s rehab projects. She does warn that the unex-

pected can happen, so it’s important to build cushions into schedule and budget to minimize stresses.

Osborne named her new business Wynn Win Flips

because her middle name is Wynn and the business name reflects her philosophy. “I want everyone to win — the

sellers of the house, the contractors, the purchasers and

the Realtor,” she said.

22 | sawoman.com

Amanda Fly

ORANGE PROPERTY

Amanda Fly settled in in San Antonio 13 years ago when her husband secured a contract with USAA and now lives close to her parents, who are from this area. While living in Atlanta, she and her husband bought an 80-year-old Craftsman-style house in a historic neighborhood that they restored. The process triggered her desire to restore old homes and led to her forming her own company.

After getting her real estate license, Fly flipped her first property in 2004, a fourplex in Alta Vista that an investor bought. “Investment real estate is a big field now, but when I started, there were fewer mentors, and I had none,” she said.

There are not a lot of women working in investment real estate who diversify and flip homes, manage rental properties, and handle traditional real estate sales, Fly said. “Lots of people come up to me and say they want to do what I do, but if what they want to do is design interiors, then interior design might be the better option to pursue,” she added.

She often assists sellers who need a quick sale and also works

with traditional homebuyers looking for the perfect house. For capital, she has many clients who invest, appreciating their steady, reliable return on an investment secured by real estate. “Flips are the

faster way to use an investor’s money; otherwise I hold a property for anywhere from one to five years,” Fly said.

The longest time Fly has spent renovating a house for flipping

was about three months, while her quickest flip was in two weeks. “I

did a flip in Georgia in 16 days, working from 6 a.m. to midnight

every day,” Fly said. “We gutted the rooms in a three-story house,

and I flew my tile guy out with me and found workers on site.” The most memorable flip was a 100-year-old home in Denver Heights,

which is next to Dignowity Hill. That house she had to rebuild from the studs while managing multiple parts of the renovation at the

same time. The bottom line, Fly says, is making the numbers work for an involved real estate investment business.

“Picking the cute stuff for the house is only about 15 percent of my time,” she said. “The rest is scheduling the workmen, finding the house, finding the investors, finding the buyers and sellers and checking the quality of the work.”

She advises those thinking about flipping to join networking

groups like the Alamo chapter of the Real Estate Investors Association. Fly met helpful people, and now she says yes to those asking the same questions she did when she first started.

“I like the idea of creating homes. I focus on residential proper-

ties, not commercial properties,” Fly said. “My focus is on flipping a property and bringing out the beauty of that home while helping those who need affordable housing.”

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LA VIDA LOCA in King William

24 | sawoman.com

CONTEMPORARY HOME IN A VICTORIAN NEIGHBORHOOD

By Robyn Barnes

Photography by Al Rendon

The King William Historic District in downtown San Antonio

dates back to the mid-19th century. Homes in this area range from

mute to work gig. They were wondering about a different lifestyle for

their later years. A trip to Europe confirmed for them that there was

classic Victorian to Greek Revival and Italianate design. Small cottages

a better way to live.

narrow old streets.

Mickey says. “They live, work and play in the same area. After work,

dents of Alamo Heights, they’d done the big house/raise the kids/com-

nearby. Everything is within walking distance.”

sit alongside mansions, and pedestrians and cars vie for space on the Mickey and Cyndee Conrad reside in King William. Former resi-

“We visited all these places where people walk to work every day,”

they walk to the grocery. On the weekends, they eat in small restaurants

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“We came home and started thinking about living in King

William,” Cyndee says. “ Mickey is an architect with LPA Inc., and

his office is here. I work part-time at Gathering Midtown Church

on Ashbey. King William made sense to us, so our Realtor started

looking here for us.”

“This was a vacant lot when we found it,” Mickey says. “Thirty years

ago, it was one of three houses in a row that burned down. The adjacent

homes were rebuilt, but this lot stayed empty. It wasn’t for sale, but our Realtor called the owner to make an offer and it was accepted.”

At 50 by 160 feet, the lot is deep and narrow. Mickey says it’s a

common lot size for the neighborhood but presents challenges in house

design. “We lost 10 feet of construction space because King William

mandates garages must be in the back of the home. Therefore, the driveway up the side of the house consumes space that otherwise might

have been used inside the house.

“We wanted to build something that was a contemporary response

to the Victorian homes nearby,” he says. “We collect early Texas antiques, and we wanted an appropriate setting for them. At the same

time, we wanted low maintenance, high energy efficiency and a ‘green’ approach to building materials.”

“We call it our urban farmhouse,” Cyndee chuckles.

“Mickey is into being ‘green,’” she adds. “This house is certified as

LEED Gold, which means it has achieved the second-highest rating

granted by the U.S. Green Building Council for homes using sustainable construction techniques. The City of San Antonio also gave him a

Green Building Award in 2013.”

The materials list includes a foundation set on recycled concrete;

insulation with a continuous thermal barrier; high-efficiency windows

and A/C units; skylights for natural light; and high-efficiency appli-

their Alamo Heights home on the market, it sold. “Three days after

we listed it, we sold it,” he recalls. “We had to be out right away. We

ances. Water-conserving toilets, faucets and showerheads were in-

put most of our belongings in storage and moved into the guest house

rice factory, is used throughout the home. A large cistern in the back

“And the funny thing was, we never missed all the stuff in storage!”

stalled. Longleaf pine plank flooring, reclaimed from an old Alabama

yard collects rain runoff from the main house and the guest house out back. The runoff is used to water the xeriscape garden.

Mickey notes that all the interior doors are Supa doors manufac-

tured in San Antonio. The company creates custom-made products

using slabs of wood and special routers to make environmentally friendly doors.

But before the awards and the construction came the design and

choice of Stephen Jackson as the builder. “This floor plan is conceptual

plan number seven,” says Mickey. “I wanted an open floor plan with

easy flow from room to room.”

“I like walls, I didn’t want it wide open, so we compromised.”

Quick Sale, Fast Move

Construction began at the rear of the lot on the guest house. Look-

ing back, Mickey says that was fortunate, because soon after they put 26 | sawoman.com

just as it was finished.”

Cyndee exclaims.

Shotgun Layout

The home is a traditional Texas shotgun design, with rooms

arranged one behind the other and doors at either end.

Crossing the home’s threshold leads into the Conrads’ formal din-

ing room. “Our formal dining room serves as a foyer and a display for our Meyer pottery,” Mickey says. “When we couldn’t afford a big piece

of furniture for previous homes, we’d buy a piece of Meyer pottery. It’s

the Tupperware of yesteryear!”

Meyer pottery is unique because of the Atascosa County clay used to

make it. This rare clay gives the stoneware color variations ranging from

brown to mustard yellow to yellow/green. The signature of a Meyer pot

lies in the handle, which always has a thumbprint on it. This stoneware is highly sought after by collectors and is increasingly difficult to find.

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The Conrads’ collection ranges from small bowls to chicken feeders

and large pots. The pride of the collection consists of inches-high pots on a shelf in the foyer and powder room.

“These items were made for San Antonio gift shops,” Mickey says.

“San Antonio scenes were hand-painted on them and sold to tourists.”

Like their larger brethren, these miniatures are hard to come by.

The formal dining room was designed around a handmade longleaf

pine table seating six. Natural light flows in from the tall windows sep-

arating the room from the front porch. Edison Lighting from Pottery

Barn drops from the ceiling. A punched tin pie safe fronts a narrow wall separating the room from the kitchen and great room beyond.

Adjacent to the dining room and staircase is a small sitting room.

Furnished with a chair and small sofa, it houses a smaller pie safe that

once held the couple’s television. “We don’t spend much time in here,”

Mickey says. “Mostly it’s for overflow when we have parties.”

A Really Great Room

The kitchen and living area are where the couple spend most of

their time. The shiplap walls are new lumber, whitewashed with a combination of mineral spirits and cream-colored paint used for the

kitchen cabinets. The wooden beams and ceiling over the kitchen are actually the subfloor for the second story.

The kitchen is simple, with an island surfaced in Caesarstone. All

the appliances are placed behind cabinet doors or in sliding drawers

so the kitchen always looks presentable and wasted counter space is diminished. The gas stove and range

hood are from Aga, a British manu-

facturer, and were sourced from

Homewerks.

“You can see that we’re able to

cook and clean using minimum ef-

fort,” Cyndee says.

“The kitchen

table is on the other side of the island,

so it’s just a few steps to serve a meal.

When we have a party, it’s easy for

guests to gather round while we prepare food or clean up.”

Against the wall and adjacent to

the kitchen table sits a bench. At least it looks like a bench, but it’s ac-

tually a Mennonite trundle bed. “We

had a foldable mattress made that fit

right into the bed,” Mickey says.

“When our daughters were little, this

is where they slept when the grand-

parents came to stay for a visit. They

loved sleeping here.”

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Across the room is a primitive Texas buffet with a legend attached.

“We bought this at the Burley Auction Gallery in New Braunfels,”

Mickey says. “We were told it belonged to Ima Hogg, daughter of

James Hogg, who was an early governor of Texas.”

“But we can’t prove that,” Cyndee points out.

The buffet holds a set of Franciscan ware in the apple pattern that

belonged to Mickey’s great-aunt. “We don’t use it often because it is

children’s picture book and family photos.

The guest house initially was conceived as a private retreat for

the Conrads’ visitors. Over time it has morphed into Cyndee’s stu-

dio. “I have an Etsy shop called Half Pint Fauna,” she says. “I design small animal cake toppers for birthdays, showers and a variety of

other things.“

reputed to have a lot of lead in it,” Cyndee says.

Major Lifestyle Shift

swivel chairs and a couch made for relaxing. “Some of the things in

change in lifestyle.

from local artists. The painting leaning on the top of the pie safe is by

rants, to the new HEB for groceries. For the King William Fair, which

The living area is a bright clutter-free space with three comfortable

here came from Vogt Auction Galleries,” Mickey says. “And the art is

The real story behind the house, according to the Conrads, is the “We walk everywhere,” Cyndee says. “We walk to work, to restau-

Robert Quill Johnson, a local artist who was my junior high school Eng-

happens near here, we are sequestered for 24 hours. No cars on the

He later became famous for his paintings of quail and roadrunners.”

with a front row seat and a party.”

lish teacher. He was just beginning painting when he did that piece.

Across the room is the big-screen television, cleverly hidden behind

a mounted folding cabinet Mickey made from leftover flooring.

street. We have a front row seat for the parade, and we provide friends “We see it as a way to serve the vendors who participate in these

events,” Mickey says. “We meet new ones every year. We can provide

The master suite receives natural light through several large win-

a cold drink and access to a clean bathroom for them. In return, we

queen-size four poster bed came from Horse of a Different Color; the

“We don’t use a car to go anywhere downtown anymore,” he con-

dows. The high ceiling slopes down toward the back of the house. The bedside table and antique armoire were sourced from other retailers.

At the foot of the bed is a custom-made shelving and dresser unit cre-

ated from leftover longleaf pine. The cabinet holds a small television,

30 | sawoman.com

make new friends.”

tinues. “If we want to go to Rivercenter for a movie, we call Uber. It’s

so nice to have quick access to the best downtown can offer, right outside our door.”

NEW GARAGE DOORS QUICKLY BOOST CURB APPEAL WHILE PROVIDING TOP RETURNS AMONG HOME IMPROVEMENTS Remodeling Magazine’s 2018 Cost Vs. Value Report shows new garage doors offer highest return on investment among home improvements SAN ANTONIO – There’s one home improvement that offers a great return on investment while instantly boosting curb appeal: a new garage door.

New garage doors have the highest return on investment of any home improvement project in the nation, according to Remodeling Magazine’s 2018 Cost Vs. Value Report, which shows new garage doors recoup an average 98.3 of their cost upon resale, up 18.6 percent over last year.

Among upscale home improvements, garage door replacements cost an average of $3,470, recouping $3,411 of the cost upon resale.

Each year Remodeling Magazine compares average costs for popular remodeling projects with the value those projects retain at resale in 100 U.S. markets. More information is available at www.costvsvalue.com.

In addition, few upgrades have the immediate visual impact of a new garage door. With a variety of styles and looks available, there’s a door for every exterior. Homeowners can take advantage of numerous advances in materials such as insulated garage doors that offer savings on energy costs and keep garages more comfortable. Other new features include smartphone technology that al-

lows homeowners to control their garage doors and even home lights with the tap of a finger.

“A new garage door offers one of the strongest returns on investment of any home improvement, in addition to being one of the fastest and easiest upgrades to make,” said Randy Oliver, president of Hollywood-Crawford Door Co. “That’s great news for those thinking about selling their homes or anyone who just wants to enjoy their home more.”

Hollywood-Crawford Door Company has been providing exceptional garage door products and exceeding their customers’ expectations since 1947. They offer a complete line of quality residential and commercial overhead garage doors and openers.

Hollywood-Crawford is a member of the Greater San Antonio Builders' Association, a charter member of the International Door Association, an international organization of garage door dealers and suppliers, and is the only garage door dealer in San Antonio accredited by the Institute of Door Dealer Education and Accreditation (IDEA), the only independent and nationally recognized accreditation organization for garage door dealers.

Check out the latest styles and features along with a custom garage door design tool online at www.hollywoodcrawford.com.

march/april 2018 | 31

32 | sawoman.com

THE DOSSIER

Focus: Interior Design

Spring is the time to refresh our surroundings, and these local professionals are prepared to assist with any and all changes. Before you go forward, spend some time meeting these interior design companies in San Antonio Woman’s Dossier.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

THE DOSSIER

Focus: Interior Design

Finishing Touches 12087 Starcrest • San Antonio, TX 78247 • 210-525-9333 • Kelly Scully, Interior Designer, Business Owner www.finishingtouches-sa.com SPECIALTY: Anyone can select a fabric or a pick a sofa, what we

HONORS: Best of Houzz; Summit Award Winner — several years;

do is truly listen to the client. Getting inside someone’s head to

San Antonio Parade of Homes Winner — several years; Austin

find out how they’re going to live in the home is key. We excel in

Parade of Homes Winner — several years; Texas Star Awards; HGTV.

not only the design but the relationship, I hope to make each

BEST ADVICE TO A PROSPECTIVE CUSTOMER: Communication

client a friend who will love their home!

is a key ingredient with a mixture of trust. It is truly a relationship

EXPERIENCE: 25 years of excitement discovering what makes

and we desire for everyone to have fun and enjoy the journey.

each project unique.

Interior Trade Cartel 930 Proton • Suite 303 • San Antonio, TX 78258 • 210-494-1602 •Lazaro Fernandez, Owner • Peggy Zettner, President interiortradecartel.com SPECIALTY: Customer Service is our Number One Priority! Every

those who will live or work there.

member of our ITC team has been formerly educated and trained

HONORS: ASID Designer Choice Awards; 2014 Showroom of the

in Interior Design giving them the knowledge to handle any project.

Year; 2015 Most Involved in Design Community; 2016 Best Furniture

Every staff member has been extensively trained on the products

and Accessories; 2016 Best Overall Showroom; 2017 Best Customer

we represent. The staff is always ready to find the best options for

Service/Sales Team; 2017 Best Accessories and Art; 2017 Best Furni-

design professionals.

ture; 2017 Best Overall Showroom: A+ Rating at BBB since 2011.

EXPERIENCE: 21 years of offering beautiful options in fabric, wall-

BEST ADVICE TO A PROSPECTIVE CLIENT: Ask yourself what

coverings, flooring, window coverings, furniture, accessories, lighting

you hope to achieve for the space and what is your realistic

and bedding available at every price point. ITC was the first multi

budget. Interview several designers and get recommendations.

level showroom to the trade to offer the vast amount of product to

It’s important to like and communicate well with your designer.

the designers in San Antonio. We love to work within a budget to

Spend a little time getting to know him or her before you commit

provide the designer a pleasing, functional space which reflects

to working together.

THE DOSSIER

Focus: Interior Design

Cabinetry Designs 4400 Broadway • Ste.107 • San Antonio, TX 78209 • 210-832-0990 • Gene M. Philipps, President • Cortney Ryan, Designer www.cabinetrydesigns.com SPECIALTY: Superior Custom Manufactured Cabinetry Lines

HONORS: CKD (Certified Kitchen Designer): CAPS (Certified

including Wood-Mode/Brookhaven.

Aging in Place Specialist); Honored Wood-Mode/ Brookhaven

EXPERIENCE: Gene Phillips has been designing/selling Wood-

Cabinet Dealer; NKBA Member: and NARI Member.

Mode for over 50 years, including, extensive experience in

BEST ADVICE TO A PROSPECTIVE CLIENT: Hire a professional

Construction Management and Planning. He loves working with

kitchen expert with the ability to optimize your space because a

interior designers, architects, and builders who cater to discerning

good design is the key to a good work flow and aesthetic in any

clients. We are proud to represent Wood Mode, a family owned

kitchen or room. By using a higher end cabinet line the lifespan

Company in Central Pennsylvania that has been around since 1942.

of the cabinets and quality construction improves your home’s

Wood-Mode practices environmental sustainability. Wood-Mode's

value as well as overall quality of life. Using a custom cabinet

Furniture grade lumber is hand-selected, then seasoned and kiln-

manufacturer, like Wood-Mode ensures a furniture quality finish,

dried on site until it meets the standards of use for fine furniture.

built to last construction and a lifetime warranty.

Jana Ward Interiors & Clear Choice Remodeling Clear Choice Remodeling: 5139 N. Loop 1604 W., San Antonio, TX 78249 • (210) 377-0259 Jana Ward Interiors: 111 W. Rhapsody, San Antonio, TX 78216 • (210) 524-1013 www.clearchoicesa.com SPECIALTY: Jana Ward is an Interior Designer who designs and

best remodel between $50,000 and $75,000; and, won "Grand

completes the construction (if needed) for clients remodeling their

Remodeler of the Year" in 2016, 2017. Jana Ward Interiors was

homes, and also provides furnishings and window treatments.

listed #6, of the top ten designers in the greater San Antonio area

EXPERIENCE: For over 20 years, Jana has created beautiful func-

by San Antonio Architects in February 2018.

tional spaces and loves to see the look in a satisfied customers’

BEST ADVICE TO A PROSPECTIVE CLIENT: Use the internet to not

eyes when a project is complete.

only see what's "trending" but figure out what you like. Have a de-

HONORS: Clear Choice Remodeling has won over 15 Summit

sign idea page on Pinterest or Houzz to save time during the design

Awards from the Greater San Antonio Builders Association for

process. All we need to know are likes and dislikes and a little about

categories ranging from best remodel project under $25,000 to

your lifestyle in order to create the perfect design package.

