The West University Buzz - January 2026

Ella, Annette, Anthony, and Chloe Brissett

Friendship and Sourdough

Serving Up a Legacy

by Cathy Gordon

Getting Grounded for 2026 Houston, TX Permit No. 2047 PAID US Postage

Book-Club Books

PRSRT STD

Healthy Recipes

EDITOR’S NOTE “The best things in life are the people we love, the places we’ve been, and the memories we’ve made along the way.” That quote hangs in my office – a souvenir from a trip a decade ago. It feels like the perfect quote to kick off the new year. This month, we feature neighbors who embody love, family, friendship, and adventure. Anthony and Annette Brissett raised two bright, strong daughters, Ella and Chloe – both of whom are NCAA champion tennis players. Amy Anton and Sarah Sampson have maintained their friendship through decades of parenting and sharing recipes, including sourdough techniques and challenges. If you’ve ever said, “We’ll travel once our kids are older,” read this month’s Travel Buzz. Sarah and Matt Darlow’s experience taking their toddler to Europe might inspire you to plan a trip. And a special thank-you to the couples featured in Wedding Buzz for sharing their big days. Happy New Year! Wishing you a year full of love, laughter, and buzzworthy memories. joni@thebuzzmagazines.com

THE BUZZ MAGAZINES BELLAIRE • WEST UNIVERSITY • MEMORIAL • TANGLEWOOD/RIVER OAKS Published by Hoffman Marketing & Media, LLC 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401 info@thebuzzmagazines.com • p: 713.668.4157 • f: 713.665.2940 Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X thebuzzmagazines.com Editor-in-Chief Publisher Editor

Joni Hoffman Michael Hoffman Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld

Associate Editor Design Manager Staff Writers

Caroline Siegfried John Duboise Tracy L. Barnett Sharon Albert Brier Cindy Burnett Andria Dilling Angie Frederickson Todd Freed Cindy Gabriel Cathy Gordon Michelle Casas Groogan Dai Huynh Annie Blaylock McQueen Jennifer Oakley Ben Portnoy Cheryl Ursin Meena Dost Andrea Blitzer Jo Rogers

Accounting & Contract Administrator Account Managers

On our cover: The Brissett family have a shared love of tennis and a commitment to helping others. Sisters Ella and Chloe are both NCAA tennis champions.

Cover photo by Michael Hart, hartphoto.com The Buzz Magazines has made all reasonable attempts to verify the accuracy of all information contained within. Advertising claims are solely the responsibility of the advertiser. Copyright © 2026 Hoffman Marketing & Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this magazine by any means without written permission is strictly prohibited. Printed on recycled paper. Please remember to recycle.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 4

Your smile can last forever Anna Maria Salas, D.D.S., M.S. Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics

3642 University Blvd., Suite 102 Houston, TX 77005 www.westuortho.com 713-481-4885

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 5

MAILBAG

Your letters, thoughts, opinions Meaningful words and recipes Thank you, Andria Dilling, for the beautiful article that highlights the way food brings people together across generations. Bridging Generations with Community and Cookbooks [Dec. 2025] truly captured the heart behind the work of the Junior League of Houston and the joy that comes from sharing recipes, stories and traditions.

We’ve heard from so many families who were moved by the piece, especially Junior League active and sustainer members who saw their own experiences reflected in how meaningful it can be to cook with parents, grandparents and loved ones.

Food has a special way of connecting us, and we hope this feature inspires even more families to pull out old recipes, try new ones, and create moments together in the kitchen. Thank you again for shining such a kind light on work that means so much to our community.

Katie Doyle, president of the Junior League of Houston

Featuring a standout neighbor It was my pleasure to reach out and have Leila [Reynolds] recognized for her Santa display [The House Where Santa Lives: A neighborhood’s beacon of Christmas cheer by Cathy Gordon, Dec. 2025]. More importantly, I wanted to share how much she means to our entire community. We are over the moon with how lovely the article turned out. It is such a beautiful piece. I get teary-eyed every time I share her story. Even now just typing this!

Carol Gilmore

to sing in and they did marvelous.

Your magazine is so much fun to read. The personal stories and photos of all are so nice to see. The one on Brooke Michelle [“Album of the year”

by Angie Frederickson, Buzz About Town, West University Buzz] was something. So young and so talented. Well, when God gives you gifts, run with it, and she has.

Linda Schneider

Story is inspiring others I am still having people talk to me about the article [Battling Cancer: On and off the court by Andria Dilling, Aug. 2025] and how much it touched them. Last week, I had two people tell me they cried reading it. And several who said they shared it with their kids about overcoming challenges.

Colleen Dunlap Email us at mailbag@thebuzzmagazines.com. Or send to Mailbag, The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet St., Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401. Please include your name, address, phone number and email address for verification purposes. Letters or emails addressed to The Buzz Magazines become the property of the magazine, and it owns all rights to their use for publication. Addresses, phone numbers and email addresses will not be published. Letters are subject to editing for clarity and length.

Views expressed in letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Buzz Magazines, and The Buzz takes no responsibility for the content and opinions expressed in them.

Spotlight in Buzz Kidz column I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for the opportunity to be featured in the magazine [Spreading joy through music by Jaya Ramineni, Dec. 2025, West University Buzz]. I truly appreciate it. My neighbors really enjoyed seeing the article. Thank you again.

Jaya Ramineni, 15

Gourd article This article was so helpful [The Post-Halloween Spirit: Ways to give and connect by Cheryl Ursin, Nov. 2025]! Please post these ideas every year for pumpkin disposal! I’m never sure where to take mine after the holidays, and I hate throwing them away into the regular trash. The Buzz offers reallife helpful suggestions.

Cathey Nickell

Grand slam Thank you so much for including my and Romy’s Astros photo in the November Buzz About Town column [“Oh, say can you see” by Angie Frederickson]. The [Charity Guild of Catholic Women] choir was so excited to be recognized for their months of practice. That is not an easy venue WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 6

What’s your story?

We are looking for residents for upcoming articles who: • Have special spring traditions.

• Were recently married and would like to participate in an upcoming Wedding Buzz column.

• Know a Buzzworthy neighbor to feature.

• Have a milestone life event to share.

• Have a compelling travel tale.

If this sounds like you or someone you know, please contact us at info@thebuzzmagazines.com or 713.668.4157, ext 102.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 7

hartphoto.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

18

Inside This Issue January 2026 4 Editor’s Note 6 Mailbag: Letters from Readers 10 The Best Part of Waking Up: Bringing the buzz to each day

Serving Up a Legacy: How two sisters rose to NCAA glory

by Ben Portnoy

by Cathy Gordon

Ben Portnoy contemplates coffee.

Sisters Ella, 22, and Chloe Brissett, 19, are both NCAA tennis champions. Over the years, they have been encouraged by their supportive parents, Anthony and Annette, and dedicated coaches.

12 Getting Grounded for 2026: Take off your shoes!

by Cindy Gabriel

There are benefits to immersing ourselves in nature – barefoot.

14 Friendship and Sourdough: Transforming with time

by Andria Dilling

Friends Amy Anton and Sarah Sampson grew close as young moms and enjoy cooking and sharing recipes, including sourdough techniques.

22 A Fresh Start: Recipes for a healthy(er) 2026

by Andria Dilling

Kick off 2026 with these healthy yet delicious recipes.

26 Book-Club Books: Reads that will inspire conversation and connection

by Cindy Burnett

Cindy Burnett recommends thought-provoking books for book clubs; local book club The Wednesday Sisters share past favorites.

28 Wedding Buzz: The Nudells and the Fitzpatricks

by Angie Frederickson

Cara Felleman and Jeremy Nudell married in California; Morgan Dean and Tehrrek Fitzpatrick wed in Lake Como, Italy.

36 Travel Buzz: Europe With a Toddler

by Tracy L. Barnett

Sarah and Matt Darlow brought 2-year-old Hannah on a seven-week family adventure through Europe following Matt’s medical fellowship.

40 SportzBuzz

by Todd Freed

42 SportzBuzz Jr.

by Annie Blaylock McQueen

44 Buzz Kidz: Taking the Next Step

by Oliver Tsao

46 Neighborhood Tails

by Orange Fizz

32 Rumor Has It

48 Buzz About Town

34 Buzz Reads

54 Back Porch: Resolving, and resolving not to resolve: Ringing in 2026

by Sharon Albert Brier

by Cindy Burnett Book reviewer Cindy Burnett recommends five recently or soon-to-be released titles.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 8

by Angie Frederickson

by Andria Dilling

What kinds of resolutions are Buzz readers making (or not making) this year?

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 9

NEIGHBORS

by Ben Portnoy, staff writer

The Best Part of Waking Up Bringing the buzz to each day www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/EyeEm2

W

aking up is not on the top of the list of things I like to do, but it does have its reward. I am sure that I am like many of you. I get up every morning, eventually wake up and get washed and dressed, and then I head to the coffee pot for a cup of that essential beverage.

Several years ago, I was visiting my daughter in Los Angeles. My son-in-law, Benny, had just purchased a very slick espresso machine. His San Diego brother is a real espresso afficionado who prepares his morning cup with the care and finicky attention that we hope airplane mechanics take when they service the 737 we are about to board. Benny tried to match his brother with the new machine. It grinds the coffee beans, tamps them down in the portafilter, then brews the coffee, which pours into the frothed milk prepared by the machine at the same time.

I had to admit that Benny’s espresso machine was impressive, and my morning LA cappuccino was fine, but wow the machine was expensive, real expensive.

I returned home to Houston, and I started shopping for an espresso machine. I had a Bialetti espresso coffee pot, but I was after something more interesting and entertaining. And faster. I found a machine that was almost as good as the one my son-in-law bought, but I have to tamp the ground coffee by hand before brewing it. The machine has changed my life – well, maybe not that dramatic, but I do like to watch the dark coffee drip into a cup of frothed milk. I like the odor of the ground coffee. I like the taste that complements my muffin or bagel. Life is good.

What a privilege it is today to have coffee. It was not always so. Consider the fact that Julius Caesar had to start his day without a cup of coffee. Coffee originated centuries later around the 9th century in Ethiopia. The legend is that a goatherd named Kaldi noticed that when his goats nibbled red berries from a certain tree, they appeared to be full of energy and did not sleep at night. (Does a goatherd check to see if his creatures are sleeping?) He decided to try the berries himself and felt a burst of energy.

Kaldi told the abbot of a local monastery about his goats. The abbot had trouble staying

BREWING UP A BEAUTIFUL DAY Julius Caesar never sipped this.

awake during the lengthy evening prayers, and he made a drink out of the berries. The abbot apparently stayed awake and soon, drinking this potion became popular among other monks. No more snoozing during evening prayers. But note that centuries later, a cup of cappuccino was not a beverage of monks but named as its brown color was similar to the brown robes of the Italian Capuchin friars.

Let’s get back to the espresso machine. I admit that I have an electric percolator, an old aluminum stove-top percolator, various coneshaped filter devices, a French press, and the Bialetti. All my life I have made coffee happily with one of these devices, but then I had to simply add cold milk (horrors) to the coffee or heat and sometimes froth the milk separately to add to the coffee. All of that takes time, as you can imagine. It’s enough to make one drink the coffee black.

I am not alone in wishing for a faster way to prepare my fix of caffeine. Coffee was clearly a popular drink in the Middle East and Europe by

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 10

the 16th century. Coffee houses sprung up all over and were popular places to hang out for entertainment and gossip. But a workman on break did not have the time to wait for the laborious preparation of his cup. So, Luigi Bezzera invented a machine that could prepare a cup of coffee in 30 seconds, and his machine was perfected by Desiderio Pavoni and presented at the 1906 Milan World’s Fair. The rapidly brewed drink was a best-seller at the fair, and ever since, we have enjoyed caffè espresso. (Espresso – meaning “fast” in Italian.)

And I think we may all feel a bit patriotic drinking our morning coffee even if what we enjoy is not a Caffè Americano. After British Parliament levied a tax in 1773 on tea exported to the American colonies, the Bostonians protested by dumping tea from ships in the harbor in what we know as the Boston Tea Party.

Since then, coffee has been our drink whether it’s black or a flat white or a latte or a cappuccino. So, the best part of waking up is actually our American salute.

Get Your Morning Buzz Every weekday morning, enjoy your coffee + the buzz in your inbox. Our e-newsletter, Morning Buzz, features buzzworthy stories about neighbors every day, Monday-Friday.

Sign up to find out what we’re buzzing about at thebuzzmagazines.com/morning-buzz.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 11

NEIGHBORS

by Cindy Gabriel, staff writer

Getting Grounded for 2026 Take off your shoes!

I

’m probably stepping out on a limb here. So what else is new. I just returned from about an hour of walking barefoot around a green space near my home. It was especially nice because it just rained. That means I got to step in puddles, squish my toes in mud, and just feel the lushness of soft, green grass under my feet.

Right now, I am basking in the tingling sensation of grateful feet.

Whoever invented this substance called skin should be commended. It’s highly washable, doesn’t stain, and naturally toughens if you expose it directly to the earth. Wet grass that puddles a little when you step on it is the best foot-washing mat ever.

As 2025 merges into 2026 I am starting to reacquaint myself with my own two feet, and to reintroduce them to their mother, the earth.

Call it woo-woo, or getting new age in my old age – whatever. Lately, I have been meeting in a large open field with other dog owners for some off-leash play. I spend the whole time with my feet and hands on the ground. For one thing, I don’t want to be knocked down by running dogs. Why are we the only species on the planet who cover our feet anyway? Is this why dogs seem so happy?

My hope is by the end of 2026 is that I will no longer get strange looks with questions like aren’t you worried about fire ants? Or what if you step on a hypodermic needle, broken glass, or a live wire? To which I answer, what if I am preventing heart disease, diabetes, or cancer? Okay, I’ll update my tetanus shot. But what if this calms a colicky baby? What if this helps us lose weight?

These claims and more are presented in an award-winning 2019 documentary called The Earthing Movie. It was about a guy named Clint Ober, now 80, who was a pioneer in the cable TV industry. In 1993, after a month in the hospital with a liver abscess, Ober, near death, was advised to get his personal life in order. This caused a major lifestyle reassessment, selling most of what he owned and reconnecting to a life he remembered from his childhood in Montana where he played with Native Americans. He actually remembers walking into a friend’s teepee one day and hearing his mother

say, take off your shoes, they’ll make you sick.

