AUSTIN WAY PREMIER ISSUE | FALL FASHION
Ethan
Hawke
The Austin native shares Boyhood and other memories with Richard Linklater
The Maestros of Cool BEHIND AUSTIN’S BRAVEST & BOLDEST HOTELS, BARS, MUSIC, RESTAURANTS
Festival Madness ACL Music, Austin Film & more!
PLUS: Charlie Strong Glen Powell Katy and Matt Culmo Evan Smith
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CONFIDENCE FR AYED BY DA M AGED HAIR. IT’S A STORY FAMILIAR TO WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD. MOROCCANOIL F O U N D E R C A R M E N TA L WA S THOUSANDS OF MILES FROM HOME WHEN TROUBLE WITH BRITTLE HAIR LED HER TO DISCOVER A REJUVENATING, R ARE OIL BLEND. OIL HAD BEEN DISMISSED BY THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY, BUT CARMEN IGNORED THE SKEPTICS AND DEVOTED HERSELF TO PERFECTING A NUTRITIVE HAIR TREATMENT INSPIRED BY HER EXPERIENCE. HER CONVICTION LAUNCHED A GLOBAL PHENOMENON. THE
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FRONT RUNNER The fab five: Bettye Hughes Peters ( second from left) horses around with her Tri Delta sorority sisters in a UT Austin dorm room, circa 1944.
SISTERS OF WAR
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t exas, with of t races of
The stands at Texas Memorial Stadium that year were filled with the heavily female student population. “Yeah, Horns!” the crowd would cheer for the Longhorns. (It would be another decade before a cheerleader coined “hook ’em Horns.”) Despite the gas shortage making it nearly impossible for Texas fans to drive to games, and even though the war sent some of the best players to army training camps, football remained Austin’s favorite pastime, with many servicemen and -women in attendance; they were given free tickets as a thank-you for their service. Darrell K. Royal—the winningest football coach in UT history and the man for whom the stadium would later be named—was an army boy himself, at the time serving in the Army Air Corps and playing football for the Air Force team. As for the women, their battle was against custom and tradition. On the front lines—as is often the case in times of rebellion—were collegiate women, proving themselves capable of much more than waiting patiently for their sweethearts to return. AW
Phy courtesy
The year was 1944. Franklin D. Roosevelt was about to enter his fourth term as president, and America’s boys were overseas—attempting to end the war after invading Nazi-occupied Europe with our allies on the rocky coast of Normandy, France. Back in Austin, a growing number of young women were beginning a new school year at Texas’s largest university. With thousands of young American men away from home, class sizes had been dwindling across the country—so much so that admissions offices were actively recruiting females and their dollars to keep colleges afloat. Sorority houses had never been more alive as a result, but the times were defined by conservation efforts. Magazine advertisements shamed women who bought what they didn’t need: “The Silk in 185 Pairs of Stockings Will Make 1 Army Parachute—Take Better Care of What You Buy.” So sorority sisters, like the ones occupying the four-year-old Tri Delta house on West 27th Street, followed the era’s new fashion trends: painting thin black lines on the backs of their legs to give the illusion they were still wearing stockings under their garments.
Photogra
BY JANE KELLOGG MURRAY
Permission from the Peters family
SEVENTY YEARS AGO, AT THE HEIGHT OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR, WOMEN RULED THE SCHOOL.
BRUNE LLO CUCINE LLI
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NATURE DOESN’T NEED PEOPLE. PEOPLE NEED NATURE. Human beings are part of nature. Nature is not dependent on human beings to exist. Human beings, on the other hand, are totally dependent on nature to exist. The growing number of people on the planet and how we live here is going to determine the future of nature. And the future of us. Nature will go on, no matter what. It will evolve. The question is will it be with us or without us. If nature could talk, it would probably say it doesn’t much matter either way. We must understand there are aspects of how our planet evolves that are totally out of our control.
© R OBIN B MO MOO O R E/ I LC P
But there are things that we can manage, control and do responsibly that will allow us and the planet to evolve together.
We are Conservation International and we need your help. Our movement is dedicated to managing those things we can control. Better. Country by country. Business by business. Human by human. We are not about us vs. them. It doesn’t matter if you’re an American, a Canadian, or a Papua New Guinean. You don’t even have to be particularly fond of the ocean or have a soft spot for elephants. This is simply about all of us coming together to do what needs to be done. Because if we don’t, nature will continue to evolve. Without us. Here’s to the future. With humans.
CONSERVATION.ORG
CONTENTS
Fall 2014
46
Inspired by her girlhood summers on the ranch, ACL Fest photographer Cambria Harkey has created a luxurious line of handmade leather bags.
12 // FRONT RUNNER 30 // LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 32 // LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER 34 // … WITHOUT WHOM THIS ISSUE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE 36 // THE LIST 85 // INVITED
STYLE 41 // THEY’VE STILL GOT IT As By George marks 35 years, owners Katy and Matt Culmo reflect on how they’ve evolved and where they’re going.
44 // BOLD MOVES Austin women aren’t afraid to go big, day and night, with attentiongrabbing bags and shoes this fall.
46 // DURABLE BEAUTY Longtime ACL Fest photographer Cambria Harkey focuses on her line of gorgeous handcrafted leather bags.
48 // STYLE SPOTLIGHT The freshest collections and boutiques debuting in Austin.
A stunning new fragrance from Hermès is inspired by luxe leather handbags—and French literature.
54 // UNDERSTATED ELEGANCE
The season’s statement-making watches only look expensive.
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photography by paige newton
50 // EAU, MY WORD!
CONTENTS
Fall 2014
71
As editor-in-chief of The Texas Tribune, Evan Smith has made an impressive impact on the state’s political coverage .
PEOPLE 71 // EVAN ALMIGHTY
60 // GOING HOME South Korea’s Do Ho Suh explores a universal theme in his fall exhibit as the Contemporary broadens its scope.
62 // MAKING THE SCENE At the 21st annual Austin Film Festival, the writers are the real celebrities.
66 // CULTURE SPOTLIGHT Installations, exhibits, and shows not to miss this season.
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78 // STRONG MUST SUCCEED He already said not to expect a title, but in his first season of UT football, Coach Charlie Strong has a lot riding on the team’s performance.
80 // THE MINIMALIST Living simply and helping others, Tab Barker has built seven schoolhouses and three water systems in Nicaragua and doesn’t plan on stopping soon.
68 // SULTANS OF SPEED
TASTE
As the Tudor United SportsCar Championship celebrates its inaugural season, the series brings the aristocracy of auto racing to Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.
93 // CHEZ LAV The upscale French restaurant has quickly made itself at home in the heart of East Austin.
b . s au Ceda (smith)
The ACL Music Festival has evolved and expanded in every way, but its heart remains the same.
Renowned promoter Louis Messina works with the biggest acts in country music, and his wife, Christine, has turned the Candy Jar into an irresistible stop for kids and parents alike.
(a Cl ); n iCk prendergast (powell); Jay
57 // LOVE FEST
76 // THE SWEET LIFE
g armon
Down-home Texan Glen Powell makes his move to Hollywood action star.
Austin native Glen Powell holds his own with the genre’s best in The Expendables 3.
a shley
74
CULTURE
74 // READY FOR ACTION
photography by
57
The Austin City Limits Music Festival will once again take over Zilker Park for two exciting weekends in October.
In less than five years, Evan Smith has grown The Texas Tribune into a model of nonprofit journalism.
Necklace $360 Bracelets from $125
CONTENTS
Fall 2014
106 96 // THE NEW BBQ MECCA No road trip required: The Hill Country’s legendary spots have come to Austin.
98 // GET YOUR FIXE In an exclusive interview, chef James Robert discusses how he and Keith House are crafting a progressive Southern destination at Fixe.
100 // DIRECTORS’ CUT
Ethan Hawke discusses his recent role, which was 12 years in the making, as well as his Austin roots and what projects are next. Western denim shirt, Levi’s ($68). Macy’s, Barton Creek Square, 512-329-2300; macys.com. Jeans, Levi’s Made & Crafted ($169). By George, 524 N. Lamar Blvd., 512-472-5951; bygeorge austin.com. Leather belt, Banana Republic ($60). Barton Creek Square, 512-328-4484; banana republic.com. Boot, Tommy Bahama ($225). The Domain, 512-852-5001; tommybahama.com
Before their book and fi lm festivals take over Austin, Steph Opitz and Erin Hallagan compare notes at Hudson’s on the Bend.
102 // TASTE SPOTLIGHT See what’s new on the local culinary scene.
104 // DRINKS TO REMEMBER
Three of Austin’s top mixologists share their modern takes on classic or forgotten cocktails.
FEATURES 106 // A KIND OF
BROTHERHOOD Austin native Ethan Hawke talks with filmmaker Richard Linklater about how he viewed working for 12 years on Boyhood as an opportunity to show the art of real life. Photography by Rainer Hosch
112 //THE MAESTROS Visionaries Larry McGuire, Liz Lambert, Freddy Fletcher, and Bridget Dunlap have shaped Austin’s entertainment and hospitality landscape into what it is today. By Tobin Levy Photography by Michael Thad Carter
120 // NATURAL INSTINCTS Austin stays true to its bohemian roots with floral, ethereal fall fashions. Photography by Dror Baldinger
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAINER HOSCH
OF COOL
CONTENTS
Fall 2014
143
146 // RECLAIMING THE PAST
Homes in Austin have become a model of environmentally sustainable design.
Gable Bostic and Tyson Pendergrass are turning salvaged wood and metals into functional modern furniture.
GUIDE 149 // CELEBRATING 50 YEARS Country-music landmark Broken Spoke doesn’t miss a (two-) step in a changing city.
150 // FALL HARVEST Where to find the flavors of the season, served with friendliness and creativity.
152 // THE ART
OF CRAFT BEER
With so many local beer hall options, the finest ales, IPAs, and lagers are on tap across town.
154 // FARM TO MASSAGE TABLE Locavores can indulge in farm-fresh ingredients and distinctly Austin themes with these fall spa treatments.
FREELY SPEAKING
156 //HAVE IT YOUR WAY 130 // A CASTLE FOR A MOON KING
Austin’s restaurants are catering to our every dietary desire: “Excuse me, waiter, is there bread in my bread?”
Chaotic Moon CEO Ben Lamm revels in the art of surprise in his new Zilker home. By Caitlin Ryan Photography by Bode Helm (spo Ke )
136 // THE PRICE OF IVORY
o verstreet
African elephants are being hunted to extinction. Chelsea Clinton shares the Clinton Global Initiative’s efforts to save them. By Elizabeth E. Thorp
HAUTE PROPERTY
149
Country music landmark Broken Spoke celebrates a milestone.
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143 // GREENHOUSE EFFECT The green movement in Austin real estate is becoming a template for the rest of the nation.
Ethan Hawke Photography by Rainer Hosch Styling by Gaelle Paul for Walter Schupfer Management Grooming by Mira Chai Hyde for Walter Schupfer Management using Chanel Sublimage and Oribe Photography Assistance by Stephen Gorme and Jared Clatworthy Video by Nardeep Khurmi Sitting Editor: Danielle Yadegar Jacket, Diesel ($298). The Domain, 512-833-0655; diesel.com. Shirt, Billy Reid ($115). 1122 W. 6th St., 512-354-1884; billyreid.com
photography by Casey Dunn (interior); Leah
ON THE COVER:
2014
THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA
The TUDOR United SportsCar Championship represents a new era for sports car racing in North America. The Grantour Fly-Back chronograph acts as an instant measure of performance for the cars competing in the TUDOR Championship. In this world class showcase for prestige and precision, race length is determined by time and not distance. TUDOR, driving passion for motorsports. TUDOR GRANTOUR CHRONO FLY-BACK Self-winding mechanical movement, waterproof to 150 m, 42 mm steel case. Visit tudorwatch.com and explore more.
速
JOIN US ONLINE at austinway.com
We have the inside scoop on Austin’s best parties, dining, style, and more.
SOMMELIER-SELECTED WINES TO TOAST THE SEASON
Local wine experts weigh in on which varietals are worth a sip this autumn.
photos
SEE THE LATEST FROM LAST NIGHT’S EVENTS CouldnÕt attend? Browse the newest photos from AustinÕs most exclusive parties.
style
FALL BOOTS YOU CAN WEAR IN AUSTIN Austin doesnÕt feature the typical fall crispness that calls for boots, but here are a few iterations that you can actually wear in Central TexasÕ temperate weather.
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COME FOLLOW US
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEXANDER CHAIKIN (WINE); GARY MILLER/GETTY IMAGES ENTERTAINMENT AND RICK KERN/GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION (MCCONAUGHEY); DEVIN_PAVEL (BOOTS)
imbibe
KATHY BLACKWELL Editor-in-Chief Executive Editor DEBORAH L. MARTIN Deputy Editor JANE KELLOGG MURRAY Senior Managing Editor DANINE ALATI Senior Art Director FRYDA LIDOR Photo Editor KATHERINE HAUSENBAUER-KOSTER Entertainment and Bookings Editor JULIET IZON Senior Fashion Editor LAUREN FINNEY Copy Editor WENDIE PECHARSKY Research Editor JAMES BUSS
LOUIS F. DELONE Group Publisher Account Executive CATHERINE KUCHAR, JACKIE VAN METER Marketing and Business Development Manager MONIKA KOWALCZYK
NICHE MEDIA HOLDINGS, LLC Senior Vice President and Editorial Director MANDI NORWOOD Vice President of Creative and Fashion ANN SONG Creative Director NICOLE A. WOLFSON NADBOY Executive Fashion Director SAMANTHA YANKS
ART AND PHOTO
Associate Art Directors ANASTASIA TSIOUTAS CASALIGGI, ALLISON FLEMING, ADRIANA GARCIA, JUAN PARRA, JESSICA SARRO Senior Designer NATALI SUASNAVAS Designer SARAH LITZ Photo Editors JODIE LOVE, SETH OLENICK, JENNIFER PAGAN, REBECCA SAHN Senior Staff Photographer JEFFREY CRAWFORD Senior Digital Imaging Specialist JEFFREY SPITERY Digital Imaging Specialist JEREMY DEVERATURDA Digital Imaging Assistant HTET SAN
FASHION
Fashion Editor FAYE POWER Fashion Assistants CONNOR CHILDERS, LISA FERRANDINO
COPY AND RESEARCH
Copy and Research Manager WENDIE PECHARSKY Copy Editors DAVID FAIRHURST, NICOLE LANCTOT, JULIA STEINER Research Editors LESLIE ALEXANDER, JUDY DEYOUNG, AVA WILLIAMS
EDITORIAL OPERATIONS
Director of Editorial Operations DEBORAH L. MARTIN Director of Editorial Relations MATTHEW STEWART Editorial Assistant CHRISTINA CLEMENTE Online Executive Editor CAITLIN ROHAN Online Editors ANNA BEN YEHUDA, TRICIA CARR Senior Managing Editors KAREN ROSE, JILL SIERACKI Managing Editors JENNIFER DEMERITT, MURAT OZTASKIN Shelter and Design Editor SUE HOSTETLER Timepiece Editor ROBERTA NAAS
ADVERTISING SALES
Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing NORMAN M. MILLER Account Directors SUSAN ABRAMS, MICHELE ADDISON, GUY BROWN, CLAIRE CARLIN, KATHLEEN FLEMING, VICTORIA HENRY, KAREN LEVINE, MEREDITH MERRILL, NORMA MONTALVO, ELIZABETH MOORE, GRACE NAPOLITANO, JEFFREY NICHOLSON, DEBORAH O’BRIEN, SHANNON PASTUSZAK, MIA PIERRE-JACQUES, VALERIE ROBLES, JIM SMITH Account Executives SUSANA ARAGON, JUDSON BARDWELL, MICHELLE CHALA, MORGAN CLIFFORD, JANELLE DRISCOLL, ALICIA DRY, VINCE DUROCHER, IRENA HALL, SARAH HECKLER, JULIA MAZUR, FENDY MESY, MARISA RANDALL, MARY RUEGG, ERIN SALINS, LAUREN SHAPIRO, CAROLINE SNECKENBERG, JESSICA ZIVKOVITCH, GABRIELLA ZURROW Advertising Business Manager RICHARD YONG Sales Support and Development EMMA BEHRINGER, ANA BLAGOJEVIC, EMILY BURDETT, CRISTINA CABIELLES, BRITTANY CORBETT, JAMIE HILDEBRANDT, DARA HIRSH, KARA KEARNS, KELSEY MARRUJO, MICHELLE MASS, NICHOLE MAURER, RUE MCBRIDE, STEPHEN OSTROWSKI, ELENA SENDOLO, ALEXANDRA WINTER
MARKETING, PROMOTIONS, AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations LANA BERNSTEIN Vice President of Integrated Marketing EMILY MCLINTOCK Director of Integrated Marketing ROBIN KEARSE Integrated Marketing Manager JIMMY KONTOMANOLIS Director of Creative Services SCOTT ROBSON Promotions Art Designers DANIELLE MORRIS, CARLY RUSSELL Event Marketing Directors AMY FISCHER, HALEE HARCZYNSKI, MELINDA JAGGER, LAURA MULLEN, JOANNA TUCKER, KIMMY WILSON Event Marketing Managers ANTHONY ANGELICO, CHRISTIAMILDA CORREA, CRISTINA PARRA Event Marketing Coordinator BROOKE BIDDLE Event Marketing Assistant SHANA KAUFMAN
ADVERTISING PRODUCTION
Vice President of Manufacturing MARIA BLONDEAUX Director of Positioning and Planning SALLY LYON Positioning and Planning Manager TARA MCCRILLIS Assistant Production Director PAUL HUNTSBERRY Production Manager BLUE UYEDA Production Artists ALISHA DAVIS, MARISSA MAHERAS, DARA RICCI Distribution Manager MATT HEMMERLING Fulfillment Manager DORIS HOLLIFIELD Traffic Supervisor ESTEE WRIGHT Traffic Coordinators JEANNE GLEESON, MALLORIE SOMMERS Circulation Research Specialist CHAD HARWOOD
FINANCE
Controller DANIELLE BIXLER Finance Directors AUDREY CADY, LISA VASSEUR-MODICA Director of Credit and Collections CHRISTOPHER BEST Senior Credit and Collections Analyst MYRNA ROSADO Senior Billing Coordinator CHARLES CAGLE Senior Accountant LILY WU Junior Accountants KATHY SABAROVA, NEIL SHAH, NATASHA WARREN
ADMINISTRATION, DIGITAL, AND OPERATIONS
Director of Operations MICHAEL CAPACE Director of Human Resources STEPHANIE MITCHELL Executive Assistant ARLENE GONZALEZ Digital Media Developer MICHAEL KWAN Digital Producer ANTHONY PEARSON Facilities Coordinator JOUBERT GUILLAUME Chief Technology Officer JESSE TAYLOR Desktop Administrators ZACHARY CUMMO, EDGAR ROCHE
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
J.P. ANDERSON (Michigan Avenue), SPENCER BECK (Aspen Peak [Acting], Los Angeles Confidential), ANDREA BENNETT (Vegas), KRISTIN DETTERLINE (Philadelphia Style), LISA PIERPONT (Boston Common), CATHERINE SABINO (Gotham), JARED SHAPIRO (Ocean Drive), ELIZABETH E. THORP (Capitol File), SAMANTHA YANKS (Hamptons)
PUBLISHERS
JOHN M. COLABELLI (Philadelphia Style), DAWN DUBOIS (Gotham), ALEXANDRA HALPERIN (Aspen Peak), DEBRA HALPERT (Hamptons), SUZY JACOBS (Capitol File), GLEN KELLEY (Boston Common), COURTLAND LANTAFF (Ocean Drive), ALISON MILLER (Los Angeles Confidential), DAN USLAN (Michigan Avenue), JOSEF VANN (Vegas)
Managing Partner JANE GALE Chairman and Director of Photography JEFF GALE Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer JOHN P. KUSHNIR Chief Executive Officer KATHERINE NICHOLLS Copyright 2014 by Niche Media Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved. Austin Way magazine is published 6 times per year. Reproduction without permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material and it will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication subject to Austin Way magazine’s right to edit. Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, photographs, and drawings. To order a subscription, please call 866-891-3144. For customer service, please inquire at austinway@pubservice.com. To distribute Austin Way at your business, please e-mail magazinerequest@nichemedia.net. Austin Way magazine is published by Niche Media Holdings, LLC. T: 512-960-2167 F: 512-960-2510 nichE mEdia holdings: 100 Church Street, Seventh Floor, New York, NY 10007 T: 646-835-5200 F: 212-780-0003 austin way: 106 E. s ixth strEEt, suitE 550, austin , tx 78701
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Letter from the editor-in-Chief
above, from left: With my husband, Steve, at 2012’s State Dinner Gala at the LBJ Presidential Library, which this year hosted the historic Civil Rights Summit; with interior designer Meredith Ellis at our Austin
What does it mean to love a city? In Austin, we hear
Steve and I were the guests of developer Tom Terkel of Four T Realty and his wife, Colleen, at the Waller Creek Conservancy fundraiser at Stubb’s that ran in conjunction with last year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival. This year’s fundraiser returns to Stubb’s on October 8 with Fitz and the Tantrums.
all the time how special we are— another spot on a national “Best of” list, another fawning story from a national publication. When we travel, it’s a given we’ll hear something like, “Oh, you’re from Austin? I’m dying to go there!” And sure enough, more than 100 newcomers are drawn here daily, lured to our green Central Texas oasis by the promise of a fun, accepting city where you can hear live music at the grocery store, eat barbecue that’s better than in your dreams, and go night swimming in Barton Springs under a full moon. It’s a lifestyle packaged in a university town, state capital, and high-tech mecca, which means a lot of smart and creative people are stuck next to you in traffic (and nothing has brought the city together more than our contempt of gridlock). We cling
fiercely to what we love and have a hard time letting go of beloved nightclubs, watering holes, and restaurants. But we’re also deceptively good at welcoming and accommodating new people, institutions, and, yes, growth. I was attracted to Austin 14 years ago because of my love of music and journalism. But I stayed here because of the people. They are why my husband, Steve, who works at the University of Texas, and I decided to make a home here and raise our son Gabe, now 8. No matter how successful they are or what they’re going through, the Austinites I encounter every day are incredibly giving, generous, and encouraging. As the editor-in-chief of Austin Way, it will be my privilege to share their stories with you. I hope each issue will remind you why you don’t want to live anywhere else.
kathy blackwell
Stay up to date with all that’s going on in Austin at austinway.com.
30 AustinwAy.com
photography by robert godwin (LbJ); gary MiLLer/getty iMages (searsucker); arnoLd weLLs (aFF); JiM innes (stubb’s)
Way dinner at Searsucker in July; moderating a panel with Orange Is the New Black creator Jenji Kohan at last year’s Austin Film Festival. (See my story on this year’s AFF on page 62.)
INTRODUCING
for Women
E X P E R I E N CE T H E N E W P O LO S TO R E, F E AT U R I N G T H E I CO N I C CO L L E C T I O N F O R M E N A N D T H E N E W WO M EN ’S P O LO CO L L EC TI O N THE DOM AIN AUSTIN 512.490.0812
Letter from the Publisher
With guest Jason Dial, Circuit of the Americas president and CEO, at the first dinner party Austin Way hosted at LaV.
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Austin WAy! We are proud to bring Niche Media and our mission to Connect, Captivate, and Celebrate… with Consciousness to this wonderful and welcoming city. Our mission comes to life in our beautiful and insightful magazine content, at events that will bring our business partners and our readers together to celebrate this dynamic city, and on our website, austinway.com, with its fresh and current eye on Austin! We began our journey almost a year ago and are thrilled to see it come to fruition. I am delighted to have Editor-in-Chief Kathy Blackwell by my side, and together with our team of Deputy Editor Jane Kellogg Murray, account executives Jackie Van Meter and Catherine Kuchar, events and marketing manager Monika Kowalczyk, and University of Texas
intern Rebecca James, we couldn’t be more proud of our magazine! The people of Austin have been very receptive and welcoming, with many going out of their way to help us get off to a great start. We appreciate the support of arts and cultural partners like the LBJ Presidential Library & Museum, Circuit of the Americas, and the Paramount Theatre, to name a few. We look forward to growing along with Austin and to becoming a part of the fabric of our community. It is an honor to serve as publisher of Austin Way, a role that allows me to meet and build partnerships with the businesses and people that make Austin such a vibrant and dynamic market. Austin is unique and free spirited, and Austin Way is here to capture what makes our city special. Now if I could just figure out when to wear a tie!
lou delone
Stay up to date with all that’s going on in Austin at austinway.com.
32 AustinwAy.com
photography by Logan boyd (Meredith); Matthew FuLLer (star bash); Joi FaLteseK oF Zappy springs (LaV)
above, from left: My wife, Meredith, and I at this past April’s Rise School of Austin pre-tournament cocktail party, paying tribute to the legendary James Street; Becky Beaver, Maryleigh Dejernett, John Duncan, Jennifer Braham, Barbara Kelso, and I celebrate the Women & Their Work Gallery at this year’s Star Bash.
L I F E
I S
A B O U T
M O M E N T S
C E L E B R AT I N G E L E G A N C E S I N C E 1 8 3 0
PROMESSE STEEL, 34 MM, QUARTZ DIAMONDS 0.17 CARAT www.baume-et-mercier.com
LauRen Smith FoRd
michaeL thad caRteR
tobin Levy
The editor-in-chief of lifestyle blog Camille Styles and columnist for Texas Monthly, Smith Ford has had her writing and styling work published in magazines such as Esquire, Glamour, Teen Vogue, and Real Simple. She wrote “Arbiters of Taste” on By George. What sparked your love of fashion? It started with my love of fashion magazines. From a young age, I would sneak as many fashion magazines as I could into my mom’s grocery cart. I started dressing my two brothers in looks inspired by the outfits I admired in the pages of the magazines I loved. Describe fashion in Austin. When it comes to style in Austin, I love that anything goes! Austinites love vintage and are guaranteed to stay true to themselves in whatever they wear. What makes you most proud? Styling shoots and collaborating with one of my greatest mentors, photographer Dan Winters, with whom I have gone on many creative adventures; and my daughters—Ellie (2½) and Greta (born in July).
Born and raised on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, Carter wasn’t always heading toward a career in photography. He grew up loving music, painting, and Cajun food. After studying music in both Nashville and Denver, he finally found Austin, where he has lived for 10 years and now calls home. Carter photographed the subjects of the hospitality titans feature in this issue. How do you put your subjects at ease while photographing them? Finding common ground with the subject and making simple conversation usually helps. Mimosas also work quite well. Where do you prefer to shoot? Generally in an environment that the subject has a special connection with. When did you know you wanted to be a photographer? I was pursuing a degree in graphic design, and I took a black and white film class my senior year as an elective. I knew pretty soon that photography was what I wanted to do. Shortly after, I took out a loan for some equipment and never looked back.