THE DOSSIER

Focus: Interior Design

Twin Sisters Interiors Serving San Antonio, Boerne, Austin and the Hill Country Principal Owners and Designers: Theresa Naramore and Cheryl Green • 210-386-2009 • twinsistersinteriors.com SPECIALTY: Our clients have discovered the benefit of design by

necessarily ours, we find the allure in their style and maximize it.

identical twins with different talents.

We bring a balanced

HONORS: Our work has been featured in numerous publications

approach, with opposite styles which are quite complimentary.

such as The San Antonio Express News and we’ve appeared on

Clients benefit from the Yin and the Yang, and the custom

SA Live and Great Day SA. We were recently voted Best Interior

elements brought into each project. Cheryl is an accomplished

Designer in the City (by the readers of San Antonio Magazine).

painter and Theresa builds art and furniture from reclaimed

BEST ADVICE TO A PROSPECTIVE CLIENT: The best advice we

wood. It’s a safe bet that our client will end up with a one-of-a-

could give to a prospect is to be open and honest with your designer.

kind piece in their home.

Do not worry about hurt feelings or judgment or saying the wrong

EXPERIENCE: For seven years, we have been excited about

thing. Open communication is essential for a successful project.

projects which stretch our abilities. When a client’s tastes aren’t

Purple W

fashion

Pretty in

How to make the Color of

Purple, violet, lavender.

Whatever you call it, the shade is either a favorite or a loathed enemy of fashionistas everywhere.

It signifies royalty, luxury, and youth to many.

So when Pantone chose “Ultra Violet” as their 2018 Color of the Year, many took it to be a symbol of better times ahead. Hope for a brighter future, despite the heaviness of 2017.

Designers have responded with light, bright and cheery designs that will turn even the most critical purple naysayer into a raving fan.

40 | sawoman.com

the Year work for Spring

By Aquila Mendez-Valdez

Here’s how to pull it off:

A STELLAR BAG You could certainly go for bolder purple choices than this Furla mini crossbody, but the slightly holographic metallic sheen is what gets me. It’s a small handbag, which is on trend, but it also means it won’t take away too much from the rest of your outfit. Available at Saks Fifth Avenue, it’s that touch of luxe and lightheartedness that makes it an easy day-to-evening choice.

A LIGHT LIP Though purple eyeshadow can be gorgeous when done right, for those of us who are not professional makeup artists, a bold lip is the easiest way to incorporate color without going overboard. This Clinique Chubby Stick Baby Tint is a very subtle hint of violet without bringing raves to mind. It’s also hyper-moisturizing, fragrance-free, and the Flowering Freesia shade adapts to your skin tone to make purple work for everyone.

fashion calendar March 1 Runway San Antonio San Antonio Food Bank 6:30 – 9:30pm

April 5 – 6 David Jeffrey Evening Handbag Trunk Show Julian Gold

March 6 – 7 Kent Stetson Artist & Handbag Designer: Personal Appearance Julian Gold

April 8 D’Anthony Salon & Spa’s Pa25ion – Celebrating 25 years of Hair | Beauty | Fashion | Music | Art Proceeds benefit The Battered Women & Children Shelter of San Antonio Cowboys Dancehall 6pm

March 8 – 9 Denim Days Julian Gold

A COLORFUL EARFUL Shop Treasure Jewels is a San Antonio-based jewelry line that’s making waves. Handmade by women in Colombia, these bold and beautiful statement earrings will wow everyone you meet. Their multicolor versions are especially perfect for Fiesta, but these lavender versions could be worn with a gray knit sweater, white leggings and booties for a transitional Spring look that’s fresh, not frumpy. Find their pieces at boutiques across San Antonio or via their website.

A FEMININE STRUT Handcrafted in Italy, these Dries Van Noten brocade booties from Saks Fifth Avenue are certainly going to turn heads, but your feet will appreciate the chunky heel and flattering ankle height. Pair with a shift dress, leather leggings, or a midi skirt for an ultra violet ray of sunshine in your wardrobe. The price tag of $650 is worth the gorgeous embroidery and skill involved in their creation, and future generations of style mavens will be coveting these without a doubt.

You may notice there is a noticeably absent feature in this roundup: clothes!

This ultra violet shade can be tough to pull off in large swaths of fabric, and there’s no telling how long it will stay on trend, so it’s much more advisable to incorporate it into the highlights and accessories of an outfit, rather than go too far. But if Pantone has anything to say about it, we can all look forward to a fun, and fashionable, 2018.

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March 15 – 16 Dan Sharp – Vintage Jewelry Trunk Show Julian Gold

April 12 – 13 Camilla Designer Trunk Show Julian Gold

March 18 SA Queen of the South 50th Anniversary – Generation Brunch Fashion Show Omni San Antonio at the Colonnade 11am – 2pm

April 15 11th Annual FashionABLE Fashion Show for Children with Disabilities O’Connor High School Auditorium 1:30pm

March 18 – 24 Beauty Trend Week Nordstrom The Shops at La Cantera

April 18 The Cutting Edge Fiesta Fashion Show Rosenberg Sky Room 6pm

March 21 Business of Fashion Mixer Fashion Group International San Antonio Location: TBD March 22 – 23 Judith Leiber Hand Bag Trunk Show Julian Gold March 23 Marisol Deluna Foundation 1st Annual Community Fashion Show San Antonio Garden Center 1 – 3pm March 24 Foxhole to Fashion: The Pink Berets Troops to Suits Fashion Show Double Diamond Equestrian Center 7 – 10pm

march/april 2018 | 41

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beauty

By Aquila Mendez-Valdez

PHOTO BY MOLLY CULVER

According to Skin Care

Industry News, Americans

spend over $43 billion per year

on their skin. Plumping it,

shrinking it, poking it.

We do whatever we can to

keep the Fountain of Youth

flowing, and facials may be one of the most common

services your esthetician may

recommend for a variety of ailments. Skin is too dry?

Try a hydrating facial.

Wrinkles setting in? Try an exfoliating peel. Whatever

your goal, chances are there’s a facial for that. The options

are myriad, but who’s to know what’s actually effective?

There are four rules to live by when you decide it’s time to face up to a facial: Check the ingredients.

age-old idea that facials can bring toxins

check the ingredients lists of products be-

out — is that a possibility you should be

What brands is the spa using? Can you forehand? If the scientific-sounding

names bring visions of rashes, ask your es-

aware of?

thetician to explain what they are. Not all

Check the results.

And, of course, discuss any allergies or

tations regarding the lasting effects of

chemicals are bad; some just sound like it. sensitivities with your esthetician before-

hand. The more information they have, the better!

Check the perks.

It’s also imperative to have realistic expecyour facial. Of course, most spas will cau-

tion that the best results will happen after regular appointments, but if you’re more of a one-and-done type of person, what should you be looking for? Minimized

Since facials will cost you some of your

pores? Less oil in the T-Zone? Discuss

what the service includes. If there’s a

one walks away disheartened.

be welcome before things start to get awk-

Above all, Hiatus lead esthetician Hillary

Pearl, facials include a purifying foot soak,

matter what. “Facials are greatly beneficial

hard-earned money, it’s important to ask lounge area at the spa, how long will you

ward? For example, at Hiatus Spa in The aromatherapy, foot massage, hand mas-

sage and facial and shoulder massage. The entire experience should be relaxing from

with your esthetician beforehand so no

Robinson says some things are true no

for guests of all ages,” she explains. “However, our skin and our skin’s needs change throughout our lifespan. Age, skin con-

start to finish!

cerns and skin health goals are all factors

Check the down time.

start getting facials, frequency of facials

Most estheticians will recommend not

wearing makeup for at least the rest of the day after a facial. But should you antici-

pate redness? Irritation? There’s also the 42 | sawoman.com

to the surface and therefore cause a break-

to consider when determining when to and types of services. No matter what

skin type or age, however, consistent use

of antioxidant serums and sunscreen is absolutely nonnegotiable for healthy skin.”

fabfinds

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PEÑALOZA & SONS

A Finger Mate expandable ring shank replaces the existing shank on your ring, opens to go over knuckles, then locks closed in the wearing position. Available in 14K or platinum, from $300.

At Peñaloza & Sons.

2001 N.W. Military Hwy.

210.340.3536

penalozaandsons.com

JUNK STAR DESIGNS

CUSTOM HANDCRAFTED TRANSITIONAL DINING “Love the dining room you design.”

Hours: 10-5p Tues-Sat, 12-6p Sunday, Closed Monday

140 Fredericksburg Road

210.449.7960

IT’S A GLOW

It’s a GLOW specializes in unique decorative items made from a natural stone called Honeycomb Calcite.

The stone is translucent and emits a soothing glow when lit with candles, LED’s, or electric lights.

Announcing the opening of our RiverWalk Boutique featuring ladies fashions.

It’s a Glow and RiverWalk Boutique

314 N Presa St

210.444.2456 It’s a Glow Fredericksburg 322 E Main St, Fredericksburg, TX

830.990.4300

itsaglow.com march/april 2018 | 43

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role model

UTSA’s New Athletic Director Charts a Unique Course ... Her Way! LISA CAMPOS

By Dawn Robinette Photography by David Teran

44 | sawoman.com

athletic director there — the job she tried to

350 student athletes and a budget of

dents at UTEP and was happy with what she

brought her to her current position includes a

graduate program she applied to at the last

minute and a job she tried to turn down. She

now serves as Vice President for Intercolle-

giate Athletics and Athletics Director at the

University of Texas at San Antonio.

“I grew up in a town of 3,000. There were

48 people in my graduating class. I did not

was doing. “I said no, I’m not interested.

End of story.”

But then she called her mentors. “They

told me that athletics needs more people with your background and with a student affairs

perspective. I knew I would never have the

opportunity again, so I jumped in and have never regretted it,” she says.

The similarities between her student af-

grow up in the world of Division I athletics, I

fairs and athletics roles make it seem as if her

giate athletics,” she explains. “I definitely fol-

the perfect plan: “It’s about serving students,

did not grow up in the world of intercollelowed a nontraditional career path.”

That doesn’t seem to have slowed her

down. Campos came to San Antonio from

Northern Arizona University (NAU), where she led the NAU Lumberjacks’ athletic de-

partment. During her tenure, NAU captured

nontraditional career path into athletics was

putting them in the best position to graduate, to be successful personally. And in this world, to be a champion athletically as well.”

With all of the success she’s had in other

programs, what drew her to UTSA? “Looking

at the success this program has had—particu-

32 Big Sky and Western Athletic Conference

larly in football, in such a short amount of

NCAA postseason competition, including the

sleeping giant. And how could you not love

championships, and nine teams advanced to first NCAA Division I championship in

school history, won by the men’s cross-coun-

time — there is so much potential. This is a San Antonio?” she asks with a smile.

When Campos was named to her position

try team in 2016.

at Northern Arizona University, she became

gree in business administration and her mas-

country to lead a Division I program at the

Campos earned both her bachelor’s de-

ter’s degree in student affairs in higher

education from Colorado State. “It was by

happenstance that someone recommended

the graduate program to me and that I was

accepted,” she says.

“I’m a first-generation college graduate. My

parents had never set foot on a college campus.

That’s why I think my background has led me

into higher education,” she explains.

“ What really motivates

me and drives me is serving students.

Being a small part of their life and positively impacting their success … hopefully being a leader for them. “

She also holds a doctorate in educational

leadership from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), a degree she earned while

stepping into her role as senior associate

of the many books she’s read on mother-

hood, leadership and more. “There’s no such

thing as balance, it’s all about priorities,“ she

explains. “I’ve really taken on that philoso-

phy. The staff and coaches that I’ve worked

with know that my family is a major priority.

That’s not just my blood family, but my ath-

letic family as well.

“ One of the first things

I learned early on was being very clear about your core values and being driven by those core values every day.

Campos core values: “Definitely family,

definitely integrity. Inclusivity and diversity and making sure that people are included.

Loyalty and personal growth. I think it’s so

important to invest in the people that work

with you and invest in yourself and continue to learn and grow.”

That helped fuel her pursuit of her doc-

toral degree. She was also training for a

marathon at the same time. “I wasn’t a mom

one of 26 females and the youngest in the

yet, so I had some extra time, but I look back

time. She now serves on the board for

through it. Every statistic says I shouldn’t

Women Leaders in College Sports. “I think

being a woman adds a little bit of a different perspective,” she says.

“I read a lot about motherhood and rais-

ing a son. When you look at these books, it’s just about how you treat people, how you

have empathy for people and you listen to

people,” she explains. “It’s very relevant to

everyday life, not just to raising a great son.”

She’s working to do that with her husband,

Darren D’Attilio, as they raise their 3-and-ahalf-year-old son, Christopher. Christopher

has already fallen in love with UTSA mascot Rowdy the Roadrunner, a friendly face he’ll

see a lot of as he cheers on UTSA with mom.

Thanks to the year-round nature of NCAA sports, part of their family time is spent at

games, matches and more. “He’s either going

to love athletics or hate it, it’s not going to be anything in between,” she says.

Campos manages her packed schedule

with her priorities in mind, thanks to some-

thing the avid reader took to heart from one

and think, ‘How did I survive?’ But you get

have even earned an undergraduate degree, so

earning that doctorate is something I’m proud of,” she says.

Campos likes to take things head on. “I

embrace challenges and see them as an op-

portunity,” she explains, and she applies that

to her professional life. “I see myself as a

builder.

“ Obviously there will be

challenges, but you make sure you have a great staff and people who are bought into the vision and strategy you have in place, having everyone come together to find solutions to overcome the challenges.

“

$30 million, it’s hard to believe the road that

turn down. She was assistant dean of stu-

“

hen you hear that Lisa Campos

oversees a full-time staff of 125 plus

Based on her track record, there’s no

doubt she’ll continue turning challenges into opportunities at UTSA.

march/april 2018 | 45

46 | sawoman.com

About

INCARNATE WORD HIGH SCHOOL

High standards of academic success have filled the hallways of Incarnate Word High School (IWHS) since its founding in

1881. The robust curriculum and modular schedule is designed to challenge college-bound students with an instructional

program that provides scheduled classes as well as “open lab” time for research, testing and consulting with faculty. While

highly competitive in athletics and the arts, service also plays an important role in the formation of the IWHS students.

Over the past three years, students have provided over 100,000 hours of service to the community. Equally important is our campus ministry program which provides opportunities for students to grow in their faith through retreats and liturgies

offered throughout the year. Committed to offering students a global experience, study abroad opportunities are available in Japan, through the Kumamoto Exchange Program, and in Germany, at UIW’s European Study Center in Heidelberg.

Be it the unique schedule, strong academics, competitive athletic program, numerous club and extracurricular offerings,

enriching fine arts program or the sense of sisterhood that has existed for 136 years, there is truly something for everyone

at Incarnate Word.

For admission information, contact Debbie Quinones, IWHS Director of Admissions at (210) 829-3123 or IWHSEnroll@uiwtx.edu.

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mommy matters

Teaching our children to love and appreciate San Antonio

By Pamela V. Miller

ricentennial celebrations are in full swing with an array of events spanning history and education, arts and culture, community service and finally, a look into our city’s future.

It’s an exciting time in San Antonio, but this rare, 300-year event is about more than just celebrations.

It’s about embracing everything San Antonio has to offer, and there has never been a better time to instill a sense of appreciation for community and city history in our children.

There is so much more to our beloved city than can be taught in a classroom, and the best way to harness a love for our home is to get our children out there and experiencing it for themselves.

From historical points of interest to modern art exhibitions and festivals, San Antonio is presenting to the world the culturally rich and expansive layers on which it is built. The only challenge that exists is deciding where to start.

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So where do you start?

Three important aspects of the Tricentennial celebration are our city’s past, present and future. There are a number of events covering each area that are family-friendly, and all are great ways to rediscover our city.

If you’re ready to give your children more reasons to love San Antonio, here are some age-appropriate ideas to get you started:

Ages 0-5

PAST: Get right to the heart of it! With so much to see and do, your little ones will love a walk through downtown, and it’s a great way to expose children to the history and culture of San Antonio. Whether you’re stopping to read inscriptions at the River Walk, giving a short explanation on the significance of the Alamo, touring the Missions, shopping around El Mercado or catching a performance at Arneson River Theatre, you are exposing them to everything that is significant and unique about San Antonio. Getting them familiar with these places, images and culture is a great way to begin instilling an appreciation for their city. They’ll start to recognize it as home.

PRESENT: Pack up your little ones and head over to Port San Antonio on April 21 to celebrate Fiesta de los Niños. Your little ones will love to experience a day created especially

We already know San Antonio is one of the best places to live, and after exploring it for themselves, our children will, too. for them by their city. This family-friendly cultural celebration is part of San Antonio’s Fiesta and is a great way for little ones to partake in the festivities.

FUTURE: The DoSeum focuses on helping to develop what’s most important to our future — our children. It’s a great place for kids in San Antonio to learn while having fun, and their Maker Programs and STEMcentered exhibits are setting up San Antonio’s youngest for success in the future.

Ages 6-8

PAST: Take a tour of the San Antonio Missions National Park and embark on a scavenger hunt with your little San Antonian.

This self-guided historical journey will help children to understand the history of our city.

A scavenger hunt activity book can be picked up at the Visitor Center or found online at https://www.nps.gov/saan/learn/kidsyouth/ind ex.htm. Upon completion, children earn a Junior Ranger badge and gain a wealth of knowledge of the history of San Antonio!

PRESENT: Stop by the San Antonio Museum of Art and check out the Spring Break Family Day: City Colorific on March 13. This event includes free admission to the museum, Tricentennial-themed family activities and an exhibition of unique visual art pieces that tell a story of San Antonio’s past, present or future created by students in grades K-12.

FUTURE: Support the Junior League of San Antonio and take part in the ¡VIVA! San Antonio Race, a competitive 5k/10k walking event for adults and 1k for kids at Hemisfair Park. Following the race is a family-friendly celebration complete with

entertainment, food and drink. This event is registered with the Mayor’s Fitness Council and is part of an initiative to transform San Antonio into a healthier and more active community.

Ages 9-12

PAST: Chances are that your child has already been to the Alamo, but have they experienced the battle? Have you? For a chance to experience the battle and view 250-plus artifacts recovered from it, head over to Rivercenter Mall and check out Battle for Texas: The Experience. This interactive adventure takes you back in time to “experience” the historic battle. For more information, go to http://battlefortexas.com.