His real epiphany came decades later while sitting on a bench as a group of tourists got off a bus from a sneaker factory tour. Everyone was wearing new rubber-bottom sneakers. As someone who understood the process of needing to ground cable into the earth, he wondered if we were disconnecting ourselves from the earth with these impenetrable rubbersoled shoes.

Lance Westendarp, N.D., a naturopathic doctor of medicine here in Houston, focuses extensively on PAWS TO CONNECT Hello, Earth! Have you met our feet? We’re all looking mind/body movement. for common ground in 2026.

And while he says he of the body starts with our feet. can’t agree or disagree with claims about our My own experience validates this. I have had electrical connection to the earth, he can agree a balance problem since 2009, following brain with our need to be in nature regularly. surgery. My left foot is weaker than my right, “There are a lot of benefits to being conwhich seems to do all the grabbing and balancnected and rooted to the earth,” says ing for both feet. Now my left foot is starting to Westendarp. “It balances the nervous system. grab the ground more, helping the right foot It reduces inflammation. For me, I have to do keep me vertical. I feel I owe my feet an apology. it every week. Ideally I do it daily. There is I should have allowed them out of their shoe something very connecting with actually feelcoffins years ago, let them run around and reach ing the ground. There is something that makes their yet unknown potential. you present.”

Please don’t take this as anti-shoe or antiAdmittedly, January is probably the wrong Western medicine. I’m checking in with doctors month to advise walking barefoot outside. There more and more these days. You can be for someare “grounding shoes” that can get us through thing without being against something else. But whatever form of winter is still ahead. In the I am also feeling the need to trust my own meantime, going barefoot inside has its benefits, instincts and intuition and, yes, even notice my Westendarp says. “We take our wonderfully own feelings, to find equilibrium for the complex feet and restrict their motion inside of inevitable challenges and choices coming in the shoes. The foot is this amazingly intricate, comyear ahead. plex combination of bones, ligaments, tendons, Here’s to moving into 2026 one step at a and muscle, all intersecting into a dynamic time. Happy New Year. spring.” Westendarp says the proper alignment

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 12

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 13

FOOD

by Andria Dilling, staff writer

Friendship and Sourdough lawellphoto.com

Transforming with time

PLAYDATES TO BAKING DATES Twenty-five years ago, Sarah Sampson and Amy Anton (pictured, from left) were scheduling playdates with their little boys. Today, they're sharing recipes and discussing sourdough.

A

my Anton and Sarah Sampson have been sharing recipes for 30 years. The two met through friends and became close as young moms. “Amy and Phillip [Sarah’s husband] went to St. John’s and then Washington & Lee together. Then when our boys were little, we spent a ton of time together at the zoo, at the museums. We were joined at the hip,” says Sarah, a mom of three who only half-jokingly says she’s open for part-time work now that her youngest child, Anna, is a freshman at Washington & Lee University (her son Charles is 25, and Will is 23).

“We were boy moms together,” Amy says.

Amy is Anna’s godmother.

“We have always enjoyed cooking together, and she’s always inspired me to cook and learn more in the kitchen,” Sarah says. “We talk about recipes and we do Cook’s Illustrated together. Amy wanted us to do a business together. We were going to be the Kitchen Witches. But I had imposter complex and could never do it.”

Amy did it, opening a cooking school, Kitchen Underground. “I’m doing a couple of [cooking] classes by special request now, but Covid pretty much shut me down,” Amy says.

With her three boys out of the house (Ashton is 25, and twins Pete and Elliot will be 23 this month), Amy is working full-time, having taken over her retired father’s position as principal of

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 14

The Way Companies, a commercial and industrial HVAC company that her grandfather started in 1918.

“Sarah is a fantastic cook and she and I intuited,” Amy says. “We were always cooking for the boys, always sharing recipes back and forth.

It’s fun to have someone who has the same taste in food and likes to experiment and will try new recipes with you.”

Sarah says Amy is the expert. “I’m just winging it,” Sarah says. “She really knows what she’s doing.”

Amy says learning to bake sourdough was a natural progression from teaching cooking classes.

“Before the big sourdough craze started, there was some press here and (continued on page 16)

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 15

lawellphoto.com

sounded like fun, so I said I’m in. I made a starter and went from there.” The sourdough starter is a mix of flour and water that ferments and bubbles and acts as a leavening for the bread, in place of yeast. Starters need to be “fed” water and flour regularly, and are characteristically finicky. Amy says her starter is now about 10 years old. “I share my starter all the time,” Amy laughs. “I’ll put it on my doorstep for friends. A lot of people in the city have my starter.”

Just after Amy made her starter, she and another friend attended a one-day sourdoughbaking class at Barton Springs Mill in Dripping Springs. “They mill their own flour there and have heritage flours. I became dedicated to making the bread.”

A few years later, when the pandemic hit, Sarah said she suddenly had free time and was ready to give her friend’s new passion a go.

“Amy would bring me her starter, but I wanted my own starter,” she says. “I spent three weeks reading every article I could on breadmaking.

Well, maybe not three, but for sure a week. I scoured the internet to learn how people start, how to start a starter.”

Sarah also shares her starter, which she named Bach when her son Will was home playing the piano. “Bach also means ‘bake’ in German,” she says. Amy never named her starter.

Nutrition-wise, sourdough is a better choice than bread made with yeast. It’s easier to digest, prevents spikes in blood sugar, and can even sometimes be tolerated by people who typically cannot tolerate gluten. And the pandemic baking frenzy was only the beginning: The sourdough market is forecast to mushroom from $2.3 billion in 2023 to 3.5 billion in 2028. Social media searches reveal a myriad of communities coming together around baking sourdough.

While there are as many techniques to baking sourdough as there are bakers, the basics are the same: Let the flora found naturally in the air ferment flour and water, add more flour and water to create a dough, let the dough rise, fold it and stretch it, let it rest overnight, bake it in a covered Dutch oven, then bake it some more in the same Dutch oven, uncovered.

Sarah says she started following Maurizio Leo’s recipes via his website ThePerfectLoaf.com. “Of course, he’s the most complicated, and I don’t know why I have to do that to myself. But I did. He’s very precise, and I liked him so much I actually wound up getting his cookbook,” The Perfect Loaf: The Craft and Science of Sourdough, Breads, Sweets, and More.

Amy is more of a freewheeler. “She’s like, ‘Throw in a little flour and water and it will be fine,’” Sarah says. “I have to have the scale and measure and set the timer.”

As a weekly baker, Amy is a bit less stressed about the process. “I throw mine in the fridge and leave,” she says, noting that she had dough in the refrigerator as she played in a pickleball

lawellphoto.com

(continued from page 14) there,” Amy says. “It

SOURDOUGH CRAZE Baking sourdough bread became a passion for many during the pandemic, when people had the time to put toward new, time-intensive hobbies.

tournament that morning. “It’s got to live with you and live on your schedule.”

Still, Amy says, you can’t just forget about your starter for months on end. “It’s not quite like another child, but it takes patience and perseverance to remember to feed it and not leave it alone too long.” Amy says she’ll go for a couple of weeks at most not tending to her starter, and that’s only when she’s traveling. She calls it being “lazy.”

Sarah is a more sporadic baker, maybe because she is more beholden to her dough.

“You can’t leave the house the day of the bread making,” she says. “You have to plan your day around it. And sometimes it’s a flop and you’ve spent two days making this bread and it’s only an inch tall. But when you get it right, it’s great.”

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 16

Amy’s favorite sourdough recipe is the one she has used for years. “It has like 20 steps,” she says. “But I just do it by memory now; I can tell by feeling the bread. I’m always looking at other recipes, always tweaking, adding that or trying that.” She says Alexandra’s Kitchen at AlexandraCooks.com and TheKitchn.com have good, basic recipes. And although she’s pretty confident, Amy says she had burns on her arms and hands for quite a while when she was a beginner sourdough baker (she fixed that with longer oven mitts), and also: “Making bread is so humbling.”

She explains, “You can’t get cocky or it throws you for a loop. I bragged yesterday that you just throw it in the fridge and make it work for you, and you know what? I didn’t get my nor-

lawellphoto.com NOTHING BETTER Homemade sourdough bread not only tastes delicious, but it's more nutritious than store-bought bread.

mal rise. That’s what you get on the bread journey, and that’s why it’s so thrilling when you pull your top [of the Dutch oven] off halfway through and you see a beautiful loaf!”

“If I haven’t been baking in a while and I start and my breads aren’t rising like they used to, I’ll go back to simpler recipes,” Sarah says, sharing that she likes those from TheCleverCarrot.com and KingArthurBaking.com.

While their commitment (and stress) levels are different, both Amy and Sarah confirm sourdough-baking is a process. “You feed [the starter] Friday, start the bread Saturday, and then it’s part of Sunday night’s dinner,” Amy says. “I can make a great loaf of bread, but it’s different often. It’s always a challenge.”

Sarah agrees. “Recently I did the whole thing, and I could tell it was going to be the best one I ever made.” But then she and Phillip went out to dinner, and she forgot to put the dough in the refrigerator overnight. “The whole thing turned into this runny mess,” she says. “I spent three days bringing the thing [starter] back to life, all

day folding, stretching, and then to forget about it. Ugh. I haven’t baked another one since.”

When asked about the appeal of sourdoughbaking, both Amy and Sarah relish the result.

“Carbs, carbs, carbs,” Sarah says. “I love bread, I’ve always loved bread, I could eat bread alone and don’t even need butter.”

Amy adds, “I love having fresh, delicious bread. I use it for sandwiches, toast, fried eggs on toast for breakfast. Then I’ll put it in the fridge and four days later it’s croutons on our salad.

After that, it becomes breadcrumbs, which you put in the freezer, and it’s a topping for pasta or a coating for chicken. I make that bread and use every bit of it.”

“It’s so much better than any bread you will buy anywhere,” Sarah says.

During the pandemic, Sarah would share her bread with neighbors at backyard get-togethers.

“I was baking all the time back then, and I got good at it,” she says. “I think feeding it a lot and keeping that going is super helpful. Maybe I’ll be better after this conversation.” She says

neighbors loved the bread served with good olive oil and cheeses. “It’s fun to share,” she says.

“There’s nothing like a fresh, homemade loaf made from starter.”

“When the boys were home, they enjoyed it and would use it for sandwiches,” Amy says.

Now, with just she and her husband Drew at home, Amy gives away one of the two loaves her recipe makes.

“Sadly, I don’t see Amy nearly as much as I used to,” Sarah says. “Our kids are older, she’s working. I miss seeing her, I miss that phase of life. We used to have a good time together just entertaining those wild boys. But we still talk and grab lunch every few weeks.”

And they are still sharing recipes, including the status of their sourdough. Amy is currently experimenting with buckwheat and seeds.

“You just keep on wanting to keep trying,” Amy says. “There’s so much joy in smelling that bread and pulling the top off the Dutch oven, and then you have this crusty, beautiful loaf. It makes me want to learn more.”

Amy’s and Sarah’s Sourdough Baking Tips: ‘Labor of Love’ Amy: “Cultivate joy. Because it may or may not come out, so you’ll be grateful for any outcome. It’s a journey.”

Sarah: “Amen.”

Amy: “Just last month I sliced open my thumb somewhere with the bread lame [the sharp blade that is used to score dough before it bakes]. Still don’t know how I managed to do that!”

Sarah: “Best not to get discouraged because every bite is worth it, even the less-than-photo-worthy breads. As they say, it’s a true labor of love.”

Amy: “I used to always have burns on my arms and hands. So I got longer oven mitts which helped somewhat.”

Sarah: “You definitely have to make bread on a day when you have nothing to do, which is almost never. I totally forgot I had a lunch and needed to do my stretch and folds still. Luckily, Phillip came in right as I was leaving so he got a quick course in stretching and folding every half hour for three-and-a-half hours. At least I could blame someone else if it was a flop.”

Amy: “Keep trying until you find a recipe that works for you. There are millions of them out there.”

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 17

hartphoto.com

SPORTS

by Cathy Gordon, staff writer

Serving Up a Legacy How two sisters rose to NCAA glory

A

nthony Brissett wanted an anniversary gift with a long shelf life that he and wife Annette could enjoy. Something that didn’t wither in a vase and die within days.

So, he booked a surprise overnight trip to the Downtown Club at the Met and a tennis lesson for the two of them. Told his wife to pack shorts and a T-shirt.

Once they stepped onto the court, sparks flew. They wanted more of it. One lesson led to another, then another, the way a rally continues when neither player wants it to end. Saturdays became stitched with serves, improving their game. But then, what to do with two young daughters? Daycare for Ella and Chloe had been the solution, until someone casually suggested: Might the girls enjoy tennis, too?

“Someone said, ‘There’s a kids’ program.’

That’s what started this whole thing,” says Anthony.

The sisters traded toys for grips and forehands, learning to love the sweet pop of balls on strings.

“Turns out they really liked it,” their father deadpans.

Game. Set. Legacy.

Yes, Ella, now 22, and sister Chloe, 19, really took to tennis.

Ella, a biology major who graduated in May from Claremont McKenna College, was a cornerstone of the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) women's tennis program, leading her team to back-to-back NCAA Division III national championships, in 2022 and 2023. And she guided her team to victory in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Team Indoor Championship in 2024.

Chloe, a sophomore, is carving her own path at Washington University in St. Louis, clinching a NCAA Division III championship title last May during her freshman season, the college’s first ever in women’s tennis. Her story is wide open for many more chapters.

Two daughters, two champions, two universities. Launched by one anniversary surprise.

“And some really good coaching,” says Ella.

“They made history. I don’t know anybody who has won this many NCAA titles in one family.

I’ve worked with almost a thousand players, and

I’ve never seen this kind of success,” says tennis coach Josip Juric, who took them under his wing at a young age, cultivating a development plan. “For Houston, what they’ve achieved is huge.

But for their family, it’s almost unbelievable.”