A native Austinite, Levy spent years in New York then Marfa before returning to her hometown. She is a freelance writer and editor, who penned our hospitality titans feature. What resonated with you most about speaking with these Austin tastemakers for this feature? I’ve never talked with any of them about the why and how of their work or about their relationship to Austin. Like me, Larry McGuire and Freddy Fletcher are natives. Though from West Texas, Liz Lambert might as well be. Then there’s Bridget Dunlap, who’s spent minimal time here before starting the Rainey district, but she created a new downtown destination that I wish I’d had in my 20s. Nothing good ever came out of my time on Sixth Street—at least not that I remember. How do you pass time in Austin in the fall? I usually spend my evenings with friends outside at Justine’s or Licha’s. And I’ll definitely head out to Marfa for the El Cosmico music festival.
writer, page 41
RichaRd LinkLateR filmmaker, writer, page 106
The artistic director for the Austin Film Society, which he founded in 1985, Linklater has a host of film credits to his name, including the cult hit Dazed and Confused (1993), Before Sunrise (1995), School of Rock (2003), Before Sunset (2004), Bernie (2012), and Before Midnight (2013). For this issue’s cover story, he speaks with actor and longtime collaborator Ethan Hawke about working together on the movie Boyhood. How did the popularity of Boyhood compare with the reception of your other films with Ethan Hawke? This one seems kind of odd—that people are rushing out to see it, that people seem compelled to see it. We never quite had the planets lined up to this degree. How would you describe the experience—the risk and time involved in the film? I don’t think that for a second any of us were anything but grateful to have the opportunity to even do this.… What mattered was what we felt about it and how it was evolving. We didn’t have to justify it to anyone. It was just kind of amazing that we were given this kind of freedom.
34 AustinwAy.com
// Fall 2014
photographer, page 112
writer, page 112
photography by Matt Lankes (LinkLater); Matt rainwaters (sMith ford); rebecca s. cohen (Levy)
...without whom this issue would not have been possible
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the list Fall 2014
Carla McDonald
Kevin Brodwick
Scott Walker
Dave Shaw
Lisa Fletcher
Matt Luckie
Lisa Jasper
Pat Tate
Maury Sullivan
Hal Jones
Jim Ritts
Red McCombs
Beck
Doug Guller
Elaine Garza
Brooke Brown
Charlotte Burke
Chris Hendel
José Buitron
Ben Crenshaw
Samantha Davidson
Ava Late
Jack McDonald
Daryl Kunik
Patrick Dempsey
Noelle Norvell
Barbara Kelso
Ashley West
Mark Webber
Andy Roddick
Tory Burch
Kristen Chin
Darlene Fiske
Eloise DeJoria
Robert Rodriguez
Mark Sullivan
Michael Dell
Leslie Nichols
Ray Brimble
Keith Zimmerman
John Paul DeJoria
Brian Sharples
Jane Fischer Baudouin
Lyndon Boozer
John Mackey
Ross Moody
Patty Griffin
Emily Moreland
Marc Winkelman
Gov. Rick Perry
Gary Clark Jr.
Andy Phillips
Wayne Weaver
Wendy Davis
Zoltan David
Catherine Robb
Nak Armstrong
Greg Abbott
David Kurio
Cile Montgomery
Adrian Quesada
Jason Dial
Dr. Gregory Nikolaidis
Patty Hoffpauir
36 AustinwAy.com
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STYLE Arbiters of Taste Matt and Katy Culmo took a chance on Austin and have never regretted their decision.
THEY’VE STILL GOT IT
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW MAHON
AS BY GEORGE MARKS 35 YEARS, OWNERS KATY AND MATT CULMO REFLECT ON HOW THEY’VE EVOLVED AND WHERE THEY’RE GOING. BY LAUREN SMITH FORD When By George moved to the corner of Sixth Street and Lamar Boulevard 15 years ago, the intersection wasn’t the epicenter of the city it is now. There were no high-rise apartments nearby, and Whole Foods had yet to build its 80,000-square-foot flagship store. The across-the-street neighbor was a dirt lot from which used cars were sold. So it was a bold move, but Matthew and Katy Culmo had a feeling it was where they needed to be. They were determined to stay true to the theme of fearlessness that has been a constant throughout the innovative Austin store’s 35-year history. Now, as they look to the future of the brand—a new management agreement with McGuire Moorman Hospitality and the CONTINUED ON PAGE 42
AUSTINWAY.COM
41
from left: Katy Culmo at By
George; Tibi designer Amy Smilovic with Katy and Sea of Shoes blogger Jane Aldridge.
“I buy thIngs that don’t have expIratIon dates. I have never been Interested In trends. I lIke thIngs that have value... I want to make sure people are happy wIth whatever they buy.”—katy culmo Matt Culmo is credited with bringing menswear labels to By George.
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contInued From page 41 launch of an e-commerce site—the stylish pair reflect on how they arrived here. In 1979, when she was just 26, Katy purchased By George—the green-shag-carpeted little shop in the Dobie Mall on the University of Texas campus— from its original owner, former Austin City Council member George Humphrey. It cost $26,000. “I was making $800 a month, and George cosigned the bank note for me. It was the best opportunity of my life,” Katy recalls. “I was so scared. But I knew how to work hard, and I knew how to do paperwork, and that’s really what business is—making agreements and fulfilling them, paying your bills, and being nice to people.” Katy’s editor’s eye and knack for buying just the right pieces from a collection were present from the beginning. By George thrived under Katy’s leadership. She was guided by a philosophy she still follows: “I buy things that don’t have expiration dates. I have never been interested in trends,” she says. “I like things that have a value. People work hard for their money, so I want to make sure they are happy with whatever they buy.” In 1987 she met her husband, Matt, whom she credits with helping to develop her brand. It was Matt’s idea to open a men’s store and to move By George closer to downtown after outgrowing locations on the Drag and on 29th and San Gabriel. In 1999 they enlisted their favorite fine artists and designers to work on the new Sixth and Lamar space. They immediately knew they were on to something when sales increased 500 percent. “We moved all the merchandise from San Gabriel down to Lamar and spent all night merchandising,” Katy remembers. “Everyone who came into the store thought it was all brand-new merchandise, and it sold out within a week.” After years of selling contemporary lines, entering the world of high-end designer goods became the next natural step. Matt remembers trying to persuade designers to sell to one of their stores in Austin in 2007. “It was a negotiation,” he says. “Every designer wanted to know who they were going to hang with. We got to the point where I said, ‘One of you needs to take a stand here.’” And they did: Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, and Marni made the first buy to fill the store with new products. Then within a year, the economy dropped out. As the retail world panicked, they stayed put and bought for the next season. Katy and Matt sold the Guadalupe store in 2006 and opened the more casual South Congress satellite store in 2007. When Katy looks back on some of her favorite moments, she still vividly remembers walking up the steps of the grand Lanvin headquarters in Paris for her first buying appointment, the article that
photography courtesy of by george/casey Dunn (store); opposite page: photography by Matthew Mahon (culMos)
STYLE Arbiters of Taste
clockwise from left: The interior of By
George; Katy and Matt checking out new merchandise; clothing and accessories on display at By George.
AUSTIN LOVE In addition to carrying renowned global brands, By George keeps it local by representing collections from these Austin designers… CAMBRIA HANDMADE: Cambria Harkey is an
award-winning photographer, but we think she found her true calling when she launched her line of bags and
Cathy Horyn wrote about the store for The New York Times in 2008, and the honor she felt when a shopper proposed to his girlfriend in a By George dressing room. Her greatest joys have come from her customers and employees, some of whom have worked for her for 20 years. She especially loves the stories of loyal By George fans who still wear and treasure a sweater they bought from the Guadalupe store decades ago. As the retail business changes, with tech-savvy shoppers wanting to know what is available before they even walk into the store, Katy often feels nostalgic for the old days. “By George has always been experiential. The relationships you build with customers who come in the store are intimate. I love to see women’s faces light up when they walk into the store. I love being able to give them special attention and to see them walk out happier than when they came in,” Katy says.
The new management agreement with McGuire Moorman Hospitality means MMH will manage the new e-commerce site and help reimagine the South Congress store, with Matt and Katy’s direction, by adding men’s lines to the pieces for women as well as gifts and lifestyle products. The new arrangement feels like a full-circle moment for Katy. “Larry [McGuire] and his partners started their business when they were in their mid-20s, which is when I bought By George,” she says. “It’s a really exciting transition that creates this hopefulness for By George really living on, because let’s face it—how will I get through the Metro in Paris on my walker?” she says with her signature laugh. “I never imagined what By George would become, and I am really proud. In my heart, I am still just that girl with a little store in the Dobie Mall!” 524 N. Lamar Blvd., Ste. 103, 512-4725951; bygeorgeaustin.com AW
accessories. Made from deerskin, bison, and cowhide leather, Harkey bags are fashion-meets-function at its best. (See page 46 for more on Cambria Handmade.) cambriahandmade.com MARGOT WOLF: Jewelry designer Margot Wolf
uses metalsmith techniques in her line of sterling silver, bronze, and 14k gold pieces, which are inspired by nature and geometry. margotwolf.com NAK ARMSTRONG: By George is the first and
only retailer to carry the much-anticipated collection from CFDA award-winning jewelry designer Nak Armstrong. His designs suspend stones in metal frames, allowing him to create multilayered statement pieces that are lightweight. nakarmstrong.com SBJ AUSTIN: Founded by longtime By George
employee Mallary Carroll, the easy-to-wear collection of vibrant prints and patterns puts a fun twist on timeless looks. sbjaustin.com
“BY GEORGE HAS ALWAYS BEEN EXPERIENTIAL. THE RELATIONSHIPS YOU BUILD WITH CUSTOMERS ARE INTIMATE. I LOVE SEEING THEM WALK OUT HAPPIER THAN WHEN THEY CAME IN.”—KATY CULMO
STOWE PROVISIONS: Started by two childhood
friends, Mark Stowe and Mark Howard, Stowe Provisions’ line of classic Americana-style leather belts and goods are cut, dyed, and painted by hand. stoweprovisions.com
AUSTINWAY.COM
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STYLE Accessories MENSWEAR Sleek masculine lines give a new edge to day wear. Coat, Stella McCartney ($2,745). Neiman Marcus,
The Domain, 512-719-1200; neimanmarcus.com. Blouse, Ralph Lauren Black Label ($325). Neiman
Marcus, see above; ralphlauren.com. Pants,
Brunello Cucinelli ($955).
Neiman Marcus, see above.
Handbag, Giorgio Armani ($2,195). Neiman Marcus, see above. Loafer pumps, Jason Wu ($1,140). Neiman
Bold Moves
Austin women Aren’t AfrAid to go big, dAy And night, with Attention-grAbbing bAgs And shoes this fAll. PHotograPHy by bill diodato StyliNg by KadEEM grEaVES
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Models: Valery lessard and Vera Casagrande for Parts Models
Marcus, see above
SHINE
FLORAL
This season, silver adds cool shimmer. Dress, Stella McCartney ($1,995).
Autumn flowers are in bloom.
Neiman Marcus, The Domain, 512-7191200; neimanmarcus. com. Handbag ($3,400) and wedges (price on request), Prada. Neiman
Marcus, see above
Turtleneck, Vince ($265). By George, 1400 S. Congress Ave., 512-441-8600; vince.com. Leather skirt, Tod’s ($3,945). 800-457-8637; Neiman Marcus, The Domain, 512-719-1200; neimanmarcus.com. 18k rose-gold vermeil lace cuff, Aurélie Bidermann ($1,065). barneys.com. Zena clutch, Jimmy Choo ($450). Neiman Marcus, see above. Olexa pumps, Tory Burch ($275). The Domain; toryburch.com
LASER CUT
BLACK & WHITE
Sleek graphic patterns define modern fall style. Dress, Altuzarra ($1,795). Neiman
Modernize the achromatic palette. Top, Rag & Bone ($295). Nordstrom,
Marcus, The Domain, 512-719-1200; neimanmarcus.com. Minaudière, Reece Hudson ($1,295). Valentine’s Too, Davenport Village, 512-347-9488; reecehudson.com. Booties, Christian Louboutin ($1,595). Neiman Marcus, see above
Barton Creek Square, 512-691-3500; nordstrom.com. Pant, Ralph Lauren Black Label ($665). Neiman Marcus, The Domain, 512-719-1200; ralphlauren.com. Bag box, Chanel ($12,000). Neiman Marcus, see above. Pumps, Manolo Blahnik ($955). Neiman Marcus, see above
austinway.com 45
STYLE Behind the Label INSIGHT: CELEBRITY FANS:
Emma Thompson, Robert Plant, and Rachael Ray all own Cambria creations.
CAMBRIA’S OWN:
Harkey still uses the bag she made for herself in 1997, a simple saddle bag with a zipper. “It’s pretty dorky. It’s funny how many people want it. I tell them, ‘You can’t really get it without 17 years of use.’”
WHERE TO BUY CAMBRIA HANDMADE:
Her products are sold in Austin at By George, Stag, Spartan, Hotel Ella, and Hotel Saint Cecilia. She also sells at El Cosmico in Marfa, and in Colorado, Virginia, New York, and Seattle; and online at cambriahandmade.com.
DURABLE BEAUTY
LONGTIME ACL FEST PHOTOGRAPHER CAMBRIA HARKEY FOCUSES ON HER LINE OF GORGEOUS HANDCRAFTED LEATHER BAGS. BY KATHY BLACKWELL
Her brand of leather bags is called Cambria Handmade, but it takes a trip to Cambria Harkey’s studio near the Colorado River for the name to sink in. Harkey doesn’t use a sewing machine of any kind. Every stitch and zipper on her luxuriously soft hobo bags, satchels, and weekenders for men and women is done by hand. This handmade approach reflects who Harkey is. The generous, spirited New Mexico native, who has lived in Austin since 2000, can’t think of girlhood sum mers on her family ranch without reminiscing about the feel and scent of the saddles and saddle bags she would work with all day long. Though she’s selftaught, her mother instilled in her the pleasure of working by hand—doing it any
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other way just feels wrong. “It’s always been in my blood,” Harkey recalls. “My mother is a really hard worker; she was raised on a ranch, so that’s how I learned. I never learned to use a sewing machine.” Harkey’s work ethic has served her artistic instincts well. As the longtime director of photography for C3 Presents, she has crawled over stages to shoot performers from Pearl Jam to Arcade Fire at every ACL Festival since its inception. She also has shot C3’s other festivals, such as Lollapalooza in Chicago and Brazil. It’s a physically demanding art form—just like hammering and handsewing bison, deerskin, and elk hides for hours to transform them into bags, something she has done since college. “Leather is one of those things that ages with you and kind of melts into your body. If you wear it every day, it takes the form of your shoulder,” she says. Much like the supple material Harkey uses to craft her wares, Cambria Handmade has shaped itself into a unique part of the Austin style scene since its formation several years ago. Her core line of bags is sold online and at stores such as By George (524 N. Lamar Blvd., No. 103, 512- 472-5951; 1400 S. Congress Ave., 512-441-8600) and Stag (1423 S. Congress Ave., 512-373-7824). But her custom work has evolved into a huge part of her business, which she operates out of a studio in East Austin owned by hotelier Liz Lambert. “It’s not an easy business. People think it’s very charming to be a true artisan or craftsman, but they don’t realize how physically challenging it is. It’s so hard on your hands, your back, your body,” Harkey says. Despite the physical demands of both of her crafts, Harkey will once again lead the photo team at ACL Fest this fall while continuing to oversee Cambria Handmade. (Her right-hand man, Jesse Baerenrodt-Hayspell, works on the core line when she’s out of the studio.) She says, “It’s super rewarding to make something with your hands, see it come to life, then give it to a person and see them use it all the time. It takes it to the next level for me.” cambriahandmade.com AW
photography by paige newton
Cambria Harkey handmakes all of her leather bags out of her studio in Austin.
THE DOMAIN
512.834.2800
STUARTWEITZMAN.COM
STYLE Spotlight debut
VINTAGE REVAMP
Bright & Lovely
new in town
TORY BURCH BRINGS HER SIGNATURE STYLE TO AUSTIN THIS MONTH. The seventh for the brand in Texas, Tory Burch’s first stand-alone store in Austin opens at The Domain this month. “Austin is an incredibly vibrant city with a unique culture and great music. We are thrilled to be launching here,” says Burch. “We know our brand resonates with local women who epitomize effortless style and share our love of color, print, and special details.” A fan of SXSW, Burch can’t wait to see locals wearing her designs at the music festival in March, but until then, Austinites can visit the 3,200-square-foot boutique to scoop up the floral-themed Fall line. The full range of ready-to-wear, handbags, shoes, jewelry, leather goods, and accessories will be available as well as fragrances and a newly launched beauty collection. The Domain, no phone at presstime; toryburch.com AW
//arm candy //
Beloved Austinite Masha Poloskova introduces Garment, a boutique that offers a curated mix of independent labels and one-of-a-kind designer vintage wares. Brands such as Thierry Lasry and LD Tuttle will commingle with vintage Chanel, Missoni, and Christian Lacroix. “Austinites celebrate individual style. That’s what we love most about our customers,” says Poloskova, who owns Moss. Her favorite staple item: “I love vintage jackets!” she says. “A 1980s YSL blazer or ’90s Chanel jacket is always in style. It’s an easy way to incorporate vintage into your wardrobe without looking too retro.” 701F S. Lamar Blvd., 512-462-4667; shopgarment.com
Coach ($495). The Domain, 512-339-9994; coach.com
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1
THE PUSH TO POLO
In conjunction with Ralph Lauren’s first-ever Polo line for women, The Domain locale rebrands as a Polo Ralph Lauren store this month. The new Polo line includes signature Ralph Lauren nods such as floral dresses, serape coats, pinstriped suits, and denim, all in accordance with Lauren’s special touch of Americana. The Domain, 512-4900812; polo.ralphlauren.com
2
FLIP IT GOOD 1980s Gucci bag, ($195).
GRAY IS THE NEW BLACK
Dolce & Gabbana ($2,495). Neiman Marcus, The Domain, 512-719-1200; neimanmarcus.com
// NOW TRENDING//
In honor of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Texas-based fl ip-fl op maker Hari Mari is giving double its usual donation to Dell Children’s Medical Center for each pair of sandals sold in September. harimari.com
FALL’S BEST CARRYALLS COME in shades from pewter to charcoal.
Rebecca Minkoff ($395). Neiman Marcus, The Domain, 512-719-1200; neimanmarcus.com
Ralph Lauren ($2,500). The Domain, 512-490-0812; ralphlauren.com
Giorgio Armani ($2,395). Neiman Marcus, The Domain, 512-719-1200; neimanmarcus.com
MOSS Your favorite luxury labels at a fraction of the price.
705 South Lamar Blvd. www.mossaustin.com 512-916-9961
STYLE Fragrance At his workshop in the south of France, Jean-Claude Ellena was inspired by the leather used to make classic bags like the Hermès Oxer duffel (far right) to create his Cuir d’Ange fragrance (right).
“I realized that each leather had a different scent, and the most beautiful smelled of flowers.” —jean-claude ellena
A stunning new fragrance from Hermès takes its inspiration from iconic leather handbags—and sensual French literature. by mandi norwood When Jean-Claude Ellena became “the nose” of Hermès 10 years ago, his first port of call was the maison’s leather vault in Paris. Providing specialized storage for the skins that form the brand’s iconic luggage and handbags, “It was a marvelous treasure,” Ellena recalls, “an Ali Baba’s cave, where each piece of leather was arranged by characteristic and color. “There I saw and touched
50 AUSTINWAY.com
the most beautiful leather, even some that weighed only a few grams in my hand, so soft that I hardly dared to handle it,” he says. “I realized that each leather, tanned naturally, had a different scent, and the most beautiful and expensive pieces smelled of flowers…. I was seized by happiness and decided right then that I wanted to create a perfume inspired by leather.” This month, 67-year-old
Ellena’s dream is realized in the form of Cuir d’Ange (“angel leather,”) a fragrance that’s both gentle and assertive, shifting between delicate heliotropes and woody hawthorn, bashful violets and narcissi, and unrestrained musk. As with all fragrances, there are layers of notes: the top notes that provide the first fragrant impression, the middle ones that form the
epiphany at the Hermès vault, provided the compelling concept Ellena needed for his next fragrance masterpiece. Tell us more about the connection you make between literature and fragrance. I am a writer of smells. For me, perfume is more a poetic creation than a concept. It touches us, moves us, fires our imagination. I have a writer’s approach. I tell stories with perfume. Perfumers all use the same ingredients and raw materials. It’s their writing talent that makes the difference. Why are you inspired by the author Jean Giono? I see literature—with a capital L—as significant. It has always fueled my imagination, but it’s true I have a special relationship with Jean Giono, which must derive from our Provençal origins and how we understand the world. Why did it take 10 years to create Cuir d’Ange? It’s a slow process—and very continued on page 52
photography by richard schroeder (Ellena); courtesy of hermès (bag, cuir d’ange)
Eau, My Word!
heart of the scent seconds after application, and the base notes that linger long after the perfume has dried on the skin. With Cuir d’Ange, the first spray bursts into a generous— but not overly floral—bouquet that’s just sweet enough for a woman and yet robust enough for a man. Minutes later, it settles into a gorgeous veil of caramel, pipe tobacco, and a sprinkling of breezy wildflowers. It feels beautiful on the skin, too, like cool, expensive, powder-soft suede—“angel leather,” asserts Ellena, referencing the words of early-20th-century French author Jean Giono, who has been a source of inspiration for Ellena for more than three decades. In his autobiography, Jean le Blue (Blue Boy), Giono describes his father in his cobbler’s workshop, “busy making shoes in angel leather for some god with a thousand feet.” For Ellena, who compares his process of creating fragrances to that of writing a book, Giono’s phrase “angel leather,” combined with his
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STYLE Fragrance Jean-Claude Ellena uses the simplest tools—pen, paper, smelling strips (left)—and his finely tuned nose to create fragrances for Hermès.
contInued from page 50
demanding. The hardest thing is [figuring out] how I am going to translate the concept into a physical presence. Until the moment comes that the product matches the idea in my head, I put it aside; I come back to it later, I work on it. That’s why it can take 10 years. Cuir d’Ange is appealing for both women and men. How did you accomplish that? I don’t think smells have a gender any more than colors, sounds, or tastes do. Unfortunately, societies have created codes that we find difficult to break from. These codes are a framework that help us live in an increasingly complex world, but one from
52 AUSTINWAY.com
which we sometimes want to be free. For me, perfumes are like works of art and, as such, aren’t intended for men or women, but for all mankind. In your book, The Diary of a Nose: A Year in the Life of a Parfumeur (Rizzoli, $25), you say there is a misconception that your perfumes only contain natural ingredients, nothing artificial. I see all ingredients as smells, whether they’re natural or artificial. I love them all. I don’t differentiate between them, so long as they serve my idea. The advent of chemical ingredients has given us a much broader olfactory palette. How lucky we are! What are your own personal favorite scents?
The smell of human skin without perfume—my wife’s and my children’s. Tell us about your studio. Why did you choose to have it in Grasse? I live and work in the South of France near Grasse, the perfume capital. I was born there. It’s an incredible space, steeped in history, filled with light and smells. The workshop I come to every morning is a house designed in the ’60s and built into the side of a hill. The workshop is open; the doors are never closed. My work tools are sheets of paper, a pencil, a fountain pen, an eraser, smelling strips, and smelling-strip holders. The laboratory is at the far end of the house, as far as possible from my office, so that I’m not
distracted by the smell. I work exclusively from memory. You have created many iconic fragrances, including Van Cleef & Arpels’s First and Bulgari’s Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert. Do you consider Cuir d’Ange to be a new classic? I sincerely hope so—to have a perfume that stands outside of time, a perfume beyond fashions and trends. What’s the difference between French and American tastes in fragrance? For Americans, the notion of cleanliness dominates. Pleasure is allowed if it’s useful—for example, smelling clean and having good longevity—whereas Frenchstyle perfuming likes a bit of
controversy and the body’s own smells. How did you finally realize your vision for Cuir d’Ange? Was it a “voilà!” moment? Suddenly, an instant will come when you say, “That’s it! That’s what I was looking for.” Creating a fragrance is a terrible and terrifying process because I’m the kind of person who is continually dissatisfied until that moment comes. And then the pleasure is very short. Like sex—French-style! cuir d’ange is number 12 in hermès’s hermessence collection of perfumes and is available exclusively in hermès stores. 51 highland park village, dallas, 214-5280197; hermes.com AW
photography by richard schroeder
“I don’t thInk smells have a gender any more than colors, sounds, or tastes do.... for me, perfumes are lIke works of art.”—jean-claude ellena
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STYLE Time Honored
indulge in the season’s statement-making timepieces that only look expensive. by roberta naas photography by Jeff crawford
Elegance and austerity are not mutually exclusive. A number of respected watch brands are catering to the demands of savvy Austin women, who want both high quality and design at a sensible price. These exceptional timepieces satisfy both by being on-trend and on budget. For more watch features and expanded coverage, go to austinway.com/watches. AW
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clockwise from left: This Tudor Glamour
Date watch ($5,100) is crafted in stainless steel with a double bezel set with 60 diamonds and a black dial set with 11 diamonds. It houses a self-winding mechanical movement and is water-resistant to 100 meters. Russell Korman. 5011 Burnet Road, 512-451-9292; tudorwatch.com Simply elegant, this Tissot Lovely timepiece ($925) has a jewelrylike stainless steel bracelet and a mother-of-pearl dial. The Swiss watch features a sapphire crystal and is accented with 38 diamonds. Russell Korman, see above; ustissotshop.com From David Yurman, this Classic watch ($2,800) is a 30mm quartz Swiss-made timepiece. The Domain, 512-834-8700; davidyurman.com
Crafted in stainless steel, this Omega Constellation watch ($5,100) features a domed, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with antireflective treatment and an elegant diamond star pattern on the dial. It is water-resistant to 100 meters. Russell Korman, see above; omegawatches.com accessories, from top left: The
Montblanc Meisterstück Solitaire Tribute to the Mont Blanc fountain pen ($1,150) celebrates Europe’s highest peak. Paradise Pen Company, 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512-347-9907; paradise pen.com. Bag ($3,400) and wallet ($580), Prada. prada.com. Scarf, Brunello Cucinelli ($1,455). Neiman Marcus, The Domain, 512-719-1200; brunellocucinelli.com
Styling by ChriS Stone
understated elegance
Solerno & Sparkling
1 part Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur 5 parts Prosecco or any dry sparkling wine Glass: Hi-Ball Garnish: Orange slice Build ingredients in a tall glass over ice, stir to incorporate. Garnish with an orange slice.
DiScOver mOre reciPeS at SolernoliQUeUr.CoM Great cOcKtaiLS Start WitH reSPONSiBLe meaSUriNG
Photographed by Jef fer y Salter - Special Thanks to Jason Binn & Niche Media
CHRIS BOSH A ND THOMAS BEGUIRISTAIN
Visit www.bestbuddies.org to learn how to get involved. Best Buddies is a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
CULTURE Hottest Ticket
Eddie Vedder and the rest of Pearl Jam will headline ACL again this year; they were headliners in 2009.
LOVE FEST
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAMBRIA HARKEY
THE ACL MUSIC FESTIVAL HAS EVOLVED AND EXPANDED IN EVERY WAY, BUT ITS HEART REMAINS THE SAME. BY MICHAEL VENTRE
Austin is only about 230 miles from Laredo, but for young Adrian Quesada, it was an almost mystical place. And it was a TV show—Austin City Limits– that made it seem that way. “I remember watching it when I was younger,” says Quesada, guitarist for Spanish Gold, a featured act at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, which will once again take over Zilker Park for two weekends in October. “It felt like Austin was such a faraway land. Even just three and a half hours from home, it seemed like a magical place.” Since then, Austin has adopted Quesada as a native son, as it has countless other artists who have migrated to the city over the years for the musical nutrition it offers. CONTINUED ON PAGE 58
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CULTURE Hottest Ticket Queens of the Stone Age performed at last year’s ACL Fest.
Spoon comes home to play ACL this year.