PRESENT: On April 29, stop by Alamo Stadium to see 300 Years of San Antonio — 5ft At A Time, an exhibition of 1,500 feet of artwork created by 300 San Antonio schools, each commemorating one year in San Antonio’s 300-year history within 5 feet of space.

FUTURE: Building a strong community means helping each other out. Check out the San Antonio Food Bank for volunteer opportunities, and have your child give back to the community. They’ll come to appreciate all of the hard work and kindness they see from fellow citizens, and they’ll be happy to know they’re making a difference in their community, too.

Ages 13+

PAST: Stop by the Witte Museum and check out Confluence and Culture: 300 Years of San Antonio History. This experience includes a look at artifacts, a gallery theater and interactive experiences that display how early Spanish settlement influenced San Antonio to become what it is today.

PRESENT: Common Currents is an exhibition of 300 works of art by 300 artists, each commemorating one of the 300 years of San Antonio’s existence. This is a wonderful exhibition to help your older ones appreciate San Antonio’s modern-day artists.

FUTURE: The San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology (SAMSAT) is a great destination for families to see the progress that has been made in science and technology

and get a glimpse of where San Antonio is headed in the future. The aim of SAMSAT is to put San Antonio on the map when it comes to science and technology, and their programs are designed to help inform and educate. Find out what the future in STEM looks like and what it means for San Antonio.

Finally, one of the best events in San Antonio that is rich in culture, history and fun for all ages is Fiesta. Browse all the Fiesta events at https://www.fiesta-sa.org/official-fiesta-eventcalendar/ and show your kiddos how the community comes together to celebrate in San Antonio.

Showing appreciation for the city’s history, culture and community doesn’t need to stop here. Keep the enthusiasm going! It doesn’t need to be Fiesta or Tricentennial to learn more about our city. Whether it be cuisine, an art exhibition or festival that you’ve never been to before, try something new and embrace the diversity and culture in our community. The more you explore, the more they’ll learn and come to love San Antonio and all it has to offer.

Looking for educational ways to celebrate San Antonio at home? A collection of educational resources, to include lesson plans and field trip ideas, can be found on the Tricentennial website: https://www.sanantonio300.org/educator-resources. march/april 2018 | 49

H-E-B is proud to serve as the Local Title Sponsor for the Susan G. Komen San Antonio Race for the Cure for the past 16 years.

We are passionate about supporting Komen San Antonio in their fight against breast cancer, because we know that the battle is something that impacts so many of our H-E-B Partners and customers, H-E-B is committed to finding an end to cancer through our partnerships with organizations like Susan G. Komen San Antonio.

Team H-E-B

Dear Friends: As honorary chair of the 21st Annual Susan G. Komen San Antonio Race for the Cure, I invite you to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer by supporting this important event as a participant or a donor.

All of us have some connection to this terrible disease — as a survivor, friend or family member of a survivor, or to remember someone who lost the fight to breast cancer. On May 5, 2018, thousands of us will come together at the Alamodome to have fun, raise money, and show our support for this cause.

In the pages that follow, you can read about how your contribution will benefit those affected by breast cancer right here in San Antonio. Please register or donate by going to komensanantonio.org.

We’ve made considerable progress in this battle.

Help us get to the finish line and find a cure.

Adel Hernández 2018 Honorary Race Chair 10 Year Breast Cancer Survivor

A SPECIAL SECTION FOR SAN ANTONIO WOMAN

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A SPECIAL SECTION FOR SAN ANTONIO WOMAN

Komen San Antonio created the Community Profile to become more responsive to breast cancer healthcare gaps and ensure that everyone has the opportunity receive the breast cancer care and services they need. *Service map at right shows Susan G. Komen San Antonio Priority Areas. For the published Community Profile report, please visit komensanantonio.org.

In 2018,

Susan G. Komen San Antonio was started in 1997 by a group of local survivors. Since then, we have invested $19.1 million in the metropolitan area for our neighbors, friends, and loved ones who have no other options for breast cancer care.

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Desaree LaMacchia In 2009, at 48 years young my mother, Cindee, was diagnosed with Stage II invasive breast cancer. Before my mother’s diagnoses, no one close to me affected by cancer. We never suspected that my mother would be affected because we didn’t know our family history. I was poorly educated on cancer and how it will change your life…forever. I was certain my mom was going to BEAT IT. I watched my mother fight her toughest battle with complete grit and fight.

She lost both her breasts and all her hair.

She was losing herself as a beautiful woman to this ugly disease. It wasn’t an easy road, but she did it.

In January 2016, she ended up in the hospital. Unfortunately, they found cancer lesions on her brain.

This last diagnosis was special to me, since I was pregnant with my first child and her first grandbaby.

We spent every day together. She rubbed my belly daily and said my son was “her baby.” She started treatment before my son’s birth. On the day of my delivery she wanted to cancel, I told her, “No mama, I need you…plus I may be in labor awhile so we have time.” We both laughed. She was there helping me and my hubby during delivery. I knew she was tired, but she never let on. She always told me to finish strong. I am so grateful our son came when he did. A daily reason for her to fight.

“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

We spent the month in the hospital with my newborn. She was able to hold “her baby”, play with his toes and talk about things they were going to do. During this time, we made promises to each other. She wanted to help cancer patients finish strong. On April 30, 2016 she passed away.

Death is a lonely place at any age, especially when a life is cut too short. A co-worker who lost her mother to breast cancer told me, “It doesn’t ever get easy, but you just kind of thaw out.” As you thaw you get perspective, you regain your hope, love, and will to live. God blessed me with my amazing family and friends who support us. They helped me get out of a hole of grief. We weren’t going to settle for anything other than God’s best and finishing our race strong.

We became involved with Komen San Antonio after my mom’s first diagnosis in 2011. In 2017, we created the team Finish Strong for Cindee. I did this to fulfill those promises to my mother, to pick myself up, and get back to being me. Today, team Finish Strong for Cindee is active in Komen’s Race for the Cure. And I am honored to be on the local Komen board.

To those affected by cancer, don’t give up…you got this. It is 90% a mental challenge and 10% physical. Keep your mind, heart and soul right. Daily feed it God’s Word and be surrounded by those who encourage you. God has you and He is fighting with you, so FINISH STRONG and know you are not alone. To the family and friends affected, stay strong because you must be your loved one’s advocate. It’s a journey and your loved one is looking to you for a spark that helps get them through the toughest battle they could ever fight. And remember you got us too, you have a Komen family that you can reach out to.

My prayer is to cure cancer and while we are doing that we must stay the course and FINISH STRONG.

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Ask the Doctor Orlando J. Suris, MD What is Coenzyme Q10?

Coenzyme Q10 (COQ10) is a cofactor that is needed for many highly metabolic reactions and found in every cell of the body. It functions as an antioxidant, as well as producing energy for cell growth and maintenance.

What does COQ10 protect?

Among other benefits, studies show that COQ10 protects lung function, brain function, preserves metabolic function and even reduces one’s risk of developing cancer by protecting the body from the harmful effects of free radicals.

What’s the link between low levels of COQ10 and poor health?

The body’s depletion of COQ10 is tied to elevated risks of breast cancer and other cancers, Alzheimer’s, dementia, disease and heart attacks. Oftentimes, statins prescribed for high cholesterol levels may deplete COQ10 naturally, which can be very dangerous.

How could a statin prescribed for high cholesterol negatively affect COQ10 levels?

Elevated cholesterol levels lead a physician to prescribe a statin, which depletes levels of COQ10 and leads to a patient’s increased risk for cancer, heart and brain diseases. I believe avoiding some of these medical pitfalls may be as simple as practicing proactive, not reactive medicine.

How do patients test their COQ10?

It is not always necessary to test – oftentimes, it’s easier to supplement without the need for testing. However, a very simple, in-office blood draw can provide an accurate reading of a patient’s COQ10 levels.

From there, I try to provide the most effective treatment with the fewest components possible. Ultimately, we aim to correctly treat one health condition and avoid creating another.

It’s important to note that absorption is key when it comes to the correct COQ10 supplement. Over-the-counter COQ10 may not have the right components for proper absorption, so make sure you talk to your doctor about taking the most potent form of the supplement.

Orlando J. Suris, M.D., is an obstetrician-gynecologist with the Institute for Women’s Health, San Antonio.

To schedule an appointment, visit www.ifwh.org or call 210.656.3040.

SurvivorStory

Laura Carver I was 45 years old when I was diagnosed with Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, Stage 1B on September 24, 2014.

After years of routine mammograms and ultrasounds, I had a 3D mammogram and cancer was detected.

I remember the day as if it was yesterday. I kept reading the pathology report over and over again… stunned, numb, and every emotion flowing through my body.

With no breast cancer in my family, I thought, how could this be?!

Fortunately, my best friend is a doctor and I was able to turn to her for help. With my husband by my side, my hero, we all met with surgeons and knew we had this beat!

We put our warrior hats on! My family, my friends, and my faith gave me the courage to fight through my dark days.

Having 85% dense tissue, aggressive surgery was recommended for me. I had a double mastectomy with reconstruction on November 3, 2014. I endured several sleepless nights that consisted of 4 drainage tubes and weeks of going in to get my expanders filled. Brutal! The pain in my chest and the spasms in my arms would bring tears to my eyes.

I had my second surgery on March 5, 2015 and my last surgery on October 19, 2016. I fought through infections after my last surgery. I was so happy and felt my prayers had been answered! My treatment plan did not require any radiation or chemotherapy.

I started a Komen Race for the Cure team called “Perky Patrol” to raise breast cancer awareness. Being so fortunate in my journey, I wanted to help women and men in my community that needed it most. I support Komen San Antonio because they not only help women in our community receive funding for breast cancer services like biopsies and treatment assistance, but also invest in research so that our sisters, nieces, and families will not have to face this horrible disease alone. That is OUR MISSION. I would like to encourage people dealing with breast cancer to keep fighting. Let your spirit and faith guide you. Never lose confidence.

Always stay positive because together we can end breast cancer! Together, we are MORE THAN PINK!

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Dezare Cedillo Besides being a wife and mother of three young boys—I am also a 2x breast cancer survivor. During my first battle people often told me that I made it look too easy— calling me superwoman, a hero, and things like that.

However, that title was not achieved by my own strength alone. I was only able to fight that battle because of what I did on a daily basis to not only “find” that joy, but also keep it. The days and seasons I didn’t apply this were my most difficult times. So what I aim to share with you is not only to bring awareness about breast cancer, but to also bring awareness to my ultimate source of strength and joy that can be applied to any season you may face. When a two-time breast cancer survivor has something to share with you on how and what gets them through the storm— you listen and take notes. So get ready!

Finding JOY in the JOurneY

SurvivorStory

People often ask me, “Dez, where does your strength come from?!” I love when people ask me that question. I simply say to them...

“Jesus! Jesus is THE answer!” Now don’t get me wrong, God sends us so many valuable REsources such as brilliant doctors, supportive family, friends, and organizations that truly care, but these are not the Ultimate Source. By human nature we tend to get caught up in putting our full faith and priority in the REsources which are the helpers God brings us, but these have limitations.

Only God can go to the deepest root of your pain and bring you the restoration, healing, strength—and yes—joy, as you endure the race toward Victory!

Being told you have breast cancer in your twenties and again in your thirties are the two best worst things that ever happened to me. Although shocking and difficult at times, they actually helped skyrocket me into the person I am today. I’ve learned to see the world through the eyes of gratitude because every day really is a gift.

I’ve learned to let go of the things that don’t really matter and focus on the things in life that do. It also pushed me to conquer my fears and seek God’s will for my life. It’s given me the opportunity and voice to not only share breast cancer advice such as doing your monthly self-breast exams, being your own advocate if you feel something’s off with your body, to the importance of nutrition and fitness, but most importantly it’s given me the platform to share what life is like with God in the driver seat.

There is no problem God can’t work out in your life! He can turn your negative situation into a positive one by taking your hot mess and turning it into a hot message! Know that there is purpose in your pain and not one drop will go unused when you delight yourself in Him. When you put your full faith in His promises, seek Him intentionally on a daily basis, and go where He’s guiding you... you will experience a renewed perspective and surely find JOY in the JOurneY — that no circumstance or diagnosis can take from you.

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Family Planning or Not, Folic Acid Is Key

health

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By Dawn Robinette

Folic acid is something most women hear about when they’re pregnant, but you may be surprised to learn that it’s recommended for all women.

olic acid, the synthetic form of vitamin B9, is also known as folate.

It plays a starring role during pregnancy because it helps prevent neural tube defects, birth defects of the brain, spine or spinal cord.

Neural tube defects can happen in the initial weeks of pregnancy, making folic acid an important supplement to take before conception. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that women who take the recommended daily dose of folic acid at least one month before conception, as well as during the first trimester of pregnancy, reduce a baby's risk of neural tube defects — things like spina bifida and anencephaly, a condition that can cause miscarriage or stillbirths — by up to 70 percent.

“Ideally, women need to start folic acid supplementation before they even try to conceive,” explains Dr. Jami Barnard, an obstetrician-gynecologist at the Institute for Women's Health in San Antonio. “A baby’s neural tube is developing and closing three to four weeks after sperm meets the egg, so it’s important to have that supplementation.”

Dr. Barnard points out that the three- to four-week time frame is often before women are even aware that they are pregnant, so beginning folic acid supplements after you discover you are pregnant may be too late.

“Women don’t usually realize they need to start supplementation so early,” she explains.

“It’s not something I knew about before medical school.”

If you’re not actively trying to get pregnant, you’re probably not thinking about embryonic development. However, the CDC reports that 50 percent of pregnancies in the US are unplanned, making folic acid important even if you’re not planning your family.

Dr. Kristin Brozena Shah agrees. “Any woman of child-bearing age, which is 18-40, who is considering pregnancy — or not using contraception — needs folic acid to ensure good brain and spinal cord development,” explains Brozena Shah, Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, with San Antonio’s Women Partners in OB/GYN. “A multivitamin with 400-800 micrograms of folic acid daily reduces the risk of neural tube

defects or seizure conditions,” notes Dr. Barnard. Though that may not be enough for everyone: If you have certain conditions, such as Crohn’s disease or a family history of neural tube defects, “work with your doctor to determine how much you should be taking,” says Dr. Barnard.

Your body also needs folic acid to make normal red blood cells and prevent a type of anemia. It is essential for the production, repair and functioning of DNA as well.

Since folate occurs naturally in food, women often wonder if they can get enough folic acid through their diet rather than relying on supplements. “Some patients want to be healthy, be organic and trust that their bodies will do what they need to do,” explains Dr. Barnard, whose patients will often point out that they eat a healthy diet. Unfortunately, that may not be enough: Some healthy, low-carbohydrate diets avoid the very foods that are enriched with folic acid. march/april 2018 | 67

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health

In an effort to ensure that people are getting enough folic acid, per federal law it has been added to cold cereals, flour, breads, pasta, bakery items, cookies and crackers, since 1998. If you’re skipping those fortified foods thanks to a low-carbohydrate diet, you may not be getting enough folic acid.

Foods that are naturally high in folate include leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli and lettuce, and some fruits, including bananas, melons and lemons.

Other natural sources of folate include beans, yeast, mushrooms, orange juice and tomato juice. A large glass of orange juice and a bowl of fortified cereal can provide 50 to 100 percent of the recommended daily amount of folic acid.

But that’s not enough insurance for Dr. Barnard. “The recommended dosage is safe for the general population. Neural tube defects are the second most common congenital defect. We know that 70 percent of neural tube defects can be prevented with folic acid supplementation,” she notes. “So why not [take a supplement]?”

Thanks to folic acid’s effectiveness in preventing some birth defects, research is being done to determine if there are other benefits. There is some evidence that folic acid may help prevent premature births and preeclampsia. There’s no known link between folic acid and autism spectrum disorders, but researchers are looking into it. And for women who are not pregnant, there’s some evidence that suggests that folic acid may help prevent high blood pressure.

So enjoy your fortified carbohydrates and take those supplements with a smile — you’re helping ensure that you, and perhaps your future baby, are in good health.

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS

sawomanconnect.com

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sa woman connect

Critical Information on

By Kim Ford, theKFORDgroup

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ith the signing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 on December 22, 2017, I was reminded of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 that was signed by Ronald Reagan on October 22, 1986. At that time my CPA certificate was barely framed, and I was eager to take on the world of income taxation.

My superiors told me when I started in the business that it wouldn’t take long for me to catch up with their knowledge of the law. It wasn’t that I was so smart, it was the fact that they knew the laws would continually change. They were right then, and they are still right today. So here we are now, with many new rules that are making my head swim and new terms that we are all getting to know.

As in 1986, the 2017 Act touts income tax simplification; and as things could be simpler for some, it will be more complicated for many others, especially those who own small businesses that pass income through to the owners’ personal tax returns. Keep in mind that most of these provisions will expire in 2025, so all could be new again soon.

The 2018 personal income tax brackets are slightly lower across the board for everyone, with the top bracket going from 39.6% to 37%. Keep an eye on taxes on for children; their investment income is now taxed at trust rates which reach 37% at only $12,500 in taxable income, which is a big change from using the parents’ rates in the past.

While the income tax brackets are always easy to put into sound bites, the real issue has always been the way taxable income is calcu-

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lated. This time around many deductions have been slashed, while the standard deduction for those who do not itemize has been doubled to $24,000 for married couples and $12,000 for singles. There are no more personal exemptions, but there is an increased child tax credit that will offset that loss of deduction for some.

Itemized deductions look drastically different in 2018 and beyond.

• • • •

• • •

Home mortgage interest deductions are limited to new loans of only $750,000, contrasted to $1,000,000 in the past.

Home equity loan interest is not deductible unless the proceeds were used to make substantial improvements to the home and don’t exceed the limits above.

Property taxes, along with state and local income tax and sales tax are still deductible, but will be capped at $10,000 per year.

Medical deductions, which are only deductible if they are over 10% of Adjusted Gross Income in 2017, only have to exceed the 7.5% threshold for 2018 and 2019. It will go back up to 10% in 2020.

Charitable donations made to public charities are limited to 60% of Adjusted Gross Income beginning in 2018, as opposed to 50% in the past.

Casualty losses are only deductible if related to a disaster that is declared by the president.

Miscellaneous itemized deductions are gone after 2017. These

•

include tax preparation fees, expenses related to employment, moving expenses, and investment fees paid to money managers.

One bright spot regarding itemized deductions is the repeal of the limitation on total itemized deductions for high income taxpayers. For those who are prone to make large charitable contributions, this could be very beneficial beginning in 2018.

