The OK magazine

THE The Oklahoman’s Lifestyle Magazine

THEFEBRUARY OKLAHOMAN 4, 2018 DECEMBER 17, 2017

FOOD

ISSUE

ALL ABOARD The OKC streetcar BERRY TRAMEL Downtown for the holidays

BERRY TRAMEL Okies in the Golden State Chefs of the City An appreciation

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THE OKLAHOMAN

The Oklahoman’s Lifestyle Magazine This magazine is published with the Feb. 4 edition of The Oklahoman.© 2017. All rights reserved.

No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

The OK is published quarterly by

100 W Main St., Suite 100 Oklahoma City, OK., 73102-9025

FROM THE EDITOR Peanut butter. If I have one go-to food, that’s it. Crunchy or smooth? Doesn’t matter. Jif, Skippy or Peter Pan? Don’t care. Love them all.

On toast, on a cracker. Plain or with a pickle, like my mom taught me. Even on a hamburger. If you haven’t had a “goober burger,” you should. They’re delicious.

Admittedly, mine is a simple palette. The good news is I know the “Food Dude,” Dave Cathey, whose tastes are a bit more sophisticated. Dave, The Oklahoman’s long-time food writer, will be your gustatory guide through this edition of The OK, The Food Issue.

In the coming pages, you’ll hear from restaurant legends and those just starting to earn a name in the business. We’ll take you to some of the most exciting venues in town, introduce you to some of the hottest chefs going and offer tantalizing glimpses of their tastiest dishes.

We’ll take a look back at some of The Oklahoman’s past food writers, find out why columnist Ken Raymond is such a picky eater and learn from experts how to cook an Oklahoma classic–the onion burger.

We’ll introduce you to a young woman who returned to her roots on an Oklahoma cattle ranch, profile a public defender whose spent more than thirty years battling for the rights of the accused and take you on a tour of some of Oklahoma City’s newest music venues.

Plus you’ll find news about real estate, fashion, technology, tons of photos and plenty more.

Happy reading and eating.

Phillip O’Connor

President and Publisher: Christopher P. Reen Editor, VP of News: Kelly Dyer Fry Magazine Editor: Phillip O’Connor poconnor@oklahoman.com Creative Art Director and Lead Designer: Todd Pendleton Design/Layout: Chris Schoelen Photo Editors: Doug Hoke and Chris Landsberger Additional copies of The OK can be purchased for $5.95 plus tax at the front office of The Oklahoman, online at www.oklahoman.com or by calling 405-478-7171.

Phone or online orders will incur an additional $1 shipping charge. For bulk sales (26 or more copies) and rates, call 405-478-7171.

Advertise in The OK. To advertise, contact Vicki Thomas at 405-475-3338 or vthomas@oklahoman.com Want more of The OK? Get every issue by subscribing to The Oklahoman at www.oklahoman.com/ subscribe.

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CONTENTS

THE OKLAHOMAN

ON THE COVER

Kamala Gamble/Barbara Mock (Kam’s Kookery/Guilford Gardens) Kam and Barb are the culinary minds behind Guilford Gardens and Kam’s Kookery, which operates a community-assisted agriculture program and catering business. Guilford Gardens partners with local farmers and producers to fulfill monthly orders for local fans of fresh vegetables. Besides organic seasonal vegetables and herbs, Kam’s urban cornucopia also is home to chickens and rabbits.

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Josh Dulaney profiles a young Oklahoma rancher back on the family farm.

David Dishman talks to restaurant veterans about what it takes to make it in a tough business.

BACK TO THE LAND

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THE BASICS

THE OKLAHOMAN

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105

SERVING IT UP

CALIFORNIA CRIMSON

Photo editor Doug Hoke captures chefs who are making a mark on the Oklahoma culinary scene.

LINEUP

8 ASKED & ANSWERED

A Q&A with Oklahoman Food Editor Dave Cathey.

Sports columnist Berry Tramel catches up with Sooner faithful living in the Golden State.

Bringing locally grown food to your table.

10 PARTY QUESTION

Flavor Local Custom Catering

Lady-about-town Helen Ford Wallace tracks down the perfect gift for the party host.

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ERA OF FOOD EDITORS

Guilford Gardens Veggie Subscription Service

A trip down memory lane with the people who’ve helped shape food coverage at The Oklahoman.

405-409-7312

37 OK’S BEST BURGER

A step-by-step guide to making the famous Oklahoma onion burger.

38 A PERFECT PLAZA PLACE

The Pritchard offers wine, small plates and respite in the Plaza District.

72 FUELING SUCCESS

A new revolution in sports nutrition is changing the way athletes eat.

78 NITPICKER

Oklahoman columnist Ken Raymond explains why he’s always been finnicky about food.

86 VANGUARD VENUES

Entertainment Editor Nathan Poppe dishes on three new Oklahoma City music venues.

94 DOWN HOME

19 DATA

MISC.

Food by the numbers.

20 CHIC

Fashion writer Linda Miller looks at colors to carry a season.

82 TECH

Tech guy Richard Hall tries out the latest in headphones.

93 CHRONICLE

A uniquely Oklahoman photo.

111 PAGE FROM THE PAST

A front page pulled from The Oklahoman archives.

Richard Mize, our man in real estate, looks at what’s cooking in kitchen design.

100 FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE

Oklahoma County Public Defender Bob Ravitz has spent a career fighting for the accused.

The Oklahoman’s Lifestyle magazine 5

THE OKLAHOMAN

MAILBAG

Here’s what readers of The OK wrote: Just finished reading THE OK. THANK YOU. We enjoyed it very much. It is nice to see some of the old photos from years gone by and the new ones too.

I hope THE OK is a success and will continue for many years to come. We have been subscribers to the Oklahoman and The Times when it was in existence for over 60 years and still think a newspaper is important for the citizens of this country. Please keep up the Good Work!

Tom and Sarah House, Oklahoma City

Kudos to you and the Oklahoman for publication of this very informative, historical and entertaining magazine. I just spent a long time reading it from cover to cover and can’t wait for the next one. All the wonderful pictures make me very proud of our exciting city and the many activities offered to people here!

Carolyn J. Taylor, Oklahoma City

Your December 17, 2017, issue of The OK is...... well,... epic, fabulous, amazing, beautiful, and inspiring! I am delighted to be a subscriber to The Oklahoman on a regular day, but knowing that I can now look forward to seeing more issues of this awesome lifestyle magazine, is an added bonus!

Just perfect! Keep it coming...this new magazine is a delight!

Congratulations on a wonderful publication for us Oklahomans!

Bruce Ewing, Oklahoma City

Kristy Ehlers, El Reno

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A SHORT DRIVE WELL WORTH YOUR TIME

FEATURE Q&A

&

THE OKLAHOMAN

Asked Answered

Photo by Doug Hoke

From sports writer, to television critic to hard news reporter, Dave Cathey’s worn a lot of hats during his nearly two decades at The Oklahoman. But the one that might just fit the best is the toque blanche, the traditional white chef’s cap.

Dave, aka The Food Dude, has been explaining the simple delights and culinary complexities of Oklahoma’s food scene to our readers since 2008.

The San Diego native grew up in Austin and came north to attend Oklahoma Christian University on a soccer scholarship. He joined The Oklahoman staff straight out of college in 1990. Here, the man with the ready smile and booming laugh talks about warm memories, putting things in context and staying in shape.

Q: Where does your love of food come from?

A: My passion for food goes back as long as I can remember. I remember helping my mother make pecan pie when I was five, chili with my dad when I was 10 and making 8

tacos for the family when I was 12. When we moved to Austin, the restaurant scene was just beginning to take shape. The original County Line Barbecue was five minutes from our home in Austin, and we ate there weekly for years.

Q: Favorite comfort food?

A: Comfort food is different for everyone. The definition is evolving. For a long time, comfort food has been associated with foods you ate at home. But I believe it has more to do with memories the food evokes. When I bite into

THE OKLAHOMAN

a crunchy taco, I’m immediately a five-year-old in my mother’s car who’s just successfully begged his way into a treat. My mother was from West Texas, but she made a Curry Chicken recipe she learned in the early 1970s out of a magazine that was my family’s favorite meal. But growing up in the south, you can’t help but find comfort in fried chicken, mashed potatoes and cream gravy, pinto beans and cornbread and anything cooked low and slow over a wood fire.

Q: What’s the best part of the job?

But Bourdain is the best writing chef we’ve seen so far and his work to date has been exemplary and entertaining.

Q: Worst kitchen mishap?

A: One Saturday afternoon in college a roommate and I decided we’d gone long enough without a fresh pot of pinto beans and put the pressure cooker to use.

Somewhere between that decision and the decision to work the blender overtime making margaritas the lid of the pressure cooker blew straight into the ceiling. Burning pinto beans blasted in every direction. Goodbye cleaning deposit.

A: The job has so many benefits.

Obviously, being Q: Favorite kitchen within reach of utensil? the best foods and flavors in the city A: There are a lot of daily is hard to great gadgets, like the The Oklahoman’s Dave Cathey, left, and Chef Jonathan Krell prepare lunch at beat. But it really Microplane grater, and WestTown in Oklahoma City, Tuesday June, 23, 2015. Local restaurant employees wouldn’t matter that volunteered and served lunch at the day shelter. The Oklahoman Archives tools you use more than much if there were no you’d think like kitchen stories to tell. I’ve met amazing, inspiring people in the shears. But when it gets right down to it, a good chef’s past nine years. Nothing can top that. knife is worth its weight in gold.

Q: What’s the worst part of the job?

A: The only bad parts of my job have to do with my own limitations. There is more good food to try and share than my appetite can bear. There isn’t enough time in a day to run down every tip and write about it.

The worst part of this job are almost all good problems to have.

Q: Worst meal you’ve had?

A: In the last few years, I’ve done a lot of coverage at the Homeless Alliance, which has adjusted my perspective. We need food to survive, and people go without it every day not only in our world and country but our city. It puts the occasional overcooked steak or broken sauce in context. So I guess the worst meal I’ve ever had was one of a handful of extraordinarily rare occasions when I was hungry and couldn’t get a meal.

Knowing folks in our community face that anxiety daily is a call to action.

Q: Julia Child or Anthony Bourdain?

A: Julia is the mother of American culinary arts. She, along with James Beard, will always be the pioneers.

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Q: Go-to recipe for guests?

A: Cochinita pibil is a classic Yucatán dish: pork marinated in red chile and citrus juices, wrapped in banana leaves and slow-roasted in a pit fire. Tons of condiments including pickled red onions and hot peppers. A pot of beans, some basmati rice cooked in butter and herbs, squash cooked in butter with corn, chopped onions and lime. Probably some dry rose´ or sauvignon blanc then either homemade strawberry ice cream or buttermilk pie for dessert Q: How do you avoid weighing 300 pounds?

A: Barely.

Dave’s Kung Pao Chicken made in a cast iron skillet

Pro Master Cityscape 30 camera bag

Available at Bedford Photo and Video for about $70.

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THE OKLAHOMAN

Helen Ford Wallace, The OK’s lady about town, asked some friends...

If you are attending a party,

should you take the

host a gift?

If so, what would you take?

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THE OKLAHOMAN

Art larry brannon Caterer

Since I have been in the food business for almost 50 years, I would take the host something to eat like an apple pie with rum sauce, sweet potato pie, brownies, lemon squares or baked fudge pudding.

Food

GATE WITH SILO, by Jim Keiffer

joy reed belt Owner of JRB Art at the Elms Gallery

It would depend on my relationship with the host and the nature of the party. Wine is always appreciated. If I know the host’s favorite I will take it. Sometimes I look for wine with an artistic label or from a particular region. If it’s a special friend I might take an appropriate print or small drawing created by one of the artists in my Gallery.

Something personal john james Businessman

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Yes, my wife and I usually take the host a gift. It is usually something personal fitting to the host. Tonight at the party we attended, we brought gourmet hot chocolate because we know how much the hosts like it.

THE OKLAHOMAN

Anonymous gift

tanya brand Hair Stylist

Wine &Cheese I always take something. A bottle of wine is the easiest, but I sometimes take something homemade like a cheese ball.

janie comstock Interior Designer

Take a gift if you feel so inclined but I don’t think you absolutely have to. If it’s a large party don’t put your name on the gift. This leaves the hostess with the job of thank you notes or phone calls.

Token gift

Yes, bring a token gift. - old saying, .....“ you should not arrive empty handed.” A small item is best not to cause a big show - a candle, chocolates, wine or homemade baked goods are all great.

linda garrett Community Volunteer

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Even a pretty card with a personal message to the host can be left on the entry table. That is similar to the old custom of leaving a calling card when you visit in someone’s home. The note or small gift is an additional way to reinforce your message of gratitude for being invited.

THE OKLAHOMAN

DON’T MISS DISHES

Above: Tacos Calvillo from Abel’s Mexican Restaurant in Warr Acres. Photo by Dave Cathey

Left: A selection of oysters from The Drake Seafood and Oysterette in OKC. Photo by Dave Cathey

Right: Oxtail Soup from Chae Modern Korean restaurant in Oklahoma City.

Photo by Doug Hoke

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THE OKLAHOMAN Photo of “Aunt Susan” in her WKY Radio kitchen taken in the 1930s.

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THE OKLAHOMAN

A long lineage

View from the studio of the radio kitchen used by WKY Radio cooking show personality “Aunt Susan.� WKY built two demonstration kitchens , one eletcric (left) and one gas, that reflected the finest home economics facilities available at the time.