“The ACL FesTivAL is one oF The Things ThAT reALLy puT AusTin on The mAp As A desTinATion For young peopLe over The LAsT 12 yeArs.”—ray benson Austin City Limits, the ConTinued From pAge 57 PBS series marking its 40th anniversary, sent out the beacon to millions of fans. The ACL Festival now dances in its light. Austin-based C3 Presents, which organizes the festival, licensed the ACL brand in 2002 and operates the event separately from the TV show, although a few select performers are typically tapped to tape an episode while they’re here for the Fest. “When you’re on that stage,” explains Quesada, who has played the ACL Fest with his previous band, the much-loved Grupo Fantasma, “you can’t always tell how special it is. But when you see that iconic city backdrop, it’s a pretty amazing feeling.” The festival crowd will be a large one for Spanish Gold, a supergroup of sorts, with Patrick Hallahan of My Morning Jacket and Dante Schwebel of Hacienda. Spanish Gold released its debut record this summer to critical acclaim.
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The ACL Fest expanded to two weekends for the first time last year, and the upcoming lineup is arguably its most glittery yet. Muscular homegrown acts like Spoon and Spanish Gold will share billing with international-class headliners such as Pearl Jam (a repeat from 2009), Eminem, and Outkast. Regular three-day passes for both weekends are sold out, although VIP and Platinum badges and packages were still available at press time. Longtime Austin resident Jim Eno, a drummer for critical favorites and ACL Fest veterans Spoon, is also a producer with his own in-home studio. Because he greets so many bands both at home and when he’s touring, he serves in a casual capacity as an unofficial ambassador. Eno just produced the Australian band The Preatures, who will make its ACL Fest debut this year. “They were here for a month recording,” Eno says. “They loved the fact that they were in a little
house about a mile away from the studio, and they were really able to soak up all the culture. They loved it and had a great time. They’re excited to return to ACL. I hear that from a lot of people I run into on tour.” Although Austin’s reputation in the music world has remained sterling, change is natural. “When I first got here, rent was cheap; pot was cheap,” observes Ray Benson, who arrived in town with his fellow Asleep at the Wheel members in 1973. “Now rent ain’t cheap; pot ain’t cheap,” he jokes. One thing that hasn’t changed: Asleep at the Wheel will once again welcome opening-day crowds with its distinctive brand of Western swing and country music as they have for every ACL Fest since the beginning. Benson, who will also appear with Milkdrive on Weekend Two, has witnessed the event’s transformation from cozy to sprawling: Daily attendance is about 75,000. “The ACL Festival is one of the things
photography by Cambria harkey (queens of the stone age); JaCk edinger (the Joy formidable, spoon). opposite page: photography by dave mead (haim); ashley garmon (2013 fest); tim mosenfelder/getty images (benson)
The Joy Formidable were a breakout act at last year’s festival.
Haim rocks out at at the 2013 ACL.
“It gets bIgger and bIgger every year. It went from a festIval that was a bIg deal In austIn to a festIval that Is a bIg deal around the world.”—adrian quesada
admits. “That was a big get for us.” For all the promotional heft that the Festival exudes, there is still the magnet of Austin itself that draws artists and fans alike. For the price of admission, you get a dizzying array of acts as well as the zeitgeist of a city that is undefeated in defending its “Live Music Capital of the World” title. Quesada fondly remembers the early days of the festival, when artists could drive right up to the back of the stage. Security is tighter now. Entrances are more complicated and coordinated. Yet he embraces the exponential growth of the event. “It gets bigger and bigger every year. It went from a festival that was a big deal in Austin to a festival that is a big deal around the world,” Quesada explains. “As musicians, we’d be silly not to want to play in front of as many people as possible. As much as I like smaller festivals, the idea of getting in front of that many people who are paying that much attention to the music in one place is great. “This festival,” he adds, “is most people’s favorite gig.” aCl music festival, october 3–5 and october 10–12, Zilker Park; aclfestival.com. weekend passes are sold out. vIP passes, $1,050; Platinum passes, $3,500; vIP and Platinum travel packages are also available. AW
Crowd Pleasers Last year’s ACL Fest was the first to take place over two weekends.
Ray Benson and the rest of Asleep at the Wheel will continue their ACL Fest tradition this year.
Plan your fest around these not-to-be-missed acts. St. Vincent- friday, 5:15 pm: Rolling Stone calls
annie Clark, who grew up outside dallas, “the most thrilling solo artist in indie rock.” Beck - friday, 8:15 pm: the innovative musician
returns to aCl on the heels of his frst studio album in six years. SpaniSh Gold - saturday, 12:30 pm: expect
soulful rock with the right amount of groove from this super trio. tromBone Shorty & orleanS aVenue -
saturday, 2:30 pm: It’s impossible not to dance your heart out when trombone shorty is on stage. the aVett BrotherS - saturday, 6:15 pm: this north Carolina group has a loyal following in austin for good reason. Jenny lewiS - sunday, 5 pm: the songwriter’s return with The Voyager has been a most welcome one.
that really put Austin on the map as a destination for young people over the last 12 years,” he says. By working her phone with a pleasant level of fanaticism, C3’s Amy Corbin, senior promoter of the Fest, has helped lure the biggest names in the music business. Corbin, who has been with C3 since the festival’s inception, is one of the main reasons it has evolved into such a musical heavyweight, right up there with Coachella, Bonnaroo, and
Lollapalooza (which is also produced by C3). “We do have a game plan every year,” she says. “We try to stick with some trend in music, what people are listening to.” That would explain the presence of Lana Del Rey, Lorde, and Sam Smith on the bill with veteran headliners like Pearl Jam and Beck. And sometimes she mixes in a surprise. “We weren’t sure if we were going to get Eminem because he wasn’t doing very many dates,” she
Spoon - sunday, 6 pm: our indie rock heroes continue to build their legend with their eighth album. the replacementS - sunday, 6 pm: they go up against spoon, so it’s a good thing aCl fest is now two weekends. lorde - sunday, october 12 only, 7 pm : the new Zealand teenager will soon release the frst single from the new Hunger Games movie. pearl Jam - sunday, 8 pm: the seattle legends return after fve years to close another aCl fest.
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CULTURE Art Full Net-Work by Do Ho Suh, 2010.
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and Lehmann maupin, n ew y ork and of the artist
Much of Suh’s work explores the concept of home and what it means, particularly when a person moves. “It’s such a universal theme and so relevant for Austin, a city flooding with ex-pats,” says Pesanti. The show at the Jones Center features Suh’s reimagining of two of the New York apartments and a studio—all in the same building—in which Suh once lived and worked. The artist’s outdoor piece, Net-Work, at the lagoon at Laguna Gloria, continues to address the idea of home and place through his interpretation of the fishermen’s nets he saw in a Korean village. “He loved watching the fishermen at the end of the day draping their nets over a series of poles and mending them,” says Grachos. Suh’s net is 70 feet long, and the webbing is made of goldand chrome-plated male figurines. The artist identifies with the turtles he found there on his initial visit. As Pesanti notes, in many ways he, too, carries his home on his back. Do Ho Suh’s exhibition runs September 20–January 11 at the Jones Center, 700 Congress Ave., 512-453-5312 and at Laguna Gloria, 3809 W. 35th St., 512-458-8191; thecontemporaryaustin.org. AW
Courtesy
For Louis Grachos, executive director of the Contemporary Austin, the fall exhibition by South Korean artist Do Ho Suh reflects the fulfillment of one of the primary objectives he established for the museum when he took the helm of it almost two years ago. “I felt we needed to make a strong statement by bringing in some of the artists who are really making important strides internation ally,” he says. This is not to the exclusion of local artists; collaborative efforts are in the works with Co-Lab Projects, Canopy, Okay Mountain, and UT’s College of Fine Arts. But Grachos and senior curator Heather Pesanti are also reaching out to international artists up for the challenge of working with two disparate spaces: the Jones Center and Laguna Gloria. The selection process includes inviting to Austin the artists who were being considered for a 48- hour introduction to the city. To date, no one has declined the offer. “This was something that was a big challenge in Buffalo,” says Pesanti, who, like Grachos, came from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, NY. If the artists are interested, they are invited to submit a proposal.
photography
SOUTH KOREA’ S DO HO SUH EXPLORES A UNIVERSAL THEME IN HIS FALL EXHIBIT AS THE CONTEMPORARY BROADENS ITS SCOPE. BY TOBIN LEVY
h ong k ong
GOING HOME
CULTURE Festivalia Jonathan Demme and Susan Sarandon at the 2013 Austin Film Festival luncheon, where both accepted awards.
Matthew Weiner will receive the Outstanding Television Writer award at this year’s festival for his work on Mad Men.
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In addition to the week in October, the Austin Film Festival hosts special screenings and conversations with filmmakers throughout the year. And the best of its panels and screenings can be found in On Story, a podcast and PBS-affiliated TV series; there’s also a book, released at last year’s film festival, On Story: Screenwriters and Their Craft. onstory.tv
courte
ENJOY THE FEST ALL YEAR LONG
ferrell);
writers alike can commingle with their heroes of the written word. It’s where writers like Gilligan, Callie Khouri (Nashville, Thelma & Louise), and David Chase (The Sopranos) get the same fan treatment their actors typically receive. One of those writers this year will be Matthew Weiner of Mad Men, who is being honored with the Outstanding Television Writer award at the fest’s awards luncheon, which is always a sellout. This will mark a return trip for Weiner, who screened his show at the Alamo Drafthouse and sat on panels when he came to the fest during the third season of his critically acclaimed AMC series. “We are thrilled to CONTINUED ON PAGE 64
(Sarandon,
Now entering its third decade, the Austin Film Festival might be one of the most highly regarded writers’ festivals in the country, but it feels completely organic to this laid-back city. At what other event can you eat barbecue next to Ron Howard on the lawn of the French Legation, have lunch with (or near) Johnny Depp, sit next to James Franco at a panel, and watch huge stars like Will Ferrell read from a script written by Vince Gilligan of Breaking Bad? The 21st annual festival is a celebration of, in many cases, the unsung hero of television and film: the writer. Over the weeklong course of panels, screenings, and parties, film lovers and aspiring
plunkett
AT THE 21ST ANNUAL AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL , THE WRITERS ARE THE REAL CELEBRITIES. BY KATHY BLACKWELL
photography by Jack
MAKING THE SCENE
Sy andrea turner and au
Stin film fe
Stival, inc. 2014 (weiner); courte
Sy au Stin film fe
Stival
(howard)
A script reading of Vince Gilligan’s 2 Face with Thomas Haden Church, Will Ferrell, and Linda Cardellini during the 2013 Austin Film Festival. right: The film festival has attracted some of the most esteemed directors working today, including Ron Howard.
THE WORL D’S
M O S T AWA R D E D TEQUILA
T H I S I S T E Q U I L A , E VO LV E D Please enjoy Milagro responsibly. | MilagroTequila.com Milagro Tequila, 40% Alc./Vol. (80 Proof) ©2014 William Grant & Sons, Inc. New York, NY.
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CULtUre Festivalia why NOAH HAWLEY OF FarGO LOVes aFF
Actor James Franco at the 2012 Austin Film Festival.
“we hAve hOnOreD Our MiSSiOn OF ChAMPiOning STrOng nArrATive STOryTelling. nOw in Our 21ST yeAr, AFF reMAinS COMMiTTeD TO exPlOring An ever-ChAnging inDuSTry.”—barbara morgan COnTinueD FrOM PAge 62
have Matthew Weiner join us once again, this time as our Outstanding Television Writer,” says Erin Hallagan, creative director for the Austin Film Festival. “His body of work and keen sense of storytelling truly encapsulate what AFF stands for.” Weiner’s appearance will follow the late-summer release of his feature film, Are you here, with Owen Wilson, Zach Galifianakis, and Amy Poehler. Joining
Weiner as an honoree is Jim Sheridan, who will receive the Disting uished Screenwriter Award for his work on such movies as The Boxer and My left Foot. In addition to the panels and keynotes, the film festival is known for giving audiences a sneak peek at some of the most-talked about movies of the season, often with their stars or writers in attendance, such as nebraska last year with Will Forte. “Since day one, we have
honored our mission of championing strong narrative storytelling,” says cofounder and executive director Barbara Morgan. “Now in our 21st year, AFF remains committed to exploring an ever-changing industry through panels, workshops, screenings, Q&As, and unparalleled networking opportunities.” Austin Film Festival, October 23–30, passes and badges available at various levels; austinfilmfestival.com AW
,
New this year The popular Food & Film cocktail fundraiser at the Driskill always kicks off the festival with bites from many of the hottest restaurants in town. AFF this year will debut a more formal gala, The Film Party. Says AFF’s Barbara Morgan, “Overlooking the beautiful Austin skyline from the 55th foor of the Austonian Club, The Film Party will play host to flmmaking luminaries, decadent cuisine and cocktails, and a one-of-a-kind, flm-inspired live auction.” The Film Party: tickets $250, October 25, 7 pm, the Austonian Club. Film & Food: tickets $100, October 22, 7 pm, the Driskill Hotel.
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You’ve been a panelist and a judge at past AFFs. What keeps you coming back? As a writer, i love that it’s the writer’s flm festival and that the focus is really on the writing—which in the movie business tends to be the forgotten component. They’ve expanded into television, where the writer is the boss. everyone comes to the festival because they know there’s a real focus on that original voice. i like to give back and to try to hold the door open for the next person. What will you share with attendees about your experience so far with Fargo? My hope is that what i contributed to the adaption game is this idea that there are no rules; you can be as creative as they let you be, and you push for that. Another aspect was, sure, you’ve written the script, but how do you get that flm made and not compromise on the vision for it? in my case, i’m following in the footsteps of the Coens—who are not just Oscar-winning writers, but also two of the greatest flmmakers of our time—so the execution of the material was critical. i will be talking about the conceptual process through the fnal execution. Are there any moments that stand out from past festivals? i’ve staffed on one show, Bones, created by hart hanson. hart was given an award at AFF two years ago on the same bill with Johnny Depp. i remember being with hart, who couldn’t understand why he was on stage with Depp. it was such a funny moment for him, and i was glad that i was there to share that. What are you most looking forward to? This was the third year of the ATx Television Festival, so Austin as a destination for creative people to talk about their business continues to grow, of course, as the city continues to grow. it’s always really exciting to go now as a hometown guy. i love taking the bus downtown to it and then going home to my kids. it’s a nice dynamic. At the same time, because i’m there with my kids, i can’t really run around and do all the fun stuff.
photography by jack plunkett (franco); courtesy fx network, 2014 (fargo)
Austin’s noah hawley will return to the Film Festival on the heels of his critically acclaimed Fx series Fargo, inspired by the Coen brothers’ flm The cast of the first season of Fargo, Michael Schneider, Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, of the same name. and Colin Hanks at a Television Academy event. hawley, an author who has worked on Bones and created My Generation and The Unusuals for ABC, is working on the second season with a new cast, set in the late 1970s. hawley took a break from Fargo— slated to start flming in January—to talk to us about AFF.
T H E WO R L D ’ S
F R E S H E S T C O C K TA I L S F R O M T H E W O R L D ’ S M O S T AWA R D E D T E Q U I L A
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F I N D F R E S H CO C K TA I L R E C I P E S A N D M O R E AT M I L AG R OT E Q U I L A .CO M Please enjoy Milagro responsibly. | MilagroTequila.com Milagro Tequila, 40% Alc./Vol. (80 Proof) ©2014 William Grant & Sons, Inc. New York, NY.
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CULTURE Spotlight // SEE, HERE//
More than a pretty face: Vivien Leigh poses for a makeup still while shooting Gone With the Wind.
1
Dancers from the Budapest Dance Theatre during a rehearsal for Stravinsky Inspirations–The Firebird.r
on view
POP-UP ART
The Making of Gone With the Wind VIEW UNSEEN MOMENTS FROM “THE GREATEST ROMANCE OF ALL TIME.” Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the classic Hollywood film, this exhibition, on view September 9–January 4, 2015, gives a peek behind the green-velvet curtain with more than 300 rarelyif-ever-seen pieces. In addition to audition footage and producer David O. Selznick’s memos, the collection includes three gowns worn by Vivien Leigh’s Scarlett O’Hara—displayed together for the first time in a quarter century—which the Center was able to preserve after receiving more than $30,000 in donations from the film’s legions of fans around the world. Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin, 300 W. 21st St., 512-471-8944; hrc. utexas.edu AW
//must-attend //
A AKRA: Self-portrait,
Huang Yan, 2008.
AUSTINWAY.COM
The Firebird opens Ballet Austin’s 2014-2015 season September 26–28. Igor Stravinsky’s 1910 ballet is adapted from a Russian folktale, in which the Phoenix—the bird of fire—gives her life for love but ultimately rises from the ashes. Ballet Austin Artistic Director Stephen Mills pairs the fantastically costumed production with the stripped-down Agon, George Balanchine’s contemporary 1957 masterpiece in which dancers perform in simple leotards. The Long Center, 512-476-9151; balletaustin.org
2
An openingnight party at Fantastic Fest.
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
Cofounded by Alamo Drafthouse’s Tim League in 2005, Fantastic Fest takes over the newly reopened Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar September 18–25 for its 10th year, celebrating genre fi lms with red carpets, awards, and parties. Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, 1120 S. Lamar Blvd., 512-861-7040; fantasticfest.com
QUARTER-CENTURY CELEBRATION
The manicured grounds of Laguna Gloria will once again host the La Dolce Vita Food & Wine Festival. The Contemporary Austin fundraiser has evolved into a community tradition, now celebrating its 25th anniversary. The evening benefits the art museum’s education programs, and festivities will be marked by tastings from Austin’s top-tier eateries: Trio, Swift’s Attic, Salty Sow, and
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DANCING WITH FIRE
more will be joined by newcomers like Searsucker, Chavez, and Noble Sandwich Co. Besides the fine fare, the night promises art demonstrations from the art school’s faculty members. Tickets are $175; for $200 ticket holders gain access to the cocktail lounge, curated by Tipsy Texan David Alan. October 16, 7-10PM. Laguna Gloria, 3809 W. 35th St., 512-458-8191; thecontemporaryaustin.org
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF HARRY RANSOM CENTER (LEIGH); COURTESY OF THE ARTIST ( SELF-PORTRAIT ); ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/GETTY IMAGES (FIREBIRD); DAVID HILL (FANTASTIC FEST)
behind the scenes
Works of more than 35 contemporary global artists—both prominent and emerging—will be on display and for sale at the inaugural three-day Pop Austin International Art Show, October 17–19. “We want to make a wave in this town,” says cofounder Matt Randall, “[and] establish Austin as a global art city by bringing in major international artists, while showcasing local artists to legitimize them on an international scale.” One of the enterprising locals, Bale Creek Allen, will have work exhibited among creations by global artists such as Andy Warhol, Shepard Fairey, and Takashi Murakami. Fair Market, 1100 E. Fifth St.; popaustin.com
UltraShape
culture Eventful “alms fans who wouldn’t go to a rolex car race and fans of a rolex car race who wouldn’t do an alms race have now come together.”
The Tudor Championship race will involve nearly 50 teams and more than 125 drivers during two days in September.
Sultans of Speed
As the Tudor United SportsCar Championship celebrates its inaugural season, the series brings the aristocracy of auto racing to Austin’s Circuit of The Americas. by matt stewart
The latest and most exciting incarnation of auto racing comes to Austin on September 19 and 20, when Circuit of The Americas (COTA) hosts the Tudor United SportsCar Championship. The event will involve nearly 50 teams and more than 125 drivers during two days of legendary racing, which will also include the only US appearance of the FIA World Endurance Championship that will run in conjunction with the TUSCC under the banner of Lone Star Le Mans. “Not only will we have the four classes of the Tudor United SportsCar Championship competing in the morning,” says Russell Kelly, US brand manager for Tudor Watch USA, LLC, “but the FIA World Endurance Championship (where we are the official timing partner) will be racing into the night. Add a Blue Oyster Cult concert between the two races, and it will be nonstop excitement.” Austin as a destination for this series is rooted in the DNA of the city itself and the excellence of COTA, considered by experts to be the best auto-racing venue in North America. “Austin itself is an incredible city, and Circuit of The Americas
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is the best track in the nation by far,” says racing icon Scott Pruett, who is driving car No. 01 for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates in the Tudor series. “When you see a facility like COTA put all that effort and energy into state-of-the-art safety barriers and run-off areas and what they’ve put together for the fans for viewing, it has a great rhythm and flow that make it a place I love.” The series is strengthened by the sponsorship of the Tudor watch brand and Rolex’s racing heritage. “Rolex essentially pioneered motorsports here in the US when it began its relationship in 1959 at Daytona,” says Kelly. “It’s a proven platform, so it was only natural for us to continue that relationship with Tudor.” The legacy of Tudor is a cornerstone of the TUSCC’s success, and the nature of timing itself is the other pillar. “It is an ideal fit for Tudor to be associated with endurance sports car racing [because] every event we have is based on time,” explains IMSA president Scott Atherton. “It’s the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the Six Hours of Watkins Glen. It is always a measurement of time.” This initial year of the Tudor United SportsCar Championship is something that race fans have never seen, as the series blends the best of Grand-Am Road Racing that was previously sponsored by Tudor’s parent company, Rolex, and the American Le Mans Series under the management of the International Motor Sports Association. It’s proving successful with the die-hard fans of both Grand-Am and the ALMS. “Loyal ALMS fans who wouldn’t go to a Rolex sports car race and fans of a Rolex sports car race who wouldn’t do an ALMS race have now come together,” shares Pruett. “[At] Watkins Glen’s Six Hours of the Glen we saw the biggest crowds in years—there were also record-breaking crowds at Sebring and Daytona. There is this powerful energy that is not just for 2014, but for 2015 and beyond.” Because the TUSCC is a new class of racing, the calendars of both former series had to be combined in a strategic way. “The Grand-Am Series and the American Le Mans Series [were] 22 separate events at 17 separate tracks. We were able to boil that down to truly be a best-of-the-best calendar [with] 12 stops on our championship this year,” Atheron explains. “There isn’t a weak link in the chain.” Tudor United SportsCar Championship, Circuit of The Americas, September 19-20; for a complete list of events, visit circuitoftheamericas.com AW
photography by Stephan Cooper/Courtesy of Tudor
—scott pruett
PEOPLE View from the Top
Evan almighty IN LESS THAN FIVE YEARS, EVAN SMITH HAS GROWN THE TEXAS TRIBUNE INTO A MODEL OF NONPROFIT JOURNALISM. BY S. KIRK WALSH
photography by Jay b. Sauceda
From Evan Smith’s 14th-floor corner office, the CEO and editor-in-chief of The Texas Tribune can look out of his floor-to-ceiling windows onto the pink granite rotunda of the Capitol. It was there, on the floor of the Senate Chamber, that State Senator Wendy Davis’s abortion filibuster placed not only the Mizuno-wearing Fort Worth politician on the national map, but Smith’s nonpartisan, nonprofit online organization as well. On that June 2013 night, President Barack Obama tweeted: “Something special is happening in Austin tonight” continued on page 72
It was under the Capitol dome, during the Wendy Davis fillibuster in 2013, that Evan Smith’s Texas Tribune captured the attention of people across the country, including President Obama.
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PEOPLE View from the Top from left: Smith in
a meeting at The Texas Tribune; interviewing Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor for his show, Overheard with Evan Smith, on KLRU.
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Texas editions twice a week, including Sundays. Smith also continues to host Overheard with Evan Smith, his interview show that airs on KLRU and other PBS stations across the country. Like many others in Austin, Smith is a transplant, having grown up in New York State. He attended Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, and the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He moved here to join the staff of Texas Monthly, where he worked for nearly 18 years, eight of those as editor. Months before his departure to start up The Tribune, the magazine garnered the prestigious National Magazine Award for General Excellence—the second one of his tenure. When he speaks of his Texas Monthly days, Smith points across the street to the magazine’s current home. (“I could zipline across to Congress,” he says with a laugh.) A self-described “early-to-the-office, early-backto-the-house type,” Smith often arrives at work an hour or two before the other staff members. “Everyone here arrives much later,” Smith says with a smile. “That might be a factor of their youth. They have the stamina and patience to be here when the afternoon has turned to night. I do not.” As often as possible, dinner with his wife, Julia, daughter Carson, and son Wyatt is a top priority. Also, when his schedule permits, Smith attends after-school events at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, where both of his teenagers are students. A year after the Davis filibuster, The Tribune is focused on her bid for governor against Greg Abbott and the other political races on the November ballot as well as the controversies over University of Texas’s regent, Wallace Hall Jr.; UT President Bill Powers’s recent resignation; and an investigative multipart series about workplace injuries in Texas. “You can’t surf off your reputation for very long,” Smith says. On a side table in Smith’s office is a framed photograph of Texas Ranger Prince Fielder, swinging mightily at a fast-moving pitch. The photo was a gift from one of Smith’s former writers at Texas Monthly,
Mike Hall, because the two often used the metaphor of baseball when discussing the ideals of excellent journalism. “You only get a [limited] number of times at the plate,” explains Smith. “You ought to swing for the fences every time, knowing that half of the time you’re going to strike out and you’re going to swing so far and corkscrew yourself into the ground and literally fall over. But the other times, you’re going to hit one a mile. “I believe—always swing as hard as you can at the ball, in everything you do,” says Smith. “An asteroid could fall from the sky tonight and then what would you have? What are you waiting for?” Texas Tribune festival, September 19–21, university of Texas, badges: $240–$300; texastribune.org AW
INSIGHT: First thing he does in the morning:
“Look at Twitter.” secret to staying on top oF his busy schedule: “fear of embarrassing The Tribune.” most apolitical gathering spot oF politicians in austin: “Las Manitas, may
she rest in peace.” best spot For a taco: “curra’s. it’s my
favorite place to eat Mexican food—breakfast, lunch, or dinner.” Favorite public policy topic in texas:
“demographic inevitability. it’s also the topic that gets the least attention in the Texas Legislature.” top interview subjects For Overheard with evan Smith: “aimee
Mann, ira Kaplan, and georgia Hubley of Yo La Tengo, and Jason Schwartzman.” how long it has been since he’s eaten texas barbecue: “i’ve been a
vegetarian since January 1984. i used to edit the Texas Monthly barbecue issue. i can tell you that my heart wasn’t in it.”
photography by Jay b Sauceda (meeting); Sam butler (Sotomayor)
with a link to The cONTiNuEd frOM pagE 71 Tribune’s YouTube channel and live stream. “That was the moment I thought, Okay, this has now morphed from a regional curiosity to a phenomenon,” remembers Smith on the one-year anniversary. By the end of the captivating 11-hour filibuster, The Texas Tribune website and live stream attracted more than 183,000 viewers at its peak. “You have it as an organization—spikes and plateaus, spikes and plateaus,” says Smith, dressed in a pressed suit and sea-green tie. “That was a spike. It was a great day for us. We have the luxury as a nonpartisan organization of not caring what that day was about or not caring about the outcome of that day. A lot of people out in the world hate hearing that. ‘Aren’t you outraged? Aren’t you elated over the fight?’ No, it’s not about that. From our perspective, it’s a day when the mission of The Tribune to provide greater access to the inner workings of government was never better realized.” What sets The Tribune apart from other online media is its innovative nonprofit model. Instead of relying on ad revenue, funds to support the site’s operations are generated through fundraising from donors and corporate sponsors as well as events, especially the annual Texas Tribune Festival, which this year will be held September 19–21. Featured speakers include Davis, Governor Rick Perry, and Senator Ted Cruz, among many other political luminaries. “There is a lot of misconception and misunderstanding behind the economic model for The Tribune,” says Smith. “Except for public radio and television stations, most people haven’t ever seen a nonprofit supporting a news or media organization.” Despite the challenges in his role as chief fundraiser, The Tribune has raised $24 million in four and a half years. Expanding its reach further, The Tribune also partners with KUT, to produce original radio journalism, and with The New York Times, with the staff generating state-related content for the paper’s
PEOPLE Talent Patrol Glen Powell on his family’s 3,000-acre ranch outside of Dallas.
