Mv - Memorial Villages Magazine

mar + apr 2023

MILLER OUTDOOR turns 100 ART Festival

The French Cowboy Rides Again

New Astros Book Shines A Light

Big Oil Chevron Rakes

The True Art of Living Well – The Village of Tanglewood

A Houston tradition in luxury senior living, The Village of Tanglewood offers discerning seniors an elegant lifestyle and maintenance-free living with a host of services and amenities, each designed to allow residents to Live Life Well®. The luxury senior living community allows residents to experience the best of all worlds, with the freedom to enjoy friends, community ties, and personal interests, along with superb dining and worry-free transportation—all included in your monthly lease.

There is a lot of positive energy at The Village of Tanglewood! The community has a fully operational generator. With this full-building generator, there is no outlet that can hide. The entire building will be powered which will eliminate the need to evacuate residents, ensure power for necessary equipment, provide safety and security during inclement weather, prevent mold growth, and food from spoiling. The on-site generator will also ensure that systems such as refrigerators, stoves, and air-conditioning will be served without missing a beat.

As sole owners of the latest, most advanced piece of equipment, The Village of Tanglewood has full rights of usage. This is advantageous compared to most communities leasing the equipment where they are at the mercy of others in when and how they are able to use the generator. The Village of Tanglewood prioritizes the safety and comfort of its residents to be able to have the freedom to utilize such an important piece of equipment without any potential obstacles.

The Village of Tanglewood is located minutes from the Galleria, Theatre District, and the Texas Medical Center, allowing us to provide access to the best that Houston has to offer.

The Village of Tanglewood believes that your apartment home should be as appealing as its premier location. With high-quality design details and finishes, such as nine-foot ceilings, crown molding, spacious walk-in closets, stainless steel appliances, washer & dryers, and balconies, our residents enjoy traditional, luxury living.

We’ve

Got the Power

Join The Village of Tanglewood for monthly events or visit for lunch to experience its excellent culture and a taste of tradition in luxury senior living. Visit our website, www.villageoftanglewood.com or call 346-800-5981 to schedule a tour and lunch.

(346) 800-6119

Powered by the latest generation, state-of-the-art generator, e Village of Tanglewood provides its residents the safety and security to weather whatever mother nature has in store. As the only senior living company in Houston with the newest high-powered generators, residents are able to live with peace of mind knowing

HOUSTON METHODIST

MORE THAN A HOSPITAL

One-Stop Access for All Your Health Care Needs

Houston Methodist in the Texas Medical Center is more than just a hospital. We offer a full spectrum of care, including:

• Specialty physician offices, imaging and labs

• Teams of experts using the newest technologies

• Personalized care tailored to your unique needs

• Six centers of excellence in cancer, cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology, orthopedics and sports medicine, and transplant

To find a doctor, visit houstonmethodist.org/more or call 713.790.3333.

Celebrating

Spring Returns In All Its Glory

s those 25 years of age or older already know, while a lot happens in those two-plus decades, it all moves too fast. Intown celebrates its silver anniversary, which is rare in the magazine business. In the overall media business, two decades is an eternity. In 1997 when Intown published its first edition, the internet had barely begun. Newspapers still ruled. Facebook and Twitter did not exist. A year later, in 1998, a little company called Google began to change the world as we know it.

As I’ve written, this is my favorite time of the year for many reasons. This year particularly has me buzzing after three years of wondering when the next shoe would drop on a pandemic that wouldn’t quit. However, the 2023 spring season is underway and ready to flourish with festivals, concerts, and the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Houston will host the final four again, as we did in 2011 and 2016.

There is little time to reflect on the media business; the winners and losers get weeded out quickly. With each calendar change, I have a sense of renewal and promise to do better. Growing my company, reading more, losing some weight, and being more thoughtful come to mind. The new year is a time of renewal with who write and what they write about, along with many new design ideas. After two long years of grappling with the pandemic, the aftermath of paradigm shifts has created a new landscape.

With the first crack of the bat and Opening Day against the White Sox, the Astros will defend their World Series Championship.

The famed Miller Outdoor Theatre, which has long been one of Houston’s best assets, is preparing for its 100th birthday party to kick off on St Paddy’s Day.

My renewal thoughts consist of less negativity, division, or downtrodden articles about many things wrong with our society. What about some of the bright spots that push us forward through the fog of life?

Our new motto is to inspire, entertain and inform. How can we help improve our city and our lives? Contributing in some way to making Houston a better place is a good starting point for the next 25 years of Intown. Looking back, we have been doing quite a bit of this already, which may be why we have survived the first 25 years.