For almost a century, folks at The Oklahoman have been pondering food in its many forms. Whether exchanging recipes, sharing cooking tips or simply reflecting on the joys of the humble homegrown tomato, those conversations have been a staple on our pages. Guiding those efforts have been a handful of food editors. A few stand out, blazing trails, creating Oklahoma traditions and, in some cases, making history along the way.

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Susan Abercrombie

Beginning in 1921, Abercrombie edited a home economics column for the Oklahoma City Times and ended each with the signature, “Aunt Susan,” a moniker that would only grow in fame.

That original Aunt Susan column began with this daily request, “Take Aunt Susan into your confidence. She will do her best to help you solve your problems. If there is anything about clothing, sewing, canning, home decorations, clothes mending or household economics that you want some help on, let Aunt Susan help you. Address your inquiry in care of The Daily Oklahoman.”

A December 29, 1929 Daily Oklahoman ad featuring Susan Abercrombie.

Edna Vance Adams

BELOW: Edna Adams started working at the Daily Oklahoman as a food columnist after Susan Abercrombie, also known as “Aunt Susan,” retired.

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Abercrombie’s assistant, Adams replaced her boss in 1928 and took the “Aunt Susan” name and position to new heights.

“Aunt Susan” Adams hosted a popular radio show on WKY at the same time she wrote the daily column and was the star attraction at The Oklahoma Publishing Company’s annual Cooking School at the Oklahoma City Coliseum and later the Municipal Auditorium that drew as many as 25,000 people. Her recipe books were given to attendees as souveniers. On Dec. 10, 1928, Adams published a recipe for what would become an Oklahoma holiday tradition, Aunt Bill’s Brown Candy.

She also wrote a cookbook, reported on her food travels to France and oversaw and chronicled the 1934 construction of an all-electric house on Avondale Drive in Nichols Hills that would become home to the family of then-Oklahoman publisher E.K. Gaylord and his family for the next 40 years. Adams eventually left for New York City. There, she became food editor at McCall’s magazine and produced one of the country’s first cooking shows.

In an oral history recording made after Adams’ New York move, she said, “I’m from Oklahoma and I don’t want to forget any of it.”

Asked what she would like to have from home she replied, “A recording of a mockingbird to bring back memories from my youth.”

THE OKLAHOMAN

Sharon Dowell The longest serving food editor in The Oklahoman’s history, Dowell took over the spot in 1982 and spent more than a quarter-century in the job.

“Many of you have turned to The Oklahoman over the years when food questions needed answering, when ingredients were difficult to track down and when recipes were misplaced and you just had to have the recipe immediately,” Dowell wrote in her farewell column in 2008. “More than a few of you were in the middle of a recipe and needed help, so you called for advice. I will miss those telephone conversations.

But remember, we will always be connected through those recipes, the conversations we’ve had and the laughs we’ve shared about funny food experiences.”

Judges Ed Murray and Sharon Dowell look at an ice cream recipe as they sample the product. Photo by Jim Beckel

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In his inaugural Food Dude column in November, 2008, Cathey offered up a recipe for chili – Texas style, along with a side of personal history about his love of all things spicy. He’s been bringing the heat on food coverage ever since.

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THE OKL AHO MA N|N EW SOK .COM

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THE OKLAHOMAN

COOKBOOK Nearly as long as The Oklahoman has been publishing, we’ve been sharing recipes with our readers.

“Aunt Susan” helped start the tradition. Below are a handful of her original recipes from the 1930s. Bon appetit.

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THE OKLAHOMAN

DATA

9 10 out of

1 in 6

farms in the world are family farms. They provide more than 80% of the world’s food supply.

people in America face hunger.

Potatoes and tomatoes are far and away the most commonly consumed vegetables while oranges and apples led the way in fruits, though mostly in juice form.

SOURCE: UNITED NATIONS FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION

86,565 1 ton of food

Number of Oklahoma farms, covering almost 80 percent of the state's land.

SOURCE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

In 2011, the average American consumed nearly

200

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including 632 lbs. of dairy products (including 31.4 lbs. of cheese), 415.4 lbs. of vegetables (most popular being corn and potatoes), 273 lbs. of fruit, and 183.6 lbs. of meat and poultry.

NDS

Expected food consumption at The 'Peake for an NBA playoff • 2,500 hot dogs

• 8,000 sodas

• 1,500 bags of popcorn

• 5,000 bottled waters

• 500 hamburgers

• 10,000 beers

75%

of the world’s food is generated from only 12 plants and five animal species.

In 2007 watermelon was named the Official State Vegetable.

DINE IN THE CLOUDS New Features Weekly

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49th Floor of Devon Tower VastOKC.com @VastOKC

THE OKLAHOMAN

CHIC

lady in by linda miller

PUCKER UP. RED LIPS ARE HAVING A MOMENT.

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Let’s make that another moment. Red lipstick is classic, a staple for many women. Like other classics, a red pout never goes out of style but sometimes it gets even more attention. Red lips were all over the runways during the spring fashion shows.

Even those who shy away from bold color may be tempted to rock red this spring.

“All women, whether they admit it or not, would like to wear red,” said Lilly Stone, owner of Sooo Lilly Cosmetics.

Generally, certain shades of red flatter specific skin tones. Stone suggests a blue or brown red to complement olive skin. Cool undertones often look best in red orange or true red. And for those who don’t want to fully commit to red lacquer, try red gloss.

Time was when red lipstick translated to true red. Think fire engine. But today’s options include so much more.

Stone recently revamped all her lipsticks for fall. She likes warm reds Spice It Up and Casablanca; coral red Scarlet Redder; coppery red Fillmore St.; true red Fifth Ave; blue red Red Carpet; pink red Valentina; and deep blue red Ava. Siren is a red plumping gloss that’s an easy first step toward a love affair with red lips.

Need a little visual inspiration? Rita Hayworth, Lucille Ball (yes, a redhead can wear red lips), Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Dita Von Teese and Rihanna are just a few known for their scarlet mouths.

‘I always say everyone can wear red lipstick, and if you don’t think you can, then you just haven’t found the right shade of red yet,” said Joy Robison, cosmetics buyer for Balliets. “Red is versatile and classic at the same time. Some of my favorites are Portofino Red by Laura Mercier, Regal by

THE OKLAHOMAN

Bobbi Brown and Rouge La La by Lucie & Pompette.

Lip stains have been around since 3,500 B.C., according to most historians. Used by both men and women in ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece, the stain was a concoction that often included red ochre, carmine wax or fat, red dye, sheep sweat or crocodile excrement. It was sometimes used to distinguish rank and social class.

After centuries of being told what they could and couldn’t wear for religious and more reasons, women had had enough. Fast forward to the 1900s. Red lipstick became a sign of power and freedom when red-lipped suffragettes marched in New York in 1912. Red lipstick became important again during World War II when women helped carry the work load in factories. Women may have been dressed for the assembly line, but red lipstick was the favored accessory.

Red lipstick was on its way to becoming a classic. It was in high demand in the late 1940s through the 1950s but had to compete with frosted, nude and more natural shades until the 1980s when Madonna’s sultry red lips grabbed attention. Barely there lips became the focus in the ‘90s and though other trends followed, red lipstick’s appeal never faded.

At times, it even outshines other lipstick trends. This 21

may be one of those times.

Alex Mendez-Kelley said she’s happy to live in Oklahoma where women love to wear color on their lips. “Red lipstick is definitely a power color,” she said.

“It certainly shows confidence and femininity in equal parts. And red lipstick is certainly the go-to for many around here and with so many different shades and textures of red, it’s hard to pick just one,” said MendezKelley, owner of the Makeup Bar. But the good news is there’s a red for everyone.

Mendez-Kelley said she always tries to access women’s preferences when it comes to all lipsticks, especially reds.

Dry or moisturizing? Matte, vinyl, liquid, cream, sheer, gloss or shimmer?

“With a plethora of choices, it can be overwhelming to say the least,” she said. “But the best way to figure out your shade is to check your undertone.”

Not sure of the undertone in your skin? Mendez-Kelley suggests looking at the veins on the inside of your wrist.

If the veins look greener, you are a yellow tone and probably will look better in orange, coral and tomato reds. If your veins are more blue or purple, generally the better reds will look best, such as those with a hint of fuchsia, blue, berry or cherry.

Lip preparation is key to getting a great, red look. Exfoliate lips with a light scrub, then make sure lips are well moisturized. Line lips in a color that complements your lipstick, then fill in the lips with the liner to help keep lipstick in place. Follow with your favorite shade of red. Generally, a bold lip calls for more subdued makeup, but many women love a well-defined eye with a red lip.

Mendez-Kelley wears red lipstick whenever the mood strikes. “I wear a more crisp, brighter shade during the day and a sultry, darker shade at night,” she said. “Of course, rules are made to be broken.”

THE OKLAHOMAN

the year for

ultra violet Blushing Heart top

with bell sleeves and lace-up back detail makes it easy to look good coming and going. $38 at miloandlilyboutique. com

by linda miller

If Pantone Color Institute’s forecast is on target, a purple haze soon will cover clothing, accessories, home décor, kitchen appliances and beauty products.

Ultra Violet reigns as the group’s color of the year. And while it has already left its bold mark on some items, more colorful offerings are sure to come.

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the institute, said Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity and visionary thinking.

Perhaps that’s why pop icons Prince and David Bowie had a love affair with purple, often tapping into the magical hue to make their own fashion statements.

Purple long has been associated with royalty, but Ultra Violet comes across as a little sassy and edgy. No shrinking violets this year.

DIFF Becky mirrored cat-eye sunglasses

with 100 percent UVA/ UVB protection. For every pair sold, the company donates a pair of glasses to someone in need. $85 at Dillard’s.

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Above: Conair Infiniti Pro AC hair dryer in Magenta.

Drying your hair doesn’t have to be mundane. $29.99 at Target.

THE OKLAHOMAN

Vintage floor-length formal gown by Cache

worn by model Savannah Evanoff.

Essie Hazy Daze nail polish described as a rich byzantine purple glazed with warming clay tones. $9, Ulta and Beauty Brands.

Rustic Cuff 1½-inch African Violet ostrich cuff

Featured in January’s O List in Oprah magazine. $92 at Rustic Cuff stores in Classen Curve, Edmond and at rusticcuff.com.

One-shoulder sequin midi dress by Lulari.

Worn by model Paige Powell. $79 at Jonque Mode.

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THE OKLAHOMAN

YOUTH

MOOVEMENT

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THE OKLAHOMAN

Jean Lam, 27, did the unusual, choosing to move back to the family farm.

She had her reasons.

photos by chris landsberger by josh dulaney

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ver the yellow flatland of Paul’s Valley on a raw morning in December, the sun punches a golden hole through the blue sky, losing its battle against the Oklahoma cold, but nonetheless signaling a new day on the farm.

Jean Lam, a 27-year-old daughter of the land nestled between I-35 and a county road to the east, emerges from a flatbed truck, bundled up and smiling brightly, recounting a weather report from a voice-activated device.

“Alexa says it’s 14 degrees,” Lam says.

Moments later, she’s in a tractor, loading hay on her truck.

In a region where so many in her generation plan their escape to climate-controlled offices in big cities, Lam has returned to the land, after studying at Stanford University and abroad in Russia, and living in Washington, D.C. where she considered a career in law.

A fourth-generation farmer responsible for 140 head of cattle and 600 acres of wheat, soybeans and alfalfa, Lam counts herself among the less than 1 percent of principal farm operators in the United States who are female and under 35 years old.

Pulling into a pasture, she surveys a group of commercial Angus cattle. Maybe the cold has made them 25

THE OKLAHOMAN

Rancher Jean Lam, 27, at work on her 600-acre farm in Paul’s Valley. In a reversal, Lam is among a small number of young people returning to run the family farm.

cranky. Unmoved, the cows engage Lam in a staring contest, their ears sticking out like side-view mirrors.

Lam unloads some hay and honks her horn. The cows dawdle over to their breakfast.

“There’s a certain pride in doing what people say you can’t do,” she says.

‘My cow habit’ While her older brother took a job in San Francisco, Lam felt the pull back to small-town living. Community. Tradition. Nostalgia. Still, her grandmother, a Dust Bowl survivor, wonders why her granddaughter runs a combine for a living.

Between sips of coffee in the cab of her truck, Lam gets a laugh out of gramma’s good-natured question.

“My dad and grandfather raised cattle,” she says. “I wanted a farm, to support my cow habit.”

Her father is Trey Lam, a well-regarded farmer in these parts, who works as the executive director of the 26

Oklahoma Conservation Commission in Oklahoma City. When he took the post, they talked about her running the farm.

“We had some conversations about taking off the rose-colored glasses of farming,” Jean Lam says. “When you’re a kid looking in, it’s different. Crops fail. Calves die.”

Trey Lam never pushed farming on the kids. He didn’t expect his daughter to exchange white collar work for a life in agriculture, where the pay can depend on market conditions as fickle as Sooner State weather.

“It’s a little bit scary,” he says.

“Agriculture always has its risks.

It’s not an easy life. It certainly is fulfilling. It’s a good way of life. I’m excited for her.”

Others are too, especially as the average age of a farmer is only increasing, and those who get into agriculture when they are younger typically endeavor in small operations with an eye toward farmers markets and

THE OKLAHOMAN

local sales.

Increasing the number of young farmers is more important now than ever, says Jim Reese, Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture. The average age of a U.S. farmer is 58, and in 30 years is projected to be 66.

“Those of us near that age are certainly not as technologically advanced as our kids,” Reese says. “We need their help to stay in touch with all the possibilities new technology offers. There are some positive examples of young people growing their family farms. We hope to see more of that.”