READY FO R ACTION
Making the difficult leap to Hollywood was the right move, however. In The The old chestnut “You can take the boy out of Texas…” is certainly accurate in Expendables 3, Powell appears alongside action star gods like Sylvester Stallone, the case of actor Glen Powell, who costarred in the summer blockbuster The Harrison Ford, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. His character, Thorn—a wild mix Expendables 3. In 2007, while still a senior at Westwood High, he shot his first of intelligence and muscle—urges the other “young” Expendables (including major film as a cocky Harvard student in the Denzel Washington directed – boxer Victor Ortiz and MMA fighter Ronda Rousey) to The Great Debaters. Washington’s agent, Ed Limato, advised “think before they shoot,” he says. And while even seasoned him to move to LA, but Powell replied, “Thanks, but no INSIGHT: thespians might have had the jitters around such an accom thanks. I’ve got a good thing going in Austin.” HIS TEX-MEX SPOT: plished group, Powell was nothing but grateful. “I felt like I Limato, the legendary agent who died in 2010, persuaded “Cisco’s in East Austin has the best won a sweepstakes where you get to shoot guns with all your Powell to attend the premiere of the film in LA, and the migas you’ll ever have, hands down.” favorite action stars,” he says. “I thought, I definitely don’t young actor did not arrive without his Texan accouterFAVORITE ESCAPE: belong here, but this is pretty damn cool.” ments. “I walked in wearing Wrangler’s and a cowboy hat. Powell’s family ranch near Dallas is Stallone thought otherwise. “Sly said, ‘We searched the Limato [looked at me and] said, ‘Did you just get off a farm? “Disneyland for adults. There’s a golf globe for [someone] who could be the young Expendable. We’re going to have to get somebody to dress you,’” the course, horses, a petting zoo. It’s crazy.” There’s nobody [right now] who’s the young action star. You actor recalls with a laugh. could be the next Stallone or Tom Cruise,’” Powell shares. Although Powell’s career ultimately necessitated a move But he hasn’t forgotten his days as a struggling actor. “I remember walking to LA, the sixth-generation Texan and UT alumnus frequently returns to Austin into an audition, and they said, ‘Here’s the song you’re going to sing; now pull as well as to his family’s 3,000-acre ranch outside of Dallas. “Austin is all about down your pants.’ I wasn’t sure this town was for me. But it’s worked out because margaritas on the water, grabbing breakfast tacos, jogging around [Lady Bird] now I don’t have to pull my pants down in auditions anymore.” AW Lake,” Powell says. “It was so hard to leave, because that’s the way life should be.”
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photography by nick prendergast
AUSTIN NATIVE GLEN POWELL HOLDS HIS OWN WITH THE GENRE’S BEST IN THE EXPENDABLES 3. BY JULIET IZON
PEOPLE Dynamic Duo “My artists are always looking for the [candy] hookup. They’ll look right through me and search for Christine.” —louis messina
The Sweet Life
renownED promoter LOUIS MESSINA works with the biggest names in country music, and his wife CHRISTINE HAS TURNED THE CANDY JAR INTO AN IRRESISTIBLE STOP FOR KIDS AND PARENTS ALIKE. BY KATHY BLACKWELL With her husband, legendary concert promoter Louis Messina, constantly on tour with some of country music’s biggest stars, Christine Messina puts a special value on family time. A trip with their daughters, ages 5 and 8, last year inspired Christine to open The Candy Jar, a whimsical store and party space marking its first year in the Hill Country Galleria. She and Louis saw how families flocked every day to a candy store in Rosemary Beach, Florida. “Why don’t we have a place like this in Austin?” he asked, and she knew right then she wanted to create a similar experience back home. “The area is full of young families. The growth is unbelievable,” says Christine. Instead of a paintbox explosion of primary colors, Christine, who has a
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business degree from the University of Texas, chose a French Country theme, accented by chandeliers, carousel horses, and tasteful but welcoming displays. “A lot of candy stores give you heart palpitations when you walk in; they’re like circuses,” she says. She wanted a space more inviting to parents. “Everything she described became reality,” recalls Louis, his upbringing in New Orleans apparent in his cadence. (The New Orleans-style Snoball machine in The Candy Jar was his influence.) The 40-year music industry veteran in 1975 cofounded Pace Concerts, which eventually became part of Clear Channel. As founder of The Messina Group, he represents artists like Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, and, for 20 years now, George Strait. The Messinas, who married in 2005, moved to Austin from Houston four years ago to give their daughters a safe, nurturing environment (three of Louis’s grown sons also live here). “It’s a real life,” Christine says. “For us, everything is about the children. The kids who slip through the cracks always tug on us.” With that in mind, charities they support include the Dell Children’s Medical Center as well as its Surgical Global Outreach program, Caritas of Austin, SafePlace, Austin’s Children Shelter, and Zach Theatre. Louis recently wrapped up the record-breaking, twoyear Cowboy Rides Away Tour with Strait. After a family trip to Hawaii, he is preparing to travel for months yet again as Swift, Chesney, Ed Sheeran, and Eric Church all embark on or prepare for big tours. Meanwhile, Christine is focusing on the store’s first birthday party; on Sugar Rush, her packaged collection of curated sweets; and on ensuring The Candy Jar is ready for Halloween through Easter. She hand-selects merchandise and supports three local vendors: Maggie Louise Confections, Laura Atlas’s Kiskadee Chocolates, and Naked Fox dessert bars. Naked Fox made custom treats for all of the guest stars at Strait’s final show in Dallas, including Faith Hill, Chesney, Martina McBride, Vince Gill, and Sheryl Crow. “My artists are always looking for the hookup,” Louis says. “They’ll look right through me and search for Christine.” The Candy Jar, Hill Country Galleria, 12700 Hill Country Blvd., Bee Cave, 512-402-1177, thecandyjartx.com AW
photography by paige newton
Louis and Christine Messina relish their time together at their West Austin home.
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Darrell K. Royal Stadium during the Ole Miss Rebels-Longhorn matchup last September. The Rebels won the game 44-23. above: Coach Strong and the team at a scrimmage in April.
Strong Must Succeed
HE ALREADY TOLD US NOT TO EXPECT A TITLE, BUT IN HIS FIRST SEASON OF UT FOOTBALL, COACH CHARLIE STRONG HAS A LOT RIDING ON THE TEAm’S PERFORmANCE. BY MARK MAYFIELD
In an impressively long profile last month, ESPN The Magazine asked some questions that a great many of us college football fans—us Longhorn football fans, in particular—have been asking since Charlie Strong took over as head coach of the University of Texas Football program: “Can he handle the job? Is there any possible way to prepare for it?” While the Worldwide Leader in Sports didn’t exactly answer the latter, the truth is that there are a number of ways to prepare for being head coach at Texas. You can run 33 miles a week, as Strong does. You can become a heralded assistant coach and consistently impress iconic bosses like Lou Holtz (at South Carolina) and Urban Meyer (at Florida), only to get passed over for top jobs time after time. You can lead Louisville’s program to such prominence that, finally, a hungry and desperate Texas program comes knocking. And—this one’s important—you can spend as much time as humanly possible recruiting and coaching and doing one of college football’s toughest jobs. For better or worse, that means spending as little time as possible talking with magazines that aren’t ESPN The Magazine. In our case, “as little time as possible” meant 10 minutes at Big XII Media Day this summer. And that’s OK. Because, as football fans, we want Charlie Strong to
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photography courtesy of texas athletics (scrimmage); Joe robbins/getty images (stadium). opposite page: photography by Joe robbins/getty images (game against ole miss); courtesy of texas athletics (strong)
PEOPLE Game Changer
“We have core values in this program, and We expect our players to abide by those values.” —charlie strong
from far left: The Texas Longhorns take the home field last year during coach Mack Brown’s 16th and final season; Strong during a team practice in March.
succeed. And, as Texas fans, we kind of need him to. “He’s not a PR guy, not a baby kisser, and he’s not going to be a fishing pal,” says Brian Davis, a sportswriter who covers the Longhorns for the Austin American-Statesman. “He doesn’t like to stand around and shoot the breeze.” What Strong is, as Davis and others who have seen enough of the coach to know, is a man with a prophet’s obsessive certainty that discipline plus values plus character equals winning. He’s in it to win—and he’s going to win his way. “He goes at it for the long haul,” says Bill Samuels, chairman emeritus of Maker’s Mark bourbon and a former trustee at the University of Louisville, where Strong coached for three seasons before accepting the job in Austin. “The discussions he and I had took place mostly while sitting at basketball games. We didn’t talk a lot about football. The conversations were all about values and character.” The point wasn’t lost on the seven Longhorn players who had been kicked off the team as of press time, nor the three others who have been suspended. Strong’s approach was almost comical to those of us on the outside—and the fact that SB Nation’s hilarious parody, “Charlie Strong Has Kicked You Off the Team,” went viral this summer shows how many people across the country were watching him. Then receivers Kendall Sanders and Montrel Meander were arrested on sexual assault charges in July. Both were summarily cut, and there aren’t many left who are arguing against Strong’s approach. “We have core values in this program,” Strong told us during our brief time together in Dallas. “We expect our players to abide by those values. You take away something that’s important to them—and football is really important to a lot of these players— and you make sure that, [by taking games] away
from them, they understand how important it is to represent this great university not only on the field, but also off.” The thing is, you can’t really argue with the results. Strong guided Louisville to a 25-14 record, including a 23-3 mark for the last two seasons and a huge Sugar Bowl win over Southeastern Conference powerhouse. For us Longhorn fans who are coming up on 10 years—10!—without a national title, that success looks intoxicating. Strong, of course, is having none of it. He has gone out of his way to lower expectations, telling Texas fans on a bus tour in a matter-of-fact manner that the team “will not be in the national championship game” this season. Those candid remarks didn’t sit well with a whole lot of us. But far from taking back the comment, the coach “has owned it,” says Davis. “I’m telling you, he gets bigtime credit for that.” That’s quite an adjustment for anyone who saw much of Mack Brown, the former coach that Strong is replacing and who was the best politician Austin has seen since George W. Bush lived here. Brown went 158-7 in 16 seasons in Austin, but then 30-20 over the last four years. It left the impression that Longhorn football lost its edge. So UT went out and invested $5 million a year in Strong, who’s got enough edge to pass as a razor. He’s ravaged our roster in the name of discipline. He’s banned the “Hook ’Em” hand gesture from the field until his players have, presumably, earned the right to use it. And he’s honed in on discipline, values, character, and winning. He may not be our pal, and he may not pretend to be. He’s certainly not the coach we had, and he’s probably not the coach we expected. We’re about to find out if he’s the one we need. AW
PeoPle are talking Austinites share their thoughts and predictions for Strong’s first year as UT head coach.
“Charlie Strong stands on the precipice of an amazing opportunity with one of the top football programs in America. I’m so excited for our team and cannot wait to see the impact he’ll make, on and off the feld. A good year ahead for muchneeded changes.” —Tyson Cole, executive chef and owner, Uchi and Uchiko “I predict a 8-4 regular season and a bowl game win, to fnish 9-4.” —Tim Taylor, Austin real estate attorney and passionate Longhorn fan “I am happy to see Charlie Strong hired to be our new coach. He’s the man for the job. I have had the opportunity to build a relationship with him, and I pray we have a great year. If not, I will be here still supporting our team and coaching staff. I’ll be sticking with my university through the good and bad times—it’s my alma mater! Hook ’Em! Let’s Go Horns!” —Vince Young, former NFL quarterback and member of the UT Division of Diversity and Community Engagement
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PEOPLE Spirit of Generosity Barker and a professor outside a temporary school in Martillo, Nicaragua.
Every night he’s in Austin, Tab Barker sleeps in a teepee in his backyard.
BY LIVING SIMPLY—LOOK WHERE HE SLEEPS—AND DEVOTING HIS LIFE TO OTHERS, TAB BARKER HAS BUILT SEVEN SCHOOLHOUSES AND THREE WATER SYSTEMS IN NICARAGUA, AND HE DOESN’T PLAN ON STOPPING SOON. BY KEITH RYAN CARTWRIGHT
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of a nn f uller c ourtesy g irl); of t ab b arker ( c ourtesy pages (barker); photography by Jessica
THE MINIMALIST
Every night when he’s Austin, Thomas “Tab” Barker sleeps in a teepee in the backyard of his home. It’s a magical ritual for the founder of Project Schoolhouse, which builds elementary schools and clean water systems in rural Nicaraguan communities. “Sleeping in a teepee connects you to things you don’t understand, and you don’t understand why you feel connected to them, but it feels good,” says Barker, 40, a native of Wyoming who moved to Austin 12 years ago on a musical whim. A gypsy soul with an economics degree from Carleton College, Barker studied in Argentina on a Fulbright grant, then taught elementary school English in Costa Rica and spent four years traveling the world, from Central and South America to Europe. During a three-month stay in Spain, he began playing saxophone with a flamenco guitarist and became friends with Javier Del Castillo of Austin. After leaving Europe, he returned to the US, where he embarked on travels here, including a stop in Austin to visit Del Castillo. Three days after arriving, he decided this was the city for him. He was particularly drawn to the innovative and diverse East Side. “There’s something about East Austin that I found really attractive,” Barker explains. “Everybody spoke Spanish, and it felt like another country, which is where I had been for CONTINUED ON PAGE 82
(school)
A student at Escuela Cien Amigos in Martillo, Nicaragua.
DARRELL K ROYAL RESEARCH FUND FOR ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE CHANGING MINDS $2,000,000 raised since March 1, 2012 $850,000 awarded to 5 Texas scientists researching Alzheimer’s disease, funding the Edith Royal Caregiver Support and Education Permanent Endowment. Te board and volunteers of the DKR Fund would like to thank the hundreds of generous donors who have donated their time and money in memory and honor of Coach Darrel K Royal and his wife Edith. Dollars directed to the Beautiful Minds in Texas are dedicated to improving brain health in all stages of life by funding research for improvements in detection, treatment, and prevention, while enhancing the knowledge base for educational and support initiatives.
Featuring Vince Gill & Friends!
Our vision is for the DKR Fund to lead Texas in the global fght against Alzheimer’s and related disorders.
ww w.dk rf und.or g
Ava and Steve Late
THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS! AT&T, Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation, BMW of Austin/Ava & Steve Late, Cain Foundation, Capital Point Partners/Alfred Jackson, DK & Mike Reynolds, Heritage Title Company of Austin, Inc., Laurée & Jim Bob Mofett, Mike A. Myers, Rita & Henry Hortenstine, Tommy & Sandy Rouse, Dinah & Barry Barksdale, Charles W. Matthews, Eloise & John Paul DeJoria, Julie & Ben Crenshaw, KCL Foundation, Ken & Lorrie DeAngelis, S. Jack Balagia, Schweitzer Family Foundation, Sheri & Winston Krause
PeOPLe spirit of generosity from left: Barker with two
students at Escuela Santa Edubijes in Manceras, Nicaragua, in 2009; the first-ever Sod Farm Festival in Sheridan, Wyoming, raised more than $20,000 for Project Schoolhouse in 2011.
Charity register Opportunities to give. Ben, Willie, and darrell Present links & lyrics
What: Country musician and vocalist Vince Gill joins forces with pro golfer Ben Crenshaw and country music legend Willie Nelson for Links & Lyrics, a songwriters’ showcase, performance, and golf tournament; all proceeds will be donated to the Darrell K. Royal Research Fund for Alzheimer’s Disease. When: September 5; 8 pm Where: Barton Creek Country Club, 8212 Barton Club Dr. and ACL Live, 310 W. Willie Nelson Blvd. Contact: Table sponsorships start at $5,000. 866-946-3606; dkrfund.org
—tab barker
the last four years. I continued From page 80 had just wandered around the world by myself. The city just turned on, and it felt like a warm embrace.” Barker rooted himself in the local music scene, but something else was calling as well. He remembered the school at which he taught in Costa Rica, for which he had helped raise money to build a classroom for the kids, who had previously been taught in a shabby house with little more than a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. He began putting his plan for Project Schoolhouse in motion. It was a tall order, but Barker felt “well-suited” to work on such a project. Settled in Austin, he began living a minimalist lifestyle so that his philanthropic dream could take effect. He bought a home in an eclectic East Austin neighborhood, where he rents out all but the one room he uses as his office. The rent from tenants offsets his monthly living expenses while he sleeps in his teepee. He opened a bookstore, Books Beyond Borders (which he closed in 2011), in an effort to donate tomes to schools in developing countries and, about the same time, his vision for what would become Project Schoolhouse began to take shape. “I always figured I would go to Nicaragua,” Barker says. “It was the poorest country in the region, and it was near Costa Rica, which was my reference point. In my life, when I’ve made decisions, many of them are just made. If it feels right, I just go with it. Somehow doing work in Nicaragua was the obvious thing to do.” Since starting Project Schoolhouse in 2004, Barker has built water systems and six schools (he’s
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working on his seventh), helping the small community of Rio Lindo. On his most recent monthlong trip to the region, Barker went back to Sector Zamora de Cuatro Esquinas, where the rural community inaugurated Escuela Sofia Mendoza, the schoolhouse he completed last year. The hard-to-reach village is only about 150 miles from Managua, but requires a 10-hour journey that includes taking a bus, hiking, and riding a horse to cross an overflowing river. According to Barker, he typically budgets $33,000 for the school and another $25,000 for the water system, while the rest of the $70,000 budget accounts for transportation, materials, and other costs. Project Schoolhouse is a slim operation, raising money in low-key ways such as with private dinners and donations through its website. It also organizes volunteers for building trips each year. The key to a successful project is teaching the community to mobilize itself. The water systems installed at four of the seven schools have the capacity to supply water to every home in the community. Barker and his team require the family of each home to provide the project with 40 days’ worth of labor— “they’ll work because they want water”—for the right to tap into the system. Although Project Schoolhouse has dominated Barker’s life, he says he gets more out of it than he puts in. “It gives me something in my life that there’s no other way to get. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is, but I feel it every time I see a new school.” For ways to help, visit projectschoolhouse.org. AW
Ballet austin Presents Fête 2014
What: A black-tie-optional evening of dining, dancing, and a live auction will beneft arts education and access for the Central Texas community. This year’s event is inspired by Ballet Austin’s production of Belle Redux/A Tale of Beauty & the Beast, debuting in February. When: September 20, 6 pm-12 am Where: W Austin, 200 Lavaca St. Contact: Individual tickets start at $750. 512-476-9151; balletaustin.org
Beauty oF liFe
What: Support Hospice Austin at the annual Beauty of Life event, which includes shopping, a silent auction, raffe, brunch, and a keynote address by author and journalist Mitch Albom. When: October 9, 9:30 am Where: Hyatt Regency Austin, 208 Barton Springs Road Contact: Tickets/sponsorships start at $150. hospiceaustin.org
andy roddick Foundation Gala
What: The ninth annual Andy Roddick Foundation Gala will feature a performance by Darius Rucker. Proceeds will beneft the foundation, whose mission is to expand opportunities for local children in lowincome communities. When: October 17 Where: ACL Live, 310 W. Willie Nelson Blvd. Contact: Tickets: $59–$220; Table sponsorships: $10,000–$30,000. 512-298-1960; acl-live.com/calendar/ darius-rucker
photography by Christopher Kent (festival)
“If It feels rIght, I just go wIth It. somehow doIng work In nIcaragua was the obvIous thIng to do.”
CREATIVE PEOPLE CAN’T BE STOPPED.
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butler school of music department of theatre & dance department of art & art history texas performing arts landmarks the center for arts and entertainment technologies
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Texas Performing Arts season artists featured here: Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio (above), Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (below)
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benjiscantina.com
INVITED Austin City Limits celebrated 40 years with longtime friends Bonnie Raitt and Jimmie Vaughan, who covered a classic blues shuffle by Billy Emerson, “Pleasure Is All Mine.”
40 Years rooted
photography by gary Miller/getty iMages
Austin City Limits CeLebrAtes 40 yeArs: Two hisTory-in-Themaking concerTs aT The moody TheaTer will debuT on Pbs This ocTober. It’s no ordinary birthday bash when it comes to Austin’s heavy-hitting music history. ACL Live at The Moody Theater hosted a legendary show June 26 benefting KLRU-TV, the creator of Austin City Limits, to celebrate the music series’ historic fourdecade run on television. The all-star evening, hosted by Jeff Bridges and Sheryl Crow, kicked off with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bonnie Raitt, joined by Jimmie Vaughan, the soulful Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, and Continued on pAge 86
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INVITED // INVITED spotlight //
INTIMATE OCCASIONS DURING AUSTIN WAY ’S SERIES OF PRIVATE DINNERS, INVITED GUESTS CAN MINGLE Brittany Howard and Sheryl Crow
WITH SELECTED NOTABLE
Joe Ely, Terry Lickona, Robert Earl Keen, and Lloyd Maines
AUSTINITES AND THE EDITORS. SEARSUCKER HOSTED KEYE
Gary Clark Jr. for a rock rendition of “Wrap it Up.” The audience was brought to their feet more than once, with Howard getting a standing ovation after belting out “Heartbreaker,” while Grupo Fantasma’s energizing Latin funk had everyone dancing. Backstage, Doyle Bramhall II was spotted cozying up with girlfriend Renée Zellweger, while Outlaw Country legends Robert Earl Keen, Kris Kristofferson, and Joe Ely reminisced. The unforgettable four-hour event ended with all performers joining Ely in a special rendition of Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away.” Back in April, the show paid tribute to its inaugural headliner, Willie Nelson, the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, and others by celebrating the legacy they helped create. (Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey inducted them into the first Austin City Limits Hall of Fame.) During the summer concert taping, producer and musician Lloyd Maines was also honored in the special induction ceremony. Both evenings will be broadcast as part of a two-hour primetime special, Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years, airing Friday, October 3, at 8 PM on PBS.
TV ANCHOR HUNTER ELLIS,
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 85
THE TEXAS TRIBUNE’S REEVE HAMILTON, GSD&M’S DAVID ROCKWOOD, AND MORE ON JULY 31 TO TOAST NEW EDITORIN-CHIEF KATHY BLACKWELL. Hunter Ellis
Doyle Bramhall II and Renée Zellweger
Jeff Bridges and Sheryl Crow
David Rockwood
Andy Langer, Gary Clark Jr., and Kris Kristofferson
Forrest Preece
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY GARY MILLER/GETTY IMAGES
Doyle Bramhall II, Sheryl Crow, Jimmie Vaughan, Robert Earl Keen, Joe Ely, Bonnie Raitt, Gary Clark Jr., and Jeff Bridges
Henry Winkler Guillermo del Toro and Corey Stoll David Lascher and Christine Taylor
Sarah Drew
Keith Carradine
Shiri Appleby
INSIDE THE TUBE
SMALL-SCREEN ACTORS, directors, writers, and fans descended upon Austin June 4-7 for the third annual ATX Television Festival. Highlights from the week of screenings and parties include a special 25th anniversary of Hey Dude, where the alwayslovely Christine Taylor reunited with the rest of the show’s cast. Meanwhile, comedienne Nasim Pedrad nodded to her SNL departure,
telling attendees she was focusing on filming Mulaney, which premieres on Fox this October. And 40 years after he achieved a cult following as The Fonz on Happy Days, Henry Winkler accepted the award for Achievement in Television Excellence. The fest was capped by a party celebrating FX Networks with cast and crew from The Strain and Fargo, including Austinite and Fargo creator Noah Hawley.
Lea DeLaria, Uzo Aduba, and Danielle Brooks
Mia Maestro
Edward Flores and Jim Spencer
Brian Lusson and Bill Williams
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JACK PLUNKETT; PHOTOGRAPHY BY SPENCER MOREHEAD PHOTOGRAPHY
Lyle Lovett
Amy and Larry Bloomquist
HEARTFUL AUSTIN
ON MAY 3, nearly 600 of Central Texas’ leading executives and
Kelly Hall, Julie Schneider, and Craig Puccetti
Lyle Lovett with Lady and David Huffstutler
physicians gathered at The American Heart Association’s 17th Annual Heart Ball for a night of fine dining, dancing, and high-dollar bidding that raised over $500,000 to fight cardiovascular disease and strokes. The black-tie affair, held at the Hilton downtown, included a live auction where guests graciously bet on luxury vacations and all-inclusive hunting trips, followed by touching testimonials from those who directly benefited from the efforts of The American Heart Association. Later in the evening, guests were all ears as Lyle Lovett and his Acoustic Group gave a dazzling live performance that featured entertainment for the whole audience, ranging from Lovett’s new singles to classic country hits. David and Christie Deschodt, Stella and Malcolm Belisle, and Summer and Tommy Lawton
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INVITED Tim Neece and Maryleigh Dejernett
Liz Young and Clayton Maxwell
Micky Hoogendijk
Sara Oswalt, Betsy Clements, Lindsey Hanna, and Jennalie Travis Lyons
Sherri Smith and Becky Beaver
Chez O’Shaughnessy
Tommy Vascocu and Carol Wagner
Tiana Hux Dews
STAR BASH
Karen Oswalt with Matthew and Katy Culmo
ON APRIL 26, Austinites clad in black and white
gathered at the fabulous home of Peggy O’Shaughnessy to celebrate and support Women & Their Work. A silent art auction included the creations of Beili Liu and the photography of Micky Hoogendijk, and the Ephraim Owens Experience added a live jazz soundtrack to the starry evening. Entertainment was positively celestial with both astronomy and astrology on site—guests mingled by the backyard telescope, guided by Craig Newswanger, while Donna Woodwell of Four Moons Astrology doled out her stellar wisdom to curious partygoers. Delectable bites and sweets were provided by Fête Accompli. Khaki and Peggy O’Shaughnessy
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Susi Page and Susie Foy
Beili Liu and Judy Jensen
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW FULLER
Ephraim Owens
RE-DEFINING REAL ESTATE
WEEKEND BRUNCH AWARD-WINNING COCKTAILS EXQUISITE TASTING MENUS AN AUSTIN ORIGINAL 200 CONGRESS AVENUE AUSTIN, TEXAS 78701 512 827 2760 congressaustin.com
ANA SWANSON ABR, ALHS, BROKER®, CLHMS Specializing in Luxury Residential Properties for 23 years: * Working with luxury home buyers who know what they want and sellers who know what they have * New Construction
Top 10 Cocktail Bars in Austin -Thrillist
Top 100 Best Wine Restaurants
Best New Restaurant in the U.S. 2010
-Wine Enthusiast
-Esquire
512.663.5816 • Ana@analuxuryhomes.com • Analuxuryhomes.com 1611 W. 5th Street, Suite 100, Austin TX 78703
INVITED Lois Kim
Ricardo Ainslie, Daphny Ainslie, and D.J. Stout
A LITERARY FÊTE
WELL-READ AUSTINITES gathered at the W Residences on July 23 for a special Texas Book Festival literary salon featuring James Magnuson, the head of the Michener Center for Writers at UT. Guests including Marc Winkelman, Mary Herman, Karen and Ray Brimble, and Paul Stekler listened as Magnuson read from his latest novel, Famous Writers I Have Known. Sipping on libations from Austin Cocktails in the home of Nona Niland, attendees learned of the 2014 festival’s headlining authors—including Martin Amis, Ziggy Marley, and Lawrence Wright—and met acclaimed photographer Dan Winters as his festival poster image was unveiled.
