SAW Nov/Dec 15

A Brush with Death Opens Minds & Hearts

Beauty & Pampering MedSpas in San Antonio

Seasonal Recipes from SA’s Top Cooks

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Women in Business DIRECTORY

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NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2015

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Contributors

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What’s New

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At Home

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Style

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Fashion Calendar

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Business Woman Spotlight

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According to Linda

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Guys to Know

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Role Model

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Mommy Matters

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Hill Country Guide

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Travel

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Artbeat

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Entertainment Calendar

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Women on the Move

SPECIAL SECTIONS

20 UP FRONT 26 PROFILE Surviving a near-death experience or coming back from the brink of death understandably changes an individual’s life.

Three women share their stories, and a fourth reports on the scores of cases she has observed.

10 | sawoman.com

Linda Myers, who began her career as supervisor of blood transfusion services at a hospital-based blood bank, is now CEO of BioBridge Global, an umbrella entity supporting health care services and biomedical research that includes Qualtex Laboratories, the largest nonprofit testing lab for whole blood and plasma donations in the U.S.

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Holiday Gift Guide

111

Women in Business Directory

IN 104 ENTERTAINING 62 WOMEN BUSINESS Medical spas bring together medical professionals and the beauty industry. Four spa owners give their perspectives on the best ways they can serve their patients and how patients should research their options for great results.

Find the perfect appetizer or dessert to complement your holiday meal. Some of San Antonio’s top cooks share with us their recipes and memories that have made these sweet and savory offerings family favorites year after year.

San Antonio WOMAN FROM THE EDITOR Nicole Greenberg, Editor San Antonio Woman This issue is dedicated to those who celebrate

living well, those who rejuvenate us through

their expertise and services and those who help Photgraphy by Marie Langmore

preserve legacies of a life well lived.

Celebrate living — Our first example is

W

NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER 2015 PUBLISHER J. Michael Gaffney EDITOR Nicole Greenberg ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jasmina Wellinghoff COPY EDITOR Kathryn Cocke STYLE EDITOR Camilla Basse CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jennifer Bartlett, Ron Bechtol, John Bloodsworth, Nancy Cook-Monroe, Nicole Crawford, Linda Elliott, Pamela Lutrell, Kristin Mears, Josie Seeligson, Janis Turk

Linda Myers, CEO of BioBridge Global. She is a

PHOTOGRAPHY Jessica Giesey, Marie Langmore, Aaron Randal, Al Rendon, Janet Rogers, Elizabeth Warburton

San Antonio and throughout the world. We dis-

GRAPHIC DESIGN Tamara Hooks, Maria Jenicek

life shape her leadership style and set an exam-

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING Steven Cox, Cindy Jennings, Madeleine Justice

forefront of developing world-class lifesaving strategies in the biomedical arena and “keeping

ADMINISTRATION & CUSTOMER SERVICE Nancy A. Gaffney

trailblazer, sharing her talents to save lives in

cover how her love and respect for science and ple for mastering balance between being at the

all the horses moving in the same direction.”

Upfront spotlights four women who humbly share their death-defying stories and shed light

on how their near-death experiences renewed their faith in life, their family and serving others.

Natural rejuvenation — As we all toil at the office, offer our community service, and sus-

tain our families or assist our elderly friend or relative, we are in a tug of war — doing for others

ONLINE MEDIA Janice Thach SOCIAL MEDIA Rachelle Palasoda INTERN Annabelle Spezia-Lindner

or doing for ourselves. In this issue of SAN ANTONIO WOMAN we present you with tips on

PRINTING Shweiki Media, San Antonio, Texas

caring for those around you.

EDITOR EMERITUS Beverly Purcell-Guerra

local tastemakers are saying to throw sizzle on our personal style, with tips on texture, tint and

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION call (210) 826-5375 email: info@sawoman.com

world for their holiday favorites (and recipes) they make for family and friends to help you spice

PUBLISHED BY

health, beauty, and parenting to give you a leap on taking back a few minutes for yourself while

Our style editor, Camilla Basse, gets us into the holiday spirit by sharing the scoop on what

textile that will help you shine this season. We also visit with leaders in San Antonio’s culinary up your own gatherings.

Additionally, our Women In Business story spotlights the leaders of San Antonio’s leading

medical spas and how their approach to personal style and beauty has helped the city realize a

rapid expansion in the medical spa arena.

Preserving a legacy — Our Guy To Know, Marty Roos, is an extraordinary example of

leading through changing times and tells us how estate planning, his specialty, is important for

preserving your legacy. Don’t miss our Senior Caregiving story about the sandwich generation

or our Mommy Matters column on mentoring teens. Take a moment to sit down with our Role

Model, Melissa McKennon, program director for Grace After Fire, where she assists women vet-

erans with their not-so-easy transition back into family life after their sacrifice for our country.

As we honor our veterans on Nov. 11, let’s give thanks to all of those who help us live a good

life in San Antonio and think about ways we can reach out to help others. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, holiday season and New Year.

Best wishes,

12 | sawoman.com

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W WHATS NEW

Saint Mary’s Hall Montessori Students Blast Off! After recent lessons about land, air, and water, Montessori students at Saint Mary’s Hall learned how to launch a rocket! SMH Montessori student Claire Simpson’s great-grandmother and great-aunt visited the Lower School dressed as an astronaut and a scientist, and shared pictures about going to the moon.

Claire's great-grandfather was instrumental in getting SAM, a rhesus monkey whose name was an acronym for the U.S. Air Force School of Aviation Medicine at Brooks Air Force Base, into space. Her great-grandmother also made the first space suit for SAM out of an ironing board cover. After the students learned about going to the moon, they went to the soccer field and launched their own rocket ship, which was fueled with water and pressure.

Hanley-Wood Hanley-Wood is hosting a trunk show for Ralph Lauren Home through Dec. 31. Visitors to the store will be able to see the line’s exquisite bar ware, both crystal and silver plate, and a large variety of picture frames in a variety of different finishes, including silver, wood and leather. There will also be decorative objects, game sets and examples of the company’s home fragrance line, including candles in year-round and holiday scents.

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W UP FRONT

A Brush with Death Opens Minds and Hearts Four fascinating encounters with the near-death experience

BY JASMINA WELLINGHOFF

Ever since Dr. Raymond Moody published his book Life After Life in 1975, the public has been at least somewhat aware of what he called the near-death experience or NDE. These experiences happen to

T

some people when their normal, spontaneous circulatory and respiratory functions stop, a state known

as clinical death. These individuals seldom survived in the past, but thanks to effective modern resuscitation methods, many such patients have been brought back from the brink of death, and some had fascinating stories to tell about encounters with what they considered another reality.

oday there’s an international organization called The Inter-

n’t aware of Moody’s book yet.” But she was open-minded enough to

national Association of Near-Death Studies (IANDS), dedi-

pay attention and listen when other patients over the years offered sim-

public information in the field,” as well as to “the emotional

mon threads in their stories. Most talk about moving through a tunnel

cated to “the encouragement of research, education and

and psychological support of individuals” who have had NDEs. The latter

are referred to as “experiencers.” IANDS has 44 chapters in the U.S. plus

11 more in other countries. For this article we spoke with several experi-

encers and to Debbie James, the local authority on the subject, who served as co-editor of the 2009 scholarly volume, The Handbook of

Near-Death Experiences.

Be Quiet and Listen to Them

Debbie James’ first encounter with an NDE patient happened early

ilar reports. By now she has seen at least 100 cases, and there are com-

toward an extraordinary light, which, though intense, doesn’t hurt the

eyes, and mention that same feeling of peacefulness her first patient

referred to. Sometimes they see people in that light, but not always peo-

ple they knew. A young boy, for instance, talked about seeing “Papa,”

though this grandfather had died before he was born. A woman re-

ported meeting three all-white individuals, not quite looking like real

people. Another patient said that “whoever was and whoever will be,

was there,” and he felt embraced by them. Some use the word “heaven”

to refer to that place of light and peace, but not all. Children tend to call

in her nursing career. After the medical crew resuscitated a dying man,

it simply “there.”

said to the doctors and nurses who saved his life. He then explained

sometimes complaining that re-entry into their physical bodies was

the guy got angry. “I can’t believe you made me come back here,” he

that he had experienced a great sense of peace while “dead.”

“I was confused by that,” admits James, now a 30-year veteran of

critical and intensive care, a member of the Nursing School faculty at

UTHSCSA and a bereavement facilitator. “I started asking questions, but no one had answers. Back then, few people studied NDE, and I was-

20 | sawoman.com

Out-of-body experiences are also pretty common, with experiencers

painful. One woman said she had become too big for her body. Yet an-

other thing these patients talk about is a moment of decision to either

go forward into the light or return to ordinary life. Sometimes it’s an

order they receive while having the NDE. A 4-year-old boy who was hit

by a car in a parking lot and was resuscitated by firemen told James

that, “he told me I couldn’t stay

there.” “Who told you?” she asked.

“That voice told me.”

A slightly different example is that

of a CBS reporter, an agnostic, who had a heart attack that led to cardiac

arrest. He reported being told that he

could go either way, forward or back

to his worldly life. He wanted to stay

in the new reality he had just discovered but suddenly “saw” his wife and

daughters saying, “Please, Daddy, come back,” so he decided to return.

Though these elements are common,

NDEs vary a great deal.

Post-NDE,

survivors

usually

emerge with a new understanding of

life and death, accompanied by a

strong desire to live in peace with oth-

ers and a sense of interconnected-

ness. Sometimes they even discover a new ability or talent, such as a

propensity to play the piano or a facil-

ity with a foreign language they did

not have before. Many change the

course of their lives.

Though the scientific-medical es-

tablishment has tried to explain

NDEs

strictly

in

neurochemical

terms, that approach doesn’t address

the actual content of these experi-

changes that subsequently occur.

James draws her conclusion from the

real-life situations she encountered.

“They (the experiencers) see something beyond what we can see and

gain insight into what love is all

Photo by Jessica Giesey

ences nor the positive psychological

november/december 2015 | 21

W UP FRONT about,” she says. “They feel embraced by the love of a higher power — or the source, as some

say — and they know that they are a part of it.”

Where is the Music?

Colombian-born Gloria Gieseke has always

been a spiritually sensitive person, but it wasn’t

until she nearly died from a severe asthma attack in Saudi Arabia that she experienced the

unusual transcendental episode that changed

her attitude toward life and death. She woke up

one night struggling to breathe and finding no

help from her drugs or inhaler. As she lost con-

sciousness, her husband and a neighbor rushed

her to the Saudi Military Hospital in Riyadh,

where the emergency personnel sprang into ac-

tion to revive her. During that time, Gieseke re-

alized that she was dying. “I said to myself, now this is between God and me,” she recalls.

Gieseke was in Saudi Arabia because her

husband, Cliff, was teaching English to Saudi

military personnel through the U.S. Military

Training Mission in Riyadh. This was hardly Cliff’s only foreign assignment. The couple and

their two sons spent a couple of decades travel-

ing around the globe and living for extended

periods of time in countries such as Indonesia,

the Congo and Iran, in addition to visiting

India, Spain, Costa Rica and her native Colom-

bia. In between assignments, they lived mostly

tiple vaccinations she received before going to the Congo, coupled with the climate in that

country, contributed to her life-long asthma. To this day, she can function only with a hefty dose of medications, and there is always a fear of an-

other life-threatening episode.

22 | sawoman.com

Photo by Jessica Giesey

in San Antonio. Gieseke believes that the mul-

Photo by Aaron Randal

Sure enough, four years after her first NDE in Riyadh, she was taken

knowledge of life, that life is eternal.” Her NDEs have also changed her

lack of oxygen, feeling her heart slowing down. During that ride she ex-

cerned and less impatient. And her dreams have become considerably

by ambulance to Wilford Hall at Lackland AFB in extreme agony for perienced mostly darkness. Later on, as the doctors connected her to

life support equipment, she felt herself being whisked away through a

personality, making her more compassionate toward others, more con-

more vivid. Gieseke has written a self-published book, Where Is the

Music?, about her life, her NDEs and her spiritual journey. During our

tunnel of whirling black light at “tremendous speed, going up and land-

interview, she kindly signs a copy for me.

pletely stopped, she notes. “At the same time, I was also able to observe

and if I should need knowledge, it will be there for me, too.

the body, the observing me and the one traveling through the tunnel.”

I Know What I Saw

about the music. A man in white met her briefly in that light and com-

to show their visiting relatives the holiday lights on the River Walk. They

ing in brilliant white light.” And that was before her heart had com-

myself with a neutral feeling. In fact, there were three of me — one in This time she also received an answer to her previous question

As we part as friends, I find myself inclined to believe her that when

The day after Thanksgiving in 2003, Ron and Sheryl Murrah decided

municated to her that when her time came, there would be music for

all piled into the car but did not travel very far. As they got to an intersec-

“friend.” Resuscitated and breathing again, she found herself in “a won-

smashed into their Ford Expedition. Somebody had placed a makeshift

near-death episode.

erty. Unfortunately, the sign obstructed Ron’s view of oncoming traffic.

her, but not yet. Then the white figure embraced her and called her

derful state of optimism.” The following year, Gieseke had yet another Now 74, she is no longer afraid of death, she says. Though raised

tion less than a mile from their home, a car coming from a side street

plywood sign by the intersection to direct delivery trucks to a certain prop-

The blast ejected Sheryl’s upper body through the back window, cracking

Catholic, she is not a churchgoer: “I have a church within me. It’s not

her skull. Blood was everywhere. She was flown by helicopter to BAMC,

in prayer, but not the kind of knowledge you brag about. It’s more

“we take people who are probably not going to make it.”

arrogance. I simply experience guidance and knowledge coming to me

where Ron was told by an obviously sensitivity-challenged employee that

november/december 2015 | 23

W UP FRONT Put on life support, Sheryl spent a good part of the next two months

in a medically induced coma, emerging from it briefly from time to

time. On one of those occasions, Ron thought he would comfort her by

reading aloud the many cards sent by well-wishers. Instead of being

comforted, however, his wife started to weep. She was not really listen-

ing to him; she was receiving a far more powerful message. “I told him my mom was taking care of me,” she recalls.

Hospitalization was followed by a lengthy rehabilitation process to

restore both her physical abilities, such as walking, and her verbal skills.

Her memory was also erratic. Formerly an award-winning reading

teacher and certified reading specialist who was involved with teaching

Photo by Aaron Randal

programs at both Blinn College and Texas State at the time of the acci-

dent, Sheryl found it particularly upsetting that her reading ability had

been affected by the head trauma she suffered. To help herself “learn again” she started teaching ESL to Spanish-speaking kids at Tye Preston Library in Canyon Lake, where the Murrahs live. Luckily, the long-

term memory was intact.

Two years after the accident, her first grandchild was born, followed

by another three years later. Both kids were November babies, some-

thing that pleases their grandmother considerably. “They are my reward,” she says. “Now November is associated with their birthdays, not

provised explosive device under an overpass. The bomb blasted a hole

now reading again as she once did, and she has relearned to drive. Her

“I looked over at the driver and his face was covered with white powder

with the accident.” Though some physical problems persist, Sheryl is

in the heavy door and severed her leg. “I went into shock,” she recalls.

typing speed and accuracy are back to normal, as well. What has

(from the exploded door materials). I looked down and saw blood gush-

still has things to accomplish in this life. The vision of her mother at

couldn’t think clearly.” Fortunately the assistant squad leader was not

changed is her gratitude for every new day and her awareness that she

the gate is still vivid in her mind.

