AUSTIN WOMAN MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2018
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60
ON THE COVER
GREY MATTER BY COURTNEY RUNN
69
FEATURE
CRUSHING IT
Photo by Kristin Teig.
BY MAURI ELBEL
CONTENTS
FarmHaus Antiques photo by Niki Jones.
OCTOBER
29 SAVVY WOMEN
ATX WOMEN TO WATCH
GOURMET
20 COUNT US IN
48 K RISTEN A. ALGERT, KELLY
74 R ECIPE REVEAL
Women in Numbers
22 G IVE BACK Austin Empty Bowl Project
24 F ROM THE DESK OF Food Writer Addie Broyles
26 S TART THE CONVO Conscious Consumption With Chef Sarah Heard
MUST LIST 29 DISCOVER Fredericksburg, Texas
STYLE 44 S PLURGE OR STEAL West World
AUSLEY-FLORES, LINDLEY BAIN, ANGELICA ROLONG CORMIER AND KELLY CAPERTON FISCHER
49 ARAM AMINI 50 NANCY HOPPER 51 TERRI RAY 52 KAREN HELTON 53 L ISA BRAUNBERG AND JOANNA SALINAS
54 ERICA FOSTER 55 S ARAH K. BRANDON AND MELANIE JOHNSON
56 J ENNIFER MUELLER AND NATALIE SCOTT
57 TWINKLE ZAMAN
Four Seasons Hotel Austin’s Hay Maze Cocktail
76 F OOD NEWS James Beard Foundation’s Taste America: Austin
78 S EE HER WORK Latte Art
WELLNESS 82 E AT THIS, NOT THAT Pumpkin Butter
84 WAITING ROOM Nipple-delay Surgery
86 H ER ROUTINE Maya Madere
POINT OF VIEW 88 I AM AUSTIN WOMAN Jo Kathryn Quinn
10 | AUSTIN WOMAN | OCTOBER 2018
ON THE COVER Photo by Rudy Arocha, rudyarochaphotography.com Shot on location at Arlo Grey, 111 E. Cesar Chavez St., 512.478.2991, thelinehotel.com/austin/food-drink
VOLUME 17, ISSUE 2 CO-FOUNDER Melinda Maine Garvey CEO Kip Garvey PUBLISHER Cynthia Guajardo Shafer
EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR Chantal Rice ASSISTANT EDITOR Courtney Runn CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Nicholas Barancyk, Deborah Lynn Blumberg, Mauri Elbel, Jenny Hoff, Niki Jones, Hannah J. Phillips, Jo Kathryn Quinn, Rachel Rascoe, Courtney Runn, Gretchen M. Sanders
ART CREATIVE DIRECTOR Niki Jones CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Merrick Ales, Rudy Arocha, Timothy Patrick Clancy, Chase Daniel, Sarah Heard, Claire Hogan, Niki Jones, Robert Lerma, Damon Luu, Alan Pogue, Annie Ray, Courtney Runn, Shelley Seale, Kristin Teig, Nguyet Vo, Jessica Wetterer
OPERATIONS AND MARKETING CFO
Ashley Goolsby MARKETING AND EVENTS MANAGER
Madilyn Biscoe OPERATIONS MANAGER
Poonam Patel
SALES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Lindsey Granberry, Monika Kelley, Christine Moore, Dominique Prejean LeBlanc INTERNS
Jess Arrazolo, Eva Arreola, Emily Benson, Evangelos Fuge, Meagan Leahy, Kaiti Neuman, Raylyn Nicole, Danielle Ortiz, Chika Outuata, Chelsea Pribble, Shelby Woods, Sara Zokaei
EMERITAE CO-FOUNDER Samantha Stevens EDITORS
Mary Anne Connolly, April Cumming, Elizabeth Eckstein, Deborah Hamilton-Lynne, Emily C. Laskowski
Austin Woman is a free monthly publication of AW Media Inc., and is available at more than 1,000 locations throughout Austin and in Lakeway, Cedar Park, Round Rock and Pflugerville. All rights reserved. For submission requirements, visit atxwoman.com/contribute. No part of the magazine may be reprinted or duplicated without permission. Visit us online at atxwoman.com. Email us at info@awmediainc.com. 512.328.2421 | 3921 Steck Ave., Suite A111, Austin, TX 78759
FROM THE PUBLISHER COMMUNITY
PARTNERS
Publication of Austin Woman would not be possible without the support of our monthly advertisers and sponsors, who believe in the impact we are making in the Austin community. The following businesses have stepped up their support of our efforts beyond traditional advertising and we are proud to recognize them as our partners. The team at Austin Woman is grateful for these businesses that have shown their commitment to the advancement of women in Austin and hopes you, as readers, recognize their efforts and support these businesses and all our regular advertisers. CYNTHIA GUAJARDO SHAFER
Publisher DIAMOND-LEVEL PARTNERS
COMMUNITY PARTNERS LAW OFFICE OF JANET MCCULLAR
O
ne of my favorite childhood memories is sitting around the table on Christmas Eve, making tamales with the women in my family. As we’ve all grown older, I’ve kept the tradition alive in my own home and still celebrate the holiday with homemade tamales—except now the men are required to help too! Growing up in a Mexican home, many of my childhood memories revolve around food. I remember my dad always grilling outside and my mom marking every occasion with food. The dining table has been an integral place for me, and I want to invite you to sit at our table as we explore the rapidly evolving food scene in Austin. I remember when Austin only had about 10 fine-dining places for dinner. I’m amazed at the food mecca it has become. While I miss some of my favorite Austin spots (Basil’s and Garrido’s were my go-to restaurants back in the day.), I’m thrilled at the incredible chefs the city is now attracting, like our impressive cover woman, Kristen Kish. And the best accompaniment for good food is good wine. As a wine aficionado, I have traveled to Napa, Calif., more than 80 times but am learning to love the wineries in my own backyard. I can’t wait for you to get to know the four women featured in this issue who have made the growing Central Texas wine scene what it is today. I think more Hill Country winery tours are in my near future. While family recipes change throughout time and restaurants come and go, the power of food to connect and celebrate has not changed. Since Austin is becoming a foodie destination, we want to show off our city’s incredible women leading the way. From tips for how to be a socially conscious foodie to recipes to try in your own kitchen, we hope you’ll enjoy eating and cooking your way through this issue.
Salud!
CYNTHIA GUAJARDO SHAFER
Join the conversation @AustinWoman #TheIndustriesIssue
14 | AUSTIN WOMAN | OCTOBER 2018
Photo by Courtney Runn.
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CONTRIBUTORS
hear a great story
This month, we asked our contributors: What is your favorite new restaurant in Austin?
RUDY AROCHA
COVER STORY PHOTOGRAPHER, “GREY MATTER,” PAGE 60
Photographer Rudy Arocha is a native Texan who moved to Austin to pursue his education in fine arts as a sculptor. He later rediscovered his passion for photography when his grandfather gave him a camera as a gift. Rudy graduated from the Art Institute of Austin and specializes in portrait photography. When not photographing, Rudy enjoys music, the outdoors and spending time with his wife, Maggie. “I haven’t been to too many new places lately, but I would love to try Arlo Grey at The Line. (Hint to Kristen Kish!)”
COURTNEY RUNN
COVER STORY WRITER, “GREY MATTER,” PAGE 60
Courtney Runn is a native Austinite but adopted Italy as a second home when her family moved there when she was in middle school. She graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in journalism, and her love for writing always comes back to her love for people and sharing their stories. You can usually find her in a coffee shop, sipping on a chai latte. “Hank’s is a new favorite of mine. The comfort food hits the spot and I love the large outdoor patio, which is perfect for a leisurely meal or a quick chai refuel. The gorgeous décor is the cherry on top.”
ASHLEY HARGROVE
STYLIST AND MODEL, “WEST WORLD,” PAGE 44
DTK Austin Styling Owner Ashley Hargrove is a renowned wardrobe stylist and model who specializes in styling commercial and print advertising. She has recently worked with People, ESPN, Holiday Inn and many others. Follow her journey on Instagram @dtkaustin.
Upcoming events: OCTOBER 19 & 20, 8:00 p.m. "Happy Birthday, Lenny" masterworks series at Long center’s Dell Hall music of Leonard Bernstein OCTOBER 27, 8:00 p.m. The Wizard of Oz complete Film with live orchestra at Long Center’s Dell Hall
“Rosewood! It’s a renovated Victorian house with a gorgeous dining room and bar, and the most delicious brunch.”
MAURI ELBEL
Bernstein
OCTOBER 28, 1:00 & 4:00 p.m. Halloween Children’s Concert at AisD performing Arts center creepy fun for all ages!
c o nc e rt s p o ns o r s Bernstein: DL A pipER
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(512) 476-6064 or austinsymphony.org
WRITER, “CRUSHING IT,” PAGE 69
After graduating from the University of Texas, Mauri Elbel worked as a reporter on St. John, a tiny island in the Caribbean, before moving Down Under to Brisbane, Australia, where she earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Queensland. Today, she’s an Austin-based freelance writer specializing in travel, design, family, food and profile features, and a regular contributor to the Austin American-Statesman, Austin Monthly, Austin Home and more. Follow her work at maurielbel.com or @maurielbel. “If I had to pick a place to have my last meal, it would be Uchi. Yum! I think we’ll be calling a babysitter tonight.”
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My dentist says she has a specialist that comes to her office monthly and can take out my son’s wisdom teeth under anesthesia. Is her office set up to provide this procedure safely? Oral-surgery offices are built from the ground up for outpatient surgery and anesthesia rather than general dental care. From anesthesia and safety equipment to patient flow and recovery, the facility is designed for outpatient surgery. All oral-surgery offices undergo onsite examination and certification to ensure office-based anesthesia standards are met. All general dental offices are different, but most necessitate that the traveling dentist bring anesthesia, surgery and safety equipment with each visit. Additionally, while complications are rare, often, patients want the reassurance of a quick unscheduled visit to check in or confirm healing is going well. With most surgeons’ offices staffed full time, there is always an expert available to provide that follow-up care and reassurance. Such accessibility is often not available with traveling providers.
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What procedures does an oral surgeon preform other than those on wisdom teeth? While we are indeed the wisdom-tooth experts, there are many other areas in which oral surgeons have expertise. Sophisticated implant placement and the various hard- and soft-tissue grafting procedures that are done to optimize implant results are routine for us. Orthognathic or jaw surgery for developmental bite problems and the treatment of traumatic facial injuries are in our areas of expertise as well. The primary surgical procedure that cures sleep apnea is one of our specially developed procedures. Some of our surgeons treat temporomandibular joint disorders and we offer minimally invasive joint surgery for the most common temporomandibular joint issues when surgery is necessary.
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CONNECT WITH US! CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THIS ISSUE? Check us out at atxwoman.com.
➥ More pumpkin spice. Are you so over pumpkin-spice lattes but unwilling
to give up your favorite autumn flavor? Never fear, pumpkin lovers! We’ve got the scoop on some of Austin’s best—and weirdest—pumpkin-flavored treats worth devouring this season.
➥ More Down Under. From sunset cruises and wild-dolphin encounters to
sipping Champagne poolside and taking in the country’s stunning street art, the East Coast of Australia is so much more than just kangaroos and koala bears—though we’ve got photographic evidence that kangaroos take the best selfies ever!
➥ More reasons to raise a toast. Sommelier Elizabeth Rodriguez, wine
director at Cabernet Grill in Fredericksburg, Texas, shares how she curated her exceptional palate, what it’s like to come up as a woman in the maledominated wine industry and how to create the best food-and-wine pairings.
➥ More tacos, tacos, tacos. Few things are more difficult to narrow down
WIN THIS!
DON’T
CHERRY BOMBE: THE COOKBOOK Are you inspired by our Top Chef cover girl? Step up your cooking with Cherry Bombe: The Cookbook (a $35 value) and be a top chef in your own kitchen. The popular indie magazine celebrates women and food, so it’s only fitting its cookbook features recipes from 100 of “the most creative and inspiring women in food today.” Try recipes from Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi, supermodel and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen, ice-cream entrepreneur Jeni Britton Bauer and more of your favorite chefs. To enter to win, follow us on Instagram @austinwoman and stay on the lookout for the giveaway announcement in mid-October. A winner will be chosen and notified by the end of the month.
FOLLOW US
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18 | AUSTIN WOMAN | OCTOBER 2018
LIKE US
MISS Austin Woman Sweet 16 Anniversary Oct. 5, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Westin Austin at The Domain, 11301 Domain Drive atxevent.com On The Dot See It to Be It Success Summit Oct. 18, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Vintage Villas, 4209 Eck Lane events.onthedotwoman.com/austin-2018 Center for Child Protection PlayBingo Ladies Luncheon Oct. 20, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. JW Marriott, 110 E. Second St. centerforchildprotection.org/2018-playbingoladies-luncheon Third Annual Art of the Gala Oct. 23, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. JW Marriott, 110 E. Second St. theartofthegala.org
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Sydney Opera House photo by Shelley Seale. Elizabeth Rodriguez photo courtesy of Cabernet Grill.
than our favorite scrumptious tacos, especially since, in Austin, the ultimate Tex-Mex staple rules all. But the Austin Woman staff is giving it our best effort, even if it takes a whole lot of noshing.
LAW OFFICE OF JANET MCCULLAR, P.C. Complex Divorce and Custody 512.342-9933 | jmccullarlaw.com
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AVVY WOMEN
COUNT US IN
WOMEN IN NUMBERS
Food for thought: Women are making their mark in the restaurant and wine industries. BY KAITI NEUMAN, ILLUSTRATIONS BY JESSICA WETTERER
$6,207 As of 2016, the average difference between a male chef’s salary—$34,523—and a female chef’s salary—$28,316—was $6,207. While still representing a major pay gap, this is a dramatic improvement from 2010, when one respected culinary-industry survey showed the discrepancy between male and female chefs’ pay averaged about $16,000.
6 of 10 Consumers Six of 10 wine consumers are women, and millennial women in particular are the driving force behind wine trends. Studies show women are more likely to drink wine casually and in celebration, and are often responsible for stocking the household with wine.
According to a Food & Wine article published in February about director Joanna James’ new film, A Fine Line, only 6 percent of head chefs and restaurant owners are women, despite the fact, the magazine notes, that restaurant kitchens run by women offer better work environments for all employees.
1986 In Israel, kosher-wine producers enforced gender separation until 1986, when Tali Sendovski became the first female winemaker in the country. Since then, the numbers have only increased as women continue to take up more winemaker positions, as well as leadership roles in the wine industry.