You can see it around Paul’s Valley. Jean Lam says within the vicinity, there are a handful of farmers under the age of 35.

“It’s exciting, and good for agriculture, but it’s competitive,” she says. “Farmers look a lot different than years ago. There are more women, more minorities.

And we have smartphones in our hands.”

Smart growing Lam is on her way to pick up a four-wheeler to herd cattle. The sky darkens and teases rain, but it probably won’t. Alexa didn’t say it would.

Apps that keep track of cattle gestation and market reports. GPS and field mapping. No-till farming that reduces soil erosion. Young farmers such as Lam take in the wisdom of their lineage while making use of modern technology to turn a profit and conserve the land.

“We want smart growing 365 days a year,” she says.

No-till farming has emerged over the past few decades as a way to better manage the land through direct seeding, which cuts the use of fossil fuels, reduces runoff and makes the soil more resilient, among a variety of benefits touted by its proponents.

“I call it drinking the Kool-Aid — the no-till KoolAid,” Lam says. “As these farms get passed on from generation to generation, it has to be sustainable for multiple households. There’s also financial best practices. Our idea is, with no-till now, the land will be even better 10 to 15 years from now.”

As Lam tells it, her fellow Kool-Aid drinkers stand apart from those farmers who stick to the old ways while spinning yarns about their production and profits. When you hear a farmer in a coffee shop talk about such things, figure he’s exaggerating by about 5 to 10

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Lam uses a four-wheeler to round up calves.

percent, she says.

Not only do young farmers endure the ribbing of some in the old guard, they also must fight public perceptions about the industry. Farmers are always a few keywords away from reading the ongoing debate about genetically modified food versus organically grown.

While Lam is diplomatic, she suggests that because of price and availability, it is not economically feasible for many people in lower socioeconomic classes to buy organic food.

“Agriculture struggles with its image, and consumer trust,” she says. “With urban sprawl, we have to be able to feed more people with fewer acres. We have to get better at telling our stories in a way the public understands.”

Starting with her father’s tutelage, Lam’s conservation credentials and dedication to the public good are impeccable. Among her commitments off the farm, Lam is a member of the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion And Research Board. She sits on the board’s Public Trust subcommittee.

“You’re raising a product that’s going to end 28

“The cows don’t know that it’s the weekend.

My only vacation days are when it rains.”

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up on somebody’s plate,” she says. “What I’m doing here, it’s not for a paycheck. It’s impactful. It has a lot of meaning.”

Carrying on A blue heeler named Fancy, once a stray dog roaming the back roads of southcentral Oklahoma, but now enlisted to herd cattle, hops on Lam’s four-wheeler.

They speed off into the distance.

Near a row of leafless trees deep in the pasture, Fancy hops off and wrangles the cattle, zipping across the land as the cows trot ahead of her, lowing in disagreement.

She returns to the flatbed, parked near a corral, her ears perked in alertness, proud of her work and waiting for Lam to return.

“I would like to pass this on to future generations,” Lam says. “Dad never made us farm. It was an option, always here if we wanted. Do it because you love it.”

And love it enough to have frank conversations with your elders. Farmers are notorious about keeping their finances private, she says. If it works out, they’re not so private about the pride they have in their children.

“It’s great to know everything you’ve done is going to be carried on,” Trey Lam says.

On a Paul’s Valley farm, in the heart of the country, between Palo Alto and the nation’s capital, his daughter carries on.

“It’s pretty much every day,” she says.

“The cows don’t know that it’s the weekend. My only vacation days are when it rains.”

Lam and her dog, Fancy.

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RECIPES FOR

SUCCESS

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Early days of Cattlemen’s restaurant. Photos provided

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Customers enjoy lunch at Barrios. Photo by Doug Hoke

by david dishman

Three restaurateurs dish on building a brand

I

f you ask a restaurateur about their recipe for success, you’d expect to be served a hearty plate of stories and anecdotes regarding menu offerings and unique dishes.

But while food is the focal point for a restaurant’s patrons, it’s only one ingredient in a successful, sustainable business recipe, according to several of Oklahoma City’s most prominent restaurateurs. Good food must be combined with fantastic customer service and great employees in order to experience success.

Restaurants in Oklahoma City differ, but these same three themes are evident in the work done by restaurateurs with long-running establishments, as well as those still in the early stages of their careers. Cattlemen’s Steakhouse owner, Dick Stubbs, and Director

of Operations David Egan face a different set of challenges in running their restaurant than 84 Hospitality Group CEO and founder Rachel Cope, or Good Egg CEO and co-founder Keith Paul. Cope owns a series of restaurants across Oklahoma City, none of which are more than five years old, while Paul owns 12, the oldest being Cheever’s Cafe, which opened in 2000. Tied together by the bond of the industry, these three distinct business operations contribute to Oklahoma City’s vibrant, and growing restaurant scene.

Stubbs and Egan witnessed firsthand the changing landscape for the restaurant business in the past several decades. Cattlemen’s is currently their only restaurant, but the pair have experience operating others in Oklahoma City and Tulsa throughout their career.

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Owner Rachel Cope talks about Goro Ramen + Izakaya in Oklahoma City. Photo by Sarah Phipps

“I can’t imagine a better place to be in business right now than Oklahoma City,” Egan said. “Everything that’s going on downtown benefits really everybody in Oklahoma City.

That just makes things better for us as downtown continues to build and grow.”

In 17 years, Paul has developed some of the city’s most popular eateries, including Tucker’s Onion Burgers, Kitchen 324, Republic Gastropub and Barrios, in addition to Cheever’s Cafe. He credits the growing competition, as one reason for improvement in the quality of restaurants in the area during the past five to 10 years.

Cope worked in the restaurant industry as a college student at 32

Oklahoma City University, and cut her teeth in ownership when she opened Empire Slice House in Sept. 2013. Her other properties now include Goro Ramen, Revolucion Taqueria & Cantina and more. While hers is the youngest of these three businesses, Cope is keen to learn from the success of Paul, Stubbs and Egan.

“That was important to me ... to say you are going to get the same kind of hospitality,” Cope said about emulating Good Egg’s service. “You are going to get a high level of service, quality, consistency and good food in a fun atmosphere.”

Cope also respects Cattlemen’s longevity in the restaurant business.

“How did Cattlemen’s stay open

Empire Slice Pizza in the Plaza District.

Photo by Doug Hoke

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A night at Cattlemen’s Steakhouse.

Photos by Doug Hoke

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Owners Heather and Keith Paul at Barrios in Oklahoma City. Photo by Jim Beckel

for so long?” Cope said. “I think a lot of it is they came up with a unique, affordable idea that fit the location they are in and the atmosphere lends itself to what they are doing.”

Stubbs confirmed Cope’s hypothesis in a separate interview.

The restaurant began in 1910, Stubbs said, and he purchased ownership of Cattlemen’s in 1990 from Gene Wade. Gene and his father, Percy Wade, famously won ownership of the restaurant on Christmas Eve, 1945, in a game of dice. Known as Cattlemen’s Cafe prior to Stubbs’ ownership, he felt re-branding as a steakhouse could fill a void in the market.

“After the 1980s, the restaurant industry had kind of collapsed in town,” Stubbs said. “There were a lot of old-time steakhouses that had gone out of business. We felt Cattlemen’s, having that name and being at the gates of the national stockyards, that there was an opportunity to establish yourself as a great steakhouse.

“Cattlemen’s Cafe over the years had sold a lot of steaks, but they also sold a lot of soup,” Stubbs said. “So consequently, we felt if you could feature a real high quality steak you could build a good business, and fortunately that was true.”

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“Our mission is extreme hospitality.

This is a hospitality business” Keith Paul, Good Egg CEO and co-founder

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But quality steak wasn’t the only reason for success according to Stubbs and Egan, who has worked with Stubbs since 1974. The pair credit an overwhelming commitment to customer service as a reason their business began to grow following the 1990 acquisition.

“The way I see it, is that we can only be special if we give a person a great experience,” Stubbs said.

Restaurateurs like Paul and Cope are riding a wave of restaurant rebirth in Oklahoma City, largely due to their similar commitment to customer service. The customers are Paul’s biggest inspiration to continue in the industry.

“Our mission is extreme hospitality,” Paul said. “This is a hospitality business. It’s a reward to see the smiles on guests’ faces and getting an email from a guest saying how good a time they had, and the realization that we did something right.”

Cope loves working in Oklahoma City because of the

positive support system among restaurant industry workers and the affordability of development in the city. She described the city as a “blank canvas” in terms of the restaurant scene. While some cities like New York, Chicago or San Francisco have highly developed food scenes, Oklahoma City is still growing into its own. She described a process of reflection in determining what kind of restaurants to paint the blank canvas with.

“We always try to ask ourselves a couple questions when we are going to do a new project,” Cope said.

“And that is, is this something we are really passionate about? Two, does the location work? And three, can we really be a part of the community and help the community that we’re in?”

Cope said Oklahoma City has two key factors that make the area ripe for restaurant development. Cost of development, and a familial atmosphere among those

Above: Former Cattlemen’s owner Gene Wade (left) and Dick Stubbs meet with the media the day they announced changes to management.

Cattleman’s Steakhouse Director of Operations David Egan and owner Dick Stubbs. Photo by Doug Hoke

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A waitress takes an order at Cattleman’s Steakhouse. Photo by Doug Hoke

in the restaurant business.

“The cost of doing stuff here is so much less,” Cope said. “For people who are younger who don’t have access to large sums of money, we are able to do those things here that we can’t do anywhere else.

“Being in the restaurant business in OKC is what gave me all the connections I have now,” Cope said. “I can’t imagine what it would be like going somewhere where you didn’t have a support system already.”

These businesses aren’t without challenge, however, and the varying size and age of their organizations leave the owners with different problems.

Cope and Paul both described a desire to focus inward on strengthening current operations and improving their properties in the next several years.

“We are really right now focusing on what we have,” Paul said. “We want to provide opportunities for our employees through growth and career advancements.”

Increasing rent prices throughout the city are cutting into profit margins, Paul said, and the key to providing those employee opportunities is to focus on being more efficient and more successful at current locations.

Cope has a similar goal in mind for her company. She wants to focus inward after a phase of rapid growth in order to better serve her customers and employees.

“One thing some larger cities are doing … some other restaurateurs are offering insurance and benefits so 36

you see this as a job you stay for,” Cope said. “Why can’t I keep people and keep teaching them and them enjoy where they’re working and have those types of benefits?”

This is a difficult task for a young company, Cope admits, but it’s a goal she’d like to pursue in the coming years.

Cattlemen’s faces a different challenge – a growing need for repairs. The restaurant spends between $175,000 and $200,000 per year on facility maintenance, according to Stubbs. The building’s age, and the amount of customers using the facility every day necessitates such repairs.

Stubbs and Egan are past the point of considering opening up other restaurants, they both said, and their focus is on taking care of the current operation.

“It’s tempting to be greedy from time to time, but when we realized what we had, that if we just took care of this, that really should be our goal,” Egan said.

“To take care of the mother roost, and nurture it and continue to try and help it get a little better every day until it evolves into this magnificent temple of beef and customer satisfaction.”

Menus change, food trends go in and out of style, but built upon customer service, a shrewd business mentality and a love for Oklahoma City, these restaurant owners plan to be an option for your next dinner out for years to come.

THE OKLAHOMAN

FOOD

by dave cathey

the perfect

FRIED-ONION BURGER The fried-onion burger phenomenon was born in western Oklahoma at the Hamburger Inn during the Great Depression. What began as an attempt to scrimp on beef turned into the state’s signature interpretation of the hamburger.

Tucker’s Onion Burgers was kind enough to show us the basic steps to building a classic Oklahoma fried-onion burger. Tucker’s, a concept from A Good Egg Dining, has three Oklahoma City locations and a 1 fourth in Norman.

2

1. Start with four ounces of beef and press down onto a hot griddle.

2. Top with two ounces of fresh white onions and salt and pepper.

Carefully flip the burger and press into the griddle with a spatula.

Cook onion side down for about 3 to 4 minutes until onions start to get nice and caramelized.

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4

5

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3. While the onions caramelize, butter buns and toast on the griddle.

4. Flip the patty onion-side-up and place the top bun on it.

5. Add pickles and mustard for a classic onion burger.

6. Carefully slide spatula under the patty and place on bottom bun.

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Enjoy!

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DINING

Comfort with class

The Pritchard offers great wine, delicious food and a cozy setting in The Plaza District

S

ince opening as a wine bar in October of 2016, The Pritchard has evolved into something more thanks to an unlikely collaboration and a common passion for quality when it comes to living and dining.

“I’d heard it for years: ‘We want a place we can drink wine, and eat ... vegetables,’ co-founder Aimee Ahpeatone laughed. “You can drink beer and eat nachos a lot of places.”

Now in its second year, The Pritchard has dropped “wine bar” from its name but continues to offer a stellar wine program, dazzling small plates, and an atmosphere where Norm Peterson would feel comfortable anchored

Wine at The Pritchard in Oklahoma City.

Photo by Bryan Terry

38

by dave cathey at bar’s end.

Collaboration When another wine bar closed in the same space earlier in 2016, Ahpeatone and fellow Plaza property hawk Steve Mason had a decision to make.

Together, the developers own most of the reworked spaces along the north side of the Plaza and options were plentiful. But the easy solutions weren’t aligning with what felt right to Ahpeatone, who also owns Well Beauty Studio next door.