The season bursts with azaleas and is far too short, but the spectacular rainbow colors dotting the landscape throughout Houston are synonymous with the beginning of our springtime. Enjoy it while you can because the heat is coming.

Recently Houston came in as the Number 11 best place to live according to America’s Best Cities reports in 2022. It came in at number four in the areas such as economic might and attraction. Contributing to the livability is the 100-year-old always, free Miller Outdoor Theatre. Originally it was designed as a Corinthian-style limestone building built by Tom Tellepsen (see page 12). The new building was built in 1968, designed by Eugene Werlin and Associates, and won many awards.

Intown’s initial focus was to promote business in the Upper Kirby District. The magazine and now its website houstonintown.com continue to expand with its roots still in Upper Kirby. The company that publishes Intown now publishes eight titles mailed to 25 neighborhoods in Houston and Cypress, Texas neighborhoods. We hope to continue and renew our mission to inform, entertain and inspire.

A Look Back at Some of our Most Inspiring, Informative, and entertaining:

Carrabba’s The Original

The Houston Livestock and Rodeo will likely break records coming off of the pandemic, and with the lineup of the current and former star, it is no wonder. Brooks and Dunn, a longtime rodeo favorite, returns with new country stars Zac Brown, Chris Stapleton, and others, including New Kids on The Block.

30 years of Amazing - Yvette Streit

Pulitzer Prize in Perspective: Lisa Falkenberg

Raising The Bar by Jeanette Clift George

Julep – A Bar For the Southerner in Us All

Toufic Elsaadi’s Journey From a Refugee Camp to Montrose

Making Cancer History

Avondale House

Tom Flanagan: Intown’s Medical Person of the Year

The Cannes Experience

The Astros will defend for the second time in six years since the 2017 title and cheating scandal. Former local Astros beat writer Evan Drellich has penned his first book about the Astros with Winning Fixes Everything. The book review is inside these pages and offers a glimpse into the somewhat chaotic and win-at-all-costs philosophy, which eventually led to the suspensions of their manager and GM, Jeff Luhnow. Mr. Luhnow has denied knowing about the sign-stealing scheme that occurred, but there is some evidence presented that does implicate him in a way the league thought detrimental. If he didn’t know, he seems to have taken the brunt of the blame and punishment despite others who willfully cheated without much consequence.

Go to www.houstonintown.com to read these inspiring stories and many others.

Arts +

SPECIAL EVENTS

Artupdate houston published every two weeks by houstonintown. Go to website and sign up for newsletter to receive free update.

Houston Museum Of Natural Science

Special Exhibits

MUSEUMS

Asia Society Texas Center

Lain Singh Bangdel: Moon Over Kathmandu

Ongoing through April 30 2023

Museum Of Fine Arts, Houston

None Whatsoever: Zen Paintings from the Gitter-Yelen Collection

Through May 14

Portrait of Courage: Gentileschi, Wiley, and the Story of Judith

Through April 16

Golden Worlds: The Portable Universe of Indigenous Columbia

Through April 16

New Galleries for Art of Islamic Worlds Opens

March 5

Contemporary Arts

Museum Houston

Jordan Strafer: Trilogy

On View thru July 28November 2023

Amoako Boafo: Soul of Black Folks

Holocaust Museum Houston

Woman, the Spirit of the Universe

Ongoing through April 2

The Life and Art of Alice Lok Cahana

Ongoing through April 9

NCAA Men’s Final Four Tournament

NRG Stadium

April 1-3

Memorial Villages Farmers Market

Bayou City Art Festival

10840 Beinhorn

9 am -1 pm

Rain or Shine

Neighbors 1938. We were all Ladenburgers

Ongoing through June 18

Menil

Robert Motherwell Drawing: As Fast as the Mind Itself

Ongoing through Mar 12

Walter De Maria: Boxes for Meaningless Work

Through Apr 23

Wall Drawing Series: Mel Bochner

Ongoing through Sept

Art of the Cameroon Grassfields, A Living Heritage in Houston

Ongoing through July 9

The Curatorial Imagination of Walter Hopp

Mar 24-Aug 13

Transcending Audubon

Dreher Materworks1

Body Worlds & The Cycle of Life

King Tut’s Tomb

MUSIC & DANCE

Classical update by Philip Berquist

Let me continue to hear from you at classicalmusicberquist@gmail.com. For updates go to www.houstonintown.com

THEATER

ALLEY THEATRE

Cowboy Bob

March 3 - 26

Sherlock Holmes And The Case Of Jersey Lily

April 14 - May 7

The Odyssey

March 24 -April 23

Broadway Across America

Hobby Center

Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Through March 12

To Kill a Mockingbird

April 25 - 30

STAGES REPERTORY THEATER

Roe

Through March 5

Cullad Wattah

Through March 31

Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Feb 22 through March 12

Denise Fennell’S The Bride, Or: Does This Dress Make Me Look Married?