As with Gieseke, death doesn’t frighten her. Told that many sci-

entists discount NDEs as simple reactions of the oxygen-deprived

brain, she is not concerned. “I know what I saw. It’s in my heart,” she

ing out of my big leg vein. I remember thinking I need to get out, but I

hurt and was able to pull everyone out of the Humvee as well as tourni-

quet her leg.

En route to the base, the young woman fought sleepiness because

she knew that if she closed her eyes, she would die. Thoughts of her

says simply.

husband and mother floated through her mind as well as of babies she

From Soldier to Jewelry Maker

on her face, and she felt like she could give up her effort to stay awake

mer soldier Tara Hutchinson. At 23, the Alaska native enlisted in the

arrest and was transferred to a larger clinic in the city. It was only after

One person whose life was dramatically changed by her NDE is for-

Army to become a military police officer, a job the recruiter had de-

scribed as riding around the base in an air-conditioned car to keep an

would never have, she says. Once there, someone put an oxygen mask because she was finally in good hands. That’s when she suffered cardiac

the doctors cut away her clothing that they realized that the wounded

person was a woman — that’s how badly mangled and covered with de-

eye on things. She soon found out otherwise. Still, she enjoyed being a

bris she was. The medical team had to try 11 times before her heart re-

turn in 2006 when she was deployed to Iraq. On Valentine’s Day,

to BAMC in San Antonio. She spent a week in a coma.

tion in Baghdad when the Humvee she was riding in was hit by an im-

a near-death experience until she talked to James years later. It so hap-

soldier, in particular her two-year stint in Korea. Things took a different

Hutchinson and her MP squad were on their way to an Iraqi police sta-

24 | sawoman.com

sumed beating. Following several transfers, she was eventually brought Hutchinson didn’t even know that what she had gone through was

Photo by Jessica Giesey

pened that James read a poem about the sergeant’s medical ordeal writ-

ten by the doctor who saved her life. Because she was in an induced

coma for nearly a week, she only remembers being disoriented when she woke up at BAMC.

Facing a life without one of her legs and suffering from a brain in-

jury that caused tremors, the young woman sank into depression for

point, she looks me in the eye and states: “I can tell that you have some

insecurities.” Feeling a bit uncomfortable, I try to wiggle out of the awk-

ward moment by muttering something about all of us feeling insecure

at times. She lets it pass.

But there is another reason why she feels she can help others:

several months until her occupational therapist suggested she try to do

something with her hands that might improve her fine motor skills. The

former soldier, who hardly ever wore jewelry, took up jewelry making.

To her surprise, she not only enjoyed it but found that she was good at

it. It was a life-transforming experience that “came from God.” (Dis-

covering a new talent is one of the recorded life changes that sometimes

follow an NDE.)

“It took me a while to realize why all of this happened,” notes

Hutchinson, who now has a growing business called Tara Hutch Fine

The near-death experience changed her in other ways as well. While

her old self was judgmental, shallow and materialistic, the new Tara is

more humble and more giving. And she is indeed an inspiration. In ad-

dition to her new calling, this indomitable woman has gone back to the

Jewelry. “I know I am here to help people, women, with my gift of jew-

sports she loved before — skiing and surfing.

selves. This is my mission, and I love it.” A feeling of connection with

pened to me. I can’t imagine being in a better situation than I am now,”

elry making. I help women feel beautiful and feel good about them-

other women often leads her to sense their emotional needs. At this

“I am grateful to Debbie (James) for helping me realize what hap-

she says.

november/december 2015 | 25

W PROFILE

CEO of BioBridge Global Mobilizing a Global Business to Save Lives

BY JASMINA WELLINGHOFF PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSICA GIESEY

inda Myers was only a year into her career as a lab scientist when she assumed her first leadership role.

“I was always a problem solver,” she says. “To be an influencer and get things done it’s always better to be in a position where you can affect change. That has always attracted me. But I am also a collaborative manager.” That first “influencer” position involved supervising the blood transfusion services at a hospital-based blood bank. Today, Myers is the CEO of BioBridge Global, the nonprofit parent company for several entities: the well-known South Texas Blood & Tissue Center (STBTC), QualTex Laboratories, GenCure and the Blood & Tissue Center Foundation (BTCF), a fundraising arm. The umbrella entity was established in 2013 to more effectively support both health care services and biomedical research.

The day we meet, she has just returned from a meeting of Blood Centers of America (BCA), a member-owned organization that helps the community-based blood banks to sustain themselves in a changing health care landscape. It used to be that the local blood bank collected and distributed blood products to area hospitals, but today hospital chains are looking for big providers that can supply all their institutions regardless of geographic location. That has put extra pressure on community centers, explains Myers. “Through BCA we can compete nationally for contracts.”

Blood and blood components, such as red blood cells or plasma, are still, of course, collected from volunteer community donors and subsequently tested in the lab to make sure they are

26 | sawoman.com

safe for medical use, but the scale and scope of both operations have changed dramatically. Myers joined STBTC in 1994 and in collaboration with the former leader, Dr. Norman Kalmin, set out to upgrade the entire operation by enhancing the quality assurance system for both blood collection and testing. “AIDS became a concern at the time, and I saw an opportunity to standardize and improve the quality of the operation to stand out among other centers,” she recalls. “As a director of quality assurance, I led the initiative to apply for ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certification, and we became the first center in America to get it in 1996. These standards were higher and provided a more structured approach to quality assurance than the FDA regulations. I am proud of that accomplishment.”

After rising to the position of executive vice-president, Myers added a new responsibility in 2007 when QualTex Laboratories was established as a separate nonprofit dedicated exclusively to testing. Under her leadership, it has become the largest nonprofit testing lab for whole blood and plasma donations in the country, going from performing 5.5 million tests in 2007 to 10 million in 2014. Huge pallets of collected blood from different places in the world arrive in San Antonio for testing every day. “We are one of the biggest FedEx receivers in town,” she notes. Securing contracts for QualTex has been a big part of her job and the main source of income for BioBridge. A second, larger lab is located in Atlanta.

“What’s really critical to what we do is having access to donors.

Nothing happens without them,” states the CEO. “The blood bank has a whole department working on recruiting donors. They organize blood drives in churches, schools, companies and with civic

“What’s really critical to what we do is having access to donors.

Nothing happens without them.”

november/december 2015 | 27

W PROFILE

groups. As baby boomers age, we have to find new ways to motivate younger donors.”

Myers herself has made donations a number of times, including on a recent October day when I was invited to see the donation room activity and she surprised me by joining a small group of donors who had come to have their blood drawn. It doesn’t take long to give a pint, and each pint is precious. A pint of whole blood can be separated into plasma, platelets and red blood cells, potentially saving the lives of three sick people. All BioBridge employees pitch in without hesitation in an emergency. New technologies also allow donors to give only certain blood components rather than whole blood, most notably platelets, heavily in demand in cancer treatments, yet impossible to store for longer than five days. Not having enough of these and other products can be scary, given that lives literally depend on a ready supply.

A ROLE IN REGENERATIVE MEDICINE

As medical research increasingly focuses on regenerative therapies that utilize human tissues, BioBridge has responded by consolidating existing tissue recovery operations with newly designed ones to create a third subsidiary named GenCure. Established in 2013 with three distinct divisions, it specializes in the collection, processing and distribution of a range of human biomaterials, from skin, cartilage and bone, to blood mar-

28 | sawoman.com

row and stem cells, both the adult variety and those derived from umbilical cord blood. Until recently, cord blood was routinely discarded with the placenta after the birth of an infant, but new research is harnessing its considerable healing power. These materials are used to help a great variety of patients, including burn victims (skin grafts), leukemia sufferers (bone marrow), people with damaged organs such as diabetics and heart patients (adult stem cells), and children and adults with blood cancers and immune system deficiencies (cord blood stem cells).

While some of the tissues, such as skin and bone, are used in area hospitals, cord blood is distributed through a national registry program similar to the organ donation system, which means it must be frozen and stored until the right biological match is found. So it’s an expensive operation to run, points out the CEO. In the case of bone marrow, BioBridge identifies potential donors and enrolls them in a national database accessible to all patients. Then the marrow is actually collected when there is a need and a match. Myers is pleased that African–American and Hispanic San Antonians have come forward as donors in substantial numbers, given that donations among minority groups are often insufficient to meet the demand.

GenCure is BioBridge’s most research-centered affiliate. “It’s a very exciting field. The work that’s done today is going to be saving lots of lives in the future,” says Myers. “Today we are pioneers in this field.”

FOCUS ON THE FUTURE

Growing up in Carrizo Springs, young Linda developed an interest in science, thanks to an inspiring chemistry teacher and a friend’s mother who ran a hospital laboratory. “She would take us to see what she was doing, and I admired her work,” recalls Myers. “I wanted to be in an environment where I could help people, so I decided that that’s what I wanted to do.” She eventually earned a degree in medical technology from Texas Tech and later pursued additional training and certifications.

Laboratory scientists – also referred to as medical technologists — are difficult to find nowadays because fewer colleges offer the degree. BioBridge solves the problem by recruiting biologists and other scientists who are then trained on the job. A mother of three sons and grandmother of five, she says she is working on getting the kids interested in science. The opportunities are just wide open for them.

Divorced from her first husband, Myers is now happily married to her “high school sweetheart,” Scott Myers, with whom she reconnected at the school reunion 21 years ago. When I express a slight surprise that she took his last name despite being already established under a different surname, she admits to being “kind of traditional in that way.” The couple have a ranch near their hometown – “a cow and calf operation” — and Linda notes with satisfaction that she has her own branded cows.

Asked if she had a guiding principle that helped her through life and career, she thinks for a moment:

“One thing I have always done in my career is try to be the best I can be.” Then she elaborates beyond that, “You can’t wait to be totally prepared for every opportunity. When an opportunity presents itself, you have to jump. And always stay focused on the future; don’t stare at the past.”

This approach has certainly served her well. Today she is the only woman among 12 CEOs who get together once a month to discuss business issues as members of the regional chapter of Vistage International, a peer-to-peer organization for top business executives. True to her principle of focusing on the future, Myers is always pursuing new technologies and strategies for her organization as well as collaborations with other science institutions in town such as Southwest Research Institute, UTHSC and UTSA. “I am getting toward the end of my career, and I am concerned about my legacy,” she explains thoughtfully. “I want to have stability for this organization and make sure that we can continue to fulfill our mission. Keeping all the horses moving in the same direction at the same time can sometimes be challenging.”

november/december 2015 | 29

W AT HOME

Renewed Spirit For Home with Family at its Core

F

or attorneys Kelly and Jim Satel, a nurturing nest to raise their teenage twins and to bring family together for gatherings around a bountiful table was found in a home that had cultivated generations of another clan.

As the childhood home of family friend Porter Loring III, the welcoming abode had played host to three generations. It was a stopping point for local mail carriers and delivery drivers in the ‘40s, when the Lorings kept a Coca-Cola machine filled with ice-cold bottles of soda.

The workers stopped to lunch on the island in front of the stately home and were treated to a cool beverage.

Hospitality continues in the updated home, with the kitchen being the center of family activity. With culinary prowess handed down from grandmother Selma Satel and formidable food maven and mother Jane Satel, Jim finds his domain in the kitchen.

“We dove in the first day on the job to begin the kitchen redesign,” explained interior designer Whitney Schones of Homes By Estate. “Jim knew exactly what was needed for food service, so we went to it and 30 | sawoman.com

sketched it out that day.”

“I had no say in the layout,” mused Kelly. “I really did not care where we put the cabinets, but cooking is a special part of what we do here.” And it is Jim who honors tradition with family favorite recipes from his grandmother Satel, including Lebanese specialties, grape leaves stuffed with lamb, kibbee, tabbouleh and rice with lamb and pine nuts.

For Kelly’s first dinner party, the newly appointed dining room was put to the test with a pre-dance dinner party for 20 sixth-graders. Her tufted white linen upholstered chairs had just arrived with a prerequisite that they “be resistant to stains, dogs, cats and teens.” With a dinner menu of Chick-fil-A and ketchup, Kelly said, “We put beach towels over the chairs and prayed.” Both the dinner party and the chairs met with resounding approval.

With outdoor living spaces on the east side of the home for al fresco dining, an outdoor terrace off the master bedroom and a southern exposure patio with spectacular pool, the impeccably remodeled refuge will serve new Satel generations with kindred spirit.

BY JOHN BLOODSWORTH PHOTOGRAPHY BY AL RENDON

Living Room. Anchored with a French farm table that served as a din-

ing table in the family’s former home, paired with sisal rug and matching pair of cherry red vinyl-covered stools with chrome and gold Chinese Chippendale legs. Table is lit with two white ceramic lamps with acrylic bases from Five Broads on Broadway. Mantel is original to the home and features a work by Bette Ward, a pop of color in the citrine glass decanters and Baker Tatum starbursts. Waddy Armstrong artwork hangs over the lacquered black piano. At left, a pair of acrylic butterflies and resin on wood by Lucy Peveto.

With a penchant for supporting local and regional artists, the Satels chose a Bette Ward painting to brighten the master bedroom.

Art.

An over-dyed and distressed kilim rug holds court in the entry hall with a French gilded settee covered in black and white linen Brerera rigato stripe. Zanadoo chandelier with starburst lights in antique brass is from Nest Modern. There’s a coffered ceiling in entry to dining room with leaded and frosted wine bottle glass window.

Foyer.

november/december 2015 | 31

W AT HOME

Fireplace mantel features black and white striped Zambrino marble and anchors the gathering space with a sectional covered in Kravet Venetian smoke velvet. Throw pillows are from Tiny Finch. A pair of Rico chandeliers of dark oilrubbed bronze with exposed Edison bulbs hung with stainless threaded cables play up the hand-forged coffee table by Charles Cooper, who also created the curtain rods, rings and finials featuring wrought iron with a very light silver finish.

Family Room.

Mexican folk art masks were finds from Bazar Sรกbado held annually at the San Antonio Museum of Art and tribal masks found by Kelly on an African excursion made with her sister, Kathryn Killian Hensey, in 1996.

Masks.

32 | sawoman.com

W AT HOME

Prominent Bette Ward painting was jumping off point for furnishing the dining room, allowing more subtle and clean lines. From Italy, a lacquered eucalyptus wood Soho dining table with chrome legs by Costantini Pietro, purchased from Nest, works with an 18th century cherry wood French chest and Louis Philippe mirror from the 1800s with original Greek glass. Dining room drapery fabric is JF Gleam accented with a Greek key trim and hung on acrylic rods with chrome inlay.

Dining Room.

Master Bedroom.