She and Mason agreed their goal was placemaking and

THE OKLAHOMAN

Chef Shelby Sieg of The Pritchard readies small plates for delivery. Photo by Bryan Terry

community building.

“I could’ve just expanded the salon,” Ahpeatone said.

“But I felt like there was still a niche to fill with a wine bar.”

Ahpeatone’s finger can usually be found on the pulse of the Plaza thanks to 12 years as a volunteer, developer, landlord, retailer and restaurateur.

She also knew she needed some hospitality pros to bring the project to fruition, so she tapped Mindy Magers as general manager.

Magers was born and raised in these parts but built most of her 19-year career in hospitality on the road.

From a boutique wine store in Dallas to high-end clubs and restaurants in Los Angeles like The Bazaar by Jose Andres, Magers came home with an education from the cutting edge in wine and beverage service.

To get the ball rolling, Ahpeatone tapped her partner in Nashbird, chef Marc Dunham, as a consultant to establish a menu and begin staff training. Then they lost their first chef for personal reasons two months before opening.

“We didn’t have a lot of time, but we interviewed a lot of chefs,” Magers said. “But nothing quite fit.”

An unlikely candidate won everyone over.

“Steve was hosting a tasting at his house, and I brought them kind of a market basket,” explained chef Shelby Sieg. “At least half of what I brought is still on the menu.”

“That was magical,” Magers said. “I had always hated scallops, and she made scallops. So, I was like ‘I don’t want to be rude ...’ and then I took a bite and I was like ‘this isn’t a scallop, this is magical.’”

But Sieg wasn’t a natural choice because Magers knew her as a different kind of chef.

“I spent the first nine years of my career as a pastry chef,” Sieg said.

After graduating from culinary school in Scottsdale, Ariz. as a pastry chef, Sieg spent four years in Dallas, two years in New York and two years globe-trotting between Brazil, Mexico and Australia before coming home for a sabbatical.

“I was in town for a visit,” she explained. “My sister was giving birth, and I wanted to be there for that and I heard about this opportunity at The George.”

That’s where fate would match her with Magers, who initially came home to work at Kevin’s George’s ambitious restaurant atop Founders Tower.

Fate wasn’t as kind to The George as it was in placing Sieg and Magers together, but they remained friends.

“She kept texting me about the opening,” Magers said.

“So, I finally asked, ‘Wait, are you interested?’ and her answer was yes.”

After a spell at Belle Kitchen, Sieg sought a new challenge, and by every indication she was ready for it. She believes the discipline required of a pastry chef has served her well.

“Knowing when to edit, knowing when to stop adding things,” she said.

But a pastry chef doesn’t make the adjustment to savory by editing alone.

While working at the Old Hickory Steakhouse at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas, Sieg had a mentor chef named Joanne Bondy. Like Sieg, Bondy had start39

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ed in pastry but by the time their paths crossed, Bondy was executive chef of the upscale chop house in the luxury resort and hotel.

“She told me, ‘I’m not gonna let you just do pastry. What I mean by that is, I’m not going to let you get out of this restaurant without getting a front-of-house education and without working the line for your own knowledge,’” Sieg said.

Sieg couldn’t let her first night behind the stove at The Pritchard start without reaching out.

“The night before we opened, I sent her a text letting her know this is where I am and this is what I’m doing with my life, and none of it would be happening without you.”

The Pritchard, no chaser Wine bar was dropped from the name to widen the scope of the concept and shed any perceived fussiness.

“Most of what you get in here is a great collaboration with Mindy and me and Aimee,” Sieg said. “Now we just want to see where it takes us.”

Meanwhile, wine is still a top draw to The Pritchard.

The wine list sits at 100 with six on tap at all times and 24 available by the glass. Taps allow Magers to offer unique, high-quality wines by the glass and carafe.

“We rotate the taps so we can offer a wide variety to sample,” Magers said. “We’re about to add a petite syrah. A lot of people know petite syrah, but now they can get a glass for $9.”

Besides wine, you’ll find nine beers, seasonal cocktails, and Long, Hard Day Combo Packs, which are shot and beverage pairings in the simple beverage program.

“I tell my bartenders, I don’t want nine-ingredient cocktails, we’re in the Plaza District,” she said. “We don’t want a totally overthought cocktail here.”

The small plates at The Pritchard are inspired by Spanish tapas, but Sieg’s food is intended for Oklahoma diners. She is currently putting the finishing touches on a few larger plates for the menu this year, but nothing that’s going to change the DNA of the concept.

“We’re just responding to feedback,” she said. “We’re not going to make any major changes to who we are or what we do, but we definitely want to give guests as many dining options as possible.”

Those options are organized on the menu by bar snacks, charcuterie, proteins, small plates, cheese and dessert.

Bar snacks range from $4 to $9, including house-made crackers, candied pecans, pickled okra or a decadent Gruyere fondue. Four charcuterie options include mousse truffee, soppressata, prosciutto, and Genoa salame, ranging $6 to $8. Four cheese options are similar in price, but you can choose a variety of three for $16.

The regular rotation of small plates sits at nine and range from $7 to $9. Brussels Sprouts are a signature, but items are aimed at netting a broad audience with Cacio e Pepe, Meatball with Walnut Romesco and crispy fingerling pota40

Photos by Bryan Terry

THE OKLAHOMAN

toes with Raclette Swiss cheese and house-made pickles to name a few.

The aforementioned scallops are the standard-bearer for the protein menu, followed closely by grilled skirt steak with chimichurri and arugula. Sieg has no problem selling roasted pork belly with cheese grits or fried chicken thighs with house pickles, and if you try either you’ll understand why.

Outside of finding a place to park, perhaps the greatest challenge a diner will face at The Pritchard is saving room for dessert. Sieg’s Dark Chocolate Pot de Crème and/or Housemade Doughnuts.

Sieg likes to change a few things each month, taking her cues from nature and travel.

In May, she caught a great rate on a flight to Venice and did a tour and tastings at local mom and pop restaurants through northeastern Italy.

“I came back with this incredible dish called Frico,” she said. “It’s this peasant dish from like a thousand years ago, and all it is potatoes and piles of Montasio cheese and I add a little rosemary to it.”

Off menu The Pritchard would not be well into its second year without exemplary food and drink, but milieu is as important to menu in these delivery-driven days.

Mismatched glass and flatware support the breezy vibe, which is balanced by serious wines and flavors. Plates dressed in their Sunday best emerge from the kitchen into a dining room that has slipped into something a little

more comfortable, offering a broad spectrum of experiences.

“The vision for this place is all Aimee,” Mason said.

Personal effects from her home dot the interior, but her leadership steadies the ship.

“We want to have fun with it, but Mindy and me come from fine dining background,” Sieg said. “Aimee is the one who will pull us back. She’ll say I like where you’re going with that, but let’s look at it in another way. How will it work here?”

Ahpeatone loves to travel and dine for inspiration and found plenty in Brooklyn, New York and New Orleans for this concept.

The dining room shares space with a large bar on black and white tile. Brass, crystal and green velvet accents create elegant environs adorned by original art, family artifacts and prairie flourishes. You’ll find art straight from Ahpeatone’s home, another commissioned by a friend, a picture of her great grandparents and a vintage silhouette of her own child above the bar.

“The last thing we want is for anyone to walk in and feel like they have to sit at a table and whisper,” Sieg said.

“We have full-blown sing-a-alongs here,” Magers said.

Sieg said it’s not uncommon to have “a group of girls in here at the farm table singing Britney Spears on a Saturday brunch.”

Magers said the first couple times it happened was disarming, “But then I was like, welp, that’s what we do for brunch here.”

From left, Pritchard owners Steve Mason and Aimee Ahpeatone, General Manager Mindy Magers and Chef Shelby Sieg. Photo by Doug Hoke

41

THEY MAY CREDIT OTHERS FOR THEIR SUCCESS, BUT IT’S THE CHEF WHO MAKES A GREAT RESTAURANT.

the

KEY

photos by doug hoke

INGREDIENT On the following pages, meet some of the men and women setting the standard in Oklahoma City and beyond.

Chef Kurt Fleischfresser, considered by many to be the dean of Oklahoma cuisine, at The Tasting Room in Oklahoma City in 2013.

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Photo by Nate Billings

g

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kurt fleischfresser Director of Culinary Operations at Vast/Partner Western Concepts restaurant group

The state’s most decorated and respected chef, Fleischfresser grew up in Yukon before attending Oklahoma State University and giving himself over to the Culinary Arts via an apprenticeship with chef Bernard Cretier of Le Vichyssois in Lakemoor, Ill. He returned to Oklahoma City after stops in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Dallas, finding a home at The Coach House in 1988. There he built the foundation for the standards and practices for culinary arts in Oklahoma City still acknowledged today through The Coach House Apprenticeship Program. In 2009, Fleischfresser was awarded the Medaille de Merite by L’Academie de Gastronomie Brillat-Savarin for his contributions to culinary arts education. He remains a partner in Western Concepts hospitality group, which includes Musashi’s, Sushi Neko, The Lobby Bar, The Tasting Room, Will Rogers Theatre and The Hutch on Avondale. He came to Vast in 2014.

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Surf and Turf from Vast includes a 6-ounce filet of beef and a grilled megaladon lobster served with root vegetable hash, Vast potatoes and paprika butter.

kevin lee

Executive chef Vast Lee began his local culinary career with a burger joint despite specializing in sushi.

Since opening Burger Rush in Robinson Renaissance and operating a mobile sushi wagon, Lee headed for The Coach House Apprenticeship Program. Adding classic French technique to his arsenal, Lee has since ascended to the top in the city’s tallest culinary perch atop the Devon Tower and last month opened the fast-casual GogiGo with partners John Lee and Jason Chang in Midtown.

Vast

333 W Sheridan Ave.

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One of the signatures of the Stella menu, Pasta Carbonara

melissa aust

Executive chef Stella Modern Italian Aust had just finished two years cooking on Martha’s Vineyard when she stopped in Oklahoma City to visit friends on her way back home to California in 2011. She had such a great time, she took a job at Stella Modern Italian, which had opened just the year before. She spent four years helping build Stella into one of the city’s most popular spots before the executive chef position came open and has held that spot since 2015.

Stella Modern Italian 1201 N Walker Ave.

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The famous Rococo crab cake has been a signature at the restaurant since it opened in 2003. Photo by Doug Hoke

bruce rinehart

Chef/owner of two Rococo locations and The Manhattan Rinehart was born in Connecticut and came to Oklahoma city in 2003 after working on both coasts. Taking over the former Tony’s Italian Specialties building, Rinehart opened his first Rococo location then opened a second in Northpark Mall in 2010.

Last year, he added The Manhattan to the downtown diningscape.

Rococo

12252 N May Ave. 2824 N Pennsylvania Ave.

The Manhattan

210 Park Ave., Suite 150

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Johnson recently secured a deal to not only serve but distribute locally raised caviar (paddlefish roe), which he will sell to the public in 2018.

russ johnson

Chef/ owner/founder Ludivine Johnson was born and raised in Oklahoma City before moving to Denver to chase his culinary dreams. He moved back to Oklahoma City and opened Ludivine Prairie Cuisine in 2010, which offers a rotating menu using local ingredients almost exclusively.

Entering its eighth year, Ludivine continues to elevate the standards for local dining.

Ludivine 805 N Hudson Ave.

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Spicy Miso Soup

Jeff Chanchaleune

Executive chef/partner Goro Ramen + Izakaya Chanchaleune spent his early years running away from the career his father chose only to be drawn back into it. After a few years as a graphic designer, Chanchaleune returned to the kitchen with a popular food truck. That sparked a partnership between he and 84 Hospitality’s Rachel Cope that came to fruition in The Plaza District in 2015.

Goro Ramen 1634 N Blackwelder Ave. #102

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Classic San Francisco Cioppino is new to the menu this month at En Croute.

jonathon stranger

Executive chef En Croute and St. Mark’s Chop Room Stranger was born and raised in Oklahoma City but was exposed to fine dining as a young man on the East Coast. His culinary career has taken him around the globe at some of the world’s finest restaurants. Last year, he first helped get En Croute off the ground before joining with partner Drew Tekell to open St. Mark’s Chop Room. In 2018, he plans a street food concept called OK-Yaki in Edmond and an Italian concept called Osteria.

En Croute St. Mark’s Chop Room 6460-6462 Avondale Dr.

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Pescador Preto, a seafood dish including shrimp, calamari, clams, black mussels, and black rice from Sao Paolo; Baiao de Dois Five includes a bone-in pork loin seasoned with 5-spice, topped with honey and pimenta biquinho glaze from Pernambuco; and Brasil-nut crusted Paiche, a dish from Belem, served with black rice.

ana davis

Executive chef/owner Cafe do Brasil, Bossa Nova Caipirinha Lounge and Sugar Loaf Catering Davis came to Oklahoma from her native Brazil speaking little English and boasting limited culinary skills. Since then she’s learned to cook, built a small shop named More Than Muffins into one of the city’s most exotic eateries, opened an exclusive rooftop bar and catering operation in Midtown. Davis still regularly travels to her homeland to train and learn the latest in authentic South American cuisine.

Cafe do Brasil 440 NW 11 St. #100

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Beef cheek pot roast with braised onions and carrots over buttery Yukon mashed potatoes and local pea shoots

david henry

Executive chef The Hutch on Avondale Henry has spent most of his career at the tiny restaurant in Nichols Hills previously known as The Coach House, where he went through the Apprenticeship Program and later was named chef de cuisine. Now, he’s churning out elevated bar food in the iconic space.

the hutch on avondale 6437 Avondale Dr.

