Page 1B • The Leader • January 18, 2014 • @heightsleader
Winter means Green if you’re eating seasonal
The farm stand
by Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
Eating organic is all about enjoying what’s in season so I hope you like greens. Collard, mustard and turnip greens, kohlrabi, kale, swiss shard and broccoli are available vegetables at The Farm Stand on Wakefield in Garden Oaks right now, as well as cauliflower and red beets. Mickey Morales heads up the crew of The Farm Stand – who all come to the market rain or shine – and says that the end of the month will mark the stand’s two
year anniversary. They are now being hosted by Texas Auto Group and Morales thanks them for their hospitality. Because the available space for the market is limited, Morales allows farmers to bring other people’s products. He even sells chickens from Bryan Farm Chickens himself. “It’s on an honor system,” he said with regard to the organic nature of the outside products. But since the vendors who are selling them are equally committed to the organic movement, it is ample oversight. If you come for Morales’ killer
omelets and breakfast tacos with farm fresh ingredients, stay and shop with the rest of the crew. The Purma family, who lives just down the street, comes every weekend for breakfast and to buy farm fresh eggs. There are also craft vendors from time to time. Here’s a run down of some of what’s available: Cathy Sullivan of Happy Heart Farms sells produce, eggs and citrus as well as honey, olive oil and goat cheese. She says that the season for citrus is November through February, though like everyone else, she harvested trees before the recent cold snap. She also said that
Cathy Sullivan shows her organic produce to potential customers at The Farm Stand on Saturday.
WAITER OF THE MONTH
Cavatore’s Isaac Galvan ers. We’re like a big family. I want to retire from here. I can’t picture myself somewhere else.”
by Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com When Isaias “Isaac” Galvan began working as a waiter at Cavatore’s Italian Restaurant in 1987, he never expected that he’d still be serving customers at the renowned restaurant at 2120 Ella Blvd. “(It’s rare) if someone works for 10 years in a restaurant,” Galvan said. Galvan, 53, has come to love the customers and the atmosphere of Cavatore’s over the years. Q: What do you like the most about being a waiter at Cavatore’s? “Every day is different. You never have the same day. I like to be around people and talking to people. You learn food and wine. It’s very interesting. There are so many wines and so many flavors.” Q: You’ve served generations of customers. What has that been like? “They came in as young children and now they’re in college.
Q: Working at Cavatore’s has become a tradition for the Galvan family. Tell us about that. “My wife, Maria, works here as a busgirl. My 19-year-old daughter, Megan, a senior at Waltrip, is a busgirl and waitress and my 15year-old son, Junior, a freshman at Waltrip, is a busboy.”
Isaac Galvan has been a waiter at Cavatore’s Italian Restaurant since 1987. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter) Some are getting married. it’s nice to see they remember you. People come back to Houston and say ‘I have to eat here’.” Q: Do you enjoy working for the Cavatore Family? “The Cavatore Family are very nice people. If there’s an emergency, they say ‘just go take care of it.’ I love this place, from my heart. I love the family and my co-work-
Q: Do you have any pet peeves as a waiter? “When someone does something bad to my co-workers, I feel like they’re doing it to me.” Q: How do you want customers to walk away from the Cavatore’s experience? “I want to make the customer feel like they’re the best in the world, because they are the best.”
man, coastal look. Construction is picking up too at the site of the new Berryhill Baja Grill on 43rd Street in Oak Forest. Although owner Park Blair was unavailable for comment, a representative from the corporate office said that they expect Blair to announce an opening date in the next two months. It won’t be soon enough for area residents. One place where there is not a lot going on is the future site of Surfing Cowboys – once the home of That Pizza Place on Ella, at 3322 Ella Blvd. Liberty Kitchen’s representative tells The Leader that there are no current construction plans either for Surfing Cowboys or Lee’s Fried Chicken and Doughnuts. The focus right now is starting work on the Liberty Kitchen in Austin. Culture Map reports that MAM’s House of Ice has a permanent location at 1040 West Cavalcade about a mile away from their former stand. The 780-square-
foot storefront will remain open now through the grand opening of the new restaurant in late January according to co-owner Ariana Espinoza who owns the “snoball” emporium along with Mary Ann Mcbee (whose initials are the venue’s namesake). Espinoza told CultureMap that the house-like trailer that sat at 20th and Rutland Street will no longer be parked at that location, but will instead cater private events and visit festivals. It will also travel to different neighborhoods. You can get your snoball fix Tuesday-Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. Upcoming Events As Elizabeth Villarreal reported in her Neighbors column, the Leather Apron Foundation will host the Leather Apron Round Up from 6-10 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25 at SPJST Hall, 1435 Beall
see Nibbles • Page 3B
sustainable farming since 1989. Gus left his job as a mechanic six years ago and this is how he is enjoying his retirement. They farm five acres and bring the bounty to The Farm Stand. The Farm Stand operates from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturdays at 948 Wakefield.
Can you guess what it is? Turn to page 2B
3-7 Daily
Free Wi-Fi
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Wide Selection of Ice Cold Beer and Wine www.TheBrewHouseTexas.com
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Do you have a favorite waiter, waitress or bartender in the Leader area? We’d love to feature them in an upcoming Food/Drink section.
Restaurant Roundup …and other Leader Nibbles Ken Bridge is ready to roll on his first Tex Mex restaurant, which will be called The El. Already a well-known restaurateur in the area with a growing track record of success: Pink’s Pizza, Shepherd Park Draught House, Lola and Witchcraft Tavern & Provisions, the newest addition to the culinary queue is expected to be open at 602 Studewood by Cinco de Mayo. Also Bridge’s Dragon Bowl, formerly at 1221 W. 11th St. in the Heights (which is now the current location of Bridge’s Witchcraft Tavern) is expected to open in another Heights location – still to be determined – toward the end of the year. Workers are also busy at Facundo Restauranté on Alba Road in Garden Oaks. Miguel Facundo said, “Everything looks good and we are moving along again. I’d like to open in May/June but it’s also up to the city and city inspections.” The restaurant is still expected to be continental fare with a Crafts-
her eggs are in short supply October through January. Even though her chickens are slightly domesticated, their nature kicks in and the fear of having babies who won’t survive the cold slows down egg production. “I always sell out,” she said. Angela Winston who was profiled recently by Elizabeth Villarreal in the Neighbors column sells treats from Liberation Gluten Free Bakery every other weekend. She said that her brownies and cookies are top sellers and has recently introduced an allergy free pizza crust. On alternate weekends, Chef Megan Rasmussen sells her baked goods and preserves. Nisha’s Quick N Ezee Indian Food’s big sellers are the Lamb Samosa and the Chicken Tikka Masala although there are vegan and vegetarian options as well. Many of the all natural ingredients to make the food are purchased by owner Manish Puri at the Eastside Farmers Market where he is a vendor as well. Kristi Edmonson from Kristi’s Kitchen and her husband split their time on Saturdays. She comes to The Farm Stand and her husband goes to the Farmers Market at Imperial in Sugar Land to sell her homemade jellies. She said the Texas Pepper Jelly is popular as is the Meyer Lemon Jelly. In order to control temperature and consistency, her batches are small – one batch equals about six jars of jelly. Lastly, Pam and Gus Nawara from Rosenberg along with daughter Joyce Marie have been doing
Addie Peck enjoys the appetizer of the month at Spaghetti Western Italian Café.
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