Pass-through entities — Partnerships, S-Corps, and Sole

Proprietorships — may receive a deduction of up to 20% of their Qualified Business Income. This phases out and becomes more difficult to calculate for married people with over $315,000, and others with over $157,500 in taxable income before the deduction, so I encourage those in this category to get professional help with this. It’s very beneficial, but it’s complicated!

The individual mandate that requires taxpayers to have health insurance by the Affordable Care Act was repealed beginning in 2019.

It remains to be seen how this will affect the health care industry.

Alimony paid to an ex-spouse under divorce decrees signed after December 31, 2018 will not be deductible by the payor, nor will it be income to the payee, but it doesn’t change the tax treatment regarding agreements signed prior to that date.

Estate tax thresholds have been doubled so that an individual can pass up to $11,200,000 in assets to heirs before the 40% estate tax kicks in. This can be a game changer for some people.

Many businesses will receive tax relief in the form of increased depreciation deductions on purchases of new and used equipment.

Beginning with purchases after September 27, 2017, the popular Sec. 179 immediate deduction limit for certain capital expenditures was increased from $500,000 to $1,000,000. Bonus depreciation was increased from 50% to 100% of the cost of new and used (formerly just new) qualified equipment purchases, and is set to phase out by

2027. This could be important to know for the 2017 returns that are being filed now.

Business entertainment expenses are no longer deductible, while business meals are still 50% deductible. Meals provided to employees which were 100% deductible in the past are only 50% deductible beginning in 2018, and will not be deductible at all after 2025. This requires businesses to break out these types of expenses now to be able to accurately calculate taxable income in 2018.

The corporate tax rates have changed from graduated rates that went from 15% to 35% for the first $100,000 of income to a flat rate of 21% for all income. Small corporations could be hurt by this change, although the large corporations should receive a benefit. With the change in these rates and the new deduction for pass-through income, some businesses are considering a change in their tax structure moving forward.

As you can see, there are many changes in this tax law, and these are just the highlights. It’s a safe bet that additional changes are imminent, so if you are interested, get in the game now while it’s new to all of us. If not, just stay tuned — more to come! march/april 2018 | 71

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women on the move CESLIE ARMSTRONG Ceslie Armstrong has been named executive content producer at Quarter Moon Productions for YOLO TX and director of business development for Noisy Trumpet Digital & Public Relations, where she focuses on relationship building. She is a native of San Antonio with more than 25 years in the national media, entertainment, communications and hospitality industries. Ceslie will bring her award-winning writing and producing, content creation as well as media and entertainment strategy to both companies.

SANAA CODY Sanaa Cody is a CPA who has joined theKFORDgroup, bringing three years of public accounting experience and a unique background in engineering to the team.

Her background includes all areas of compliance and entities; including individuals, estates, businesses, and not-for-profit organizations. Sanaa enjoys community involvement and is passionate about animal rights; she frequently volunteers at local animal shelters. Sanaa is also an avid runner and triathlete, competing on a regular basis.

ERIKA DE LA ROSA Erika de la Rosa joins Broadway Bank as a human resources business partner and employee relations/compliance manager with 12 years of experience in the human resources field. She has specific expertise in the distribution and financial services industry, focusing on employee relations, employment policies and procedures, records management and compliance with state and federal labor regulations. She is a Bachelor of Arts graduate of St. Mary’s University.

ISABEL FLORES Isabel Flores has been promoted to payroll, benefits and HRIS officer in the Broadway Bank human resources department. She has 33 years of experience in the human resources field, with 14 of those at Broadway Bank. Flores works closely with employees and benefits providers to optimize the opportunities for and enrollment of all Broadway Bank employees. She is an active volunteer with the Bank’s Care Corps program in support of Snack Pak 4 Kids SA.

ANNA GARZA Vice President, talent development manager in the Broadway Bank talent management department. A 7-year veteran of the bank, Garza most recently served as learning and instructional design supervisor. She facilitates creative learning solutions to promote high-performing talent across the organization.

Garza holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and education from the University of Texas, and a Master of Arts in Christian leadership from Dallas Baptist University.

VALERIE RAMIREZ Valerie V. Ramirez, SGS has been named vice president at Davidson Camp Insurance Services, LLC. She joined the firm in 2011 as director of account management and became a participating member of the LLC in 2017. A 2003 graduate of the University of Incarnate Word, she brings 16 years of experience in the employee benefit industry. Valerie serves as treasurer on the San Antonio Health Underwriters and has been an executive member since 2014.

BROOKE STOCKS Brooke Stocks is a new assistant vice president, marketing analyst in the Broadway Bank finance department with more than 10 years of experience in market strategy, marketing operations, and digital product management in financial services. Stocks is deploying her subject matter expertise, generating insights into the present-day customer landscape, optimizing the bank’s success at selling products and services with greater precision as well as reaching new customers. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio.

NICKY STUMP Nicky Stump joins Broadway Bank as senior vice president, customer experience and product development manager, bringing a 13-year background in strategy, transformation, process design and product management. Stump deploys her expertise in leading complex programs from inception through production at Broadway Bank. Her passion for innovation, business transformation and customer relationship management energizes the Bank’s focus on dynamically and interactively generating new ideas and solutions for remote clients.

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business calendar March 8 North SA Chamber 2018 North SA Chamber Golf Tournament Hyatt Hill Country Golf Club 12 – 7pm March 13 NAWBO Cocktail Connections Location: TBA 5 – 7pm

March 13 North SA Chamber Power Networking Breakfast Norris Conference Center 7 – 9am March 14 NAFE Monthly Meeting Old San Francisco Steakhouse Check-in and Networking 11:30 – 11:45am Lunch and Speaker 11:45am – 12:30pm Opportunity Networking 1 – 1:30pm March 21 SA Women’s Chamber Smart Women Series 11:30am – 1pm

March 22 NAWBO WBOA – Celebration!

The Witte Museum 6:30 – 9:30pm

March 22 SA Women’s Chamber Transformational Leadership Development Program 8am – 12pm

March 22 SA Women’s Chamber TLD Spotlight!

10:45 – 11:45am

March 22 SA Women’s Chamber The BIG Give 12am – 11:59pm

March 27 North SA Chamber 2018 SA Conversations – Let’s Play Ball!

Mays Family Center at the Witte Museum 11:30am – 1pm April 4 SA Women’s Chamber Fiesta Mixer 5:30 – 7:30pm

April 10 North SA Chamber Power Networking Breakfast Norris Conference Center 7 – 9am

April 11 NAFE Monthly Meeting Old San Francisco Steakhouse Check-in and Networking 11:30 – 11:45am Lunch and Speaker 11:45am – 12:30pm Opportunity Networking 1 – 1:30pm

April 12 North SA Chamber 2018 CIO – Paving the Path to our Future Norris Conference Center 11am – 2pm

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April 19 SA Women’s Chamber Transformational Leadership Development Program 8am – 12pm

April 19 SA Women’s Chamber TLD Spotlight!

10:45 – 11:45am

April 26 NAWBO Monthly Meeting Petroleum Club 7:30 – 9:30am

April 16 NAWBO Lunch Connections 11:30am – 1pm

April 17 SA Women’s Chamber Bloomberg Business Program 11am – 1pm

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Cheryl Borlack

UpMarket

spotlight

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What do you do at UpMarket?

We sell furniture, gifts and home accessories. In addition, we are an excellent source for updating pots and containers as we have an amazing floral designer that has been in the business for 40 years.

Length of Time Open:

I have been in retail for 30 years. I had a store in Port Aransas called Coastal Closet. I sold that business three years ago and moved up to San Antonio, where I began planning for UpMarket. UpMarket has been open since May 1st, 2017.

What is it that you like best about your job?

I love getting to know new people. Many of them are remodeling their home or moving into a new one so they are transitioning to a new phase in life. I love helping clients navigate this fresh start.

Why is your business special?

We are obsessed with customer service. We want every person that walks through the door to have a great experience and be excited about every piece they purchase, large or small.

What are among your favorite social media apps?

Instagram has been very successful for us. We have been able to connect with people all over the nation.

We have gained many great clients from Instagram.

What do you enjoy doing on a day off?

I have a 3-year-old son, so he keeps me very busy when I’m not at work. I spend every free moment with him.

What do you like most about San Antonio?

I love the culture. The variety of people coming from all around the world.

What community groups or not-for-profit groups do you support?

Dominion Rotary, Leon Springs Business Association.

Do you have a favorite restaurant or favorite food?

Just sampled Acu, my new neighbor at Shops at Dominion. It’s a blend of Mediterranean cuisine and currently my No. 1 favorite.

What is the best advice that you have ever received?

Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.

Photography by Janet Rogers

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Women in Real Estate

Find your dream home with the help of some of the best women in the business.

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women in real estate ELIZABETH PRIEST REALTOR®

Participating in more than $350 million in residential sales with Jason Glast Luxury, and a ranking in the top .01% of local Realtors for production, Elizabeth Priest continues to pave the way to success both in her career and for the community.

In addition to her outstanding performance in the real estate sector, her notable contributions to the San Antonio community in 2016-2017 include raising more money than any other individual in El Rey Fido history. Elizabeth raised over $42,000 for the San Antonio Humane Society's El Rey Fido campaign for her precious dog, Olivia, who was named El Rey Fido XV. Her professional achievements and community involvement contributed to Elizabeth being named a 2018 winner of San Antonio Business Journal’s 40 under 40.

Specializing in the upscale market including: Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills, Olmos Park, Monte Vista, Boerne, Shavano Park, Bentley Manor, Inwood, Hill Country Village, Huntington at Shavano Park, Elm Creek, Inverness, Anaqua Springs Ranch, The Dominion, Cordillera Ranch, Downtown, King William and other historical areas, her experience and knowledge delivers more than just technical market expertise to her discerning client base; she adds value and gives her client's the "upper hand".

When asked about her determination and contributions through her over 10 years with Jason Glast Luxury, Realtor and Attorney Jason Glast says, “Elizabeth is a leader and a fundraising dynamo. She is truly a connector of people and she feels deeply about helping San Antonio. She is a beacon of professionalism and our clients highly endorse Elizabeth. Her accomplishments in our industry and her compassionate heart benefits our city."

Jason Glast Luxury 10 Dominion Drive San Antonio, TX 78257 210-687-9446 | elizabeth@jasonglast.com | jasonglast.com

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LEESA HARPER RISPOLI PRESIDENT, BROKER/OWNER

Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper, REALTORS® has been one of the strongest real estate brands in San Antonio and South Texas since 1986 and President Leesa Harper Rispoli plans to keep it that way. As of March 2018 Leesa Harper Rispoli will gain the title Broker of Record, and will continue the company’s and family’s legacy as a passionate and innovative leader.

With 8 offices in and around the San Antonio area, the North Central/Stone Oak office is ranked the #1 office in the state of Texas for highest Adjusted Gross Commission Income throughout Coldwell Banker® in 2017. For the company’s third year in a row, the company has reached over one billion dollars in sales volume.

Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper, REALTORS® continues to provide unique and exclusive tools for the agents such as: CBx, social media platforms, a full functioning brokerage, and helps thousands of families achieve their real estate dreams. Leaving her own mark on the company, Leesa Harper Rispoli launched the Global Luxury Division in June of 2017. The Global Luxury office will open in June of 2018 making it Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper, REALTORS® 9th location. Also in 2018, Leesa Harper Rispoli has partnered with her organization of choice, Communities In Schools.

As Leesa Harper Rispoli increasingly builds on the success her company has earned for the past 30 years, she is focused on continuously evolving while publicly maintaining the same image everyone knows and loves. “Our rich heritage and trusted legacy provide the foundation from which we will continue to innovate and shape our future” says Leesa Harper Rispoli. “We are thrilled to be growing and expanding our real estate services, from starter homes to high-end luxury properties. We’re proud of our past and where we’ve come. This is the new Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper, REALTORS ® and we invite folks to experience the difference.”

Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper, REALTORS® 18756 Stone Oak Parkway, Suite 301 San Antonio, TX 78258 210-483-7004 | Lrispoli@cbharper.com | www.cbharper.com

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women in real estate TRACIE S. HASSLOCHER

LICENSED REAL ESTATE BROKER/ OWNER, BA, ABR, ALHS, GRI, SRS, LTG

Tracie is the sole broker owner of Hasslocher Boutique Realty, LLC. Located on Crownhill Boulevard, Tracie has sold residential, land, and farm and ranch real estate since 2005 in all areas of San Antonio, including Charlotte, Karnes City, and Hondo. Confidentiality, mutual respect and trust are qualities she strives to accomplish with every client she helps. She has a Master's Degree in Residential Real Estate, Marketing and Broker Management. She is actively involved in the SA Board of Realtors and currently serves as Chairman of Governmental Affairs and Public Policy Committee.

MEMBERSHIPS: San Antonio Board of REALTORS® Texas Association of REALTORS® National Association of REALTORS®

8520 Crownhill Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78209 O (210) 568-9595 • C (210) 863-2629 80 | sawoman.com

CORIE BOLDT OWNER/BROKER

Corie Boldt is a native San Antonian. She is the Broker and Owner of CORIE PROPERTIES, managing over 20 successful agents.

CORIE PROPERTIES is a boutique real estate firm focusing on all the philosophies Corie has collected over the years.

The business model for CORIE PROPERTIES was developed for the agents to focus on the client’s needs instead of the bottom line.

In return this makes the buying and selling process exciting and enjoyable for the buyers and sellers.

CORIE PROPERTIES believes high-tech communication is critical to marketing properties, but the human element of hard working agents will always be the most essential part of the real estate process.

4901 Broadway, Suite 132 • San Antonio, TX 78209 D: (210) 262-4698 • O: (210) 824-1115 • F: (210) 825-1116 corie@corieproperties.com

DENISE GRAVES

2016 SABOR REALTOR of the Year ABR, CLHMS, CRS, GRI, REALTOR® Denise Graves started The Graves Group in 2003 with the vision to offer extraordinary service to her clients — both locally and globally. The Graves Group has been in the Top 10 of the Top 25 Real Estate Teams (SABJ) since 2005. Having sold over $350 million in her last 500+ transactions (just since 2006), Denise is a consistent multi-million dollar producer. As a Platinum Top 50 realtor since 2002, Luxury League Alumni, Pinnacle, Platinum, Super Star Winner and she holds several key real estate designations including: Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist, Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyers Representative and Graduate, Realtor Institute. Denise is uniquely comfortable working with a CEO or walking acreage with a Rancher in the Hill Country.

Boerne | The Dominion | Alamo Heights C: (210)260-2176 denise@thegravesgroup.com • TheGravesGroup.com march/april 2018 | 81

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women in real estate ANNE GAMBOA CRS, BROKER ASSOCIATE

Anne Gamboa has been a licensed broker since 1995 and offers over 25 years of real estate experience. She specializes in meeting the needs of both buyers and sellers, while completing transactions smoothly and making the process enjoyable for clients. Anne prides herself on her integrity, work ethic and responsiveness to the needs of her clients.

Her outstanding communication and ability to seamlessly see a transaction through to closing make her a go-to REALTOR®. Anne is honored to be able to provide “The Very Best” to her clients and continually strives to exceed their goals.

6061 Broadway • San Antonio, TX 78209 O (210) 408-4035 • C (210) 422-4693 agamboa@phyllisbrowning.com • phyllisbrowning.com

ELLEN MCDONOUGH REALTOR®

A San Antonio native and second-generation REALTOR® with over 25 years of experience, Ellen McDonough's client-focused expertise has made her a consistent multi-million dollar producer. She regularly ranks in San Antonio Business Journal's Top 50 REALTORS® and earns recognition with Phyllis Browning Company's Circle Awards.

She was awarded the Luminary Circle Award for her 2017 sales totaling over $26 million.

Ellen earned a Bachelor's degree from Southern Methodist University and is a member of Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Association.

Her experience provides a foundation of service that results in prompt, proactive and proficient communication with her clients throughout the buying or selling process. Not one to meet a stranger, Ellen's expansive connections in real estate stem from her love of people and the city.

6061 Broadway • San Antonio, TX 78209 O (210) 829-2589 • C (210) 912-9633 emcdonough@phyllisbrowning.com • phyllisbrowning.com 82 | sawoman.com

JUDY DALRYMPLE

JANET HEYDENREICH

With 30+ years of real estate experience, Judy Dalrymple possesses the knowledge and skill to achieve your real estate goals.

A native of San Antonio, Janet is committed to excellence in real estate performance. She is a Broker Associate who has fulfilled three decades of uncompromising professionalism in real estate. A top sales producer at Phyllis Browning Company, Janet is ranked as one of the Top 5 Residential Real Estate Agents in San Antonio. Keystones to her success are strong organizational, marketing and negotiating skills.

Rich in solid business experience, she offers the very best in luxury real estate service.

ABR, ALHS, CRS, GRI, REALTOR®

To honor her commitment to excellent service for her clients, Judy leads a professional team. Her ability to build long-term client relationships has made her a top producer and ranked as one of San Antonio’s Top REALTORS® in San Antonio Business Journal.

Judy has received numerous awards, including REALTOR® of the Year from the San Antonio Board of REALTORS®.

4372 N. Loop 1604 West, Ste. 102 San Antonio, TX 78249 O (210) 408-4080 C (210) 854-8888 judy@goseejudy.com goseejudy.com

BROKER ASSOCIATE

6061 Broadway San Antonio, TX 78209 O (210) 829-2531 C (210) 860-9390 jheydenreich@phyllisbrowning.com phyllisbrowning.com

CARLISLE O’BRIEN

GINA M. SOHMER

Carlisle is a 4th generation San Antonian, a graduate of Alamo Heights High School and received her master’s from Saint Mary’s University... so she knows her beloved San Antonio well. She loves working with clients to buy and sell their homes, and she will go above and beyond to make your home search or home sale seamless.

Carlisle is proud to receive 100% of her clients from referrals. 2018 is an excellent time to buy and sell, so contact Carlisle!

Boerne resident, Gina Sohmer is an Army veteran whose personal relocation experience is of great benefit to clients.

Her understanding in pre-owned residential and new construction are experiences that you want on your side.

Gina is a Graduate of the REALTOR® Institute and has 30 years of management experience which taught her exceptional negotiation and customer service skills. Integrity, loyalty and compassion are values that her life of service has taught her and make her an exceptional REALTOR®.

REALTOR®

6061 Broadway San Antonio, TX 78209 O (210) 824-7878 C (210) 414-0306 cobrien@phyllisbrowning.com phyllisbrowning.com

REALTOR®

4372 N. Loop 1604 West, Ste. 102 San Antonio, TX 78249 C (210) 608-0650 gsohmer@phyllisbrowning.com phyllisbrowning.com march/april 2018 | 83

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sustainable gardening

FLOWERING

SPRING PLANTS

COLORFUL IN THE GARDEN and on your plate...