Automated Roman shades allow natural light to filter into the master suite with white lacquer bedside tables by Worlds Away and Tube Top table lamps designed

by Peter Stathis for Pablo, Design Within Reach. A Worlds Away nickel-plated tufted bench with navy velvet upholstery rests beneath a shimmery silver and white geometric headboard and matching bed skirt by Sylvia Middleton of The Great Cover Up. 34 | sawoman.com

W AT HOME

Rectangular Carrera marble island with double stainless steel apron sink includes prep sink next to a pull-out trash container and cleaning sink next to the built-in dishwasher. Extra deep cabinets hold pans and cooking sheets with pullout drawers for pots. Back splash of pillowed porcelain has white subway tile and stainless steel range hood.

Kitchen.

A deep soaking tub rests on basket weave Carrera tile.

Walk-in shower features Kohler digital shower system with six body jets and a media module (to hear music or watch TV). Contemporary enamel acrylic by Jorge Puron is titled TV Mind #1.

Master Bath.

36 | sawoman.com

november/december 2015 | 37

W STYLE

1

“The VIP Fringe bag is effortlessly elegant, making it the perfect accessory to take you from season to season.”

COURTNEY PERCY, VP MARKETING, JULIAN GOLD

Velvet,

2

Sequins & Fringe..

Local Tastemakers Share What’s Trending for the Holidays

W

BY CAMILLA BASSE, STYLE EDITOR

ith the hustle and

bustle of the holi-

day season, dress-

ing yourself, your

home and choosing gifts for others can oftentimes be overwhelming. So we’ve asked local fashion experts and tastemakers to weigh in on what their go-to items are for this holiday season.

This select list of holiday fashion pieces, gifts and home decor is sure to melt your stress and make shopping for yourself and others as easy as it should be.

38 | sawoman.com

3

Holidays are the perfect time to dress up your home with velvet. Add a luxe feel with Versaille Velvet bedding by Lili Alessandra.

I love it because Luxury Velvets are machine-washable.

SANDRA YEDOR, LILI ALESSANDRA

“The sequin jacket is a must for every closet during the holiday season.

Paired with to jeans and heels for your more casual affairs and worn with cocktail attire for dressier events, this piece is a win-win no matter the occasion.”

“

Who doesn’t love

a red lip for holidays?

The key is choosing the right red for

yourself and others.

This particular lip

2

color, with its

variety of shades, is topping my list

of gifts for all of the

“

4

CAMILLA BASSE

ladies in my life ... myself included.

CAMILLA BASSE

5

Give the gift of fringe, because

if you’re not rocking fringe already, come Spring 2016, you will be.

COURTNEY PERCY, VP MARKETING, JULIAN GOLD

“Remember when

jumpsuits were so

popular? They’re back.

Actually wonderful for wearing with jackets and tops.

No problem getting

them on or off ... honest!”

BARBARA LOZANO, andie & barbara

6

1 Hammit Los Angeles — VIP Fringe Clutch/Crossbody, $325 at Julian Gold 2 Harrison Morgan — Matte Sequined Bolero Jacket, $250 at Saks Fifth Avenue

3 Versaille Velvet Bedding by Lili Alessandra, Silver Velvet with Ivory Velvet Applique, machine-washable 4 Christian Louboutin — Rouge Louboutin Sheer Voile Lip Colour, $90 at Saks Fifth Avenue

5 Versatile, easy-care knit jumpsuit, easy on and off - great for travel, $88 at andie & barbara 6 Steve Madden — ‘Maraka’ Tall Fringe Boot, $249.95 at Nordstrom

november/december 2015 | 39

W FASHION CALENDAR November 3-4 Julian Gold Fairchild Baldwin Jewelry Trunk Show

November 17-18 Julian Gold Carolina Herrera Spring 2015 Trunk Show

November 3-4 Julian Gold Lafayette 148 New York Spring 2015 Trunk Show

November 18 The Tiny Finch Mary Barker Art Show

November 4 Neiman Marcus Chanel John Fussell Cosmetics Event November 5 Neiman Marcus Love to Give Collection Handbags Launch November 5-6 Julian Gold Tom and Linda Platt Spring 2015 Designer Trunk Show November 5-6 Julian Gold Mariquita Masterson Jewelry Trunk Show November 5-7 Saks Fifth Avenue Jewelry – Nini Trunk Show November 9-10 Julian Gold Vince Contemporary Sportswear Trunk Show November 10-11 Julian Gold Auden Jewelry Trunk Show November 10-11 Julian Gold Piccolo Scarf Trunk Show November 11-13 Saks Fifth Avenue Jewelry - Piranesi Trunk Show November 12 Niche First anniversary party spotlighting custom-designed outfits for San Antonio Symphony performers November 13 Catwalk For Hope Fashion Show Fashion Group International Ray Ellison Auditorium November 14 Neiman Marcus Gurhan Designer Jewelry Trunk Show

40 | sawoman.com

November 18-19 Julian Gold Robert Sher Jewelry Trunk Show November 18-19 Saks Fifth Avenue Jewelry - 18K Appraisers-Oscar Trunk Show November 19 Neiman Marcus Natura Bisse Bubble Fine Apparel Event November 19-21 Julian Gold Algo Swiss Designer Sportswear Trunk Show November 20 Julian Gold Carol Penn Jewelry Trunk Show November 21 Neiman Marcus Armenta Fall Designer Jewelry Trunk Show November 27-December 6 Saks Fifth Avenue Fragrance Week November 30-December 1 Saks Fifth Avenue Carolyn Tyler Jewelry Trunk Show December 1 Saks Fifth Avenue Oscar de la Renta Trunk Show December 2-3 Julian Gold Julie Vos Jewelry Trunk Show December 2-3 Saks Fifth Avenue Jewelry - Assael Trunk Show December 3 Neiman Marcus David Webb Precious Jewels Trunk Show December 3-4 Julian Gold Buchanan and Kang Spring 2015 Sportswear Trunk Show

December 4 Saks Fifth Avenue Astley Clarke Fashion Jewelry Trunk Show December 8 Saks Fifth Avenue Jewelry - Zoe Chicco Trunk Show December 8-9 Julian Gold Peppina Jewelry Trunk Show and Personal Appearance December 9-10 Saks Fifth Avenue Yvel Jewelry Trunk Show December 10 Saks Fifth Avenue Cirque de Beauty Event December 10-12 Niche International Artisan Mini-Fair December 11 Julian Gold Kar-bn Fine Jewelry Trunk Show December 15-16 Julian Gold Christina Greene Jewelry Trunk Show and Personal Appearance December 16 Neiman Marcus Akris Styling Event December 16 Neiman Marcus Gorski Fur Caravan December 17-18 Julian Gold Betty James Jewelry Trunk Show December 17-18 Julian Gold Moss Mills Handbag Trunk Show December 17-19 Saks Fifth Avenue Nini Jewels Trunk Show

Ovidiu Hrubaru / Shutterstock.com november/december 2015 | 41

W SOCIETY

Supporting the Community November 5 San Antonio Food Bank Runway SA Food Bank Warehouse 210-431-8309 November 6 Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio 19th Annual Casino Night UIW Sky Room 210-436-0686 x217 November 6 Tour of the Heart Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas 210-736-4847 x247 November 6 San Antonio Botanical Garden Family Flashlight Night San Antonio Botanical Garden November 7 Monte Vista Historical Association Fall Home Tour On Main Off Main (For Tickets) 210-823-8078 November 8 San Antonio YWLA Foundation Butterfly Run Benefiting Young Women’s Leadership Academy San Antonio Botanical Garden 210-845-6944

42 | sawoman.com

November 12 San Antonio Zoo 33rd Zoobilation Ball San Antonio Zoo 210-734-7184 x 1049

November 19 Family Services Association Festival of Lights Shriner’s Auditorium 210-299-2409

December 4 Tour of the Heart Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas 210-736-4847 x247

November 13 San Antonio Women’s Chamber of Commerce Constellation of Stars Gala Oak Hills Country Club 210-299-2636

November 21 Jewish Community Center Fall Fundraiser: Main Event Jewish Community Center 210-392-6866

December 10 Friends of Hospice Poinsettia Ball Benefiting CHRISTUS VNA Hospice Hyatt Regency San Antonio 210-785-5852

November 14 13th Annual American Sunrise Gala Celebration Song Slam!

Omni Colonnade 210-444-1658

November 26 San Antonio Food Bank Great Turkey Challenge 5k Run/Walk Commander’s House at H-E-B Arsenal 210-431-8309

December 12 Arthritis Foundation Jingle Bell Run/Walk Valero Energy Headquarters 210-280-8171

November 14 Pancreatic Action Network PurpleStride SA 2015 Retama Park 877-272-6226

November 27-December 31 Holidays in Bloom San Antonio Botanical Garden 210-207-3250

December 12 St. Jude’s Ranch for Children Jingle Bell Run Gruene Hall 210-254-9160

November 15 A Taste of Success Casino Night Benefiting Dress for Success San Antonio and Career Gear San Antonio Sheraton Gunter Hotel 210-737-1515 November 16-17 Kappa Kappa Gamma Tablescapes San Antonio Country Club 210-723-6350

November 30-December 3 The Woman’s Club of San Antonio Christmas Faire at the Mansion The Woman’s Club 210-732-4811 December 1 Mission Road Ministries Grand Western Shindig Cowboys Dance Hall 210-334-2455

January 16 San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Let’s Rodeo Ball Freeman Coliseum 210-222-5851 January 23 Khaki & Plaid Homecoming Gala Benefiting Hope for the Future Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center 210-734-1907

SAN ANTONIO SHOEMAKERS

TM

PEÑALOZA & SONS

If you enjoy the sparkle of icicles dancing on a Christmas tree you’ll fall in love with the beauty and elegance of Emerald and Baguette cut diamonds (Also see back cover). Always sourced through ethical channels and available at Peñaloza & Sons.

2001 N.W. Military Hwy.

210.340.3536

penalozaandsons.com

Enjoy an upscale look this holiday season with the stylish peep toe, Ava Black Floral. The velvet flocking on the handcrafted leather wedge can take you from brunch with the ladies to your holiday fundraising dinner. Don’t forget to style with the perfect new accessory, Sierra handbag in bronze. Both the Ava and Sierra share metallic hardware, adding shine and elegance to any outfit. Visit SASshoes.com for locations or call us at 877-782-7463.

5 locations in San Antonio

SASshoes.com

DRAPER’S & DAMON’S

WITTE MUSEUM

SCIENCE-INSPIRED PLUSH TOYS — Whether it’s a “Heart of Gold” or a “Mean Spleen Fighting Machine”, these plush cuddly creations

by I Heart Guts are educational and huggable.

Perfect gifts for the anatomy aficionados in your life. Available at the Witte Museum store.

For over 89 years Draper's & Damon's has been the premier destination for women who want to live a life well fashioned. Focusing on superb quality and exceptional details, our sophisticated designs fit every aspect of your life — beautifully. From chic separates for lunching, wrinkle-free ensembles for travel, or our famous and ohso-flattering Slimtacular® pants, we’ll have you looking head-to-toe gorgeous. Friendly service. Exceptional selection. Unforgettable style.

Come in and mention code D3264 for $50 off your $100 purchase.

WitteMuseum.org

Alamo Quarry Market 255 E. Basse Rd., Suite 158

210.357.1910

210.804.1755

3801 Broadway

44 | sawoman.com

SONTERRA LASER MED SPA

MORRIS KAYE AND SONS FURS AND FASHION

Since 1935 Morris Kaye & Sons Furs, Texas’s largest fur manufacturer has been transforming fur into the most fashionable modern trends. Times have changed and so have we, with the most cutting and trending designs of the finest fur garments and accessories. Their extensive line includes a Tibetan Lamb and Goat Vest, $325, as shown.

555 E. Basse Rd., Suite 104

'Tis the season for beautiful skin! Where can you find medicalgrade cosmetic procedures in a spa setting at an amazingly affordable rate? Sonterra Laser Med Spa, a USA Today 10 Best Spa, delivers just that to women (and men). While the spa is known for Botox, fillers, CoolSculpting, and laser hair removal, they treat all skin types and concerns. Call to schedule your complimentary skin analysis. Give yourself the gift of beautiful skin this holiday season!

1202 E. Sonterra Blvd., Suite 303 sonterralaser.com

210.545.3327

210.820.3877 www.morriskayefurs.com

CHALET COSMETICS

MORETTI’S FINE JEWELRY

Give the gift of beauty this holiday season. A natural line of cosmetics born in San Antonio, made in the USA. Visit a Chalet store or www.ChaletCosmetics.com to customize a beauty box filled with products she’ll love! With everything from a delectable lip gloss to an advanced peptide coconut oil cream to the best-selling Pumpkin Powder. Purchase two products and receive a travel size skincare set and scented beeswax candle to light up her vanity!

Celebrating 37 years of quality, integrity and knowledge.

Inspired by the historical “poison ring,” this stunning oval peridot surrounded by tsavorite garnets and framed by a row of white diamonds, hinges open to reveal a secret compartment! In addition to the finest diamonds, gemstones and pearls, you’ll find unique jewelry of superior craftsmanship along with the most renowned brands of Swiss timepieces.

5926 Broadway 78209

14230 San Pedro Avenue

210.829.7700

5535 W. Loop 1604N

210.681.9391

210.493.8080

november/december 2015 | 45

HERITAGE GAME MOUNTS

Elegant antler display, sporting art and accessories.

Choose from one of our distinctive panels using your antlers or ours. Unique sporting art, angling and shooting accessories.

Made in the USA.

Rita Schimpff

TWIN LIQUORS

THE EXECUTIVE — $250, #24567 Make a statement with this gift of wine. Orin Swift Prisoner, Caravan Cabernet, Faust Cabernet, Chappellet Signature Cabernet, Wilde Farms Pinot Noir and Frank Family Cabernet.

Choose from a variety of pre-made gift baskets and cocktail combo packs, or customize your own.

HeritageGameMounts.com

210.822.7224

TwinLiquors.com

1.855.350.TWIN (8946)

TOYOTA OF BOERNE

With unparalleled style and dependability, the 2015 Highlander is not only safe but fun to drive. Family trips have never been easier, with up to eight seats, increased cargo space and rear-seat entertainment. As an IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus, the Highlander is an easy choice for your family.

THE SOFTEST BEDDING ON THE PLANET! Treat yourself or spread the cozy comfort... Give the gift of blissful slumber this holiday season. Mention this ad to receive $50 OFF Bamboo Sheet Sets.

31205 IH 10 Frontage Road

15900 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 2320

toyotaofboerne.com

Next to Nordstrom

888.311.6058

210.641.1233

46 | sawoman.com

CARILOHA BAMBOO

SAN ANTONIO COSMETIC SURGERY

Coolsculpt before the Holidays! Coolsculpting Mini is Here!

CINNABON — Ultimate Indulgence Awaits

Bring home the season with the aroma of fresh baked dough and Makara Cinnamon topped with ooey-gooey frosting.

Available with Classic Roll, Caramel Pecanbon or Minibon Cinnapacks. Only available at the Cinnabon at North Star Mall and the San Antonio Airport.

BUY ONE CINNAPACK, GET ONE 50% OFF, Expires January 4, 2016.