10.25 Liters The average American consumes 10.25 liters of wine annually, according to 2016 numbers from the Wine Institute. Among the top 15 countries for wine consumption, Uruguay is the only non-European country, with the average Uruguayan drinking 29.19 liters of wine per year. Vatican City tops the list, with drinkers consuming an average of 54.26 liters annually. 20 | AUSTIN WOMAN | OCTOBER 2018
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DO WHAT YOU LOVE AND TRANSFORM LIVES Become a yoga teacher Training programs starting soon: FOUNDATIONS OF YOGA THERAPY begins October 20 at Northwest
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EMPTY BOWL, FULL HEARTS
For 22 years, Austin Empty Bowl Project has raised awareness for food insecurity in Central Texas. BY DEBORAH LYNN BLUMBERG
For the last 22 years, Austinites have spent the Sunday before Thanksgiving lined up outside the Central Texas Food Bank. They wait with doughnuts, books and board games as they inch closer to the reason they came: to have the first pick from thousands of handcrafted ceramic bowls.
Group photo by Alan Pogue. Bowls photo courtesy of Studio Stence.
Community members who flock to Austin Empty Bowl Project’s annual family-friendly event make a $25 donation ($40 for two bowls), choose one from thousands of locally crafted ceramic bowls in all shapes and sizes, fill it with gourmet soup donated by local restaurants and enjoy lunch together while listening to live music from local musicians. Attendees bring their bowls home, where they serve as a reminder of fellow Austinites with empty bowls. Hunger is a pressing concern in Central Texas. According to the USDA, about one in six American children are food-insecure, meaning they lack access to quality, affordable, nutritious food. “The event is a real, tangible way to remind people that they’re fortunate, and there are others who aren’t,” says Kris Asthalter, a local potter and co-director of Austin Empty Bowl Project. “Having that bowl makes people think.” Austin Empty Bowl Project, founded by Kit Adams, the owner of ClayWays Pottery Studio & Gallery, was the first Texas chapter of the national program. Proceeds from the Austin event benefit Meals for Kids, a program of Meals on Wheels Central Texas, as well as and Kids Cafe, a program of the Central Texas Food Bank that provides children with a warm evening meal, tutoring and a safe place to stay after school. Austin Empty Bowl Project has raised more than $1 million since its inaugural event in 1997 and has only grown in popularity.
“We didn’t even know if anyone was going to come,” Asthalter says, “and then it exploded.” The first year, potters donated 600 bowls. The following year, there were twice as many bowls, and for the last several years, there have been more than 4,000 pieces made by potters, pottery students and even local Girl Scout troops, who earn a badge for participating. More than 30 local restaurants, bakeries and independent chefs donate food—including the likes of Eastside Cafe, Café Josie and Upper Crust Bakery—and a committee of a dozen local potters helps Asthalter and Hester Weigand, a potter herself and co-director of Austin Empty Bowl Project, with the event. Close to 200 gallons of soup, including gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and vegetarian options, are ladled out each year, Asthalter says. “We have a great, enthusiastic and generous group of volunteers,” Weigand says, “folks who come back year after year and work on it all year long.” Weigand, for one, typically makes hundreds of bowls in red and white clay to donate. For the white clay bowls, she hosts a party at her studio, inviting friends and family to decorate one. In addition to the thousands of bowls available on event day, the organization also creates celebrity bowls to auction off, those made and decorated by local potters for certain actors or musicians. Throughout the years, celebrities like Arlo Guthrie, Joan Rivers and Jerry Seinfeld have each autographed a bowl for the silent auction. This year, celebrities include rock band ZZ Top; famed astrophysicist, author and TV host Neil deGrasse Tyson; and singer-songwriters Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison. The event will be held Nov. 18 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Central Texas Food Bank at 6500 Metropolis Drive. A gala held the previous night for sponsors is also open to the public for $75 per person.
22 | AUSTIN WOMAN | OCTOBER 2018
Be smart about wisdom teeth. At one time or another, wisdom teeth will become a problem for someone in your family. When they do, choose wisely for exceptional care and convenience. The surgeons of Austin Oral Surgery are board-certified specialists offering a complete scope of oral and maxillofacial services at 12 convenient locations in Central Texas. Don’t let wisdom teeth take a bite out of your busy schedule, call 512-591-9557. AustinOralSurgery.com.
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ADDIE BROYLES
Food writer, blogger and podcaster Addie Broyles shares her tips for how to stay mindfully connected to food. BY HANNAH J. PHILLIPS, PHOTO BY COURTNEY RUNN
Addie Broyles is more than a food writer. Now celebrating her 10th year as a columnist for the Austin American-Statesman, Broyles is also a blogger, podcaster, quilter, founder of the Austin Food Blogger Alliance and mom of two. She balances current issues in the food industry with an appreciation
and nostalgia for traditions of the past, creating a holistic approach to reporting on food. Her mission is not just to inform her readers about food, but also to help them connect with it—and to stay connected herself. Here are Broyles’ top tips for staying connected to food at home and in Austin. BE AWARE OF THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN FOOD AND YOUR PERSONAL LIFE.
“I think you bring wisdom into eating by fostering an awareness of how what you eat reflects your own personal life. Think about what you value around food: that it keeps you going at work, or that it’s how you celebrate with family, that it’s something you reward yourself with or enjoy making and buying. When you think about those values and divide up your day or week accordingly, it flips the process from a scarcity mentality to an abundant mentality. If you’re not super satisfied with something going on in your personal life or your food life, examine your routines and see how the two are connected.” BE INTENTIONAL WITH THE RESTAURANTS YOU CHOOSE.
“If you value supporting the local economy and local farmers, you’re going to visit restaurants that support those things. If you care about workers and living wage, you’re going to tip 20 or 25 percent. If you care about infrastructure, you might ride-share or take public transportation to get to the restaurant. So, let those values drive that purchasing decision. Think more holistically about the restaurant business beyond that one point of sale.” DON’T JUST CONSUME FOOD; CONSUME THOUGHTFUL FOOD MEDIA.
“Racist Sandwich is an amazing national podcast [that] digs into all of this. Eater does a great job with their podcast. Listen to anything around cultural appropriation and understanding the nuances of what cultural appropriation looks like in the food industry.” TRY NEW THINGS TO SUPPORT LOCAL MAKERS.
“If you see a new product on a menu—a new sparkling water or a new kombucha, a baked good or jar of salsa—you can support those local business owners. There are a lot of mom-and-pop brands that could really use those sales!” BE INTENTIONAL AROUND THE DINNER TABLE AT HOME.
“Like yoga, cooking is a practice: It’s important to build new muscles and condition the ones that you have or you lose that connection with yourself. Find new ways to get a creative spark. Go to the library for a new cookbook. Try a new grocery store, a new appliance, a new spice. Part of the joy of food is that you can have a good conversation over it, so recognize that it’s a special space and not just another hour of your day.” 24 | AUSTIN WOMAN | OCTOBER 2018
Because survivors often experience multiple forms of violence and abuse in their lifetimes, The SAFE Alliance works to prevent and provide comprehensive services to individuals, families, and Austin communities affected by:
Domestic Violence
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safeaustin.org/donate Confidential, 24-hour SAFEline Call: 512.267.SAFE (7233) Text: 737.888.7233 Chat: safeaustin.org/chat
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Through local sourcing and waste reduction, Foreign & Domestic Co-owner Sarah Heard crafts Texas-rooted, sustainably focused and delicious plates. BY RACHEL RASCOE
Nettle gnudi and guanciale
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FORGOING FOOD WASTE Chef Sarah Heard offers her creative uses for ingredients often otherwise tossed. • celery leaves: “[They’re] a great addition to salads and can be used as a garnish.” • old iced tea: “Reduce [it] with sugar and blend with vinegar and oil to make a fun salad dressing.” • hard cheese rinds: “Use them to enhance the flavor of risotto, farrotto or quinoa.” • leafy carrot tops: “Chop and combine [them] with vinegar, oil and other herbs to make a carrot-top chimichurri to put on anything from red meat to fish to eggplant.” • leftover mashed potatoes: “Make them into gnocchi for a whole other meal.” • coffee grounds: “Dehydrate and add [them] to tart or pie doughs, or red-eye gravy.” • day-old bread: “Combine [it] with diced components of your vegetable drawer for a great panzanella salad.” • mushroom stems: “Dehydrate [them] to create a flavorbomb powder.”
Sarah Heard photo by Nguyet Vo. Food photos by Sarah Heard.
It’s a quiet weekday morning at Foreign & Domestic, a petite, sustainably minded American eatery situated in a former skateboard shop on North Loop. The restaurant doesn’t open until dinnertime, but Sarah Heard, co-executive chef and co-owner, just finished placing Mason jars filled with bright, simple blossoms on all the tables and windowsills. The flowers are a new addition since Heard and her business partner (and life partner), Nathan Lemley, bought the restaurant a little more than a year ago. “We’ve made it a point to always have flowers because it goes right along with growing,” Heard says. “That’s one of my big food philosophies: Every part of the process is important. Respect the dirt that it was planted in. Respect the farmer that grew it. If somebody along that line doesn’t care, it’s going to show in the food.” After more than a dozen years of cooking in Austin, Heard now inhabits three-quarters of an acre of land in Luling, Texas, where she forages for prickly pear cactus, wild onions and mustang grapes alongside her persimmon and peach trees. The Texas native loves incorporating lesser-known state ingredients into the eatery’s thoughtful, locally rooted plates. Heard shares her country home with a cat, a rabbit, about 50 chickens and her 6-year-old daughter. Her Twitter bio succinctly states her roles: “chef, mom, hippie, chicken wrangler.” “It’s important for my daughter to have that regard for life,” she says. “We hatch the chickens, she raises them and then sometimes we eat them. I don’t want her to ever have a disconnect from where food comes from.” Foreign & Domestic’s diner-style, open-concept kitchen allows guests to see every step in the preparation of the restaurant’s simple, elegant helpings. Behind the scenes, Heard maintains a coordinated effort to shop locally and reduce waste.
Heard and Lemley, who have been together for almost four years, focus on supporting small farms that practice sustainable agriculture, as well as humane slaughtering. “It’s a longevity and responsibility issue for us,” Heard says. “If we’re going to do this, we have to find ways to not make a huge footprint. Otherwise, we’re impacting the very thing that creates the food we’re serving.” Heard tends an herb garden on the restaurant’s patio. Every day, she hauls buckets and boxes of food scraps home from work to compost and feed her animals. Additionally, Foreign & Domestic’s menu shifts with the seasons, sometimes adjusting as often as twice a week. For fall, Heard is most inspired by fresh offerings like bitter greens, squash and tomatoes. Home cooks can imitate her intentions by focusing on Texas-based products, shopping at farmers markets and choosing locally sourced food subscriptions like Johnson’s Backyard Garden and Lettuce. When dining out, the rising chef especially admires the farm-to-table sensibilities of fellow Austin eateries Dai Due, Lenoir and L’Oca d’Oro. Heard recommends composting and gardening for families interested in reducing food waste, as well as efficient home-cooking habits. She uses leftover bones and vegetable trimmings for stocks, and later even purees the boiled veggies into a flavorful paste for sauces and soups.
Capra Foods seared lamb heart and risotto rouge
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A ChristmAs AffAir
November 14 - 18, 2018 at Palmer Events Center Market Days Daily, November 15 - 18
Evening Events
Exposition Universelle - Preview Party, Nov. 14 Rosé in Saint-Tropez - Girl’s Night Out, Nov. 15 Moonlight in Monte Carlo - Casino Night, Nov. 16
Brunch Events
Bonjour ma Chérie - A Ladies Brunch, Nov. 15 Sips on the Seine - Beverages & Shopping, Nov. 16
Family Events
Playtime with Père Noël - Breakfast with Santa, Nov. 16 Let Them Eat Pancakes! - Breakfast with Santa, Nov. 17 Cirque de Demain - Coats for Kids kick-off party, Nov. 17 Ballerinas & Baseball - Breakfast with Santa, Nov. 18 Ballerinas & Baseball - Lunch with Santa, Nov. 18 For Tickets & Information Visit www.AChristmAsAffAir.org Funds raised at A Christmas Affair support more than 30 programs and partners in the community. One example: Last year, the Junior League of Austin provided grant funding and over 380 volunteer hours to support children’s programs at the Thinkery.
MUST LIST
The brand new 120acre Altstadt Brewery features a full production and bottling plant, beer garden, event venue and fine-dining restaurant.
WILLKOMMEN!
Check out our current favorites in nearby Fredericksburg, Texas, for a little something unique, from eclectic home antiques to modern art and contemporary fare—all served with a side of German hospitality. STORY AND PHOTOS BY NIKI JONES
ATXWOMAN.COM | 29
M
UST LIST
DISCOVER
Texas is steeped in rich history, and it’s no secret there’s nowhere better to soak up some German heritage than in Fredericksburg, Texas, the picturesque Hill Country town of approximately 11,000 residents. Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 by German immigrants, and many of the descendants of these original families still reside in town and are proud to keep German influences and tradition alive. Many of the shops on Main Street are German-themed, and there are myriad German restaurants in town, many of which have taken their game to the next foodie level. While there are countless spots in Fredericksburg to get plates heaped high with bratwurst and other traditional German fare, true foodies can find some noteworthy and memorable meals they might not expect in this town. Otto’s German Bistro, set in a quaint house just a block off Main Street, exemplifies a modern take on German food, with its small, ever-changing menu featuring locally sourced ingredients. The duck schnitzel with spaetzle is a must-try specialty. (Two words: duck cracklins!) Otto’s also reigns supreme when it comes to craft cocktails, featuring an evolving cocktail menu that often highlights obscure and interesting ingredients. (Hello, beet-infused mezcal!) Altdorf Biergarten, located on the west end of Main Street, serves up more traditional German fare and encourages visitors to “eat well and enjoy life.” The spacious restaurant and beer garden offers a wide variety of dishes, including some on the
Woerner Warehouse Cafe
30 | AUSTIN WOMAN | OCTOBER 2018
lighter side, like cold-cured smoked salmon with cucumbers, cream cheese, dill and red onions served on pumpernickel bread. Of course, more indulgent German-focused dishes—from the schnitzel burger with mushroom gravy to the jagerschnitzel and even the zwiebelschnitzel (a breaded pork cutlet served with sauteed onions, bacon and brown gravy)—are available for guests wanting to give themselves over to gratification, German-style. Don’t forget to wash it all down with your choice of any number of German brews. Before you shuffle out the door with your full belly in tow, make sure to check out the stone-lined, hand-dug well the owners discovered in the floor during a recent renovation. A German town wouldn’t be complete without a German bakery, and Old German Bakery & Restaurant is the perfect breakfast spot, whether it’s for a traditional hot German breakfast or the delicious array of pastries, cakes, cookies and bread baked daily. If you miss breakfast, worry not, as some of the restaurant’s specialty plates are definitely worth trying too. (The Berliner currywurst, a dish that includes two fried sausages served with a spicy curry sauce and a side of German potato salad or french fries, will cure whatever ails you!) Fredericksburg is home to the famous Opa’s Smoked Meats, where “the true flavor of the Texas Hill Country” is on full display. The market and deli is chock-full of wondrous meats, plus an assortment of local condiments and sides, and there are lots of mouthwatering samples for visitors to try.