The girls have completely different playing styles. Ella is a lefty, FAMILY OF ACES The Brissett family (pictured, from left) – Ella, Annette, Chloe a righty, he says. Anthony, and Chloe – have a shared love of tennis and a commitment to helping He agrees with Ella’s others. Ella and Chloe are both NCAA tennis champions for their respective colleges, Claremont-Mudd-Scripp’s women’s tennis program, and Washington description of herself as University in St. Louis. “scrappy,” And Chloe, onships and all those accolades that she’s had, it’s he says, is a force on the court. Strong. fantastic. And Chloe is following those same “Everything about their game is different, to be steps, trying to fill those same shoes. I mean, she honest, but it’s the same result.” won a championship her freshman year. They’re Juric was their private coach from pre-pubesjust remarkable girls. A remarkable family.” cent age through their high school years at The Talk is flowing around the Brissett breakfast Kinkaid School, taking them to his home countable on a recent day. Their Havanese pup, Lola try of Croatia one summer to train. “The news– affectionally called Lola Falana – sprints about papers in Croatia wrote about Ella and Chloe, the room with her floofy plume of a tail like a kind of comparing them to Serena and Venus,” tiny Cuban showgirl. Yeah, Ella and Chloe might he says of the famous Williams sisters. have their accomplishments but look at me.

“People contact me these days, asking about Ella Lola is the only diva in the household. and Chloe specifically because of their success. It’s When the sisters talk of championships and not a coincidence that these two girls have both goals yet to be met, there’s a grounding set in won NCAA championships. It’s been a project for faith, family, and purpose. Personal goals are many years of them delivering. And they’re also important, but the family lessons off the court – high achievers in academics and have an amazing, discipline, balance, service and generosity – supportive family. Two amazing ladies.” have shaped them as much as any coach or pracTodd Folsom, director of King Daddy Sports, tice, they say. has coached the girls since their early days. He “Our dad being a physician and mom being a fondly nicknamed them Umbrella for Ella – half psychologist, those are careers rooted in service.

Rihanna lyric, half affectionate tease – and Chlo I think that’s made a big impression for me and Bear for Chloe. “She was called that by her mom Chloe and for our future careers and how we quite a bit, so I sort of latched onto that. want to lead our lives,” says Ella. The pre-med “They started playing tennis with our group graduate, bound for medical school in the fall, and some of our coaches when they were getting earned the 2024-25 National Women's Sport started and stayed with us all through high Student-Athlete of the Year Award from the school,” he recalls. “Highly motivated, talented Division III Commissioners Association kids. You know, it takes a village for these kids to (D3CA). In addition to athletic accomplishhave this kind of success, and they have certainly ments, she’s garnered several scholastic and had that with both parents being so supportive. service-related awards during her tennis career.

Umbrella winning a couple of national champi-

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 18

hartphoto.com Manuela Davies/USTA CHAMPIONS IN MOTION Sisters Ella and Chloe serve up a rare story in tennis: two sisters, from respective schools, each NCAA champions. Top left: Chloe’s power and precision on the court serves her well. Her focus and grit led to Washington University’s first-ever NCAA women tennis championship in 2025. Bottom left: Ella, a graduate of Claremont McKenna, rejoices at the 2022 NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championship, helping her team clinch the title for the ClaremontMudd-Scripps tennis program. Her team leadership led to a second NCAA championship in 2023. And she guided her team to victory in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Team Indoor Championship in 2024. Right: Sisters Chloe (left) and Ella, representing their colleges in attire, have been comfortable on the court since young girls, taking lessons on Saturdays while their parents played.

Among them, the Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award for college women's tennis, Division III, presented by the ITA. It honors student-athletes who excel in tennis, academics, leadership, and community service, recognizing outstanding character and sportsmanship.

Ella also won the ITA’s Ann Lebedeff leadership award, named after revered college tennis coach and educator, Dr. Ann Lebedeff, a good friend of tennis icon Billie Jean King. The award honors a recent college graduate who demonstrated excellence on and off the court, and was a leader for their team, campus, and community.

The award noted Ella’s founding of the Women Empowerment in Sports Club that linked female student-athletes on campus to the broader community. She and other members organized alumni panels and National Girls and Women in Sports Day activities aimed at empowering young girls.

“I was honored to give a speech in New York for those two awards,” Ella says.

The Phi Beta Kappa graduate also won the Division III NCAA Impact Award for service beyond athletics. The Impact Award celebrates

the best of college athletics by honoring one exceptional male and one exceptional female senior student-athlete from each division.

“The sisters traded toys for grips and forehands, learning to love the sweet pop of balls on strings. ‘Turns out they really liked it,’ their father deadpans.

Game. Set. Legacy.”

“It’s been very exciting and almost surreal, and I felt honored with every step in these awards. And Chloe is out there doing her thing, making a difference with her team. Seeing her win the national championship… I was cheer-

ing as if it was my team out there!”

Chloe is making her own mark in both tennis and scholastics. Besides winning a championship, she’s an all-academic champion, attending Washington University’s Olin Business School.

“What Chloe has shown over the past 24 months is that tennis has taught her a lot of perseverance, a lot of grit, a lot of humbleness and humility. These are things I see shine,” says Anthony. “And those are things Ella was rewarded for. We are so proud of them both and their uniqueness and how they’ve embraced it all.”

Chloe has set her own path. She’s interviewing now for internships in investment banking and will be working for a private equity firm in New York this summer. Born to crunch numbers and balance sheets, she cut her teeth as a high school student at Kinkaid’s Gordy Family Center for Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Finance, navigating internships before most teens even unpack their college dorms.

The tenacious sort is playing the long game: in a field where firms recruit not for next summer, but the summer after, Chloe is interviewing for a career that demands (continued on page 20)

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 19

PINT-SIZE POWER Left: Tiny Chloe, towering racket: the first of many showdowns to come, leading to a NCAA champion. Middle: Ella wears a medal from early tennis days, hints of the NCAA champion she’d later become. Right: Tennis is more fun when you share it with a sister. Siblings Ella and Chloe have fun on and off the court, hamming it up with smiles and laughter. (continued from page 19) patience, foresight, and

the same tenacity that made her a champion on the tennis court.

Ella is currently interviewing for medical school. But in the meantime, she’s doing a fellowship with Duke University’s Center for Global Women’s Health Technologies as part of a laboratory team designing a user-friendly device for cervical cancer screening.

“I would say the competitive side of tennis is mostly behind me,” says Ella, who’d planned to take a solid break from having a racket as an appendage. “Then this guy on the bus saw my Claremont jacket and he’d trained there. He said, ‘Did you play on their team? You should join the Duke club tennis.’”

It’s a fun way to scratch that itch, she says of the student-run group. “I joined within a week of being there.”

The sisters’ curiosity for the world – and relentless drive to make a difference – comes naturally from parents who have always modeled a life in motion: traveling across continents to teach and heal, rolling up their sleeves to serve communities in need, balancing careers with acts of generosity. Showing that every challenge is an opportunity to do good.

Their father, a plastic surgeon, has traveled overseas with a group called Face the Future, teaching doctors critical procedures in fragile healthcare systems. “We travel to all parts of the world to provide healthcare and to build capacity and sustainability, building upon the abilities and capabilities of healthcare providers, doctors, nurses, and administrators,” he says.

“We work with all those folks to help improve upon their healthcare system. And sustainabil-

ity means being able to essentially build the capacity, then back away. In other words, don’t hand out fish, you teach them how to fish,” he says of the Biblical proverb.

Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, he has returned repeatedly to stitch faces disfigured by conflict. He’s done the same in other countries, such as in Rwanda, after the genocide.

Their mother, a clinical psychologist, has counseled victims of tragedy, survivors of hurricanes, offering guidance in moments of trauma.

“I think the girls give a lot of credit to their mother who has really been a steadfast stalwart of the family, making sure they were encouraged, mentored, and supported,” says Anthony.

“It’s a whole family effort,” Annette interjects. “Anthony is a master at instilling confidence in their growth.”

More than two decades ago, the couple started a church with 40 other founding members, then a free clinic – Casa El Buen Samaritano (House of the Good Samaritan) – meeting the needs of underserved populations in the shadow of the world-renowned Texas Medical Center.

“It just seemed to be a calling,” says Anthony, the clinic’s medical director. “The opportunity presented itself and the only bad opportunity is a missed opportunity. And then we saw a real need for the clinic. When I look out our window here at home, I see the largest medical center in the world, and in its shadows are hundreds of thousands of people who have no access to care.

So how in good conscience can we as a family have some of the best care in the world and not want the same for others?”

As young girls, Ella and Chloe recall seeing their dad off to the clinic every Tuesday and Thursday evening. Soon, the sisters were volun-

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 20

teering there as well, watching patients’ children. Then, as older teens, updating medical charts and taking vitals.

They completed their Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouts, at the clinic.

Ella developed a mindfulness program to teach patients how to manage anxiety and mental health. “Just as important as managing physical health. It affects it,” she says.

Chloe created a recipe program for patients, transforming cultural preferences into healthy meals. “That was important to me, that these patients knew a way that benefited them, to help with their physical being. Diabetes and heart disease is one of the main disparities we saw at the clinic. As an athlete I wanted to make sure that was addressed,” she explains.

Watching their parents guide and serve has been a blueprint for curiosity and courage and created their drive to make a difference, the sisters agree. It showed them that life isn’t measured in awards or titles, but in the tangible impact you can make in the lives of others.

“We couldn’t be prouder of them,” says Annette, who laughs at something she’s learned from her daughters.

“I learned that I’m a bit competitive!”

With an empty nest, she’s embraced tennis more, joining a league and discovering that the court has more to teach her. “I ask them for tips,” she says of her collegiate champions. “It’s nice to have that resource.”

And she and Anthony still take lessons together. But he’s more about the camaraderie and fun, about keeping active.

“No. I’m not competitive,” he says. “I compete with myself every day as it is. I’ll leave that to the women in the house.”

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 21

Andria Dilling

FOOD

by Andria Dilling, staff writer

A Fresh Start Recipes for a healthy(er) 2026

N

ew year’s resolutions, here we come.

This month, more than a third of us will resolve to do better, eat better, be

better.

If we’re more granular about it: Half of people aged 18-29 will make a resolution; a third of people aged 30-49 will do so; and only a fifth of people over 50 will set a goal. (This must say something about age and wisdom, but that is for another story.) Of the resolutions made, 79 percent will be health-related – other high-frequency commitments will be to improve/update finances, personal relationships, careers, and hobbies.

For those of us healthy resolution-makers, we are going to need some healthy(ish) meal ideas.

Here are a few, mostly from the archives of our weekly, online column “Back Porch Table.” We hope they help you stick to your resolutions. If you belong to the two-thirds of us who aren’t resolving, we hope these recipe ideas will simply help you enjoy making dinner.

Chopped Broccoli, Green Bean, and Farro Salad with Walnuts This is the kind of “salad” we could eat every day. Between crisp, chopped veggies, chewy farro, crunchy walnuts, and salty pecorino romano, this salad has everything over a bag of chips. In her “Smitten Kitchen” blog, Deb Perelman gives us a recipe for Broccoli Rubble Farro Salad. This is a slight variation of Deb’s recipe, where chopped green beans and toasty walnuts join the mix.

Salt 1 pound broccoli, cut into large pieces ½ pound green beans, trimmed 4 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced Red pepper flakes, to taste Finely grated zest, then juice, of 1 lemon Freshly ground black pepper 1 ½ cups cooked farro (cooked in salted water according to package directions) ½ cup grated pecorino romano ½ cup toasted, chopped walnut pieces Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the broccoli and cook for about 2 minutes, until

it is slightly softened but still crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the broccoli to a colander.

Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and retain the bright green color. Place the broccoli on a kitchen towel, in a A SALAD TO DREAM ABOUT Finely chopped broccoli and green beans mix single layer, to dry. with farro, pecorino romano, and toasted walnuts to create a craveable salad.

Bring the same pot of 1 cup plain Greek yogurt water back to a boil, and add the green beans.

1 teaspoon ground cumin Cook for about 2 minutes, until the green beans 1 teaspoon ground coriander are softened but still crisp. Drain the green beans 2 tablespoons orange juice in a colander and rinse with cold water. Place 4 cups arugula the green beans on another kitchen towel. ¼ cup pistachios, shelled and toasted Pat the green beans and broccoli dry with kitchen or paper towels. Chop the broccoli into Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two small bits, about 1⁄2-inch. Chop the green beans baking sheets with parchment or foil. into small bits, about ¼-inch.

Trim the leafy tops off the beets, peel them, Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over and cut them into quarters. Toss with about 1 medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper tablespoon of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and flakes, and cook for 1 minute, until the garlic is pepper. Arrange the beets in a single layer on faintly golden. Add the chopped broccoli, one of the prepared baking sheets. chopped green beans, lemon zest, and 1 teaToss the chickpeas with about 1 tablespoon spoon kosher salt. Add several grinds of black of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. pepper and cook, stirring for 3 to 4 more minArrange them in a single layer on the other preutes, until the veggies are well-seasoned and pared baking sheet. slightly more tender.

Roast the beets and chickpeas in the same Place the cooked farro in a large bowl and stir oven, rotating the pans after 20 minutes. Roast in the vegetables and all the oil and garlic from another 20 minutes. the skillet. Stir in the cheese and walnuts, then In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, add the lemon juice and more salt and pepper cumin, coriander, and orange juice until the to taste. spices and juice are incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Roasted Beets with Crispy To serve, spread the spiced yogurt on a platChickpeas and Spiced Yogurt ter. Top with the arugula, then the beets.

Here is a colorful mix of earthy roasted beets, Sprinkle the crispy chickpeas and toasted pistapeppery arugula, crunchy-chewy chickpeas, and chios over the top. Add another drizzle of olive creamy yogurt. Toasted pistachios add nuttiness, oil over everything. and the yogurt gets pops of spice and sweetness from cumin, coriander, and orange – simple flaDeb Perelman’s French Onion vors that blend to make something extraordinary.