San Antonio Cosmetic Surgery, PA is excited to present the Cool Mini! This device is the newest addition to our growing Coolsculpting Portfolio, which uses FDA approved and patented fat freezing technology to non-surgically get rid of fat in unwanted areas. Our existing applicators for large areas such as the abdomen, flanks and thighs, have seen great results, and now by popular demand we are able to treat smaller, more specific areas. We're honored to be one of the first practices selected in Bexar County to expand our offerings and further demonstrate the safety, efficacy and long-lasting results of the Coolsculpting procedure with this new applicator.

Call our office to schedule your complimentary consultation and take advantage of the Premier and Holiday promotion today!

11130 Christus Hills, Suite 108 San Antonio, TX 78251

North Star Mall and San Antonio Airport

sanantoniocosmeticsurgery.net

Cinnabon.com

210.614.4320

PILAR ABRIL SIGNATURE SPA

A new spa concept dedicated to providing exceptional services combined with elegance and positive energy to deliver an exclusive experience to our clients. Indulge yourself with a trio of spa services that include Pilar's Signature Massage, Deluxe Facial, and Zero Gravity Chair Pedicure.

Gift certificates are available for your purchase.

8006 West Ave., Suite #2 pilarabrilsignaturespa.com

The #1 bestselling author and Food Network personality at last answers that age-old question “What’s for Dinner?”, bringing together more than 125 simple, scrumptious, step-by-step recipes for delicious dinners the whole family will love.

Hardcover edition only $17.99 Order for Christmas at

SanAntonioBook.com

210.269.8025

november/december 2015 | 47

W BEAUTY

G lowing Youthful Skin San Antonio experts offer insights on new skin treatments gaining popularity

3

BY KRISTIN MEARS As you flip through the pages of an old photo album, you come across a

decade-old photo. It shows your youthful face glistening and soaking up

the sun, not a wrinkle in sight, as you grin from ear to ear. Most of us wish we could go back to those days and look and feel as we did then. The truth

is there are options to get that youthful glow back that do not include plas-

tic surgery or expensive creams. Why not just book a facial or a peel? The challenge is which one to choose.

SAN ANTONIO WOMAN asked three skin experts about three skin treatments gaining popularity in the Alamo City and elsewhere. Some women

in San Antonio are giving their foundation and concealer a break and reju-

venating their skin with these new types of facial treatments that offer hy-

dration and help them gain that youthful radiance again.

INTRACEUTICALS OXYGEN FACIAL We all know celebrities have more than one trick up

their sleeve to get “camera ready” in an instant, and aside from their often-publicized little plastic surgery tweaks, one of the biggest celebrity beauty se-

crets is the oxygen facial. “This treatment is perfect for any skin

type, and instant, visible results

can be seen during this cooling,

calming treatment,” says Jenae Salaiz,

a licensed aesthetician at Aesthetic Op-

tions Medical Spa. “Your skin will look and feel

years younger, visibly lifted, toned and hydrated.”

A professionally administered treatment uses the

benefits of oxygen under pressure to deliver

serum to the skin. During the treatment the appli-

cator glides an oxygen bubble over the skin, ensuring

48 | sawoman.com

OXYGEN FACIAL average cost $

150-200

W BEAUTY full application of Rejuvenate Serum to effectively hydrate the skin.

“The benefits of having an oxygen facial are improved skin hydration

and volume, instantly reduced fine lines and wrinkles. Skin looks

younger, luminously radiant and lit from within,” explains Salaiz. As

treatments go, the cost can be $150-200, and the average treatment

time is about an hour.

ViPEEL

If you knew there was a treatment

that could reverse the effects of

sun damage and environ-

mental factors, even clear acne and act as an aging

preventive for younger

skin, would you want to

take advantage of it? Most

of us would, and luckily

ViPeel is a therapy that offers to

ViPEEL average cost $

250

do just that. ViPeel has a unique

blend of ingredients producing proven clear

results with no pain, no skin preparation and very little downtime. “Not only will it reduce

fine lines and wrinkles, it can soften brown

spots too,” says aesthetician Paige Foss of Dr.

Rogers San Antonio Weight Loss Center. “It’s a

very good treatment with no downtime.”

The skin peeling associated with the ViPeel is a light, fluffy peel that

the skin’s natural healing processes.

“Not only does it show great results, it

reduces downtime and risk and costs less

MICRO-NEEDLING flat rate cost $

325

will start on day three and generally be finished by the end of day four.

than many other procedures aiming for the

virtually invisible, and no makeup can be worn for five days. “It uses

by Design Dermatology & Laser Center. “You will see results

The peeling is easily hidden by moisturizer. In some cases, the peel is the synergy of all available and known modes of action of various acids

to produce a multitude of positive effects. It tackles skin problems at

the cellular level rather than just burning skin off,” explains Foss.

“With the synergistic actions of its many acids and vitamins, the ViPeel

helps erase fine lines and wrinkles, minimize pore appearance and

build collagen and elastin, which tighten skin.” The average cost is $250, and the treatment time is about 15-20 minutes.

same effect,” says Brenda Hughes, a patient consultant for Skin

after just one treatment of micro-needling.”

To reach the full potential of diminishing skin imperfections,

three to six treatments are recommended. “We are seeing two

to three patients a day per aesthetician for micro-needling. It’s

a great way to rejuvenate and improve your skin with so little

downtime,” says Hughes. The flat rate cost is $325, and the av-

erage treatment time is about two hours, which includes con-

MICRO-NEEDLING

sultation, taking photos and the treatment itself.

such as acne, wrinkles, scars and pigment issues, involve many trips

As the holidays approach, keeping on top of your skin and

Treatments to reduce the appearance of imperfections on the face, to the doctor and aren’t really a “quick fix.” However, a therapy called

micro-needling offers an approach to minimize wrinkles and improve

the appearance of scars in all skin types with reduced downtime. The

therapy involves a trained technician who uses a device on your face

(and neck area, if desired) that delivers tiny needle pricks to stimulate

50 | sawoman.com

health regimens can be a challenge, especially when you’re

crunched for time. It’s exciting to have these time-saving op-

tions and the experts to provide them right here in San Antonio.

Perhaps this is the year for you to give yourself the gift of an

updated approach to more beautiful skin.

W HEALTH MATTERS

Taking care of those gams Early Detection and New Therapies to Maintain Limb Health

M

BY PAMELA LUTRELL

any women spend their youth and midlife preparing for the Marilyn Monroe moment — that moment when they walk across an air vent and their skirt goes flying and their legs will be properly shaved, tanned, muscular and gleaming. However, there are other women who are dealing with deeper concerns than a tinted moisturizer. They are the ones suffering with spider veins, varicose veins and lymphedema.

The inclination of most patients is to try to live with these symptoms

until pain forces a doctor’s visit. Those affected will first select full-coverage

clothing to hide the problem, not realizing prolonging treatment of the more

serious issues can result in blood clots, discoloration, ulcers and increased

pain. Both men and women can suffer from these problems, but it is most

prevalent after pregnancy and the reason so many women will require treatment. Dr. Robert Thompson, M.D., a board-certified vascular surgeon who works at Veintec in the Medical Center, assures patients who come in for a

consultation that they will be surprised. Most procedures at Veintec are

noninvasive; require no hospitalization or anesthesia, can often be treated with lasers or injections and have high rates of success.

Nisha M. Franklin of Hamilton Vein Center says symptoms of vein disease

can include painful, aching, heavy legs; restless legs; night cramps; varicose

veins; darkened skin and texture changes; itchy skin; swelling; and open ulcers.

Other patients will have no visible signs at all. “Vein disease is very common and

affects people no matter the age or background,” continues Franklin. It is more

than a cosmetic issue, and of the 30 million people with symptomatic venous reflux, more than 28 million people go untreated annually. “We are trying hard to change that,” she says.

52 | sawoman.com

W HEALTH MATTERS

Lymphedema if left untreated can lead to INCREASE IN LIMB SIZE PROGRESSIVE HARDENING OF SKIN THICKENING OF THE SKIN PAPILLOMAS

Lymphedema is a more serious issue.

According to therapists at Lym-

INSREASED RISK OF BACTERIAL INFECTION

(buildup) of protein-rich fluid between the tissue spaces in the body that occurs when lymph

LYMPHANGIOSARCOMA

phedema MD (LMD of America) in San Antonio, lymphedema is an abnormal accumulation

vessels and/or nodes are missing, removed, impaired or damaged. It usually results in

swelling of the legs or arms but can also occur in the chest, face, neck, abdomen and genitals.

The National Cancer Institute reports that lower-limb lymphedema is experienced by 36

percent of vulvar cancer survivors and 5 percent of ovarian cancer survivors. Upper-limb lym-

phedema is experienced by 50-70 percent of women after breast cancer treatment, with severe

lymphedema in 10 percent. Lymphedema MD describes two types of lymphedema as primary

and secondary. Primary lymphedema occurs when an individual is born with poorly devel-

oped or missing lymph tissue. Symptoms of early-onset lymphedema (lymphedema praecox)

can be seen between birth and age 35. Symptoms of late-onset primary lymphedema (lym-

phedema tarda) occur after 35 years of age. Secondary lymphedema can occur at any age

when lymph vessels/nodes are removed or damaged by surgery, radiation, injury or severe in-

fection. Risk factors that contribute to the development of secondary lymphedema can in-

Lower-Limb Lymphedema is experienced by

36% of vulvar cancer survivors

5%

of ovarian cancer survivors

clude older age, obesity (BMI 30 or higher) and venous and arterial blood flow abnormalities.

Individuals who have had sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNLB), auxillary lymph node dissec-

tion (ALND) or other lymph node removal/biopsy in conjunction with radiation therapy or

obesity are at higher risk of developing secondary lymphedema. There is a higher risk of de-

veloping lymphedema in those with ALND than SNLB because of the increased amount of

lymph nodes removed.

Lymphedema causes pain/discomfort because of the increase in limb volume and inflam-

mation resulting in pressure on pain nerve fibers. If the condition is left untreated, lym-

Upper-Limb Lymphedema is experienced by

50-70% of women after breast cancer treatment

phedema can lead to an incredible increase in limb size, progressive hardening of the skin and

tissues, hyperkeratosis (thickening of the skin) and papillomas (wart-like growths) of the skin.

People with untreated lymphedema are also at an increased risk of developing bacterial infections of the skin (cellulitis), erysipelas and/or an infection of the lymph vessels (lymphangi-

tis). The smallest injury to the affected body part can lead to frequent infections, resulting in

worsening of the condition and increased hospitalizations. In other instances, an individual

may develop lymphangiosarcoma. This rare form of soft tissue cancer can result from the most severe cases of untreated lymphedema.

Patients usually report some relief after one or two sessions of a therapy called complete

decongestive therapy. The manual lymphatic drainage technique has an analgesic effect on

most patients, often reducing joint pain and limb discomfort. Patients who have added complications and pain from wounds, scar tissue, radiation therapy, nerve pain resulting from

chemotherapy or pain from arthritis will report more noticeable improvements two to four weeks after the initiation of treatment once the limb volume has been markedly reduced.

San Antonio has good resources to help you with your limb care needs. As with most

health issues – early detection and treatment are critical, and issues can be managed with

early diagnosis and diligent care of the affected limb.

Risk Factors

that contribute to the development of secondary lymphedema OLDER AGE OBESITY (BMI 30 or higher) VENOUS & ARTERIAL BLOOD FLOW ABNORMALITIES SENTINEL LYMPH NODE BIOPSY, AUXILLARY LYMPH NODE DISSECTION, OTHER LYMPH NODE REMOVAL/BIOPSY IN CONJUNCTION WITH RADIATION THERAPY OR OBESITY National Cancer Institute

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W BUSINESS WOMAN SPOTLIGHT

Photography by JANET ROGERS

Krastina K. Reynolds Owner, Choicolate — Artisan Chocolates

What do you do? I craft specialty chocolates with natural ingredients and premium European chocolate. I also do recipe development and testing for new products as well as production management for the boutique menu.

Length of time at this job: One year, seven months.

What is it that you like best about your job? Making customers smile.

Creating an authentic treasure that always brings joy.

Education/Major: Music; I am classically trained in Bulgarian folk music.

What career path led you to where you are today? I am a professional Bulgarian folk singer and voice trainer. I have traveled the world as a member of the Bulgarian Voices Angelite from Sofia, Bulgaria. Following music studies at New Bulgarian University in Sofia and touring with the choir, I moved to South Korea, where I worked with a band briefly before teaching and tutoring English in Korean schools and privately. While in Korea for just over nine years, I met my husband, Leroy, and gave birth to our first son. God’s providence led us to San Antonio following my husband’s U.S. Army retirement. I wanted to continue in my profession as a voice trainer here in the U.S.; however, I was given the opportunity to become a chocolatier and owner of Choicolate – Artisan Chocolates. The business was established in 2010 by a Korean couple, who decided to leave the business for personal reasons. Leroy and I intended to start a small European-style café here in San Antonio; however, we discovered Choicolate and loved everything about the business.

We bought the business in early 2014 and have continued the tradition of handcrafted, all-natural ingredients with premium European chocolates.

When did you know that you were in the right place in your career?

The moment I recognized Choicolate as our means to show God’s love to others and to see others experience the joy of simple pleasures.

Would you encourage your children to go into the same field? I’d encourage our sons to find purpose for their lives, to decide what brings joy; their spiritual gift. And, “yes,” especially if it is their God-given gift.

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What did you want to be when you were growing up? I’ve always wanted to teach, especially children and particularly music.

What do you enjoy doing on a day off? Spending time with my family and traveling whenever time permits.

What is your favorite thing to do in San Antonio? San Antonio is very family-oriented, so I wouldn’t call one thing in particular my “favorite.” It’s so rich in history and child-friendly. Pools, parks and the children’s museum.

How would you describe your leadership style? Authoritarian, but slightly mothering (which is probably the same thing).

What is your favorite vacation?

Mountains with snow.

What is your all-time favorite movie? Chocolat (2000) with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp.

What is your favorite cell phone app? Holy Bible.

Who has been the biggest influence in your life personally and professionally?

I put my faith in God first above all things. My grandmother is the biggest influence in my life personally and professionally. She always believed in my ability to learn and encouraged me to study and develop my talents as well as common skills. She instilled in me the work ethic that guides my efforts at home with my family as well as our business operation.

What community or not-for-profit groups are you involved with as a volunteer? Church choir. My time is limited for volunteerism. However, my husband and I contribute to charitable children’s events and organizations What is your favorite relaxation strategy? Getting my husband to massage my feet. Singing.

What are your goals? Personally, to be Godly as well as the best wife and mother. Professionally, to be an industry leader in touch with customers.

What is the best advice that you have ever received? Enjoy life.

Don’t take it too seriously. Laugh.

Who were your mentors?

Life. I’ve been exposed to lots of people, including family and professional colleagues. No one particular person is a mentor when you’ve been exposed to lots of gifted people.

For more with Krastina Reynolds, go to sawomanconnect.com.

november/december 2015 | 57

W ACCORDING TO LINDA

What’s Relevant in San Antonio by LINDA ELLIOTT

Give of Yourself to Grow Yourself I’m sure you’ve heard it hundreds of times: “San Antonio is the biggest small town in the country.” You can have anonymity in a big city, but it’s pretty difficult to go places in a small town where you don’t know somebody. We have the best of all worlds – the conveniences of a big city and the charm of a small town.