March 10 through May 14

SPORTS

Baseball - Houston Astros

Minute Maid Park

March

30-31 Chicago White Sox

April

1-2 Chicago White Sox

3-5 Detroit

14-16 Texas

17-19 Toronto

28-30 Philadelphia

Basketball - Houston Rockets

Edward Kienholz, Walter Hopps Hopps Hopps, 1959

Dewey James, Nature Dreams

Struggling to hear each day, even when using powerful hearing aids?

Feeling frustrated and sometimes even exhausted from listening? Being unable to hear impacts your ability to communicate with your loved ones, hear in noisy environments and talk on the phone. It may force you to rely on others to help you communicate.

Cochlear implants work di erently than hearing aids. Instead of making sounds louder, they use state-of-the-art electronic components and software to help provide access to the sounds you’ve been missing. Houston area audiologist, Dr. Arun Joshi, answers the top 5 questions about cochlear implants.

Q How are cochlear implants di erent than hearing aids?

Hearing aids help many people by making the sounds they hear louder. Unfortunately, as hearing loss gets worse, sounds not only need to be made louder, they need to be made clearer. Cochlear implants can help give you that clarity, especially in noisy environments.1

Q How do I know a cochlear implant will work for me? Cochlear hearing implant technology is very reliable. 2 In fact, it has been around for 40 years and Cochlear has provided more than 650,000 implantable hearing devices.

Q Is it major surgery? No, not at all. The procedure is often done on an outpatient basis and typically takes just a couple of hours.

Q Am I too old to get a cochlear implant? No, it’s never too late to regain access to the sounds you’re missing.

Q Are cochlear implants covered by Medicare? Yes, Medicare and most private insurance plans typically cover cochlear implants.*

Are your hearing aids not enough? Do you:

□ Have di culty hearing conversations with your hearing aids?

□ Have trouble hearing on the telephone?

□ Feel people often mumble when they talk?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, consider speaking with local audiologist Dr. Joshi or a member of our team.

I worked very hard to speak and hear with hearing aids for so long, but I nally learned that with my profound hearing loss, the best hearing aid in the world was not going to give me the clarity in speech I needed at my level of loss. My cochlear implant has, so quickly, taken me to a new level of hearing. It’s like I’m reliving my life again.”

1. The Nucleus Freedom Cochlear Implant System: Adult Post-Market Surveillance Trial Results. 2008 June.

2. Cochlear Limited. D1932780 V1 2021-03. Cochlear™ Nucleus® Reliability Report Volume 20, December 2021.

Cochlear Hearing Center is owned and operated by Cochlear Clinical Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cochlear Americas.

Please seek advice from your health professional about treatments for hearing loss. Outcomes may vary, and your health professional will advise you about the factors which could a ect your outcome. Always read the instructions for use. Not all products are available in all countries. Please contact your local Cochlear representative for product information. The Incredible Hulk is a trademark of Marvel Characters, Inc. Lou Ferrigno is a paid brand advocate for Cochlear; however, medical treatment and health decisions were made independently by him and his hearing health provider. ©2023 Cochlear Limited. All rights reserved. Trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of Cochlear Limited.

CAM-MK-PR-626 ISS1 FEB23

Dr. Arun Joshi, Cochlear Hearing Center Audiologist

Lou Ferrigno Cochlear implant recipient and “The Incredible Hulk ™”