Baked Lentils and Farro 8 beets (a mix of colors is nice) In another addictive farro recipe from Deb Olive oil Perelman’s Smitten Kitchen, this “casserole” of Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper protein-packed lentils, chewy farro, and sweet, 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, deeply caramelized onions hits all the cozy and dried

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 22

Andria Dilling

To caramelize the onions, heat the butter and olive oil in a large, deep sauté pan, ideally one that’s ovenproof, over medium heat. Add the onions, toss to coat them in the butter and oil, and cover the pot (you can use foil if your sauté pan doesn’t have a lid). Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the onions slowly steep for 15 to 20 minutes – they don’t need your attention. You want to start the stirring process sooner if they’re browning or sticking to the pan.

Uncover the pot, raise the heat to medium-high (for now) and stir in the salt – Deb starts with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Cook the onions, stirring every few minutes (you can check less often in the beginning, and will have to frequently stir later in the process) until the onions are brown, soft, and sweet, about 20 minutes more. You’ll want to reduce the heat to medium once any water the onions emitted has cooked off.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Add the garlic to the onions and cook, stirring, one minute.

Add the wine, if using, and cook until it disappears. Add the farro and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the lentils and 6 cups broth and thyme and bring the mixture to a simmer. Season well with salt and pepper as needed. If your pan isn’t ovenproof, transfer it at this point to a casserole dish.

Cover the pan and bake, stirring about halfway through, until the lentils and farro are tender, 40 to 50 minutes. If all of the liquid has absorbed, either at the midway through point or at the end, add another ¼ to ½ cup splash of broth. We’re looking for a risottolike looseness or light “slosh” in the pan. Fish out the thyme stems.

Sprinkle the dish with gruyere and broil until it is browned on top.

The dish keeps fantastically in the fridge for 4 to 5 days; rewarm in a 350-degree oven. You can also prepare the lentil and farro base a few days early, rewarm it (it will likely need more broth at this point), and broil the cheese on top right before serving.

Andria Dilling

notes. Being a veggie lover married to someone who is a meat-and-potatoes-and-that’s-it lover, it’s a little tricky finding recipes that satisfy both of us. This one wins. A healthy sprinkle of cheese lands these lentils firmly in the category called healthy-ish, but hey, small steps.

2 pounds yellow onions (4 or 5 medium), sliced 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 tablespoon olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons white wine, dry sherry, or vermouth (optional) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 ½ cups dried farro ¾ cup dried lentils, any variety, but green (le puy) or brown are Deb’s favorites A few sprigs of fresh thyme 6 cups vegetable broth (I used chicken broth because that’s what I had) 2 cups coarsely grated gruyere cheese

A HEALTHIER SPIN ON COMFORT Top photo: Yogurt made interesting with cumin and coriander serves as a base for sweet roasted beets and crunchy garbanzos; bottom photo: Deb Perelman's French Onion Baked Lentils and Farro are a healthier spin on wintry comfort food.

Italian Stuffed Peppers You might call these stuffed peppers an updated take on classic meatloaf – or don’t, if the people in your life are meatloaf haters.

More veggie-forward thanks to the roasted peppers, and full of healthy grains thanks to brown rice, these little individual meals have it all. A little spicy, a lot cozy, this would be a fun recipe to prep with kids.

3 large red bell peppers 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup) 2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried basil ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 pound lean ground beef 1 (14-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, with juices 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste 1 cup cooked brown rice 3 tablespoons minced Italian parsley, plus more for garnish (optional) ¼ cup grated Parmesan 1 cup shredded mozzarella (continued on page 24)

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 23

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and use a small knife to remove the core, seeds, and any white pith. Arrange the peppers, cutsides up, in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes, and cook for about 1 minute. Add the ground beef, using a wooden spoon to break it up. Cook until the beef begins to brown, about 6 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, stir in the rice, parsley, and Parmesan. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and/or pepper if desired.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the pepper halves. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the mozzarella, and bake another 10 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and begins to brown.

Let the peppers rest for 10 minutes, sprinkle with more parsley, and serve.

Andria Dilling

(continued from page 23)

Andria Dilling

French Onion Chicken with Mushrooms I have branded this extra delicious, extra easy chicken French Onion Chicken with Mushrooms because it’s like a big scoop of the insides of a bowl of French onion soup with the additions of tangy marinated chicken and mushrooms. But Yasmin Fahr, the creator of the recipe (which I tweaked just a little bit), calls it Skillet Chicken with Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions.

Either way, this NYT Cooking recipe is a winner.

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (balsamic or white wine vinegar would also work) 2 teaspoons honey 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3-inch pieces 2 medium yellow onions, sliced thin ¾ pound cremini mushrooms, sliced thin ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped Cooked egg noodles, for serving In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, and 1 teaspoon salt. Pat the chicken dry and add it to the marinade, coating it well. Set aside at room temperature, stirring a couple of times while you make the onions.

Heat a large cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 2 minutes. Add the onions in an even layer. Season with salt and cook, mostly undisturbed, for 4 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Add the mushrooms, season with salt, and stir to combine. Cook, mostly undisturbed, until the mushrooms shrink and start to brown, about 4 minutes, stirring every minute or so.

Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil

FOR REGULAR ROTATION Hearty doesn't mean heavy with Italian Stuffed Peppers (top photo) and French Onion Chicken with Mushrooms (bottom photo).

and allow the onions and mushrooms to cook until they start to color, stirring and lowering the heat as necessary to avoid burning, about 4 minutes. Push the onions and mushrooms to the edges of the skillet, and add the chicken pieces to the center. Pour any remaining marinade (there will be very little) over the onions and mushrooms. Cook undisturbed for 4 minutes, then turn the chicken to brown on the other side for another 4 minutes or so. When the chicken is browned, stir it together with the onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 24

the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes more. (Reduce the heat to medium if the onions look like they are burning at any point.)

Serve over the noodles, topped with a sprinkle of parsley.

Editor’s note: Look for Back Porch Table by Andria Dilling every Friday online at thebuzzmagazines.com/columns/back-porch-table.

For more inspiration, you can also search thebuzzmagazines.com/recipes for thousands of recipe ideas.

ARTS

by Cindy Burnett, staff writer

Book-Club Books Reads that will inspire conversation and connection

B

ook clubs bring together people who share a love of reading, providing a sense of community as well as an engaging way to interact with people with a shared affinity. So much is gained by an in-depth discussion of a collective read: discussing why a book landed well or didn’t, themes that resonated, and what was gleaned from the tale. Everyone provides a unique perspective and background.

Selecting a book can be a difficult process for book clubs, and each club approaches this process differently. Some groups allow the host to choose, some vote on submitted books, and some follow what a particular celebrity book club selects.

I recently reached out to The Wednesday Sisters, a book club launched by Sally Rohrbach and Jan Lusby in 2012. Their kids were in high school and/or college so they had more time to gather to chat about recent reads. To form the group, they reached out to other book lovers from their kids’ schools and sports teams, women mainly residing in Maplewood, Bellaire, and Meyerland. The first book they selected was The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton, and they chose to meet on the second Wednesday of the month, so the group felt the name The Wednesday Sisters was fitting.

The group gathers at someone’s home from 710 p.m. and has dinner (sometimes according to the theme of the book) and wine followed by a lively discussion in the last hour. The Wednesday Sisters, 18 in total but usually 10-12 attend monthly, often select books that a group member has read before and recommends.

In December, they read The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters, a story about a four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl who goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine. Her disappearance sparks a tragic mystery that haunts the survivors, unravels a family, and remains unsolved for nearly 50 years. This 2023 debut is about the search for truth, the shadow of trauma, and the persistence of love across time.

Some of The Wednesday Sisters’ favorite past book-club books are: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (historical fiction) – Marion and Shiva Stone

THE WEDNESDAY SISTERS Since 2012, The Wednesday Sisters book club has been gathering to chat books and life. Their first book-club selection was The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton, and they meet on the second Wednesday of the month, so the name was fitting. Most recently, they read The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters. Pictured are (back row, from left) Colleen Hart, Sherri Tanner, Suzy Schaffer, Carol Bailey, Ruth Reid; (front row, from left) Joni Mitchell, Terry Aven, Jan Lusby (in center), Sally Rohrbach, Beth Lefkowitz, and Miriam Cleveland.

are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon at a mission hospital in Addis Ababa.

Orphaned by their mother’s death in childbirth and their father’s disappearance, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution. Yet it will be love, not politics – their passion for the same woman– that will tear them apart and force Marion, fresh out of medical school, to flee his homeland. When the past catches up to him – nearly destroying him – Marion must entrust his life to the two men he thought he trusted least in the world: the surgeon father who abandoned him and the brother who betrayed him.

The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony (nonfiction) – When South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony was asked to accept a herd of “rogue” elephants on his Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand, his common sense told him to refuse. But he was the herd's last chance of survival; dangerous and unpre-

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 26

dictable, they would be killed if Anthony wouldn't take them in. As Anthony risked his life to create a bond with the troubled elephants and persuade them to stay on his reserve, he came to realize what a special family they were, from the wise matriarch Nana, who guided the herd, to her warrior sister Frankie, always ready to see off any threat, and their children who fought so hard to survive.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (fiction) – Eleanor Oliphant struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy. But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kinds of friends who rescue one

the way it all unfolds. I felt like I was watching an impending train wreck with no way to stop it, and I could not put the book down. For fans of genre mashups and distinctive stories.

The Satisfaction Café

by Kathy Wang (contemporary fiction) – This quiet, meandering novel follows Joan and the life she has created after moving to California from Taiwan. Ultimately, she wonders if anyone can feel truly satisfied. In pursuit of this question, she opens the Satisfaction Café, a place where people can visit for a bit of conversation and to be heard and understood.

This character-driven novel is so immersive, and Wang richly cultivates Joan’s world – her family, her friends, and her inner thoughts. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Joan and wish I could personally visit the Satisfaction Café. For fans of introspective stories.

Her Many Faces by CULTIVATING CONVERSATION In A Guardian and A Thief by Megha Nicci Cloke Majumdar, who is the guardian and who is the thief? This question will challenge the reader throughout the entire book, which would be a good choice for a thought(mystery/thriller) – provoking book-club discussion.

Following the murders reading. For fans of slow-burn mysteries, social of four wealthy members of an exclusive club in commentaries, and topical issues.

London, a young waitress named Katherine A Guardian and A Thief by Megha Cole is arrested, and five men begin to question Majumdar (literary fiction) – Who is the how well they really knew her. Each narrator guardian and who is the thief? This question will brings their own biases, blind spots, and agendas challenge the reader throughout the entire tale. to their depiction of Katherine, making readers Set in near-future India when climate change question whose version of events they can trust. has devastated the country and its population, This fascinating commentary on how people, A Guardian and a Thief centers around two famespecially women, are perceived has stayed with ilies whose drives to protect each other and surme since I finished it, and I enjoyed the explovive clash in heartbreaking ways. The book ration of power dynamics and conspiracy theothoughtfully examines how morality and civility ries in today’s world as well as gender biases. For break down during a tragic event such as climate fans of novel and intelligent storytelling and change. This profound and gut-wrenching story thought-provoking tales. is a fast read that packs a very powerful punch.

We Don’t Talk About Carol by Kristen L. The audio production is outstanding. It is a good Berry (mystery/thriller) – We Don't Talk About fit for fans of literary fiction, thought-provoking Carol is a deeply haunting, twisty mystery based tales, and climate fiction. on a 60-year-old cold case involving six missing Black women whose stories were forgotten by Editor’s note: Cindy Burnett also writes our the world but never by their families. Berry weekly Page Turners column at expertly explores the themes of family secrets, thebuzzmagazines.com. She hosts an award-wincommunity, trauma, and motherhood while ning book podcast entitled Thoughts from a Page unraveling a mystery that has some fabulous Podcast www.thoughtsfromapage.com, runs the twists and turns. She also highlights the racial Instagram account @thoughtsfrompage, and regudisparities that occur in missing person investilarly speaks to groups about books. gations, which made for tough but compelling Cindy Burnett

another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond’s big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one.

To aid clubs seeking to set their 2026 lists early, I am recommending some titles that will lend themselves to active and engaging conversations for book clubs. I selected books that published in 2025 so that club members can easily check them out from the library if they prefer.

Here are some recent reads that will encourage dynamic conversations: The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens (historical fiction) – Hana Babic is a quiet, middleaged librarian in Minnesota who wants nothing more than to be left alone. But when a detective arrives with the news that her best friend has been murdered, Hana knows that her past life in Bosnia during the war has caught up with her.

There is a constant undercurrent of danger and urgency throughout the story as the events of Hana’s earlier years are revealed. This story of revenge, the horrors of war, and secrets that won’t stay hidden is a winner. And while the war scenes were hard to read, I was glad to learn more about the war in Bosnia. For fans of gritty historical fiction.

Tilt by Emma Pattee (literary fiction) – Annie is nine months pregnant and shopping for a crib at IKEA when a massive earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. With no way to reach her husband, no phone or money, and a city left in chaos, she realizes there’s nothing to do but walk. As she walks, Annie reflects on her struggling marriage, her disappointing career, and her anxiety about having a baby. This is a fabulous book-club pick – there is so much to discuss and unpack. I was particularly interested in the societal response, climate and technological issues, and how such an event will impact a city. For fans of climate fiction, slow-burn tales, and compelling reads.

The Backwater by Vikki Wakefield (mystery/thriller)– The “Trailer Park Murders” made a ghost of Sabine Kelly 12 years ago after she confessed to setting the fire that killed her mother, sister, and seven others, and disappeared without a trace. Now, Rachel Weidermann, a recently unemployed journalist, has reignited her investigation into the murders and Sabine’s disappearance, setting off a brutal chain of events. The beautiful scenery and the rhythm of river life combined with the exploration of the themes of class, corruption, family, and justice made this a unique and engaging mystery. For fans of a strong sense of place and solid mysteries.

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild (contemporary fiction) – Honor seems to have everything. She adores her daughter Chloe and her husband Tom. But her longing for another baby threatens to eclipse it all until a shocking event changes their lives forever. My recommendation is to go in blind on this one. The story is so unique – the events, the narrator, and

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 27

NEIGHBORS

.

by Angie Frederickson, staff writer

Wedding Buzz

The Nudells and the Fitzpatricks

F

Cara Felleman + Jeremy Nudell

Sara Knobel Photo

rom the first date to the honeymoon, and everything in between, these newlyweds have buzzy stories to tell. We wish them the best as they begin their exciting new chapters.