There are more than 1,200 guesthouses, bedand-breakfasts and short-term rental units, plus more than 1,100 hotel, motel and inn rooms in and near Fredericksburg, Texas. For a unique stay with a lodge feel, check out the recently renovated 16-room Lodge Above Town Creek.
Carefully curated home-goods stores have really found their place in today’s Fredericksburg. A couple blocks south of Main Street is a hidden gem called Woerner Warehouse Cafe. Located in a sprawling former feed store, the intimate café sits in the middle of an airy, renovated space filled with a beautifully curated collection of antiques. Soups, salads, beer and wine are served while locals gather leisurely. Here, there is definitely a community vibe that speaks to Fredericksburg’s smalltown and welcoming character. But despite this German village’s hamlet-esque appeal, Fredericksburg also features some lavish spots, including Vaudeville, a home-goods store, gallery and bistro that is the pinnacle of high style. The reinvented classic dishes offered in the basement bistro never disappoint, and the juxtaposition of modern décor, art and furniture inside this historic three-story brick building is absolutely stunning. In fact, carefully curated homegoods stores have really found their place in today’s Fredericksburg. FarmHaus Antiques nails it when
it comes to the perfect mix of modern and rustic style. The 8,000-square-foot space (soon to include a coffee bar and flower market) features hard-tofind vintage furniture, antiques and art. This is the spot to find beautifully timeworn pieces to turn your home into a one-of-a-kind Texas showroom. On the other side of Main Street, Auer Haus, a large converted farmhouse, offers unique home furnishings and accessories, including lighting and luxurious bedding, and even has a yard and porch full of outdoor and garden delights. The coolest-building-conversion award would
go to Blackchalk Home and Laundry. Formerly a building where laundry was serviced for hospitals and camps in the 1920s, the space spectacularly lends itself to rooms of charming décor and uncommon gift items. You can’t miss the place; a colossal antique laundry machine sits out front. It’s always encouraging to see growth in a town like Fredericksburg, but it’s delightful to see the kind of attention to detail the latest crop of restaurants and home-goods shops possess. This sleepy Hill Country town near Austin is fast becoming a world-class destination.
OKTOBERFEST IN TEXAS Thanks to the breadth of German-influenced locales in the Lone Star State, there’s no shortage of neighborhoods celebrating the annual autumn (and beer-drinking and sausagenoshing) festival that is Oktoberfest. Check out these area communities for this season’s best (and wurst!) Oktoberfest and German celebrations. Oktoberfest Fredericksburg Fredericksburg, Texas Oct. 5 to Oct. 7 oktoberfestinfbg.com Oktoberfest at Beethoven Maennerchor San Antonio Oct. 5 to Oct. 7 and Oct. 12 to Oct. 14 beethovenmaennerchor.com King’s Oktoberfest Pearland, Texas Oct. 5 to Oct. 7 kingsoktoberfest.com Oktoberfest Southlake Southlake, Texas Oct. 5 to Oct. 7 southlakechamber.com/ oktoberfest-home
Vaudeville
Blackchalk Home and Laundry
De Kalb Texas Oktoberfest De Kalb, Texas Oct. 6 dekalbtexasoktoberfest.com Muenster Oktoberfest Muenster, Texas Oct. 6 to Oct. 7 muensterchamber.com/ oktoberfest.html Best Fest Fredericksburg, Texas Oct. 20 kcbestfest.com Island Oktoberfest Galveston, Texas Oct. 26 to Oct. 27 galvestonoktoberfest.com Wurstfest New Braunfels, Texas Nov. 2 to Nov. 11 wurstfest.com
Duck schnitzel at Otto’s German Bistro
Do you want to do a deep dive into the region’s German roots? Visit Fredericksburg, Texas’ Pioneer Museum. pioneermuseum.net
ATXWOMAN.COM | 31
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WE ARE GIRLS CONFERENCE Saturday, November 3, 2018 • 9am-3pm • ANDERSON High School
e t i n g I r
r e w o P He
presented by
Girlsempowermentnetwork.org | #wearegirlstx | 512.808.4044 Statewide conference for girls in grades 3-8 and the adults who care about them
Igniting the Power in Girls
Ignite Her Power
WE ARE GIRLS CONFERENCE DETAILS
WHEN: Saturday, November 3, 2018, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (doors open at 8 a.m.) WHERE: Anderson High School, 8403 Mesa Drive, Austin, Texas 78759
MISSION:
GEN ignites the power in girls by teaching them the skills to thrive and believe in their ability to be unstoppable.
girlS empowerement network's PROGRAMS
THEME: Ignite Her Power
We Are Girls Conference
Pathfinder
Cost: Tickets are $20 early bird rate per person until October 1st, tickets are $30 per person thereafter. You can apply for a scholarship by visiting www.wearegirls.org. For the first time ever attendees can preregister for sessions.
We Are Girls conferences are held in Austin and Houston, Texas annually. They are designed for girls grades 3-8 and the adults who care about them. With dynamic break-out sessions and an empowering dance party, girls get to be totally in charge of their day. They walk away inspired by the idea that anything is possible and with a new belief in their personal power. The 2018-2019 theme is “Ignite Her Power.”
Pathfinder is a personal and professional development program aimed at giving high school girls a head start on their road to college, career, and independence. This summer program helps girls uncover their strengths, develop skills like interviewing and public speaking, explore different industries and professions, and gain access to women leaders — all with the support of like-minded peers. Monthly workshop extensions offered throughout the year.
CONNECT: WEBSITES: www.WeAreGirls.org / www.GirlsEmpowermentNetowrk.org FACEBOOK: www.Facebook.com/ GirlsEmpowermentNetwork We Are Girls Austin Conference
We envision a world where all girls believe in their power.
WHO: Girls in grades three through eight and the adults that care about them. (This includes parents, guardians, social workers, counselors and anyone else who supports young girls in their lives.)
ADMISSION INCLUDES: Lunch, supplies, and a swag bag, as well as access to Featured Conference Speakers' presentations, choice of up to 3 breakout workshops, resource fair, and of course, countless memories!
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VISION:
TWITTER: @Girls_EN INSTAGRAM: @GirlsEmpowermentNetwork PHONE: 512.808.4044 #WEAREGIRLSTX We Are Girls Houston Conference will be taking place on Saturday, April 27, 2019 at Hogg Middle School. Visit www.WeAreGirls.org for more information.
Girl Connect Girl Connect is GEN's school-based program for girls in grades 3 - 12. We work with thousands of girls to increase their self-efficacy, resiliency, and positive connection to peers and role models using our signature curriculum which builds skills, and our program culture, which helps girls feel safe and supported. Girl Connect can be facilitated for 1 - 20 sessions.
campGEN CampGEN serves girls in grades entering 3rd-8th. campGEN girls participate in fun, interactive workshops during two week-long sessions that are designed to ignite the power in girls and teach them skills to thrive and believe in their ability to be unstoppable. Girls who join campGEN will gain new skills, new friendships, and a new sense of self!
Igniting the Power in Girls
WE Are Girls Austin FEATURED CONFERENCE SPEAKERS JODI BONDI NORGAARD
Speaker, Consultant, Founder of Go! Go!, Sports Girls Jodi Bondi Norgaard is an expert in creating change and breaking gender stereotypes. She is the founder of Dream Big Toy Company and the creator of the award-winning Go! Go! Sports Girls line of dolls, books, and apps for girls encouraging healthy and active play over fashion and body image. Jodi is a keynote speaker, entrepreneur, consultant, and activist in the movement pushing media and retail to do a better job portraying girls beyond stereotypes. Jodi is a leader in the toy industry breaking gender stereotypes since 2009 when she launched the plush sports dolls built-in specification to a real girl's body. Her inspiration came in 2007 after shopping for a doll with her then 9-year-old daughter and finding a doll with belly-baring clothing, high heels, and make-up, named 'Lovely Lola.' Initially, industry leaders dismissed her product because a sports doll was not mainstream. “Girls want fashion dolls,” she heard, over and over. She was not convinced and knew mainstream ideas never create change. By 2015, she had made significant strides and her product was launched in Walmart stores. In October 2016, the Go! Go! Sports Girls brand was acquired by Jazwares, an established cutting-edge toy company. She has been featured on national media including The Today Show, The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson, Forbes, Upworthy, Parents, Shape, Self, Runner's World, Advertising Age, Good Housekeeping, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and Huffington Post. In 2016, Jodi was invited by The White House to participate in conferences on breaking down gender stereotypes in media and toys. She is a Fellow at Maddock Douglas, Inc., an innovation, leadership and consulting firm in the Chicago area, a board member of Girls on the Run – Chicago, a board member of Kaskey Kids an award-winning line of sports action figures, a founding member of The Brave Girl Alliance, a think tank of girl empowerment experts, and a member of Women in Toys. Facebook: facebook.com/jodibondinorgaard Twitter: @jodinorgaard
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jodinorgaard Instagram: instagram.com/jodibondinorgaard
SHANTERRA MCBRIDE
Speaker, Consultant, Founder of Go! Go, Sports Girls
Facebook: facebook.com/ marvelousuniversity Twitter: @shanterraMcB
Snapchat: snapchat.com/add/marvelousyou Instagram: instagram.com/ marvelous_shanterra
According to National Geographic... 120 MILLION GIRLS AROUND THE GLOBE HAVE EXPERIENCED SEXUAL VIOLENCE. ONLY 18% OF THE WORLD’S FIRMS HAVE A FEMALE AS A TOP MANAGER OR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER. SUICIDE IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH FOR GIRLS AGES 10-19 GLOBALLY.
Of girls who attended the 2017 conference... 94% felt unstoppable! 96% said that their conference experience made them believe in themselves more. 98% said they would recommend We Are Girls to a friend.
GirlsEmpowermentNetwork.org
Shanterra McBride is an author, speaker, educator, and coach. As the founder of Marvelous University, she offers life coaching and success planning for young people - specializing in leadership development for girls and young women. Shanterra has a wide range of expertise on all things related to young people. She is a sought-after speaker on a variety of topics including: friendships, teen relationships, equity, justice and multicultural education, social media, relational aggression, sexual harassment, dating violence, and cyber bullying. Various media have interviewed Shanterra as an expert on bullying, gender-based violence and teen dating violence, including National Public Radio, Essence and Parade magazine, and an assortment of network and cable television affiliates across the United States. Shanterra is the author of Love Your Jiggle: The Girls’ Guide to Being Marvelous, an inspirational book for girls ages 11-17, published by Crystal Spirit Publishing, Inc. Themes covered include self-worth, maintaining friendships, decision-making, conflict management, self-empowerment and diversity and inclusion. Shanterra has always followed her intuition and following her successful career pursuits in Washington, DC and northern California, Shanterra was inspired to return to her hometown of Dallas, Texas, where she served as a Youth Director at a local United Methodist Church, and partners with schools, speaking to their entire communities on equity and inclusion and relational aggression in schools. Shanterra was recently awarded the Profiles in Leadership Award from SMU for having made a significant impact on the city of Dallas and on the quality of life for girls and women overall. This summer, Shanterra’s voice became international. She traveled to Morocco, where she delivered workshops to girls on the importance of valuing themselves and others. She also spoke in four cities in South Africa on girls’ empowerment issues including creating safe spaces, combating gender-based violence, and anti-bullying. Shanterra earned bachelor degrees from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in public affairs & corporate communications and sociology. She obtained her master’s degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University. Shanterra believes three things have always kept her grounded: her faith, her bond with family and friends, and her relationships with her mentees. These constants remind her of her purpose in life, which is to Mend, Motivate and Empower young people to believe they are, without reservation, completely MARVELOUS!
WHY A CONFERENCE FOR GIRLS?
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Igniting the Power in Girls
EMOJIS AND EMPOWERMENT: SIX GIRLS TELL ALL ABOUT BECOMING UNSTOPPABLE
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We Are Girls Austin Conference
By Elena Carey, Girls Empowerment Network Development Manager Julia’s favorite emoji is the face that’s laughing and crying at the same time because she uses it constantly. Aaliyah’s favorite is the red heart. Miracle prefers the goat (because it can convey the concept of ‘greatest of all time’ a.k.a. ‘G.O.A.T’), or the three stars. Kirsten’s go-to is the heart eye emoji. Girls are so many things all at once. They’re sad and scared, powerful and proud, stressed and smart. They’re laughing and crying, their hearts are big, they’re falling in love with people and school subjects and social causes, and we at Girls Empowerment Network (GEN) firmly believe that girls today are the greatest of all time. In late August, I had the privilege to sit down with GEN’s Program Director, Caroline Crawford, and a few high school girls to talk about what it’s like to be a girl right now and what GEN has meant to them. Each of the girls interviewed are graduates of our Pathfinder Leadership Summit. The roundtable included:
• Kirsten, a 15 year-old, who stands up for herself and others with a tenacity many of us will never achieve (she once intervened when she overheard a girl she didn’t know being mocked for her looks. “Who are you?” asked the bully. “I’m Kirsten,” she replied.) • Anika and Priyanka, both articulate and self-aware 15 year-olds, weighed in via email. We’re in awe of these girls, but it’s not fair of us to try to summarize them (even if with adoration and respect), as they’re fully capable of speaking for themselves. Here, we give them space to share their experience in their own words. GEN: What are some of the biggest challenges that you yourself face as a girl or that you see your peers dealing with as teen girls?
• Aaliyah, a 16-year old, who examines the world with wonder and compassion, always responding first to what the other girls shared before sharing her own story.
Julia: There’s a zillion different places that pressure comes from. There’s pressure from my parents, pressure from school, pressure from friends, and from whoever else happens to be in your life.
• Julia, a 17 year-old, who speaks fast and clearly thinks even faster (when Aaliyah shared “I get a lot of short jokes,” Julia promptly replied “And you’re like, oh yeah, next time I’ll fix that.”)
Anika: One of the major challenges that I see myself and my peers struggling with is not getting sucked up into the stress and drama of high school.
• Miracle, an 18-year old, who is thoughtful, intelligent, and doesn’t want to reply without first considering what she really wants to convey.