What is unique about living in a small town? It’s knowing your neighbors, communing and working with them to make the community a better place to live. In so doing, you’re expanding your community reach and broadening your relationship base. In a small town, it’s more difficult to be a recluse than it is in a big city, odd as that may sound. Many have heard me say, “San Antonio has only 765 people living here, and I know every one of them!”

Life will be pretty mundane if it doesn’t extend beyond yourself, your work and your family. We live in a very needy world that can improve only with the help of others. I know what several of you may be saying: “There are not enough hours in the day for me to take on any other responsibilities.” I would suggest that you think outside of your self-imposed box. Be bold and challenge yourself a bit.

I write a Power of Connections monthly and am in my third year.

December will be my third Power of Giving, so I went back and reread my 2013-2014 December blogs to help me with this article. My business, Elliott Connection, was established because of the wide range of people I know. And how do I know so many people? I know them through my extensive community involvement. I consider giving time, effort and money to worthy causes as part of living and doing business in the community – especially in our “small town” of San Antonio. And it will pay off in spades in the end.

There are an infinite number of nonprofit organizations here.

They all must rely on volunteers to help them accomplish their missions of serving the community. When valuable skills are donated, their financial bottom line remains focused on the core purpose while they gain tools and insights to help them grow. You must first analyze yourself and determine what you want to do.

• • • • •

What are your capabilities?

Are you a strong leader or a good team member?

Do you have a knack for numbers?

Are you well organized?

What is your profession, and how can you complement that through your volunteer efforts?

• What is a key interest, hobby or passion?

• How can you contribute your knowledge and abilities to help an organization?

There are multiple organizations serving numerous causes that can make your head swim – the arts, children, education, health care, the homeless – the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, altruism no 58 | sawoman.com

longer exists in its purest form. You really have to run a WIIFM (what’s in it for me) test. In other words, how can the organization AND you mutually benefit? Here are some suggestions: • Research the organizations that serve a cause for which you have a passion.

• Go to each website and learn as much as you can about each one.

• Study the leadership on both the board and the staff.

• Determine through your review of each organization what you believe you could bring to the table.

• When you’ve narrowed down your search, ask others for their opinions.

• Identify a strategic way, either directly or indirectly, to propose yourself or be recommended.

• **Perform your committed obligation as if it were part of your job.

Why the ** on the final bullet? People observe what you are doing, and if you’re doing it well, they assume that is your work ethic. They will likely be open to using your services because you have proven your ability. If you don’t fulfill your commitment, people may assume that is the way you do business, and chances are they won’t be using your services.

I want to brag on four women who are extremely successful in business and recognize that it’s not just because they work very hard.

All of them are very active in the community and have always been.

In fact, I know them primarily through our community involvement.

They have joined together, and each one picks her favorite not-forprofit for which to raise funds. They invite their female and male friends and business associates to an event for the featured cause. The attendees are the “who’s who” of women achievers in San Antonio!

The power of these four women together and the impact they have cannot be matched. And who are these amazing women?

Cathy Amato, owner of Subway, Embers Wood Fired Grill & Bar, and Mooyah restaurants

Deborah Bauer, founder of Drake Commercial Group

Trudy Madan, CEO of Synergyst Research, Discovery Clinical Trials and AllergySA Christy Prescott, owner of Corporate Travel Planners

There is no better time than the present to make the commitment to get involved in our community, showcase your abilities by giving it your all, be confident that you are helping an organization that so desperately needs you and reap the many benefits that will come to you in multiple ways.

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november/december 2015 | 61

W WOMEN IN BUSINESS

In Her Skin

BY JENNIFER BARTLETT

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELIZABETH WARBURTON

SA’s Medical Spas Gain Followers in Era of the “Selfie”

I recently spoke with four leaders in San Antonio’s rapidly growing medical spa industry to share how they got started, what has influenced the beauty

industry’s expansion into this growing skin care niche and how technology, licensing and being physician-owned are central to mindfully growing the

business and maintaining customer satisfaction.

According to local physicians in the beauty industry, San Antonians are seek-

ing the latest and greatest in cosmetic treatments, but in moderation. “It’s all

about creating the best version of who you already are,” says Lizette Altieri, M.D., owner of White Pearl Medical Spa. Dr. Lubna Naeem of Soni Med Spa

concurs, saying, “People are healthier now than ever, and they want to look

as good as they feel.” Dr. Laura Bennack of Radiance Spa adds, “This is the

new preventive medicine.” And with all the interest in this skin care niche, Roma Kumar of Sonterra Laser Med Spa agrees with each of these doctors

when she encourages all of her clients to do their research to make sure they are choosing spas that are licensed and using brand-name products.

Lizette Altieri, M.D. WHITE PEARL MEDICAL SPA

Dr. Lizette Altieri of White Pearl Medical Spa is a walking billboard for how natural and beautiful one’s skin can look with noninvasive skin care treatments. She is also a dedicated physician whose thoughtful approach to the beauty business reflects her philosophy. She explains that as a physician, her first duty is “to do no harm.” Dr. Altieri explains her commitment to her patients with her mission — to help them “look good on the outside and feel good on the inside.”

Dr. Altieri was trained in internal medicine in Puerto Rico. She worked in the Valley for a year and then transferred to the Southwest Texas Medical Group in San Antonio. After taking a break from medicine to raise her family, she saw the tremendous growth of medical spas in San Antonio and realized there was great variation in their quality: “Some medical spas had a bad reputation because many were not licensed or did

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not follow licensing requirements.” She knew that if she were to get into the business, she would need to ensure that her facility was firstrate, not just in terms of the products used, but in terms of the care offered to every patient. She came to White Pearl Medical Spa in 2008 and took over the facility as sole owner in 2012.

EDUCATION OF CLIENTS IS KEY Dr. Altieri and her nine-person staff work hard to educate patients before performing any procedures on them. “Education is the key to success,” she says. She does not charge for an initial consultation because she believes strongly in the value of a well-educated client.

White Pearl provides patients with a menu of options ranging from laser hair and tattoo removal to microdermabrasion and body sculpting. Currently, the doctor is most excited about Ultherapy ™, the noninvasive face-lift that takes care of lines and wrinkles from the top of the forehead all the way to the décolletage. Dr. Altieri advises that for Ultherapy ™, and for all procedures she does in-house, it is vital to continue with a wonderful skin care regimen at home.

When looking for a reputable medical spa, patients are cautioned by Dr. Altieri to do their research. She says she is always walking a fine line, trying to have the latest in technology, but also ensuring that the products she uses have more than just FDA approval. “I am constantly going on PubMed and looking for peer-reviewed studies that show me that the therapies and services I am offering are the best and the safest in the business.” She encourages her clients to do the same. “Social media has been the best and worst thing to happen to us. Facebook, Instagram and the big culprit, the ‘selfie,’ allow us to constantly scrutinize our faces, looking for flaws. Rather than simply looking for which spa has the cutting-edge technology, look for a reputable spa that does its research, uses the best products and considers the success rates of the technologies it advertises,” she recommends.

start doing Botox injections!”

Botox was developed by an opthalmologist to treat eye movement problems and conditions such as strabismus, also known as cross-eyes. Dr. Kumar noticed that not only was the use of Botox expanding beyond ophthalmology, but that the entire aesthetic medical industry was exploding. This was all Roma Kumar had to hear. She left her job at Dell and began to research medical spas, becoming a full-time student of the business. As Dr. Kumar explains it, “She took a mailroom approach, working from the ground up in every capacity, until she became expert enough to become a CEO.” Crazy as it may be, Roma left her secure and lucrative corporate job for a $10-per-hour gig working at a Smooth Solutions franchise, doing laser hair removal. In 2008, finished with her on-the-job training, she felt ready to open her own business.

Roma Kumar started the business with two employees, two laser hair removal machines and one microdermabrasion machine. It was time to market, and she knew just what to do. Groupon was her ticket to getting and attracting clients. She is proud to say that she was the first

As medical spas continue to proliferate, patients will have to become increasingly knowledgeable about finding which spas are best. “Patients are getting savvier about navigating the range of procedures and products available to help them look and feel their best today and for years to come,” says Dr. Altieri. “It isn’t necessarily about transformation. We never let a patient dictate the treatment.

Beauty is something we all have inside of us. We can bring it out here, but it is already inside every one of us.”

Roma Kumar

SONTERRA LASER MED SPA A savvy businesswoman who worked in the corporate arena at Dell for seven years, Roma Kumar became interested in medical spas after her husband, Dr. Sanjiv Kumar, a Harvard-trained opthalmologist, returned from a conference in 2007 and declared, “I need to november/december 2015 | 63

W WOMEN IN BUSINESS business owner in the medical spa industry to use Groupon as a means to get a customer base. Today, most customers find her through social media reviews. Why do they come back? Simply put, “Sonterra Laser Med Spa is all about the customers,” says Kumar. Her experience of building a client base through Groupon made her an absolute devotee of social media as a marketing resource. She also knows how important it is to garner good reviews from clients.

When clients walk into Sonterra Laser Med Spa for the range of services it offers them, they are struck by how warm and welcoming the facility is and how everyone is treated like family. Kumar attributes much of the spa’s success to her loyal staff. She credits the growth of her injection business to her senior injecting nurse, Blake, an R.N. for 17 years, who has been doing cosmetic injections for the last 10 years.

Blake never thought about going into injecting work until she had a realization: “I saw people that were so hurt on the inside; they were trying to control something on the outside that they couldn’t control on the inside. And I could help with that.” She describes cosmetic

procedures as healing treatments. “They empower people to control what they can. Women here are not looking for total transformations.

They are looking for a natural rejuvenation — they want people to see that they look great, but not to know what it is they did to look so good,” she says.

AN EMPHASIS ON THE PATIENT, PRODUCTS AND PROPER LICENSING The Kumars are particularly excited about new technologies for skin care such as eMatrix ™, a resurfacing procedure that helps remove brown spots on the skin. They also love the results that they are getting from Coolscultping ™ for removing unwanted fat in a noninvasive way.

As Roma puts it, “Who would want liposuction when they can get the same results with Coolsculpting ™ for half the price and no knives?”

While Roma and Dr. Kumar are excited about all the advances in technology that are coming to medical spas, they caution against getting too caught up in the latest technologies. “You might want to be an early adopter of the latest laptop or phone,” Dr. Kumar says, but he warns that getting too cuttingedge too fast in the medical industry is dangerous: “When it comes to your skin, a more cautious approach is a smarter approach.”

Dr. Laura Bennack RADIANCE MED SPA

Radiance Med Spa, like its moniker, feels like a tranquil getaway. Lighted mosaic installations decorate the lobby and clinic areas. The entire decor is one of soft lighting, comfortable chairs and fuzzy blankets. Radiance feels less like a medical facility and more like a place for pampering. It seems as if Dr. Laura Bennack thought of everything when she considered the interior design of her practice. She focuses on instilling her patients with confidence.

Once housed on Broadway in Alamo Heights, Radiance Medical Spa now makes its home in Castle Hills. The move allowed for an expanded practice and more comfortable spaces for patients to receive and recover from treatment.

Dr. Bennack is a highly educated physician and businesswoman. She received her B.S. from Trinity and began her professional career as a CPA. She learned early on that she didn’t love accounting work and decided to try her hand as a tax attorney. She earned her J.D. from St. Mary’s University and went on to practice tax law. The field was dominated by men in those days, so it was difficult for female attorneys. Finally, she left the law to go to medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center and started her medical career as an emergency room doctor.

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W WOMEN IN BUSINESS PHYSICIAN-OWNER MEDICAL SPAS Dr. Bennack began to research the medical spa industry in 2004. By 2006, she bought into the Radiance franchise. At first, she was unhappy with the franchise’s business model, which didn’t require that the business owners be physicians. In her opinion, this model wasn’t sustainable, but rather than walk away, she worked to change things.

Many of the Radiance Spas in the franchise did not survive, but the ones that did were, like hers, the ones with physician-owners.

Dr. Bennack is committed to lifelong learning and training both for herself and her staff. She goes to as many conferences as she can, not only to see the cutting-edge technologies constantly coming down the pike, but also to understand the field. Conferences attract doctors from all over the world, some of them using products or doing procedures not yet approved by the FDA. She uses this to her advantage.

“I get to hear about what is going on in the industry five years before a procedure or product is approved in the U.S. This allows me to learn about it, train with it and get good at it before ever offering it to my patients,” she explains.

Reflecting on the growth she’s seen in the med spa industry since she started, Dr. Bennack says, “It used to be that you could have registered nurses and injectors that could do their work without a doctor on site. That isn’t true anymore. A physician now has to see or approve anything that is done to the patient.” She welcomes the increased attention on licensing and regulation. She encourages prospective patients to do their own research: “You must go into a spa and see for yourself who you are going to be working with. You want to know the credentials of the doctors and the nurse injectors, and you want to know how much experience they have.”

Dr. Bennack also recognizes the changing demographics of medical spa patients. Mothers are coming in with their daughters. Women in their 20s, seeking preventive care, are starting skin care regimens and procedures earlier than ever. “It is not because they seek perfection,” she says. “It is because they want to be educated on how to take care of and maintain youthful-looking skin.” In addition to seeing more young people in her practice, she has also seen more men taking advantage of aesthetic procedures. “In the last 10 years, I would say we have seen a huge growth in our male clientele. About 30 percent of our patients are men.”

Dr. Lubna Naeem SONI MEDICAL SPA

Soni Medical Spa is a five-person operation run by Dr. Lubna Naeem that combines a medical spa with an internal medicine practice.

Soni’s mission is to treat the whole patient, and Dr. Naeem’s training as an internist informs her belief that the first order of business is health. “Once you are healthy on the inside, you can think about how to enhance the outside,” she explains. She received her medical degree at St. Louis University and practiced as an internist in Texas for 15 years. About 10 years ago, she started her medical spa as part of her overall practice. She noticed that women over 40 who were taking 66 | sawoman.com

care of their internal health were starting to feel better than they ever had and desired to look as good on the outside as they felt on the inside. She is quick to point out that her prime responsibility is to take care of her patients’ medical health. But once she saw that her patients were feeling so good on the inside, it helped her to branch out to provide care “for the outside as well.”

Dr. Naeem began by providing laser skin care treatments along with an excellent skin care product line. Soni offers regular facials, chemical peels and corrective treatments such as injections and dermal fillers.

She explains that chemical peels differ from skin type to skin type, and doctors have to be aware of a patient’s particular needs. She also points out that regular facial creams and products that one can buy at department stores do not have the medical grade formulations that one can find at a medical spa. “There is a misconception that medical formulations are more expensive than over-the-counter formulas, but this is not always the case,” she says, adding that facials provide more than just rejuvenation. They are also corrective treatments.

A PATIENT-CENTERED APPROACH Dr. Naeem underscores the importance of differentiating between what we might want to do and what we need to do when it comes to cosmetic procedures with her “health-first” approach. “We have to draw a line between our ability to do these procedures ‘just because’ and our duty to ask the important question: Does a patient really

need these services? My job is just like that of any doctor. First, I must help my patients understand what they need and what they don’t need.” She starts by developing a plan of care. Each patient is different, so her first consultation is free. It is at this session that she explains the services she offers and provides the patient a full physical workup. She explains that “younger patients usually do not need corrective treatments, but they may need rejuvenating treatments.” And she acknowledges that this is an “anti-aging industry.”