Cara Felleman and Jeremy Nudell’s wedding was a perfect reflection of the bride and groom.

Each detail had significance, bringing together friends and families to celebrate their union in a way that only they could. At The Lodge at Malibou Lake, a historic, picturesque spot among California’s Santa Monica mountains, Cara and Jeremy welcomed wedding guests from near and far.

Although Cara was born and raised in Houston, attending Lovett Elementary, Pin Oak and Pershing Middle schools, and Bellaire High School, she was living in Venice Beach, Calif. when she first met Jeremy. The Hinge app brought them together in 2022 for a first date at a wine bar that set their dating romance in motion. Two years later, during a summer trip to Italy, Jeremy popped the question in Positano, and Cara enthusiastically said “yes.”

Cara is the daughter of Daniel Felleman and the late Elyse Felleman. She graduated from the University of Georgia with degrees in advertising and psychology. Jeremy, the son of Paula and Avi Nudell of Agoura Hills, Calif., graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. He headed to New Orleans and earned his medical degree from Tulane University before returning home to the West Coast.

Family and friends were central to the wedding plans. Cara worked with a local seamstress to create a veil with material from her late mother’s wedding dress. Her “something borrowed” was jewelry from her two oldest childhood friends, Hannah Nates and Tracy Buryakovsky, who gladly loaned earrings and a bracelet for the occasion. Before the couple exchanged vows, Jeremy’s grandmothers, ages 101 and 98, walked down the aisle and then took their seats.

After they said, “I do,” Cara and Jeremy welcomed guests to a family-style dinner reception.

Jeremy is known for his (continued on page 30)

LAKESIDE LAUGHTER AND LOVE Cara Felleman and Jeremy Nudell tied the knot by a beautiful lake in the Santa Monica mountains.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 28

Sara Knobel Photo Sara Knobel Photo Sara Knobel Photo

Sara Knobel Photo Sara Knobel Photo

BREATHTAKING SCENERY AND PERSONAL TOUCHES Top photo: The Felleman and Nudell families gathered to toast the happy couple at a perfectly personalized ceremony and reception. From left: Eliana Nudell, Ben Felleman, Ezra Felleman, Tessa Ritchie-Felleman, Daniel Felleman, Cara Felleman Nudell, Jeremy Nudell, Paula Nudell, Beck Nudell, Callum Nudell, Noah Nudell, Leni Nudell, Kaitlin Nudell, Max Nudell, and Avi Nudell. Middle left photo: The bride and groom exchanged vows under a stunning floral chuppah. Middle right photo: Instead of having bridesmaids, Cara got ready for the wedding with her closest friends and sisters-in-law. From left: Tracy Buryakovsky, Skye Estroff, Dana Zack, Brittany Lipman, Hannah Nates, Cara Felleman Nudell, Elyssa Singer, Kaitlin Nudell, Eliana Nudell, and Tessa Ritchie-Felleman.

Bottom left photo: Parents and the happy couple celebrate a new future. From left: Daniel Felleman, Cara Felleman Nudell and Jeremy Nudell, Paula Nudell, and Avi Nudell.

Bottom right photo: The couple welcomed guests to a stunning venue to begin their life together.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 29

Tamara Gruner Photography DESTINATION: ITALY The Dean and Fitzpatrick families enjoyed nuptials at Lake Como. Pictured, from left (standing) Brian Dean, Ellen Dean, Morgan Dean Fitzpatrick and Tehrrek Fitzpatrick, Michael Fitzpatrick, Victoria Fitzpatrick, Kelly Fitzpatrick, Czarrok Fitzpatrick; from left (sitting) Leila Dean, Cassie Dean, Gunnar Dean, Chloe Fitzpatrick, and Madeline Fitzpatrick. (continued from page 28) homemade pizzas, so fresh

pies straight from a pizza oven during cocktail hour was an on-brand addition to the evening.

While mingling and dining on pizza, guests enjoyed cocktails adorned with adorable stirrers that likened the couple’s beloved pooch, Callie.

Guests then sat down for dinner, finding their seats marked with custom matchboxes that served as place cards, in a nod to Cara’s yearslong restaurant-matchbook collecting hobby.

A week after the wedding, the newlyweds journeyed to Africa for their honeymoon, enjoying a safari in South Africa’s Sabi Sands and relaxing on the beaches in Mozambique. They are now home in Oak Park, Calif., where Cara has her own consulting business and Jeremy is a practicing internist.

Morgan Dean + Tehrrek Fitzpatrick A chance meeting at a career fair led Morgan Dean to find not only a new job but also her groom. Morgan and Tehrrek Fitzpatrick met while he was seeking to fill an assistant to the director of operations role at his financial advi-

sory firm, The Fitzpatrick Group. Morgan was a fit for the job, and after spending time together in the office, and then running into each other at the gym, their romance began.

Tehrrek popped the question during a getaway to Turks and Caicos. Wanting to capture a picture of the proposal, he asked some passersby to take their photo “on the way to dinner,” hoping his plan would result in a memorable photo. Fortunately, there was a Gen Z kid in the mix who understood how to take an Instagramworthy photo and also figured out the proposal was imminent. The kid nailed the shot.

The couple chose Lake Como, Italy for their destination wedding and welcomed guests with a boat cruise the night before the ceremony.

Alongside four bridesmaids, four groomsmen, a flower girl, and a ring bearer, Morgan and Tehrrek exchanged vows at Villa Pizzo.

Morgan’s brother, Brian, walked her down the aisle, standing in for their late father, Scott.

After the ceremony, guests celebrated in the Villa’s gardens and greenhouse, dancing to music from Blunotte Show Band.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 30

While the newlyweds cut the wedding cake, guests were surprised with a firework show over the water. Morgan selected three songs and had a friend help mix them together to accompany the fireworks: “Still Falling for You” by Ellie Goulding, “For Life” by Kygo and Zak Abel, and “Higher Love” by Kygo and Whitney Houston.

Morgan is the daughter of Ellen Dean and the late Scott Dean, and is originally from Tulsa, Okla. She earned a bachelor’s degree in management and a Master of Business Administration degree from Houston Baptist University. Tehrrek, owner of The Fitzpatrick Group, is the son of Victoria and Michael Fitzpatrick of Fairview Heights, Ill. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Illinois. After a minimoon at Villa d’Este at Lake Como, the couple returned home to Hunters Creek Village, and they are both back at work at The Fitzpatrick Group.

Editor’s note: If you were recently married and would like to submit your wedding to The Buzz, email us at info@thebuzzmagazines.com.

Tamara Gruner Photography Tamara Gruner Photography Tamara Gruner Photography

Tamara Gruner Photography Tamara Gruner Photography

LOVE AND FIREWORKS Top photo: The groom and his gang of sunglass-clad gentlemen prepared for the ceremony. From left: Michael Fitzpatrick, Brian Dean, Gunnar Dean, Adam Weygandt, Tehrrek Fitzpatrick, Tonny Jun, Czarrok Fitzpatrick, and George Debo. Middle left photo: A perfect kiss during the first dance in the Villa Pizzo greenhouse. Middle right photo: The bride with her bridesmaids in blue. From left: Elizabeth Adams, Cassie Dean, Morgan Dean Fitzpatrick, Allison Seifert, and Karri West. Bottom left photo: The wedding party wrapped up the ceremony and headed to the reception. From left: Karri West, Elizabeth Adams, Cassie Dean, Allison Seifert, Morgan Dean Fitzpatrick and Tehrrek Fitzpatrick, Czarrok Fitzpatrick, George Debo, Tonny Jun, and Adam Weygandt. Bottom right photo: A surprise fireworks show was the perfect finale.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 31

NEIGHBORS

.

by Sharon Albert Brier, staff writer

Rumor Has It Friendship is the gift. Linda Eisemann toasted her 75th at Tony’s in the wine room, surrounded by 24 friends and relatives – some who’ve known her since disco was still cool. Many have been in her life for 40+ years, which is basically a miracle of endurance and group texting. She asked for “no gifts, just friendship,” but her guests outsmarted her and made donations in her honor to her favorite Houston causes. Linda got exactly what she wanted: good food, great friends, and proof that people actually can follow instructions… sort of.

A living kaleidoscope. Ten gals and one brave guy set off on an artsy adventure as the Houston Symphony League gathered at ARTECHOUSE Houston for Fractal Worlds, a fully immersive digital journey of experimental art, sound, and music. As the walls came alive, the room seemed to lift off its axis – bursts of colors shimmered across the space. Susan Osterberg, social event chair for Arts and Culture Day, said, “It was as if color, sound, and imagination all decided to dance together – and we got front-row seats.” Also at the dreamy event were Jeff Aron, Diane Davis, Deb Happ, Tianna Hall, Carole Strachan, Leslie Taylor, Leslie Nossaman, Diana Waguespack, Angela Apollo, and Roz Cooley. They continued buzzing about the happening over champagne at ARTECHOUSE’s XR Bar. Thanksgiving surprise. Thanksgiving 2025 at Larry Feingersh’s home was deeply extraordinary. After flying 34-year-old cancer patient Rita Avila to Houston for treatments as a volunteer Angel Flight pilot, Larry watched her quietly manage her feeding tube mid-flight – and suddenly understood he had no problems at all. Wanting to lift her spirits, he arranged for her parents, brother, and young children to join her at his home for the holiday. Seeing Rita’s little ones run into her arms, Larry realized she had given him the true gift: profound gratitude.

The train is leaving. The Piney Point Manor Block Party, with truffle mushroom meatballs, hot Italian sausages, a S’mores bar, and enough desserts to make a dentist weep, included a party train that chugged around the block and a bouncy house. About 50 neighbors

MILESTONE MOMENT Friends and family gathered at Tony’s in the wine room to toast Linda Eisemann’s 75th.

turned out for this revamped fall gathering, which swapped cocktail hour for a 3 p.m. family fiesta. Christie Smith even discovered a fun twist of fate – she met the new homeowner of the very spot where her old house once stood!

The host committee included Angie Habachy, Andrea Atcheson, Caroline Bay, Cindy Atlas, Maria Macia Hader, Susan Reedy, Anuja Mehta, and Roz Cooley.

A family affair plus. Angela’s big 4-0 wasn’t just a birthday, it was a full-blown undercover mission of fun. Angela Mutisya’s parents, Cindy and Brian Atlas, pulled off the ultimate surprise at Enoteca Rossa’s speakeasy, Rossa Room, cleverly tucked behind their gelateria (password: “extra sprinkles”). Sixteen of Angela’s nearest and dearest, including husband Kevin, gathered for firepit appetizers and pizza hot off the oven. The private dining room filled with flowers and framed photos created Angela’s personal Hall of Fame. Four courses later, they capped the night off with affogato and a decadent chocolate ganache cake crowned with toasted meringue. Sister Julie Taylor orchestrated, sister Kimberly Harrington and Mom styled, Dad toasted, and friend Lisa Sellinger Hardin jetted in from Denver, proof that turning 40 is worth the airfare.

Ran out of time. Twenty-plus fabulous gals packed their swimsuits, sass, and sense of humor for a week of pampering at the Ixtapan Spa in Mexico. Between pickleball, salsa danc-

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 32

ing, bingo, massages, facials, and games they had many laughs. The spa owner treated them to a private tour of his jaw-dropping model airplane, car, and boat museum. One night turned into a lively dance party worthy of a conga line! The trip, led by Marcia Katz, included Sabra Nelkin King, Alyssa Goldstein, Sydney Gold, Donna Heaton, Sandra Finkelman, Renata Nelkin, Orna Feinstein, Sara Ostrofsky, and Mirl Cohen – who added some airport drama when her passport went missing. Thankfully, United saved the day!

Thanksgiving in Tulum. It was pure sunshine for Kitty Strain, celebrating the holiday and her birthday with Sam Strain, Ashley Simpson, Sarah Strain, and her fiancé, Abdulla Kudrath. The adventure began with a turkey breakfast in the United Club before flying nonstop to Tulum’s brand-new airport. Casa Malca, once Pablo Escobar’s holiday hideaway and now an expanded chic boutique hotel showcasing the art collection of Lio Malca, delivered gourmet food and an artful feast for the eyes. Sculptures, pop art, drapes made of wedding dresses, and a beach tunnel created fascinating discoveries. It was a tropical Thanksgiving to remember, including the fabulous omakase finale.

MORE ONLINE See Rumor Has It at thebuzzmagazines.com for additional photos. Have some good news to share?

Email us at info@thebuzzmagazines.com.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 33

Cindy Burnett

ARTS

.

by Cindy Burnett, staff writer

Buzz Reads

Five picks for January

Buzz Reads is a column about books by reviewer Cindy Burnett. Each month, Cindy recommends five recently or soon-to-be released titles.

Before I Forget by Tory Henwood Hoen (contemporary fiction) – At 26, Cricket Campbell is grappling with unresolved grief and unrealized potential. When she agrees to move home to care for her father Arthur, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she slowly finds herself able to address the things holding her back. After years of estrangement, Cricket’s return to Catwood Pond in the Adirondacks is complicated by both her memories and her coming to terms with Arthur’s inability to remember her. As the two reconnect, the reader learns about the family dynamics and why Cricket hasn’t returned home in years. Hoen expertly depicts the Campbell family’s complicated dynamics, what is often left unsaid in their conversations, how the siblings’ roles impact their relationships, and their unspoken regrets. This beautiful book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys family sagas and redemption stories.

Good Guys by Sharon Bala (contemporary fiction) – This timely and thought-provoking novel delivers a gut punch as it explores the complicated and murky world of international aid including the less-than-honorable reasons it is often provided. Claire Talbot is the publicist at Children of the World, a foundation that seeks to provide healthcare and education to impoverished communities, created by an aging rock star who wants to remain relevant. When finances look bleak, Claire jumps at the chance to send a popular actress to volunteer at one of their overseas facilities. What at first appears to be the foundation’s saving grace quickly devolves into a disaster that harms the individuals they are supposed to be helping. Bala highlights the way the world of international aid is impacted by corporate greed, individuals and companies seeking to rehabilitate their reputations, and a lack of long-term commitment to communities. This book will appeal to those who enjoy compelling stories and fiction about current events.