Priyanka: Unfortunately, when teachers, peers, and friends stomp all over them, they start losing their sense of self-worth. [Girls] tell themselves they are unworthy of love. Negative thoughts overtake them. There is no more 'I can do it' attitude.
Bettye Nowlin, Honorary Chair Aaliyah
Julia
Miracle
Kirsten
Miracle: The biggest challenge is trying to please everyone, because everyone has such high expectations. I feel like I can’t do anything wrong, can’t make any mistakes. I have to be perfect. I feel like people are looking at me and there’s pressure on how I walk, how I dress. GEN: How has GEN been helpful to you, personally? Kirsten: [It taught me] don’t let anyone judge you for who they think you are, show them who you want to be. Don’t let them think ‘oh she’s African-American, she’s a hot head.’ I’m a bigger than what people think I am. Julia: For me, the role models were the biggest thing. Seeing people who have gone through things I’m going through. Seeing people who are like me in a lot of ways succeed. Miracle: Especially being a woman and African-American, it really gave me a push to do better in life. And honestly it’s made me want to come and work for GEN. Anika: Two years ago I went in to my first year in the program acting like someone I wasn’t. I played the part of a confident girl with absolutely no insecurities, when in actuality I was anything but that. This year when I returned to school my friends asked me why I “changed” so much over the summer. My answer was simple, I didn’t change, I just got rid of the part of myself that didn’t belong. GEN: What would you say to a 3rd through 8th grade girl? Should they join GEN? Why is GEN important? Aaliyah: When girls are younger, they don’t care what anybody thinks. But as you get older, your faith in yourself starts to go down. But if you join [GEN] early, you can keep that fire in you. That fire you have when you’re younger. If you join GEN as a little girl, the fire doesn’t have to go out and it just keeps growing and keeps burning and it only burns brighter. Julia: GEN gives younger girls empowerment, self-esteem, and self-worth. Thinking back about how [waking up and dreading school] started so young. If I had had a place like GEN, it would’ve given me a way to look at what I was going through and support with what I was going through. GEN and the people here give you a way to look at yourself and the world. For kids who are going through a lot at a young age like me it can be life-saving. Priyanka: Most importantly, I think, GEN showed me the value of bravery. I have the mental and physical tools to seize any opportunity I want. I've learned that I'm fierce. GEN didn't give me courage; it revealed the courage I didn't know I had. I think every girl should have that opportunity. Don't you?
We Are Girls Austin Conference will take place Saturday, Nov. 3rd from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Anderson High School. For more information, visit www.WeAreGirls.org.
GirlsEmpowermentNetwork.org
We’re so grateful to these six girls for their insight! Priyanka sums it up perfectly: don’t you think every girl should have the opportunity to know her own courage? We do. It’s what drives us here at GEN. It propels us to produce programming that ignites the power in girls, programs like our We Are Girls Conferences, which now take place in Austin, Houston, and Dallas annually. We can’t wait for this year’s Austin conference on Saturday, November 3rd. Julia attended years ago, as an elementary aged girl. “I remember…I looked at my friend and she asked me ‘is this how it’s supposed to be?’” Yes, it is. Schools and communities are supposed to be places that celebrate and uplift girls. We should live in a world that recognizes girls as leaders. Let’s keep building that world, together.
Lauren Adams Janet & Elisabeth Bates Carter & Karen Blackburn Rani Clasquin, Eric Harslem & Kate Harslem Laurie Coffin Larry Connelly Alicia Davis Suzanne Deal Booth JoLynn Free Cindy Goldrick Lisa & Dan Graham Lisa Harris Paula Herd Tracy Hinson Erin & Jason Jones Melissa Jones Karen Kahan & MariBen Ramsey Michael & Jeanne Klein Diane T. Land & Mayor Steve Adler Kit & Alexis Mellem Gigi & Joel Melrose Sarah Meredith Wells, Kate Meredith Andrade, Abigail Meredith & Lynn Meredith Leah Mesches Michele Moore Elizabeth Neeld Maria Orozova & Scott Thomas Joe & Janis Pinnelli Chris Plonsky Clarisa Ramirez Christine & Rob Reinauer Maura Thomas Cliff & Shari Vars Liz & Kirk Watson Marc & Suzanne Winkelman
Igniting the Power in Girls
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
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Igniting the Power in Girls
girls empowerment network'S WE ARE GIRLS Austin CONFERENCE WORKSHOP PROVIDERS Angela Funke and Julie Spears talktherapyaustin.com
Grace and Grit/ Heather Stark graceandgritbox.com
Nurture Family Counseling nurturefamilycounseling.com
Ashley Noelle Jackson ashleynoellejackson.com
Healthy Actions Intervening Responsibly (H.A.I.R.) mtechwebsites.wixsite.com/ jacquelinemiller
Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas plannedparenthood.org/plannedparenthood-greater-texas
ATX Yoga Girl/Cynthia Bernard atxyogagirl.com Beyond the Grade beyondthegrade.org Courtney Harris Coaching courtneyharriscoaching.com Dellandra Adams dellandra.com El Generation eigeneration.com Ellen Wilder austindiscoveryschool.org Experiment and Explore Experimentandexplore.com Facebook facebook.com Frost Bank frostbank.com Girl Alliance girl-alliance.com Girls With Pens girlswithpens.org
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We Are Girls Austin Conference
Girlstart girlstart.org Glitter & Grit glitterandgrit.com
IBM Women in Technology ibm.com Infiniteeworks infiniteeworks.org InSpire inspirealife2.com Jill Faulkner stickwithit.co Kimberly Faith kimberlyfaith.net Lady Papillons International, Inc. ladypapillonsinternational.org Latinitas latinitasmagazine.org Leaders Among Us 21stcenturyleadersamongus.com LifeWorks lifeworksaustin.org Lily Shepard of Body Bloom ATX bodybloomatx.com Microsoft microsoft.com MJ’s Coaching and Business Solutions LLC maggiejeancoaching.com
Present Company presentco.org Rec Therapy Austin rectherapyaustin.com Rosa Bolger linkedin.com/in/RosaBolger Sales Fix LLC salesfixtexas.com Synergy Dance Studio synergydancestudio.com The Austin Outlaws austinoutlaws.com The Girls’ School of Austin thegirlsschool.org The Library Foundation / Badgerdog Creative Writing Program austinlibrary.org The R.O.S.E. Project facebook.com/Iamtheroseproject Traditional Martial Arts Academy martialartsaustin.com Tristan Jackson tjinspires.com Vicki Parsons balletaustin.org
Igniting the Power in Girls
We know girls are powerful and our mission is to help them know it too. Girls are at risk of not reaching their potential, especially if adolescence affects them too adversely. When girls learn and practice skills with GEN, their self-efficacy increases.
Our vision is to help 50,000 girls ignite their power by 2020.
GirlsEmpowermentNetwork.org
When they increase their self-efficacy they strengthen their internal belief in their power. When they feel powerful, they can be unstoppable.
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MONEY AND MARRIAGE
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Five tips for how to communicate with your spouse about money. By Lindley Bain
As a family lawyer, I have learned a leading cause of divorce is financial infidelity and lack of effective communication about finances. In some marriages, one spouse may have little to no knowledge about the health of the couple’s finances, the amount of spending by either spouse or how income is saved or invested. Additionally, financial issues are rife with emotion and can be difficult to navigate if communication is already poor. For most couples, a successful marriage or civil partnership requires effective communication about financial issues and the ability to make important financial decisions together. Below are tips to improve communication about finances. GB
3. Create a budget. Put together a monthly and yearly budget with your spouse. The budget exercise requires an examination of spending versus earnings, a discussion of financial priorities and goals, and provides a mechanism for accountability to each other regarding your finances.
If both of you know and agree on the short-term savings goals, there is a greater chance you will achieve those goals.
4. Identify shortterm financial goals. With your spouse, identify your shortterm financial goals, such as saving for a vacation, putting money aside for an emergency fund, saving for a remodeling project, etc. Discuss the trade-offs for such goals. If both of you know and agree on the short-term savings goals, there is a greater chance you will achieve those goals.
1. Be informed. On a regular basis, sit down with your spouse to review all the most recent financial account statements, including retirement, checking, savings, brokerage, stock accounts, credit cards, lines of credit, mortgages and car leases. Inquire about life-insurance and disability policies. Transparency works both ways and is key to building trust about financial issues. If you see a big expenditure, ask your spouse for more information.
5. Identify longterm financial goals. Together, periodically discuss your longterm financial goals, such as paying for children’s college expenses, retirement, the need for disability insurance or life insurance, and providing for an aging parent or disabled child.
2. Create snapshots of your estate. Once a quarter, list all your assets and your spouse’s assets and debts with current values. If done consistently, this exercise will allow you to a.) determine whether you are saving, b.) measure whether you are meeting short-term and long-term financial goals and c.) discuss the mix of your assets and debts and whether that mix is appropriate for your situation.
Communication, transparency and trust about financial issues are essential for a successful marriage or civil partnership. As a family lawyer, I recognize the importance of communication and managing the financial and emotional costs of family-law matters. If you have questions about prenuptial or cohabitation agreements, or other family-law matters, please contact me at 512.454.8791.
Lindley Bain is a partner in the GoransonBain Ausley Austin office. She offers a constructive and financially minded approach to complex divorces, high-conflict custody matters and property. Bain counsels clients to strive for healthy, attainable goals while minimizing the conflict. Bain has a Master of Business Administration in finance and is board-certified in family law. She practices both collaborative and traditional litigation with creativity and compassion while customizing the exceptional family-law service to each client’s needs.
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Semipermanent Eyelash Extensions Before and after not only apply to the impressive results from your before-lash-extensions self and your after-lash-extensions look, when clients see themselves for the first time with new lashes and say, “Oh my gosh, these are amazing! Why did I wait so long?” The phrase “before and after” also refers to the time of your beauty routine, your self-care and confidence, and the before-and-after changes in the lash industry: where it was when it first hit the beauty scene to where it is now, with the advancements of improved adhesives, application techniques and the semipermanent eyelashes themselves. Before. In the early stages of semipermanent eyelash extensions, extensive and varied training, eyelash adhesives and the lash extensions were limited. There were limited choices for stylists to purchase their necessary products. The length, thickness and curl of the extensions didn’t have enough variety to truly customize to each client’s personal needs or the right fit for what their natural lashes could hold. Adhesives were thicker and slower to dry, causing more client exposure to fumes, which may have caused reactions. Training to expertly complete eyelash extensions involved a short course, and then stylists were left to figure things out on their own. If you experienced a bad eyelash-extension application years ago, you may have thought your lashes were too thick, not natural-looking or may have experienced irritation in some way. I’ve been lucky in that I’ve enjoyed my eyelash extensions for more than 10 years without any issues. Proper application is key! After. Now choices abound in semipermanent eyelash extensions. I am happy to say I have been through these seasons of change in the industry, and even though we’ve always practiced great technique (proper isolation and separation), adhesives are even better now. The adhesives are faster-drying. That means less client exposure to fumes, which translates into a huge decrease in clients having reactions. With the dry time cut down, there is also less chance of lashes sticking together, even after the stylist has gone through the lash separation at the end of the service. More varieties of adhesives now exist for our humid climate and for different application techniques. Eyelash extensions now come in a larger variety of styles, shapes, thickness, curl and even colors so we can customize to your desired look, lifestyle and safety of your natural lashes. The extensions have even gotten better at holding a curl, whereas previously, they may have lost some of their shape before the next appointment. Proper training is crucial. We continue to seek out advice from leaders in the industry to ensure we’re up to date on how things progress, but the foundation is home base. Proper sanitation and environment, as well as technique, are important. Continued education and mastering of the craft set stylists apart. If you have not tried eyelash extensions because of doubts or just need more information, we are happy to help answer questions. Wherever you go for this service, make sure to ask about training and consultations. Experience matters.
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L I N D L E Y B A I N , K R I S T E N A . A L G E R T, K E L LY CA P E R T O N F I S C H E R , K E L LY AU S L E Y- F L O R E S AND ANGELICA ROLONG CORM IER L AW Y ER S
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ew things are more personal than family-law issues, and they can easily spiral out of control. At GoransonBain Ausley, we offer an alternative to escalating conflict. Our family lawyers are skilled in resolving disputes in ways that build up rather than destroy. With smart and strategic advice, we help our clients take the long view, seeing beyond the emotions of the moment to protect children’s wellbeing and preserve assets for the future. If you’re concerned about a family-law issue, let us guide you to a constructive, efficient and lasting result. gbafamilylaw.com
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48 | AUSTIN WOMAN | OCTOBER 2018
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ARAM AMINI ARTIST AND CUR ATOR
A
s the daughter of a jewelry designer, Aram Amini was raised in constant exposure to the arts and developed a passion for painting early in life. Amini is a first-generation Canadian-American, and her hard work and academic path led her to health-care management. Though it was both a promising and lucrative career, she was unable to ignore her desire to create. With the encouragement of her husband, she undertook a massive leap of faith and in early 2017, decided to fully throw her life at painting. During this time, Amini founded Odd Design, an Austin-based art-services company focused on connecting local artists to commercial and residential spaces. Odd Design’s primary goal is to increase artists’ exposure while providing places like offices and restaurants with personalized, high-quality artwork at minimal costs. While Amini has made many sacrifices with her new career path, she’s learned they’re well worth it when you’re challenging yourself to build your own life. aram.gallery
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NANCY HOPPER
S P E A K E R , D I R E C T- S A L E S E X P E R T A N D B U S I N E S S C O A C H
N
ancy Hopper was 5 years old when she took the giant silver microphone and recited a 26-verse poem entitled My Mother by Ann Taylor. She became a superstar and that built her self-confidence for the rest of her life. As the author of Who’s Behind the Curtain for You?, she began with a nun behind the curtain for her, making sure she did not miss a word in this poem. Hopper broke sales records for a company in the direct-sales market, one with sales of $2.5 billion a year, and she was top salesperson in the nation. Being a salesperson her whole life, she has been hired by Fortune 500 companies to save them in their sales decline, boosting them to be sold to other companies. An expert in building longtime business relationships, she was given her own radio show in Las Vegas called the Nancy Hopper Show. Once she spoke at a convention, she was hired by a company out of Canada to help lead out in the weight-loss industry in North America. CEO of her own company in weight loss, she is a professional speaker in the National Speakers Association and a sales expert in closing sales. nancyhopper.com
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T E R R I R AY
M A R K E T I N G V I C E P R E S I D E N T O F L A B E L L E S A L O N & S PA
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aBelle Salon & Spa, a luxurious, full-service 4,000-square-foot beautification and relaxation indulgence in The Arboretum, is Austin’s authority on all things beautiful. The uniqueness of the salon inspires internationally acclaimed Artistic Director Eugene Choe, innovator of the iPop perm sensation. Choe and his team deliver mind-blowing haircuts and color, and perform retexturing sleek or wildly redefined curl with the most advanced techniques. The salon offers luxurious treatments to reflect your truest beauty, including nails, lash treatments with exclusive Borboleta level two lash artists, waxing and microblading, bridal packages, cosmetic makeovers, spa facials and massages, and treatments with blowout artists. Marketing Vice President Terri Ray holds seven world records as an X-Pro factory Kawasaki race-team rider and is a retired Hollywood stuntwoman whose work included many blockbuster films, like Titanic. She received the David Chow Foundation Humanitarian Award for her role as executive producer of Stuck in Traffic, a documentary about human trafficking, and she is a published author of the book Live Courageously. labelleatx.com
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K A R E N H E LT O N
OWNER OF KISS N’ MAKEUP
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wner of Kiss N’ Makeup LLC, Karen Helton was born and raised in Austin. She returned 15 years ago to create the only free-standing makeup-artistry and natural-brow-shaping studio in Austin. Helton and her work have been featured in local and national magazines. She has worked with KXAN-TV for more than eight years and has appeared on TV networks in the Austin and Dallas areas. Her philosophy regarding brow shaping and makeup artistry has kept her booked with clients a year in advance for 14 years. She will offer microblading in 2019 and believes it is a hand-in-glove fit with her brow-shaping services. Helton’s goal for Kiss N’ Makeup is to provide a friendly, inviting atmosphere where customers receive exceptional results. Helton is grateful for the support clients have provided Kiss N’ Makeup and believes in supporting their charity organizations in return. kissnmakeup.com
52 SPECIAL PROMOTION | ATXWOMAN.COM 52 | | AUSTIN WOMAN | OCTOBER 2018
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LISA BRAUNBERG AND JOANNA SALINAS CO -FOUNDERS OF STILL AUSTIN WHISK E Y CO.