Dr. Naeem goes on to say, “It’s a cruel fact, but it is a fact. Life has become showbiz. People are healthier now than ever, and they want to look as good as they feel.” Her emphasis on health first is summed up simply: “If you are not healthy, you are not going to feel good no matter what you do. Beauty starts from good health; if you are not healthy, I cannot see how good one can look on the outside. Take care of your nutrition, prioritize exercise, and then seek out age-appropriate care.”

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W GUYS TO KNOW

Marty Roos

Partner, Strasburger & Price, LLP

BY JASMINA WELLINGHOFF PHOTOS BY JANET ROGERS

Marty Roos is an equity partner with Strasburger & Price, LLP, one of the largest law firms in Texas with offices in Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio and satellite offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Mexico City. With 25 years of experience, he focuses on estate planning, probate and estate administration, assisting clients with a broad range of estate issues. Prior to 2011, Roos was a partner and CEO of Oppenheimer, Blend, Harrison and Tate, Inc., a prominent local firm that merged with Strasburger & Price that year. The combined practice is often called just Strasburger.

During his career, Roos has won a great deal of professional recognition, including being named one of Texas Super Lawyers by the Thomson Reuters rating service for a number of years. He is also the recipient of the 2010 Outstanding Lawyer Award (estate planning) awarded by the San Antonio Business Journal.

Why did you choose to specialize in estate-related law?

When I first started practicing 25 years ago, I was in our creditor rights group because bankruptcy was a heavy practice back then. I didn’t like it that much. Estate planning was something I had always wanted to move into because I like helping people. In this type of law you get to know the clients and help them arrange their affairs. So to me it was a more satisfying practice.

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Could you briefly define what estate planning, probate and estate administration entail?

Estate planning is of concern to someone creating a last will or a revocable trust to determine how their assets will be distributed at their death. It may also entail setting up a trust for children or grandchildren, and we deal a lot with family limited partnerships, as well. Furthermore, we deal with what happens if a person is still alive but incapacitated.

Probate involves proving the validity of the will and putting the will in the county records when the person passes away. Texas is one of the easiest states to probate in. If the will is drawn up properly, the executor of the will should be able to manage it without much supervision from the court. Once the will is probated, estate administration is about paying the final debts and expenses, filing the final tax return and then distributing the assets according to the will.

Do you handle only estates above a certain value, or does it matter?

In my practice it doesn’t matter. I would rather make sure that somebody who needs a will gets one properly drawn regardless of whether they have $10,000 or $50 million. The type of will will change depending on the nature of the assets and the size of the estate, but we deal with all kinds of clients. We have a lot of young clients who need to appoint guardians for minor children, for instance, and older clients looking to pass down their assets to their children in a most tax-efficient way. That’s what I like — every client is different.

Do most people have a will?

No. There’s often a notion that they don’t need it because they don’t have enough assets, or it’s just one of those things that it’s easy to procrastinate on getting done, but I always tell clients that it’s much easier to have a will than to go through the probate process without one and rely on the Texas statute to determine how the assets will be distributed. We work on a flat fee basis in this area, so clients know going into it what the cost will be.

How much does probate cost?

The nice thing in Texas is that it doesn’t matter if it’s a $100,000 or a $20 million estate; the cost of probate is the same. The typical probate would be in the range of $1,500 to $2,500 plus filing fees.

What other legal documents would you advise people to have?

The other documents I advise people to have are important if you become incapacitated: a statutory power-of-attorney (for someone to make financial decision on your behalf), a medical power-of-attorney (for medical care decisions), and a living will or directive to physicians (regarding end-of-life care). If you don’t have them, a guardian will be appointed by the court with a lot of court supervision, a very expensive process.

Tell us about the program you developed that provides low-cost estate planning to employees of various companies.

We started with Valero in the mid-1990s. They offered will packages as part of their flexible spending for employees, and it was a great success. Since then, other corporations have taken advantage of the program, including H-E-B and AT&T. We make it as convenient as possible for the employees. We go in there and educate them on the basics and give them a questionnaire to complete. Then we prepare drafts (of the will) for each employee and meet them again at the cor-

porate site for them to review and sign the documents. At Valero we had will-signing days when employees and their spouses came in and did the will-signing. We did 1,700 wills in a three-month period.

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?

My greatest accomplishment is becoming CEO of Oppenheimer, Blend, Harrison & Tate prior to our merger with Strasburger… In that position, I also oversaw the merger. It was a detailed and complex transaction, but it was satisfying to see it through to completion.

You have been involved with a number of charitable/ community organizations. Which cause is close to your heart right now?

My children (laughs). Really, I am spending more time with them.

I used to be on a lot of boards — Big Brothers Big Sisters, for example; I was very passionate about it, served on the board for six year and went all the way to president, and I still support that organization. I have been involved in a lot of Jewish charities as well, such as the Jewish Community Center and the Jewish Federation, and my wife and I are both involved in Temple Beth-El. All three of our kids are active there, and that’s where we spend a lot of our time. Otherwise, I am the chauffeur and the cheerleader for our three children, attending their events and supporting their activities, which I love.

What do you like to do when you are not working and not hanging out with the kids?

Probably some form of exercise. I like doing spin class, and I am addicted to a new exercise place called Orangetheory. It’s a 60-minute circuit-training workout. It’s a lot of fun. I also love to read.

What book are you reading now?

My favorite book of all time is To Kill a Mockingbird, so I am reading Go Set a Watchman, the “new” book by Harper Lee. It’s a great book, but it doesn’t match Mockingbird. My favorite characters, Atticus and Scout, are very different in this book. My wife is reading The Martian, and that will be my next book. I also love to cook, by the way.

My mom was a caterer, so she taught us how to cook before we went to college. Sundays are my days to cook.

Mr. Roos’ comments have been edited for space and clarity. november/december 2015 | 69

W ROLE MODEL

Role Model Melissa McKennon Program director for Grace After Fire

BY KRISTIN MEARS PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANET ROGERS

W

hile most high school juniors were count-

from Wayland Baptist University, she completed her most recent

Melissa McKennon had another plan in

velopment and leadership from the University of the Incarnate

ing down the minutes to senior year,

mind — serving her country by joining the

Army Reserves. She attended basic training dur-

ing the summer of her junior and senior years at Sidney Lanier

High School. Then she served eight years in the Army as a patient

administration specialist with duty stations in Wiesbaden, Ger-

many, and Brooke Army Medical Center in her hometown of San

Antonio.

McKennon challenged herself to reach for the stars despite fight-

ing one of her toughest hardships: not being a U.S. citizen. “I’m

the youngest daughter of Francisco and Concepcion Calderon, born in Nueva Rosita, Mexico, raised in San Antonio,” she ex-

plains. She couldn’t join the military police or military intelligence

or become an officer without U.S. citizenship. “I became a U.S. cit-

izen in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2006. I promised myself that that

would be the last time for an excuse to prevent me from attaining my goal,” she says.

Once she earned her citizenship, the sky was no longer the limit

for McKennon. After marrying her husband, Jason, at age 21 (he

achievement, obtaining her master’s degree in organizational de-

Word. McKennon can relate to being an active-duty soldier, Army

spouse, veteran, full-time student and mother to her children, Xai-

dyn and Xasha.

It was through her abilities to connect with others that she be-

came the program director for Grace After Fire, a nonprofit or-

ganization for women veterans. The goal is to

provide

peer-to-peer support to the woman veteran and her needs upon

her return home. Grace After Fire’s mission is assisting the tran-

sition back into family life and encouraging achievements in the

workplace and the pursuit of happiness. “I want to remind them

they are not alone,” McKennon says. “I am their voice when they

have lost theirs.”

McKennon could be labeled as a “Dreamer.” “My parents left their

lives in Mexico in hopes of providing a better life for their three

children. I want my parents to know that their sacrifice was well worth it,” she says. “Here I am, and I am not stopping.”

When McKennon is not on the job or carrying out her motherly

was also active-duty Army), she yearned for problems to solve,

duties, you can find her serving as volunteer coach on the soccer

lor’s degree in human services with a concentration in psychology

Universal City and plays soccer in the social and soccer club.

people to motivate and things to discover. After earning a bache-

70 | sawoman.com

field. She is also an active member of the First Baptist Church in

Melissa McKennon Age: 29 Why she is a role model: The odds were against her. Married at 21 in a dual-military union and as a noncitizen, Melissa McKennon faced many bumps, but her family and endurance led her to where she is today — making a difference with women veterans as program director for Grace After Fire.

Her role models: “My father and my women veterans. My father is invincible, and it’s amazing to see the women break barriers and never be defeated.”

Words she lives by: May your dreams stay big and your worries stay small.

Last book read or favorite book: From Good to Great, a story declaring anyone can be good, and also The Giving Tree, which McKennon believes sums up her life.

Favorite band: Country music group Rascal Flatts.

Favorite movie: Rocky IV. “The odds were against Rocky. Every time he fell, he found a way to get back up. That’s me.”

Favorite pastime in San Antonio: “Anything involving my family, barbecuing or playing around outside.”

Most memorable moment as a youth: Going fishing with her dad and siblings at Brackenridge Park.

“My fishing pole was a tree branch, and my siblings had rods.

Yet I was the only one that caught a fish (more like a tadpole), but it changed my life. It changed my vision, my way of seeing greatness in the mud, and looking for the best method to a solution.”

Describe a personal goal: “To be the best version of me. To inspire others to be greater, to be a role model to my children, especially my daughter — she is my shadow.

I want her to look up to me as I do my mother.”

Describe a professional goal: “To complete a Ph.D. in adult education and leadership from Texas State University and to help as many women veterans as possible.”

november/december 2015 | 71

72 | sawoman.com

MOMMY MATTERS W

FINDING A MENTOR FOR YOUR TEEN

BY NICOLE CRAWFORD

Last May, I graduated from my 200-hour yoga teaching training and became a certified

yoga instructor. The first piece of advice our teacher gave us upon completing the training

was to find a mentor. Believe it or not, in my 29 years on this Earth I had never received this

advice from any of my teachers before.

High school students hear a lot about getting job experience and figuring out what major

they are interested in pursuing. They work with college admissions counselors to learn all the details they need to know to apply to various colleges. While these practices are important

and beneficial, there’s nothing like having a personal contact to guide your child and act not only as a practical assistant, but an inspiration. This is where mentors come in.

Why are mentors important for a teen?

*

A mentor acts as a guide to keep a high school student on track and help him or her con-

sider important decisions for the future. In short, a mentor is a supportive partner.

After doing a bit of research, it was clear to me that the benefits of mentoring are huge for

high school students. These are just a few of the benefits listed by the National Mentoring Part-

A mentor helps a

nership, an online resource that helps connect parents and students to mentors in their area:

the nitty-gritty details

•

Mentors connect students to teachers, internships and job opportunities in their field

a one-on-one setting.

•

Mentors teach students how to search for and apply for jobs.

student sort through

of young adult life in

•

Mentors help young people take the first steps to setting and implementing career goals.

of interest.

november/december 2015 | 73

W MOMMY MATTERS

*

Having one-on-one guidance is a great way to allow students to express their doubts and frustrations that come with all the pressure of choosing their next steps in life.

One mentor’s experience

My sister, Ashley – now a law student at Arizona State University – worked as a

mentor during her undergraduate years. I remember how excited she would get when

she told me about her experiences with students. Ashley volunteered for an organization called Upward Bound, a federally funded organization that provides mentoring

services as well as tutoring for high school students. Their services are specifically di-

rected toward students from low-income families or those whose parents do not have a bachelor’s degree. Ashley discussed what her work consisted of:

“The mentoring program was geared toward getting into college, but

we also talked about stress, self-esteem and time management. A lot of the kids appreciated having college students who were willing to come and work with them. It was easy for them to relate to us.”

Ashley told me about one of her mentees who came into the program with an

unenthusiastic attitude and lack of motivation. After just three months of mentor-

ing, the student had identified three colleges she was interested in and had been

accepted by two them. “But most of all, she was excited about her future and wanted to play an active role in reaching her highest potential,” said Ashley.

Psychological benefits

This story illustrates one of the other benefits of mentoring: psychological and

emotional support. High school is a hard time for many young adults, and students

of all demographics struggle with the stresses and insecurities that are so common

during this phase of life. Having one-on-one guidance is a great way to allow students

to express their doubts and frustrations that come with all the pressure of choosing their next steps in life.

A fascinating and comprehensive study titled, The Role of Risk: Mentoring Ex-

periences and Outcomes for Youth with Varying Risk Profiles, examined the effects

of mentoring on teens from all demographics and family backgrounds. The researchers noted the benefits demonstrated in groups with mentors versus those without:

74 | sawoman.com

“These (benefits) included emotional/psychological well-

being, social relationships, academic attitudes and self-re-

ported grades. Reductions in symptoms of depression were

particularly notable — both for the large size of the effect and

the consistency across groups.”

My sister noted that in her experience improved psycho-

logical well-being was one of the most obvious benefits of

mentoring. She said it was amazing to see high school stu-

dents excited and happy about their future. “Mentoring

helped the students get an idea of the possibilities that were

open to them, and it also gave them the resources they needed

to pursue those possibilities – but most important, mentoring

helped them get excited about their future. It also visibly im-

proved their self-esteem,” she said.

How to find a mentor

The first step to finding a mentor is to identify your child’s

needs. Is he or she interested in a specific subject, such as

computer programming or science? Or are you looking for a

mentor to help your child learn the ropes of applying to college

or searching for a job? Answering these questions will help

you limit your search and find the mentor who is best suited

to your child’s needs.

Once you have identified the type of mentor you want, look

for resources in your community. The best place to start is

probably your child’s school, but you can also use the Mentor-

ing Connector tool at the National Mentoring Partnership

website to find mentoring programs in your area.

Real life guidance

There’s nothing like having an experienced guide to con-

nect with and learn from. These days it’s all too easy to turn

to YouTube or Google and think all our questions can be an-

swered in moments. Working with a mentor provides something unique to help your child on his or her journey: a real life, one-on-one connection with someone who has been there

and knows what it’s like. (And, of course, it helps that it’s not

mom or dad.)

november/december 2015 | 75

W SENIOR CARE GIVING

The Balancing Act of the Sandwich Generation Who would have guessed that the carefree “Pepsi Generation” and their younger siblings would get so pooped?

Little wonder when nearly half of middle-aged adults find themselves caring for elderly parents as well as raising or helping support children or grandchildren.

BY NANCY COOK-MONROE

It’s common knowledge we are living longer, thanks to better fitness and access to health care. Adult children, roughly between ages 40 and 60, have a more pressing role assisting parents with medical, emotional and/or financial needs on the one hand, and giving love and support to their children or grandchildren, whether toddlers or parents themselves, on the other.

So prevalent is this social phenomenon that a New Jersey journalist and activist in elder care issues, Carol Abaya, copyrighted the phrase “Sandwich Generation.” While some joke the term evokes the upwardly mobile that grab a sandwich as they work at their desks, it really describes the social phenomenon bred of longer life expectancy.