The Murder at World’s End by Ross Montgomery (historical mystery) – This clever

historical mystery is set in 1910 Cornwall on a remote island aptly named World’s End. The Viscount of Tithe WHAT TO READ NEXT This month's selections include historical fiction Hall, Lord Conrad about Hazel Scott, a memoir about the end of a marriage and moving forward, a story about a woman and her ailing father, a clever mystery, and a searing Stockingham-Welt, story about the world of international aid. believes that the gases side note: Belle is the granddaughter of Bill (the from Halley’s Comet’s impending arrival will influential president of CBS while Edward Murrow result in everyone’s demise. Accordingly, he was on the air) and Babe Paley (one of Truman orders his servants to completely seal Tithe Hall Capote’s “swans”). I listened to this one, and Belle – every window, chimney, and keyhole must be narrates, which really added to my enjoyment of locked up and protected before the comet passes the book. This one is a great fit for fans of stellar over. Instead, the next morning, everyone else memoirs and stories about strong women. is still alive, and the viscount is dead, killed with With Love from Harlem by ReShonda Tate his own ancestral crossbow. Newly hired (historical fiction) – Houstonian ReShonda Stephen Pike teams up with Decima Tate returns with another thoroughly-researched Stockingham, the foul-mouthed and hilarious gem, this time penning a tribute to Hazel Scott 80-year-old family matriarch to solve a locked– a jazz performer, film star, and civil rights room mystery reminiscent of Agatha Christie. activist whose legacy has been lost to history. Set The pairing of Stephen and Decima is fabulous, primarily in 1940s Harlem and reading like a the plotting is intelligent, and so much humor who’s who of prominent Black figures from the is infused throughout the story. This book will era, including Billie Holiday, James Baldwin, and appeal to those who enjoy inventive mysteries, Langston Hughes, the novel follows Hazel’s a historical setting, and humor. quick rise to fame, her troubled romance with Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr., and the Burden (memoir) – Three days into the Covid many personal sacrifices she felt compelled to lockdown in March 2020, Belle Burden was make to try and save her family. Scott broke barstunned to discover that her husband of 20 years riers in music but also fiercely fought for racial was having an affair. After confronting him and equality for the people who came to her performreceiving reassurances that they could work ances; she refused to perform at the University through their issues, Belle goes to sleep and wakes of Texas in 1949 because the audience was segup the next morning to find James packed and regated. One small caveat is that Tate melds in leaving, refusing to engage in any conversation some fictional elements so read the Author’s about their future. In Strangers, Belle reexamines Note carefully to understand where the story their relationship from beginning to end, seeking occasionally diverges from what really happened. to unearth clues about what went wrong. Upon With Love from Harlem will appeal to those who reexamination, she comes to terms with not only like biographical fiction and tales about famous the red flags she missed but also her own family hiswomen and women lost to history. tory and how she was taught to deal with betrayal.

Belle tells her difficult story with unflinching honEditor’s note: Book reviewer Cindy Burnett esty, refusing to make excuses, and most imporalso writes our weekly Page Turners column at tantly, she comes out the other end of this experithebuzzmagazines.com. She hosts an award-winence transformed, becoming someone willing to ning book podcast entitled Thoughts from a Page use her voice and stand up for herself. She also Podcast www.thoughtsfromapage.com, runs the explores the misogyny and sexism that still run Instagram account @thoughtsfromapage, and regrampant today and how women often bear the ularly speaks to groups about books. brunt of responsibility in breakups. An interesting

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 34

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 35

TRAVEL

.

by Tracy L. Barnett, staff writer

Travel Buzz

Europe With a Toddler: One Family’s Big Leap into Slow Travel, Playgrounds, and Presence

Choosing Europe with a Two-Year-Old The planning phase was long and careful, shaped around Hannah’s age, temperament, and sleep habits.

“She’s incredibly easy and flexible and adaptable. However, sleeping is not her strength,” Sarah laughed.

They began in Switzerland for one simple reason: a direct flight from Tampa to Zurich. “We figured a one-stop [flight] would be the best way to start.”

From there, they built their route around family-friendly destinations, using blogs, advice from friends, and a desire for places that balanced nature and city life.

Photo by Claudia via Flytographer

W

hen Sarah and Matt Darlow packed their bags for Europe, they weren’t just planning a getaway. They were claiming a rare pause after a decade of medical training, cross-country moves, and new parenthood – one precious window before life accelerated again. With 2-year-old Hannah in tow, they set out for Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, and London, discovering along the way that traveling with a toddler doesn’t limit adventure – it transforms it.

“It was his first opportunity to decompress since he started his medical training 10 years before,” Sarah said of Matt, now a spinal surgeon. “It was really a celebration.”

Matt felt that shift just as deeply. “After so many years of medical training, taking a break from the grind to truly relax and enjoy life for the first time in a decade was an amazing experience,” he said. “Sharing it with my wife and daughter made it even more special.”

Both 33, the Houston couple met in high school and married during Matt’s residency.

Their honeymoon had come with constraints, and when fellowship ended in Tampa, they asked if Matt could delay starting his attending job just a few months. The result was a once-ina-lifetime, seven-week family journey.

“It was nice to be able to gain a break from the reality of everyday life and get to immerse elsewhere and truly explore and be present where we were,” Sarah said.

LISBON STROLL Sarah and Matt Darlow brought 2-year-old Hannah on a seven-week family adventure through Europe following Matt's medical fellowship. Here, the three pause for a photo in Portas do Sol Square in Lisbon, Portugal.

“We wanted a mixture of small to moderatesized cities, mountains and nature, beach,” Sarah said. “If we had something like [culture] on the agenda for a day, we would make sure we spent the rest of the day in a playground or doing a picnic.”

Portugal made the list for two reasons: its reputation for being family-friendly and the ease of eating with their dietary restrictions.

“Matt is gluten-sensitive and I’m a vegetarian,” Sarah explained.

Once in Europe, the family planned to rely mostly on trains, buses, and cars – making Portugal an easy fit after one international flight.

“Hannah loves vehicles and transportation.

She loved trains. She still asks all the time if we could take a train to go somewhere,” Sarah said.

Switzerland: Marble Runs, Cowbells, and Alpine Playgrounds After Zurich, the family headed into the Alps to the car-free village of Wengen.

“It’s completely centered around children,” Sarah said. “Every business has this marble run,

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 36

and there’s no cars, so they can just go from one to the other.”

In Wengen and similar Alpine villages, “marble runs” are giant wooden ball-track installations sprinkled around the town or along easy mountain-trail paths. Kids buy a wooden ball, drop it into the tracks, and watch it race through tunnels, funnels, and chutes – a playful way to explore the village and the mountains.

Hiking became a daily ritual. Hannah rode primarily in a hiking backpack, though she often climbed down to explore on foot. “They have these famous alpine cows that all wear cowbells.

So as you’re hiking, you just hear the cowbells kind of moving.”

The alpine playgrounds left the deepest impression.

“They’re universally designed, so any age or ability level can use them,” she said. “They’re built into the mountainside… and they’re just everywhere.”

One featured a giant cow whose tongue became a slide. Another was flower-themed on a meadow. Hannah quickly learned to distin-

Photo by Claudia via Flytographer EUROPEAN MOMENTS Clockwise, from upper left: Alfama neighborhood of Lisbon, Portugal; rest break on the trail from the Männlichen Alpine Herdsman Playground to Kleine Scheidegg in the Jungfrau Region, Switzerland; sitting by the Limmat River in Old Town Zurich, Switzerland; Arc de Triomf in Barcelona, Spain; panoramic views of the Swiss Alps from the Mürren flower trail.

guish types of parks. “She’d say, ‘Is it a park with toys or no toys?’”

Chocolate also became a daily indulgence.

“There’s a giant chocolate fountain in the middle, and her eyes were like dinner plates,” Sarah said of the Lindt factory.

Lucerne, the medieval lake town, rounded out their Swiss days. “Equally beautiful,” Sarah said, “but in a very different way.”

Portugal: Pastries, Cliffs, Trams – and Skipping Every Line After their time in Switzerland, the family flew on to Portugal, landing first in Porto – where being a family came with unexpected perks.

“There was a two-hour wait,” Sarah said of a major attraction, “and we just walked immediately to the front. That is the policy in all Portugal. If you have a baby or a family, you don’t wait in line anywhere.”

The Algarve coast became one of the trip’s most striking landscapes.

“It gave very California coast vibes, but bigger and a little bit more adventurous,” Sarah said.

Food became both an adventure and a daily joy. “The pastries were unbelievable,” she said, especially the famous pastel de nata, a Portuguese egg-custard tart that quickly became a daily ritual for the family.

Beach days came with a special surprise: bolinha – fresh donuts sold by roaming beach vendors.

“That was one of Hannah’s favorite highlights of the trip by far,” Sarah said. Vendors announce themselves with bells and calls of ‘Hola, bolinha!’

Porto’s hills brought stroller logistics into focus. “Sometimes, something looks like you’ll be five minutes away, but it’s actually 30 minutes away because it’s up a hill,” Sarah said.

They rode Lisbon’s iconic yellow trams, explored the Time Out Market. Navigating meals meant balancing Sarah’s vegetarian diet, Matt’s gluten-free needs, and Hannah’s fearless toddler appetite. “Her favorite meal was sardines and olives,” Sarah said.

One of their more “adult” outings was a Porto wine cellar tour. Hannah sipped orange juice from a “big girl cup,” while her parents learned how centuries-old barrels once moved by boat shaped the industry. “It really gives a different meaning to time,” Sarah reflected.

Music, she said, was everywhere. “Hannah was just wanting to stop and dance and listen everywhere we went.”

Spain: Playgrounds, Paella, and Flamenco Spain unfolded in layers of parks, plazas, architecture, and food. Valencia brought both illness and beauty. “Any time you’re sick away from home,” Sarah said, “that was our low light.”

But even sick days included immersive playgrounds, modern architecture, and what Sarah called “unmatched” paella.

Sevilla stood out for its layered history. “They have Moorish, Jewish, and Catholic influence… places built on everyone living together peacefully.”

Hannah’s joy shaped (continued on page 38)

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 37

(continued from page 37) each exploration. “She

loved just sprinting around these beautiful open places,” Sarah said. “And everyone was perfectly happy to see her doing it.”

At the Real Alcázar, it wasn’t the palace that captivated Hannah – but the courtyard. “She could run freely,” Sarah said.

Madrid brought Retiro Park, paddle boats, churros, and even gluten-free versions for Matt.

The Prado tested their limits. “She was just overdone and over it,” Sarah said.

Sometimes, they simply left.

Barcelona added Catalan language, beaches, Gaudí’s park, and a surprise discovery: “She has a love of flamenco music,” Sarah said. “We could stop and watch them all day.”

Friends joined them briefly in Spain. “There was just like an extra infusion of joy,” Sarah said.

London: A Perfect Ending London closed their journey just as health and spirits recovered.

“Everything aligned to having the perfect ending for our trip,” Sarah said.

Historic sites mixed with playgrounds and new food scenes. The Churchill War Rooms surprised them all.

“She was enthralled with the tunnels and the maps,” Sarah said. “She asked, ‘Mama, what is this? And who sleeps in this bed?’”

At the Transport Museum, Hannah climbed into old trains and stumbled into a live storyand-music session. “Her gut laughing was hysterical,” Sarah recalled with a smile.

The Real Magic When asked about the trip’s most magical moment, Sarah didn’t name a place.

“The magical moments were really being fully present with the three of us as a family, with nothing else pulling us,” she said.

The hardest days came with illness and missed naps. “Whoever was feeling the best had to run to the market and get soup,” Sarah said.

Their survival kit was simple: snacks, flexibility, and one structured activity a day.

“Everything doesn’t have to be so overscheduled,” she said.

Hannah fell in love first with being near water – “anything with water,” Sarah said, from beaches to alpine lakes to fountains – and just as enthusiastically with food. “She became quite the foodie.”

Seeing Europe Through a Toddler’s Eyes Traveling with a child changed Sarah’s understanding of Europe itself.

“The focus there is much more on family life,” she observed.

In Spain and CÓRDOBA WONDER A day trip from Sevilla brought the family to the iconic Portugal, she noticed Mezquita (Mosque-Cathedral) in Córdoba, Spain. how children belonged nuts,” she said. But she wouldn’t hesitate to recnaturally in daily life. “Kids are kids, and they ommend it. make noise, and they can run around in a plaza.”

“If anyone ever has the opportunity… I think Returning home, Sarah knows not everyone it really changed Matt and my perspective.” would take such a leap.

And Hannah? She still asks for trains.

“Most of our friends thought we were a little

Tips From Our Travelers: Sarah, Matt & Hannah’s Europe Edition Worth the Splurge: The chocolate shops in Switzerland – and the countryside there as well. “Really, the whole country is a well-worthit splurge.”

Don’t Miss: Any opportunity to engage with locals.

Favorite Restaurants: • Switzerland: Grindelwaldblick at the base of Kleine Scheidegg • Portugal: Manteigaria for pastel de nata • Spain: Bodega Biarritz 1881 • London: Dishoom Packing Tip: Pack neutral basics you can mix and match repeatedly, and layer easily for changing weather.

Don’t Bring: Too much – you can always get what you need locally.

Don’t Forget: An adapter/converter for each location you visit. (London was different than Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland.) You can also buy one if you forget.

Avoid This Tourist Trap: Restaurants with pictures on the menu – especially near major tourist sights.

Local Favorite Tip: Find the favorite local snack and look up a popular place to try it.

Safety Tip: Stay aware of your surroundings.

Not Really Worth the Trouble: “Famous” bookstores that charge an entrance fee – they’re overcrowded, too hectic to enjoy the ambiance, and the prices are inflated.