F
ive years ago, Still Austin Whiskey Co. Co-founders Lisa Braunberg and Joanna Salinas were working in respective careers in technology and law. Today, along with head of R & D/distiller Ali Block and brand director Cassidy Mora, they’re part of the rare but growing ranks of women working in whiskey in the United States. Still Austin opened its doors in September 2017 as the first legal grain-to-glass whiskey distillery located in Austin since Prohibition. The spirits are 100 percent scratch-made using grains provided by Texas farmers. Twenty years ago, a very small percentage of whiskey drinkers were female. Today, according to Fred Minnick, author of Whiskey Women, women are 37 percent of whiskey drinkers. It’s an exciting time to be on the ground floor of the craft-distilling movement in Austin. stillaustin.com
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ERI CA FOS TER
AUSTIN SPA OWNER AND REGIONAL DE VELOPER
austin.woodhousespas.com
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Photo by Cathy Landtroop.
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rica Foster first fell in love with the Woodhouse Day Spa in Westlake, Texas, circa 2006. Having experienced the wonders of therapeutic facials for herself, she was determined to help others share the journey of holistic health, so she made a trip to the home office in Victoria, Texas, to explore the business further. She immediately connected with the organic products, strong work ethic and integrity of the franchise and decided to launch her own spa in the Lubbock, Texas, market. Foster later purchased the Austin spa, moving her family in 2016. Regional developer of multiple metro markets of multiple metro markets and the proud mother of two active boys, Foster loves to bless others with the gift of escape and rejuvenation. Having lost a cousin in the war in Iraq, she is especially passionate about serving the military and their spouses, hosting multiple events and pampering those who sacrifice so much for our country.
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SARAH K. BRANDON AND MELANIE JOHNSON L AW YER AND CERTIFIED DIVORCE FINANCIAL ANALYST
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Photo by Carli Rene.
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fter working in the divorce industry, Melanie Johnson, a divorce financial planner, and Sarah K. Brandon, a lawyer, saw a need to educate women going through a divorce. In 2006, they organized a monthly workshop called Second Saturday to provide unbiased information about the major financial, legal and emotional pitfalls many women encounter during the process. Johnson and Brandon work with a team of lawyers, therapists and financial planners to cover topics like supporting your children through unfamiliar experiences, understanding legal challenges and understanding financial fundamentals. The program was so successful that the Women’s Institute for Financial Education (wife.org), the oldest and most trusted nonprofit devoted to women’s financial education, expanded it throughout the country in 2014. The workshop is held the second Saturday of every month at Riverbend Church in building 5B.
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N ATA L I E S C O T T A N D J E N N I F E R M U E L L E R CO-FOUNDERS OF MUELLER I SCOT T CONCEPTS
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hen Jennifer Mueller and Natalie Scott co-founded Mueller I Scott Concepts two years ago, they saw an opportunity to combine event management with sponsorship development to create a one-of-a-kind solution in the event-marketing space. Armed with their passion and expertise, they are making a big impact on the Austin event scene, elevating the experience at many signature community events, including ABC Kite Fest and the Austin Public Library Foundation’s Stories gala, to name a few. Mueller and Scott are known by their clients as professional, polished and incredibly fun to work with, with their yin-and-yang approach offering a holistic perspective. Drawing from their 25-plus years of experience working for some of Texas’ biggest, most beloved and benevolent brands, Mueller and Scott parlay their undeniable chemistry to create events and experiences that not only bring clients’ visions to life, but also reflect their brand and delight sponsors and guests—all with flawless execution. muellerscott.com
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56 | AUSTIN WOMAN | OCTOBER 2018
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TWINKLE ZAMAN POE T AND AUTHOR
Photo courtesy of Twinkle Zaman.
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winkle Zaman has expressed herself through writing since she was a young girl. Growing up in Austin, she could never tame her love for live music and fell in love with the art of songwriting and poetry. Soon, Zaman will release her third book of poetry, Love Notes, which focuses on the pain and magic of chasing love and dreams, and finding the woman within. She hopes to inspire, heal and touch the souls of others in the same way she’s been touched. Pick up a copy of her book this fall, sip on your favorite latte and enjoy her free spirit and quirkiness! Follow Zaman on Instagram @venture_girltx. twinklezaman.com
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I’VE BEEN IN A CAR ACCIDENT. WHAT DO I DO? BY CHELSEA BANCROFT
Car accidents are scary, no matter how big or small. If you’ve ever been in one, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, I hope you never are! In the moment, it can be overwhelming figuring out what to do, but there are several things you can do to protect yourself down the line from health, legal and financial ramifications. Gather info and evidence.
Do not admit fault.
This is very important. When gathering information from all parties involved, be sure to get the following:
If you don’t remember anything else from this article, remember this: Do not admit fault. When I first learned this, I was surprised too, but when you think about it, it makes sense. You may have been distracted and didn’t brake in time, but for all you know, the person you rear-ended could’ve been under the influence. Or maybe his brake lights were out, and in the middle of all the commotion, you didn’t even notice. Neither of those things mean it’s automatically not your fault, but you never know what the story is with the other person. One of the most difficult elements of this, especially for women, I think, is not saying sorry. It’s in our nature to be caring and concerned, but unfortunately, apologizing can be interpreted as an admission of guilt and be used against you. The point is never admit fault. Let the evidence and investigators figure that out.
• names • contact info • insurance info • license plate numbers • each vehicle’s make, model, year, color and registration numbers (The insurance companies will likely have this, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.) • contact info of any witnesses to the accident It’s also smart to take photos at the scene. Snap photos of: • damage to your vehicle • d amage to the other party’s or parties’ vehicle(s) • any immediately visible injuries
Move to safety. If possible, move all vehicles and people out of the way of traffic. When it’s not possible, make sure all people that can be moved are out of harm’s way and somewhere safe from traffic. Then put safety cones or flares, if you have them, around your car to alert oncoming traffic.
Determine if anyone is injured. Next, determine if you or anyone else is injured, and if so, call an ambulance. Every situation is different, but when in doubt, do not move an injured person unless he or she is immediately in harm’s way. Do your best to get any injured parties to keep still and wait for proper medical aid. Sometimes moving an injured person can do more harm than good. I recommend taking a course in first aid and emergency response so you can be confident in your own knowledge should you encounter such a situation.
Photo by Matthew Littlefield.
Call the police. Even with minor accidents, it’s a good idea to call the police to file an official police report. You should always call the police if there’s: • significant property damage • serious bodily injury • death Getting a police report is helpful for filing your car-insurance claim and determining fault, and it’s how claims adjusters move forward.
• a nything that might have contributed to the accident • d amage to any property, for example, a fence or rail • the accident scene as a whole
File an insurance claim. Many people put off filing an insurance claim, but if you wait too long, your claim could be denied. When filing an insurance claim, be sure to include all the information you gathered from the scene, as well as the police report and any photos. It’s important to provide as much detail as possible when working with your insurance company.
See a doctor. Even if you don’t think you’re seriously injured, for the purposes of your health and any insurance claims you file, it’s best to see a doctor as soon as possible after a car accident. Make sure you keep a copy of all medical records. However do not share them with the other driver’s insurance company. The only people that should have access to your medical records are you, your doctors and your personal-injury attorney (when applicable).
Have your car inspected. You should always have your vehicle inspected by an auto-repair mechanic before you resume driving it like you normally would. A mechanic will be able to tell whether your vehicle has any damage that you might not have noticed and will determine whether it’s safe to drive. If there is visibly a lot of damage, oftentimes, the insurance company will send out an inspector to review the vehicle damage and direct you to an approved mechanic, who will appraise the cost of the repairs.
Consider calling a lawyer. While you should consider calling a lawyer if there has been severe property damage and you don’t feel like you’re being fairly compensated, you should almost always hire a personal-injury attorney if you’ve been injured in an accident. I am in no way trying to give you legal advice, but a lawyer can help you figure out complicated legal procedures and terms, work with investigators to handle all aspects of your case, find courtroom alternatives, deal with insurance companies and help you get the best possible settlement. While I sincerely hope you never have to use this info, in the case that you do, I hope you’ve found it helpful. You can always contact your insurance company for its recommended best practices in case of an accident. Please also feel free to email me at cbancroft@rogerbeasley.com.
Chelsea Bancroft is the strategic-partnerships and social-media manager at Roger Beasley Mazda and a blogger at onechelofanadventure.com.
60 | AUSTIN WOMAN | OCTOBER 2018
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Grey Matter Top Chef winner, devout culinary authority and warmhearted kitchen boss Kristen Kish is serving up the fruits of her labor, wining and dining Austinites at her new nostalgia-driven, techniquerooted restaurant, Arlo Grey— and diners are eating it up!
K By Courtney Runn
Photos by Rudy Arocha
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Kristen Kish is exactly who you hope she is in real life. She is kind, vulnerable, humble, thoughtful, passionate, completely and fully dedicated to her craft. The 2013 Top Chef winner is the latest chef to join Austin’s burgeoning culinary scene with her new restaurant, Arlo Grey, which opened this summer to much fanfare and national attention. Adjacent to the lobby in the newly opened Line Austin hotel, Arlo Grey shimmers with Instagram-worthy opportunities. A minimalistic color palette of creams, blushes, blues and gold accents combined with greenery transform the space into a chic, trendy destination. Personal touches hint at the woman behind the kitchen doors. Pages from Kish’s personal notebooks and childhood photos subtly adorn the space, and quotes from The Korean Cinderella are scribbled graffiti-style on the bathroom walls. Offering breakfast, lunch and dinner service, the dining room is often buzzing. If you study the kitchen doors long enough, you might catch Kish rushing from one end of the kitchen to the other or racing through the restaurant before her next big party arrives. At 5 feet, 9 inches, with her signature cropped haircut, she is easily recognizable. Myriad delicate tattoos lace up her arms, but she is anything but delicate. Her slight frame belies her intensity and strength. She stands with the elegant confidence of someone who has fought to claim her own self-worth. Kish is drawn to narrative. She hates best-of lists, preferring to judge food by the stories of its makers. She believes the best introduction to a city is through its people and their stories. A longing for storytelling peppers her reflections. She has spent her life striving for perfection, running from vulnerability and searching for her worth. For so long, these battles dominated her story. She’s a Top Chef winner, television host, cookbook author and celebrated new restaurateur. Yet she doesn’t believe she’s arrived. Nor does she look to those accolades to bolster her identity. She is simply beginning a new chapter and facing her struggles. When trying new food and meeting new people, Kish has a simple request: “Give me a story. Give me an understanding of who you are.” And that is exactly what she is offering Austin. Through her food, she is offering the city her heart on a plate. She is offering us her story.
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A Dash of Celebrity-chef History Kish is a celebrity chef. While she might not be a household name, she is a known name in the kitchen. Her actions reverberate throughout the culinary community, she has graced many a magazine cover and she has loyal social-media fans. Even though she won Top Chef almost six years ago, she has managed to do what many of her predecessors have not: stay relevant. With a stint as a TV host for the Travel Channel’s 36 Hours show and a cookbook under her belt, she has stayed in front of her fans while staying true to herself, a significant feat in a culture that idolizes celebrities and invites fans to have 24/7 access to them via social media. The concept of the celebrity chef is still relatively new. While well-respected chefs have long existed, it wasn’t until the advent of reality television that a new type of celebrity was born. “The idea that one could be famous...renowned, sure, but TV-celebrity famous? For cooking? It was preposterous,” Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio writes in the introduction to Top Chef: The Cookbook. One of history’s first celebrated chefs was Bartolomeo Scappi. A Renaissance cook and the first recognized cookbook author, he served the papacy and was known for his inventive, lavish meals. His flair in the kitchen seems analogous to a 16th-century reality-TV cooking show, each challenge forcing players to become more extravagant. The Paris Review writes of him, “It was never enough for Scappi to please diners. He set out to amuse, astonish and confuse them with vast menus of pungent flavors and retina-searing colors, presented in displays more akin to a performance-art piece than a dinner party.” If Scappi was the first flashy celebrity chef, Alexis Soyer was the first activist celebrity chef. His memoir recounts how the popular Victorian chef brought his soup-kitchen model to Ireland during the Great Famine in 1847. He also worked with Florence Nightingale to reform military cooking during the Crimean War. Julia Child, however, deserves the title of the first American celebrity chef in its modern iteration. Her success on television launched a new platform for chefs and sparked an insatiable hunger among the American public for consuming not only food, but also food media. She blazed a trail that led to the modern Food Network and Bravo stars. “[Emeril Lagasse] is the most direct link between Julia’s television cookery in the 1960s and the ’70s and the 21st-century breed of celebrity-chef CEOs,” Alex Prud’homme writes in The French Chef in America. “While The French Chef was a documentary in nature, the Food Network focused on the drama and competition in kitchens, and turned cooking into entertainment and spectacle.”