Milking the metaphor, Abaya also copyrighted the “Club Sandwich,” which layers in grandchildren or grandparents, and the “Open-Faced” for anyone tending to older parents.

Given San Antonio’s lower-than-statewide median income ($45,399 in 2013), the toll on families can be staggering, sometimes leading to clinical depression or divorce. A local symposium for caregivers, Heal the Healer San Antonio, has grown in its three years to the point where its founder, Dr. Melissa Walker, has filed for nonprofit status and plans to add more sessions. Its spiritual and medical emphases have been very well received, Dr. Walker says.

“The stress of family demands is compounded when it gnaws into the precious resource of time,” says Kathleen Denny, Ph.D., visiting professor of sociology at Trinity University. “When the caregiver has to give up a job, the financial pressures grow worse and erode one’s sense of self.”

That’s the case for Lindsay Nash of Alamo Heights. She had to abandon a career she loved as sales director for a large pharmaceutical company in order to devote time to her father.

As her mother and brother are deceased, she was left with the responsibility – or privilege, as she calls it – of caring for her father. He moved to San Antonio from Dallas and lives independently but suffers from leukemia and other disorders, including gradual blindness. At 66, he’s the age of many adult children caring for their parents; Lindsay is 37 and is married with children in pre-school and second grade.

While she says her “daddy” is respectful of her time, he is “like a third child. Figuring what

76 | sawoman.com

W SENIOR CARE GIVING takes priority and where I need to be when balancing my children and father is a big challenge,” she says. “Is it more important I’m at my child’s teacher’s conference or at my father’s doctor’s appointment?

“The struggle is, you want to care for your parent. He doesn’t want to be a burden to me, but at the same time there’s added worry every day, 24/7. Just this morning I realized I hadn’t heard from him for a couple of days, and I thought, ‘Is he lying on the ground?’ I know if I haven’t talked to my father in two days, he hasn’t talked to anyone. The thought of him alone is heartbreaking.”

A 2013 poll by the Pew Research Center compares the Sandwich Generation adults with those free of responsibility.

Despite the economic and social toll of multigenerational caretaking, the poll indicates caretakers are either “very happy” or “pretty happy” in slightly greater numbers than non-caretakers.

78 | sawoman.com

Nash says her girlfriends and church friends are eager to help, and her husband has taken her father to the hospital and helps in other ways. “He is my rock, my angel on Earth,” Lindsay says. However, she has had a hard time letting go and accepting her friends’ support after having a corporate career in which self-reliance was prized. “This has been quite a journey for my marriage,” she says.

Nash is not alone in resisting help. Heather Trepal, Ph.D., associate professor of counseling at UTSA, says its program prepares counselors to advise family caregivers on dealing with stress, including giving up the illusion that one person can do it all.

“Caregivers, especially those who are women and socialized to be happy in a caregiving role, can become overwhelmed and wonder why they don’t feel better,” Trepal says. “The truth is that they are doing a lot. Some of these caregivers acclimate well and derive some benefits, such as a sense of purpose, and some become overwhelmed. For example, they may become overwhelmed if they give up a paycheck to do their caregiving duties and are now in a financial crunch as well as an emotional one.”

For Nash, the financial loss was one of the worst parts of leaving her career. “I was able to save money, but my father has outrageous bills, so it may come to the point where I need to step in,” she says.

Counselors-in-training also learn to emphasize to stressed-out caregivers the crucial need to take care of their own basic needs – eating, sleep and rest – in the

same way that airline passengers are told to attach the oxygen mask to themselves before helping a child.

Perhaps all this great advice is working, considering a 2013 poll by the Pew Research Center that compares Sandwich Generation adults with those free of responsibility. Despite the economic and social toll of multigenerational caretaking, the poll indicates caretakers are either “very happy” or “pretty happy” in slightly greater numbers than non-caretakers.

Those austere financial planning gurus, The Motley Fools, published an analysis of the poll. They suggest that financial aid to older children and parents strengthens emotional connections and gives a sense of well-being.

“Providing that type of assistance can give one’s life meaning and purpose — a key ingredient for happiness,” writes Motley Fool writer Brian Stoffel. He also observes that loneliness and anxiety are less prevalent in multigenerational homes. Privacy as well, some would argue, is lessened, but this is the norm in many cultures.

Sandwicher Kristan Beck, 59, a school counselor for Northside ISD, agrees.

Her mother, now 90, remarried when she was 80 and is confined to a wheelchair.

Beck helps her with doctors’ appointments and visits frequently.

“Our culture tends to paint this multigenerational caretaking with gloom and doom, but I think it really enriches your life when you have all those multiple layers,” Beck says. “Half my family’s from Mexico, and it is part of daily life, having multiple generations together. I love it.”

A new category we could hereby establish is the “Single Slice Open-Face Sandwich” caregiver, an unmarried woman or man with either one or more children, and/or a living parent/parents.

Liz Hollingsworth, who is single and sans children, declares that even without obligations to a husband or children, feeling responsible for her mother, who recently passed away, was stressful to her business and emotional life. “I can tell you, it’s time-consuming!” she says.

A traditional Sandwich Generation caregiver and active businesswoman who requested anonymity reflected on the demands on her time. “I feel unappreciated,” she said forcefully. These and others less than happy with their roles would do well to utilize the services of San Antonio’s many counseling and support services, listed below. “As our population gets older, this is something we’re going to see for a long time, the effects of informal (nonprofessional) caregiving,” Dr. Walker warns.

Resources:

• UTSA’s Sarabia Family Counseling Center, http://education.utsa.edu/community-family-life-center/Welcome/ • Heal the Healer San Antonio, www.hth.com • Ecumenical Center for Religion & Health, www.ecrh.org • San Antonio & South Texas Chapter | Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org/sanantonio

november/december 2015 | 79

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SUSTAINABLE GARDENING W

Digging the Holidays Glorious Gifts for the Gardner in your Life

BY JOSIE SEELIGSON

As a long-time nature lover and gardener, I’ve been the lucky

recipient and giver of a wide list of gardening and yard art gifts:

serene wind chimes, vibrant hummingbird feeders, practical

pruners, pre-potted plants and mischievous garden gnomes, to name a few.

My favorite gift ever was a purple martin house my husband

crafted from our recycling bin and leftover construction materi-

als. Its “tin” roof was made watertight with Coca-Cola and Dr

Pepper cans, the front porch checkered with black and white

grouted tile — strangely reminiscent of our bathroom — and we

joked the birds were going to slip and slide on wet days. My kids took cues and painted raw wooden birdhouses with leftover craft

paint. One of these kids has now flown the coop, yet I still spy her

childhood creativity in a tree across the yard, winking with globs

of glitter and kaleidoscope colors.

During the holidays, however, most of us don’t have time to

make gifts; we need items crossed off the list, but we still aim to

please. With that in mind, here are some local tips for gifts for

buy for themselves: rain chains to help showers trickle down

where wanted, fountains for peaceful water gurgling, light

catchers for reflection, wind chimes to give voice to the breeze.

Buy an attractive pot and place a few gardening items, a plant,

or food/beverage inside, tie a bow around it and you’re done.

Many local nurseries have all of these products in addition to

quality plants, small trees and succulents, soils, fertilizers, mulches and more.

Experience gifts

My siblings and I started a tradition years ago to gift a joint

meal to each other rather than objects. We probably spend the

same amount of cash we might have on gifts, but gain together-

ness that’s hard to find time for with busy lives. With

that in mind, here are some ideas for gardening and

culinary “experiences” you could try with your

nature lover.

the gardener or nature lover in your life.

Tangible gifts

Practical gifts are often acutely needed and appreciated. For

example, gardeners disdain weak hoses that kink when pulled

around and love high-quality, “heavy use” hoses, no matter how short — they can be screwed together as needed. Or gift a fresh set of gardening

gloves (in the right size), un-rusted by-

pass hand pruners or a wide-

brimmed shade hat (a chin tie can

be nice for windy days).

Then there are more whimsi-

cal items that people don’t always november/december 2015 | 83

W SUSTAINABLE GARDENING Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard

One of the more fascinating agricultural stories in Texas

depicts Saundra Winokur and her journey over the past 17

years establishing a successful commercial olive tree orchard just outside of San Antonio. The orchards are thriving and

orderly, with lovely facilities to browse and a staff who loves

to cook. Open to the public Wed.-Sat., 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

They host free tours on Saturdays at 11:30 a.m .and

offer a $10 farm-to-table lunch including salad, main

course and iced tea. They also host occasional nighttime

dinners with paired wines. Check out their website for directions, details, plus a full menu that surprises and de-

lights eaters with creative and original (olive oil ice cream!)

starters, entrees and desserts.

Browse their gift shop in person at Sandy Oaks or Pearl

Farmers’ Market (Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) or online.

They offer several gift packages, including a “Gardener &

Artist Takeout,” which for $32 includes bug repellent,

herbal salve, olive leaf hand cream, hand cleaner and gardener’s soap — all made on premises with their own locally

pressed olive oil. They also offer gift certificates, pantry

items such as olive almond brittle ($12), jars of olive butter

($16), jars of olives, bottles of olive oil and more.

Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard, 25195 Mathis Road, Elmendorf 78112, 210-621-0044

San Antonio Botanical Garden

Tour the various garden walks, architecture and ever-

changing garden exhibits. Eat lunch (or brunch Sat./Sun.)

at the charming Anne Marie’s Carriage House Bistro

(closed Mondays). You can also give your gardener one of the Botanical Garden’s gardening classes, which take place

year-round and include topics in water conservation, native plants, nature drawing, Tai Chi and more; prices begin

as low as $10. They have an on-premises Garden Gate gift

shop brimming with gardening and children’s books, wind

chimes, hats, toys, natural products and more. A Botanical

Garden membership might also make a great gift, as mem-

bers receive free daily and event admission for one year,

reciprocal privileges at many gardens, arboreta and con-

servatories across the nation, discounts for classes and

camps, gift shop items, plant sales and at the Bistro. Or you

can even dedicate a living garden bed for a year to a loved

one. Check out their website for more details.

San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place, San Antonio 78209, 210 207-3250. www.sabot.org.

84 | sawoman.com

Gift ideas for nature-lovers and gardeners

Below: Happy pig pot, $28, purple orchid, $38, colorful pot with crown of thorns plant, $55, St. Francis birdbath, $50, clay wind chime from Thailand, $95, or put together your own gift-set containing gloves, shears, seeds, a trowel and a small pot.

november/december 2015 | 85

W HILL COUNTRY GUIDE

HAPPY HILL COUNTRY HOLIDAYS!

Where to find the best celebrations of the season

BY JANIS TURK Santa can make it to every house in Texas in one night, but unless you have eight enchanted reindeer and a magic

sleigh, there’s no way you can possibly get to all the great places there are to visit in the Texas Hill Country during

this happy holiday season. Why? Towns from Castroville to Kerrville, Fredericksburg to Blanco, Boerne to Bandera,

and everywhere in between, are hosting holiday celebrations throughout most of November and December. In fact, many events once held only in December have been bumped up to late November in order to fill the calendar with

even more family fun. From Thanksgiving to Hanukkah, and Christmas through New Year’s Eve, there are more celebrations in the Hill Country than elves at the North Pole.

So where can you go this year to stock up on holiday cheer? Start with a Christmas tree lighting in late November

on the New Braunfels circle, then don a top hat or Victorian costume for Dickens on Main in Boerne in December.

After that, enjoy a holiday campfire, horseback ride and hayride in Bandera, then catch A Christmas Carol play in

Kerrville, go ice skating at the Marketplaz in Fredericksburg, drive Highway 290 to Johnson City and Blanco to see spectacular Christmas lights, and then turn back to San Antonio on Highway 281 for fun on our own lovely

River Walk.

But even if you made all those fun events, you still wouldn’t have hit all the holiday events happening this sea-

son—even though it would be a good start. So just pretend you’re Santa, and begin checking all these great holiday

celebrations off your list. Most are annual events, so you can visit new ones next year.

86 | sawoman.com

Hill Country Holiday Fun 16th Annual Dickens on Main

Photo © 2015 E. Castle Photography/Boernespotlights.com

Friday, Nov. 27, 1-10 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 28, 1-10:30 p.m. Enjoy Boerne’s 16th annual Dickens on Main festivities. Shop for unique holiday gifts along Boerne’s Hill Country Mile for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday while the whole family enjoys live musical entertainment, Dickens-era theatrical performances, a variety of children’s activities each night including Santa and a 60-foot snow slide, live ice -sculpting shows, horse-drawn carriage rides, snow on Main Street and more. A Boerne tradition packed with holiday fun and festivities, Dickens on Main promises to be another spectacular, joyful experience.

Bandera

Photo © 2015 E. Castle Photography/Boernespotlights.com

Boerne

Living Nativity, Lighted Night Parade

Friday, Dec. 4, 4:45 p.m., a visit with Santa, caroling, musicians, cowboys and after-hours shopping in local stores—it all starts on the courthouse lawn.

Cowboy Capital Campfire

Oma’s Christmas Craft Fair

Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5 - 6. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 10-5 p.m. on Sunday at the Kendall County Fairgrounds. Handcrafted wood items, homemade jellies, clothing, wall hangings, ceramics, knitted and crocheted goods, hand-embroidered items and hand-painted bird feeders and bird houses are just some of the Christmas gifts you can find spread throughout three large buildings. Lunch with Santa, bake sale and concession stands too.

Boerne Performing Arts is celebrating its fifth anniversary season on Dec. 17 at 7:30 p.m. by bringing singing sensation from Down Under—Australia’s TEN TENORS—to the Boerne Champion Auditorium. “Home for the Holidays” is a show that is more than three years in the making.

Charming more than 90 million people around the world, this spirited ensemble of 10 tenors is bringing Christmas cheer to the greater San Antonio region. The TEN Tenors

Saturday Dec. 5, 5 p.m. Celebrate the holidays at the Cowboy Capital Campfire in Bandera’s city park on the Medina River with cowboy singers and storytellers, and see a living nativity scene. Bring a lawn chair, enjoy hot cocoa and cookies, and stroll through a display of 100-plus lighted Christmas trees and holiday scenes at the Bandera Trail of Lights at City Park, which opens each evening at dark.

Christmas Singing in the Saddle

Sunday, Dec. 20. The Longhorn Saloon will feature its annual Christmas Singing in the Saddle event and hayride.

Bring your guitar and sing along. You can bring your horse (or even rent one) from the Longhorn Saloon for Christmas caroling down Main Street. A chuck wagon with hot cocoa and cookies awaits you at the end of the ride.

Cowboys on Main

Dec. 26, Noon-4 p.m. Enjoy the year’s last performance of the Bandera Business Association’s Cowboys on Main, featuring the Bandera Cattle Company, singers, chuck wagons, horses, trick ropers, wagon rides and longhorns.

will sing their Christmas cheer in an evening filled with Christmas carols harmonized by

29th Annual Weihnachts Parade

Saturday, Dec. 5, at 6 p.m. The 29th annual Weihnachts Parade 2015 on Main Street, featuring the theme, “Christmas Stories.”