Unexpected Hit: One day in Lisbon, all public transportation shut down early due to a cycling race. Stuck on the far side of town without a car seat, we resigned ourselves to a long walk back to our Airbnb – until a tuk-tuk driver stopped, offered directions, had a car seat, and zipped us home just in time for naptime and an adventurous afternoon.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 38

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 39

SPORTS

by Todd Freed, staff writer

Photo Courtesy: Touchdown Club of Houston

.

SportzBuzz F

or the first time since 2011, the Memorial Mustangs football team captured its district championship. The Mustangs won the title with an undefeated 7-0 record in district play while ultimately posting a lofty 10-2 overall record.

“I think it was a tremendous season for both our kids and coaching staff,” said Mustangs firstyear head coach Brooks Haack. “You could see early on the fruits of their labor by playing a close game to a great Pearland team and then defeating outstanding football programs in Cy Falls and Cy Ranch.”

In winning 10 games, including a first-round playoff game, the Mustangs were led by junior quarterback Grant Sperandio, who threw for nearly 2,000 yards and 23 touchdowns. “Grant had an unbelievable season especially when you consider this was his first season as a full-time quarterback.

He’s actually committed to play college baseball for the Texas Longhorns,” said Haack.

Sperandio’s favorite target was junior wide receiver Myles Goebel, who had over 700 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, while the Mustangs featured a dynamic duo at running back in senior Kade Gulledge and junior Conrad Bennett. Both Gulledge and Bennett rushed for over 1,000 yards while accounting for 43 rushing touchdowns between the two of them.

“Kade transferred from Houston Christian and, once he caught his groove in playing Class 6A football, he caught fire and played out of his mind,” said Haack. “Conrad was our big bruiser running back, but he still had some of our longest runs of the season.”

In just his first season as head coach, the 31year-old Haack was named a finalist for the Greater Houston Coach of the Year Award. “It’s just a testament to our kids and coaches for the way they played and prepared all season.”

F

or the second straight year, the Second Baptist Eagles advanced to the TAPPS Division II State Championship final, albeit a berth to the state title game hardly seemed imaginable after a 1-6 start to the season. “There was no magic solution to our turnaround,” said Eagles head coach Beck Brydon. “Our kids just started

LINEMAN OF THE YEAR St. Thomas Eagles senior Obinna Umeh received the Lineman of the Year award at the Touchdown Club of Houston Private High School Awards Dinner. Umeh will play college football next season for Duke University.

executing better and our coaches also did a better job of putting our players in a position to succeed.

It all just came together at the right time.”

During its improbable playoff run, the Eagles defeated an 11-0 The Woodlands Christian Academy Team that had soundly defeated Second Baptist 42-10 just two weeks earlier in the regular season finale. “They were an absolutely loaded and extremely talented team that had beat us soundly earlier, but we went out there and outplayed them that night in the 3427 victory,” said Brydon.

Remarkably, the game also marked the return to the lineup of senior quarterback Canon Toon, who appeared to have been lost for the season after fracturing his right ankle just three weeks earlier. “When Canon fractured the ankle that night, our doctors believed he’d be out for the year, but Canon is one of the toughest and most competitive kids I’ve ever coached. He wasn’t about to allow the injury to keep him off the field.

Canon was absolutely critical to our playoff run.”

With Toon on the field, the Eagles then proceeded to avenge a district loss to Lutheran South Academy in a 41-38 state semifinal victory before falling to defending state champion Fort Worth All Saints’ Episcopal in the state championship final.

“We have kids who want to play and want to win and are the best version of a team,” added Brydon. “It’s an anti-ego and anti-me mentality

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 40

and the end of the year was a perfect example of what that looks like.”

I

n the wake of a sensational senior season, St. Thomas Eagle and Duke University commit Obinna Umeh received the Greater Houston Private School Lineman of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Houston. “Obinna has been a key part of our football program for four years,” said Eagles head coach Raymond Davis. “He’s our District MVP and an All-State Player and he also carries a 4.0 GPA and is Academic All-State.”

In addition, St. Thomas kicker Michael Taylor II won the Special Teams Player of the Year award. “Michael has a booming leg and he’s committed to play collegiate football for UTEP,” said Davis. Meantime, other Player of the Year finalists from St. Thomas included linebackers Jacob Quinlan and Liam McCarthy, wide receiver Nate Tidwell, and all-purpose athlete Javaughn Waldron. Davis, who led the Eagles to an undefeated district championship, was a finalist for the Coach of the Year Award.

Editor’s note: Todd Freed is the host and executive producer of H-Town High School Sports, which airs Saturday at 10:30 p.m. on CW39 and Monday-Thursday on AT&T SportsNet SW. To submit high school sports news for possible inclusion in SportzBuzz, please email todd@thebuzzmagazines.com.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 41

SPORTS

.

by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

SportzBuzz Jr. W

elcome to SportzBuzz Jr., a column spotlighting neighborhood athletes in elementary and middle school.

Pershing proud The Pershing Dance Company brought school spirit to the big stage, performing on the field at NRG Stadium as part of the pregame entertainment before the Houston Texans played the Denver Broncos. The dancers were invited through Pershing dance teacher Angie Amaro (pictured, kneeling, at left), who is a current Houston Texans Cheerleader (HTC). The team dressed in Pershing colors and delivered a high-energy routine the fans loved. Pictured (back row, from left) are HTC Callie, Pershing students Savannah Owens, Ava Hutchison, Hudson McPhail, Kyndal Rivers, Syndi Law, Tamara Milutinovic, HTC Anyssa; (middle row, from left) Kelyse Block, Jordan Lenton, Annalise Templeton, Ameerah Jackson, Madison Stigers, Lauren Anderson, Madison Armstrong; (front row, from left) Pershing coach and Houston Texans Cheerleader Angie Amaro, Aaliyah Porter, Zoe Bradshaw, Karter Milburn, Dashiel Batts, Natalia Aguilar, Ivy Evans, and Aleyla Jimenez.

Fall Ball champs Congratulations to the 9U Bears for winning the West University Softball Association Fall Ball championship game. Going undefeated in the season and in the playoffs, the Bears, under the leadership of head coach Brad Bucher, left it all on the field as the teammates worked together to bring home the W and a championship ring. Pictured (back row, from left) are coaches Gil Ramirez, Will Trombly, Brad Bucher, Sunny Kwatra, Ryan Hardin, and (players, from left) Savannah Ramirez, Brookelynn Carter, Annie Brown, Abigail Bucher, Price Condrey, Mikah Gonzalez, Annabelle Murdock, Riya Kwatra, Caylee Canonico, Sara Hardin, and Hannah Judkowitz.

Bullsharks win The USA Prime Bullsharks Baseball 11U Red team powered through a competitive competition to win the 11U Perfect Game Turkey Gobbler Tournament. Seeded seventh entering bracket play, the Bullsharks put together a dominant run, and worked hard to rise to the top. In the championship game, the Bullsharks closed out the tournament with a 14–4 win over Bullpen Nichols. Pitchers Jack Kelly and Roman Feygin delivered standout performances, with Jack earning Most Valuable Pitcher honors. Jack and teammate Tanner Rich also led the way offensively, with both turning in big days at the plate.

Tanner was named tournament MVP. Pictured (from left) are Carlitos de Aldecoa, George Minetos, Sam Weinberger, Roman Feygin, Michael Nooteboom, Mitchell Gaston, John Luke Munz, Tanner Rich, Miles Davidoff, Jack Kelly, and Manolo Garza (front, on the ground). The team is coached by Taylor Taska and Richard Mabrey (pictured, back row, from left).

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 42

Editor’s note: Send your best high-resolution photos and behind-the-scenes stories about young local athletes, in both team and individual sports, to SportzBuzz, Jr. at info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Include all contact info, names, ages, grades and schools. Featured athletes must live in Buzz-circulation neighborhoods. Items will be published on a space-available basis.

Create a buzz for your biz.

BELLAIRE MEMORIAL RIVER OAKS TANGLEWOOD WEST UNIVERSITY Mailed to 58,000 homes monthly.

To advertise in The Buzz Magazines, contact us at 713.668.4157, ext. 101 or advertising@thebuzzmagazines.com WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 43

KIDS

IF THE SHOE FITS Oliver Tsao, a senior at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, founded a nonprofit, Next Step Shoes, to collect shoes for underserved Houstonians. He has collected and donated nearly 5,000 pairs of shoes to those in need.

by Oliver Tsao, age 18

Buzz Kidz T

Taking the Next Step

wo years ago, I was volunteering at a clothing pantry distributing items of clothing to underserved people. I could not complete many of the orders because one item in particular was not available: shoes. I learned that shoes are consistently at the top of the “most needed” lists for clothing pantries across the country. Shoes provide comfort, safety, dignity, and even the ability to apply for a job or attend school. I wanted to help address this need that feels almost like a basic human right.

I started by reaching out to family and friends and asked them to share shoes they did not need.

Within a week, I collected 150 pairs of shoes to donate to the clothing pantry, all of which would be gone by the next time I went to volunteer! The impact encouraged me. I started

Next Step Shoes, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to collecting and distributing gently used shoes to underserved Houstonians.

I reached out to other communities after the success of my first effort. I made flyers, emailed school principals, and contacted business owners. I gave presentations to school leadership and community groups. I dealt with several setbacks, but I felt like I was making a difference, so I persevered. Over the past two years, I’ve partnered with more than 20 organizations to coordinate used-shoe drives and delivered almost 5,000 pairs of shoes to individuals who would otherwise be without adequate footwear. My idea is simple, but I am proud to have identified a problem and played a part in a solution.

Have you gone through your closets lately? I would love to help repurpose any shoes your family has outgrown or is ready to share. We accept all types of new and gently used shoes (sneakers, dress shoes, sandals, boots) for men, women, and children. Collection boxes will be at West University United Methodist Church front office (3611 University Blvd.) from Jan. 5-30.

Editor’s note: See more on Instagram @next.step_shoes and website nextstepshoes.net.

Want to be a Buzz Kid? Email approximately 350 words, a high-resolution photo and caption to info@thebuzzmagazines.com.

See what we’re buzzing about.

Connect with us thebuzzmagazines.com

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 44

A

D

V

E

R

T

O

R

I

A

L

The homestead and probate The homestead in Texas enjoys creditor protections, tax privileges, and Medicaid exemptions worthy of any castle, including yours. The schemes overlap and sometimes conflict. The same choices are available to every homeowner, rich or poor, but the consequences play out differently from one family to another and from one season to the next.

The Texas Constitution establishes a homestead exemption from creditor claims, to 10 acres in the city or 100 acres in the country (200 if married). Your property tax exemption application counts as a homestead designation for creditor protection. Considering gifting the home to a child now? Think twice, especially if they already own a home. Only one homestead per taxpayer. It’d be a shame to lose your home on a child’s divorce or bankruptcy.

Your home gets a new income tax basis equal to its fair market value the day you die. If you bought for $400,000 and it appreciates to $1,000,000, your heirs realize $0 in capital gains: a new basis means unrealized capital gains disappear. If you give the same home away now, the donee receives your basis today, and does not get a new one on your death. That’s a strong incentive to keep a more expensive home forever.

If you keep the home, how will title transfer? Without a will, it goes to your heirs. An heirship judgment will split it with the surviving spouse and your children if any are outside that marriage. A will can leave 100 percent of the home to a second spouse, but requires probate to enforce.

An enhanced life estate deed, also known as a “Lady Bird” deed, is common for Medicaid planning, a consideration for any Texan that cannot afford

long-term care. It avoids probate without a transfer penalty. Your agent can sign one. The remaindermen (your heirs) must join in any home equity loan.

Recording a transfer on death deed (TODD) also avoids probate. Your agent cannot sign one, but your remaindermen need not join any home equity loan.

When avoiding probate with either a Lady Bird or TODD, title companies are within rights to demand additional evidence of title. They tend not to for smaller policies, often relying on an affidavit of heirship. Lot values in some neighborhoods now exceed $500,000, a risk making it more likely those families may need probate anyway.

Revocable trusts, so-called “living” trusts, are favored by wealthier homeowners. A contribution deed reserving a residence homestead preserves the property tax exemption, trust beneficiaries need not consent to any home equity loan, and probate is avoided. The homestead in trust becomes a Medicaid-countable asset, not a consideration for wealthier homeowners anyway.

We write wills and go to probate court. Foreign nationals and international families welcome.

Russell W. Hall, Bellaire Probate, Attorneys at Law, 6750 West Loop S. Ste. 920, Bellaire, Texas 77401, 713.662.3853, bellaireprobate.com/blog

PERSONAL TRAINING VIRTUAL TRAINING MASSAGE THERAPY NUTRITION COACHING Reclaim your energy, passion and motivation in body, mind and spirit.

Call 713.401.2841 or visit PledgeToFitness.com to schedule your free session assessment + workout + stretch Offer expires 1/31/26

5312 Bellaire Blvd., Suite A WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 45

sponsored by

PETS

Neighborhood Tails Orange Fizz, age 3, Maine Coon, Tennyson St. Hi, I’m Orange Fizz, aka Fizzy – named so because of my effervescent personality. I’m a three-year-old Maine Coon cat. I spend my time in my outdoor patio, aka catio, which is topped with special netting that I cannot escape from (I have tried). My hobbies are catching lizards in my catio and bringing them inside to play with, dislodging pictures from the wall, and knocking items off shelves and the counter. I love playing, catnip, and naps in the sun. I am a friendly and active cat who always views his bowl as half empty. I am the younger “brother from another mother” of Sharky, also a Maine Coon. Together we make sure that our humans are well-trained and run the household on our schedule. The two of us, Fizzy and Sharky, are big, fluffy, strong cats weighing about 20 lbs. each. When walking on our street, say hello if you see us in our catio!

Got a cute critter? Email a picture of your pet with approximately 150 words to info@thebuzzmagazines.com or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 46

Congratulations to our 2025 Pet of the Year Contest Winners Congratulations to Winston, The Buzz Magazines 2025 Pet of the Year! This distinguished gentleman was named after Sir Winston Churchill. He’s known for knocking phones out of people’s hands so they sit down and read The Buzz.

Winston, a cute Cocker Spaniel, was excited to win a $500 gift certificate to DOGMAN training and boarding in West University.

We’d also like to send tail wags and meows to our second-place winner, Giselle, and our third-place winner, Tamarindo.