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Orange-Chipotle Glazed Pork at Saturn Grill is a pork tenderloin served with crispy cheese polenta and apple-cranberry compote.

joseph royer

Executive chef/owner of Saturn Grill; executive chef The Metro Wine Bar and Bistro Royer is a graduate of the celebrated Coach House Apprenticeship Program. He purchased Saturn Grill in 2004, which he has built into one of the city’s most popular fast-casual destinations, and signed on for a second stint as executive chef of The Metro last year. Royer is a two-time winner of the Pork Council’s national competition known for his meticulous presentations and eye for detail.

saturn grill 6432 Avondale Dr.

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Smothered Seafood Fries and The Melted Lobster sandwich

corey harris

Owner/Executive chef Off the Hook Harris found his passion studying culinary arts at Platt College before finding work as a chef at the former Ford Center. While there, he started Off the Hook as a food truck in 2013. Five years later, Off the Hook now boasts two locations with plans to release a new truck into the wild in 2018.

Off the Hook 125 W Britton Rd. 1920 S Meridian Ave.

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Tomato-braised pork ribs finished with classic gremolata, Mediterranean Swordfish crudo with citrus and olives, and Semolina-crusted oysters with lemon-garlic aioli

jonathan Krell

Executive chef Patrono Rustic Italian Krell came to Oklahoma City to visit his brother Gerry Reardon, who owns El Toro Chino in Norman, back in 2010 and fell in love with the place. Growing up in Philly, cooking Italian fare became second nature. After stops at Stella Modern Italian and Park House in the Myriad Gardens, Krell came to Patrono in late 2015.

Patrono Rustic Italian 305 N Walker Ave.

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Kung Pao Cauliflower from Picasso’s Cafe is a spicy fried cauliflower with jalapenos, peanuts, basil, red bell pepper and Madeira wine.

ryan parrott

Executive chef/partner Picasso Cafe Parrott was born and raised in Oklahoma City, having left his mark on numerous popular kitchens since he started his career as a teenager. He’s currently at Picasso Cafe with partners Shaun Fiaccone and Kim Dansereau. Parrott helmed the kitchen at The Iguana Mexican Grill in Automobile Alley, Table One with Jonathon Stranger, and the ambitious Local in Norman before finding his home in The Paseo in 2015.

Picasso Cafe 3009 Paseo

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Empire Slice House sells gourmet pizza by the slice as well as whole pies.

rachel cope

Chief Executive Officer 84 Hospitality Her 84 Hospitality burst onto the scene with Empire Slice House in 2013, drawing long lines to the Plaza District. Next she struck up a partnership with chef Jeff Chanchaleune to open Goro Ramen + Izakaya. In late 2016, she introduced Revolucion Taqueria and Cantina to downtown.

Last year, she added Easy E, a take-out window for Empire, to the Plaza. More recently, Cope opened a new bar in Uptown called Ponyboy next to the Tower Theatre.

Empire Slice House 1734 NW 16 St. Easy E, 1742 NW 16 St.

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Blackened Redfish with dirty rice is new to the menu at The Drake.

chad willis

Executive chef The Drake Seafood + Oysterette One of the city’s most gifted and respected technicians, Willis is a graduate of The Coach House Apprenticeship Program. His years under Kurt Fleischfresser led him to gigs at the original Iguana Lounge and a nine-year stint minding the stove at The Metro Wine Bar and Bistro. Willis joined A Good Egg Dining in 2015 to launch the ambitious seafood concept. Since joining AGE, he spent time getting Barrios Fine Mexican Dishes off the ground before returning to the elegant environs of The Drake.

The Drake Seafood and Oysterette 519 NW 23 St., Suite 111

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Training tables transform

The athletic training table inside Boone Pickens Stadium at Oklahoma State University

Growing knowledge and an NCAA rule change are revolutionizing the athletic training table

by meg wingerter Tiffany Byrd has no fewer than eight game balls and a softball championship ring in her office – plus the distinction of getting a shout-out from quarterback Baker Mayfield in his Heisman trophy acceptance speech.

While not all dietitians get so much recognition, Byrd’s accolades illustrate the growing importance of nutrition in college sports.

On a Tuesday afternoon shortly before final exams, Byrd, director of sports nutrition at the University of Oklahoma, was mixing shots of liquid vitamins into

a kind of fruit-flavored punch. She reminded football players to grab a protein drink after they finished lifting weights, and told some to take individual bottles of Muscle Milk powder to mix into a beverage and sip over the course of the day.

“Come on, I want to see your empty cup,” she said to one player eyeing the fruit drink with suspicion.

It took time to earn trust from coaches and athletes, Byrd said. One of her first tasks at OU was to come up with a plan to stop cramps that were taking football players out of the game. After monitoring the players, she developed plans to make sure they got enough water and sodium before and during the game.

“When I first got here, they hadn’t gone a game with73

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out cramping,” she said. “That’s totally preventable.” said. Other schools were slow to latch onto the idea, Nutrition planning also played a role in the women’s and only six universities had a full-time nutritionist for softball team’s champion run in 2017, Byrd said. She’d their teams by 2004, she said. traveled with the team, Now, 81 universities and bought double the have at least one fullsandwiches she expecttime sports nutritionist, ed the players to eat for and some have several. lunch. The extra came The trend also is catchin handy as the game ing on in professional stretched to 17 innings, sports, as new players she said. want the same ameni“Nutrition has been ties they had in college, very well-accepted Burkart said. among our programs,” Rob Glass, assistant she said. Coaches “are athletic director over all looking for the 1 perathletic performance at cent (improvement), Oklahoma State Unithe competitive edge.” versity, said the departBefore 2014, the ment hired a nutritionNational Collegiate ist about the time the Head women’s gymnastics coach K. J. Kindler presents President David L. Boren a hat and photograph as the University of Oklahoma Sooners Athletic Association NCAA changed its rules. their men’s and women’s gymnastics national championship in tried to limit that edge. celebrate College athletics is com2016. Photo by Steve Sisney Division I schools could petitive, both on the field only provide student-athletes five meals per week, and and in recruiting, so anything that could give athletes a few types of snacks, to prevent schools with more an edge is a selling point to students and parents, he said. resources from gaining an unfair advantage. The ColThe nutritionist offers cooking classes and takes legiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association groups of athletes to a grocery store to talk about good pushed the NCAA to lift the rule, and schools began meal choices, Glass said. hiring dietitians or increasing their hours.

“If you’ve got a sports car, you’re not putting bad Chelsea Burkart, a sports dietitian at Texas State gasoline in it,” he said.

University and presiStudent athletes also have dent of the board of the U.S. universities with full-time access to the “training tadietitian’s group, said the sports nutritionists ble,” essentially a cafeteria push rose out of concerns specializing in “high-end,” athletes weren’t getting 80 nutrient-dense foods, Glass sufficient amounts of the 70 said. They have choices right foods to meet their that are designed for needs, and didn’t under60 lower-calorie or proteinstand what they needed to 50 heavy diets, but students eat. Athletes need more choose their own meals, he calories and protein than 40 said. Most generally stay on the average student, she 30 track with the recommendsaid, and their long prac20 ed meals for their sports. tice hours can make it “Our cross-country runmore difficult to fuel up.

10 ners’ needs are going to “There are conflicts in be totally different than their ability to meet those 1994 1997 2000 2004 2007 2011 2014 2017 an offensive lineman’s,” he fueling needs,” she said.

SOURCE: THE COLLEGIATE AND PROFESSIONAL SPORTS DIETITIANS ASSOCIATION said. “Because the kids are “The quality of what’s beso driven to be successful, ing offered in a dining hall they’re pretty diligent.” is not always what a student athlete is looking for.”

At OU, each sport has a “station” with meal and snack The University of Nebraska was the first school to options geared toward its athletes’ needs. Coaches hire a full-time sports nutritionist in 1994, Burkart 74

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OSU football player Evan Epstein exerts maximum effort under the watchful eye of Rob Glass, strength and conditioning coach. The Oklahoman Archives

also receive an allotment to bring in up to three catered meals for their teams, and can offer occasional meals for holidays and team-building.

K.J. Kindler, head coach of women’s gymnastics at OU, said her nutrition philosophy is grounded in foods without additives. For example, they emphasize hormone-free meats, nuts and antioxidant-rich produce like spinach and blueberries, she said.

“If you slack on your nutrition, it will show up in your performance,” she said. “I know that it’s a little unreal-

Tacos de Carnitas www.okpork.org/recipes

istic to think someone’s going to be that disciplined all the time, but at least we can give them the tools to make great decisions.”

Gymnasts sometimes get into bad habits with food because their practice schedules in high school often force them to eat at odd times, and they may never have had time to learn to cook, Kindler said. Earlier this year, she brought in a chef to demonstrate cooking with a microwave or stove, and even basic skills like cutting vegetables, she said.

Pick Pork!

Rob Glass, assistant athletic director over athletic performance at Oklahoma State University 75

THE OKLAHOMAN Among Tiffany Byrd’s duties as director of sports nutrition at OU is making sure that athletes are properly fueled.

Photo provided

“It seems intuitive, but if you’re an 18-year-old that has worked out 40 hours a week and your parents, or one of your parents, is in charge of cooking and feeding you, you’re a little lost” in the kitchen, she said.

Kindler also encourages gymnasts to eat breakfast before their early morning practice, to drink plenty of water and to make sure they have protein before and after workouts.

“If they just show up with no water, no food in their system, we’re breaking them down instead of building them up,” she said.

Jason Miller, chair of exercise and sport science at Oklahoma City University, is betting that interest in how food affects the body will be an opportunity for his students.

The university is developing a minor in nutrition, so students could either supplement their work in fields like personal training, or pursue a master’s degree at another school and become dietitians, he said.

Americans as a whole are more interested in nutrition now than they were 30 years ago, Miller said.

Emerging science suggests the food people eat could influence our health in multiple ways, including changing the bacteria in guts or influencing how our genes behave.

“There are opportunities for people to do things because of this new awareness of food,” he said.

Students in their 20s often aren’t especially interested in nutrition, because they feel good regardless of 76

what they eat, Miller said. As they get older and their bodies begin to change, they become more vulnerable to misleading information, like articles that fault either carbs or fat alone for a host of health problems, he said.

“I was just like these kids: I’d eat Taco Bell right before (football) practice,” he said. “It usually takes a catastrophic event to have that epiphany” that they need to change their lifestyles.

Ultimately, the goal is give students a good base of nutrition knowledge that they can tailor for either an elite athlete or a client who just goes to the gym once in a while, Miller said. That base also needs to include a healthy respect for moderation, so they know to steer clear of fad diets and risky supplements that could be worse than carrying a little extra weight, he said.

“I’d rather have students at least explore this option and get out of these extremes,” he said.

Despite her competitive clientele, Byrd also tries to emphasize moderation with OU’s students. Athletes have different needs, based on their sport and position, but they’re also people who want to share food at social events and enjoy their meals, she said.

Instead of telling them to gain or lose weight, she asks them how they feel at their current weight, and if they can move in the way they want to. At times, the most difficult students are the ones who are in the best shape and don’t see how changing their eating habits could help.

“I have to get them to trust me,” she said.

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GREAT BBQ ALWAYS LEAVES A MARK MESSY FINGERS, SAUCE ON YOUR SHIRT, AND A SMILE ON YOUR FACE. So pull up a chair and dig in. We’ll provide great food, a laid-back atmosphere, and plenty of napkins.

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Sometimes you just want comfort food. by ken raymond Many a Sunday when I was growing up, my family would return home from church and settle in for my mother’s specialty dish, low in vegetables and vitamins but full of starch, red meat and sodium. My stomach is growling from thinking about it.

Before church, Mom would prepare the ingredients.

As soon as we got home, she’d cut the fat off a good beef roast and throw the meat in the pressure cooker.

She’d add water, skinned and quartered potatoes, salt, pepper and maybe some carrots. The whole thing would sputter and spit on the gas-fueled stovetop, the disk atop the cooker spinning slowly. It was an ancient pressure cooker, the kind no one would feel safe using today, but my mother had acquired a set of Lifetime cookware soon after marriage and never felt a need to upgrade.

At some point Mom would decide the dish had cooked long enough, so she’d remove the pot from the stove, let it cool a little and then try to break the tight seal between the lid and the cooker. That was the dangerous part. The cooker was hot, awkward and heavy; she’d lift it with two potholders or a large towel and lumber it over to the sink, positioning it like a Claymore mine aimed at the window so the scalding steam wouldn’t burn anyone. Breaking the seal was the most difficult part; often Mom would curse it using one of the nonsensical words she’d learned as a child from the Polish woman who lived across the street.

The second the seal unlocked, the house would fill with the most wonderful aroma of beef and potatoes, but that was just a tease. The next step before eating involved boiling a bag of wide egg noodles in the broth from the roast.

There was only one way to eat this combination of foods. First, we’d take a few potato chunks and mash them with our forks until they were fairly flat and 79

evenly distributed. Then we’d scoop up some noodles and spread them on top of the potatoes, completely covering the spuds as if we were frosting a cake with steaming pasta. Finally we’d select portions of roast beef, which were soft and falling apart from their time in the pressure cooker. I always added more salt to the beef and noodles. And there it was, my favorite childhood meal — a meal I still hunger for today. No knives needed, just a solid fork.