Story and photography by Iris Gonzalez

emember making your resolutions in January? Perhaps it was to grow something new or eat more produce from your garden. It’s not too late to plant a spring garden with flowering herbs and edible flowers you can enjoy in your landscape, tucked into containers and in your meals.

Spring greens and edible flowers are easy to grow in our South Central Texas spring. They’re healthy, too. Most spring greens belong to the brassica family, with well-documented health benefits like vitamin C, vitamin K and natural compounds with anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties that help protect against heart disease and stroke. To make the most of the nutrients in these tender springtime plants, refrigerate and eat as close to harvest or purchase as possible.

Whether your focus is more on tasty salads or beautiful blooms, growing edible flowers is a fun way to blur the lines between edible and ornamental gardening. Many flowering vegetables and herbs blend into orna84 | sawoman.com

mental beds, as most of these plants have shallow roots and can easily be planted in containers or existing landscapes. Mixing flowers with other edibles also makes great sense in terms of garden ecology. Diverse flowers attract pollinators that improve yields of fruiting plants, as well as helpful insects to assist with pest management. If you’re more of an ornamental flower person, you may be surprised by how many of them you can eat.

You can buy starter plants at local nurseries or try gardening indoors using seeds and growing pods. Try searching for “Mason jar indoor flower garden” online for mini-hydroponic gardening inspiration. When getting started with edible flowers and other flowering plants, be sure they are grown organically to avoid pesticides in your food supply. Most herbs and greens require full springtime sun, but even sun lovers will appreciate afternoon shade in the Texas early summertime.

Expand your edible flowers and flowering herb gardening menu this spring with one or all of these seven plants. With an average last frost date in San Antonio of March 20, be sure to start your flowering spring garden soon, because come June, the Texas sun will scorch most of your spring plants.

Nasturtium flowers come in a variety of bright, summery colors, and the newer variegated varieties have green and white patterned leaves. The low-growing trailing varieties are lovely in mass plantings and grow well in containers, while climbing varieties are perfect for trellises. Plant seeds or starter

plants in full sun and keep well watered as temperatures climb later in the season. The round nasturtium leaves are a bit peppery, with the flowers tasting sweet in their centers.

After the blooms have faded, the intensely spicy seed pods can be easily pickled and used like capers.

Violas are classic bedding and container flowers that are especially popular for their hardiness in early spring and late fall when most other annual flowers can’t take cooler temperatures. They thrive in partial shade and come in a wide range of colors. Keep harvesting blossoms for your salads so the plants will continue to produce more blooms. Viola flowers are mildly sweet and absolutely beautiful against a bed of greens or a delicate dessert.

While they can be used as is, you may want to try preserving them with sugar for fancy desserts.

Borage is a hardy plant that often reseeds itself in the garden. Popular with pollinators, borage can be easily grown from seeds sown directly in the ground starting in the spring.

It will do best in full sun and once established is drought-tolerant. Both the first tender leaves that grow in spring and its blue flowers have a subtle cucumber-like flavor. Try freezing the blue blooms into ice cubes to serve with refreshing summer drinks, or use the freshly picked flowers as a garnish for leek and potato soup.

Scarlet runner beans provide vegetables and edible flowers in one plant. Plant seeds directly in the ground in late March in a

sunny spot. Provide a tall trellis or poles, as their vigorous vines can climb to over 10 feet.

It does not handle the heat well and does better planted in spring or fall like a regular green bean crop. Scarlet runner beans will add color, their abundant bright red flowers attracting pollinating bees and hummingbirds. The tasty flowers pair well with deviled eggs and other savory foods. Try adding them to egg dishes, or let some of the flowers mature into delicious green beans.

Chives are like a miniature version of an ornamental allium plant and are easy to grow from seeds or starter plants. Perfect for a sunny window box or container, they will also do well in the garden or in a patio pot. Grow in full sun with moist, well-drained soil.

Starters can be planted in early March as they tolerate frost well. Onion chives’ stems and its purple blooms have a gentle onion flavor, while garlic chives’ stems and white flowers have a mild garlicky flavor. Both varieties work well in savory dishes or in salads.

Arugula is a cool-season annual that should be planted in full sun and fertile, welldrained soil. Easy to grow, arugula has shallow

roots and tastes better in cooler weather, as it gets quite bitter once temperatures climb.

Arugula has a spicy, peppery taste that mixes well with other greens. What few gardeners may realize is that once arugula goes to seed, its flowers are both stunningly beautiful and one of the best-tasting edible flowers in the garden. The flowers appear after the leaves have grown to full size and are too bitter to eat. Pick the flowers to add to a salad or use in an open-faced sandwich for a treat.

Sorrel is similar to arugula with an assertive flavor. If sowing sorrel seeds, plant in spring once the soil has warmed up. Keep the bed moderately moist until germination, and thin the plants once they reach 2 inches in height. Starter plants are also available locally and should be planted in well-drained soil and watered regularly. Harvest only what you need from the plant as it grows much like lettuce.

Cutting its outer leaves once plants are 4 to 6 inches tall will allow the plant to continue to produce foliage. Sorrel’s sharp, tangy flavor is used in egg dishes or in salad mixes. The smallest leaves are best in salads, while larger leaves are more mellow tasting.

RESOURCES www.texasgardener.com/pastissues/ janfeb03/10secrets.html www.centraltexasgardening.com/ calendar.htm www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/ shopping-storing/grow-your-own-food-kits

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active living

MUST-HAVE FOODS TO REMAIN

Active & Healthy

By Dawn Robinette

You can find the fountain of youth in your kitchen if your pantry is stocked with the right foods.

“Everyone’s looking for that magic bullet, that food or drink that’s going to change everything,” explains Jan Tilley, MS, RDN, LD, and president/CEO of JTA Wellness, a nutrition consulting firm promoting healthy living through nutrition and fitness.

“But at the end of the day, it’s about balance — and fitting in exercise,” she notes.

EGGS

Thanks to years of hearing that eggs, especially egg yolks, were cholesterol demons, many people shun what is considered to be the most bioavailable source of protein in the American diet.

“Our bodies know what to do with the protein in eggs and can efficiently utilize it to create healthy, lean muscle,” explains Tilley. The dietary cholesterol in eggs actually has little to no impact on blood level cholesterol. Egg yolks are a good source of lutein, which has long been known to be important in eye health. More importantly, lutein is now being recognized for its ability to help stave off Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline.

AVOCADO

Yes, guacamole really is good for you. “Avocados are a healthy, delicious, creamy monounsaturated fat that helps lower cholesterol and creates lasting satiety,” says Tilley. “They help fill you up and contain wonderful vitamins and minerals.”

The fat in avocados has also been shown to help protect and regenerate synapses in the brain to prevent cognitive decline, notes Tilley, the author of Eat Well to Be Well... Living Your Best Life Through the Power of Anti-Inflammatory Food.

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GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES It turns out that mom was right: Eat your vegetables. A recent study found that eating one to two servings a day of green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, Swiss chard and arugula) had a powerful impact on preventing cognitive decline and dementia. “The findings suggest this benefit is likely from important nutrients found in these

vegetables, such as folate, lutein and nitrate, which are known to be associated with slowing cognitive decline,” explains Tilley. Broccoli is also on the list, further proof that mom knows best.

WILDCAUGHT SALMON A wonder food and nutrition powerhouse is as close as the fish counter. “Wild-caught salmon has more long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, which have been credited with several health benefits, such as decreasing inflammation, lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of cancer,” reports Tilley. Salmon is also an excellent source of vitamin B12, vitamin D and selenium, which are considered important nutrients to help promote healthy aging.

ALMOND BUTTER/ PEANUT BUTTER Bring out the kid in you with a lunchbox staple.

A terrific source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and protein, almond and peanut butters are also a good source of the antioxidant vitamin E and can help lower cholesterol. A small serving (one to two tablespoons) also contains a generous amount of magnesium, which boosts heart health by promoting the flow of blood, oxygen and nutrients, and potassium, important for good blood pressure and heart health.

Tilley also likes nut butters for their versatility and accessibility, making them easy to add to any diet. “Enjoy nut butter on apples, celery, bananas or a piece of whole grain toast for an easy, filling breakfast or snack,” she says. march/april 2018 | 87

ASSISTANCE & RESOURCES FOR SENIORS, RETIRED MILITARY OR THE MENTALLY ILL.

We can offer you a FREE assessment and advise you of your resources.

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CATERING SERVICES

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Anna’s Chem-Dry

Anna’s Chem-Dry is a carbonated carpet & upholstery cleaning service. We specialize in Spot Removal, pet stains/odors and 24 hour water removal.

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COUNSELING

ROYAL PRIESTHOOD CHRISTIAN COUNSELING & ACADEMY

PROVIDING CATERING AND EVENT SERVICES USING 100% ORGANIC PRODUCTS FROM LOCAL FARMERS Vegan, Vegetarian and Gluten Free Adaptive Weddings, Anniversaries, Showers, Corporate Functions, Dinner Parties, Themed Parties, Grand Openings, Product Launches and much more!

We provide clients with biblical truths for restoration with daily life challenges, such as unresolved past hurts, marriage problems, abuse, etc. We service children, adolescents and adults. Our philosophy is: God is never the problem. He is always the solution.

CREATIVE REAL ESTATE SOLUTIONS

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• Pre foreclosure • Foreclosure • Estate homes.

• Inherited homes • Back taxes • Homes in Disrepair • Can’t Afford the Mortgage Payments any longer?

HOME HEALTH CARE

Elizabeth Luna, MBA

(210) 643-0864

Back are the DAYS when a visit is by the Doctor, not to the Doctor!

Dr. Marie Priestly 210.325.9418 www.rpcc.us

As your Functional Wellness Coach, I provide a unique, personalized approach to total body health. I believe that whole food nutrition, supplements and proper exercise is key to strength, energy and vitality.

(210) 858-7523

Amira Abdelkader, RN, Functional Wellness Coach We are a Holistic bodywork and wellness center that takes an integrative approach towards wellness.

Bgreat2start@gmail.com handsnharmony.massagetherapy.com

INVESTMENTS

(House Calls) We take most major insurance

DAVID CAVAZOS, Practice Manager

210.479.DAYS (3297) www.doctoratyourservice.com MEDICARE

At Edward Jones, we meet with you to learn your individual needs so we can develop a strategy to help achieve your long-term financial goals. See how personal service can make a difference.

Michelle L. Wood, AAMS Financial Advisor 210.497.1142

PERSONAL ATTENDENT SERVICES

Are you about to get your Medicare benefits soon? Struggling to find personalized face to face help with your Medicare health benefits? Get a customized solution unique to your Medicare needs- no cost no obligation. I Make Medicare Easy!

Joey Arellano Senior Marketing Manager

Cell: 210.639-3502 Office: 210.901-8784

HEALTHCARE

PRIDE PHC SERVICES is a San Antonio, Woman owneroperated business. Pride’s mission is to advocate for independence by providing personal care services that improve the quality of life and overall well being of the individuals we proudly serve.

Cindy Cruz, RN Owner/President 210.949.1303

REVERSE MORTGAGE LOAN OFFICER

On average, we raise our clients revenue 25-30%. Please contact our office to schedule a free consultation.

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FREE Christian Based Senior Services We have the resources you need. Call or text the numbers listed on this ad.

Find out if the program is right for you. Call Bob, the local reverse mortgage expert, for a personal, no-obligation discussion of the program.

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Belinda Torres Hernandez 210.632.8000 www.SeniorBlessings.com

210-846-5787 • 210-410-2935 • bloomwhereyoureplantedtx.com

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around town San Antonio Women Chamber of Commerce Celebrates Women in Law Enforcement

The San Antonio Women Chamber of Commerce (SAWCC) welcomed Deputy Chief Nancy Sanford as the January speaker after she was just named deputy chief of the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) by Sheriff Javier Salazar.

Within the CID, Sanford supervises the Narcotics Unit and recently joined the Board of Directors of ChildSafe. She is pictured here with members of the SAWCC.

The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio

First in South Texas to Earn Baby Friendly Hospital Designation An international recognition spotlight is now on The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio for creating an environment and culture that supports mother-baby bonding, breastfeeding and best practice in maternity care.

“Our team is focused on providing guidance and education in a compassionate setting for mothers and their families, so that they have a supportive environment and one that is healthiest for the development of their baby,” said Nurse Jennifer White, Lactation Consultant at Children’s Hospital of San Antonio who helps hundreds of new San Antonio moms feel comfortable in feeding their babies.

Grayce Lane Fashion Boutique Opens in Alamo Heights Karen CuellarSchmeizer (right) welcomed local fashionistas and bloggers for a special grand opening of her new women’s boutique in The Collection, 7959 Broadway.

She is pictured here with guest, Karen Villareal. The boutique also includes wedding fashions and evening wear.

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Friends of Hospice San Antonio

Board President, Donna Gilger, and Executive Director, Ginger Cave, oversaw the February 10 Friends of Hospice San Antonio Valentine Luncheon and Style Show at the San Antonio Country Club. The event included a raffle and silent auction to benefit Christus VNA Hospice Patients.

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guys to know

The Times They Are a-Changin’ KRIS DYBDAHL of Bjorn’s

Bob Dylan said it best with the title of his 1964 track, and no one

knows more about change and the ability to adapt to it than Bjorn’s, an audio, video and home theater store. With its ability to keep up with ever-evolving technology,

Bjorn’s continually offers customers the latest in home automation, custom installation, audio, video and home theater alongside the signature service it is so known for year

after year. And no one understands the zeal, forethought and willingness to sustain its

long-standing success more than vice president Kris Dybdahl. From the time he was in

high school he has worked his way up the company ranks, and it’s helping him to drive the store his father opened more than 40 years ago into the next direction.

Learning more about Dybdahl and Bjorn’s early history, the Bob Dylan musical

reference resonates in more ways than one. When his father, Bjorn Dybdahl, first

opened the store back in 1975, it began as an audio store. It was his love for music and high-fidelity components that inspired the start of the company. Fast forward years

later: Kris Dybdahl was 16, still in high school, and sharing the same affinity for music

and movies as his father. He first began working at what was known back then as Bjorn’s Disc Store. For many years, the store flourished through every recession and the effects of 9/11 on the economy, experiencing a heyday in 2007.

By Jennifer O’Neill Photography by Janet Rogers

Following a downward turn in the economy seemingly overnight in 2008, the last

10 years have seen the store re-establish a foothold in the industry, getting back on

track with a solid staff, signature service, and with Dybdahl in the wings, a plan for its

next steps. His dad still plays an active role in the company’s operations, which keeps Dybdahl mindful of the balance and integration of where the store has been and the next level where he wants to take it.

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What does a typical day look like for you? Does it change day to day?

Yes, and to explain that I’ll give you a

brief history of the store and myself. I

started working here back when it was

Bjorn’s Disc Store, and it was located off Broadway and Bitters. We sold CDs and rented laser discs and were one of the

push the newer and next things. In fact,

just a couple of months ago I was cleaning out our old location after 17 years of it

being a storage location. I was there clean-

What do you see as the future for the store?

zon in here that I would love to be

With our new direction it’s not a lot

work as a clerk, because I love music and

now, I’m pushing to the future, and my

bit of college, but I learned school just isn’t for me. I’d rather be out doing

things, so I kept working there and be-

came manager of that store. From there, I went on to the office area and learned

accounts payable/receivable, and when we moved to our current location, I came

back to the sale side of things for a cou-

ple of years and eventually managed our small electronics store, The Gallery of

Small Electronics. I then did facilities,

more sales, warehouse and deliveries, and

truthfully I didn’t know what I wanted to do. But finally I fell into what kick-

started everything, — computers. They

were coming on with the internet, and I

stepped in to do upgrading for us to Win-

dows XP. That got me into the role of IT for the store. During that time we didn’t

have a website so I taught myself HTML and built our first website, and that was

from 2004 to 2011. Losing our marketing person kick-started the next portion for me, which was the marketing side of

things, sharing ideas on promotion and

jobs. We’re in an in-between time right

dad is still here in the store sharing what he knows from the last 42 years. There

are areas I like to focus on for what my dad would call the retail side, which is

Over the years I grew into the

spokesperson, appearing in commercials,

and for a few years I really felt things were changing on what we needed to do to position ourselves for the future. That’s

when I pushed to move forward in the

company, becoming general manager and now vice president. So to answer your

question, yes, I still get involved with all these things I used to do, plus trying to

it, but I will be “demoing” it very soon.

This new system uses artificial intelligence and machine learning, but it’s different

from Alexa in that you can talk to it like a

normal thing. “I want to turn on the lights

in the kitchen and watch Game of Thrones

Season 1,” versus how Alexa functions, having a launch party for it.

sounding high-resolution audio, vinyl or surround sound. A couple of years ago, Dolby Surround came out with a new

format called Atmos, which is the biggest jump in technology in 20 years, adding a

lights.” It will be here soon, and we will be

With all these changes in technology, what is your favorite new innovation?

With the smart home, I love how it

height channel. I tend to get more

makes your life easier, can save you money,

there’s a whole sub-section of not only

will let you have time to do what you really

installation, but audio is still a legitimate

store is built on, as well, is educating the

excited about the smart home side. So

going after the smart home customer and

and it’s entertainment. If it’s set up right, it want to do. What I enjoy and what the

thing. And on the TV side, we will always

customer. We’ve always been a place where

good thing is all of it still goes together,

want you to buy from us, but if you don’t,

have TVs, but it’s less of a focus. The but it’s just a new focus.

So is this the direction you see — do you want to focus more on the smart home?

Yes. It started three years ago after at-

nings of smart home, and I was in awe. I

doing commercials.

time. Things are still being worked out on

done with audio, whether it’s better

whole audience to show what can be

wanted to be included in the future. I

things, and the next thing I know I’m

demonstrating, because it’s ahead of its

where you must state, “Alexa, turn on the

tending the Consumer Electronics Show,

worked alongside my dad, doing little

have a second voice assistant from Ama-

audio. (My dad is an audio guy.) There’s a

so forth. At that time I had already developed the love for the company and

show Amazon Alexa, lighting, locks, AV

distribution and adjusting shades. We also

of retail shopping, it’s more installation

movies. After high school I tried a little

down, specifically for smart home. We can

ing it with our facilities guy.

biggest renters of laser discs in the country. I would go there after school and

So here in the store we’ve always had

this house, but a year ago we ripped it

you can come and learn. We absolutely that’s OK, and at least I know you’re

making the right decision. We’ve always

done seminars. A few years ago I started

Bjorn’s University. We took a break with it

to reclaim that seminar space, but it will be

coming back this year in a different format.

