Does your lawn and landscape need CPR?

With the record heat and drought, you must act now to restore your lawn. Aeration helps reduce compaction and compost helps add back the nutrients that our extreme heat has depleted. The two combined have shown to improve moisture retention and reduce water consumption by 50%. Restoration Special Liquid honor to sing the national anthem. I do it because I believe in my country, I love it, and I am proud to be an American of Hispanic descent.

So how did you get into the restaurant business?

The previous restaurant owner fell into hard times financially, and my friend David Albert was the property owner and truly did not want to see the restaurant fail. It was called Casita Dominguez at the time, and it had been around since the 1960s. In December, David asked if I would help co-own the restaurant with him and his wife, Ginette. I didn’t want the employees to be out of a job before the Christmas holiday, so I said yes.

Did you have any experience with the restaurant industry?

No, and it is a very tough industry. I feel like in life you choose to sink or swim, and I’m not going to sink. I’m going to try to do whatever I can to make things work. So in three days, we closed Casita Dominguez, re-hired the employees, and re-opened as Nueva Casita. Fortunately for us, the customers continue to come.

Do you have any interesting regular customers?

We get some former Cowboys players. One night President George W. Bush and Laura dined with some friends at the restaurant. There was lots of security, but they were pretty friendly and relaxed.

What did the former President eat?

Cheese enchiladas.

Does your family work with you?

My husband does all of the maintenance. He can fix anything. My children have helped out a lot, too, but right now they are focusing on their studies at Brookhaven College and Hillcrest High.

Tell me more about your friend, David Albert. How did you meet him?

At a Mavericks game, David loved my rendition of the national anthem and asked if he could meet with me that night. It was the start of a partnership that is still going strong to this day.

What’s he like?

Well, I met him when he was in his 70s — he’s 86 now — but he acts much younger than he is. He is a military veteran, businessman and an entrepreneur at heart. He always encourages me to “throw things against the wall until something sticks.” David is an amazing mentor.

You co-own Nueva Casita with Albert. What other projects have you worked on with him?

I’ve released nine CDs of jazz, mariachi and cover music, including tutorials for Spanish speakers to earn their citizenship and learn English. In the past we manufactured jars of the Nueva Casita salsa and recorded children’s books. Recently, we have been looking for a manufacturer for these really great dish sponges.

Wow, that’s quite a range of projects. You seem like you have another idea that you aren’t even telling us about. [laughs] I can’t say too much, but I did a half marathon this last year, and it has to do with training.

How do you balance your singing career and the restaurant business?

Since the beginning, I wanted the restaurant to give back. On the first Tuesday of every month, I sing patriotic songs and old military songs at the restaurant. We even pass out song sheets. I always end the night by singing “God Bless America.” There’s a bunch of veterans that come out almost every Tuesday to sing along. We donate a portion of our sales back to the nonprofit Defenders of Freedom. I think I’ve only missed two Tuesdays in the past six years.

That’s a cool way to give back.

All of the music and projects I do are to help other people. It’s about being involved and helping the community. I also work with the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas to help younger women pursue scholarships so they can get into college. You can make all the money in the world, but if you don’t have a good heart, as far as wanting to give back, then there’s no joy in it.

—Whitney Thompson

Babybliss

www.dallasarboretum.org

Preston Hollow Village breaks ground

The city has approved plans for the first phase of construction at the northwest corner of Walnut Hill and North Central, which will be developed over the next several years into the Preston Hollow Village. The 42 acres of land will be turned into retail, residential and office buildings.

The first phase includes construction of the building for anchor tenant Trader Joe’s, 46,000 square feet of office space, and more than 60,000 square feet of restaurant retail, says Leon Backes, president of Provident Realty.

Backes calls the location “the gateway to the highest-income areas in Dallas,” adding that the architecture of the development will be clean, timeless and somewhat modern.

He says he has worked closely with the surrounding neighborhoods for years to meet their requirements.

“The neighbors didn’t want big-box retailers, and they wanted the property to be mixed-use development, so we met those requests,” Backes says. He adds that there will be a tree-lined street with lots of outdoor patios. “It won’t be like anything else in Preston Hollow.”

District 11 Councilman Lee Kleinman says that the neighborhood associa- tions surrounding Preston Hollow Village, which include Glen Lakes, The Meadows and Windsor Park, created a task force five years ago to have a say about future plans for the land.

The task force worked with the developers to create a complex planned development district (PDD) with several tracts, including restrictions on density, parking, traffic flow and setback specifications.

Kleinman says it’s one of the most specific PDDs in the city that he has seen. He says he’s excited about the project.

“The development will generate new tax revenue for the city and help take some of the burden off of homeowners.” Kleinman says.

Trader Joe’s spokeswoman Allison Mochizuki confirmed that the Trader Joe’s in Preston Hollow Village will open in 2014, but had no additional information about the store.

Next year we’ll also see the beginning of 500 residential units within three separate seven-story towers in the Preston Hollow Village.

Backes says construction will start in the first quarter of 2014, and the units will be amenity-driven, similar to those found in the upscale Turtle Creek neighborhood.

—Whitney Thompson