Se habla español

26 W Shore Dr. | Bentwater

List Price $1,399,000 | MLS# 907734379496377

MILLER OUTDOOR THEATRE Celebrates

100 YEARS

Beverly Smith | Coldwell

| 713-569-2113

2424 Locke Ln | Avalon Place

List Price $2,950,000 | MLS# 96422383

| 713-320-6453

As the curtain rises on the 100th Anniversary performance season at Miller Outdoor Theatre (MOT), Houstonians and visitors alike can expect eight months of exceptional cultural arts programming plus four stellar 100th celebratory events, and as always, all free of charge to the public. Managing Director Cissy Segall Davis and a dedicated Board, spent years planning for this 100th “We think everyone in Houston will feel the Miller love and how grateful we are to have this jewel of an entertainment venue called Miller Outdoor Theatre to share with the world, says Davis. The 100th season kicks off March 17 when Irish eyes will smile when The Trinity Irish Dance Company brings their progressive Irish Dance to Houston for St. Patrick’s Day. The following evening transports all to 1923, the “birth” of Miller Outdoor Theatre, complete with a celebratory roaring 20s-themed extravaganza with Vaudeville performers, swing dance lessons, photo opportunities, and more. Additionally, the Board has launched a $12.5 million dollar capital campaign to raise the necessary funds to improve the visitor experience. From rock to Bach, Miller offers the best in live music, dance, theatre, and film. A few signature performances on the calendar include Juneteenth, the Houston Symphony Patriotic Fourth of July Also, there is the Houston Shakespeare Festival, Cinco de Mayo, and the Michael Jackson Experience, among many others.

Amazing recent construction modern traditional home by Winfrey Design Build in Avalon Place. Impeccable design and craftsmanship. Expansive open living areas with the finest finishes and collapsing doors at rear to bring the outside in on nice days. Contemporary wine storage and entertainer’s bar in main living area. Outdoor playground includes pool and spa, outdoor kitchen, covered patio. David M. Young | Compass RE Texas

Luxury lake living in this beautiful custom home on the #5 hole of the Miller Golf Course. Wall of windows for fabulous views of Lake Conroe in gated community. Primary bedrooms connected by an elevator and all have private balconies and breathtaking views and gorgeous sunrises.

Banker Realty

ART Returns to MEMORIAL PARK

Bayou City Art Festival, produced by Art Colony Association, Inc. (ACA) returns to Memorial Park for the annual Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 24-26, 2023 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Six nonprofits will benefit from a portion of the proceeds from the event, provide volunteers, and has the option to host a crafting station in the Active Imagination Zone. The six nonprofit partners benefiting from the Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park 2023 include, Art Reach, Fresh Arts, National Alliance on Mental Health Greater Houston, Orange Show For Visionary Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Women’s Fund for Health Education and Resiliency.

“With a long history of supporting art education and providing unique art experiences in Houston, we are pleased to again give back directly to the Houston nonprofit community through our partnerships,” said Kelly Batterson, Executive Director of ACA.

Patrons have the opportunity to meet artists, view original works, and purchase one-of-a-kind art, world-class paintings, prints, jewelry, sculptures, functional art, and more. This year’s featured artist is Dewey James, a mixed media artist from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

HOUSTON Livestock Show and RODEO

Tuesday, Feb.28

Opening Day, presented by Texas Capital Bank Parker McCollum

Wednesday, March 1

Armed Forces Appreciation Day, presented by Crown Royal, Brooks & Dunn

Thursday, March 2: Lauren Daigle

Friday, March 3

Black Heritage Day, presented by Kroger Bun B’s Southern Takeover

Saturday, March 4: Walker Hayes

Sunday, March 5: Zac Brown Band

Monday, March 6

First Responders Day, presented by BP America Jason Aldean

Tuesday, March 7: New Kids on The Block

Wednesday, March 8

Community Day, presented by TC Energy Jon Pardi

Thursday, March 9: Ashley McBryde

Friday, March 10: The Chainsmokers

Saturday, March 11: Turnpike Troubadours

Sunday, March 12

Go Tejano Day, presented by Fiesta MartLa Fiera de Ojinaga

Monday, March 13: Cody Jinks

Tuesday, March 14: Machine Gun Kelly

Wednesday, March 15: Kenny Chesney

Thursday, March 16: Chris Stapleton

Friday, March 17: Cody Johnson

Saturday, March 18: Brad Paisley

Sunday, March 19: Luke Bryan

RODEOHOUSTON Finals

Recently I had a very, very good weekend. On Friday evening, 10 February I attended the opening night performance of Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” by the Dallas Opera. More on that at the conclusion of this article.

Houston Symphony Orchestra

On Sunday, 12 February, I was in Jones Hall as the Houston Symphony performed part of its “Song of the Earth Festival” with performances of “Itinerary of an Illusion” by Q. Chen and “Das Lied von der Erde” (the Song of the Earth) by Gustav Mahler.

“Itinerary of an Illusion” opened quietly with a trumpet solo and the music slowly grew in tonal intensity to a glorious atonal scream. Then followed a haunting five note theme that various soloists and sections of the orchestra played variations on the five notes until the work slowly unwinded to its quite conclusion. Music Director Juraj Valčuha conducted with his own sweeping intensity.