I’ve missed it, because it’s something I

which we do every year. I saw the begin-

enjoy, and my dad does as well.

understood it because of my background

we’re doing, it’s opened up other groups to

day one with my dad when he would go

women. Even before the smart home,

in IT. We’ve always done installation from out and install speakers. Installation was never something we really focused on, even promotion wise, but with smart

home being profitable, it cemented in my mind that this is where it’s going. With things like Amazon Alexa and Google,

Since things have changed with what

us: designers, builders and architects and female interest in what we do had been

tracking up. We did the store originally to cater to that upswing with each room a

vignette so people can see their home.

I’m glad to see women getting interested.

I’m looking forward to bringing in all

that is what is spurring this new interest

groups, getting back to the educational

of the population that knows about it, but

forefront of some of the newer

in the smart home. It’s still a small portion not everything until you show them.

side of things to bring us back to the technologies, now that we’re set.

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around town

NAWBO SA Meets to Discuss Business Legislation

The National Association of Women Business Owners San Antonio Chapter (NAWBOSA) met February 22, 2018 at the Petroleum Club for their monthly luncheon. Over fifty members attended to hear a presentation by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). The NFIB is an advocacy group which represents 325,000 small business owners and is their voice in Washington D.C. for legislation concerning topics, such as, taxes, healthcare, and regulations. The NFIB was founded I943.

CREW SA Discusses Update on Retail Industry

The local chapter of the Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) met on Valentine’s Day for their monthly luncheon at the San Antonio Country Club. A packed house listened to an update on the retail industry and how it is affecting San Antonio malls. Steven McCord Senior Vice President of Research at JLL, spoke about how retail continues to evolve at a fast pace. He answered, “How did we get here, what are the challenges we face, and how are we responding? Is the "Retail Apocalypse" real?”

SAWCC

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Sarah Becher and Dr. Yvonne Katz enjoyed a wonderful evening at the San Antonio Women’s Chamber of Commerce Foundation Gala.

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travel

Dallas offers more than ever before

By Janis Turk

Of course everything is bigger in Texas — and nowhere does big better than Big D. With big buildings, big hair, big

business, big culinary scene, big museum district, big amusement parks, big hotels, big freeways, Dallas earned that popular

nickname. And even though, Houston and San Antonio are actually bigger, when counting the entire Dallas-Fort Worth

Metroplex, comprising 12 counties and 7 million residents, Dallas is bigger. In fact, it’s the largest metropolitan area in

the South and the 4th largest in the USA.

Most Texans think they know all about Dallas, but lately it’s exploded with exciting growth and changes, so it may

not be the same old Big D they once knew. Sure, many favorite old-stand-by attractions like Six Flags Fiesta Texas, the

JFK memorial, Sixth Floor Museum, and the Dallas Zoo remain popular, but there there’s a lot more to do and see.

Don’t miss the George W. Bush Presidential Center, museum and library, or the great tours of the AT&T Stadium where the Cowboys play in Arlington. So, let’s mosey on over to Dallas for spring and see what big discoveries await.

Head Uptown

This shiny hip Uptown district is the “new Dallas” you need to see.

Here well-heeled locals, happy visitors, and suit-and-tie business folks tend to congregate. Just up McKinney Avenue from the downtown area, they know they’ll find Dallas’ hottest restaurants, bars, art galleries, shops, coffee bars, bakeries, spas, salons and more. Try everyone’s favorite restaurants there, like Mia Cocina, where you can enjoy icy margaritas and sizzling Tex-Mex fare. The West Village area with its many galleries is also especially popular with art lovers, as is 96 | sawoman.com

most of McKinney Avenue, which is the main Uptown strip. No need to walk — just jump on the free M-line trolley to ride up and down McKinney Avenue. This streetcar line connects with Dallas' Dart light rail system at Uptown's Cityplace Station. When you’re ready to head downtown again, the M-line Streetcar will take you south to the Dallas Museum of Art and other nearby museums and music venues. Along the way you can stop at the West Village area or get off at the trendy Hotel Zaza.

To learn more about how Dallas is bigger and better than ever, visit www.visitDallas.com.

Explore the West End

Downtown Dallas is a historic part of town which was once home to factories and railway tracks. Today the West End district’s handsome century-old brick warehouses are now urban residences, restaurants, clubs, bars, and shops. Besides the Sixth Floor Museum and Dealey Plaza, where you can learn all about President John F. Kennedy’s life, death, and legacy, there are more than 25 pubs, bars, and restaurants in this area, many near the intersection of Munger Avenue and Marker Street, called "Dallas Alley." Learn about Dallas’ history at its Old Red Museum, and enjoy the West End’s Dallas World Aquarium in this area. Stay downtown at the elegant and historic Adolphus Hotel, the pride of Dallas since 1912; recent restorations have made it stylish and modern without eroding its classy historic charm.

Families like its casual Wild-West Rodeo Bar, but this time try the hotel’s new City Hall Bistro, which opened in July. Sporting gleaming white subway tiles, brass accents, and buttery leather, the bright bistro offers breakfast, lunch, and supper, and a snazzy cocktail menu featuring craft libations. I love it, even though I’m still ardently awaiting the reopening of the Adolphus’ famous French Room later this year, for one of the most elegant dining experiences in the city.

Lounge by the Lake

Visitors may not know that just five miles from downtown rests the lovely White Rock Lake, a 1,015 acre city lake and park area with a popular 9.33 mile hike and bike trail, parks, pavilions, picnic areas, boat ramps, a dog park, kayak rentals, wetland, a small museum and more.

Dallas is an open, inviting and exciting city year-round. It’s host to many festivals and surrounded by quaint towns just waiting to be explored. So grab the family and head on up to Big D.

May Events You won’t want to miss these North Texas events for May:

Enjoy Music and More in Deep Ellum

On the eastern side of downtown, the edgier Deep Ellum area is home to great live music venues, funky art spaces, good restaurants (like Local, with its fresh New American fare), shops and more. If you’re there in April, be sure to plan on attending the three-day Deep Ellum Arts Festival.

Big on the Arts

Of course, the best part of the newer scene in this city has been the evolution of its fabulous Dallas Arts District, home to such treasures as the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, the Dallas Museum of Art, The Nasher Sculpture Center, the Crow Collection of Asian Art, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, the AT&T Performing Arts Center with its multiple venues, the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Dallas City Performance Hall, and Klyde Warren Park.

Other still-rather new Dallas attractions include the George W. Bush Presidential Center Library and Museum on the Southern Methodist University campus.

Big Texas Eats

For more than a half-century, it’s been a Dallas tradition to have lunch at the Neiman-Marcus Zodiac Room. For other great eats, celebrated James Beard award-winning chef Stephan Pyles wows foodies at new (1 year old) Flora Street Café at Hall Arts, in the heart of the Dallas Arts District. Another Pyles eatery we love, Stampede 66, offers more casual atmosphere and warm comfort foods with a Southwest flair, but my husband also loves the Dallasbased family owned Pappas Bros. Steakhouse. For a taste of local Tex-Mex, take the kids to El Fenix, a longtime Big D favorite since 1918, known for its hot sopapilla treats, near the Perot Museum.

For zestier fare try Mia’s Tex-Mex, Uptown.

SCARBOROUGH RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL Prepare for eight weekends of festivities on grounds styled to look like a 16th-century English village.

There'll be plenty of costumed revelers and nonstop performances each day across 24 stages, artisan demos, giant turkey legs and more. April 8-May 29 on the fest's grounds in Waxahachie. srfestival.com.

MAYFEST This celebration along the Trinity River features live entertainment, children's activities, stilt walkers, zip lining and more. May 4-7 at Trinity Park, Fort Worth. mayfest.org.

DALLAS INTERNATIONAL GUITAR FESTIVAL The 40th annual event includes acts like Andy Timmons, Eric Gales, Derek St. Holmes, Mark Lettieri, George Lynch and Wes Jeans, as well as hundreds of exhibitors. May 5-7at Dallas Market Hall. guitarshow.com.

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Girl Scouts are groundbreakers, big thinkers and role models.

Girl Scouting taught me how to stand tall when I had to stand alone.

Margaret Anaglia

At Girl Scouts, we are all about practicing everyday leadership, preparing girls to empower themselves and promoting G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)TM experiences.

The inclusive, girl-led, all-female environment of a Girl Scout troop creates a safe space in which girls can try new things, develop a range of skills, take on leadership roles and feel comfortable failing, dusting themselves off and trying again!

Other youth organizations say they want girls to have confidence. To have a fair shot. To have the chance to become anything they want. So, what’s the difference between these organizations and Girl Scouts? While others just talk about empowering girls, Girl Scouts has been preparing girls every day since 1912 to empower themselves by developing skills relevant to real-life situations.

While some people still think of us as just cookies, badges and friendship bracelets, Girl Scouts are so much more.

For more than 100 years, Girl Scouts has been taking charge by taking action. We don’t just stand by, we step up. We see failure as an opportunity to try again. We speak up for ourselves and others. We learn by doing and do more with what we learn.

These qualities make up our DNA. They’re who we are. What we do runs so much deeper than our cookies, badges, sashes and songs. The truth is, Girl Scouts are groundbreakers. They program robots, start garage bands and change their communities.

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(Go-getters, Innovators, Risk-takers, Leaders)TM

That’s exactly who we are.

MARGARET ANAGLIA

Go-getter

As a lifelong Girl Scout Margaret Anaglia says her Girl Scout Leadership Experience helped her learn to take risks in order to grow and become a better leader.

“Girl Scouts taught me to not be afraid of failure,” she said. “It helped me to know that you can go after what you want and achieve it even if you stumble along the way.”

Margaret is no stranger to hard work and going after what you want in life. After working in both the public and private sectors she is now running her own business, Al’s Gourmet Nuts. She says that her Girl Scout experience taught her how to set goals and see them through.

“All those badges and projects are about what you start and finish, what you complete and earn,” she said. “As a Girl Scout you know that you have to set your goal and prioritize what you need to do to get there.”

Margaret said her fondest Girl Scout memories involve summer camps. As a girl she participated in day and resident camps. She also participated in a Wider Opportunity, now called Destinations, where she traveled with other Girl Scouts to New York City.

“Girl Scouts is so much more than cookies,” Margaret said. “It’s an opportunity for girls to be in an all-girl environment and learn to be anything she wants. It’s the power of the girl to be proud of who she is.” Margaret said that she considers Girl Scouts to be one of the tools she carries with her in her personal and professional life.

“Girl Scouts helped me begin to understand that I can want things that are different from everyone else. When you’re a Girl Scout you’re thinking differently because you’re focused on being the best that you can be, not necessarily what your friends are doing. Girl Scouting taught me how to stand tall when I had to stand alone.”

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VERONICA MUZQUIZ EDWARDS

Innovator

Vernonica Muzquiz Edwards has learned that her Girl Scout Leadership Experience taught her how to set goals and work toward achieving them.

“I remember earning the badges, and using my handbook that was very tattered from all the time I spent studying the criteria for the path to success,” she said. “My pages were folded over and underlined because I saw the goal and wanted to learn how to get there.”

These days as President and CEO of Ingenesis, a premier supplier of workforce management and talent acquisition services, Veronica doesn’t always have a handbook in front of her to lead her to the path of success. Instead she’s had to call on those leadership experiences to develop innovative ideas and solutions.

“I love looking at a problem and deciding how to build a new bridge,” she said. “It’s about creativity and developing a solution that strengthens your company or personality.”

As a business leader, she enjoys forging new paths and challenging the status quo. “When faced with choices of A or B, I tend to be the one asking, ‘why not C?’” Veronica says that her Girl Scout Leadership Experience helped nurture her leadership skills at an early age.

“I was a painfully shy child,” she said. “But when given opportunities I was always looking, watching and studying. I realized you really have to learn from successes of others and study their failures but you have to take a deep breath and take that step forward. I would say that Girl Scouts gave me the ability and appreciation for the art of earning and learning. Those are the basic skills that we all need to be innovators.”

“People ask if you’re born with leadership or if it’s something you learn. It’s a combination of both when you’re given the opportunity. Girl Scouts is about teamwork that appreciates individual contribution. I loved earning those badges and wearing them on my vest. When you’re on a team in corporate America you’re part of a team that still appreciates and recognizes individual contribution. But now, instead of wearing your accomplishments on your chest you put them on your desk.”

KARA WELD

Risk-taker

When Girl Scout Ambassador Kara Weld was just 13 years old she found herself receiving bullying messages through various forms of social media. The sender wrote terrible things about Kara and encouraged her to take her own life. “It affected my self worth,” Kara said. “I fell behind in my school work. It affected everything in my life because I could not escape.”

But she persevered. With the help of her parents, her sister Girl Scouts and her troop leader, Kara held her head high and worked to overcome this cyberbullying attack that did not end until Kara changed school districts. Because of this experience, Kara dedicated her Girl Scout Gold Award to helping pass David's Law. She spent her spring break going door-to-door at the State Capitol asking to speak to legislators and staff members about David's Law, a law that has made cyberbullying a criminal offense.

She also held her head high as she testified on the Senate floor about her own experience despite knowing that her bully had never been identified. By standing up for what was right, Kara was putting herself on the line again. Her bully would maybe see her and begin their attack again. But she was determined to tell her story and change the world.

“Girl Scouts empowered me to make change,” Kara said. “I testified for David’s Law on the Senate floor because I really wanted to see this change.”

Kara worked with David’s Legacy Foundation, an organization dedicated to ending cyber-assisted bullying, to pass David’s Law this summer. The bill passed with bipartisan support during a difficult legislative session.

This is why Girl Scouts like Kara Weld are working to make the world a better place because they know that their actions can reach beyond their communities and into the world.

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WENDY KOWALIK

Leader

Wendy Kowalik, president of Predico Partners, was a Girl Scout for eight years taking on adventure after adventure with her troop.

“We had unbelievable opportunities to excel,” Wendy said. “Our troop leaders allowed everything to be girl-led. Every event we did, every adventure we went on we were in charge. We had to figure out what we wanted to do, how to raise the money and figure out a plan when we got there. Our troop leader made sure we got their safely but once we were there it was up to us to take ownership of the trip.” With grit and determination her troop raised funds to go on outdoor trips from snow skiing in New Mexico to canoeing in the Rio Grande.

“Girl Scouts taught me to take risks and take chances,” she said. “There were times we failed miserably but it all turned out okay. Having a Girl Scout experience, where you’re free to fail, really does make it easier later in life to take steps and leap out into the unknown. It truly builds selfconfidence.” For Wendy, the all-girl experience was instrumental in her troop finding their own leadership roles and styles.

“In school you’re in a co-ed environment all day long, there’s no getting away from it but in Girl Scouts whoever wants to take on a leadership role can. Any girl who wants to make the decisions and take responsibility for the actions can do it. Everyone is on equal footing and don’t have to compete with gender roles keeping you from being the leader. That’s what gave us the ability to find our niche and find where we excelled and each become leaders in our own right.”

Wendy said she attributes her leadership style to the example her troop leader set. “She spent so much time pushing us to find our own path.

Everything she did was about empowering us. I don’t think we recognized that she was teaching us about leadership but I would credit my leadership style to her. If I give someone a task at work, I give them the autonomy to make it happen.”

Wendy feels empowered to take on challenges, and contributes her strength to opportunities presented during her time as a Girl Scout.

“Girl Scouts is about giving girls autonomy to find their own path, taking on new challenges and being responsible for yourself. You’re in a safe environment where your ideas are encouraged. You’re encouraged to think and grow. It gives you new opportunities that you can’t get anywhere else. I don’t know another organization that will give you that breadth of experience.”

Let’s Celebrate!

From a small gathering of girls over a century ago, to a movement where all girls can see themselves reflected, Girl Scouts is an organization united across distance and decades by lifelong friendships, shared adventures and the desire to do big things to make the world a better place.

This year’s Fiesta medal holds the trefoil at heart — designed in celebration and spirit of our organization.

Available for sale at Sally Cheever Girl Scout Leadership Center and West Side Girl Scout Leadership Center shops.

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Juliette’s Circle is an extraordinary group of individuals who are passionate about Girl Scouts and its mission to build girls of courage, confidence and character. Each gift is an opportunity to change the world one girl at a time.

By making an investment in girls, members of Juliette’s Circle are helping them lead healthy lives and achieving their fullest potential.

We know that when girls succeed, so does society.

Special thanks to our founding members of Juliette’s Circle, who show their heartfelt support through their individual gifts.

We invite you to become a member of Juliette’s Circle because without you, our circle is not complete.

To join, call 210-349-2404 ext. 223 or email development@girlscouts-swtx.org

Founding Members of Juliette’s Circle William T. (Bill) Avila Carri Baker Karen Baen Sarah Baray Leah R. Bennett Nelwyn Simes Belt Yonnie Blanchette Mary Rose Brown Jelynne LeBlanc Burley Laura Burt Ella Carrasco Haley C. Carter Cece Cheever Nancy & Charlie Cheever Jean Cheever Regina Cheever Sally Cheever Deena Clausen Kelly Colotla Cariño Cortez Stephanie A. Finleon Cortez Chris Crane Beverly Watts Davis Luis de la Garza Yolanda Delgado Patricia Diaz Dennis Angelica M. Docog Lisa Drozdick Jan McCaleb Elliott Kelly Faglie Sandy Finleon Gretcha Flinn Leah D. Flores

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Ramon Flores Lisa D. Fox Jeannie Frazier Nicki Frey Elizabeth Friedman Lisa A. Fullerton Monica Gonzalez Jackie L. Gorman Suzanne Goudge Mimi Gourley Roger Graham Carrie A. Gray Barbara A.F. Greene Christine Grogan Sondra L. Grohman Teri M. Grubb Beth Hair Mary Henrich Jody Shaw Hernandez Priscilla Hill-Ardoin Mary Hime Janet Holliday Susan Hough Janet Irwine Dr. Arcelia M. Johnson-Fannin Katie McKinney Jones Hon. Yvonne Katz, Ed.D. Estella Reyna Kierce Wendy Kowalik Rosemary Kowalski Pam Landry Madelon Yanta Leone Jane H. Macon

A SAN ANTONIO WOMAN SPECIAL SECTION

Christina Markell-Balleza Nancy F. May Charline H. McCombs Jessica Mobley Jennifer Moriarty Hon. Susan Pamerleau Priscilla Parsons Anne Parrish Janet Pedrotti Suzanne Peterson Rebecca Puryear-Jennings Linda A. Ramon Cathy Ritter Hon. Sylvia S. Romo Maj. Gen. Angie Salinas, USMC (Ret) Sandra Schlortt Sharon Jones Schweitzer Marsha McCombs Shields Blythe Simonson Cecilia M. Smith Jocelyn L. Straus Rita Sutton Marlene M. Teal Diane M. Theiss Cheryl Thorpe Jill Torbert Annie Uribe Turner Laura J. Vaccaro Suzanne Wade Teri L. Wenglein Dela W. White Jeanie Wyatt Judge Renée Yanta

A SAN ANTONIO WOMAN SPECIAL SECTION

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Making all the difference.