Although we only crown the top three winners, all our furry, feathered, and scaled friends are champions to us. We’re wishing every Buzz pet a year full of treats, neverending scratches, and hijinks – happy 2026!

Alden Farrow and 1st-place winner Winston “I’m very honored to receive this recognition. All of the pets were special and deserved to win. I love my family dearly and I thank everyone so much for their support. To celebrate, I will indulge in several milk bones. Thank you!” – Winston (Cocker Spaniel)

Callie Clemens and 2nd-place winner Giselle “Thank you for voting! I literally went from shelter-born to starlet, which is miraculous, because the competition was tough with so many cute critters. I appreciate you supporting my campaign!”

– Giselle (Mix)

Ezra Teichman and 3rd-place winner Tamarindo “Meow! I am excited that I am a cat that made it into the top three! Thank you!”

– Tamarindo (Tabby Cat)

To have your pet considered for Neighborhood Tails in 2026, please submit a high-resolution photo and 150 words from your pet’s perspective to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Pets who appear in Neighborhood Tails are automatically entered into our Pet of the Year Contest.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 47

CatchLight Group

NEIGHBORS

.

by Angie Frederickson, staff writer

Buzz About Town Sunshine Kids Summer Camp. Founded by Lori and Dr. Isaac Raijman, Arts of Healing is an organization that blends art and science to promote healing. The gala featured a live auction with artistic works created by 21 physicians, and guests enjoyed an all-physician jazz band that played before the program started. Following the auction, guests hit the dance floor with Drywater Band who welcomed one of the physician-artists, Jeff Ross, as a guest trumpet player.

Running for Heaven's 27

Isaac Raijman, Lori Raijman, and Kristen Collins (pictured, from left) were among the nearly 500 supporters at the 8th annual Arts of Healing gala at The Post Oak Hotel. The physician art show and dinner, chaired by Drs. Rachel and Warren A. Ellsworth IV and Natalie and Mark Bordman, raised more than $560,000 to fund The Arts of Healing +

Runners of all ages (pictured), from kids to adults, on Team 27 are gearing up for the 2026 Chevron Houston Marathon, Aramco Houston Half Marathon, and We Are Houston 5K, Jan. 9-11. The marathon team, with more than 150 members, is raising funds for the Heaven’s 27 Foundation, established to support the individual foundations honoring the lives of Camp Mystic campers and counselors lost in the July 4th Hill Country floods. The team attended a training meetup at the Eastern Glades at Memorial Park, with a session led by Kiya Dandena, head coach of Team Run Houston.

They will have an official cheer station along Kirby Drive, and everyone is invited to join and cheer them on. Follow Team 27 on Instagram at @Team27HTX for location and updates. To learn more about the Heaven’s 27 Foundation, visit heavens27.org.

Recipe for Success Matt Henneman, Kimberly Cutchall, Lynn Goode, and Harrison Williams (pictured, from left) enjoyed the sold-out Delicious Alchemy banquet hosted by the Recipe for Success Foundation at Hope Farms. The Recipe for Success Foundation began in 2005 as an educational program to combat childhood obesity through educational programs that promote healthy eating. Chaired by Virginia and Will McMullen and honoring founders Gracie and Bob Cavnar, Delicious Alchemy featured 10 chefs who each prepared a course including produce grown on-site at Hope Farms and a wine pairing curated by 55Seventy. Gracie Cavnar, along with several of the founding chefs, introduced the Foundation’s new initiative, 20 for ’26 Campaign, to expand the Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education curriculum to 20 additional Title I schools across Houston.

Ready to dance Annie Mulligan

Johnny Than

Healing through art

Beth Muecke, Jayne Johnston, and Melissa Reihle (pictured, from left) gathered at the home of Paige Fertitta for the kick-off party for the 2026 Houston Ballet Ball. More than 140 ballet supporters enjoyed live piano melodies, champagne, and hors d’oeuvres while hearing about plans for the February (continued on page 50) WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 48

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 49

Jacob Power

(continued from page 48) 2026 Ballet Ball at the

Wortham Theater Center. Houston Ballet executive director Sonja Kostich recognized ball chairs Christine and David M. Underwood, Jr. and honoree Richard Flowers. Christine Underwood then gave a preview of this year’s ball, unveiling the theme inspired by Act II of Stanton Welch’s reimagined Giselle. The Houston Ballet Ball will take place on Feb. 21, featuring a three-course seated dinner, live entertainment, and dancing. For more information, visit houstonballet.org.

A campout in the neighborhood

Raise ‘em up

Kelly Hill, Deanna McQuade, and Angela Androphy (pictured, from left) chaired the 19th annual Fathers & Flashlights event hosted by Friends of West University Parks. The annual family campout was held on the fields surrounding West University Elementary School and welcomed 500 children, 256 camping parents, and 261 volunteer parents. Kids and their fathers enjoyed endless entertainment including tie dying, face painting, exotic animals, a rock wall, the always-popular Kid Fish, inflatables, snow cones, dancing with DJ Kara, and a show with magician Bud Kula. Dinner featured food from The Pit Room, La Fresca Pizza, Little Matt’s, and Chick-fil-A with dessert from Tiny’s Milk & Cookies. After watching Lilo & Stitch on the big screen and falling asleep under the stars, families woke up hungry and ready for breakfast from Starbucks, Hungry’s, Donut NV, Three Brothers Bakery, and Skeeter’s. The successful event raised $200,000 for West U neighborhood parks.

Vanessa Ames, Kristen Collins, Dana Barton, Brooke Lee, and Jordan Seff (pictured, from left) welcomed more than 460 guests to the Crime Stoppers of Houston Raise ‘Em Up for Texas gala. The second annual event, held at The Revaire, was chaired by Lee, Barton, and Collins with strategic chairs Ames and Seff, and raised $2 million for safety and prevention programs. A lively happy hour kicked off the event

Laughter is medicine Brian and Michelle Dean, Paul Mansfield, and Jennifer and Todd Litton (pictured, from left) attended the Community Spirit Award Dinner benefiting Houston Hospice. The event, chaired by the Deans with the Littons serving as honorary chairs, was held at River Oaks Country Club and raised $230,000 for Houston Hospice’s efforts to provide quality, end-of-life care for families in Southeast Texas. Dr. Paul Mansfield, surgical oncologist at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, was honored with the 27th annual Community Spirit Award.

He spoke to the crowd about the importance of WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 50

that included a silent auction, live auction, raffle, and dancing to Nobody’s Fool band. When guests took their seats for a Texas-themed dinner, emcee Johnny Bravo greeted the crowd followed by Rania Mankarious, Crime Stoppers’ CEO. Mankarious presented Chris Shepherd and Lindsey Brown of the Southern Smoke Foundation with the McIngvale Family Humanitarian Award. The program wrapped up with the announcement of new initiatives, the Women’s Collective with 50 women joining Crime Stoppers in 2026 and the SafeSpace Student Hub, a first-of-its-kind digital platform offering students a confi- (continued on page 52) Daniel Ortiz

humor and laughter, even in the face of illness.

“Humor is a big part of what makes us human,” Dr. Mansfield said.

Automotive Photography

Specializing in all types of automotive photography. Ideal for car dealer inventory, Bring a Trailer auctions, Insurance purposes, and artwork.

Starting at $300 Located at The Asylum, 7268 Renwick Dr. For information, please contact us at 832-878-8967 or eric.carsandcamera@gmail.com carsandcamerahtx.com WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 51

JH Photography

(continued from page 50) dential place to seek help,

resources, and guidance.

Seventy years of Jerry The Shannon family pulled it off! A surprise 70th birthday party for Jerry Shannon was a big hit. The kids hatched a plan to get their dad out of the house so they could set up tables, chairs, lights, caterers, margarita machines, and caricature artists. There happened to be a Texas A&M football game the afternoon of the party,

so Jerry left home to watch at a friend’s house while the covert plans were underway. Jerry, a fourth-generation Texan, Westchester High School track and football athlete, and collegiate defensive end for the Aggies, arrived back home in the evening where the guests were waiting.

After tracking Jerry on the Life360 app, family and friends knew when to be silent as the birthday boy walked in and wife Amy asked him to take a look at something in the backyard.

Peeking out from the second-floor balcony, Jerry was surprised to find a party full of guests in the yard below. Pictured are the Shannons (from left) Jerry, Greg, David, Lisa, Steven, and Amy.

Spanish dignitaries in Houston

Heroes in health care

Museum. Gala chairs Lynn and Ed Jones led the event that raised a record-breaking $430,000 to support the Museum’s educational programs, interactive exhibitions, and community outreach initiatives. The evening began with a cocktail reception featuring art by Houston artist Taft McWhorter who created a collaborative piece titled “Note to Self.” Guests were invited to add their own note-to-self to the work, which later became one of the most coveted items in the live auction. CW39 HTown Live host Maggie Flecknoe and The Health Museum president and CEO John Arcidiacono welcomed guests and shared updates on the Museum, leading up to Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale taking the stage to introduce the 2025 Health Heroes Honoree, his daughter Dr. Elizabeth McIngvale.

Richard Villanueva Jr., Brent Pearce, Natalie Pearce, Colleen Villanueva, Lynn Jones, and Ed Jones (pictured, from left) were among the 200 guests at the Hotel ZaZa-Museum District for the Health Heroes Gala benefiting The Health

Be seen in Buzz About Town. Send your high-res photos and community news to info@thebuzzmagazines.com.

Items are published on a space-available basis. Also share your upcoming-event listings on thebuzzmagazines.com.

Billy Ramacha

Rice University president Dr. Reginald DesRoches and Paula Gilmore DesRoches welcomed more than 100 guests to their home to cel-

ebrate the launch of the al-Andalus Project, part of Archaeology Now’s 2025-26 “Legacy” Series. The project is part of a partnership with the Consulado General de España en Houston, the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Casa de España, and reflects Christians, Muslims, and Jews together as a model for cultural exchange. Guests at the reception enjoyed wine, champagne, and a sangria mocktail while mingling with Spanish dignitaries.

Pictured are (from left) Mohammed Neemah, Faye Walker, Nora Rashid, Becky Lao, Paula and Reginald DesRoches, Her Excellency Ángeles Moreno Bau, Roberto Lopez, Tabbi Saenz, Jesús Miguel Sanz Escorihuela, Giselle (Gigi) Mangini, and Avelino Busto Cornejo.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 52

35 WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 53

NEIGHBORS

by Andria Dilling, staff writer

Back Porch D

Resolving, and resolving not to resolve: Ringing in 2026

oing a Dry January? Signing on for a gym membership? Saving more money?

There is so much to say about New Year’s resolutions. We started talking about them earlier in this issue when we focused on the healthy recipes most of us resolution-makers will be looking for. (See page 22. Also, turn to that story for some interesting facts about how many and which of us are likely to make resolutions, and what those resolutions are likely to address.)

What kinds of resolutions are Buzz readers making?

“Balance and flexibility,” is what Dena Prasher says she will be striving for. “As a runner, balance and flexibility exercises are not especially appealing to me,” she says. “They even seem a little boring in terms of exercise?

But as a 50-ahem-something woman, I realize I’m going to continue to lose both balance and flexibility if I don’t do something about it! And I think each is essential to a longer, healthier, and more active lifestyle, one that I don’t want to give up until I have to.

“But as I thought about those two related goals, I realized the concepts of balance and flexibility were essential in other ways too. So, I’m hoping they will become a kind of mantra that plays on a loop in the background of my brain as I make decisions and determine how to spend my focus, time, and energy.”

Realtor Lee Fortney says she will be focusing on the same resolutions she focuses on every year: “Exercising more and eating healthy.

Working smarter and spending more quality time with family and friends. Growing closer in my relationship with God.” Choosing one small, next step toward a goal is what licensed clinical social worker Kate Lykes is striving for. “If I ask myself to make a grand, abrupt change, my willpower will go take a Dry January and come back to help when I settle down a little bit.”

Elizabeth Karkowsky, who is an incredible singer and entertainer, is an empty-nester for the first time this year. Her resolution? “Stay in the present moment!” she says.

Similarly, Nancy Beck has resolved to: “Let go of what was, enjoy what is, and have faith in

behance.net/runamokstudios

.

what will be.” Her husband David quips that his resolution is: “Try to stay alive.”

Artist Kathryn Rabinow, whose photography work can be seen across the country, shares several resolutions which may inspire us all: “To look for beauty in all things – large and small – from sunrises over the cityscape of Downtown Houston to the amazing iridescent colors of a small garden beetle. To vote in all elections no matter if the contests are not the ‘big’ national or state elections. To financially support some of the excellent nonprofits in Houston – those that are so important to the lives of children – such RINGING IN 2026 Cheers to a happy, healthy new year, whether or not we as Children’s Museum make resolutions.

Houston. To visit and Year’s resolution for 2026 is simple but deeply show appreciation to those institutions that are intentional: to practice gratitude every day, to totally free and open to the public and provide tell the people I love how much they mean to education and moments of calm and beauty – me as often as I can, and to treat every conversuch as The Menil Collection and The Jung sation as if it might be our last, because one day Center.” it will be, and I want those around me to know Deanna Sheaffer, the director of business how much I adore and appreciate them.” development at the nonprofit Families Clothier Anita Gaylor also says she is looking Empowered, is looking forward to a 2026 of forward to a better year than last. “I hope to live “good vibes only and a renewed commitment to every day of 2026 with gratitude in my heart and love, presence, and gratitude.” This past year, to look for joy in the small things,” she says. she says, “began with my husband’s cancer diag“Less things, more living.” nosis and was soon followed by the sudden loss Recently retired attorney Buddy Herz says he of my mom to a ruptured brain aneurysm. We looks forward to what’s important: “Dr. Pepper are finally ending on a more hopeful note: my at 10, 2, and 4.” husband’s cancer is now in remission,” she says.

And always with a wise perspective, Tina “We could not have made it through this year Pyne can inspire us all: “My resolution is not to without the unwavering support of our family have a resolution, just to live a good life!” and friends, whose strength and kindnesses carCheers to living a good life in 2026. ried us in ways we will never forget. My New

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2026 54