Laila Peabody Scott, Heidi Marquez Smith, and Heather Wagner Reed
Clay Smith and Steph Opitz
John Teinert and Pierre Fay
David Smith and Karen Brimble
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIGUEL ANGEL
Brett Kilroe
INVITED Paul Rubin, Karin Wilkins, Lisa Russell, and Lyora Pissarro
Barbara Kelly and Dianne Talley
THE ARTIST’S WAY
LYORA PISSARRO, THE
Killy Scheer and Oliver Mansfield
youngest of the Pissarro family of artists, was the girl everyone wanted to meet, as the Russell Collection Fine Art Gallery hosted an intimate reception in June to highlight the young prodigy’s collection of work. Pissarro follows in the impressionistic footprints of her great grandparents while effortlessly blending in her mother and grandfather’s modernism approach. Several signed art pieces were available for acquisition at the event, along with an exclusive 65-piece display of artwork from all five generations of the infamous family.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DARLENE FISKE
Kristen O’Brien and Lyora Pissarro
Lisa and Chris Russell with Laura Worth
Suzanne McFayden Smith
(Salon) (Salon & Boutique) Hartland Plaza Lamar Union 1717 W. 6th Street #123 1100 S. Lamar #2135 512.474.1146 Opening Late 2014 joseluissalon.com joseluisagency.com joseluisboutique.com
taste so Many Dinners (so Little time)
Chez LaV
photography by jody horton
THE UPSCALE FRENCH RESTAURANT HAS QUICKLY MADE ITSELF AT HOME IN THE HEART OF EAST AUSTIN. by stirling kelso In 2011, when Ralph and Lisa Eads visited the building site of their restaurant LaV (pronounced as in “c’est la vie”)—what they envisioned as a sophisticated dining experience with an artful menu and serious wine program—they faced an empty lot in East Austin anchored by an abandoned gas station. To the untrained eye, this slice of real estate must have looked like it was more appropriate for squatters than du vin-loving diners. Still, the Eadses saw its potential, and went about putting together a star-studded design and culinary team for what they called their “field of dreams.” Their architecture firm, the Alabama-based McAlpine Tankersley Architecture, used the area’s industrial roots as inspiration for LaV’s exterior. The result—a 1920s-esque structure that could have had a former life as a hardware or feed store—looks like it’s lived on East Seventh Street for decades. Inside, the restaurant is divided into four separate dining rooms (designed by Susan Ferrier of partner company McAlpine Booth & Ferrier Interiors), continued on page 94
Guests in the wine bar are seated at one of two community tables in front of a wall of wine; glass orbs evoke the sense of Champagne bubbles.
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TAsTe so Many Dinners (so Little Time) from left: Executive
Pastry Chef Janina O’Leary puts the finishing touches on her signature brioche doughnuts, served with a seasonal jam and vanilla bean cream; green bean niçoise with pickled onion, potato confit, and soft-poached egg.
LaV’s two-story wine cellar offers a vast array of vintages for every occasion and budget.
In the know The LaV team shares insider tips for dining at this hot Austin establishment.
independent in purpose but very much equal in drama. In the main dining room, flowing drapery and tall fabric banquets create intimate dining environments in an otherwise airy space. Elegant dark wood tables set with crisp white china and French Guy Degrenne glassware are matched by the caliber of food coming out of the kitchen: Executive Chef Allison Jenkins (whom the Eadses lured from Ajax Tavern at The Little Nell in Aspen) lets many of her seasonal French Provincial-style dishes—baby octopus, grilled whole fish, roasted chicken for two—stand on their own, with a little help now and then from olive oil, salt, and fresh herbs. The chicken liver paté, served with house mustard and crisp cornichons, is expertly executed as is the understated wood-oven bouillabaisse. Save room for sweet works of art by Janina O’Leary, a 2013 James Beard Award semifinalist who formerly worked at Daniel and Per Se in New York. You can slather warm brioche doughnuts with berry jam and vanilla bean pastry cream; a chocolate delice comes with honey lavender ice cream.
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Those stopping in for a post-work get-together or a celebratory pair of Carte Blanche cocktails—sinful sips made with gin, Cocchi Americano, and Amaro Nonino—might settle in the more casual wine room, named for its floor-to-ceiling bottle rack and slate-topped tables carved out with ice buckets. This social space is also one of the best to enjoy LaV’s new mezze menu, a collection of happy hour – priced small plates that give a shout-out to French cuisine’s Middle Eastern ties. The neighboring bar and lounge transports diners with a wall-to-wall painting of lavender fields, a visual tie-in to the Provincial-style plates. “Sipping a lavender-infused cocktail at the bar while gazing at the beautiful painting is the quickest trip to Provence you’ll ever make,” says frequent diner Carla McDonald, founder and editorial director of The Salonniére, the website dedicated to the art of entertaining. From the beginning, wine was a priority at LaV. (Ralph Eads is a wine lover; French, in particular, is his elixir of choice.) He handpicked advanced sommelier Vilma Mazaite—whose long list of credits includes working with Michael Mina
at his namesake restaurant in Las Vegas and Mario Batali at Babbo in New York—to craft a wine collection of more than 4,500 bottles, second to none in the Texas capital. On the 64-page menu, you can browse more than 1,000 labels, including owner favorites such as Domaine Leflaive, a white Burgundy, and Clos Dubreuil, a boutique red Bordeaux. There’s also a glass-enclosed wine cellar with a private dining table that can seat up to 12 for dinner. “From the label options at the table to the restaurant’s design, wine was always an important focal point,” says Mazaite. LaV may be visually and gastronomically transporting, but it also has a strong Southern spirit, thanks to its friendly, on-point staff and sophisticated yet approachable vibe. “It’s a great addition to Austin’s restaurant scene and it underscores our city’s growing reputation as a top food town,” says McDonald. So while you’re popping open a rare Right-Bank Bordeaux or diving into basil escargot, you never forget where you really are: the new culinary heart of Austin. LaV Restaurant, 1501 E. 7th St., 512-3911888; lavaustin.com AW
Whom you’ll dine next to: General Manager Jamie Wagner shares, “On any given night, you may be sitting next to chef Shawn Cirkiel, the team from C3, or Coach [Charlie] Strong. Or our own [pastry] chef Janina [O’Leary] may be dining with her 4-year-old son, who comes in for more than just the desserts.” top vintages: “We have more than 150 wines priced under $100 on our Tour du Monde list—each is outstanding,” says advanced sommelier Vilma Mazaite. “From Occhipinti Frappato 2012 ($86) to Dominique Mugneret ‘Malconsorts’ 2011 ($283), we have a number of lesser-known wines that are absolutely delicious and offer really great value.”
photography by jody horton
CONTINuED FROM paGE 93
Best seat in the house: Every table in LaV sits in a corner or against a banquet. No one is stranded in the middle of the room. “One of my favorite seats is the corner of our lounge, which gives guests a view of the amazing painting behind the bar and a peek at the mysteriously beautiful State Cemetery across the street,” says owner Ralph Eads. “If you like to people watch, that is defnitely the best seat in the house.”
Some courses you visit this one you will want to call home
Elegant Hill Country Living. Inspired by the beauty of the game and the lush Texas Hill Country, nationally-recognized Spanish Oaks is unequaled for premier location and luxury golf lifestyle. Distinguished Hill Country homes and villas from $675,000 to $5 million – an exceptional collection of homesites from $300,000 to $1.1 million.
Schedule Your Private Tour by Calling 512.533.2300 Or Visit www.spanishoaks.com/callhome 3RD Best Golf Course in Texas Golf Digest 2013
Best Overall Private Golf Club Avid Golfer Hill Country Best of Austin Golf 2013
Top 100 Best Residential Course in the U.S. Golfweek Magazine 2013
taste the Dish
The New BBQ Mecca
no road trip required: the hill country’s legendary spots have come to austin. Smoke. Meat. Fire. Blood. The elements of great barbecue couldn’t be more visceral—or more Texan. The secrets of successful ’cue have long been held by a handful of rural Texas families, whose food inspired long-distance pilgrimages to towns like Lockhart, Llano, and Taylor. Over the past five years, though, a seismic change has taken place. Since those now infamous lines started forming at his trailer in 2009, the rising fortunes of Aaron Franklin and his impeccable brisket have created a ripple effect, leading talented upstarts and old-guard
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families to open their latest barbecue ventures in Austin. Veteran ’cue critic Mike Sutter sees the migration in simple terms: “Llano and Lockhart look at Austin and say, ‘Wait a minute. We invented this thing. Shouldn’t we be getting a piece of the action?’” The legendary families have made a big Austin noise of late: While Louie Mueller continues to draw fans to Taylor and Mueller siblings John and LeAnn Mueller famously paired up for JMueller BBQ, then parted ways in 2012. When asked why rivalry is so prevalent in Texas
this page: photography by jody horton. opposite page: photography by jody horton (Franklin bbQ, terry black’s bbQ); courtesy oF labbQ (sign, burgers)
At Terry Black’s BBQ, ribs are cooked to perfection on the smoker.
Franklin BarBecue Takes cover, Goes To air
clockwise from far left: Michael
Black at Terry Black’s BBQ; La Barbecue has been ranked among the best barbecue in town; pulled pork and brisket sandwiches and sausages with red onion slaw from La Barbecue.
“BARBECUE SPEAKS To oUR AnImAL nATURES—hAndS And TEETh, FAT And FIRE.”—mike sutter barbecue families, Sutter says, “Barbecue speaks to our animal natures—hands and teeth, fat and fire. Think of it as dogs around their favorite bowl. You don’t want to get in the middle of that.” LeAnn Mueller recruited pitmaster John Lewis (a Franklin veteran) to lead the charge at her La Barbecue trailer (902 E. Cesar Chavez, 512-605-9696; labarbecue.com). More than a year and a half later, the decision has paid off: Sutter, among other critics, recently ranked La Barbecue number one on his list, besting even Franklin. Brother John is still operating in the same zip code, albeit with a slightly lower profile, at John Mueller Meat Co. (2500 E. 6th St., 512-571-6509; john muellermeatco.com). His beef ribs and brisket can still be perfect on the right day. In other rivalry news, Lockhart
legend Black’s arrives in Austin in dueling factions. Twin brothers Michael and Mark Black recently opened Terry Black’s BBQ in South Austin (1003 Barton Springs Road, 512-394-5899; terryblacksbbq.com) to strong acclaim. Both brothers are Black’s veterans—Michael estimates he logged 15 years, including manning the pits after college graduation. When asked why they chose Austin, Michael explains, “If you’re a country singer, you go to Nashville. If you’re doing barbecue, now you want to be in Austin.” The brothers’ move was prompted by some changes in Lockhart: “My uncle started using rotisserie cookers, and we prefer doing it old-school. Our sides are homemade.” In response, the Lockhart Black’s, owned by their grandparents and uncle, opened a UT-area location (3110 Guadalupe St., 512-398-2712;
blacksbbq.com) and a food truck. The campus location serves barbecue that is made in Lockhart and then is trucked to Austin daily; the tiny storefront does not do in-house smoking. Another legendary name, Cooper’s (217 Congress Ave., 512-474-4227; coopersbbqaustin.com), will arrive downtown this fall, as owner Terry Wootan continues his successful expansion. The Austin Cooper’s will cook on-site and serve three meals a day. While barbecue won’t start until 11 am, kolaches and coffee will be available early. A second story will house a late-night sports and music bar. With so many barbecue options, Michael Black says: “The quality in Austin is now the best in the world. We painted a mural on our wall that says the new bbq capital of texas. This is the new mecca.” AW
Following a two-week closure, Franklin Barbecue returned in July after completing a planned upgrade. The addition enclosed kitchen facilities to reduce the staff’s need to cook outdoors and run flights of stairs. “It’s not the ideal addition—we wanted restrooms and another serving area,” says co-owner Stacy Franklin, “but we ran into parking and permitting issues.” Franklin says a phase two is planned, which will add a second counter—a change that could shorten the restaurant’s legendary line. Besides the new kitchen, Aaron Franklin’s PBS series, BBQ with Franklin, which is being produced by KLRU, will head to the airwaves soon. Says Franklin: “It’s been a lot of work, but this kitchen will be awesome for our staff, and we’re excited to see the PBS show get going!” 900 E. 11th St., 512-653-1187; franklin barbecue.com
Pulled pork sandwich at Franklin Barbecue.
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taste Sneak Peek
Get Your Fixe
In an exclusive interview With Austin Way, chef James Robert discusses how he and Keith House are crafting a progressive Southern destination downtown at Fixe. by jane kellogg murray
clockwise from top: Grains at Fixe are paired with traditional Southern ingredients, but always with a twist; served atop “Potlikker” pinto beans with pickled jalepeños, Fixe’s pork shoulder is braised for three hours; Fixe co-owner and executive chef, James Robert.
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Austin’s restaurant scene is taking a Southerly turn. James Robert and Keith House, veterans of Eddie V’s, plan to put their Southern roots down with Fixe, slated to open late this fall in the new IBC Bank tower downtown. The concept—executed through design partnerships with Pinnacle Construction (pinnacle austin.com), Nelsen Partners (nelsen partners.com), and EDG Interior Architecture + Design (edg design.com)—celebrates opulent country living with rich wood tones throughout the space. Plans for artistic, rustic touches include antique windows to section off the kitchen from the main dining room and a screen-door installation to welcome guests. Influenced by the dishes his mother cooked for him, Robert is the mastermind behind the “Sunday Supper” menu to be served nightly. Austin Way sat down with the chef for an exclusive preview of what’s to come. Your chef de cuisine, Zach Hunter, who already has a pair of twoMichelin-star restaurants under his belt, is a relative newcomer to Austin. What do people need to know about him? I hired Zach as an appetizer cook eight years ago [when we opened up Eddie V’s] in Scottsdale, Arizona. He reminded me a lot of myself when I was his age. He rose up the ranks pretty quickly and took over that restaurant when I came back to Austin in 2007. Through the connections he made, he was able to cook in Spain at [Mugaritz], which was at the time ranked number four in the entire world, and later at Atera, in New York City. What’s unique about Zach’s approach to cooking? He brings a perspective to food that you don’t really see much of here yet, so
having someone like him on your team is invaluable if you are looking to push the boundaries of cuisine. He injects that modernism and progressiveness into what would otherwise be traditional dishes.… We’re bringing new life to recognizable Southern cuisine. How so? What do you think the menu will be like? We’re devoting an entire section of the menu to grits—an heirloom variety made in the Carolinas, and the best I’ve ever had. We’re pairing grits with traditional ingredients, like shrimp— except we prepare it with shrimp butter infused into a clarified butter, and fold shrimp roe into a shrimp butter aioli. We’ll also make dishes like potato salad, which will have the same components you would find in any traditional potato salad—but you’ll have to dig around to find those ingredients. We incorporate pickled quail eggs, and underneath the whole dish is a sharp aioli base. With each bite, you discover something different. It’s very playful, very surprising. The layout of the restaurant is sectioned off into rooms. This was intentional, yes? We want to transport you into a Southern home. It has a residential feel throughout, from the furniture to the décor to the fixtures. That was the inspiration behind it: the warm feeling you get when you are welcomed into someone’s home. Is there a best seat in the house? There’s a chef’s table—number 11—which sits right off a square pass table where Zach and I will be. As far as feeling like you are a part of the process and excitement, I know that’s the table I would book for myself. You can take in the theatrics and the buzz and the energy of the kitchen. 500 W. Fifth St., 512-9543493; austinfixe.com AW
photography by Knox Photographics
“We’re devoting an entire section of the menu to grits—an heirloom variety, and the best I’ve ever had.” —james robert
TASTE On the Town
Directors’ Cut
BEFORE THEIR BOOK AND FILM FESTIVALS TAKE OVER TOWN AT THE SAME TIME, RELATIVE AUSTIN NEWBIES STEPH OPITZ AND ERIN HALLAGAN COMPARE NOTES AT ONE OF THE AREA’S DINING MAINSTAYS, HUDSON’S ON THE BEND.
clockwise from above: Steph Opitz
and Erin Hallagan dining at Hudson’s on the Bend; the restaurant’s picturesque patio; a roasted corn and ricotta goat cheese tower topped with a sesame- and almond-crusted crab cake in a guajillo sauce.
Steph Opitz and Erin Hallagan have a lot in common: Each in their early 30s, they moved to Austin in the past few years, and they play crucial roles in two of the city’s standout festivals, which overlap for one manic weekend downtown. Opitz is the literary director of the Texas Book Festival (October 25-26), and Hallagan is the creative director of the Austin Film Festival (October 23-30). The two women recently got together for dinner at Hudson’s on the Bend, which turns 30 this year. Over three decades, Chef Jeff Blank has served sophisticated and exotic game dishes at the restaurant, about 25 miles from downtown, near Lake Travis. Over a decadent, three-course meal at Hudson’s, the two festival pros discussed the perils and perks of their respective dream jobs as well as Austin’s dining scene. Steph Opitz: Last year after my first Texas Book Festival, you said, “Don’t worry, every year it gets easier.” But you just got a promotion from conference director to creative director so do you still think that’s true? Erin Hallagan: I feel like I’m in my first year again, now that we’ve realigned our team due to the festival’s growth. We’ve combined the conference department [focusing on writing for film, television, and new media] with our film programming to produce an even stronger platform for great storytelling. EH: Has your job changed very much from the first year? SO: Yeah… slightly, in a more stressful way. There are so many things that I can and want to improve upon from last year. We’re partnering with the Texas Teen Book Fest [formally the Austin Teen Book Fest]; we rebranded it and moved it to the weekend before the TBF to have bookended weekends. [Waiter brings amuse bouche of goat cheese brioche with Jack Daniels–infused jam.] EH: Seriously cheese and liquor: It’s all I need. SO: The most stressful thing about our jobs is being a tastemaker. We roll the dice about how the audience will feel about a book that doesn’t even see the light of day for months. Last year we had James McBride as one of our featured authors, and a month later he won the National Book Award. EH: There’s a certain amount of risk taking; last year,
INSIGHT: Hudson’s on the Bend: 3509 Ranch Road 620 N. 512-266-1369; hudsonsonthebend.com WHEN:
Open Sunday–Monday 6 to 10 PM; Tuesday–Thursday 5:30 to 10 PM; and Friday–Saturday 6 to 9 PM
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photography by ben sklar
WHERE:
from left: Peanut butter pie; Opitz (left) and Hallagan in the homey dining room at Hudson’s on the Bend.
“Oh, my gOsh, this [crunchy ruby trOut] tastes the way yOu wish chicken nuggets wOuld taste.”—steph opitz we were confirming people who worked for Netflix series like house of cards and Orange is the new black before they were even released. We guessed those shows were going to take off; luckily they did. [appetizer: Venison prosciutto with salmon curing on a salt block with jalapeño oil and red chili oil. crab cake with sesame-almond crust, fireroasted corn sauce, herb ricotta cheese, avocado, chipotle lime ver blanc.] SO: What are some of the themes you’ve seen recently? EH: This has been going on for a while, but the emergence and acceptance of the antihero, protagonists who are likeable in their unlikableness. You see it more in television because you get the opportunity to explore a character over a trajectory of a series, like with mad men. SO: Well, Don Draper goes back and forth, which is pretty impressive. EH: It’s such a layered story, and that’s where the craft is really powerful [mad men creator Matt Weiner is being honored by the festival this year]. And you see it in true detective, and we have the director [Cary Fukunaga] coming in. [main course: crunchy ruby trout with mango habanero aioli and cornbread pudding, sweet corn risotto with roasted beets, balsamic-marinated tomatoes and grilled zucchini, and a cilantro pesto.] SO: Oh, my gosh, this tastes the way you wish chicken nuggets would taste. EH: Are there certain topics or genres that you outsource to
your committee instead of choosing yourself? SO: I’m a Minnesotan and therefore did not take Texas history in high school, so I rely heavily on the committee to know which of the hundreds of Texas books are the best. [sinful dessert arrives: delicious peach and blueberry cobbler and the peanut butter pie.] SO: I can’t believe this is our first time here. We’ve licked all the plates! Where else do you like to go? EH: I’ve been frequenting the East Side. I go to Contigo weekly, I love Foreign & Domestic, and one of my favorites is Justine’s. The manager, Jardine Libaire, is a beautiful writer who has hosted a few writers groups; you feel like you’re transported back in time. We’re also cooking more because there are so many great farmer’s markets, including the one at Mueller, and we like to support Green Gate Farms. It’s become a culinary exploration. SO: We do the Johnson’s Backyard CSA. We’re in SoCo, so we like Snack Bar, and The Backspace is close to my office downtown. I adore the Micheladas at Hotel San José. Since I’m still so new to town, I basically go wherever someone suggests we meet. EH: I really love dive bars. I feel like a night where you go to Lucy’s Fried Chicken and then Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon, the music there is always so good... you can’t go wrong. SO: Oh! I went there for Chicken (Expletive) Bingo! My friend’s child got baptized, and then we went there. EH: Ha! Welcome to Austin. AW
Austin Film FestivAl
October 23–30; Film & Food Fundraising Party, October 22, 7 pm, at the driskill; tickets $100; austinflmfestival.com (see “Festivalia,” page 62.) texAs Book FestivAl
October 25–26, with authors such as martin amis, edan lepucki, and lawrence wright. First edition literary gala, October 24, at Four seasons austin; tickets $500; texasbookfestival.org
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TASTE Spotlight fresh finds
OLIVE PICK
insight
Healthy Choices
Domestic olive oils are at their best during the winter, after freshly harvested olives from autumn are pressed and bottled. But the intensely flavorful, aromatic ingredients can still be enjoyed in their prime in Central Texas this time of year: Con’ Olio extends an olive branch to the Southern hemisphere as it puts the fresh, award-winning EVOOs of Chile, Peru, and Australia on tap this month. Con’ Olio Oils & Vinegars, Second Street District, 215 Lavaca St., 512-4951559; The Arboretum, 10000 Research Blvd., Ste. 130, 512-342-2344; Hill Country Galleria, 12918 Shops Pkwy., Ste. 550, 512-263-4373; conolios.com
// NOW EAT //
1
VEGGIE DELIGHT
Austin’s vegetable-loving foodies will rejoice in Uchi and Uchiko’s new tasting menu. “Vegetarians get tired of the limited offerings they get at other restaurants,” says Director of Culinary Operations Philip Speer. “They know they can get something satisfying and creative with us.” The daily five-course tasting menu ($51) includes items like the Komaki roll and a sweet corn sorbet. A monthly 10-course omakase menu ranges between $170-$220. Uchi, 801 S. Lamar Blvd., 512-916-4808; Uchiko, 4200 N. Lamar Blvd., 512-916-4808; uchiaustin.com
2
THE MAN BEHIND 1886 CAFÉ & BAKERY’S MENU LOOKS TO REDUCE THE HISTORIC LANDMARK’S ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. Shrimp with corn butter at Olamaie.
Following summer-long renovations, The Driskill’s café reopens this month with an updated and expanded dining room, including a patisserie-style layout with grab-and-go fresh pastries. The Driskill Hotel’s executive chef, Troy Knapp (he’s best known for the Driskill Grill—the hotel’s high-end restaurant), reveals the reasoning behind his changes to the classic Texas comfort- food menu. Ethical eating: “When the restaurant was closed, it was an excellent time for us to make a few menu changes. We’re not opening with a new menu, just making sure the ingredients we are buying are from producers who make us feel good about their animal welfare, ethics, and environmental stewardship.” Sacred cow: “We recently switched to grass-fed beef. From a health standpoint, it’s important for the person eating it. When you take the corn out of the diet, you drastically reduce the chances of E. coli for the cattle.” Curated coffee: “We’re now working with Ferra Coffee, based out of Boerne, Texas. What’s really special is that it’s roasted once we order it. It sits in a green stage, sourced directly from the growers, which gives the worker a fairer wage. There’s no one handling it in between, so it never sits on a shelf.” 1886 Café & Bakery at The Driskill, 604 Brazos St., 512391-7066; 1886cafeandbakery.com AW
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AT LAST
Extra-virgin olive oils from Chile, Peru, and Australia are on tap at Con’ Olio.
// new in town//
After a very long wait, Austin can finally taste the culinary guns Olamaie has been promising since its first pop-up dinner more than a year ago. CIAtrained Executive Chefs Michael Fojtasek and Grae Nonas have worked with Mario Batali and Thomas Keller, and now join forces in a modern Southern restaurant housed in an Austin landmark—with a seasonal menu focusing on local ingredients. 1610 San Antonio St., 512-730-0652; olamaieaustin.com
ONLY IN TEXAS
Rustic design and ranch-to-table fare define Jacoby’s, the new Austin outpost of the family ranch and cafe in Melvin. Savor the Jacoby beef burger or enjoy healthier offerings along with craft cocktails. The adjacent market carries artisan foods as well as Jacoby beef, lamb, and wild boar. 3235 E. Cesar Chavez St., 512-366-5808; jacobysaustin.com
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LINDSEY CAVANAUGH (OLIVE OIL); COURTESY OF THE DRISKILL (KNAPP); COURTESY OF OLAMAIE (SHRIMP); PAUL BARDAGJY (UCHIKO)
Executive Chef Troy Knapp of The Driskill Grill and 1886 Café & Bakery.
luxury redefned
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The Treasury AT THE OASIS
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TASTE Cheers! RECIPE: PÉCHÉ’S BLOODY 75 1 oz. absinthe rouge, made in-house* ½ oz. fresh lemon juice ½ oz. simple syrup, made in-house Splash of Montmartre Brut
*Miller’s absinthe infusion comes from an old recipe for absinthe rouge, but his version combines Kübler absinthe, hibiscus, toasted macadamia nuts, vanilla bean, and dried black currants.
Shake the absinthe rouge, lemon juice, and simple syrup with ice and pour into a martini glass. Top off with bubbly and garnish with a twist of lemon.
from left: The Scofflaw at Garage Cocktail Bar was originally created during
AUSTIN LE ADS THE WAY IN PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF BAR LIFE. HERE, THREE TOP MIXOLOGISTS SHARE THEIR MODERN TAKES ON CLASSIC OR FORGOTTEN COCKTAILS. BY JANE KELLOGG MURRAY
Equal parts scientist and artist, truly great mixologists know how to tame a potent spirit with harmony and precision. Nothing quite puts their skills to the test like rediscovering and reinventing drinks from days (and nights) gone by, and that’s exactly how these three bartenders are helping to keep Austin’s craft cocktail scene fresh and relevant. At the speakeasy-style Garage Cocktail Bar (503 Colorado St., 512-3693490; garagetx.com), hidden inside the McGarrah Jessee parking garage, barman Chauncy James predicates his original cocktails on long-forgotten classic recipes. Take the Scofflaw—a drink originally created during the Prohibition era—which the East Side Show Room veteran reimagined with his house-made blueberry grenadine. It may seem odd to romanticize a time when
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photography by Jody
Drinks to Remember
consenting adults were forced to congregate in windowless rooms drinking spirits mixed in bathtubs. But sitting in the dimly lit Garage with a coupe glass in hand, it’s easy to feel like you’re indulging in a sophisticated pastime. “There are drinks that have withstood the test of time, but now we can make them more dynamic,” says Alfonso Hernandez, also an East Side Show Room alumnus. Using midcentury Havana as muse, Hernandez designed the beverage menu for the recently opened Pleasant Storage Room (208 W. Fourth St., Unit D, 512-3229921; pleasantrumbar.com). The Einstein on the Beach—“the thinking man’s tiki drink,” he says, and one of the few nonrum-based cocktails on the menu—is a spin on the Singapore Sling, a Southeast Asian recipe first mixed in 1915. “I took drinks that I knew had potential and revived them,” Hernandez says, noting that he adds a dash of absinthe to the original recipe. Next door, Péché (208 W. Fourth St., 512-494-4011; pecheaustin.com) has built a reputation for inadvertently converting the unadventurous liquor drinkers of today into absinthe enthusiasts—a spirit historically adulated by the likes of Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Behind Péché’s bar, Larry Miller describes how he scours tattered cocktail tomes to repopularize the drinks of yesteryear. He has a few original creations as well, such as the Bloody 75. “It’s the first absinthe drink I’ve made that doesn’t taste like absinthe,” he boasts. Cheers to that. For recipes for all three of these cocktails, visit austinway.com. AW
h orton
the Prohibition era; Einstein on the Beach at Pleasant Storage Room is a spin on the Singapore Sling, and the Bloody 75 at Péché is an absinthe drink “that doesn’t taste like absinthe.”