Business Patch Partners What could the future workforce accomplish if all businesses — large and small — took a vested interest in advancing female leadership today? By investing in a girl’s success at an early age, each of us plays a vital role in ensuring the future of the community and the country is in good hands.

With a combined contribution of $210,000 to Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas, CPS Energy, H-E-B, Shining Star ENERGY, The Tobin Endowment, Valero Energy Foundation and Wells Fargo have all taken the lead in supporting innovative patch programs for each company’s area of expertise.

CPS Energy and Environmental Awareness and Conservation Through CPS Energy’s Environmental Awareness and Conservation Initiative, girls learn about environmental issues, the importance of its protection and how to be good environmental stewards. *Did you know: For girls ages 11-12, 73% reported improving the world around them as their favorite activity (e.g. activities related to the environment or helping others.)

H-E-B’s Health and Wellness Girl Scouts recognizes that physical health, emotional health and self-esteem are connected. H-E-B’s Health and Wellness Initiative promotes a balanced view of body image and develops skills to keep girls healthy. *Did you know: Over the past 25 years, the percentage of overweight girls has more than doubled. Thirty-one percent of girls admit to starving themselves or refusing to eat as a strategy to lose weight.

Shining Star ENERGY and Entrepreneurship Through Shining Star ENERGY's Entrepreneurship Initiative, Girl Scouts learn about the fundamental dynamics of business, the scope of planning and how to prepare for an enterprising future. Entrepreneurship creates unlimited opportunities as more young women become business leaders. *Did you know: 30% of all businesses in the U.S. are owned by women and 80% of female entrepreneurs were once Girl Scouts.

The Tobin Endowment and the Arts Through the encouragement of artistic expression, girls improve their self-esteem, feel motivated to explore new interests and may even develop new talents in music, dance or visual arts. *Did you know: Girls who study art are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement and three times more likely to be awarded for school attendance.

Valero Energy Foundation and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Women continue to have a greater impact in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math than ever before. Whether they’re building robots, learning the mechanics of a car’s engine or creating a chemical reaction, girls are unlocking unexpected talents through Valero Energy Foundation’s STEM Initiative. *Did you know: When today’s girls graduate from college, America will need 3 million more scientists and engineers. However, girls tend to leave science to boys as early as the 5th grade.

Wells Fargo and Financial Literacy Wells Fargo’s Financial Literacy Initiative provides girls the resources and knowledge to set fiscal goals and become financially accountable when earning and managing money. *Did you know: Women-owned funds significantly outperform funds in general, even during tough economic times. Yet women managed only 3% of hedge funds and 10% of mutual funds in the year leading to the 2008 recession.

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A SAN ANTONIO WOMAN SPECIAL SECTION

Who We Are Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) is dedicated solely to girls in grades K-12. For 106 years we have enabled girls to build character and skills for success.

• Founded in 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low • More than 2.8 million members throughout the United States • GSUSA is a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) • WAGGGS is a family of 10 million girls and adults in 145 countries (*including U.S. territories, and in more than 90 countries through USA Girl Scouts Overseas)

TO VISIT OR CONTACT GSSWT Sally Cheever Girl Scout Leadership Center 811 N Coker Loop | San Antonio, TX 78216 Phone 210-349-2404 | 1-800-580-7247 Fax 210-349-2666 West Side Girl Scout Leadership Center 5622 W. César E. Chávez Blvd. | San Antonio, TX 78237 Phone 210-349-2404

How to Become a Girl Scout

Frequently asked Questions

• • •

Q: What happens after a girl becomes a Girl Scout?

A: When a girl joins the organization, she becomes a Girl Scout member. All members may choose any one, all or some of the flexible pathways to participate in during a single year.

Be a girl in grades K-12 Accept the Girl Scout Promise and Law Pay national membership dues of $25 (financial assistance is available)

Call 210-349-2404/1-800-580-7247 or visit girlscouts-swtx.org/join to learn about Girl Scouts in your neighborhood!

Participate in Girl Scouts through one or more pathways: Camp. By day or overnight, she can explore nature on two wheels, by the light of the moon or through the lens of a camera.

Events. Most girls have more than one passion—maybe storytelling and acting and dancing. Choose events centered on your daughter’s favorites.

Series. Everything’s more fun when you’re sharing it with others who love the same things. Our series let girls explore interests together in a way that fits their schedules.

Travel. Want your daughter to go places? Girl Scouts do. When they see and experience new things, it’s always an adventure they’ll never forget.

Troop. Meeting regularly, girls can share amazing experiences, learn to make a difference in their community and have lots of fun!

Girl Scout Grade Levels GSUSA program at all levels emphasizes development of personal values, appreciation of others, decision-making, leadership and service. Program is adapted for each grade level and for the needs and interests of individual girls.

• • • • • •

Girl Scout Daisy—grades K-1 Girl Scout Brownie—grades 2-3 Girl Scout Junior—grades 4-5 Girl Scout Cadette—grades 6-8 Girl Scout Senior—grades 9-10 Girl Scout Ambassador—grades 11-12

Girl Scouts offers more choices and more reasons than ever to join. Get started today!

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Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas (GSSWT) is chartered by Girl Scouts of the USA to provide program in 21 counties. We are headquartered at the Sally Cheever Girl Scout Leadership Center in north central San Antonio.

A SAN ANTONIO WOMAN SPECIAL SECTION

Q: How can I support my daughter’s Girl Scout journey?

A: Parents/guardians should be familiar with the flexible pathways your daughter can experience. Help her identify her interests and encourage her to participate in various activities. All of the information a parent needs to support their daughter’s Girl Scout journey may be found online at www.girlscouts-swtx.org.

Q: Where do funds come from to pay for books, pins and awards?

A: Through participation in product programs, such as the annual Girl Scout Cookie Program, which provides troops or individual girls with proceeds to help pay for books, earned awards or uniform pieces. Proceeds may also be used to pay for attendance at camp or to travel, as well as various activities offered by the council. Parents/guardians of girls will often pay some of the costs. If a troop is newly formed, a troop leader may request a small amount from the parents to begin the program year.

All of these specific troop details should be discussed at the first parent’s meeting. Limited financial assistance for books, membership pins and uniform components is available.

Q: Are uniforms required in Girl Scouting?

A: Uniforms are not required, but are encouraged for visibility and Girl Scout spirit. A girl is always welcome to participate in Girl Scouting whether or not she chooses to have a uniform. The Girl Scout Membership Pin can be worn with or without the uniform. Girls are encouraged to purchase a sash or vest on which to display earned awards and other official insignia. Financial assistance is available.

Q: Is financial assistance available?

A: Yes. GSSWT believes no girl should ever be denied the opportunity to participate in Girl Scouts because of financial need. Funds are available to assist girls with council activities, membership dues, books, etc.

Q: Who can be a Girl Scout volunteer?

A: Anyone over the age of 18 and willing to accept the Girl Scout Promise and Law is welcome to volunteer for the organization. Adults go through the following steps when applying to become Girl Scout volunteers: application with criminal background check, appointment for one year, placement and required training. GSSWT offers adult learning opportunities online and in a live class format to provide volunteers with a solid foundation for guiding the leadership development of girls.

Q: Who do I contact for information or help?

A: Much information may be found online at girlscouts-swtx.org or call 210-349-2404/1-800-580-7247.

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artbeat

Mary Heathcott

Nurtures Art, Artists and Collaboration

By Jasmina Wellinghoff

Photography by Janet Rogers

n the first day of February, a large crowd gathered at the Blue Star Contemporary for the opening of the second part of Common Currents, the massive Tricentennial art exhibit that involves six art organizations and 300 artists, who were collectively tasked with telling the story of our city through 300 new, original artworks. Each artist was asked to focus on a single year of San Antonio’s history, from 1718 to today, and each institution was responsible for 50 years of history. The Blue Star show, which is still on view, covers the period between 1768 and 1817.

Greeting and mingling with the visitors that night was Blue Star’s executive director Mary Heathcott, one of the two visionaries who dreamed up the huge collaborative project a couple of years ago. Her visionary partner was Mary Mikel Stump, the former director of exhibitions at the Southwest School of Art, who has since left San Antonio. Their brainchild, Common Currents, has now become a historic event in its own right and a fitting tribute to the Tricentennial.

What motivated the two Marys was a desire to emphasize inclu116 | sawoman.com

sion and collaboration in the art world. And what better time to highlight the spirit of collaboration than the 300th anniversary of our city’s founding? As a result, the selection of participants in the six Common Currents shows was artist-driven, without curatorial input. Heathcott had no idea what the 50 Blue Star participants had created until it was time to mount the show.

“I am very pleased and excited,” she said at the opening, glancing at the action all around her. “All the artists are at their A game! I am impressed with the diversity and range that we have here — video, painting, sculpture, photography, performance art … This is a celebration of San Antonio history and a celebration of the wealth of artistic resources we have in our community. It’s a huge body of new work that has been created.”

Covering one of the early periods of our history, the Blue Star exhibit has works that deal with Native American themes, the landscape, the mingling of races, the secularization of the missions, the agriculture of the day, etc. Among the artists represented are such well-known names as Kent Rush, Ken Little, Trish Simonite, Kate

Ritson, David Zamora Casas and others.

Four other Common Currents shows were scheduled to open later in February and in March.

Changes at Blue Star

Though the project has certainly enhanced her status on the local art scene, Heathcott had already won the respect of the community for her leadership of Blue Star. She took the helm of the contemporary art center in February of 2014 and has been busy fixing and improving things ever since. Why she took the job is pretty self-explanatory, she feels. “For anyone involved with contemporary art, Blue Star is an integral part of the story in San Antonio,” she said. ”It’s the first place that provided opportunities and platforms for contemporary artists in our community, it’s an essential hub for artists, and it was always a central reference point for me when I wanted to take the temperature of what was happening on the San Antonio art scene.”

What also appealed to her is that Blue Star had — and still has — the flexibility to respond to current concerns in art and society, something that institutions with large permanent collection seldom do. As an example, she cites Northern Triangle, from December 2014, an exhibition highlighting the plight of illegal immigrants from Central America. “It was like the major topic of the day at the time, and we were able to address it,” she noted. “That sort of scenario is what excites me the most about working here.”

In addition to exhibition planning and curating, Heathcott’s major priorities after she took the job were to strengthen the education programs and to create more professional opportunities for artists. Significantly, she created several channels through which artists from here and elsewhere can submit their portfolios to the curatorial staff and compete for opportunities to have their work shown at Blue Star. As a result, more than 800 artists have applied since 2014, and nine “acclaimed” exhibitions have been presented, exposing San Antonians to new artistic voices.

Wisely, she also hired a development director. “When I came here, the organization did not have a development staff at all,” she explained. “So, my first hire was Elaine Leahy as the development director. Together we have grown the budget significantly and diversified our funding sources. One thing Blue Star doesn’t have yet, however, is an endowment. I worked with the board on a strategic plan in 2015, and creating an endowment is part of the plan. But we are just at the beginning.” All of that, while also upgrading and renovating the building itself, which reopened in time to host the 30th anniversary of the institution.

childhood, she never thought about it as a career. What changed her mind was a required art history class at Trinity. “It was an ‘aha!’ moment for me,” she recalled. “It connected to a lot of my interests, such as the study of civilization, anthropology, literature. I discovered that everything happening in the world is reflected in the visual arts.”

After earning a degree in art history and a brief stint at the San Antonio Art League Museum, Heathcott moved to Chicago, where her husband planned to attend culinary school. While there, the young woman got a master’s degree and followed that up with several years of development work at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. The job made her realize just how important contemporary art can be in creating a dynamic cultural scene and how important it is to establish multiple community ties.

But when the opportunity arose, the Heathcotts returned to the Alamo City. “I am going to be a lifelong San Antonian,” she said with conviction. “So much happens here.”

Following eight years at Artpace, where she handled a variety of administrative jobs, including interim managing director, Heathcott is presently where she would like to stay for a long time and where her development and operational skills are much needed. At the same time, she is extremely supportive of artists’ work, and they appreciate her in return.

“Mary is the best thing that happened to Blue Star,” said Zamora Casas at the Feb.1 opening.

And several artists, including Trish Simonite and Libby Rowe, praised Heathcott’s leadership on the Common Currents project. “It has a lovely unifying effect,” noted Rowe, who teaches at UTSA. “I was excited to be one of the 300…

We are all part of the same big exhibition, all of us showing as one, in a way.”

Heathcott’s love of contemporary art runs deep, though she is quick to emphasize that she is not an artist. Art is everywhere in her home in the Lavaca neighborhood, she said, and she would like to get more. “I am lucky that my work is also my pleasure. I love to be surrounded by artwork.”

So what advice does she have for people who have a hard time relating to contemporary works?

“Look a little deeper and ask questions,” she said. “We at Blue Star try to provide context for the works to help with the understanding. We grapple with that question — how much context is needed? We offer educational programs with our exhibits that give us additional opportunities to offer information about the ideas behind the work. And our visitor ambassadors are always prepared to talk about the artwork, too.”

The five other Common Currents shows are on view at Artpace, the Southwest School of Art, the Carver Center, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center and the Mexican Cultural Institute.

“All the artists are at their A game!

I am impressed with the diversity and range that we have here — video, painting, sculpture, photography, performance art … This is a celebration of San Antonio history and a celebration of the wealth of artistic resources we have in our community.

It’s a huge body of new work that has been created.”

So much Happens Here

Born and reared in Houston, Heathcott first came to San Antonio to attend Trinity University, where she also met her husband, Maxwell Heathcott. Though she had been exposed to the arts throughout her

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around town

GO RED for Woman Luncheon

On February 8, 2018, hundreds of women sporting bright red outfits once again gathered for the Go Red Luncheon to raise funds and awareness for the American Heart Association. Fran Yanity, CEO and President of Noisy Trumpet, served as 2018 Campaign Chairwoman. She is pictured her presenting Sarah Lucero with the Lifestyle Change Award as Lucero has gone from full time newscaster to full time mom.

118 | sawoman.com

Calendar

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Month of March CONTEMPORARY ART MONTH This month-long celebration of contemporary arts features more than 400 exhibitions and involves more than 50 venues, including galleries, museums, neighborhoods and studios.

contemporaryartmonth.com

March 7 ARTFULL WEDNESDAY: FOOD FOR THOUGHT: AMERICAN PIE McNay Art Museum 12 – 1pm Join the McNay for American Pie! Taste-test food and drink related to art on view. mcnayart.org

Floats release 110 pounds of environmentally friendly green dye into the San Antonio River, transforming it into "The River Shannon." visitsanantonio.com

March 22 BON JOVI AT&T Center 7pm Join Bon Jovi on the spring leg of their ‘This House Is Not For Sale’ Tour! attcenter.com

March 23 – 24 A CONFERENCE ON THE TRICENTENNIAL The Witte Museum The two-day conference will examine the three centuries of San Antonio history. wittemuseum.org

March 17 MURPHY’S ST. PATRICK’S DAY RIVER PARADE & FESTIVAL San Antonio River Walk A family friendly festival of music, food and fun!

March 24 ALABAMA Majestic Theatre 8pm Alabama brought youthful energy and a rocking edge that broadened country’s audience and opened the door to self-contained

bands from then on, and they undertook a journey that led, 73 million albums later, to the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Alabama introduced rock-style guitars, lights, pyrotechnics and sounds to the country audience.

majesticempire.com

March 25 9TH ANNUAL PAELLA CHALLENGE Mission County Park Guests watch celebrity chefs and high school teams go head-to-head to create the most impressive paella right before your eyes. Proceeds from the event go toward scholarships to the Culinary Institute of America and supporting local culinary programs and educational endeavors. paellachallenge.com

March 31 – April 2 2018 NCAA FINAL FOUR Alamodome Get your game face on with this year's NCAA Final Four® festivities at the Alamodome in San Antonio!

Arts & Entertainment April 7 6TH ANNUAL SAN ANTONIO BOOK FESTIVAL Central Library 9am The San Antonio Book Festival celebrates national and local authors and their contributions to the cul-

ture of literacy, ideas, and imagination. The free, daylong event is a gift to visitors and the citizens of San Antonio, bringing books to life through author presentations, innovative panel discussions, and book sales and signings.

saplf.org/festival/

April 13 ART PARTY: CITY COLORIFIC San Antonio Museum of Art 6 – 8pm Enjoy live music, gallery tours inspired by the Museum's collection at 5:30, 6:15, and 7:15 p.m. (space is limited), specialty cocktails by Blue Box and art making! samuseum.org

visitsanantonio.com/

finalfour.aspx

( EDITOR’S PICK )

VIVA HEMISFAIR! A 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION April 6 - 8

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Hemisfair Park

As an official event of San Antonio's Tricentennial, ¡Viva Hemisfair! is a celebration full of food, music, history and throwbacks to the 1968 World's Fair. Cultural zones, musical performances and public art will fill the Hemisfair district with colorful experiences, while historical exhibits will teach guests about the neighborhood that stood before the Fair, events during the 1968 World’s Fair, and future plans for redevelopment. hemisfair.org 120 | sawoman.com

April 13 – 14 BEETHOVEN: 9TH SYMPHONY SAN ANTONIO SYMPHONY Tobin - HEB Performance Hall 8pm The San Antonio Symphony

April 13 – 15 POTEET STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL

MAR/APR

strawberryfestival.com/2018/

Photo courtesy of visitsanantonio.com

2018 performs Beethoven’s grand Ninth Symphony, with its iconic finale, “Ode to Joy.” This symphonic celebration of universal brotherhood transports us from anguish to joy, conflict to harmony. sasymphony.org

April 13 – 15 POTEET STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL Poteet, TX Located just south of San Antonio, the Poteet Strawberry Festival includes concerts, dancing, rides, gunslingers, rodeo performances and, of course, lots of strawberries. strawberryfestival.com/

FIESTA SAN ANTONIO April 19-29, 2018

2018/

April 14 OLLU 5K CONFETTI RUN & WALK Our Lady of the Lake 7:30 - 10:30 am Our Lady of the Lake is hosting their second annual 5k confetti run and walk through the campus.