“Das Lied von der Erde” (The Song of the Earth) is a symphony composed by Gustav Mahler between 1908 and 1909. It is considered one of

“Song of the Earth Festival” and “Das Rheingold” Review

Mahler’s most important works and is notable for its incorporation of Chinese poetry into the text of the vocal movements. The work is scored for two vocal soloists (a tenor and an alto / mezzo-soprano), a large orchestra, and a contralto solo in the final movement although, as is the current norm, the final movement is sung by the mezzo.

The soloists were Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano, and Clay Holley, tenor.

The symphony is divided into six movements, each of which sets a different Chinese poem to music. The poems are all translations, and were chosen by Mahler himself. The first movement, “Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde” (The Drinking Song of Earth’s Sorrow), sets a poem about the fleeting nature of life and the solace that can be found in wine. The second movement, “Der

Einsame im Herbst” (The Lonely One in Autumn), is a melancholic meditation on the passing of time. The third movement, “Von der Jugend” (Of Youth), is a joyful celebration of youth and the beauty of nature. The fourth movement, “Von der Schönheit” (Of Beauty), is a contemplative reflection on the fleeting nature of beauty. The fifth movement, “Der Trunkene im Frühling” (The Drunkard in Spring), is a lively and humorous portrayal of a drunken man stumbling through the springtime. The final movement, “Der Abschied” (The Farewell), is a poignant and emotional farewell to life, as the soloist sings of saying goodbye to the earth and all its beauty.

Mr. Hilly sang three of the six movements with gusto and with mild humorous swaggering gestures that represented the lighter aspects of his three movements. Ms. Cooke, however, had much more serious responsibilities for her three

movements. She sang with elegant vocal effects, especially in the long sixth movement, depicting the sad farewell to life, quietly singing, “ewig,” (farewell) seven times as the work concludes slowly, becoming quieter and quieter, which perfectly depicts, at least to me, a peaceful, yet sad, death and finality. Valčuha conducted with beautiful phrasing and attention to Mahler’s sometimes dense, sometimes sparse orchestrations. One gets the feeling that the orchestra is really enjoying playing under his leadership.

“Das Lied von der Erde” is considered a masterpiece of Mahler’s late period and is widely

admired for its powerful emotional impact and its unique blending of Western classical music and Chinese poetry. The work has been interpreted as a reflection of Mahler’s own feelings of isolation and longing, and it is often considered a reflection of the composer’s own feelings of isolation and longing. Mahler himself mentioned that this may have been his greatest work, although he never lived to hear it. Leonard Bernstein also has been quoted as saying that Das Lied was Mahler’s finest symphony. Das Lied was written after his Eighth Symphony and, being superstitious, Mahler did not call the work his Ninth

Symphony, knowing that the number 9 had been the final symphonies of Beethoven, Bruckner, Schubert, Dvorak and others. Ironically, his final work was his very last completed symphony, “9” so it seems that fate intervened after all.

The first performance was on 20 November 1911 in Munich, conducted by Bruno Walter, some six months after Mahler’s death at age 51.

Dallas Opera

This was my first experience with Dallas Opera, and it was very satisfying. It was also the first time to see Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” (the opening opera of his four opera, “The Ring of the Nibelungen) with the singers wearing helmets as the production returned to more traditional settings. Once, in London, I saw a version of Das Rheingold that had Wotan stepping out of a bathtub and Houston Grand Opera had Loge riding around the stage on a Segway so perhaps you see how much happier I was with the Dallas staging. Also the singing and the playing of the orchestra was exceptional however some severe technical lighting glitches were particularly annoying. The Winspear Opera house was stunning as were its acoustics. Unfortunately, apparently there are no announced plans on a complete “Ring of the Nibelung” cycle as was recently done in Houston. The Dallas Symphony, however, has announced two complete Ring Cycles from the stage in 2024.

That’s it for this issue of Intown. Let me continue to hear from you at classicalmusicberquist@ gmail.com.

Scene from Das Rheingold, Dallas Opera

Foodies Rejoice!

The French Cowboy Rides Again FOOD

by Marene Gustin

Philippe Schmit, aka The French Cowboy — “French born, but Texas proud!” — has spent the last couple of years as a caterer and private chef to the rich and famous in Houston. But that’s all about to change, as once again he rides into town to open his own restaurant.