When my brother Ron got married, his wife Patty accepted the challenge of trying to replicate the meal we lovingly, if literally, called “beef, noodles and potatoes.” It was good, certainly, but it never quite measured up. In due course, I married my wife Amy, and Patty shared her recipe for the most Raymond of foodstuffs. Amy also tried her best, but she was hampered by fear of a pressure cooker; her mother viewed them as time bombs, and not only did Amy share that concern, but she’d never used one before.

It goes without saying that a steady diet of beef, noodles and potatoes is not conducive to a healthy lifestyle, but my siblings and I were all string beans who could use some fattening up. We helped clean the house. My brother and I helped Dad with every imaginable chore, even those he could easily have handled himself. We had land and trees and places to run, and my metabolism burned so brightly it could probably have been visible from space. If we’d taken to eating bowls of spiced lard, we’d still be skinny.

I always had a discriminating palate, which my parents would have defined, more accurately, as being picky. In my early childhood, I could eat about anything, but my tastes changed by the time I was 10.

Before that, I enjoyed Swiss cheese and Doritos and cheap Kraft macaroni and cheese; then I developed an allergy and have not intentionally eaten cheese in

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all the years that have followed. The few occasions in which I’ve accidentally consumed cheese turned into messy affairs, as if I were an adult who’d had too much to drink. I’d also enjoyed fish, or at least the fried kind available as fish sticks or at McDonald’s. My older siblings hated seafood, however, and who was I to think differently? One day I stopped in the middle of eating a fish stick and decided I would never eat such food again.

I tried to stick with that forever, but one day after fishing with my friend Eric on his father’s expensive boat, his family insisted I stay for dinner to enjoy the catch.

“You’ll love it,” Eric said. “My Dad makes the best walleye.” I watched as his father began preparing the feast, growing more concerned as I saw how much butter he was using; butter is another product on my “do not consume” list. When we gathered around the dinner table, Eric’s mother scooped a generous portion of fish onto my plate, saying, “Just speak up if you want some more!”

They tucked in, all napkins and knives, and I took a deep breath. The odor was enough to make me nauseous, but I figured the best thing to do would be to power through it. Finish the fish in three or four huge mouthfuls, then declare that I was full.

Yeah. How hard could that be?

Forcing a smile, I cut the biggest piece that would fit through my lips and shoved it in my mouth. Immediately I was assailed by all that butter, cloying and salty. As I chewed, the fish flaked into smaller bits, all of them mushy and horrible. Then I realized I couldn’t swallow. I’d taken too much into my mouth, and each successive chew was somehow worse than the one before it. I managed to choke down a little — just enough for me to pour half a glass of milk down my throat, carrying much of the fish with it. I swiftly finished the rest of the drink, hoping it would wash the taste away.

After that I engaged in small talk and pushed the fish around on my plate. Eric’s father asked how I liked it, 80

putting me in that awkward ethical space where you can tell the truth and make everyone feel bad or lie to protect their feelings. I lied. “Yeah, wow. This is the best walleye I’ve ever had.” (Not technically a lie; I’d never eaten it before.) “But I’m surprisingly full. I guess I drank too much water when we were out on the boat.

Could I have some more milk?”

My words weren’t enough, of course. They ate hungrily. The amount of food on my plate did not shrink at all. It was as if someone had tried my mother’s beef, noodles and potatoes and spat it into a paper towel. I’d tried their favorite dish and hated it.

Truth is, I despise far more foods than I like. The more ingredients a meal has, the less I am inclined to like it. Don’t get me started on anything that has ever been served on “Top Chef.” I like my food plain.

I like my steak burned. Chicken and turkey are great from time to time, especially as deli items, but duck is revoltingly greasy. What’s more, never give me food meant to be eaten with my hands if it is likely to drip.

I won’t care how good it tastes if it’s ruining my shirt.

I am reminded of David Sedaris, the incredibly talented humorist and essay writer. In “Me Talk Pretty One Day,” Sedaris discusses how much he hates going to New York City restaurants because chefs seem to be in competition over how best to ruin perfectly good ingredients.

“The meatloaf has been poached in seawater and there are figs in the tuna salad. … I’d order the skirt steak with a medley of suffocated peaches but I’m put off by the aspirin sauce,” he writes. “The sea scallops look good until I’m told they’re served in a broth of malt liquor and mummified lichee nuts.”

I most agree with him about the presentation of fancy foods. One complete food item does not have to touch another. We learned that as children, eating off cafeteria plates designed with divided spaces for the entree, vegetables and fruit. Why do chefs think we want it all crammed together?

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The food at upscale restaurants, Sedaris writes, “is always arranged into a senseless vertical tower; it now reaches for the sky, much like the high rise buildings lining our city streets. It’s as if the plates were valuable parcels of land and the chef had purchased one small lot, along with unlimited air rights.”

I used to love mashed potatoes, you know, the typical ones that look whipped or pureed. I haven’t eaten them in 40 years or more. My Dad was in his workshop, trying to fix my sister Becky’s bike. As usual, I stood beside him; the guy wouldn’t do anything without me or my brother there to “help,” as if either one of us knew the difference between a caulk gun and a cork gun.

For some reason he was cutting a long bolt into two equal lengths, and he was using some sort of electric machine — maybe a grinder?

— to do the job.

With the cut complete, he handed me the bolt and told me to hold it. The bolt had been heated up by the friction of the cut, though, and it lightly burned my fingers. My immediate, thoughtless impulse was to put my burned fingers in my mouth to cool them off, but my fingers still held the bolt, which slipped into my mouth, burned my tongue and caused me to swallow. About 30 seconds later Dad told me to hand the bolt to him. I didn’t move. My father, who was always quick to exasperation, looked at me and gruffly asked for it again.

“I … I don’t have it,” I said.

“What do you mean you don’t have it?” he replied, already scanning the cluttered shop floor, thinking I’d dropped it.

“I ate it.”

“You what?”

“I ate it.”

I don’t know if all fathers have “the look,” but my 81

father had one he often directed at me. Generally it conveyed the message, “What’s wrong with you?” That day it carried an additional meaning: “How can you be so dumb?”

I tried to explain, but it didn’t really help. Soon enough I was hauled to the emergency room by my parents. X-rays showed the bolt plain as day, but short of dropping a magnet tied to a string down my throat, there was nothing to do but wait for me to pass it naturally. To facilitate that, I was put on a strict diet: mashed potatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This carried on for days, and as much as I came to hate mashed potatoes, my mother got the worse end of it. There’s no delicate way to say this: She had to search for the bolt. A mother’s love is limitless, they say, but I think that after a couple days she stopped actively searching. I say that because the bolt never turned up, even though I continued eating the potatoes for over a week.

I don’t blame her. I don’t think I would have checked even once.

Food is weird, man. Each of us has individual tastes. I wish like crazy that I liked vegetables the way my vegetarian wife does, but it’s work to power down the green stuff. Fruit? I’ll eat that every day. Broccoli? You’d have to pay me well to choke it down.

So I can’t pretend to be a foodie. I’ll always think fondly of my mother’s signature dish; Amy finally has her own pressure cooker, so maybe she’ll be able to make a more authentic variety of my carbohydrate-rich favorite. After all this time, I doubt if I’ll suddenly decide I like avocado ice cream, mussels, sweetbreads or things with 75 ingredients.

I’m a simple man with simple pleasures. Give me a honey crisp apple, and I’m happy.

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TECHNICALLY SPEAKING

Feel the noise by richard hall

5 HEADPHONE PICKS WORTH HEARING If you’re like me, you’ve always got a set of headphones with you for when the need for them arises.

Whether at work, the gym or at home, a good set of phones can come in handy – but finding the best options can sometimes be daunting.

If you’re in the market for some new headphones and don’t know where to begin your search, here are five great options spread across five different price points to get you started.

$$$$$ — Sennheiser HD 800 | $1,400 https://en-us.sennheiser.com

When you get into the $600-plus range in the world of headphones, you get into a world of reference and studioquality options that can make your head explode. But the very best bang-for-your-buck reference-quality option is the Sennheiser HD 800.

They're, hands down, the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn, and they have absolutely amazing sound quality. I had the pleasure of testing these out while watching "The Dark Knight" on Blu-ray, and the uncompressed audio track never sounded better.

The HD 800 also looks great, mostly due to its open back design. And looks matter, especially when you're spending so much on a set of cans.

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ISN’T THE FUTURE, IT’S TODAY! BEFORE YOU OPERATE, REGENERATE! BEFORE YOU MEDICATE, REGENERATE!

SOME OF THE CONDITIONS STEM CELL THERAPY CAN HELP •

Knee Injuries (MCL, ACL, PCL OR LCL Sprains or Tears)

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Shoulder Damage (Rotor cuff or Tendinitis)

• Chronic Back Pain • Wrist or Elbow • Achilles Tendon • Ankle Pain, Foot Pain or Plantar Fasciitis • Lower Back Pain

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$$$ — Audio-Technica ATH-M50x | $150 www.audio-technica.com

The Audio-Technica brand has long been synonymous with quality products at affordable prices.

Their ATH-M50x headphones are no exception to that rule.

The bass isn’t too heavy, the trebles aren’t too high, and the overall comfort level is just right.

Audio-Technica also does you a solid by including three detachable cables and soft carrying bag with the ATH-M50x.

$$$$ — Bose QuietComfort 35 | $350 www.bose.com

When it comes to wireless noise-canceling headphones at a moderate price, Bose is tough to beat.

The QuietComfort 35 is well built, comfortable and sounds great. Plus, the new iteration of the 35 comes with Google Assistant built in, which allows you to use your voice to take calls, answer texts or ask Google for assistance.

If you’re on the fence because of its asking price, just stroll into a local electronics store to try them out so you can hear what all the fuss is about.

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$$ — Skullcandy Grind | $60 www.skullcandy.com

A personal favorite of mine, the Skullcandy Grind headphones have a balanced sound profile and are a pleasure to look at. The onboard TapTech audio and phone controls are just a plus to this well-priced set.

$ — Panasonic RP-HJE120 | $10 www.panasonic.com

These inexpensive but respectable in-ear buds are perfect for just about any use. There’s nothing flashy about them, but for the price, the RPs are a great choice to keep around the office and in your day bag, or as an option for the kids in your life.

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ANOTHER 86

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THE OKLAHOMAN

Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips riding on a unicorn through a crowd at The Criterion in 2016. Photo by Nathan Poppe

Mid-sized concert venues have emerged with a vengeance in OKC by nathan poppe Like a catchy chorus, one Oklahoma City live music conversation has always popped up again and again.

There was a desire for a mid-sized venue in the metro, and the Ballrooms weren’t enough. Cain’s and Diamond had the history but lacked geographical convenience. That’s totally changed.

It’s 2018 and you can’t travel downtown without bumping into a trolley rail construction site or a new venue. They’ve emerged with a vengeance. Midtown, Bricktown and Film Row all have a potential answer to Tulsa’s fervent concert culture.

Let’s break down what’s happening at the fresh venues.

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THE OKLAHOMAN

THE CRITERION 500 E Sheridan Ave. Does size matter for a venue? I’d argue The Criterion thinks so because when My Morning Jacket’s elaborate light show couldn’t fit inside Cain’s Ballroom in 2016, the rockers found an answer in Oklahoma City. The boxy venue on the east edge of Bricktown feels bigger than any other mid-sized venue and boasts an upstairs with platform risers and two additional bars. Although the venue’s interior design is a tad sterile, there’s usually a certain amount of theatricality that goes into the shows here — the more elaborate concerts pack arena-sized light shows onstage. What it lacks in intimacy the venue can recapture with spectacle.

I’ve seen lasers, fireworks, unicorns and even a giant animatronic bird. If you’re lucky enough, you might see all those in one show.

Heads up: Wear comfy shoes because finding a place to sit inside the venue can be tricky.

Concert capacity: Roughly 3,500.

Notable acts: My Morning Jacket, Sturgill Simpson, the Flaming Lips, Jason Isbell, Dave Chappelle.

Nod to history: Oklahoma City’s original Criterion Theater was a first-run movie house as late as 1968. The building was demolished in 1973 and replaced with the Century Center Mall, where The Oklahoman’s offices are currently located.

2018 plans: The venue just kicked off the year with a Jason Isbell show and a David Byrne concert announcement.

Shock rocker Alice Cooper performing live at The Criterion in 2016. Photo by Nathan Poppe

Texas-based country and soul crooner Charley Crockett performing live at The Criterion in 2016. Photo by Nathan Poppe

Neo soul act Maxwell performing live at The Criterion in 2016.

Photo by Nathan Poppe

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THE JONES ASSEMBLY

THE OKLAHOMAN

901 W Sheridan Ave.

If James Bond needed a venue then he’d go with The Jones Assembly. Like one of the secret agent’s gadgets, the new Film Row establishment doesn’t do just one thing. Dinner, drinks and flexible entertainment can all happen at once.

When a headlining show comes into town, the venue tucks its dining hall furniture under stage to make way for concertgoers. The Jones’ glass garage doors also reveal a huge patio area with a second stage. Pardon the 007 comparisons but this venue also looks slick at all times. Branded like there’s no tomorrow, every detail from the bathroom wallpaper to the 8-tracks lining the entrance are a reminder you’ve stepped into a room unlike any other in Oklahoma.

Heads up: Parking’s never fun downtown, so your best option is the venue’s new neighboring parking garage. Also, valet service on concert nights will run you $20.

Concert capacity: Roughly 1,600.

Notable acts: Willie Nelson, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, JJ Grey & Mofro, Old Crow Medicine Show, Cut Copy.

Nod to history: The venue’s upstairs bar is called the T Room, acknowledging the building’s history as a former Ford Model T assembly plant.