“I want to make sure that young female chefs have a strong mentor so we can close the gender gap. Wouldn’t it be great if one day, we no longer have to qualify a chef with their gender? Chefs would just be chefs—period.”
—Barbara Lynch
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Kristen Kish photo by Timothy Patrick Clancy. Arlo Grey interior photos by Chase Daniel. Burrata photo courtesy of Sydell Group.
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KK The modern celebrity chef occupies a strange space. She fills a very niche celebrity world and is expected to have a voice and a presence. Thanks to social media and TV shows with few boundaries, fans feel like they actually know their favorite chefs. “By being authorities on food, celebrity chefs have become authorities on life,” Signe Rousseau writes in Food Media. She continues later in the book, “Today, not only is the outlook for television cooks seriously lucrative, but ‘television cooking’ has also expanded semantically beyond the screen to include the stage, supermarkets, personal cellphones and computer screens.” Kish unknowingly and begrudgingly entered this world in 2012 when Top Chef’s 10th season premiered. At first glance, she is not the stereotypical candidate for a reality-TV show: She is steady and even-keeled, not given to dramatic, emotional antics. While she can be funny and playful, she is very serious about her craft. Yet it was these qualities, combined with her intensity and passion for cooking with excellence, that drove her to success. Kish has widely discussed how renowned chef and her mentor, Barbara Lynch, practically forced her on to the show. When Lynch previously served as a guest judge, she suggested Kish as a potential candidate for the upcoming season. “Kristen was passionate about cooking and she knew the basics,” Lynch says. “I knew that she could win. And being on the show would let a much wider audience see how talented she is.” Kish agreed to try out for the show, simply to make her mentor proud. She succeeded. “I was so deeply proud of her to take that chance on Top Chef,” Lynch says. “And to win was even more incredible. She does not give up, and I love that she’s [stayed] true to whom she is: very humble and incredibly thoughtful.” Not only did Kish take home the title of Top Chef, but she also accomplished a far more personal victory: the permission to finally be herself. After a lifetime of closing herself off to others, it had just been nationally affirmed that people like her the way she is. And they really do. Anyone would be hard-pressed to find negative coverage of Kish. While still selective with who she really lets in, she is incredibly open to sharing her story. “As long as I’m open and vulnerable and honest, I can’t be mad at myself,” Kish says. “The majority of my life, I was so not vulnerable and it got me nowhere.”
“As long as I’m open and vulnerable and honest, I can’t be mad at myself. The majority of my life, I was so not vulnerable and it got me nowhere.”
—Kristen Kish
Acquiring a Taste for Cooking Kish’s story begins in Seoul, South Korea, in 1983. Her mother abandoned her after giving birth and Kish stayed in several orphanages until a couple from Michigan adopted her. Then she began a new life in the United States, at just a few months old. In her cookbook, Kristen Kish Cooking: Recipes and Techniques, she opens with a detailed personal essay recounting her childhood and culinary path. “As I grew up, I realized just how incredible it was to go from unwanted and abandoned by my birth mother to being part of a new, welcoming family, who felt only joy at my arrival,” she writes. “This is a bond we adoptees share.” Kish says she never grows tired of hearing from fans who relate to her as fellow adoptees. Her parents tried to keep her connected to her Korean culture by reading The Korean Cinderella with her and introducing her to Korean food. From an early age, Kish loved playing chef and pretending to cook food, quickly taking her make-believe to the kitchen, writing she was “going through the process of cooking long before I had a concept of what went together or how to properly execute it.” After Kish had a brief modeling career in high school and a stint in college studying international business, her parents suggested culinary school. She attended Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago and she came alive. She had found her calling and purpose. It would take several years, though, before she found the right fit in the culinary world. After graduating, she turned to drugs and alcohol to suppress anxiety. At her mom’s urging, she saw a counselor but couldn’t bring herself to be honest, masking the struggles swirling within. In an attempt at a fresh start, she chose Boston as her next home and found a job as a line cook. After a rough beginning, she chose to truly start from the bottom and learn from the best. She found a position under renowned French chef Guy Martin and slowly began to hone her skills and creative mind. When his restaurant came to an end, she followed her best friend, Stephanie Cmar, to Stir, one of Lynch’s restaurants. It was a serendipitous choice, and the rest is reality-television history.
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K Curating a New Culinary Family
After Top Chef, Kish led a largely nomadic lifestyle, hopping from project to project and traveling. Now she’s ready to make Austin her home. While she signed on late to Arlo Grey, moving to Austin in the spring before the summer opening, she is fully committed to her latest venture. Kish begins her days at 6 a.m. and is in the kitchen until closing. “I have no interest in being that chef that stands back and watches,” she says. “I’m in it with them.” At the helm of her restaurant, Kish is not just creating a work culture, but also cultivating a family. The food world has been fraught with tragedy this year as sexual-harassment and mental-health issues inundated the media. While the restaurant industry is known for its brutal hours, gritty culture and brash behavior, floodlights exposed its worst. Kish is determined to forge a new culture in her kitchen. “My goal is to shift what it looks like,” she says. “It’s not just come in and do your job and let me tell you all the things that you did wrong and just think I’m the boss. On a human level, it’s about being a leader and being a manager and being someone who inspires and is tapping into somebody on a personal level. …” When she moved to Austin, she put out a call for staff. She considered everyone who applied and went with her gut. She opens the kitchen with her staff and closes with her staff. After service, they debrief the day together. Kish starts by admitting her own failures and flaws, and the group often ends their time together by playing games. Whether it’s Connect Four or Jenga, giving herself and her staff space to just play has been crucial to sustaining the exhausting pace of opening a new restaurant. They also have fun during service. Kish posted a video on Instagram of her staff prepping with an Aretha Franklin song playing in the background. Her staff is smiling, hugging, laughing. Kish credits Lynch for modeling what a healthy kitchen can look like. Lynch is known for her mentorship of young chefs and has been instrumental in paving a way for chefs like Kish to not only have a place in the industry, but to be able to thrive. “I want to make sure that young female chefs have a strong mentor so we can close the gender gap,” Lynch says. “Wouldn’t it be great if one day, we no longer have to qualify a chef with their gender? Chefs would just be chefs—period.” Kish is ready to just be a chef. While she’s always happy to meet fans, the compliments that stay with her focus on her as a person and her food. “Everyone has a story they maybe don’t always talk about,” she says. “My goal is to talk about it and to put it out there.” From opening up about her mental health to being honest on social media, Kish doesn’t pretend to be an activist or official spokesperson for any issue, but simply strives to be genuinely and authentically herself. This shines through her food. While classically trained in French cooking, she endeavors to bridge the gap between fine dining and comfort food. Much of her Arlo Grey menu is based on childhood memories and includes elegant twists on her old favorites, like Hostess CupCakes and Hamburger Helper. Her menu achieves the perfect balance of adventure and comfort. Her burger swims in melted Gruyere, while her burrata delicately wades in cucumber broth. Regardless of palate or experience, Kish translates her memories and stories for every diner to understand. “If it ties somewhere familiar for me, it will do that for someone else. If I can connect with another diner through the medium of food, that’s all I want to do,” she says. “Food is supposed to make you feel really good and warm and full, both physically and emotionally.” It is ironic—or at least telling—that Kish often forgets to eat. In the rush to prepare food for others, she’s too busy to feed herself, both physically and emotionally, and she’s quick to admit it.
K
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“It feels weird to take time for me, to give back,” she says. For the moments when she can’t give back to herself, her staff steps in. Before service, she often hears, “Chef, have you eaten?” If the answer is no, they whip up a sandwich for her. It’s those simple acts that mean the most to Kish and remind her of the importance of finding a family, not just employees, in the kitchen. When Kish left Boston, she left her community. Her close friend, Kim Baccari, first became friendly with Kish when she’d stop in at Stir on her way home. Over shared late-night meals, the two quickly grew close, and Baccari became like an auntie to Kish. “I was so bummed,” Baccari says of when she found out Kish was moving to Austin. “I’m going to have nobody else to raid my kitchen anymore.” Like Lynch and many others have noted, Baccari confirms fame really didn’t change Kish. She’s shy and kind and humble and driven. And, Baccari laughs, she loves to sing through the carwash, just like anyone else. (But Baccari is also quick to point out that Kish thinks she can sing, though Baccari insists she really can’t.) That down-to-earth persona is why when Kish hears the term “celebrity chef,” she recoils. She hates it. Top Chef fans will be happy to know she’s still close friends with Gail Simmons, spends time with her former competitor Brooke Williamson and recently got a call from Padma Lakshmi, who was checking in on Kish’s restaurant. But Kish just sees them as her friends. “We connect on a human level,” she says. “We don’t sit around and talk, ‘Hey, what TV show did you do?’ ” Though the title “celebrity chef” is often tacked on to Kish’s name, at the end of the day, she is in a kitchen with her team, commiserating on mistakes and rejoicing about victories and playing games. No matter how many restaurants or books or TV shows are in her future, she will remain the same. “When you do arrive, it’s over,” Kish says. “I don’t ever want to feel in that position ever in my life. I am a cook. I learn every day how to be a better leader. Being a cook is a bit more natural. At the core of who I am, I am a cook.”
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CRUSHING IT
From the first woman to plant wine grapes in the Lone Star State and one who employed her gardening expertise to grow the local wine boom, to two transplants making names for themselves in the male-dominated wine industry, these enterprising ladies are proving that, in Texas, in vino veritas—in wine, there is truth. BY MAURI ELBEL | PHOTOS BY ANNIE RAY
From pioneering groundbreakers responsible for putting the Hill Country wine region on the map to up-and-coming winemakers propelling it into the future, meet four women behind Central Texas’ burgeoning wine industry.
Despite being the minority in the largely male-dominated field of winemaking, women have long been making strides in Central Texas’ wine scene. From the women who spearheaded the industry here decades ago to
forward-thinking females paving the path toward its continued success, we can all raise a glass to these four women who have been planting vines, stomping grapes and swirling glasses in the Lone Star State.
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THE MATRIARCH
Susan Auler Co-founder and co-owner of Fall Creek Vineyards Some 45 years ago, inspired by a trip to France in search of cattle for their family ranch, Susan and Ed Auler returned home to the Hill Country with an unexpected dream: to make Texas an internationally recognized wine region. “This is certainly the last thing either of us thought we would be doing,” Susan Auler admits. The couple met at the University of Texas, where she majored in interior design and he went on to pursue his law degree. After getting married, they took over the operation of his family’s cattle ranch. “Ed was [the] fourth generation to operate Fall Creek Ranch, and now our two sons, Chad and Mark, are the fifth generation,” she says. “Because ranching isn’t always a lucrative industry, we were pondering ways to make the land more income-producing.” In 1973, the couple took off for France to check out French breeds of cattle to potentially cross with their Angus herd. The couple did spend two days visiting a French cattle operation, but they followed it with 19 days touring the French wine country. They sipped from Reims to historic Burgundy to the beloved Rhône Valley across the South of France to Bordeaux and the stunning Loire Valley.
“Soon, we were up to our necks in grapes...so we decided to jump in full force.”
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“Interestingly enough, as we were driving across the South of France, Ed said, ‘I think this looks a lot like the Texas Hill Country. I wonder if anyone has thought of growing grapes in Texas,’ ” Susan Auler recalls. Taking home a whirlwind education and a new and deep appreciation of French wines as souvenirs, the Aulers decided to take a risk. They dedicated a 1/4acre corner plot of their Central Texas ranch to an experiment: growing wine grapes. With this, the Aulers became groundbreakers, the first to plant grapes in the state and the first to establish a winery in the Texas Hill Country. They planted those first vines in 1975, began buying up 400 acres of land adjacent to the ranch and by 1980, Ed Auler had to quit his law practice so the couple could focus on grape growing full time. “Soon, we were up to our necks in grapes and Ed didn’t have time to practice law anymore, so we decided to jump in full force,” Susan Auler says. “And that was the beginning of Fall Creek Vineyards.” Operating under the same name that has been part of their family heritage for generations, the Aulers set out to create a new Texas tradition. As one of the original growers of Texas wine grapes, Susan Auler has spent nearly half a century pouring her heart and soul into establishing a viable Texas wine industry. She was included in the Top 50 People in the Wine World list by wine-industry trade magazine Wines & Vines, and went on to found the Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival in 1986, with the goal of growing awareness about the Hill Country as a bona fide wine region. Within four years, Ed Auler helped solidify the Texas Hill Country as a known wine region when the U.S. government granted his application for the Texas Hill Country appellation. Known as the first family of Texas wines, the Aulers continue to focus on 100 percent terroir-driven wines, rooted in the best Texas soils and crafted by their talented winemaking team. In the mid-1980s, André Tchelistcheff, the late world-renowned winemaker and consultant who helped put California on the world wine map, became Fall Creek Vineyards’ consultant after tasting the Aulers’ first cabernet sauvignon and exclaiming, “Plant more!” In 2013, their plan to create world-class wines at Fall Creek Vineyards started to become a reality when Sergio Cuadra, a highly successful Chilean winemaker, became the director of winemaking. Phil Price, who worked most recently at Brand Napa Valley under celebrated winemaker Philippe Melka, joined Fall Creek Vineyards as a winemaker in 2016. Susan Auler says these winemakers have been instrumental in carefully matching the grape to the terroir—the natural environment in which wine grapes are grown—to create Fall Creek Vineyards’ premier wines, which compete with the best wines of the world, thereby securing the Aulers a place at the most esteemed tables, including several presidential inaugurations and an array of state dinners. But anyone driving past their original winery in Tow, Texas, or their idyllic second Hill Country winery, sitting on 17 acres in Driftwood, Texas, across from the legendary Salt Lick BBQ, can enjoy them too. “From the very beginning, we wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder to the best wines in the world,” Susan Auler says. “We are both native Texans and proud of our heritage and wanted to be a part of the world winemaking map. It may have been the last thing we thought we would be doing, but it has been a fabulous life focus. It’s been such a wonderful, enriching experience for Ed and I and our two sons.”