Schmit, born on Christmas Day in Roanne, France, who worked at Michelin-starred restaurants in his native country, came to America in 1990 to work as a chef at Le Bernardin and later as chef de cuisine at Park Bistro. Later, he became executive chef at La Goulue and then Orsay in New York City. In 2004, he was lured to Houston to open bistro moderne inside Hotel Derek to much acclaim. He later opened his eponymous eatery Philippe Restaurant + Lounge, which Texas Monthly called one of Texas’ “Best New Restaurants.” He last cooked at Toulouse Café and Bar in the swanky River Oaks District in 2016, but quickly left.

Then Schmit, who holds the designation of Master Chef of France, started his own company to cater and host private dinners for his legion of devoted and drooling fans. But now he’s opening a new restaurant in Upper Kirby in mid-March.

“I always wanted to go back to cooking in a restaurant,” chef Schmit says. “For the past four or five years I’ve just been saving up my money.” Schmit says he’s put all of his savings into the new venture — PS-21 — with partner and fellow Frenchman Sébastien Laval, a restaurant consultant. “The PS obviously stands for Philippe Schmit. Or it could be Philippe and Sébastien,” he says. “And 21 was last year when we started it. I don’t gamble, but I’ve heard that 21 is a lucky number.”

Another thing the chef doesn’t do is drink. “But I’ve tasted all the cocktails on the menu, and they are wonderful.” PS21 will also serve a selection of French wines. As for the food, chef Schmit says it will obviously have a French background.

“There’s no French onion soup on the menu,” he says. “Even though I make the best. But my clients aren’t very French, so I have to cater to Houston tastes. I have always tried to cook more internationally. I don’t do a lot of cream sauce; I try to cook healthy.”

He has been playing around with a Bouillabaisse, a traditional French fish soup, with grilled fish. And there’s a steak tartare with a truffle vinaigrette he’s working on. Schmit says it will be a chef-driven menu, but also with a very neighborhood feel. A small, causal spot to eat and drink well. But he doesn’t have a favorite dish.

Schmit says, “if a customer asks, I say ‘everything is good on the menu!’’

PS-21 will be open for dinner initially, and then expand to lunch and brunch. It will be closed on Mondays. The partners have leased 2712 Richmond Ave. near Kirby Dr. It is in the old The Queen Vic pub spot that shuttered in 2018. It seats a little over 100, with a long bar, private dining room, and a tree-lined patio for 25.

“I’ve worked very hard to make a name for myself,” the chef says. “And I don’t take anything for granted.”

Speaking of working hard, while getting ready to open PS-21, chef Schmit has had to turn down catering jobs and private dinners. But he’s hopeful that once the restaurant gets up and running he’ll be able to take on some private clients again. In the meantime, he’s hoping fans of his food will enjoy the neighborhood feel and French-based menu at his latest creation.

“As a Frenchman, I love to charm people,” he says. And PS-21 will hopefully do just that. Philippe

If you’re looking for an amazing fine-dining experience, the critics have spoken: Experience the very best of Houston with a ‘crazy-good’ meal at Eugene’s. Enjoy our deliciously prepared selection of fresh Gulf Coast Seafood specials, Certified Angus Beef steaks, paired with one of our expertly curated wines.

“…THE CAJUN-STYLE

Former Astros Beat Writer Pens First Book

Since Moneyball, have we seen a book so dedicated to the inner workings of a major league baseball organization? Winning Fixes

Everything is not about Billy Bean and the Oakland A’s game-changing strategies. Still, it does compare with the theory of using metrics to examine nearly all facets of the game. The shift in this baseball’s management thinking involves a general manager who hired and allowed McKinsey consulting to do research and development into almost every facet of the game.

Mostly Winning is about the dysfunctional rags-to-riches story of one of baseball history’s least proficient teams

losing over 100 games three consecutive seasons than a turnaround amidst scandal no less of a win-at-all-costs strategy that involved the two-time World Champion Houston Astros. Who had previously never won a pennant until Jeff Luhnow arrived.

Evan Drellich, who has penned many sports articles and even a few books, is a Houston native who seems slightly betrayed.

While Drellich spent three years as the beat writer for the Houston Chronicle, he now resides in New York and works as a writer for The Athletic. Drellich has a real problem with how the Astros owner and his GM rebuilt the

Astros to win over the long haul. There is a deep dive into the initial hiring of General Manager Luhnow and team President George

Postolos. The former Rocket boss and the man who spearheaded and later secured Crane’s efforts to assemble a team of investors to buy the Astros. Postolos and Crane exhibited “truthfulness” in letting people go that had been there for years. The author speaks glowingly about former owner Drayton McClane and how he treated Astros employees as a family business. Also, he implies how his loyalty led to the mammoth payday of a nearly 500 million dollar profit upon selling to Crane and Company.