2018 plans: Expect a balance of more concerts along with new food and drink options. The menu’s constantly evolving at The Jones Assembly.

Jakob Dylan of The Wallflowers performs during a concert at The Jones Assembly in 2017.

Photo by Bryan Terry

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Oklahoma City’s Twiggs performing live on The Jones Assembly outdoor patio in 2017.

Photo by Nathan Poppe OPUBCO 7.875x5.125.pdf

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Vintage Trouble performs at the Tower Theatre’s grand opening celebration in 2017.

Photo by Nathan Poppe

THE OKLAHOMAN

TOWER THEATRE 425 NW 23rd St.

The Tower Theatre’s a young venue and yet an old concert destination.

There’s some history between those bricks, and it’s got as much potential as any venue. After a bumpy start, the venue found new management and started gaining traction with a healthy balance of local and national talent. It’s a versatile space with a seated balcony and soundproof curtains that really tie the room together. You can tell that a lot of thought was put into the venue.

The concert hall’s staggered flooring makes it possible to enjoy the show from any angle, even if you’re short. Oh, and the venue also has the ability to host smaller listening room shows in its upstairs offices. The Tower Theatre wasn’t originally built to be a beautiful concert spot but that didn’t stop the new owners.

Heads up: Uptown 23rd is always a busy street, so make sure to use those stopwalks outside the venue. They’re a lifesaver.

Concert capacity: Roughly 1,000.

Notable acts: Vintage Trouble, Talib Kweli, Irma Thomas, Matthew Logan Vasquez, John Moreland.

Nod to history: Tower Theatre started showing movies back in 1937 and has installed a new 4K projector and retractable big screen to show movies again.

2018 plans: Expect regular movie screenings and more concerts, including Waxahatchee and Wanda Jackson in Feburary.

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Don’t forget

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89th Street OKC

8911 N. Western Ave. It’s getting hard to recognize what used to be The Conservatory. New stage lights, bar set-up and a fresh marquee make it worth another visit.

Philadelphia-based punk band Sheer Mag performs at 89th Street in 2017. Photo by Nathan Poppe

The Blue Door

2805 N. McKinley Ave. If you want to quiet things down for an intimate concert evening then it’s tough to beat the Blue Door. Songwriting is put on full display inside this listening room, which recently turned 25.

Oklahoma City-based songwriter Andy Adams performing for a live music video at The Blue Door in 2017. Photo by Nathan Poppe

ACM@UCO Performance Lab 329 E. Sheridan Ave.

This isn’t just a venue for the Bricktown music school’s students. It’s also hosted sensational concerts from Yo La Tengo, Margo Price and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats.

Colorado-based band Flaural performing live at the ACM@UCO Performance Lab in 2017.

Photo by Nathan Poppe

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CHRONICLE

SUCESSFUL PROTEST

Black youths stage a sit-in protest in August 1958 at the luncheon counter at Katz Drug Store, 200 W Main in downtown Oklahoma City. They were refused service, even as white customers were served. The store, which had a policy of serving black people food and drink only for outside consumption, reversed that policy on the protest’s second day. The protest was led by Oklahoma City schoolteacher Clara Luper, who also was director of the Oklahoma City NAACP’s Youth Council. Luper staged a series of successful sit-ins at businesses in several Oklahoma towns.

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DOWNHOME

From ideation to installation Kitchen design is one thing; kitchen building is another

by richard mize

Karen Black in a kitchen she designed at 5801 Mistletoe Court in Gaillardia.

Photo by Nate Billings

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THE OKLAHOMAN

Top and below: Kitchen designed by Karen Black at 5801 Mistletoe Court in Gaillardia. Photos by Nate Billings

K

aren Black is a household name, especially when it comes to kitchens.

She’s more than that even. She’s a company — a Karen Black Company.

The 30-plus-year interior designer, who went out on her own in 1997, has built her reputation the oldfashioned way: dedication to work and clientele.

Black was one of the first Certified Kitchen Designers in Oklahoma and one of the first 20 in the United States.

But she isn’t just a designer, dashing off fancies of form with only nominal nods to function. A Karen Black Company is a design-build operation.

What she sees in her mind’s eye is what clients get from her skilled hands and those of her employees, whether the job is a new or remodeled kitchen, bath, laundry room, wet bar, wine room or library.

For A Karen Black Company, quality control extends from ideation to installation.

Most of her business comes from word-of-mouth.

Just ask who to ask about kitchen trends. Or, just read on.

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The kitchen in the Jeff Click–built home located at 13813 Village Run Dr. in Piedmont.

Photo by Chris Landsberger

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The OK: What’s hot?

KB: Think subtle colors, whether for cabinets, countertops, wall paint, etc. Clients are already requesting something other than gray and white, so be careful going ‘all in’ here. Venturing into the warm grays instead of the cool grays would be a safer choice. Keep an eye out for stark whites being traded for warm off–whites.

Engineered stone countertops will continue to be popular and marble will never be out of style.

Painted cabinets seem to be the choice over stained.

Gold tones and brushed brass accessories will continue to gain popularity, as polished chrome and polished nickel will also remain popular.

Subway tiles are classic, not trendy. Most will hiss at the fact that subway tiles are still relevant; just try to think of them in different capacities so maybe installed in herringbone or chevron patterns.

The OK: What’s not?

KB: For a short list of what’s out (that may be a source of some disagreement): Any faux painted walls, glazing of any kind, ornate looks, or curves in countertops. Also, Edison bulbs and oil-rubbed bronze. Both are still available and we even use them from time to time, because homeowners request them, but I certainly wouldn’t recommend adding these to your project in 2018.

The OK: What’s next?

KB: Whatever you do, 2018 needs a brilliant pop of color with the subtle materials and linear design, so opt for those key pieces of furniture that are in the jewel tones or any deep color tone.

Be careful with any trend and try to think more along

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THE OKLAHOMAN

The kitchen in the home listed by Realtor Beverly Hamilton located at 2800 Chaumont in Edmond. Photo by Chris Landsberger

the lines of classic if you want to stand the test of time in your design and continue to increase the value of your home. A trend means just that: It is something that will probably go out of style in five to seven years.

Classic design is always relevant.

The OK: What else?

KB: Things have come and gone over the years as I’ve designed and built kitchens, bathrooms, studies and wine rooms along with other rooms inside and outside of homes. So what materials will stay relevant the longest? Well, based on my experience, the most simple way to remember this very broad topic is: Natural materials tend to stand the test of time the best. Man-made materials seem to go out of style the quickest.

Kitchens look more alike today than they have throughout my career. The contributing factor is most likely online design sites like Houzz & Pinterest.

Be careful just replicating a photograph. While I completely understand the clients’ ease of browsing, it can be very limiting to a creative person. I pride myself 98

“Kitchen Lady.

Cabinet Girl.

Ms. Kitchen.

I have been called many names over the years, but Karen Black is my favorite!”

THE OKLAHOMAN

Kitchen designed by Karen Black at 1299 Glenbrook Terrace in Nichols Hills.

Photos by Nate Billings

on creating designs that solve problems verses replicating something seen online.

The OK: Now, about you. What’s it like to be known as Ms. Kitchen?

KB: Kitchen Lady. Cabinet Girl. Ms. Kitchen. I have been called many names over the years, but Karen Black is my favorite! (As I say with a grin.)

I remember being offered my first job as a kitchen designer.

I almost didn’t take the job for fear of making mistakes that would impact other people greatly. Well, I can say I have made mistakes but the decision to take that job was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

My degree from OU’s College of Architecture was the foundation for a career in design and contracting that continues and grows every day! Growing up, I could be found tearing something apart and putting it back together; that curiosity and tenaciousness was fostered by my sweet mother and strong father, making me the strong and independent business owner I strive to be today.

I learned some key things that are foundational to ‘A Karen Black Company’ becoming what it is: I learned to put on blinders and not just follow what others are doing, along with learning that I could do anything once I set my mind to it.

After designing 1,000 kitchens over the course of 34 years, I suppose my sanity continues to remain intact because I don’t work with a client that I don’t feel comfortable with.

Typically, if I don’t feel comfortable neither does the client.

In turn this is a win-win situation for both parties.

Above: Detail of hardware on cabinets and light fixtures in a kitchen designed by Karen Black at 1299 Glenbrook Terrace in Nichols Hills.

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FOR THE DEFENSE Oklahoma County Public Defender Bob Ravtiz has spent more than three decades fighting for the accused by josh dulaney

H

is parents were gone for the evening, but unlike so many of his Baby Boomer kinsmen coming of age in Miami Beach during the turbulent 1960s, a young Bob Ravitz didn’t take the opportunity to throw a party or make mischief.

Instead, he stole some time in is father’s favorite living room chair and opened a magazine to an article that would set the course of his life. Countless Oklahomans have been impacted by what Ravitz decided that night.

The article focused on five black youths who set fire to a KKK meeting hall in Benson, North Carolina, in the aftermath of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

A judge sentenced each of them to 12 years in prison.

Like others outraged by the sentence, Ravitz, 16 years old at the time, wrote a letter to the governor of the Old North State, seeking mercy for the offenders. They were his peers, separated by three state lines and generations of racial divide, but brought together vicariously through black ink on the white pages of Newsweek magazine.

The following year, Gov. Bob Scott released the Benson Five.

Ravitz recently marked 30 years as the Oklahoma County Public Defender. In his sixth-floor office inside the downtown Oklahoma City courthouse, he keeps a copy of the article, clipped to the rough draft of his blueink letter to a Tar Heel governor.

“I think that was my first win as a lawyer, I guess, but I wasn’t quite a lawyer then,” Ravitz said. “That, to me, made me think I’d really like to be a lawyer and fight injustice.”

Left: Oklahoma County Public Defender Robert Ravitz poses for a photo inside his Oklahoma City office. Photo by Bryan Terry Above: The Oklahoma County courthouse in downtown Oklahoma City.

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Now Open For LUN 11am - 3pm

Bob Ravitz through the years: 1983, 1984, 1987 and 1996. The Oklahoman Archives

‘We got ’em’ Born in 1952 to a pharmacist father and a mom who worked part-time as a bookkeeper, Ravitz grew up with an older sister, and spent his youth reading books and playing sports. He “probably read every Hardy Boy book imaginable,” and “blew out a knee,” which relieved him of his linebacking and tight end duties around ninth grade.

Ravitz gained acceptance to the University of Florida, but never became a Gator. Looking for a change of scenery, he enrolled at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he earned his degree in marketing before graduating from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1976.

Ravitz’s early exposure to the justice system was as a legal intern in the District Attorney’s Office. During an obscenity case, he ended up in a dirty movie house with an Oklahoma City cop and a judge. They caught a Las Vegas-based organized crime ring running illicit pornography as part of its operations.

Ravitz taps his fingers on his desk to make a point.

“We got ’em, and ultimately they agreed to leave the state of Oklahoma and paid their fine,” he said.

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In the early 1980s he worked as an assistant public defender. In 1987, he took the top post in the office. In 1996, he won a case before the United States Supreme Court.

The high court unanimously determined that it was unconstitutional for Oklahoma to require defendants to prove by “clear and convincing” evidence that they’re incompetent.

The case stemmed from the conviction of Byron Keith Cooper, who was found guilty in the 1989 murder of 86-year-old Harold Sheppard of Oklahoma City. The Supreme Court ruled that Oklahoma made it too tough for Cooper to prove he was mentally incompetent to stand trial.

A new trial led to life in prison for Cooper. Such cases kept Ravitz in Oklahoma County, as he turned down other offers, including work in the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“I had made a commitment to a bunch of guys whose appeals I was doing, who were on death row,” he said. “I told them I would do everything I could to see that their rights were protected. If I had left I would’ve had to leave that with someone else and I wasn’t willing to do that.”

Such sacrifice goes unnoticed by the public. Ravitz understands that some of the taxpayers who fund his job

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Oklahoma County Public Defender Robert Ravitz in his office. Photo by Doug Hoke

see public defenders as bleeding heart types always looking to set the guilty free. He tapped the desk again, hitting a beat every few words.

“Our job is to make sure every defendant’s constitutional rights are protected, and that they’re given quality representation, because the system of justice doesn’t work when you have a bad public defender’s office,” he said.

“The system only works when it’s credible, and to be credible, the system has to have competent lawyers. I don’t ask a lawyer ‘are you a liberal or a conservative?’

I couldn’t care less. I’ve hired independents. I’ve hired Republicans. I’ve hired Democrats. I’ve fired liberals.

I’ve fired conservatives. If they believe in equal justice under the law, they can work here. People who think that public defenders are all overwhelmingly liberal fanatics are wrong.”

But how can they represent defendants accused of committing heinous acts against people?

“If you want the criminal justice system to work, you’ve got to be willing to represent the worst of the worst,” Ravitz said. “A society is judged not by how they treat the best people, but by how they treat the worst people. And those people have the same rights that you have, that I have.”

Often, the very people he’s defending don’t appreciate his role.

“Some of the defendants don’t think we’re real lawyers,” Ravitz said. “‘I don’t want a public defender.

I want a real lawyer.’ Public defenders are real lawyers. And the people I’ve worked with over my career are some of the best lawyers that ever practiced in the state of Oklahoma.”

Being among the best lawyers means getting the best deal for a defendant, even if that means life in prison.

Part of the job is looking someone in the eyes and telling them the best they can hope for is a long time behind bars.

It’s also praying with a 17-year-old boy and his family, before he heads to prison on a murder conviction.

Or not truly knowing if a person sitting on death row actually committed the crime. The most you can do is bring all your skills to the courtroom.