Sommelier and co-owner of El Gaucho Winery Lo mejor esta por venir. Translation: The best is yet to come. Never did those words mean more to Eugenia Sewell than in 2001, when she found herself divorced with two toddlers during Argentina’s economic crisis and with no job or income in sight. Despite the challenges of providing as a single mother, she was determined to follow her passion and pursue a career in winemaking. Today, she is a local entrepreneur, Argentinian sommelier and coowner of El Gaucho Winery in Spicewood, Texas. Sewell was born in Mendoza, Argentina, and raised in Buenos Aires. Her interest in winemaking stems from her childhood, when she spent summers at her grandparents’ vineyards in Southern Mendoza. She enrolled at Escuela Argentina de Vinos to become a professional sommelier, completing the six-year program in four years, which included a four-hour commute three times a week from her home to the school in Buenos Aires. “It’s hard, looking back, to believe I did all of this, but I needed to do what I needed to do,” says Sewell, who sold her jewelry and furniture to purchase food and diapers when she was no longer able to access her money from the bank during the country’s trying economic times. “People said going into the wine business during a financial crisis—and trying to pursue a career in a male-dominated industry— was crazy. But it was what I wanted to do.” Sewell was asked to teach classes at the college during her last year, and after graduation, she worked for a number of well-known wineries in Argentina, taught wine-appreciation classes and began a Saturday morning wine-focused radio show in Buenos Aires. She joined a consulting group focused on working with wineries to market their wines and assisted individuals and companies looking to purchase wine, wineries and vineyards. Soon after, she was selected as the honorary sommelier for the Office of the President of Argentina. “When I began, I knew the wine business in Argentina was male-dominated and it was uncommon for women to be in the wine industry,” Sewell says. “My education has been a continual process, and I noticed when I started to give classes in Argentina, the women I taught had a desire to become professionals in the wine business. If you’re resilient and want to be more involved, you can do anything you put your mind to.” In 2007, she met her husband, Bennett Sewell, a native Austinite, during his travels to Mendoza and Buenos Aires. Bennett Sewell hired her as his consultant, they fell in love, got married and together, they purchased two vineyards totaling 55 acres in the Mendoza wine country, one located in Luján de Cuyo and the other in Valle de Uco. After seven years in Mendoza, they relocated to the Texas Hill Country with their young son. Three years ago, Eugenia Sewell designed the winery she always wanted: El Gaucho Winery (“Gaucho” is a term for an Argentinian cowboy.), where they pour and sell their Argentinian wines. At El Gaucho Winery, they serve the wine they make from their two vineyards, Finca Austin and Finca La Passion, for their two labels, Tierra de Gaucho and Estado Natural, offering locals an authentic taste of Argentina. “We’ve always wanted to make the connection between Texas and Argentina, which both have
big cowboy cultures,” Eugenia Sewell says. She oversees winemaking operations in Mendoza and shares the day-to-day operations of El Gaucho Winery with her husband. “We try to have a little bit of Argentina here in Austin. We call it ‘Austintina’ because we are bringing something from the West of Argentina to the heart of Texas.” El Gaucho Winery, located about 25 miles from downtown Austin, actually bears a striking resemblance to the parts of Mendoza where their wines are made, with the Hill Country’s high and low elevations, arid landscape and brush lands. Perched atop a hill and off the beaten path, the Texas winery has become a family-friendly gathering spot where people can relax and enjoy the vistas, forget their troubles and feel as if they’ve been transported to Argentina when they sample nearly a dozen Argentinian wines spanning malbec to sparkling pinot noir to torrontes, and authentic dishes, including empanadas, provoleta and the Argentinian-style steak-and-barbecue meal known as asado. “Every bottle of wine has a history inside of it,” Eugenia Sewell says. “There’s the story behind it, a little magic in it. Just like a book, you open it up and it can take you anywhere in the world. Wine is the same. In Argentina, we call it tertulia. This is what happens at our winery; you forget about things, you socialize, you take time for yourself and you feel real connections.”
“People said going into the wine business during a financial crisis—and trying to pursue a career in a maledominated industry— was crazy.”
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THE AUSTINTINA
Eugenia Sewell
THE SOIL WHISPERER
Bunny Becker Co-founder of Becker Vineyards The Beckers didn’t set out to establish a winery when they embarked on their search for a modest Hill Country retreat nearly 30 years ago. Rather, Bunny Becker, a speech therapist turned homemaker, and her husband, Dr. Richard Becker, a fourth-generation Texan and endocrinologist, were simply searching for a weekend getaway. “We wanted 1 acre and no yardwork,” Bunny Becker laughs. “But the cabin we found had been there for 150 years, and the German family we bought it from didn’t want to break up the land.” The Beckers purchased the cabin in 1989 and, along with it, 46 acres of raw land characterized by what the Beckers describe as “fallow fields of deep sand and Precambrian granitic soils located 1,500 feet above sea level.” The couple, who had traveled abroad extensively and long been passionate about culinary and wine experiences, began patronizing a few of the local Texas wineries. “Richard always had a garden, and people were growing grapes all around us,” Bunny Becker recalls, noting some already established neighboring wineries included Grape Creek Winery, Sister Creek Vineyards and Bell Mountain Winery. “We had tasted wines of the Hill Country and thought they were very good. We thought we might like to do that.”
“We started with about 1,500 cases per year and I thought we would never sell that much wine.”
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The Beckers’ sprawling property, located in bucolic Stonewall, Texas, was already ripe with native mustang grapes, a long beloved component of the local German heritage. As the Beckers were avid gardeners and admirers of French-style wines, their dream of a commercial vineyard naturally began to take shape and soon, Becker Vineyards was born. From the beginning, it was a family venture, with them planting their first grapes in 1992 alongside their three children. “We ordered the grapes from California and they arrived on the Saturday of spring break, so my son and I planted a good part of it,” Bunny Becker says. “We planted for a solid four hours, which was a lot like doing around 1,400 squat jumps. Then the men we hired arrived around noon to plant the rest.” The following year, in 1993, the Beckers planted 30 more acres. Their first harvest, in 1995, laid the foundation for what is now an internationally recognized winery producing vintages that have been served everywhere from the White House to the James Beard Foundation in New York City. Today, Becker Vineyards employs more than 50 people and cultivates approximately 42 acres of estate fruit, with two additional vineyards in other parts of Central Texas bringing the Beckers’ vine acreage to a total of 84 acres. Becker Vineyards features nine harvest-ready varietals at the serene Hill Country winery. An Old World feel flourishes throughout Becker Vineyards’ winery and tasting room, where people come from near and far to sample sips of petite sirah, cabernet sauvignon, malbec and cabernet franc, to name just a few. The Beckers’ philosophy is and always has been to focus on promoting Texas wine and Texas-grown fruit— and it’s paid off. They currently contract with more independent Texas grape growers and crush more Texas fruit than any other winery in the state. Bunny Becker attributes her company’s monumental success to a variety of factors. First, the couple was determined to make wines they wanted to drink. Second, she thinks the timing was right: People, especially from nearby bigger cities like Austin and San Antonio, were becoming increasingly interested in wine. And finally, she says they’ve always made a point to treat everyone, from their guests to their staff, with welcoming arms. “I wanted to treat people like they were coming to our house,” Bunny Becker says. “We have always been welcoming and not uppity or pretentious, and we have the most wonderful people working for us. If someone working for us ever has to leave, it is so sad. It is like a divorce.” It could also be argued that Becker Vineyards’ success during the last quarter century is largely due to Bunny Becker’s willingness to take risks, whether that meant being the first in Texas to plant viognier grapes or going against seasoned advice to harvest what she loved. “We had visited France and tasted their lovely wines and I especially loved the viognier. I wanted to plant it because I thought the terrain here was so similar to the terrain there,” Bunny Becker says, adding that a consultant they hired from Temecula, Calif., balked at the idea. “We planted it anyway. We were the first to plant it in Texas, and it has been one of our greatest sellers. People just loved it.” The Beckers’ very first vintage of viognier also garnered the attention of Robert Mondavi, who later shared with them the key to making good wine: Never cut corners when it comes to winemaking. The Beckers took his advice to heart and today use 3,400 barrels to produce the very best wines possible. Indeed, Becker Vineyards is the largest purchaser of French and American oak
Rae Wilson Founder of Wine for the People, sommelier and winemaker Before making her mark on the Texas Hill Country wine scene, Rae Wilson spent more than two decades immersed in the restaurant industry, working as a server and bartender to help pay the bills for her more creative (and less lucrative) artistic pursuits. When she became interested in wine, the St. Louis native earned an advanced certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust and became a certified sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers. “After studying wine, I realized that I wanted to complete that circle and I wanted to learn more about production,” Wilson recalls. She became certified in Napa, Calif., and decided to stay for a harvest. She landed a harvest internship in the area at Artesa Winery, which sits at the southern tip of Napa Valley, and after working through the harvest, she was offered a cellar position. “Working in a cellar is very industrial and very physical work,” Wilson says. “You work until it is done; there are no hours and it is a very physically taxing and extremely challenging time of the year, but I loved it the same. There aren’t many women in the cellar. Women can definitely do it, but it is rarely encouraged, which is why there are still such low statistics of women winemakers. You can learn in the classroom, but getting out in the cellars and getting those positions is a bit harder.” Despite the challenges, Wilson wanted to do it again, this time in a more remote locale. She took on cellar positions in various areas of Portugal in 2009, working two harvests in one year because of the vastly different climates. “I wanted to go somewhere much more traditional, so I decided to go to Portugal because I had a desire to learn their traditional methods of winemaking,” Wilson says. “Portugal’s wines are just incredible and had always grabbed me, yet at the same time, they were always kind of overlooked, so there was a mystery around them and I was really intrigued.” After the harvests, Wilson took notice of the flourishing Texas wine industry and headed to the Lone Star State to pursue her own projects. In 2010, she created Wine for the People, cultivating community through wine culture and events for a greater impact. “I never would have thought I would be making wine in Texas,” she says. “But it’s incredible to feel like you are contributing to a young region that’s still establishing itself. We are all still discovering and exploring that story as it is unfolding. And that, to me, is extremely exciting.” For Wilson, wine is inherently about community. Wine, as she puts it, is what connects the earth under our feet to the hands that make it and those who share it.
about 1,500 cases per year and I thought we would never sell that much wine. I told Richard he had better start drinking! Now we make about 120,000 cases per year.” The Beckers still maintain their daily lives in San Antonio, but you can find them at the winery every Saturday, filling their weekend with Hill Country bliss just like they set out to do all those years ago.
“As Texas continues to establish and emerge as a wine state, a really big component is that people here identify with that and feel connected to that,” Wilson says. Wilson currently has two production projects: Dandy Rosé, a boutique dry rosé that’s 100 percent grown and produced in Texas, and The Grower Project, which bottles single-site, high-quality wines made from 100 percent Texas grapes and focuses on telling the stories of the winemakers behind them. “Every bottling we do is a single-vineyard bottling, so we work with growers around the state and do bottlings just off that site and tell the stories of what’s unique about the site and the growers,” she says. “The more familiarity we have with the names of the people and the places where the wine comes from, the more it will help build the fabric of what the industry can grow from.”
“Women can definitely do it, but it is rarely encouraged, which is why there are still such low statistics of women winemakers.”
ATXWOMAN.COM | 73
THE COMMUNITY BUILDER
barrels in the Lone Star State. Just this year, Becker Vineyards won four Double Gold medals at the San Francisco Chronicle International Wine Competition for its 2015 cabernet sauvignon reserve (Wilmeth family), 2015 cabernet sauvignon reserve (Canada Family), 2016 reserve merlot and 2014 Raven. “It gets bigger every year,” Bunny Becker says. “We started with
OURMET
RECIPE REVEAL
MAKING HAY
Head bartender Sarah Rahl shares Four Seasons Hotel Austin’s new Hay Maze cocktail. BY CHELSEA PRIBBLE
Inspired by seasonal ingredients, Sarah Rahl, head bartender at Four Seasons Hotel Austin, concocted a robust fall recipe with her New England home in mind. One sip of the Hay Maze cocktail is like biting into a freshly picked apple straight from an orchard followed by a brisk jaunt through a maze lined with hay. Hints of clove, cinnamon and pepper provide warmth, while pear liqueur adds a unique flavor profile. “Growing up in Maine, we would have those actual crisp fall-weather days that you don’t see here in Texas,” Rahl says. “I miss that. So, I wanted to remind people it is actually fall.” The Hay Maze is among an expansive menu of cocktails set to premiere this fall with the opening of the hotel’s new restaurant, Ciclo (Spanish for “cycle” and a nod to its changing menu offerings each season), and bar, Live Oak. “Our space is doubling in size. We have a few cocktails that are going to be pitcher-style cocktails, so people can go out on the lawn, come in groups, pour and enjoy the space that we have,” Rahl says. “That’s what we’re all waiting for.” The cocktails are crafted to pair well with the menu’s innovative dishes. Rahl recommends enjoying Hay Maze with ceviche or as an after-dinner drink.
HAY MAZE COCKTAIL Serves one
Ingredients 3/4 ounce Havana Club Rum 1/4 ounce Pere Francois VSOP Calvados 1 ounce St. George Spiced Pear Liqueur 1/2 ounce lemon juice 1/2 ounce maple syrup 1 bar spoon St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram Directions 1. Combine all ingredients and shake; don’t stir. 2. P our the cocktail over ice into a Collins glass. 3. Add the garnish of your choice (Rahl recommends fried-apple threads.) and savvily sip.
74 | AUSTIN WOMAN | OCTOBER OCTOBER 2018 2018
Pro tip: For larger servings, pour the cocktail ingredients into a punch bowl and dilute it with sparkling water to taste.
Sarah Rahl photo courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel Austin. Cocktail photo by Damon Luu.
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OURMET
FOOD NEWS
A TASTE OF AUSTIN
The James Beard Foundation brings its culinary tour to the Texas capital. Any foodie worth her salt knows the weight the James Beard Foundation name carries. It has been setting the bar for top-quality restaurants since launching the inaugural James Beard Foundation Awards in 1991. This year, the foundation is bringing its annual Taste America culinary tour to Austin. The announcement has local chefs buzzing about the event, which Holy Roller Chef Callie Speer says acts as a barometer for the level at which this city is operating. “Austin’s been on the buzz list for a bit now,” she says, “but to be selected as one of just 10 cities for this event by JBF underscores just how Ariana Quant far this city has come.” This is thanks, in part, to Austinites’ propensity to dine out. A 2016 industry study found Austin restaurants among the largest revenue earners on average, just behind culinary meccas like New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C. Speer will work alongside other top Austin cooking professionals, including Pastry Chef Ariana Quant of Uchiko, in the much anticipated dinner that’s part of the weekend-long shindig. Quant says such collaborations are what make the Austin culinary scene so great. “I think it’s a healthy competition here in Austin between chefs and restaurants,” she says. “There are so many new restaurants opening every year. It keeps everyone on their toes to keep standing out above the rest. Collaboration is inevitable here. Chefs in Austin are all intertwined.” Both chefs say it’s this mutual respect for passion and talent that begets the close-knit service industry here. “To have others 76 | AUSTIN WOMAN | OCTOBER 2018
to lean on, to learn from, makes the painstaking process of conceptualizing, launching and keeping a restaurant up and running a little easier,” Speer says. And that support network pays off. Restaurateurs are more likely to take risks with bold concepts or new cuisines, inspiring the rest of the hospitality ecosystem. Sure, it might mean another challenger in the ring, but there’s no better teacher than a good competitor. Likely appealing to the James Beard Foundation is the idea that, in many ways, an area’s identity is cooked into its cuisine, and that’s definitely the case in Austin. “There’s always a unique footprint in each city’s scene reflective of Callie Speer the regional ingredients, climate, history and general vibe,” Speer says. Austin’s footprint is diverse and vibrant, something Speer is confident will manifest itself during the JBF Taste America dinner, food tastings and zerowaste demonstrations. For Speer and Quant, events like this enable the outside world to taste how food is approached in the heart of Texas. “Austin has been known for years as a good food town. Hosting James Beard events will continue to draw people to our town and hopefully diversify the food scene even more in the next couple of years,” Quant says. “I’m absolutely thrilled to be a part of this event. This is a huge steppingstone for chefs and helps put chefs on the map nationwide.” Whether you’ve booked a ticket for the Nov. 16 dinner or are just stopping by Sur la Table at Domain Northside to check out the book signings and free demonstrations, Speer assures that Taste America: Austin will be a delicious experience.