Crane is written about at length and very little positive without the winning, which is the reason for the tile itself. Luhnow is the main character among the cast of many who had a hand in all the good, the bad, and the ugly. To give you an idea of why is to know about the initial meeting with Luhnow and Crane, where Luhnow had prepared a 25-page report on the overall strategy of building the team and organization from the bottom up. Before the report, he had asked Crane what my restraints are, and Crane handed him a blank sheet of paper. Crane is criticized heavily for his money penchant ways. One idea Crane had that backfired was when he filled an enormous part of the outfield with large signs involving a partnership to provide money to build youth facilities. Still, actually, most went into the Astros’ coffers as adverting. The signs were repositioned after much backlash. The author alludes to the premise that Crane’s earlier business discrimination lawsuits

predated social media, therefore, skating sharp criticism that may have precluded him from an ownership position among MLB owners. His previous episodes of employee discrimination suits by blacks, Hispanics, and women and by the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, according to Drellich, had “predated the ubiquity of the internet and did not dissuade MLB from letting Crane into the fraternity.”

During the first few years of cost-cutting and implementing the changes, it was Luhnow who was working with his people a crazy amount of hours and replacing others and encouraging all others to be held accountable and to get rid of the worst performers in the scouting and player development. It was three painful years, but five years in, the writing was on the wall. The Astros were good, and the farm system was great, and all was going according to the plan Luhnow had laid out with the help of his old employee Mckinsey and compa-

ny consulting. To build from the bottom with the draft and focus on players that could develop based on their advanced Mckinseyan system of evaluating talent.

While the book describes in fascinating detail many of the staff and players and sometimes reads like a soap opera, the cheating scandal is covered more briefly than one would expect but does offer some highlights. It reiterates the denial by Luhnow that he knew about the elaborate sign-stealing camera/trash banging and offers scant evidence to the contrary. The players were scared to be whistleblowers. Alex Cora and ring leader Carlos Beltran forged ahead despite some pushback by some older players, most notably Brian McGann.

While it may not make a movie script, aka Moneyball, Winning Fixes Everything is a must-read for Astros lovers and haters.

Big Oil: Chevron’s Soaring Earnings and Deepwater Jack St./Malo

By Virginia Billeaud Anderson

In June 2022, Chevron’s CEO Mike Wirth sent a letter to President Biden saying there wasn’t a quick fix to post-invasion global supply and demand imbalances. His company’s response to the recent market instability was to produce more oil and gas than it ever had, and invest in clean energy. Wirth said the administration must work closely with his industry to meet the nation’s energy, economic, and environmental objectives, and it wasn’t beneficial for Biden to “vilify” the industry. The president had been blasting the oil companies’ soaring profits while there was pain at the pump. He became apoplectic when they used profits to strengthen balance sheets, increase share holder dividends and purchase back stock. Biden called Big Oil “wartime profiteers,” and dissed Exxon Mobil for making “more money than God.” President Biden threatened windfall profit taxes and other “restrictions” if the oil companies didn’t increase American production and refining capacity.

When earnings reports came out, Chevron had profited a whopping $35.5 billion in 2022. To put this in perspective, Exxon Mobil raked in $55.9 billion, but it must be kept in mind that other companies, Apple for instance which banked $117.1 billion, left Big Oil in the dust. Chevron will use some of its stash to increase share holder dividends, and overtime will spend

$75 billion buying back stock. Why do I give a damn? I own a few measly shares of Chevron, and argue Chevron matters to Houstonians, beyond charitable initiatives and sponsoring our marathon. About 8,000 of its approximately 37,000 employees live in the Houston area. Further, the company awards contracts to an unimaginably diverse gaggle of servicers and suppliers -construction, pipe, valves, IT, barges, whatever, engineering firms like KBR, translate “peoples’ livelihood.” Equally significant, Chevron is a prized institutional stock, which means managers slap it into union pension funds and ordinary Americans’ retirement accounts everywhere.