It’s a lesson Ravitz imparted to a young lawyer in the early 1990s.

“He makes an opening statement,” Ravitz said. “I looked at him and said ‘you’ve never been to the scene of the crime have you?’ I said ‘if you ever don’t go to the scene of the crime before you try a case again, I’ll fire you.’ And I said ‘do you know where we’re going during the lunch hour?’ We went out to the scene of the crime. And what the witnesses said happened, could not have happened. And the jury acquitted the guy, and, if not, the kid would’ve gotten a 10-year sen103

_1, (colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black)

tence probably.”

The courtroom isn’t the comedy club, but there are funny moments.

As a young assistant public defender, Ravitz got probation for a kid charged with burglary. Later the same day, as Ravitz stood outside the courthouse, he saw a man breaking into cars. Ravitz called upon a sheriff’s deputy to help him give chase.

They caught the would-be thief. If it was Ravitz’s client.

“Needless to say, the Public Defender’s Office didn’t represent the guy,” he said. “That was one of the cases I thought we had a conflict of interest on.”

In another case, Ravitz didn’t think witnesses would be able to identify his client in the courtroom. The problem was, the defendant would enter the courtroom in a jail uniform and sit by himself, perhaps prompting the witnesses to indeed identify him as the perpetrator.

Ravitz convinced the judge to let him sit next to the defendant, but only after Ravitz took off his coat, tie and dress shirt, leaving him in his slacks and undershirt. The witnesses didn’t identify Ravtiz’s client. A deal with the DA was struck.

“That was a neat moment in my career,” Ravitz said.

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Other moments have included working with various agencies and committees on juvenile justice issues, alternatives for those with mental illness who commit crimes, and sentencing reforms.

These can be tough tasks in a state historically tough on crime.

“We’ve geared our criminal justice code to the absolute worst people, and it needs to be more flexible with regards to punishment,” he said.

His father lived until he was 96 years old. He retired when he was 82. Ravitz doesn’t plan to be in the courtroom in his eighth decade. Another 10 years perhaps. A good staff, an open door at the DA’s office and rewarding work keep him coming back each day.

Married with two adult daughters, and his first granddaughter, his personal docket is as packed as his professional one. If you don’t see him in the courtroom, you may find him on a hiking trail, with his wife, from Maine to Washington.

Speaking of which, when asked if he ever employs his courtroom skills in a matrimonial argument, Ravitz taps the desk again.

“A good lawyer knows when not to argue with the judge,” he said.

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Sooner roots run deep in California

P

by berry tramel

hil Neighbors and his pals from Bakersfield Bakersfield to plant a church. That was 35 years ago, and now he’s co-pastor of the 7,000-member Valley pulled into the In-N-Out Burger on InterBaptist Church. state 5 in Santa Clarita, California. Santa But Neighbors never lost his Oklahoma roots. Never Clarita is the northernmost tip of Greater Los Angeles when using I-5 as the gateway to the lost his passion for Sooner sports. He’s a daily followCentral Valley. er of OU on NewsOK.com, lisThe Bakersfield gang was tens to The Sports Animal on headed home from the Rose the web and gets to any Sooner sporting event he can. So off to Bowl, mourning the Sooners’ 54-48 double-overtime defeat Pasadena went Neighbors with to Georgia on New Year’s Day. family and fellow Oklahoma Perhaps a cheeseburger and emigres. Then back home that fries from the landmark Cali night, disappointed but still franchise could soothe the proud Okies.

That In-N-Out parking lot sting from a loss that will live Oklahoma Dust Bowl refugees. Photo by Dorthea Lange. forever in Sooner hearts. was full, so Neighbors let his Provided by Library of Congress Neighbors is from Granite, in party out of the car and parked across the street. He walked into the burger joint and southwestern Oklahoma, and married a girl from was stunned. The entire place, 50 or 60 strong, was Norman he met at Oklahoma Baptist University. packed with Sooner fans. All wearing hats and jackets Then he attended Southwestern Baptist Theological and shirts, all crimson and cream and OU-adorned.

Seminary in Fort Worth, got his degree and moved to 107

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All returning from the Rose Bowl.

“We just had an Oklahoma meeting,” Neighbors said.

“Sat there for an hour with all these OU fans. They’re all headed to Bakersfield, they’re all headed to Fresno, all headed to the Central Valley. We all commiserated.

And I thought, ‘I’m as much in Oklahoma right here as anywhere I could be.’”

Oklahomans have been migrating to California since the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s. They’ve been going ever since. Some have come back. But many have stayed and put down roots and become Californians.

But most have retained their Oklahoma identities.

Larry Nemecek went to California in 1994. Born in Norman, raised on Slaughterville Road with a Lexington address, went all 12 years of school in Noble and graduated from East Central University in Ada. He was a Star Trek nerd and had written several episode guides that gave him credibility in the expansive Star Trek universe.

So he and his wife headed West to pursue a career with the Enterprise. His wife got a job at Paramount Studios, Nemecek became a Star Trek chronicler of the science fiction franchise’s varied platforms and they’ve been in Greater LA ever since.

“I miss OU football, I miss tornado season, and I miss family,” said Nemecek, who lives in north Los Angeles.

“I don’t know how you can’t help but think of yourself as an Okie.”

Nemecek used to say “back home,” when referring to Oklahoma, but Californians thought he meant Burbank, his first California landing spot. So now he calls Oklahoma “back home home. I stay real close.”

Nemecek volunteers twice a month as a docent at Will Rogers State Park in Santa Monica, where at the height of his Hollywood popularity the Oklaho-

ma legend bought a ranch overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Rogers’ widow donated the property to the state of California, and it became a state historic park.

Nemecek said he always incorporates Rogers’ Oklahoma days when giving tours and plans to bring out his old one-man Rogers show, from his theater-major days at ECU. Nemecek is producing a documentary film on a famous Houston science fiction convention, and some potential Texas benefactors “thought I was this big, slick LA guy. Finally, I said, ‘Look, I’m just a dumb Okie fanboy guy. I’m not what you think.’”

The stigma of Oklahomans moving to California was strong, even half a century after the Dust Bowl. When the Nemeceks moved, his mother drove out with them and noticed lots of moving vans coming east. It was just after the Northridge earthquake. “Look at all those people leaving California,” Nemecek’s mother said.

“More room for us,” they responded.

Nemecek remembers his father telling him, “‘You know, your Uncle Levi went off to California ... and then he came back.’ He still had that Depression-era ‘DON’T BE AN OKIE!’ fear a little bit, I think, even after a world war and a baby boom. But dad did visit us twice before he couldn’t travel, and his first trip into Burbank after the Rodney King riots/O.J. verdict was just shock. ‘Well…. this is kinda nice,’ -- his first words as we drove out of Burbank airport. And he never could get over the native old orange tree in our backyard, where we let them fall on the ground and rot, there were so many.”

Nemecek regularly returns to Oklahoma to visit family and speak at the state’s annual sci-fi convention, and every year he tries to whittle down a bucket list.

“Lots I never saw or did in my full-time 35 years

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Scott Fisch, Lincoln Riley, son Garrett Fisch, wife Judy Fisch and daughter Taylor Fisch. Photo provided

there,” Nemecek said. Just last year, he and a friend drove up to northwest Oklahoma to see Little Sahara, Boiling Springs and Alabaster Caverns. “Never had before. Before that I finally drove up to Pawnee Bill’s Ranch, with family 90 minutes away that had never been. Couple years ago went up to the Marland Mansion and Pioneer Woman (both with Will Rogers ties).

I’d never seen any of them, and now with 70 mph speed limits they’re nothing.

“I still have Robbers Cave, and Gilcrease and Woolaroc on my list. Oh, and the inside of the Switzer Center.

It was always closed at summer and holiday trips.”

Sometimes, the Oklahoma connection is deep enough it extends to second-generation Californians.

Scott Fisch, 56, was born in California. But his dad grew up in Guthrie, was a huge OU fan, got an engineering degree from Oklahoma A&M and moved to California. Been there ever since. But Scott Fisch was raised a Sooner fan, so much so that when he brought his dad back to Oklahoma a few years ago, their tour included not just Guthrie sites, but visits to OU coaches’ houses – where Bob Stoops and Barry Switzer live, and where Bud Wilkinson lived during his Sooner days – plus the boyhood homes of Blake Griffin and Sam Bradford.

“Been back to Oklahoma many times,” Fisch said.

“One of these days I think I’ll end up living there. Just fallen in love with the football team.”

Fisch, who lives in Laverne east of Los Angeles, is a retired educator and longtime softball coach. He’s proud that in 1995, after Patty Gasso left California to become the OU softball coach, he replaced her on the 109

Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California. Photo by Nate Billings

California Interscholastic Federation’s softball rules committee.

OU-Nebraska games hooked Fisch at an early age.

“You didn’t have social media and TV like they do now,” Fisch said. “Oklahoma-Nebraska, that was the only game we ever got to see.” In 1977, on a trip back to Oklahoma, he attended an OU game with his grandfather, who still spoke German. They stood where the Sooners entered the stadium and his grandfather spoke to kicker Uwe von Schamann in German. “Made a huge impact,” Fisch said.

But the first-generation Californians know Oklahoma the best.

“I lived there for 40 years,” Charles Jones II said of Oklahoma. “When you live there for 40 years, you eat sleep and drink and breathe it. It’s a part of my very core. You retain that loyalty.”

Jones chatted from his home in Sierra Madre, just east of Pasadena, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley. On the wall of his patio is a giant rusted soda can lid, with an OU logo. His car tag is SUNRST8.

Sooner State.

Jones is a 1971 graduate of Northwestern Classen High School. Jones got a music degree and a law degree from Oklahoma City University. He was a band director at Whittier Middle School in Norman almost 40 years ago and started Greg Switzer (Barry’s musically acclaimed son) on trumpet. Jones was associate minister at Mayfair Church of Christ, worked for OETA and the Oklahoma Gazette, and was entertainment director for the Oklahoma City Cavalry, a minor-league basketball team in the 1990s.

THE OKLAHOMAN

Eventually, Jones went to work for Disney in Orlando “And California is so progressive. It’s not like that in and transferred to California 20 years ago. Now he’s Oklahoma. It may be like that in Oklahoma, we just an entertainment producer and produced the opening don’t know it. We freeze that nostalgia. It’s music and ceremonies for the 2007 Tournament of Roses Parade. it’s football and it’s religion.”

“The best thing about living in California is the weathAt halftime of the Rose Bowl, Neighbors went to the er,” Jones said. “The traffic sucks, the politics is even bathroom. worse, and the taxes are so high. The gasoline’s expen“I’m standing in line next to a big ol’ tall kid, he’s OU,” sive and the price of Neighbors said. a house, $1.5 million, “‘Where you from?’ I in Oklahoma City asked. you could buy the “‘I’m from Tishomsame house for about ingo.’ $400,000. I live out “‘Hello, Tish. How here for the weather you doing? I’m from and the opportuniBakersfield.’ ties. Unfortunately, “‘Bakersfield? I got the state couldn’t give kinfolks in Bakersme what I wanted for field.’ myself.”

“I said, ‘sure you do.

So Jones moved on Isn’t it something? but clung to his roots.

Oklahoma’s always “My heart’s in Oklagoing to be home for homa,” Jones said. us, isn’t it?’”

“Everything else is And when Neighhere in Cali.” bors walked into that In-N-Out Burger, his Opportunities come in different forms. feelings for OklahoThe entertainment ma were rekindled. industry, certainNot just Sooner footly. But the original ball. For his state.

Okies weren’t lookHe recalled his great-grandfather, ing for stardust. who made the great They were looking Western cattle drive for work. And many to Dodge City and settled in the Cendeclared that he was tral Valley, depicted going to farm the sea in “The Grapes of of grass between the Wrath,” and those Red and North Fork Okie remants are rivers. That farm what Phil Neighbors remains in the Neighfound 35 years ago in of depression refugee from Oklahoma now in California Photo by Dorthea Lange. bors family.

Bakersfield, a metro Son Provided by Library of Congress “My roots grow deep,” of about 800,000 that Neighbors said. “I’ve got roots in that sandy lane. Salt of is more Oklahoman than Californian to this day, from the Earth, downhome Baptist people. food to music to religion.

“I don’t have a history here (in California). I just don’t “I think migration has a way of making home, making have any history here. I’ve learned my California histoOklahoma, nostalgic,” Neighbors said. “I swear, you ry.” ever come to Bakersfield, there are places more OklaBut he lived his Oklahoma history. And some of that homa than any place in Oklahoma.” history occurred in an In-N-Out Burger on Interstate Neighbors says that when people in Bakersfield men5 in Santa Clarita, California, where commiserating tion going back to Oklahoma for a visit, it’s like, “‘Oh, Oklahoma fans walked in as strangers and walked out as going to the Promised Land?’ Almost like Israel. It’s a cousins, headed back to the San Joaquin Valley. spiritual thing.

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THE OKLAHOMAN

PAGES FROM THE PAST

AMELIA EARHART

by don mecoy

FLY-IN A MAJOR OKC EVENT

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This June 1931 front-page illustration shows what an artist from The Oklahoman thought Amelia Earhart’s upcoming visit to the State Fair Park in Oklahoma City might look like.

The event raised $3,850 for Milk and Ice Fund, an early community charity established by The Oklahoman and Times.

About 12,000 people attended the show, which included barnstormers, commercial aircraft and a parachute exhibition. The day after the event, Earhart piloted her autogyro, which had a propeller on the back and an unpowered rotor above, around downtown Oklahoma City buildings.