After the 5K, participants will take a train to the renovated Lake Elmendorf Park. Attendees will meet at the main building and receive a T shirt, custom bib, drawstring bag, and a custom finisher medal. valerotexasopen.com

April 16 – 22 VALERO TEXAS OPEN TPC San Antonio 156 of the world's top professionals will take on the AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio and compete for their share of the $6.2 million purse. valerotexasopen.com

April 20 – 21 FIESTA OYSTER BAKE St. Mary’s University Campus The event features more than 100,000 oysters served baked, raw and fried plus 70+ food and beverage booths. Enjoy musical entertainment, as well as a full carnival and Fireworks Spectacular. fiesta-sa.org/events

April 20 – 22 TASTE OF NEW ORLEANS Sunken Garden Theatre Nowhere else can you experience mouth-watering Creole and Cajun dishes like gumbo, crawfish, shrimp etouffe, red beans and rice, boudin and more.

The San Antonio Zulu Association puts on a family-friendly event featuring toe tappin’ Smooth Jazz. Everyone is welcome. saza.org

April 21 – 22 FIESTA ARTS FAIR The Southwest School of Art Saturday: 10am – 6pm, Sunday: 11am – 5pm Fiesta Arts Fair showcases the contemporary art of 120 artists from all over America. Ceramics, paintings, jewelry, glass, photography, wearable art and other high-quality artworks are for sale to accent one's home, table or body. swschool.org

San Antonio Humane Society.

SAhumane.org/erf

April 27 BATTLE OF FLOWERS PARADE Parade Route, E Grayson and Broadway 9:30am – 2:30pm (NEW START TIME) The Battle of Flowers Parade honors the heroic spirit of the patriots of the Alamo, commemorates the victory of

San Jacinto and celebrates the diversity and heritage of Texas and our nation.

The theme of the 2018 Battle of Flowers Parade is “300 Timeless Treasures.”

battleofflowers.org

FOR MORE EVENTS AND INFORMATION GO TO FIESTA-SA.ORG

April 21 EL REY FIDO CORONATION Sheraton Gunter Hotel 10 – 11am This dog-friendly event is carried out in true Fiesta spirit, from folklórico dances to vivid royal canine attire.

Costumed pooches are encouraged. This event raises money for the march/april 2018 | 121

Coffee to Cocktails!

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san antonio eats

We all know women have distinctive tastes when it comes to dining out. So, ladies, this restaurant guide is custom tailored just for you. Let us know about your favorite places on Instagram. (www.instagram.com/sanantoniowoman/) Bon appetit!

Coffee, Tea, Treats

Breakfast & Brunch CAPPY’S From mimosas to truffled scrambled eggs with crab and lobster in a champagne butter sauce, this is a perfect brunch setting in the beauty of Alamo Heights and loved by locals. $$

and indoor dining areas.

Features museum tour. $$

205 E. Guenther guentherhouse.com

Lunch

BOSS BAGEL & COFFEE Unique bagels, smears and coffees from exceptional farms created by chef Brannon Soileau. $

LA TAZA JAVA COFFEE HOUSE Cozy, bohemian spot for coffee, special espresso menu, pastries, and sandwiches. $ 15060 San Pedro

ROSELLA AT THE RAND An upscale, warm, community eatery serving fresh roasted coffees, food, beer, and wine. $ 114 E. Houston St. 78205 rosellacoffee.com

Dinner

402 N. Loop 1604W eggspectation.com

Cappycino’s Bistro

CAPPYCCINO’S BISTRO Casual dining offering highquality hamburgers, pizzas, salads, soups and sandwiches. Bistro and patio dining available. $$

LA MADELEINE Warm, quaint French country setting in this popular chain eatery known for espresso, croissants, pastries. $

4820 Broadway, Park North, Northwoods, and Huebner Oaks Shopping Centers lamadeleine.com

6901 Blanco Road and 5811 University Heights Blvd. picnikinspatiocafe.com

EGGSPECTATION Stylish atmosphere with an egg-focused menu, plus American offerings for lunch or dinner. $$

6458 N. New Braunfels BossBagel.com

5003 Broadway cappyccios.com

NOLA Brunch & Beignets

NOLA BRUNCH & BEIGNETS New Orleans-style brunch six days a week with takes on shrimp & grits, blue crab omelettes, bread pudding French toast and so much more. $$ 111 Kings Court eatatnola.com

GUENTHER HOUSE Stunning home setting at Pioneer Flour Mills in King William serving traditional American brunch, both outdoor

staffpicks outdoor dining

5253 McCullough mingsthing.com

PICNIKINS PATIO CAFÉ A blend of fast casual by day and upscale bistro by night. Scratch soups and gourmet sandwiches. $

5011 Broadway cappysrestaurant.com

Boss Bagel & Coffee

MING’S NOODLE BAR Unique take on Chinese noodle bowls and buns. Gluten Free, Vegan, and Vegetarian Options served from restored box car. $

CHAUMA GAUCHA BRAZILIAN STEAKHOUSE Besides the perfectly grilled meats, Chauma Gaucha is also known for one of the best and most complete salad bars. $$$ 18318 Sonterra Place chamagaucha.com

CLEMENTINE Power chef-couple, John and Elise Russ, run a casual, neighborhood eatery with serious spins on Southern cooking. $$ 2195 NW Military in Castle Hills clementine-sa.com

GODAI SUSHI BAR & JAPANESE RESTAURANT Enjoy patio dining at this popular, high energy eatery serving traditional/fusion sushi and Japanese entrees. $$

11203 West Ave. FB – Godai Sushi Bar and Restaurant

Frederick’s Bistro

FEDERICK’S BISTRO A must try version of Pho at this Asian-French fusion restaurant in an elegant setting. $$$ 14439 NW Military federicksbistro.com

Listening to music with a margarita on the patio at La Hacienda de los Barrios

Eating brunch at Feast in Southtown

My favorite burgers outside at Tycoon Flats

Grist Mill in Gruene, TX

A glass of wine by the river at Grist Mill in Gruene

PALOMA BLANCA MEXICAN CUISINE Known for one of the best tortilla soups, and for gluten free and paleo options. $$ 5800 Broadway palomablanca.net

PERIPHERY Rustic, intimate eatery where American Southern and Italian favorites collide. $$ 2512 N. Main in Monte Vista peripherysa.com

999 E. Basse Rd, 1201 N. Loop 1604 W stonewerks.com

THE WINCHESTER, PINTS AND PLATES Old English pub atmosphere known for excellent service, hamburgers, beer and fun. $$ 5148 Broadway thewinchesterpub.com

Wine & Dine

RANGE Another unique restaurant by Chef Jason Dady and featuring cocktails mixed tableside, steaks, and seafood in an elegant setting. $$$ 1125 E. Houston St. Rangesa.com

ROSARIO’S IN SOUTHTOWN Classic Mexican dishes in a fun, trendy setting. A favorite of locals and tourists. $$ 910 S. Alamo Rosariossa/homepage.php

SIGNATURE AT LA CANTERA RESORT AND SPA Enjoy exquisite Texas cuisine by chef Andrew Weissman in a rustic setting. $$$ 16401 La Cantera Parkway destinationhotels.com/ signature-restaurant/ hill-country-restaurants

Happy Hour HANZO Popular, casual gastropub for creative cocktails, Japanese beer, and unique oriental cuisine. $$ 7701 Broadway, #124 hanzobar.com

Bliss

BLISS Chef Mark Bliss is noted for putting San Antonio on the map in fine dining. This restored former filling station in trendy Southtown features his best New American fare with a wellstocked wine list and excellent service. $$$ 926 S. Presa St. foodisbliss.com

FISH CITY GRILL Intimate, bustling setting with Southern-style seafood and an extensive wine list. $$ 18130 San Pedro Ave. fishcitygrill.com

FORMOSA GARDEN Popular Asian eatery with traditional Chinese food and an extensive wine list. $$ 1011 NE Interstate Loop 410 formosasa.com

J-PRIME STEAKHOUSE Elegant, NY-style setting for premium Brazilian steaks and seafood. Featuring a complete wine list. $$ 1401 North Loop 1604 W jprimesteakhouse.com

Ocho in Hotel Havana

OCHO IN HOTEL HAVANA Riverside Old World charm with a Latin flair, featuring unusual foods and mojitos. $$ 1015 Navarro havanasanantonio.com/ restaurant-and-bar/ocho

STONEWERKS BIG ROCK GRILLE One of the most popular happy hours in town, with TV viewing, modern settings, and even a fireplace in Lincoln Heights. $$

NONNA OSTERIA The best of artisan, northern Italian cuisine served fresh daily in the historic Fairmont Hotel.

The bread is made when you order it. $$ 401 S. Alamo nonnasa.com

/sanantoniowoman/

Share your favorite restaurants with us on Instagram.

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san antonio eats

Late Night

polenta spinach fried egg to homemade apple pie. $$

6417 Evers Road leonvalleycafe.com

TWIN SISTERS BAKERY & CAFÉ A relaxed, quirky café known for unique soups, brunch, and organic wine & beer. $

Highway 281S at Bitters Eljarro.com

LA FONDA ON MAIN Historic, vintage setting for a local Tx-Mx favorite. Outdoor dining and a full drink menu. $$ 2415 N.Main Ave. lafondaonmain.com

THE DOGFATHER Open 11 AM – 4 AM (Fri & Sat) Gourmet hot dogs served with red wine reduction sauce, fresh herbs, and sweet chili glaze. $$ 6211 San Pedro FB - thedogfathersa

JIM’S FAMILY RESTAURANTS A San Antonio staple for 70 years, Jim’s has locations throughout the city with most opened 24 hours. They offer classic Americana and diner cooking and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner every hour.

Check website for location nearest you. $ jimsrestaurants.com

MI TIERRA CAFÉ & BAKERY Open 24 hours with classic Tex-Mex fare, baked goods, margaritas and mariachis.

A San Antonio landmark in Market Square. $$

Best Kept Secrets

8055 West Ave. #107 FB - CestLaVieBakingCo

River City Seafood Grill

RIVER CITY SEAFOOD GRILL Delicious seafood gumbo paired served in a hearty bowl with a lengthy wine list. $$

Six locations: Shavano Park, Leon Springs, Alamo Heights, Pearl Brewery, Medical Center and Stone Oak. localcoffee.com

SCUZZI’S IN LEON SPRINGS Family friendly Italian eatery with a patio and plenty of window space. Presents a vast wine list and cocktails. $$

SUPPER AT HOTEL EMMA Chef John Brands brings daily farm-to-table American cuisine with new flavors and a desire to see visitors gather around the table with a smile. A modern eatery atmosphere that is worth the visit. $$$ 136 E. Grayson supperatemma.com

115 TX-1604 #1108 rivercityseafoodgrill.com

Feast

FEAST A stylish indoor/outdoor setting with an eclectic menu, crazy cocktails, and what they call a “buzzy” brunch in popular Southtown. $$

TRE ENOTECA Chic, modern setting by chef Jason Dady featuring small plates and unique creations of pizza, steak and seafood.

Make reservations. $$ 555 West Bitters Road in Artisan’s Alley treenoteca.com

1024 S. Alamo

#Only in SA

LEON VALLEY CAFÉ Simple building, elaborate tastes run by chef Eduardo Reyes and family. Daily specials from

EL JARRO Tex-Mex or gourmet Mexican fare, delicious with famous margaritas and drinks. $$

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BIGA ON THE BANKS 2 to 400 people 210-225-0722 biga.com

LOCAL COFFEE Completely focused on the taste and quality of the coffee, including their own Merit Roasting Company brand, in an eclectic neighborhood setting. $

24165 West Interstate 10, #433 scuzzisitaliangrill.com

218 Produce Row mitierracafe.com

Eclectic & Eccentric

boudros.com

Local Coffee

C’EST LA VIE BAKING COMPANY A casual, friendly bakery with an open kitchen, serving homebaked goods, and light fare from local farms and artisans. $

dine.figtreerestaurant.com

BOUDRO’S Up to 800 people 210-224-1313

2731 S. WW White Rd

555 W. Bitters Rd., Suite 115 thebreadboxsa.com

FIG TREE ON THE RIVER Up to 40 people 210-224-9180

aldacosrestaurants.com

2M SMOKEHOUSE BBQ favorites and traditional sides smoked on an oak fired pit behind this funky Eastside eatery. $ THE BREAD BOX Only open from 9AM-3PM, share a slice of cream cheese pound cake with lemon icing. $

thebarndoorrestaurant.com

ALDACO’S STONE OAK Up to 90 people 210-494-0561

6322 N. New Braunfels twinsistersbakeryandcafe.com

The Dogfather

THE BARN DOOR Up to 130 people 210-824-0116

Private Dining WEDDINGS, BIRTHDAYS, HOLIDAY PARTIES, BUSINESS MEETINGS, ETC.

ACENAR Up to 100 people 210-222-2362 acenar.com

LA FONDA ON MAIN Up to 16 people 210-260-8068 lafondaonmain.com

CARMENS DE LA CALLE CAFE 40-80 people 210-737-8272

carmensdelacalle.com

GRAND HYATT SAN ANTONIO Achiote River Cafe: 30-150 Bar Rojo: 30-60 210-224-1234

sanantonio.grand.hyatt.com

MAGGIANO’S LITTLE ITALY 20-240 people 210-451-6010 maggianos.com

TEXAS DE BRAZIL 15-45 people 210-299-1600 texasdebrazil.com

OLD SAN FRANCISCO STEAKHOUSE 50-700 people 210-342-2323 theoldsanfrancisco.com

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAKHOUSE, RIVERWALK Up to 200 people 210-227-8847 ruthschris.com

BOILER HOUSE TEXAS GRILL & WINE GARDEN Up to 270 people 210-354-4644

boilerhousesa.com

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dining

Delivers River Walk Dining Elegance

By Iris Gonzalez

Photography by Janet Rogers ne of the most consistently and justifiably praised

restaurants in San Antonio is led by chef Bruce Auden.

Specializing in contemporary American cuisine, Auden

was nominated six times for the James Beard “Best Chef Southwest” award from 2000 to 2011.

Auden first opened Restaurant Biga in 1991 in a historic Tobin Hill

home. In 2000, the restaurant grew and was renamed Biga on the

Biga’s tables are spaced well and offer different elegant dining experiences. For larger groups looking for privacy, the chef ’s table can accommodate eight diners at the curtained table 31. For a more

intimate experience, request table 1 in the circular booth facing the river and located in the restaurant’s back corner. That table sees its fair share of proposals and wedding anniversary celebrations.

“I recommend sitting at the bar with our bar manager, Kim Romo,” Auden said. “That’s much more fun — there’s always something going on with the people sitting at the bar.”

Banks after moving downtown to its present location inside the

The menu changes daily to take advantage of the best seasonal food available.

floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the St. Mary's Street Bridge,

Many diners start their evening at Biga, as it is the perfect spot for a

International Center Building. Biga’s entire back wall consists of and the restaurant has access to the quiet portion of the San Antonio River.

“This used to be a reading room for a library. That’s why there are

such large windows in our dining room,” Auden said.

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theater evening downtown. Its validated valet parking enables diners to focus their time and attention on Biga’s three- or four-course se-

lections from their prix fixe menu — with plenty of time to enjoy the show. Their seasonal menu is available daily for prix fixe orders placed before 6:30 or after 9:30 p.m.

“We have regulars who come after 9:30 for a prix fixe dinner,” Auden added. “They stay to enjoy our cocktails and wine list afterward.”

Romo has worked for Auden nine years as Biga’s bar manager of its

beverage program. For special occasions she can recommend specific

bottles of wine for memorable meals and occasionally designs drinks

when asked. “When we get requests for cocktails, I ask people to ‘tell

me your flavor profile so I can design something special, given your preferences,’” she said.

Every year Biga hosts one of the wine-paired dinners for the annual San Antonio Cocktail Conference. For 2018, Biga paired the meal

with bourbon from the Heaven Hills brand and participated for the

first time in the conference’s DoSeum kickoff party.

Chef Bruce Auden (opposite) is riding the success of Biga with new restaurants opening around town.

(This page) Bar manager, Kim Romo, makes sure the bar is a fun place to reside and her drinks something special. Though the menu changes daily, customers love his unique ways to serve salmon, salad, and desserts.

Auden’s ever-changing menu showcases local ingredients like Texas

quail and venison, seasonal vegetables and fruits from local farmers and the freshest fish selections prepared to showcase the quality

seafood supplier Biga uses. Menu favorites that are always available include the chicken-fried oysters and smoked salmon nachos.

One dining option many may not know Biga offers is ordering several

entrees without straining your stomach or your wallet. “On weekends

we offer half-portions of all our main entrees,” Auden said. “People like trying small plates, and you can try more dishes that way.”

Desserts change daily except for one perennial favorite. The ever-

popular Sticky Toffee Pudding with English custard reflects the origins of the chef, who grew up in London.

When asked what trends he found exciting in the current dining

scene, the chef was enthusiastic at the growing creativity reflected

in San Antonio’s many new dining options. “It’s great that there are so many more restaurants opening now than when we first moved

here,” Auden said. “You can walk and visit different bars and enjoy a progressive dinner, just by walking from place to place downtown.”

When Auden arrived in 1985 to open Polo's, a fine dining restaurant featuring new American cuisine in the Fairmount Hotel, his cuisine stood out from the more commonly offered Texas barbecue and

Mexican food in San Antonio. He felt welcomed into the community and decided to stay in San Antonio, raising his four children.

“It was a good opportunity to come to San Antonio,” Auden said.

“What we do here fits very well with both San Antonio residents and those who come to visit the city. Our focus is on hospitality and welcoming everyone, especially families, because we’re family-friendly.”

march/april 2018 | 127

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Weddings W

Jennifer Ryals Photography Monica Roberts Photography

Mr. & Mrs. Carlos Flores Jazmin Murillo September 29, 2017

Jessica Chole Photography

Mr. & Mrs. Francisco Herrera Gabrielle Harden October 8, 2017

Mr. & Mrs. David Trigg Madeleine Watson November 11, 2017

Oyer Photography

Stephanie Hanson Photography

Mr. & Mrs. Sergio Calderon Lisa Zaiontz December 8, 2017

Mr. & Mrs. Brandon Wilks Betsy Linahan January 13, 2018

John Moody of Moodyography

Mr. & Mrs.Matthew Bryant Jordan Lewis February 24, 2017

march/april 2018 | 129

W LOOKING BACK

1951 The Midtown Roller Drome, behind the Alamo at 325 E. Crockett, was the scene of many wonderful school parties.

130 | sawoman.com