Ariana Quant photo by Claire Hogan. Callie Speer and food photo by Robert Lerma.
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OURMET
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BEHIND THE FOAM
Four Austin baristas share a whole ‘latte’ about brewing up their favorite photogenic coffee creations. BY COURTNEY RUNN Coffee is an art. Baristas train extensively and even compete in national competitions to perfect the ideal cup of coffee and develop elaborate concoctions. Perhaps their most photogenic creation is a social-media favorite, latte art. In 2017, Austin hosted a qualifying
competition for the U.S. Coffee Championships, which included an impressive Latte Art Throwdown. Whether you want to learn from the greats or simply get the perfect Instagram-worthy cup of joe, these ladies are showing us all how it’s done.
WENDY WU Coffee shop: Wild Chix & Waffles Favorite latte-art design: “My top three favorites are swan, bear or heart.”
SELINA GONZALES Coffee shop: Greater Goods Coffee Roasters Favorite latte-art design: “I’m currently enjoying pouring swans. They are new and challenging for me but fun!” Hardest part of making latte art: “It’s easy to get nervous and get shaky hands when people watch you pour and have high expectations.”
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Photos courtesy of Wild Chix & Waffles and Greater Goods Coffee Roasters.
How she takes her coffee: “My favorite drink at Wild Chix has to be the matcha latte, which is our most popular drink. Made with premium matcha green tea from Aichi prefecture in Japan, the drink is complex, aromatic and umami-rich.”
CAMILLE GRAYBEAL Coffee shop: Merit Coffee Favorite latte-art design: “Rosetta” Best thing about being a barista: “Being able to meet people from different walks of life that I wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to interact with.”
CAITLIN MARR Coffee shop: Patika Favorite latte-art design: “Honestly, stupid things like sad faces.”
Photos courtesy of Merit Coffee and Patika.
How she takes her coffee: “Cappuccinos for the morning. Iced vanilla lattes when I want a treat.”
ATXWOMAN.COM | 79
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ELLNESS
EAT THIS, NOT THAT
PUMPKIN BUTTER: IT’S THE JAM!
Enjoy a sweet treat that will keep you satisfied. BY JENNY HOFF
There is a better way to top off your toast than with traditional jelly. Pumpkin butter delivers a sweet treat that won’t spike your blood sugar and will keep you satisfied longer. Made with the whole fruit and combined with all-natural sugar and freshly harvested cinnamon, pumpkin butter is the perfect way to ring in fall. With potassium, beta carotene and fiber, pumpkin butter also satisfies a sweettooth hankering while enabling your body to get the nutrients it craves.
Eat this: pumpkin butter Not that: traditional jelly Says who: Willi Kruse, founder of Barton Creek Crossing, started her company after her homemade pumpkin and apple spreads started selling out at local farmers markets. “I would meet up with customers at grocery stores to give them a new jar because they loved it so much,” she says. Kruse and her husband then built a large facility on their farm in Dripping Springs, Texas, to make their organic sweet treat with Texas-grown heritage pumpkins, filtered rainwater, natural sugar and high-quality cinnamon. They started producing more of their delicious spread and put it on the shelves at H-E-B, Whole Foods and other grocery stores. Why: Traditional jelly is often laden with processed sugar and preservatives, spiking blood sugar and keeping you craving sweets all day. Barton Creek Crossing’s pumpkin butter and apple butter are diabetic-friendly, won’t spike blood sugar and have a lower glycemic index, thanks to the fiber content of the whole fruit and the fresh cinnamon Kruse and her family use. Healthy flavor enhancer: Cinnamon is more than just a delicious addition to fall desserts and drinks. The antioxidant-rich spice is considered one of the healthiest and lowers blood sugar, fights inflammation and is even thought to boost metabolism. More than just a topping: While it’s delicious on toast, you can use pumpkin butter in many recipes. Kruse suggests starting your morning with a pumpkin-butter smoothie by blending a couple tablespoons of the spread with your choice of milk, protein powder and ice. “The pumpkin butter is sweet enough that you don’t need to add any other sweetener,” she says. “If I have one of those in the morning, I’m not hungry again until the late afternoon.” You can also use it as an ice-cream topper, an addition to plain yogurt or oatmeal, and as a healthy alternative for sweetening fall desserts.
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ELLNESS
WAITING ROOM
SAVE THE NIPPLE
Dr. Heather King is pioneering nipple-delay surgery in Texas and optimizing surgical and aesthetic outcomes for breast-cancer and high-risk patients. BY CHELSEA PRIBBLE For Dr. Heather King, nipple-delay surgery is a no-brainer. Despite being a fellowship-trained breast surgeon at Texas Breast Specialists with additional training in oncoplastic surgeries, King first caught wind of the procedure when details of actress Angelina Jolie’s double mastectomy made headlines in 2013. With a piqued curiosity and desire to optimize surgical outcomes for her patients, King is pioneering nipple-delay surgery in the state of Texas. She is also among only a handful of surgeons nationwide utilizing the procedure. King sat down with Austin Woman to shed light on this life-altering procedure. Delay surgery is an older plastic-surgery technique, yet it is often left off the table as an option for breast-cancer patients, despite being fairly simple and intuitive. For more commonplace nipple-sparing mastectomies, multiple incisions cut off the blood supply to the nipple. With nipple-delay surgery, several weeks prior to the mastectomy, the doctor makes one incision underneath the breast to increase blood flow to the nipple from the surrounding skin. The goal of the surgery is to allow patients with compromised blood flow caused by smoking,
diabetes or even larger breasts to have a real chance to save their nipples. “I want to do everything I can do to maximize my surgical outcomes because that’s my patient,” King says. “For nipple-delay surgery, I go in and lift up the skin and the nipple-areola complex away from the breast, use the same scars that I’m going to use at the time of the mastectomy and then just sew that down. Then I go back two to three weeks later and perform the mastectomy.” According to King, nipple-delay surgery has a 100 percent success rate. Though it is an extra surgery, it answers oncologic questions that help breast-cancer and high-risk patients make vital, next-step decisions. King also performs a biopsy while conducting the nipple-delay procedure to rule out any additional concerns. “I usually do a biopsy behind the nipple as well, just in case,” she says. “I take that little tissue out, and I also tag where that area is. [Patients] go home the same day.” King is adamant breast-cancer patients should know all their options, particularly when it comes to mastectomies and all they entail. As an innovator in nipple-delay surgery, she discusses the procedure with her medical partners regularly and even welcomes outof-town colleagues who want to learn more. “To me, it’s an evolution of breast-cancer care. I see a lot of women who aren’t even offered nipple-sparing mastectomies, even in Austin,” King says. “I think [nipple-delay surgery] should be used more widely, and I think if more people did it, they would realize the benefit.”
Headshot photo courtesy of Dr. Heather King.
“To me, it’s an evolution of breastcancer care.”
84 | AUSTIN WOMAN | OCTOBER 2018
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Texas Breast Specialists is aATXWOMAN.COM part of Texas Oncology. | 85
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ELLNESS
HER ROUTINE
ROCK STAR
Bouldering champ Maya Madere is climbing hand over hand to the top of her sport.
Photo by Merrick Ales.
BY GRETCHEN M. SANDERS
86 | AUSTIN WOMAN | OCTOBER 2018
Maya Madere excels at solving problems. She can look at a climbing wall and determine the best way to ascend it. The sport, called bouldering, requires athletes to climb short routes, known as problems, without a rope. Madere is a master. “Bouldering is more about completing difficult moves than gaining height,” the 19-year-old Madere says. In 2016, Madere won the Bouldering Youth National Championships in Madison, Wis. Later that year, she placed third in bouldering at the World Youth Championships in Guangzhou, China. Last year, she completed the most difficult climb of her life at Magic Wood in Switzerland, an alpine bouldering paradise. Today, Madere is ranked 39th in the world in the women’s competition. “The purpose for climbing indoors is to get better at climbing outdoors on real rocks,” says Madere, who loves scrambling up granite structures at Hueco Tanks in El Paso, Texas, and basalt cliffs at Smith Rock State Park in Oregon. Until recently, Madere trained at Crux Climbing Center, Austin Bouldering Project and Austin Rock Gym. Last month, the Anderson High School graduate left home for California, where she will climb for Stanford University. Here’s how this rock star keeps moving like a mountain goat. THE A.M.: “I like to eat scrambled eggs in the morning. I’m a big breakfast person.” THE WORKOUT: “I climb for two to five hours for three days in a row, and I rest on the fourth day. On some days, I’ll climb at Austin Bouldering Project in the morning and at Crux in the afternoon. Climbing requires tremendous upper-body and core strength. Leg strength is not as critical. I do core workouts for six to 30 minutes almost every day, plus drills where I climb hand over hand without using my feet. It’s important to have general overall fitness, finger and forearm strength. I don’t do much cross-training or cardio.”
THE DIET: “I eat whatever I want. If I have too much sugar, bread or artificial food, then I don’t feel or climb well. I love quinoa and anything that grows on a tree. My mom makes a delicious massaged-raw-kale salad. I’m an adventurous eater, so I enjoy trying dishes in other countries. Since I’m super active, I’m used to eating so much food. Sweets are my biggest weakness.” THE GEAR: “I climb in Evolv shoes. They press your toes into a small point and have rubber soles for gripping polyurethane holds. If I’m climbing every day, I can go through a pair in a month; the rubber runs thin fast. Some climbs require quickdraws, carabiners, rope and a belay device to go up and down. I use chalk to keep my hands dry. It reduces friction and helps me grip holds better. When I climb outside, I’ll use a crash pad to cushion falls and a brush to clean holds. Dirt, moss, sweat and hand grease can build up and make them slippery. Stretchy athletic clothes work best for this sport.” THE MOTIVATION: “The first time I went to a climbing gym, I said, ‘This is what I want to do with my life.’ I was 10 years old. Climbing affords me a flow state. It’s gratifying.” THE MINDSET: “I try not to think while I’m on the wall. Quitting is not an option. Pain is weakness leaving the body.” THE P.M.: “My training and home life are pretty separate. When I’m at home, I’m a lazy athlete who watches movies. When I’m at the gym, I’m a serious athlete. After a long day of training, I shower, eat and crash.”
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P
OINT OF VIEW
I AM AUSTIN WOMAN
FIGHTING FOOD INSECURITY
Executive Director Jo Kathryn Quinn shares how Caritas of Austin works tirelessly to house and feed those most in need in Austin while creating a more vibrant and strong community. also by the safety and respect they experience. They get a needed break from the weather and lack of comfort they experience on the streets. They feel human again. For our clients who have been placed in safe housing, our food pantry allows individuals and families to gather the ingredients they need to make the meals they want to eat. While there are some reasonable limits on the amount of food available to each client, we place no restrictions on what our At Caritas of Ausclients can and can’t tin, we serve people bring home with them. without a stable We also work with place to call home. other food-support Prevailing research organizations in Austin shows permanent to ensure our clients housing, not merely have adequate access shelters, provides and resources. We are the best exit from conscientious about the life on the streets to services we offer, maka life that supports ing sure we aren’t dupliwell-being. We work cating the work of other with property ownorganizations, instead, ers throughout Ausfilling the gaps and adtin to provide housdressing real needs in ing for clients so the community. they feel integrated Eradicating homeinto the community lessness is not merely rather than segreabout placing people in gated into housing Our clients appreciate the meals, but more so, homes and apartments. that sets them apart We understand our clithe sense of community and togetherness from other Austin ents want to reach their residents. of joining others around a table. full potential, which ofLast year, we ten includes gaining achoused nearly 600 cess to education, career guidance, mental health care and, of course, individuals and families. Ninety-seven percent of those served in sustainable and healthy meals to keep fed, energized and active. our Supportive Housing program remain housed, even after years of Next month, we honor Hunger and Homelessness Awareness living on the streets. Week (Nov. 10 through 18), a time to turn even greater attention Of course, homelessness exacts harsh consequences to one’s to the conditions and policies that impact access to housing and physical safety, mental health and sense of community. Those employment. Living in a safe home, in my view, is a basic husurviving without a home also face a constant struggle with food man right. In the U.S., we have all the research, intelligence and insecurity. How and where will they find their next meal? resources needed to combat this problem in a meaningful and In our effort to build well-being in a holistic way, we offer several lasting way. Yet the problem persists. We still have more work to programs to address the hunger brought about by homelessness. do. Thankfully, the City of Austin has made this issue a priority in In our Caritas Community Kitchen, we serve hot, healthy lunches policy and funding considerations. to 200 people five days a week. Our guests are welcomed on a noThe name of our organization, Caritas, means love and charity in questions-asked basis. Kindness is our first order of business, and our Latin. Showing love and kindness to our neighbors is the greatest volunteers are trained to cultivate this culture first and foremost. gift we can offer. We invite anyone interested in serving with us to Our clients appreciate the meals, but more so, the sense of comend homelessness to connect with Caritas of Austin. You can find us munity and togetherness of joining others around a table. They tell at caritasofaustin.org. us they’re refreshed not only by the nourishment of each meal, but 88 | AUSTIN WOMAN | OCTOBER 2018
Photo courtesy of Caritas of Austin.
Where I was raised, in small-town Louisiana, there was no such thing as homelessness. If there was, the rest of us in the tiny community didn’t see any sign of it. Not until I went to New York City in the late 1970s did I encounter someone living on the streets. I was appalled and shocked. How in our wealthy, First World country could people have nowhere to live? I felt called to act and devoted much of my life since working to end homelessness.
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