Krystle Copulos McCarley Kr ystle Copulos McCarley has been a real estate broker for the last 10 years, specializing in condo living in Central Austin. As a top producing agent in the downtown real estate market, Kr ystle utilizes her extensive market knowledge, stays on top of real estate trends, and continues to broaden her client r elationships. As a Real Estate Broker with several years of experience in the downtown market, Kr ystle is well connected, educated and creative. Contact her today to discuss your real estate needs.
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A Kind of Brotherhood
Playing the role of a divorced father of two in Boyhood, Ethan Hawke ages and grows over 12 years. But he never considered it a risk. As he tells longtime friend and partner in film, Richard Linklater, the Austin native saw it as yet another opportunity to show the art of real life.
additional reporting by k athy blackwell photography by rainer hosch
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Western denim shirt, Levi’s ($68). Macy’s, Barton Creek Square, 512-329-2300; macys.com. Jeans, Levi’s Made & Crafted ($169). By George, 524 N. Lamar Blvd., 512-472-5951; bygeorgeaustin.com. Leather belt, Banana Republic ($60). Barton Creek Square, 512-328-4484; bananarepublic.com. Boot, Tommy Bahama ($225). The Domain, 512-852-5001; tommybahama.com opposite page: Leather jacket, Kenneth Cole New York ($398). Dillard’s, Barton Creek Square, 512-327-6100; kennethcole.com. Jeans ($198) and knit-sleeve shirt ($158), 7 for All Mankind. Neiman Marcus, The Domain, 512-719-1200; neimanmarcus.com. Leather belt, Banana Republic ($60). Barton Creek Square, 512-328-4484; bananarepublic.com. Black boots, Frye ($378). Allens Boots, 1522 S. Congress Ave., 512-447-1413; allensboots.com
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TwenTy years ago,
Austin filmmaker Richard Linklater and Austinborn actor Ethan Hawke launched what would become one of the most successful ongoing collaborations in independent cinema with the talkative and intimate Before Sunrise. The two friends have made many movies together, including the Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight trilogy and the locally shot The Newton Boys. Their eighth and most ambitious film, Boyhood, a lovingly realistic portrait of a family shot over a dozen years, is one of the most talked-about movies of the year. An ambitious and novel project, yes, but one full of intelligent and thoughtful observations as well as the comfortable acceptance of life’s imperfections. Those characteristics also shape how the two men interact. They instinctively follow each other’s thoughts no matter where they lead, never losing the other. When the two longtime friends launch
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into a conversation, you can imagine sitting with them on a back porch in Austin—Linklater with a Texas drawl that takes its time, Hawke with his passionate staccato—discussing life and the creative process well into the hot night. Here, after the release of Boyhood—shot in Austin, Houston, and other parts of Texas—Linklater talks to Hawke about working with Austinites Ellar Coltrane (who stars as Mason Jr.) and Charlie Sexton (the legendary local guitarist who basically plays himself), the reaction to the movie, and what’s next for Hawke. RichaRd LinkLateR: i want to ask you about the way we spent 12 years on this life project really contemplating fatherhood. this film is called Boyhood, but it could have been called Motherhood or Fatherhood. We are both fathers. i feel like this collaboration was
unique, catching us at a certain point in our lives. how do you feel about it? ethan haWke: I think that’s been the strength. My son, Levon, was born right before we started shooting, so this spanned his whole life. He doesn’t remember any time when I wasn’t working on Boyhood. Maya feels the same way; she was 5 when we started filming. You were always a little ahead of me with your daughter Lorelei. So that was really fun for you and me to talk about our experiences as fathers. And what’s really hard about the movie coming out is the level at which people judge my character, Mason Sr., and I see how we all want perfection from our parents. But none of us had perfect parents, and none of us are perfect parents ourselves. Once you break up the nuclear family, perfection is no longer possible. You’re trying to make something positive out of the broken pieces, right?
above: Jacket, Diesel ($298). The Domain, 512-833-0655; diesel.com. Shirt, Billy Reid ($115). 1122 W. 6th St., 512-354-1884; billyreid.com. Straight leg jean, Citizens of Humanity ($194). Gatsby’s Menswear, Hill Country Galleria, 512-243-8808; gatsbysmenswear.org. Black boots, Frye ($698). Allens Boots, 1522 S. Congress Ave., 512-447-1413; allensboots.com right: Leather jacket, Kenneth Cole New York ($398). Dillard’s, Barton Creek Square, 512-327-6100; kennethcole.com. Jeans, 7 for All Mankind ($198). Neiman Marcus, The Domain, 512-719-1200; neimanmarcus.com. Leather belt, Banana Republic ($60). Barton Creek Square, 512-328-4484; bananarepublic.com. Black boots, Frye ($378). Allens Boots, 1522 S. Congress Ave., 512-447-1413; allensboots.com
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You’re just trying to make it work. You know what I think is strange? People’s response to this movie has been really positive, and it’s made me think that this movie is so true to the nuances and weirdness and erratic movements of normal, daily life that people must really like their own lives a lot more than we usually let on. What they’re seeing is nothing extraordinary. No, not at all. The biggest, best mystery is this kid Coltrane. He is handling himself so beautifully. When I asked Charlie Sexton about what he thought about the movie, he told me the biggest miracle of the whole movie is that the kid didn’t turn out to be a jerk. I think the best thing for Ellar Coltrane has been you and Patricia Arquette, people who started young in the business. He admires you as professionals who kept doing it in a healthy, good way. You never got swallowed up. What else did Charlie have to say for himself? He was just vintage Charlie. He said so many smart things about [the movie]. He loved it, and it’s so strange; he has a small part in it, but he said his phone has been ringing off the hook, all the different, weird people from his life, calling him up wanting to talk about the movie. Aw, man, that’s just great. This is how organic this film could be: We were just like, “Maybe Charlie’s a good roommate for you?” And I told him, “Six years from now, you come back, and we’re going to see you in concert,” and he was like, “Sounds good, if I’m still alive.” [Laughs] It all sounded so far-fetched back then, you know? It’s funny how your character ends up an insurance guy. When was it that we realized our dads were both in insurance? We’d already known each other almost a decade. Somehow we hadn’t put it together. We were driving through Houston, and you started telling me some more stories about your dad and growing up there and how similar it was to where my father lived in Fort Worth. People assumed we met in Texas. Of course, we really kind of met in Vienna. Not literally, but you know what I mean. Yeah, 20 years ago right now we were there shooting Before Sunrise. Isn’t it amazing? I remember someone asked us if were going to work together again. We kind of looked at each other and said, “Well, I hope so.” I don’t think we could’ve ever predicted we
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would’ve done this much. What’s strange is when I think back on that period, I had no warning of how much lay ahead. I didn’t think like, oh, we can make eight movies together. I knew that it was kind of a big deal to meet a filmmaker who had an ethos that I believed in. There are not that many filmmakers who are as dedicated to making movies about real people as you are. When people say what a risk it was to say yes to Boyhood, I just kind of laugh, because the goal of my life is to create something with meaningful characters, right? And to get to create a portrait of a father, and really explore fatherhood from all its angles, not just raising some 6-year-old in some silly narrative, but to actually get to explore being a father over a decade, was such an unbelievable opportunity. Isn’t it funny how risk averse people’s minds get? When I hear, “Oh, this is a risk,” I think, no, this is an opportunity. When do you get a canvas to try and make a film like this? If you look back on your career and say “risk,” the biggest risk I ever saw you take, in relation to me, was 20 years ago, coming over to Vienna on a film you felt likely wouldn’t work. I remember you saying, “How’d you get this financed? Who is paying for this? [Both laugh] Because this could be terrible if we don’t do it right.” And we were off to the races then. Look at where your career was at that moment, post-Reality Bites, and you were the go-to guy, getting every script. You came over to work with me to make no money, for a thing you thought might not work unless we threaded the needle just perfectly: That’s a risk. I’ll give you that. And let’s also not forget, everybody in my life told me not to do that. [Both laugh] It was like, “That’s not the right move now.” People act like we have some big design, even with the Before movies. Kind of the miracle of Boyhood, and where it differed, was that there was a plan. We had planned to do it for 12 years. If you had released Before Sunrise, Sunset, and Midnight as one movie, it would be pretty cool. And it would be a lot like people responding to Boyhood. But the trick with Before is, it wasn’t planned. That just kind of happened. Boyhood
“This movie is so True To The nuances and weirdness and erraTic movemenTs of normal, daily lives, so people musT really like Their own lives a loT more Than we usually leT on.” –Ethan hawkE
Leather jacket, Polo Ralph Lauren ($1,295). The Domain, 512-4900812; ralphlauren.com. Corduroy shirt, Diesel ($298). The Domain, 512-833-0655; diesel.com Styling by Gaelle Paul for Walter Schupfer Management Grooming by Mira Chai Hyde at Walter Schupfer Management using Chanel Sublimage and Oribe Photography assistance by Stephen Grome and Jared Clatworthy Video by Nardeep Khurmi Sittings Editor: Danielle Yadegar
had the same creative challenges that the Befores did, but with the fun of an ensemble, like we had with The Newton Boys. I got asked the other day, what’s the film of yours that you felt is the least understood, and before they even finished the sentence, I said The Newton Boys. That was such a special little production. The critics and the studio were like, “Eh, you’re trying to be Bonnie and Clyde, and you’re failing.” And we really didn’t get the chance to say, “No, really we want to be the opposite of Bonnie and Clyde.” But what can you do, you know? One of the most fun movies I ever made in my life was The Newton Boys. I’m doing this Western right now [A Valley of Violence], so I’m in Santa Fe. And this old cowboy comes up to me—he’s really a horse wrangler and a gun dude. Someone is talking to me about how much they love Boyhood, and he goes, “Yeah, I haven’t seen your new movie or whatever, but you’ll never do better than Jess Newton, because that’s the best character you ever played.” [Laughs] And if that old cowboy liked the movie, that’s all you need. Ethan, you’ve got a much more varied career than I do. I just have to focus on one thing, one film. I’ll talk to you, and you’ll be like, “I’ve done two films,” and I haven’t done (expletive)!” We could get into that, but if your movies would pay me more, I could take more time off. [Both laugh] What’s your next project? In Good Kill, I play a drone pilot; it explores the contemporary Air Force. It’s a pretty interesting film [from Gattaca director Andrew Niccol] that premieres at the Venice Film Festival in September. It’s based in Las Vegas; it’s a beautiful metaphor, all of these guys basically living in the city of sin, passing judgments from the sky, terminating lives from the other side of the planet. It’s pretty intense. And right now I’m finishing that movie in Santa Fe. As I get older I start to go, “I’m going to apply my skill to all of these different genres, and treat it much more like a craftsman.” That’s what people like Gene Hackman have been doing for ages, and it’s a noble calling. I always think that actors are the bravest people. Putting themselves out there, representing humanity. That’s what the job is, yes? That’s what the job is. But it’s fun. To get a backstage look at the photo shoot with Ethan Hawke, visit austinway.com. AW
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The MaesTros of Cool
These visionaries are elevating the city’s entertainment and hospitality scene on their own terms. We can’t imagine an Austin without Larry McGuire, Liz Lambert, Freddy Fletcher, and Bridget Dunlap—and why would we want to?
the r estaur ateur
Larry McGuire
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Larry McGuire has built an empire of sophisticated, food-forward restaurants, from the New Englandinspired Perla’s on South Congress to the reimagined Jeffrey’s in Clarksville. And he accomplished this in just eight years time. His string of successes with business partner Tom Moorman, starting with Lamberts downtown when he was all of 24, makes him one of the most influential restaurateurs in town. But McGuire, who also owns Clark’s (Perla’s little brother), Josephine House ( Jeffrey’s sister), and the French-Vietnamese Elizabeth Street Café, is not searching for the next big thing in dining. In fact, his impending move is no move at all; he’d rather focus on longevity, on making his existing restaurants an indisputable part of the city’s identity, his inspiration being the classics like Polvos, Vespaio, Chuy’s, and Güero’s. “People don’t give those restaurants enough credit,” he says. “Just to keep something going like that—they are Austin institutions. I think we’re getting there with Lamberts and Perla’s, but we have not done it yet. That’s why we haven’t opened any more restaurants and why we don’t have any plans to go outside Austin. We really want them to live here and be here for a long time.” McGuire is the handsome face of his restaurants, but he wishes that weren’t the case. “I really am pretty shy, and I think that eating out should be about whom you’re with and enjoying the two hours and relaxing. It shouldn’t be about meeting some random person that you saw on Eater.”
Despite his local fame, the concept of celebrity chefs and restaurateurs somewhat confounds him. “I find it funny that people are now interviewing restaurant people on things like gun issues,” he says. “I’m glad people have opinions, but at the same time we’re just here to provide a service and hospitality. I take that pretty seriously.” Perhaps that’s why you won’t often find McGuire working the room at any of his restaurants. “When I’m there, I’m pretty focused,” he says. “I’m thinking about how good the food is and how dim the lights are.” It is all about the details, which take time to perfect. Already a signature one: the Jeffrey’s valets, who look like young Tenenbaums clad in pink seersucker shorts with reflective piping and yellow Fred Perry polos. This doesn’t mean that McGuire Moorman Hospitality won’t embark on new ventures. The partners are getting into retail, working with By George owners Matthew and Katy Culmo to help them launch an e-commerce site and remodel the South Congress store (see page 41). Fashion is a relatively new interest, though his sartorial taste could be described as casually dapper. More than one reporter has gone the way of the red carpet and asked what he was wearing. In July, McGuire honed his fashion experience by attending his first Men’s Market Week in New York, a favorite retreat. “In New York, it’s nice to be anonymous, to be able to experience restaurants as a diner again.”
photography by casey dunn (josephine house)
BY TOBIN LEVY PhOTOgraPhY BY MIchaEL Thad carTEr
opposite page: Josephine House. this page: Restaurateur Larry McGuire at Jeffrey’s.
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“I wouldn’t thInk, oh, thIs pIece of austIn Is mIne. I really need to nurture It and make It Into somethIng else for the people.” —bridget dunlap
the nightlife titan
Bridget dunlap
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Bridget Dunlap has transformed Rainey Street with her bars Lustre Pearl, Clive, Bar 97, and the Container Bar, turning it from a sleepy, hidden neighborhood into a defining hot spot for those who go out on any sort of regular basis. There are now Rainey Street people, along with Sixth Street people, East Siders, and so on. “The East Side is so—and I’m so sick of this word—hipstery,” says Dunlap. “They are the people who ride bikes and whatever. Not my jam.” The Queen of Rainey Street, as she’s referred to by many, embraces expletives and is unapologetic if that offends those around her. Though she often comes off as
snarky on page, she translates differently in person. Yes, she speaks her mind, but she would also be the kind of good friend who actually tells you if your pants aren’t flattering. The Houston native who’s “43, no, 44” loves the city and its outdoor lifestyle, but there’s not an Austin sensibility she feels the need to imbue in her bars. “I wouldn’t think, oh, this piece of Austin is mine. I really need to nurture it and make it into something else for the people.” In fact, her larger mission is to brand her four Rainey Street bars as a package that could be re-created and placed in college towns across the country. “I want to work smarter, not harder,” says Dunlap.
photography by briana purser (container bar, bar 96)
clockwise from top: Container Bar; Bridget Dunlap at Container Bar; Bar 96.
Part of her business savvy is moving out of her comfort zone in order to appeal to other people’s, such as opening her sports bar, Bar 96, even though it’s impossible to imagine her watching a football game or a ball cap reining in her wild red curls. “You have to look at what people are asking for, and everybody was asking for a sports bar,” she explains. Afterward, Dunlap focused her attention on Mettle, a sleek East Austin bistro with an unexpected menu (fried chicken, fish and chips, and beef tongue tacos) and an extensive list of specialty cocktails she’ll never order. She’s loudly pro Tito’s and Topo Chico, pro red wine, and anti (other people’s) mixologists. Her final Rainey Street endeavor will be the creation of a new Lustre Pearl across the street from where the original one used to stand after moving to a new location on East Cesar Chavez to make room for a mixed-use
development project. The original Lustre Pearl building (which she now refers to as Lustre Pearl East, although it still might experience a name change) will serve food. Dunlap is also working on another East Side eatery, this one Italian and currently dubbed Nuns and Lovers. She plans to have all three open by South by Southwest, at which point she’ll turn her attention to Dunlap ATX, the parent company she runs with her husband, Chris Parker. On the upper half of her right arm, the names of the two men in her life— Dunlap’s 11-year-old son, Asher Skye, and Parker—are inked in cursive that’s legible from six feet away. In between them is a sizable butterfly in need of detail, as if it’s on its way to the imago stage, just not quite there yet. The tattoo artist “is annoyed I still haven’t gone back to get the tattoo finished,” says Dunlap. “I was there for four hours. Who can sit still for that long?”
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the music man
Freddy Fletcher
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Freddy Fletcher is the epitome of calm while sitting in his tandem kayak in the middle of the Colorado River in Bastrop, where he moved from Austin two years ago. The 60-year-old yoga enthusiast and longtime runner has more than earned this kind of serenity: His ACL Live at the Moody Theater has been an unmitigated success almost from the moment it opened its doors three years ago. The three-story music venue is such a part of Austin’s nightlife scene that it’s hard to imagine the anxiety that Fletcher lived with during its development. “It was scary thinking people were going to go, ‘You really screwed up a great, historic PBS TV show,’” says Fletcher from his office at
ACL Live, which is on the street named after his uncle, Willie Nelson. His fear was that, as the new venue for the iconic Austin City Limits tapings in addition to the regular concerts, he would disappoint a lot of people, including friends and former band mates such as Delbert McClinton and Billy Joe Shaver. (Fletcher used to be a touring drummer.) “I grew up here and wanted to preserve the history,” he says. “This has always been a music town, and I felt like Austin really needed a world-class facility.” Fletcher’s hope was that he and his partners would build something that would become a legacy like Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, and they appear to have succeeded, routinely drawing
“I grew up here and wanted to preserve the hIstory. thIs has always been a musIc town, and I felt lIke austIn really needed a world-class facIlIty.” —freddy fletcher
photography by Jonathan h. Jackson
Freddy Fletcher at ACL Live at the Moody Theater. right, from top: The view from the stage at ACL Live; the venue’s exterior.
top-name acts—including his uncle and his mother, Bobbie—and sell-out crowds. As for Austin City Limits, the iconic show is in its 40th season, with tapings this year by Nick Cave, Jeff Tweedy, and a star-studded anniversary concert with Gary Clark Jr., Jeff Bridges, Sheryl Crow, and more. In many ways ACL Live is the antithesis of Arlyn Studios, the 7,000-squarefoot commercial recording studio he founded in 1984. Where ACL Live is expansive and distinctly urbane, the studio—favored by some of the industry’s most renowned musicians (the recording roster includes everyone from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Ray Charles to Wilco and Toro y Moi)—has been largely restored to the way it looked in the 1950s and ’60s. It has low ceilings, wooden posts, walls, and beams, and is housed in a nondescript South Austin building that was once owned by Willie Nelson and was known as
the Austin Opry House, a concert hall that reveled in “Outlaw Country.” “The studio has a lot of history for me,” says Fletcher. He named Arlyn after his late father and remembers his mother playing piano there when he was a boy and a restaurant stood in its place. “Arlyn is my baby,” he’ll likely say, more than once, in even the shortest conversation. Lisa Fletcher, Will Bridges, T. Murphey, and Chief Engineer Jacob Sciba are now partners. Fletcher and his associates at Arlyn have a new venture in the formation stage. They are collaborating with a nonprofit whose global initiative is to provide instruments to children around the world. “Right now it’s my number-one project,” says Fletcher. “I firmly believe you’ve got to leave the world better than when you found it. There’s not a better gift than an instrument. You know, music changes people’s lives.”
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the hotelier
“We explore the place and the community, then We come up With a story of the hotel. once We have a vision of What that is, We design around it.” —liz lambert
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About 15 years ago, Liz Lambert took a huge risk on a 1930s flophouse and turned it into the Hotel San Jose, a sort of au courant time capsule instantly embraced by a newly burgeoning city particularly wistful when it comes to change. She showcased a design sensibility that was unique and sophisticated without being ostentatious or infringing upon the city’s ethos. The transformation of South Congress soon followed (she also opened the popular Jo’s Coffee next to the hotel), and people started referring to her in one-breath reverence as “Lizlambert.” She was given collective carte blanche to realize her visions. In 2006, she started Bunkhouse Management to oversee her slow and deliberate expansion, including the Hotel Saint Cecilia in 2008, the first truly high-end boutique hotel in town; the historic Hotel Havana in San Antonio; and the 18-acre El Cosmico trailer and teepee park in Marfa. There’s a fascination with Lambert’s projects, especially the ones still veiled in secrecy. Bunkhouse’s latest project is a ground-up hotel in Todos Santos, an untouched area in Baja Sur, about an hour from Cabo San Lucas. “It’s in a great little artist village and on the beach, so we’re really excited about that,” says Lambert. Bunkhouse will work again with San Antonio’s Lake/Flato architects on the property. Lambert is exploring the possibility of more out-of-state projects. When asked if they’ll have a Texas sensibility, she says, “If it means a certain sort of honesty to it, I think so. But maybe they’re talking about a particular type of hospitality, which is a really welcoming one, and which I think we do really well.” Her properties are all different, but they come about the same way, she explains. “We explore the place and the community, and then we come up with a story of the hotel. Once we have a vision of what that is, we design around it.” Lambert’s projects also pay homage to Austin’s identity as a music capital. Both the Saint Cecilia, named after the patron saint of arts and music, and the San Jose offer vinyl libraries for guests. Posters of Keith Richards, John Lennon, and Johnny Cash adorn the walls. And every South by Southwest in March, locals flee to South by San Jose to be reminded of what the festival is really about: gathering with friends in a parking lot to listen to bands and enjoy a few beers. And many Austinites will make the trek to El Cosmico for the eighth annual Trans-Pecos Festival (September 25-28), featuring the Old 97’s, Deertick, Heartless Bastards, and Bill Callahan, among others. With such an expansive landscape to work with, El Cosmico is the project with no end in sight. “All of the properties are special, but this is one I continue to nurture,” Lambert says. TransPecos Festival, September 25-28, 802 S. Highland Ave. El Cosmico, Marfa; elcosmico.com AW
photography by casey dunn (hotel saint cecilia)
LIZ LAMBERT
hot spots These local tastemakers made their marks on Austin with establishments that ooze cool. Larry McGuire Clark’s Oyster Bar: 1200 W. sixth st., 512-297-2525; clarksoysterbar.com elizaBeth street Café: 1501 s. first st., 512-291-2881; elizabethstreetcafe.com Jeffrey’s: 1204 West lynn st., 512-477-5584; jeffreysofaustin.com JOsephine hOuse: 1601 Waterston ave., 512-477-5584; josephineofaustin.com lamBerts: 401 W. second st., 512-494-1500; lambertsaustin.com perla’s: 1400 s. Congress ave., 512-291-7300; perlasaustin.com BridGet dunLap Bar 96: 96 rainey st., 512-433-6604; bar96austin.com Clive: 609 Davis st., 512-494-4120; clivebar.com COntainer Bar: 90 rainey st., 512-320-0820; austincontainerbar.com mettle: 507 Calles st., 512-236-1022; mettleaustin.com lustre pearl (two reincarnations, coming soon): 94 rainey st., 114 linden st. Freddy FLetcher aCl live at the mOODy theater: 310 W. Willie nelson Blvd., 512-225-7999; acl-live.com arlyn stuDiOs: 200 academy Dr., 512-447-2337; arlynstudios.com Liz LaMBert el COsmiCO: 802 s. highland ave., marfa, 432-729-1950; elcosmico.com hOtel havana: 1015 navarro st., san antonio, 210-222-2008; havanasanantonio.com hOtel san JOsé: 1316 s. Congress ave., 512-444-7322; sanjosehotel.com
opposite page from top:
One of a cluster of buildings at the Hotel Saint Cecilia; the hotel’s lounge area. this page: Hotelier Liz Lambert.
hOtel saint CeCilia: 112 academy Dr., 512-852-2400; hotelsaintcecilia.com JO’s COffee: 242 W. second st., 512-469-9003; 1300 s.Congress ave., 512-4443800; joscoffee.com AUSTINWAY.com 119
natur al instincts IPSEM LOREM Austin stAys true to its BohemiAn roots With FlorAl, ethereAl FAll FAshions. NULLAM ALIQUETPhotoGrAPhy EROS MOLESTIE VOLUTPAT SCELERISQUE. By Bode helm MAECENAS TEMPUS DICTUM CONVALLIS. ETIAM FAUCIBUS. BY JANE DOE PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL DIODATO
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Wool jacket ($698), scarf ($78), floral silk dress ($398), and leggings, ($28), Polo Ralph Lauren. The Domain, 512-490-0812; ralphlauren.com. opposite page: Lava ombre wrap blouse, Derek Lam 10 Crosby ($395). Neiman Marcus, The Domain, 512-719-1200; neimanmarcus.com. Ellsworth leather pant, MiH Jeans ($990). RedBird Boutique, 3663 Bee Caves Road, 512-514-0027; mih-jeans.com. Black starburst cuff, Kevia ($175). Maya Star, 1508 S. Congress Ave., 512-912-1475; kevia.biz. Needaride boots, Stuart Weitzman ($745). The Domain, 512-834-2800; stuart weitzman.com
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Vintage dress, Christian Lacroix ($425). Garment, 701 S. Lamar Blvd., Ste. F, 512-462-4667; shop garment.com. Hat, Federica Moretti for Tibi ($360). By George, 524 N. Lamar Blvd., 512-472-5951; tibi.com. Feather leather pendant, Coach ($225). The Domain, 512-339-9994; coach.com
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Gobi sweater ($850) and Fran dress ($325), Calypso St. Barth. The Domain, 512-339-9963; calypsost barth.com. Silver and gold rutilated quartz diamond earrings ($1,250); labradorite, iolites, and lapis cuff ($1,625); and labradorite, blue topaz, and peridot cuff ($600), Rene Escobar. Valentine’s Too, Davenport Village, 3801 N. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512-347-9488; rene escobarjewelry.com. Montana bracelet, Vincent Peach ($6,995). Wendow Fine Living, 1512 W. 35th St. Cutoff, 512-284-9732; vincent peach.com. Vintage boots, Larry Mahan ($250). Garment, 701 S. Lamar Blvd., Ste. F, 512-462-4667; shop garment.com
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Printed top ($1,695) and trousers ($695), Roberto Cavalli. Neiman Marcus, The Domain, 512-719-1200; neimanmarcus.com. 18k white-gold geode, diamond slice, and diamond hoop earrings ($56,125); cocobolo wood diamond pavĂŠ square bangle ($15,900); and 18k yellow-gold, brown-diamond crosspin cuff ($11,450), Kimberly McDonald. Neiman Marcus, see above
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Top ($100) and pant ($350), MICHAEL Michael Kors. Macy’s, The Domain, 512-490-3300; macys.com. Rayne necklace, Kendra Scott ($80). 1400 S. Congress Ave., 512-354-4737; kendrascott.com
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Vintage sweater ($225) and vintage dress ($425), Missoni. Garment, 701 S. Lamar Blvd., Ste. F, 512-462-4667; shopgarment.com. Semi precious crystal pendant, Burn16 ($1,100). burn16.com. Cuff ($750) and bracelet ($630), Dina Mackney. Julian Gold, 1214 W. 6th St., 512-473-2493; juliangold.com
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Jumpsuit, Brunello Cucinelli ($2,445). Neiman Marcus, The Domain; neimanmarcus.com. Hustonian lariat with Tahitian pearl ($2,310), Moorean pearl and diamond lariat with pavé diamonds and South Sea Tahitian pearls ($4,200), and Explorer cuff ($412), Vincent Peach. Wendow Fine Living, 1512 W. 35th St. Cutoff, 512-284-9732; vincent peach.com. Black ring ($203) and gray ring ($75), Kevia. Maya Star, 1508 S. Congress Ave., 512-912-1475; kevia.biz. Rainbow moonstone and white-sapphire cuff ($750) and 18k gold, sunstone, carnelian, and peridot cuff ($1,125), Rene Escobar. Valentine’s Too, Davenport Village, 3801 N. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512-347-9488; rene escobarjewelry.com
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Sweater ($995) and skirt ($550), Suno. By George, 524 N. Lamar Blvd., 512-472-5951; sunony.com. Confetti narrow diamond bracelet ($1,650) and Hampton cable bracelet ($4,700), David Yurman. The Domain, 512-834-8700; davidyurman.com. Epic boot, Ariat ($220). Allens Boots, 1522 S. Congress Ave., 512-447-1413; allensboots.com
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Cady dress, Etro ($1,058). Neiman Marcus, The Domain, 512-719-1200; neiman marcus.com. 18k yellow-gold, quartz, and diamond wood bangle, Kimberly McDonald ($3,475). Neiman Marcus, see above. Ring, Elizabeth and James ($85). Catherine Nicole, by appointment only, 512-739-8221; elizabeth andjames.us. Cowboy hat, stylist’s own beauté: Prtty Peaushun Skin Tight Body Lotion in Medium ($39). prttypeaushun.com. MAC Full Coverage Foundation ($31), Haute & Naughty Lash ($21), Brow Finisher ($16), Shaping Powder Pro Palette in Emphasize ($17), Cremesheen Glass in Boy Bait ($20). MAC, The Domain, 512-8340010; maccosmetics.com. Nars Duo Eyeshadow in Alhambra ($35), Duo Eyeshadow in Key Largo ($35), Shimmer Eyeshadow in Mekong ($25), Contour Blush in Olympia ($42). Sephora, The Arboretum, 9722 Great Hills Tr., Ste. 115, 512-342-8484; nars cosmetics.com. Leonor Greyl Mousse au Lotus Volumatrice ($46), Spray Structure Naturelle ($38), Serum de Soie Sublimateur ($46). leonorgreyl-usa.com
Styling and set design by Lisa Lupo at lisaluart.com Makeup by Bethany Karlyn for Prtty Peaushin Skin Tight Body Lotion Hairstyling by Louise Moon/ louisemoon.com for Leonor Greyl Models: Diana Georgie at Photogenics and Kristen Kassinger at LA Models
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from opposite: Ben Lamm welcomes guests into his home via a 250-lb. door made of Brazilian peltogyne, the only naturally occurring purple wood in the world; his bedroom features Andy Warhol wallpaper.