I won’t jabber about Chevron’s global operations, except to highlight its Australian mega-project producing natural gas and LNG for Asian markets, and cite Tengiz in Kazakhstan, ranked as an oil producing “supergiant.” Hydrocarbon and LNG production in Angola gave that country its first LNG project, and marked the first time associated gas, a byproduct of offshore crude oil production, supplied the LNG plant. It’s worth mentioning that after Biden eased sanctions on Venezuela, with the world’s largest oil reserves, Chevron hightailed it back into production. Also noteworthy are Chevron’s exploits in the Permian (grinding

it), and a significant new gas discovery offshore Egypt. Downstream, the integrated energy company refines gasoline and jet fuel, and manufactures chemicals. Its portfolio includes renewables and newfangled carbon capture and storage, and clean hydrogen. But these aren’t my topic.

My topic is deepwater Gulf of Mexico. It blows my mind that some wells reach five miles below the Gulf’s seafloor. That’s an insane depth. In 2005, Chevron’s Knotty Head well penetrated to 34,000 feet. Others go this deep. In 2009, BP’s Tiber well poked 35,055 feet. Why ungodly depths? Subsea

GOM, miles down, is a place to find elephants. An elephant is a whopper size deposit. BP’s Thunder Horse discovery with the equivalent of over 1 billion barrels of oil was an elephant. I recall Don Briggs of the Louisiana Oil & Gas Association telling a Houston Chronicle journalist that Jim Bob Moffett’s GOM

Chevron Jack St. Malo Production Unit Deepwater GOM

Tombua-Landana platform in Angola

gas discovery was a “Godzilla elephant.” The location was technically shelf ultradeep not deepwater, nevertheless it illustrates that oil patch good ole boys pursue worldclass hydrocarbon deposits deep below the GOM.

Less than twenty years ago, working this deep was more of a crapshoot, to say the least. The extreme temperatures and pressures encountered could potentially cause equipment to malfunction or worse. Industry remembers back in

2006 when high pressure scared the crap out of Exxon Mobil and partners. It so freaked them out, they abandoned a shelf ultradeep well just before reaching its 32,000 feet target, an estimated $200 million down the toilet. Today, working in high temperature, high pressure environments is a lot less dicey. Equipment is more advanced. One wonders if the Macondo tragedy and the government’s temporary deepwater moratorium accelerated innovation.

Chevron overcame technical challenges. A 2004 milestone was to successfully test its deepwater Tahiti well at record depths. Soon after, southwest of Tahiti, the Jack-2 well broke a record for the deepest successful production test in the GOM at 28,175 feet. Chevron’s press release spins multiple “world records” connected to Jack-2. Here’s one: “the perforating gun fired at world record depths and pressure.” Throughout, the company parlayed experience. By 2019, its GOM deepwater development Anchor withstood pressure of 20,000 psi. Anchor, Chevron crowed, is “one of the first ultra high-pressure projects in the world.”

once upon a HigHnie . . .

The story began as a quest to create the perfect boxer short. We viewed it as locating the perfect home for the family jewels. It needed to be a custom home, handmade, including a spacious ballroom with full seating and a sturdy front entrance so that no one slips out unexpectedly. This home should be built with the finest 400 thread count Pima cotton with virtually no shrinkage (on our part).

All the record breaking and parlaying congealed into the supercharged deepwater project Chevron and its partners call Jack/St. Malo. Located 280 miles south of New Orleans, the Jack and St. Malo fields are two of Chevron’s largest discoveries in the GOM. They barreled through 7,000 feet of water, over a mile of water, then miles past the seabed, totaling five miles, to hit the reservoirs.

enjoy your First experience.

Chevron labels Jack/St. Malo its “signature” GOM deepwater project for more reasons than size. The fields, 25 miles apart, are being codeveloped with the largest semisubmersible floating production unit Chevron has in the GOM placed between them. Crude oil flows through the largest high pressure-design pipeline ever installed at this water depth. A barrage of technology never before used at this water depth in the GOM encodes Jack/St. Malo. My favorite is ocean bottom node technology. Nodes placed in rows on the seafloor record seismic data that describes subsurface layers nearly 30,000 feet below the ocean floor. “Seeing” into the reservoirs helps strategize well placement and predict reservoir performance. I personally think it’s cool that remotely operated vehicles position the nodes. I’m not saying machines with robot arms scurrying seismic equipment across the ocean floor in over a mile of water controlled by someone above water are unique to Chevron. They’re not. I’m saying it’s cool.

https://www.chevron.com/

Vincent Ford

Custom Apparel

So behold, we present to you the “royal highnies”, the only place that deserves to house the family jewels.

These boxers have been personally tried and tested for over 5 years on family, friends, acquaintances and a few rock stars.