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a Castle for
a Moon King
Chaotic Moon CEO ben lamm revels in the art of surprise, and his new Zilker home is no exception. BY CAITLIN RYAN phoTogRAphY BY DRoR BALDINgeR
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A
ustin native Ben Lamm does things energetically, quickly (though not hastily), and with conviction. The cofounder and CEO of Chaotic Moon Studios knows what he likes. He’s emblazoned the offices and website of his software design and development company with simple yet bold mantras like “We’re the Best” and “We are Smarter than You.” His atypical attitude has helped to build Chaotic Moon’s national reputation for innovative solutions as well as attracted clients like Marvel Entertainment, Taco Bell, and Whole Foods. “We talk a big game, but we back it up with support. It’s a nice element of surprise the entire time someone works with us,” Lamm says. The 32-year-old bachelor extends the same appetite for the unexpected to every decision he’s made for his new domicile in the Zilker neighborhood. From furniture to fixtures and artwork, the majority of his two-story, 3,100-square-foot home was custom-designed in conjunction with Spaller Glover Design Build (housetaught.com) and interior designer Beth Taylor of Wheelhouse Design (wheelhouseaustin.com). Lamm loves nothing more than to hear the reactions of people when they first see his house, with its arid front yard, geometrical windows, and a 250-lb. front door made from the only naturally occurring purple wood in the world, Brazilian Peltogyne. “I’ve heard everything from, ‘Your house looks like a chateau or a hidden castle’ to ‘I feel like I’m about to step inside a church,’” he says. But once guests enter and step onto the reclaimed white oak floors, the house unfolds into a kaleidoscope of rich, royal colors. “The big purple door on the front is the only hint about what you’re about to see,” he notes. “The interior is so full of light that almost everyone is surprised by it.” Lamm bought the house when it was only half-finished, knowing he would be able to successfully inject his distinct point of view into the remainder of the project. Working closely with Ivan Spaller, the architect lauded for unusual projects like the Bouldin Castle on Mary Street, Lamm set out to create a retreat just minutes from downtown that would not only delight his guests but energize him and leave no space underutilized. Together, Spaller and Lamm formed an opinionated team in which they collectively and spiritedly fought for the best design decisions. “Ben and I worked together like no one I have ever worked with before—period,” says Spaller. “Mentally, we challenged each other to frequent standoffs. At times I felt he was a sort of Manchurian
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“There’s a really fun feel to the whole place with the custom pieces and color combinations—I’d have to call it ‘eclectic chic.’” —ben lamm
candidate, at others a prophet. We would frequently tangle like serpent warriors... and I guess that’s why we made such a good match, like Romulus and Remus.” Guests are ushered into, not to a formal foyer, but an entertainment room, complete with a bar and pool table. The space is predominately purple (Lamm’s favorite color) and peppered with an array of art, including retro prints from Disney artist Eric Tan. Much like the Chaotic Moon offices, the entryway makes an immediate, vibrant statement; it sets the tone for the journey through the rest of the house. “One of the things I kept in mind with every design decision I made was how it would affect the flow of the house as you walked from room to room. Every time you’re in this house, I want you to see something new,” Lamm says. “There’s a really fun feel to the whole place with the custom pieces and color combinations—I’d have to call it ‘eclectic chic.’” Mini art galleries pop up across the home and run the gamut from a Star Wars print next to an Andy Warhol adjacent to a $3 Peruvian painting
clockwise from opposite: The entertainment room features a bar and pool table; the living room has a fun feel with an eclectic mix of furniture styles and colors; the dining room boasts a reproduction of Warhol’s The Last Supper on the ceiling.
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downstairs from an original Salvador Dalí. The most show-stopping pieces, however, are the fruit of a collaboration with New York City’s Flavor Paper (flavorpaper.com), which produces handscreened and digitally printed wallpaper. Flavor Paper owns the rights to some of Andy Warhol’s most notable works, including The Last Supper, which Lamm commissioned to be reproduced for the ceiling above his dining table. “[The dining room] is where you really bring everyone together. And when you have that [fellowship] reflected above you with an iconic, colorful piece like this—how can you not sit down together and not feel like you’re part of a shared experience?” Lamm also knew he’d have to get creative with the 15-foot vaulted ceiling in the master bedroom, so Flavor Paper created a black and gold print of another Warhol classic, Rorschach. “[The piece] becomes a sort of ‘headboard wall’ that is central to the theme of the whole room,” he says. Beneath the print and between crimson drapes is Lamm’s revolutionary YuMe bed, made from ventilated memory foam that heats and cools the mattress during sleep. “It’s like sleeping on an air conditioner,” he adds. While Lamm avoided purple in the two guest rooms, a sense of majesty is still palpable. He wants his guests to feel as though they’re at a spa when staying the night, and he takes great pride in outfitting the bathrooms and bedrooms with the most luxurious soaps, scents, and linens. Referring to these rooms as “works in process,” he admits he always sees opportunities to improve the form and function of his house, much like he does with his business. However, an informal polling of Lamm’s friends would undoubtedly position the pool as the crowning achievement of the home. Lamm called upon Frank Vidaurri with Cody Pools (512-8354966; codypools.com) as well as a designer at Chaotic Moon to create what would fondly be dubbed “Lamm Springs” by its frequenters. With nearby Barton Springs as the pool’s inspiration, Texas limestone was brought in and cut to mimic a naturally occurring pool. “The entire backyard has a completely different feel from the front of the
“I can only be still so long. I love to be involved in a lot of things, so I will keep working on this house and evolving it. Just this week, I decided to add palm trees.” —BEN LAMM
house, and [the pool is surrounded by] lush bamboo and palm trees,” Lamm explains. On any given day, a handful (or sometimes, several dozen) of Lamm’s friends and associates can be found at Lamm Springs, enjoying the play-hard counterbalance to their work-hard mentality. The pool has become such a summer staple that Lamm’s creative colleagues have created tongue-in-cheek Lamm Springs memorabilia like Lamm-branded T-shirts and crazy straws. To top it off, a neon Lamm Springs sign is, as Lamm would say, in process by a local artist. Many might consider it a perfect oasis, but Lamm isn’t finished. He plans to build a screen-less outdoor patio with the leftover limestone. “I can only still be so long,” he explains. “I love to be involved in a lot of things… So I will keep working on this house and evolving it.” He laughs and then reveals, “Just this week, I decided to add palm trees.” Wheelhouse’s Taylor acknowledges this ingenious—if not mischievous—spirit and looks forward to what’s to come, saying: “Ben brings a unique energy and passion to any project, [and] that makes for an exciting process. He is not scared to take risks and knows exactly what he wants while trusting us to turn his most innovative ideas into reality.” AW
from opposite: In the master bedroom, Flavor Paper created a black and gold print of Warhol’s classic Rorschach, which acts as a headboard wall; in the backyard, Lamm created what his friends fondly call “Lamm Springs” out of Texas limestone, which was brought in and cut to mimic a naturally occurring pool.
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photography by Mark Deeble anD Victoria Stone/MarkDeeble.worDpreSS.coM
The Price of Ivory With the ever-expanding worldwide market for luxury goods, African elephants are being hunted to extinction for their valuable tusks. Here, Chelsea Clinton shares her passion for these exceptional animals and the Clinton Foundation’s efforts to save them. by elizabeth e. thorp
I
t’s an unimaginable horror. Satao, an iconic male African bush elephant who was born in the late 1960s, should have lived a natural life of 70 years. But he was found dead in Kenya’s Tsavo East National Park in June. Poachers took down Satao, who weighed an estimated seven tons, with a single poisoned arrow to his flank. His signature ivory tusks, which weighed more than 100 pounds each and touched the ground, had been hacked off. The Tsavo Trust, a conservation group that monitors the elephant populations of Tsavo in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Services, knew Satao well because of its focus on protecting large “tuskers” who are lucrative targets for poachers. But Satao was so horribly butchered that the conservation groups who tracked his every move for years could not immediately identify him. They searched for him in the park for more than a week in the hopes that they might spot him, before he was confirmed and pronounced dead, two weeks after the day of his death. Why would anyone want to kill the world’s largest land mammal—a highly intelligent species with a lifespan nearly as long as a human’s? An animal with powerful family bonds, a memory that far surpasses ours and spans a lifetime? Through years of research, scientists have found that elephants are capable of elaborate thought and deep feeling. In fact, the emotional attachment elephants form toward family members may rival our own. Elephants mourn deeply for lost loved ones, even shedding tears and suffering depression. They have a sense of empathy that projects beyond their species and can even extend to others in distress. So why are these gorgeous creatures being slaughtered? It’s for that objet d’art on your mantelpiece, the necklace in your jewelry box, the hair ornament on your dresser, and the ivory keys of your custom piano. While elephant poaching has been a grave challenge at different times in the last century, it has recently risen to alarming levels. In 2012, some 35,000 African elephants were killed, about one-tenth of the remaining population, representing the worst mass slaughter of elephants since the international ivory
trade was banned in 1990. Roughly the same number were killed last year as well. African forest elephants, in particular, have been devastated by poaching and have declined by about 76 percent since 2002. At this rate, African forest elephants could effectively be extinct over the next decade. The wildlife trade is one of the world’s most profitable criminal activities and ranks fifth globally in terms of value—estimated at $7 billion to $10 billion a year, behind the trafficking in drugs, people, oil, and counterfeiting. Increasing consumer demand for ivory, especially in Asia, is causing the price of ivory to skyrocket, fueling the illegal trade in elephant ivory and the mass slaughter of elephants in Africa. Today’s ivory traffickers are well-organized syndicates that function as transnational criminal networks and often participate in trafficking drugs and weapons, and some have links with terrorist networks. According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as much as 70 percent of elephant ivory is transported to China, where it is sold for up to $1,500 per pound and carved into jewelry, religious figurines, and trinkets. In September 2013, at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) annual meeting, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton unveiled an $80 million endeavor to stop the ivory trade. The Partnership to Save Africa’s Elephants (the first big international cause championed by Hillary Clinton after she stepped down as secretary of state) collaborates with the Wildlife Conservation Society, World Wildlife Fund, African Wildlife Foundation, International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, and 11 other nongovernmental organizations to halt the decline of African elephants. Chelsea Clinton, due with her first child in the fall, still keeps a packed schedule at the foundation, passionately promoting initiatives close to her heart: empowering women and girls, promoting clean drinking water, combating childhood obesity, and stopping the elephant poaching crisis. We sat down with Clinton, vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, to talk about her efforts to save African elephants.
opposite page: Satao, a male bush elephant born in the late 1960s, was killed for his tusks in Kenya’s Tsavo East National Park earlier this year.
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“Stop the
killing, stop
the trafficking, and stop
the demand.”
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photography by max orenstein/clinton foundation. opposite page: barbara kinney/clinton foundation (clinton); mike hill/getty images (elephants); alvaro canovas/getty images (garamba national park); jean liou/afp/getty images (weapons)
Elephants continue to be slaughtered for ivory at an alarming rate. serious intentions, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation allocated more funds to Years ago it was a major issue, then it quieted down until CGI’s 2013 this project. Now because of the security dynamics, we have US Marines trainannouncement. When was the first time you learned about the horror of ing Gabon rangers because it’s not only about protecting the elephants; it’s about protecting the security of the country. Gabon, like so many countries where elephant poaching? I remember vividly: My mother’s parents moved to Arkansas right before poaching is happening, is being preyed upon by armed groups who are destabiChristmas in 1987, and I remember my grandparents asking what I wanted for lizing forces throughout West Africa and East Africa. Tell me more about security concerns and Christmas. My grandmother said, “We’ll give you a government cooperation. membership and a subscription to anything that The Marines are in Gabon, and Interpol is now part you want,” so I picked National Geographic and posof our CGI commitment. The FBI is working with sibly Greenpeace or Conservation International. Interpol, as are various national intelligence groups Even though I was a kid in Arkansas, I was so fascibecause increasingly, poaching is part of the most nated by the wider world and just as fascinated by nefarious activities throughout Africa—whether it’s animals. It was also the real awakening of the envirunning guns or people or drugs—so there’s a real ronmental movement. security interest not only for the countries that are 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth affected but for all of us to stop the poaching. was a book that resonated with me as a kid, and I Having lived through 9/11, I think people will just wanted to know everything I could about what be very interested to know that poaching has was happening with the environment and conserdirect links to terrorism and Al Qaeda in vation. I was so shocked that elephants were under North Africa. such duress, and the only thing that I could do was The trafficking of animal parts is the [fifth] most to ask my grandparents to continue to support lucrative illegal activity, after people and drugs. And organizations that were trying to save the eleincreasingly it’s the same people and groups that phants as my Christmas present every year. are engaged in all of those nefarious activities. You had very progressive grandparents to There’s irrefutable evidence that Al Qaeda give you philanthropic subscriptions instead in North Africa, the Lord’s Resistance Army in of a Barbie. Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo My grandfather always gave me a remote-controlled (DRC), and the Janjaweed from Sudan coming into device. It was my grandmother who was very much Uganda and the DRC are all engaged in poaching the social consciousness, and then my grandfather because, sadly, ivory is an easily accessible would give me the cool, shiny new toy. commodity to them. It’s become a lubricant that Last September, the Clinton Foundation continually greases the wheels between the announced a three-year, $80 million commitshipment of drugs, guns, and people. ment to combat elephant poaching. How does I don’t think many people realize the brutality CGI coordinate this gigantic undertaking involved when elephants are killed for ivory. with so many different partners? It is true that, increasingly, poaching is militaristic, First, by bringing them all together. It was the first but that doesn’t make it any less brutal. Elephants time that many of these organizations had come —Chelsea Clinton can’t survive without their tusks. Another miscontogether, and the first order of business was to ception that exists in much of the world is that taking understand the landscape of who was doing what off the tusk is like extracting a tooth. Elephants cannot live without their tusks; and where. That hadn’t been mapped. There are three parts of the CGI commitment: You stop the killing, stop the it’s crucial to their survival. trafficking, and stop the demand. One of the first things we did was assess what What happens with the ivory after the elephants are killed? Is there a each organization was doing and where there were the gaps—whether func- supply chain or black market? tionally or geographically—so that the additional monies could be invested in The tusks are removed from an elephant carcass and then trekked out to a port. In East Africa, a lot of ivory flows out of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, or Mombasa helping to fill those voids. Or they could be used to double down on strategies that were working: the and Kenya up and down the coast, and it largely goes to Asia. China by far is the biggest market; Vietnam and Thailand are also signifiHoward G. Buffett Foundation made an investment in Gabon, because Gabon had already started to increase its emphasis on conservation, increase its num- cant markets. The vast majority [of ivory] is transported in tusk form. When it ber of rangers and ranger training to try to protect its elephants. Because of their gets to China, it then is cut down and made into commodities and luxury
Chelsea Clinton photographing wild elephants during her 2013 trip to Africa. Elephants form deep emotional bonds with family members that may rival our own.
While working to protect elephants in Garamba National Park in the DRC, park rangers show a tusk they confiscated.
Government-issued weapons for fighting poachers and tusks seized in Chad’s Zakouma National Park. In the last decade, 90 percent of the park’s elephants have been poached.
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African Wildlife Foundation awf.org Clinton Foundation’s Partnership to Save Africa’s Elephants clintonfoundation.org Conservation International conservation.org International Fund for Animal Welfare ifaw.org Nature Conservancy nature.org Wildlife Conservation Society wcs.org World Wildlife Fund worldwildlife.org
opposite page: African elephants in the Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya.
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images
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS CRISIS AND TO MAKE A DONATION, GO TO:
g etty
“Each day, it is estimated that 96 elephants are brutally killed in Africa for their ivory. Only a global movement will end the slaughter and help to ensure the survival of this magnificent animal. The Clinton Foundation is an important part of this movement,” says Cristián Samper, president and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society. “Secretary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton have used their leadership to bring attention to the threat facing Africa’s elephants and to help gather partners across the globe to join together in this fight. We are working on all fronts to stop the killing, and to stop the trafficking and demand for ivory.”
b en Cranke//
BE ACTIVE IN THE BATTLE TO STOP ELEPHANT POACHING.
wildlife trafficking, my mom recommended Judith McHale—who worked for my mom in the State Department, liaising on conservation efforts there—and she’s now chairing the commission. We fully support everything the administration has done and strongly support an ivory ban here at home. We think that’s a critical move for the United States to make—not only for our own moral standing, but also because there is no argument for ivory being indispensable. There are very good substitute materials—whether it’s for a piano or a musical pick, or any of the utilitarian uses of ivory—so we really have been deeply enthusiastic about the commission’s work. I understand you’re doing something during New York Fashion Week regarding ivory traffick ing and elephants? Yes, the details are still being worked out. Most of the major luxury goods houses don’t use ivory. The challenge is: How do we help their products become substitutions for ivory, in East Asia, in particular? Something like a Louis Vuitton bag or an Hermès scarf or Donna Karan dress— how can those become the same types of status symbols that ivory historically has been? Also, how can we work with the fashion industry here in the United States to raise awareness about this issue so that American consumers become aware of why you should never buy ivory? How can someone who is reading this help? One, don’t buy ivory, which sounds self-evident, but it isn’t. You’ll see stores that still sell ivory, because there is no carbon-dating equivalent for ivory. It’s impossible to assess its age, so a lot of new ivory gets laundered through antique stores. It’s just very important to not buy ivory. The second thing is to support organizations that are really making a difference in this fight (SEE SIDEBAR), to support our partners—whether that’s big organiza tions like the Wildlife Conservation Society, which has the most extensive efforts throughout Africa, or more localized organizations like the African Wildlife Foundation, which is helping to provide economic opportunities to many of the vulnerable communities around parks, often through eco-tourism programs. There’s such a range of organizations that are doing tre mendous work that are part of our CGI commitment—yet even more work could be done if there were even more resources to do it. And also use your voice to help educate others about why this issue is so important, particularly given the number of misconceptions around ivory. An elephant must die to take a tusk, so I think that’s really where young people can help play a big role, using their voice off-line and online, because a lot of people just don’t know what a tragedy elephant poaching really is, not just for the elephants but for the most affected communities. Ultimately, we all bear the responsibility. AW
opposite page: photography by
SAVE THE ELEPHANTS
goods—whether it be ivory Buddhas, chopsticks, hair clips, or the handles of a luxury handbag. Why the high demand for ivory in Asia? In China, historically, ivory has been synonymous with ascension into the middle class and prosperity. One of the challenges along the continuum with trying to stop the demand is to find replacement products—so that ivory is no longer synonymous with rising affluence, but that, say, a Louis Vuitton handbag could be. When you went to Africa last summer, what did you learn about elephants and conservation from being on the ground? We talked about elephants everywhere; we were where there are indigenous elephant populations—from Malawi up to Tanzania. In Tanzania, we were in Tarangire National Park; it was amazing not only to see the elephants in all of their magnificence but also to see the families of elephants, to understand on a deeper level why it’s so important that the matriarchs—which are increasingly the ones that are killed because they’re the oldest and have the biggest tusks—not be slaughtered. Without the guidance of those older figures, often it’s hard for younger families to survive. And the park rangers are in such peril protecting the older elephants. Yes. What was arguably even more powerful was meeting the rangers on the frontlines of this effort—more than a thousand rangers have been killed over the last decade protecting elephants and other wildlife—meeting these courageous rangers who are putting their lives on the line. They feel called to this work for the elephants’ sake, but also recognize this is important to their country’s future. Why do you think elephants mean so much to you and your mother? The first elephants that I saw were in the Little Rock Zoo when I was little. What I felt then was just magnified profoundly later when I went with my mom to Africa as a teenager, then most recently last year. It is this sense of a family, ultimately—the family unit of elephants and the affection and the commitment to their families and to the other elephant families in the area. Also, elephants are so crucial to their ecosystem. They’re sort of the honeybees of the African savannah or their forest environments. So that mix of an appreciation for the affection and family love that is so tangible with understanding of how crucial they are to other animal families has resonated with me from a young age, and it still continues to affect me. It’s almost a year since you and your mother announced CGI’s $80 million elephant poaching commitment. Can you share any progress reports? When President Obama undertook [the fight against]
“Don’t buy ivory. Support organizationS that are really making a Difference. anD uSe your voice to help eDucate otherS.” —chelSea clinton
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HAUTE PROPERTY
THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT
THE GREEN MOVEMENT IN AUSTIN REAL ESTATE IS BECOMING A TEMPLATE FOR THE REST OF THE NATION. BY MARY ANN AZEVEDO
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CASEY DUNN
Austin architect Peter Pfeiffer doesn’t just design green buildings; he lives and works in them. From his office at Barley & Pfeiffer (1800 W. 6th St., 512-476-8580; barleypfeiffer.com) to his residence in Central Austin, Pfeiffer treats his own properties as laboratories of sorts, testing features before recommending them to clients. “Everything we design for our clients’ homes was probably already built in something we own,” he says. In 2001 Pfeiffer designed a 4,175-square-foot home on River Road for his family of six. The property cost nearly $940,000 to build and is today valued anywhere from $1.4 million to $1.8 million.“The idea of my house was to make it use less energy by the nature of its design,” he says. “We’re trying to get people to think more deeply—beyond just gizmos.” His home sits on a mid-size lot and was situated to take advantage of the prevailing breezes and good solar orientation in such a way as to maximize passive cooling in the summer and passive solar heat gain in
the winter. An open central stair tower was included to help cool the home while providing its center with glare-free daylight. Other features include a ventilated radiant-barrier roof system, rigid foam wall and attic insulation, carefully sized roof overhangs, a sealed attic, hydronic heating, and a water-based air-conditioning system that uses the swimming pool as a heat sink. “Our average monthly utility bill has ranged from $125 to $175 per month,” he says. “That’s really low for a house that size with that many people—and also has a swimming pool.” Pfeiffer is not alone in his commitment to green building in Austin. Years before the US Green Building Council (USGBC) even came into existence in 1993, Austin’s leaders had paved the way with an innovative program, Austin Energy Star Homes, in an effort to prevent the city from needing to build more power plants. Pfeiffer played a role in the creation of that program. With that, the city CONTINUED ON PAGE 144
Furman + Keil Architects designed this environmentally sustainable West Lake Hills home with deep overhangs to maximize shading, operable windows for natural ventilation, and regionally and sustainably sourced materials.
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Peter Pfeiffer’s home was included in the Cool House Tour.
“The idea of my house was To make iT use less energy by The naTure of iTs design… To geT people To Think more deeply—beyond jusT gizmos.”—peter pfeiffer conTinued from page 143 adopted its first energy code in 1985 in an effort to help builders meet or exceed their energy requirements through technical support—and not just inspections. The city established a green-building ratings system for single-family homes in 1991, which served as a model for LEED ratings established by the USGBC. Eventually, Austin’s ratings systems came to include multifamily and commercial properties. “We were always a step ahead,” says Richard Morgan, green-building and sustainability manager for Austin Energy (austinenergy.com). “Ours was the first US sustainability rating program. Throughout
Solluna Builders created a net-zero-energy home for Karen and Dan Cripe in Round Rock that was part of Austin’s 2011 Cool House Tour.
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the 1990s, programs in Atlanta, Scottsdale, and other cities used our program as a template to build their own programs. And when the LEED ratings system began, our staff was involved with that.” A prime example of how popular green home building is in Austin is the 700-acre Mueller mixeduse site, set three miles from downtown and two miles from UT. The sustainable, master-planned community features single-family homes, townhomes, and condos built with nontoxic and recyclable materials. The developer’s goal is to give residents a place to shop, eat, work, and play without having to get into their cars. Such urban infill
projects with sustainable design will only become more popular in Austin, believes Philip Keil, principal of Furman + Keil Architects (708 rio grande st., 512-479-4100; fkarchitects.net). “I’d like to think of this as not a trend but as simply good building practices,” he says. Furman + Keil designed two homes on June’s Austin’s Cool House Tour, the 18th annual event led by Austin Energy Green Building and the Texas Solar Energy Society. The green-building movement is widespread across the city and beyond. “We’ve seen ranch properties that are implementing green practices such as rainwater collection,” Keil says. “When you have a lot of land and are distant from the city, collecting rainwater makes a lot of sense.” Wayne Jeansonne, founder of Austin-based Solluna Builders (1011 meredith dr., 512-8042050; sollunabuilders.com), has been in the green-building business for 12 years and has four projects under contract now, compared with two at this same time last year. The builder echoes Keil’s sentiments about rainwater collection. “The city’s drought has made people aware of the need to control their own water destiny,” he says. Jeansonne recently installed a 30,000-gallon water tank on a home with 4,000 square feet of air-conditioned space. “They filled up the tank in two and a half months,” he says. “For every inch of rain on 1,000 square feet of roof, a homeowner is collecting 625 gallons of water.” One of Jeansonne’s projects was building a netzero-energy home for a Round Rock couple who lived in a 2,100-square-foot home and sought to downsize and live more sustainably. “I wanted to do my bit to save the planet,” says Karen Cripe. “My husband was more interested in the cost savings.” When their homeowner’s association wouldn’t allow them to make certain changes to their house, they found a plot of land and built a 1,400-square-foot netzero-energy home from the ground up for about $290,000. “We’re heading into retirement and trying to keep our lives as low-maintenance as possible,’” she explains. Lucy Stolzenburg, executive director of the Texas Solar Energy Society (txses.org), points out that attendance in the Cool House Tour (in which Pfeiffer’s home was also featured) was up 20 percent in 2014 compared with the previous year. Even more interesting was the mix of attendees. “The staff working on the tour says the crowd looked a bit younger this year,” Stolzenburg notes. “That’s a positive sign. We’re not just marketing to the moveup market but also to the first-time home buyer. That’s really important.” For his part, Jeansonne thinks green building will continue to penetrate the Austin market. “I started out when this was a niche market and considered exotic in Austin,” he says. “But it’s gone from extreme to mainstream.” AW
photography by wayne jeansonne (round rock); courtesy of barley|pfeiffer architecture (pfeiffer home)
haute property
REINVENTING LUXURY REAL ESTATE
3801 N Capital of Texas Hwy, Austin, TX 78746 | valentinesaustin.com | 512.347.9488
ANNA MORRISON LEE REALTOR, TATE PROPERTY/PLR AUSTIN NATIVE & MEMBER ANNA@ANNAMLEE.COM | 512.968.6419
Member of the
Realtors of Austin.
Ranked by the ABJ as a Top 20 agent in Austin. Specialist with the Million-dollar guild designation.
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abode & beyond
MidCentury redux
tyson pendergrass and gable bostic are CreaTInG MOdern FUrnITUre THaT reCaLLS THe CLaSSIC LIneS OF MIdCenTUry deSIGn WITH a TeXaS TWIST. BY DEBORAH L. MARTIN
Tre chic: The Tre table was born when Pendergrass and Bostic needed a way to use leftover triangle forms from an order for the Tre bar stool.
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this page: photography courtesy of tyson pendergrass /petrified design. opposite page: photography by tyson pendergrass (chair, lamps); courtesy of gable bostic & tyson pendergrass/petrified design (bostic)
Gable Bostic and Tyson Pendergrass have known each other since college at Texas Tech University, where they met via Pendergrass’s wife and Bostic’s girlfriend. They bonded over their shared love of the form and function of midcentury design and an interest in creating something that was distinctly their own. “I was a carpenter to pay my way through college,” says Pendergrass, “and Gable was studying architecture. We both come from families who had a tradition of making things with their hands.” They learned the value of good solid craftsmanship at an early age.
“Austin celebrAtes locAl ArtisAns And we Are benefiting from thAt mind-set.” — tyson pendergrass
Their company, Petrifed Design, is a true partnership with both men participating every step of the way, beginning with sketch pads and pens. Says Pendergrass, “Gable does the computer design work so that we can put a piece into production. And then we do all the fabricating together.” In 2011, working part-time out of a barn on a ranch in Burnet, the two men decided to take the plunge and call it a career. They were using reclaimed wood but quickly realized that in order to do bigger production lines they would have to veer away from that model, so they began to source local, native-Texan woods like pecan and walnut. All the metals are sourced locally as well. “We recently bought 23 pecan trees from a local orchard that was affected by the drought,” says Pendergrass. The wood is being milled and dried and will be ready for production soon. “It’s a great story to say that we are using local wood, helping a drought-affected farmer, and producing a true Austin, Texas product,” he adds proudly. Their frst foray into the world of commercial commissions came in 2012, for Salt & Time Butcher Shop and Salumeria in East Austin. “We made all the furniture as well as the bar tops for Salt & Time,” Pendergrass explains. The next year they followed that up with a project for Wright Bros. Brew & Brew on San Marcos Street. “We used the Tre stools again and also created a chair
clockwise from top left:
Bostic (left) and Pendergrass in their workshop; the Nodo chair was inspired by Moorish tile work; the Shirley lamp comes in four colors and recalls clean midcentury design.
based on the same design.” Working with a local interior designer, they fabricated tables, beer taps, and other details like the bright yellow powder coating on some of the metal elements. “The owners of Brew & Brew are the Wright Brothers,” he explains, “so they wanted some aviation-type details.” With the commercial work becoming more abundant, they had to create a way to streamline their production methods. So they made a jig that allows them to create the identical bends in metal for, say, 50 or more stools at a time. “We can produce one or 10, and they will be exactly the same each time,” Pendergrass
says. That’s useful for these two artisans who insist on building everything themselves, by hand. What’s next for Petrifed Design? “We just fnished a job for Houndstooth Coffee in Dallas: 50 interior stools, 20 exterior stools, and eight tables. So now we are celebrating—and resting.” They won’t be resting long, however. New projects are on the horizon, both near and far. He adds, “Austin is a unique place that celebrates local artisans, and we are benefting from that mind-set. If you are a good person then good things happen. That’s our philosophy.” Petrifed Design, 6910 Shirley Ave., 806-790-1622; petrifeddesign.com AW
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WHEN WE ALL COME TOGETHER CANCER DOESN’T STAND A CHANCE
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the guide the Best of Fall
celebrating 50 years
Country-MusiC LandMark Broken spoke doesn’t Miss a (two-) step in a Changing City. by sarah beckham
photography by leah overstreet
When James White opened the Broken Spoke on November 10, 1964, there wasn’t a whole lot around it. Today, the little red dance hall is smack in the middle of a growing Austin—more specifically, in the midst of a bunch of new apartments on South Lamar Boulevard. “They’re really close,” says Ginny White-Peacock, the Spoke’s general manager and White’s daughter. But, she says, some of those new neighbors are also new customers. As this Texas institution turns 50, stop by to pay homage and do some two-stepping. Wear your cowboy hat, or your ball cap, or even your hipster fedora. All hats, all ages are represented in a Saturdaynight crowd. Keep an eye out for James White (who marked another milestone this year, turning 75), reigning over it all in a Western shirt.
For the celebration in November, White-Peacock expects Spoke longtimer Alvin Crow to lead a lineup of other mainstays. The stage where they’ll play is a hallowed spot in country music. White-Peacock remembers country legend Ernest Tubb’s performances there: “He would always play me a song,” she recalls. And a family photo shows Willie Nelson holding her when she was 6 months old. Pictures of famous visitors grace a memorabilia room dubbed “The Tourist Trap,” because, well, they get a lot of tourists. Broken Spoke pilgrims arrive from everywhere—Poland, Japan, Korea, Australia, even Iran. And, White-Peacock says, they all tell her the same thing: “This is what we thought Texas was going to be like.” 3201 S. Lamar Blvd., 512442-6189; brokenspokeaustintx.com AW
Fans from all over the world flock to the Broken Spoke for a real down-home country music experience, telling the general manager and founder’s daughter, “This is what we thought Texas was going to be like.”
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THE GUIDE Devour Local seasonal dishes served at Trace include this spice-crusted tile fish with eggplant, tomatoes, olives, and herbs.
says Sam Hellman-Mass, one of chef Bryce Gilmore’s partners at Odd Duck. Hellman-Mass helps create the menu that he says could include peppers, tomatoes, butternut squash, and apples for fall. 1201 S. Lamar Blvd., 512-433-6521; oddduck austin.com
Contigo A turn to the cooler weather means the return of Contigo’s hot toddy menu. The East Austin restaurant’s patio is the perfect place to sip a warm drink and savor chef-owner Andrew Wiseheart’s “fresh quality bar food.” A popular fall dish is the rabbit with carrots,
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cipollini onions, and sage dumplings. 2027 Anchor Lane, 512-6142260; contigotexas.com
Eastside Cafe In autumn, the grilled okra skewers with garlic aioli appetizer “is so popular, we sell out as soon as we make it,” says chef-owner Elaine Martin. “And the collards with smoked ham hocks bring back memories of my childhood in East Texas.” Sister restaurant Elaine’s Pork & Pie is next door. 2113 Manor Road, 512-476-5858; eastsidecafeaustin.com
Foreign & Domestic Chef-owner Ned Elliott brings NYC restaurant scene cred and Austin neighborliness to his spot on North Loop. This summer, Foreign & Domestic kicked off a
monthly Indie Chefs Table series, inviting nationally known chefs for one night to speak to guests and collaborate in the kitchen. 306 E. 53rd St., 512-4591010; fndaustin.com
Lenoir “I’ve never seen a restaurant scene change so quickly as in Austin over the seven years I’ve been here,” says chefowner Todd Duplechan. Hints of what he envisions for his menu this fall: persimmon salad with fennel, seaweed and pecan butter; and toasted shrimp ravioli with taso broth, okra, and tomato. 1807 S. First St., 512-215-9778; lenoirrestaurant.com
Odd Duck “This is a great time of year, as summer crops finish up and overlap with fall bounty,”
Wink Restaurant & Wine Bar A leader in bringing fresh, seasonal dining to Austin, Wink was opened in 2001 by chefs Stewart Scruggs and Mark Paul. Order from the à la carte menu or choose between the chef’s and vegetarian tasting menus. All are constantly updated based on ingredient availability. 1014 N. Lamar Blvd., Ste. E, 512-482-8868; wink restaurant.com AW
(fish)
Chef-owner Bryce Gilmore and his team have created an ever-changing tasting menu that offers up to 15 courses of small plates for $75. All dishes are crafted with farm-fresh ingredients, and the beer and wine lists are also labors of love. Forget the long wait time of the restaurant’s earlier days; Barley Swine now encourages reservations. 2024 S. Lamar Blvd., 512-394-8150; barleyswine.com
Lawrence Kocurek, chef at the W Austin Hotel’s restaurant, is a hometown guy who supports local growers like B5 Farms: “Jamey Gage is a great guy and passionate about what he does.” And, it turns out, Kocurek’s dad and Gage’s mom grew up together in Del Valle. Now that’s having roots. 200 Lavaca St., 512-5423660; traceaustin.com
General manager Ben Edgerton and chef Andrew Wiseheart had an immediate hit on their hands in 2011 when they launched Contigo (SEE LISTING). Their second collaboration, Gardner, is slated to open this fall with a menu emphasizing seasonal vegetables. Edgerton shared the stories behind both restaurants. Camp buddies: Edgerton and Wiseheart met as kids at summer camp. A ranch in the city: “Contigo is a restaurant modeled after my family’s ranch in South Texas. It’s a tribute to my family’s traditions and heritage,” Edgerton says. A family name: “We wanted to name this restaurant Gardner after Andrew’s father, as a way to pay tribute to his family and the relationship between father and son,” who bonded over cooking and dining together. 1914 E. Sixth St., Unit B; gardner-austin.com
photographics
Barley Swine
Trace
The duo behind Contigo debuts an eatery focused on fresh produce.
trace/knox
WHERE TO FIND THE FLAVORS OF THE SEASON, SERVED WITH AUSTIN FRIENDLINESS AND CREATIVITY. BY SARAH BECKHAM
IN SEASON
courtesy
Fall Harvest
The fare at Olivia changes daily, with dishes inspired by France, the American South, and the restaurant’s own backyard. Besides the fruits of its own garden, other menu standouts include freshly cut pasta, charcuterie, and chef-owner James Holmes’s signature lamb’s tongue fricassee. 2043 S. Lamar Blvd., 512-804-2700; olivia-austin.com
photography
Olivia
Combining the Business of Real Estate Brokerage with a Passion for Design, Architecture Art
JeannetteSpinelli.com
THE GUIDE Imbibe
WITH SO MANY BEER HALLS IN AUSTIN, THE FINEST ALES, IPAS, LAGERS, AND MORE ARE ON TAP ALL ACROSS TOWN. BY SARAH BECKHAM The ABGB The Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. (aka The ABGB) welcomes patrons to bring their dogs, sit outside, and soak up South Austin with one of its “always” or “sometimes” beers. If you get into a winding, Richard Linklater movie – style conversation, fortify yourself with the food menu’s standards, like pizzas, sandwiches, and salads as well as a range of seasonal picks. 1305 W. Oltorf St., 512298-2242; theabgb.com
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sculpture/light fixture gracing the ceiling. 61 Rainey St., 512-4285547; craftprideaustin.com
Draught House Austinites have been sudsing it up here for 45 years. Today, patrons can pick from a wide selection of beers on tap (75!) from Texas and beyond. The tasty accompaniments for the beverages come from a rotating cast of food trucks. 4112 Medical Pkwy., 512-452-6258; draught house.com
Craft Pride
Easy Tiger
Start or finish up a Rainey Street visit at this hand some, bar with 54 beers on tap. But don’t use the plethora of ale options as an excuse to drink away your envy of the amazing Texas-shaped wood
If it feels like a movie set here—specifically, an indie feature with an impressive beer selection—that’s because this downtown beer garden got its look from Veronica Koltuniak, who used to be a Hollywood
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set decorator. Plot twist: Easy Tiger also has a beloved bake shop. 709 E. Sixth St., 512-6144972; easytigeraustin.com
The Ginger Man This pub has been pleasing Austin beer lovers with its vast menu for 20 years. Dark and cozy enough on the inside to bring a date, it has ample seating outside for your next work get-together. There are outposts in other Texas cities as well as on the East Coast. 301 Lavaca St., 512-4738801; thegingerman.com/ austin
Hi Hat Public House Small and cheery, the Hi Hat takes pride in its craft beer list and beer events, its food, and its friendly (and never snobby) vibe. “We are very much a neighborhood
Pinthouse Pizza It’s the season at Pinthouse for hoppy ales, like customer favorites ATX Pale Ale and Best Coast IPA. “These will be served alongside our mainstay offerings: our flagship Man O War IPA, Iron Genny Pale Ale, and Austin’s first session IPA, Calma Muerta,” says director of brewing and co-owner Joe Mohrfeld. The friendly staff will help you make the right pick, even if you don’t speak fluent beer-ese. 4729 Burnet Road, 512-436-9605; pinthousepizza.com
Whip In Is this spot on Interstate 35 in Travis Heights a brewery and craft beer destination? Affirmative. A place to eat? Yes, again. A gourmet grocery? That, too. Oh, and don’t forget it’s also a live music venue—this is Austin, after all. Exit now. 1950 S. I-35, 512-442-5337; whipin.com AW
Meeting of the minds: “The idea of combining a coffee shop and a beer bar came naturally. It was something we wanted to exist as customers.” Menu standout: “Our regulars’ favorite drink combo is called the Brew & Brew: a shot of espresso with steamed milk, paired with a beer chosen to complement the coffee and served side by side.” On the grid: “The beers we offer on our 38 taps change frequently, so we’ve laid out our beer board in a grid to help customers quickly find the styles they like. Lighter beers are up top, darker on the bottom; less hoppy beers are on the left, and more hoppy are on the right. Love IPAs? Go straight to the top right and see what’s new.” 500 San Marcos St., No. 105, 512-493-0963; thebrewandbrew.com
Bros. Bre W & Bre W (Wright)
The Art of Craft Beer
Although it’s located just north of the UT campus, this European-inspired bar and restaurant has grownup allure. There are 42 beers on tap last we counted (the offerings change weekly) as well as a unique and creative wine-based cocktail menu. 3110 Guadalupe St., 512-537-0467; hopfields austin.com
Cofounder Matt Wright tells us more about how beer and coffee team up at Wright Bros. Brew & Brew.
of Wright
Hopfields
PERFECT PAIRING
Courtesy
bar,” manager and beer buyer Habeab Kurdi says. “We have a lot of regulars who come in.” Browse the tap list online before you go, or get a recommendation from the bartender. 2121 E. Sixth St., 512-478-8700; hihatpublichouse.com
photography
Ale and hearty: Austin’s beer scene is thriving from east to west and everywhere in between.
HELP THE OCEANS CATCH A BREAK WITH CHAMPION BIG WAVE SURFER MAYA GABEIRA
Maya fearlessly conquered the largest wave ever surfed by a woman. Her next challenge? To protect the ocean she calls home. Our oceans are in trouble from threats like overfshing and climate change and they need our help. Join Maya and Oceana and let’s help the oceans catch a break.
www.oceana.org/catchabreak
Maya Gabeira surfs the infamous swell at North Shore, Oahu Hawaii
WWW.OCEANA.ORG/CATCHABREAK
THE GUIDE Relax
Farm to Massage Table
LOCAVORES CAN INDULGE IN FARM-FRESH INGREDIENTS AND DISTINCTLY AUSTIN THEMES WITH THESE FALL SPA TREATMENTS. BY JANE KELLOGG MURRAY
Away Austin Spa The W Austin is creating a buzz upstairs: 33 stories above the Away spa is a thriving rooftop apiary built to preserve the dwindling local honeybee population. The Body Honey (100 minutes, $225) uses honey from last year’s spin in an apricot scrub to invigorate the skin. The treatment wraps up with a coconut milk and wild honey body cocoon. W Austin, 200 Lavaca St., 512-542-3626; austinawayspa.com
Hiatus Spa+Retreat A masque of antioxidant-rich local carrots is the focus of Hiatus’s October special: the 18 Carrot (80 minutes, $195; H-Circle members, $128). The treatment begins with a dry-brushing to remove dead skin cells and culminates with a full-body massage under the Vichy shower, finished with The Alpine Rabbit cocktail of
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fresh carrot juice, walnut liqueur, and bourbon. 1611 W. Fifth St., 512-3625777; hiatusspa.com
Horseshoe Bay Resort “My favorite time of year in the Hill Country is when the wildflowers bloom,” says Tracy Harper, director of spa and recreation. The 600 varieties still flourishing in autumn, according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, inspired the Texas Wild Flower Journey (105 minutes, $230), which uses natural products from Texas producer FarmHouse Fresh. A cleansing citrus grass salt scrub is followed by a honey magnolia wrap, and an agave oil full-body massage leaves a radiant finish. 200 Hi Circle North, Horseshoe Bay, 830-5982511; hsbresort.com
Milk + Honey Day Spa Milk + Honey began producing its own spa products this year. It’s a locally handcrafted line of luscious and fresh-scented creams, oils, and scrubs encased in beautiful amber apothecary glass bottles. Indulge at the day spa with a customized Lux Facial (90 minutes, $170), which utilizes Milk + Honey’s new pomegranate facial oil and vanilla cardamom lip scrub, or purchase the goods online or in one of the salons—a fourth location opens this fall in Sunset Valley. 512-263-1115; milkand honeyspa.com
Sage Hill Inn Achieve a youthful glow the natural way: The spa at this estate, 30 minutes south of Austin, sources essential oils from olive trees at First Texas Olive Oil Company in
New to the spa’s offerings is Hummingbird Farms’ lavender. “We fell in love with its truly world-class products,” spa director Mary Kate Piotrowski says. “What started with [Hummingbird’s] Jack and Debi Williams wanting a small herb farm took on a deeper meaning when Debi was diagnosed with breast cancer. She became much more concerned about the quality and integrity of ingredients.” Try the Lavender Lemongrass Journey (110 minutes, $260). 98 San Jacinto Blvd., 512-478-4500; four seasons.com/austin/spa
Travaasa Austin Indulge all five senses in the signature treatments (50 minutes, $135 per person), inspired by Austin’s live music legends. The Rose Massage with organic rose oil wraps the table in Janis Joplin– approved tie-dyed sheets, while the On the Road Again Massage uses hemp oil— appropriate for any Willie Nelson fan. Try the Couples Double Trouble Massage, influenced by bluesman Stevie Ray Vaughan, with blue cypress, agave, and sandalwood oils. 13500 Farm to Market Road 2769, 512-364-0061; travaasa.com/austin AW
Trisha Shirey, director of flora and fauna at Lake Austin Spa Resort, celebrates 30 years of tending to the 19-acre property’s bountiful gardens this September. What can people learn from your classes? A lot of people grow herbs but don’t realize the number of ways they can use them. I teach homemade bath and body treatment classes so people can learn how to prepare fresh herbs for home use—in potpourri, drinks, cooking, and home spa treatments. It’s nice to use natural scents instead of artificial ingredients. What are some healing effects of the fresh herbs offered in the Gifts of the Garden signature treatment (100 minutes, $325)? For someone who has issues with sleep or stress, lavender is a good healing herb since it is calming and soothing. Mint is energizing and a good pick-me-up. Which product do you recommend for wornout skin? I love the rosemary sea salt scrub. It’s so refreshing, and it’s an antioxidant, which a lot of our spa guests appreciate. 12611 Riverbend Road, 512-593-7583; lake austin.com
aU stin
The Spa at Four Seasons Austin
GARDEN GURU
o Urt Esy t ravaasa
Wimberley and lavender from the purple fields at Hummingbird Farms in Johnson City. These ingredients are combined in a lavender-infused hand cream and an olive oil soak and scrub in the Garden to Table Facial and Hand Treatment (60 minutes, $95). 4444 W. FM Highway 150, Kyle, 512-268-1617; sagehill.com
photography by Chris Crisman/C
Enliven all five senses with treatments inspired by local music legends at Travaasa Austin.
BENOLD’S JEWELERS’ ‘THE EARS HAVE IT’
AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL’S FILM & FOOD FUNDRAISING PARTY
Event: September 19-20
Austin Film Festival announces the 12th annual Film & Food Fundraising Party, an evening dedicated to honoring Austin as both a thriving film industry and renowned culinary hotspot. Held in the historic Driskill Hotel, this evening of specialty cocktails and innovative cuisine brings together Austinites and visitors alike to celebrate the arts.
Join us Friday and Saturday, September 19 & 20, during regular business hours to shop hundreds of new styles of earrings, all 20% of. Earrings start at $35, and styles include beaded, diamond, hoops, studs and more. For more information, go to benolds.com or call 512.452.6491.
Event: October 22 at 7:00pm
Driskill Hotel | 604 Brazos Street Visit austinfilmfestival.com/events/filmandfood
NOT TO BE MISSED EVENTS • HAPPENINGS • PROMOTIONS
THE OASIS ON LAKE TRAVIS
6550 Comanche Trail Call 512.266.2442
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You have to see it for yourself. More than just a restaurant, Te Oasis on Lake Travis is an Austin institution. From the breathtaking view to the delicious food, world class margaritas, beautifully appointed indoor event spaces and friendly people, Te Oasis ofers an unforgettable experience for everyone. Multi level decks, spilling down the blufs of Lake Travis, insures each guest a perfect view, earning Te Oasis the well-deserved title, Te Sunset Capital of Texas.
THE GRAND BALLROOM AT THE AT&T EXECUTIVE CONFERENCE CENTER
WESTLAKE DERMATOLOGY Westlake Dermatology® introduces UltraShape®, the latest nonsurgical breakthrough in body-shaping technology. UltraShape selectively targets and eliminates fat cells safely and efectively with ultrasound energy. Treat stubborn fat on the abdomen with no bruising, swelling, or downtime. 8825 Bee Caves Road Call 512.328.3376 Visit westlakedermatology.com
The Grand Ballroom is an extraordinary space for weddings and events in the heart of Austin, Texas. Features within the venue include a magnificent 10,000-square-foot ballroom, unique reception and pre-function areas, expert staff, and an award-winning culinary team for artful catering. 1900 University Avenue Call 512.404.3616
AND FINALLY…
HAVE IT YOUR WAY pescatarian, and vegetarian. This situation isn’t an outlier. More than likely, it’s the dystopian menu future. Or just the dystopian future, period, though brown-rice veggie sushi at HEB and gluten-free communion wafers don’t exactly look like Blade Runner. This is the birthplace of Whole Foods, after all. Now the rest of the food scene has caught up, largely thanks to a new generation of customers who can order a gluten-free beer with a straight face. Just look at Austin’s gold standard for fine dining, Uchi, and its sister Uchiko. Perhaps feeling sorry for diners who can’t enjoy the sinful foie gras nigiri, the restaurants recently announced a daily five-course vegetarian tasting menu and a monthly 10-course Omakase menu. Omakase is a Japanese phrase that means “I’ll leave it to you;” it comes from the Japanese word for “entrust.” As in trust the chef, which is slightly ironic when you circle back to DWOE. Overall, it’s good that modern restaurants are sensitive to the situation. Celiac disease causes great suffering for many people, as does lactose intolerance. And it’s both wise and sensible not to eat meat. But how much should we demand of our restaurants? There’s a difference between people with serious health concerns and picky eaters who are trying to turn ordering into an art form. There are many different and totally legitimate ways of eating, but maybe some are best practiced at home. You’re an adult and can figure out what is and isn’t fish. And now, if you’ll excuse me, my chicken-fried steak with cheese sauce has arrived. AW
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One of the fine, if over-coddling, schools we sent our son to during his fine and over-coddled life had a pedagogical philosophy called DWOK, or Different Ways of Knowing. The school operated under the assumption that every child is a unique flower with different educational needs and a different pace of learning. The underlying philosophy was this: Everybody is special. We all get a trophy. A generation of kids has grown up believing this. An entire crop of special flowers is blooming in Austin at the unofficial rate of 100 new residents per second, and all they want to do is go to restaurants. If you look at Austin restaurant menus these days—which you have plenty of time to do while waiting in line—you might say they specialize in DWOE, or Different Ways of Eating. Everybody is special. We all get a menu. There was a time, in a recently remembered past, when your Austin restaurant food options were thus: “Would you like that chicken-fried steak with or without cheese gravy?” If you wanted a vegetarian meal, it was either overdressed salad from a bag or a forced bulgur march to Mother’s. But now, you can have it your way everywhere, no matter how obscure that way might be. At Odd Duck, an excellent eatery in South Austin, DWOE is infinitely on display. Odd Duck goes much further than marking a menu item with a little G in a circle. There are six separate menus available in addition to the main one: dairy-free, glutenfree, a menu for celiac disease sufferers (super gluten-free), nut-free,
Ion by Dan Iel o ’l eary
AUSTIN’S RESTAURANTS ARE CATERING TO OUR EVERY DIETARY DESIRE. EXCUSE ME, WAITER, IS THERE BREAD IN MY BREAD? BY NEAL POLLACK
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AUSTINWAY.COM
Treaty Oak Distilling Co. Gives Green Bank Five Stars They choose us for fnancing and commercial banking services. Hand-crafed, Top-Shelf, Custom. Our bankers have added a new take to an industry built on consolidatons and out-of-town guys—know your customers, know your town and get it done. The accolades are piling up and we get to work with some prety neat clients. Talk to Green Bank for commercial loans and real estate, lines of credit and business accounts. You’ll see why Treaty Oak Distlling Co. and many other businesses raise their glasses to Green Bank.
GreenBank.COm | 512.617.6850 1717 West 6th Street, Suite 110
GREEN BANK, N.A.
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