10 vocalists of the highest caliber. The TEN recently performed at Sydney’s most popular

Castroville

Christmas event, “Carols in the Domain,” a candlelit evening celebrating the spirit of Christmas that featured the TEN performing to over 100,000 people. Tickets ($20-$60) are available online at BoernePerformingArts.com or by phone at 830-331-9079.

Old-Fashioned Christmas

Friday, Dec. 4, 6 -10 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 5, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Historic Castroville’s 30th annual “Old-Fashioned Christmas.” november/december 2015 | 87

Photo by Rawls

Fredericksburg & Luckenbach

Photo credit Fredericksburg CVB

W HILL COUNTRY GUIDE

Luckenbach Christmas Tree Lighting and Hondo Crouch Birthday Celebration Friday, Dec. 4, Times TBA. 830-997-3224.

Ice Skating in the Marktplatz

Friday, Nov. 27. The seasonal Eisbahn (“ice rink” in German) returns to Marktplatz in Fredericksburg for its 10th consecutive year, remaining open daily through New Year’s weekend. Enjoy outdoor ice-skating on real ice; Eisbahn uses special refrigeration units to keep the ice frozen even when the weather is warm outside. A come-and-go all-day pass is $10, including skates.

58th Annual Holiday Home Tour Fredericksburg

Saturday, Dec. 5. Featuring seven festively decorated homes in Fredericksburg and Gillespie County. Tickets,. $25. 830990-8441.

A Tuna Christmas

Friday, Dec. 11- Sunday, Dec. 20 (weekends only). Fredericksburg Theater Company presents A Tuna Christmas. Admission $29 at the door and $12 in advance.

Photo credit Fredericksburg CVB

Friday, Dec. 4, AfterGlow festivities will be 3-10 p.m. at Marktplatz, and the parade begins at 6:30 p.m. on Main Street, Fredericksburg. Enjoy free Santa photos, holiday gifts, local foods and wine and holiday cheer. 830-997-5000.

Photo by Rawls

Light the Night Christmas Parade and AfterGlow

Fredericksburg Candlelight Tour

Saturday, Dec. 26, 5-7p.m. A Candlelight Tour of four historic Fredericksburg buildings will begin at the Pioneer Museum on West Main Street and will include refreshments, caroling by the Arion Choir and more. Admission: $10 adults, $3 children. 830-997-2835.

| sawoman.com

88

Holiday Cookie Decorating and German Traditions in Stonewall

Johnson City, Blanco & Stonewall

Saturday, Nov. 28. At LBJ State Park & Historic Site and Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm, Visitor Complex, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Enjoy cookie decorating and the German holiday traditions of wreath making and candle making as you await the arrival of St. Nicholas. Stop at the Visitor Center first to obtain a park permit, park map and event information. Annual family event, free. 830-644-2252.

Old Blanco Courthouse Lighting

Friday, Nov. 27. The city of Blanco enjoys its annual Courthouse Lighting at dusk (about 6:30), with carolers and a small trail of lights in Dinseil Park on the downtown square where businesses will stay open late. For more information, contact the Old Blanco County Courthouse Visitors Center at 830-833-2211.

Hill Country Holiday Wine Trail

Photo credit Johnson City CVB

Friday, Dec. 4-Sunday, Dec. 20. A self-guided Holiday Wine Trail in the Hill Country wine and food-pairing event.

Venture through vineyards and wineries, enjoying complimentary chocolates and wine parings. 866-621-9463.

Christmas Market Day and Lighted Parade

Saturday, Dec 12. A special Christmas Market Day will take place on the square in the city of Blanco 9 a.m.-4 p.m., followed by a lighted Christmas parade that evening at dark.

Johnson City 26th Annual Lights Spectacular

Photo credit Johnson City CVB

Kerrville’s Art Mart Hand-Made Christmas Shopping Extravaganza

Tuesday, Nov. 10-Saturday, Dec. 12.

Hill Country Arts Foundation.

830-367-5121.

Symphony of the Hills, Peace on Earth

Thursday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m. Cailloux Theater 830-792-7469.

Hill Country Shopping Extravaganza

Saturday, Dec. 12. With area businesses at Blue Sage Hall, Kerrville. Enjoy refreshments and holiday music while you shop. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

New Braunfels & Gruene

LBJ Tree Lighting

Sunday, Dec. 20. at LBJ State Park & Historic Site, in Stonewall, a time-honored Texas Parks and Wildlife tradition that was started years ago by President and Mrs. Johnson. This is a free annual family event. 830-644-2252.

Photo credit Johnson City CVB

Friday, Nov. 27, through Friday, Jan. 1 (weekend nights). One of the largest light displays in the state featuring 100,000 lights on the Blanco County Courthouse in Johnson City and more than one million lights at the Pedernales Electric Co Op Headquarters. The lights will stay aglow each night until midnight.

Admission to all events is free. Nightly attractions include the Courthouse and CoOp lights, Christmas in the Park celebrations and carriage rides. On Nov. 27 the “Let There Be Lights” event lighting the courthouse, a Chuck Wagon Food Court; visits with Santa, and fireworks. On Nov. 28, the Clickety Cloggers will perform and there will be a Chuck Wagon Food Court, along with the Lighted Hooves and Wheels Parade and visits with Santa.

Kerrville & Ingram

New Braunfels Lighting Ceremony & Santa’s Arrival

Friday, Nov. 20, at 6 p.m. Enjoy the free annual event celebrating the spirit of the season. There will be treats for sale and photo opportunities with Santa.

Wassailfest New Braunfels

Thursday, Dec. 3, from 6 to 9 p.m., an evening of music, food, shopping, thousands of twinkling holiday lights and free wassail to sample.

14th Annual Gruene Pony Express Ride

Saturday, Dec. 5, at 10 a.m. The Pony Express Ride will come through town carrying a “Christmas Greetings” message from the Governor. Kids take photos with Cowboy Kringle, shop at Old Gruene Market Days, enjoy a one-man performance of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and enjoy as Cowboy Kringle rides into town on horseback and lights Gruene for the holidays. 830-629-5077.

november/december 2015 | 89

november/december 2015 | 91

W TRAVEL

REASONS TO VISIT

Galveston

Texas’ favorite Gulf Coast destination enjoys a new Golden Age

BY JANIS TURK “Galveston, Oh Galveston, I can see your sea waves

crashing,” sings Glen Campbell in a wistful song about a soldier

who longed to return to his love—and his Texas hometown.

Sure, the rest of the world may think Campbell put Galveston

the worst hurricanes in U.S. history; thousands of residents would

lose their lives to the wrath of such storms. Those were heartbreak-

ing times, but Galveston rebuilt, and today Texas’ most resilient

city has risen once more. Recently named one of TripAdvisor’s “Top

Island on the map with that 1969 hit, but Texans know better:

10 Destinations on the Rise in the U.S.,” Galveston is golden again.

Galveston Island, a historic beach town on the Gulf of Mexico,

warm enough through much of November to enjoy Galveston’s 32

Galveston was golden long before that.

stands just 50 miles from Houston and is best known as a vacation destination, Texas’ premier cruise port and one of the largest and

best-preserved concentrations of Victorian architecture in the USA. During the late 1800s, this affluent port city was known as both

the “Playground of the South” and the “Wall Street of the South-

west,” and enjoyed its first glittering Golden Age. Over the next cen-

tury, however, much of Galveston would be destroyed by some of

92 | sawoman.com

And what better time of year to go than right now? It’s usually

miles of beaches and walk along its famous seawall, and then in De-

cember when things cool down, the 42nd annual Dickens on The

Strand Festival heats up the island with a magnificent celebration.

Next, in the New Year, from Jan. 29 to Feb. 9, Galveston’s Mardi

Gras celebrations expect to draw more than 300,000 attendees for

30-plus concerts, 22 parades, 20 balcony parties and five elegant masked balls.

Photo by Christina Muraca/Shutterstock

Need any more reasons to go?

Besides sun, sand and sea — and that old sweet Glen Campbell song (now the town’s official anthem) — here are 10 more:

1

The Strand Historic District (“The Strand District”) - One of the most

famous sections of Galveston is the attractive five-block National Historic

Landmark District known simply as “The Strand,” a popular shopping and

entertainment district located on Strand Street within the island’s historic down-

town. Here, enjoy a variety of attractions, boutiques and old-time shops, such as

LaKing’s Confectionery, housed in beautiful Victorian iron-front buildings, as well

as the antique stores and art galleries on Postoffice Street. Don’t miss a stroll

Photo courtesy Galveston CVB

through the Hall of History at the historic Hotel Galvez & Spa, a Wyndham Grand

Hotel (Wyndham.com/Hotel-Galvez) built in 1911, not far from Moody Gardens,

Schlitterbahn Waterpark, the Pleasure Pier and Texas A&M Galveston. That hotel’s

sister-property, Tremont House (www.thetremonthouse.com), is also a Wyndham

Grand Hotel and features Italianate architecture, 14-foot ceilings, ironwork bridges

and balconies and even a four-story atrium. The Galveston County Museum, the

Galveston Railroad Museum, historical markers, a trolley and a giant chess set in

Saengerfest Park are just some of its other fine attractions. Enjoy a horse and car-

riage ride there, too. And don’t forget, Galveston’s annual Mardi Gras and Dickens

on the Strand holiday festivals are held on The Strand.

Photo by Fotoluminate LLC/Shutterstock

2

Pier 21 - Just across Harborside Drive stands Pier 21, located on Galveston Harbor, steps away from the Galveston Cruise Terminal. It is home to at-

tractions like dolphin tours, the Texas Seaport Museum & 1877 Tall Ship

ELISSA and the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum. Pier 21 also offers

a variety of restaurants with harbor views, such as Olympia Grill.

3

Bishop’s Palace/East End Historical District - Galveston’s is lined with a large collection of historic Victorian homes as well as the Hurricane

Ike Tree Sculptures. Within the district stands the 1892 Bishop’s Palace, one

of Galveston’s most popular historic mansions.

4

Lone Star Flight Museum - Visitors love to explore one of the finest and

rarest collections of restored war aircraft while learning about the signifi-

cance of aviation history to Galveston Island at the Lone Star Flight Museum.

In fact, many of the museum’s historic aircraft still fly today. In addition to tours,

Photo courtesy Galveston CVB

the museum offers rides in these “warbirds” that allow visitors to see the island

from the sky.

5

The Bryan Museum - A new museum showcasing the world’s largest

collection of Southwestern historical artifacts opened in June 2015, show-

casing 70,000 rare items spanning more than 400 years. It is also home

to rarely exhibited 1914 Maxfield Parrish murals from Gertrude Vanderbilt

Whitney’s Long Island estate.

Noteworthy places to visit in Galveston include (from top) The Strand Historic District, Pier 21, the Bishop’s Palace in the East End Historical District and the Lone Star Flight Museum.

6

Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier - What could be more fun than a water-side amusement park with 16 thrill rides (including the Gulf

Glider and Iron Shark Rollercoaster), old-fashioned games along a gleaming

midway and a tall Ferris wheel, allowing for a perfect bird’s-eye view of the sun,

sand and sea? Yes, Galveston Island’s iconic neon and cotton candy-studded Pleas-

ure Pier sprawls along Galveston’s seawall.

november/december 2015 | 93

W TRAVEL

7

Galveston Island State Park - Families can swim, fish, picnic, hike, mountain bike, paddle, camp, study nature, bird-watch or just lie on the

beach at this 2,000-acre state park featuring an upper barrier island coastal

Photo courtesy Galveston CVB

system with both beach and bay sides. There’s even a nature center, along with

campsites and cabins, barbecue pits, a boat ramp, canoe/kayak launches and four

miles of hike and mountain bike trails through the park’s varied habitats. During

the holidays in December, enjoy island-style holiday crafts, and make holiday gifts

for family and friends.

8

Moody Gardens - The pride of Galveston, Moody Gardens is much more

than just a nature, conservation and wildlife destination enjoyed by tourists

and locals alike. It’s also home to a par 72 golf course and a resort hotel with

418 guest rooms and convention spaces set amid 242 acres of botanical beauty and

accented by three glass pyramid attractions: an Aquarium Pyramid, a Rainforest

Pyramid and a Discovery Pyramid with science-friendly exhibits and activities.

Moody Gardens opened in 1986 as a nonprofit educational tourist destination

highlighting the importance of conservation and wildlife. Today, it’s also home to

Palm Beach, a man-made white sand beach with freshwater lagoons and a water Photo courtesy Galveston CVB

park featuring an Aquarium Adventure, the RideFilm Theater, MG-3-D Theater

and a 4-D Special FX Theater. There’s even a Colonel Paddlewheel Boat cruise. In

May 2014, Moody Gardens opened the five-tier Sky Trail® Ropes Course, and it also has a 500-foot-long Moody Gardens Zip Line suspending adventurers 60 feet

above Palm Beach. During November and December, Moody Gardens hosts a Fes-

tival of Lights.

9

Moody Mansion - Galveston is known for its attractive Victorian architecture, and a way to see it up close is to visit the mansion home of Galve-

ston’s most famous philanthropist, financier and entrepreneur, William

Lewis Moody. This four-story Romanesque mansion built in 1895 was the heart

of the Moody family for 86 years. Today, the red-roofed manor is a museum fea-

turing furnishings and personal belongings of the family. As an added attraction,

a new Galveston Children’s Museum opened last year in the basement. Guided

one-hour tours are offered.

10 From top, Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier offers 16 thrill rides, a midway and a Ferris wheel. Moody Gardens contains a golf course, three glass pyramid attractions and much more.

Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark - Enjoy more than 35

thrilling water adventures including a tube ride through Schlitterbahn’s

Transportainment River System combining three rivers into one long float.

Experience the thrills of speed slides, tube slides and the Boogie Bahn surf ride.

Small children can splash and play in areas just for them, and adults can relax in

a heated pool or at a swim-up refreshment bar.

UPCOMING HOLIDAY EVENTS IN Friday, Nov. 27, Galveston Holiday Lighting Celebration at Hotel Galvez. Hotel Galvez invites guests and the community to celebrate the start of the holidays with the Official City of Galveston Holiday Lighting Celebration. Festivities begin at 6 p.m.

Dec. 4-6, 42nd Anniversary of the Dickens on The Strand Festival This annual Victorian-themed holiday street festival dates back to 1974 and brings 19th-century London to life with oil lamps, Victorian costumes and even appearances by two descendants of Charles Dickens. Enjoy parades, nonstop entertainment on six stages, strolling carolers, roving musicians, bagpipers, jugglers and a host of other entertainers.

94 | sawoman.com

Galveston

Sundays in December, Sunday Brunch with Santa at Hotel Galvez - Sunday Brunch with Santa offers children the opportunity to speak with Kris Kringle and share their Christmas wishes. Also, families can enjoy a grand dining experience. The hotel will also showcase its annual holiday gingerbread display. Call 409-765-7721 for details.

Nov. 14 - Jan. 10, 2016. Moody Gardens 14th Annual Festival of Lights will feature a mile-long trail featuring one million lights dancing to the sounds of holiday music, with live entertainment, an outdoor ice rink, paddlewheel boat cruises, holiday films at the various Moody Garden theaters and a holiday buffet in the Garden Restaurant.

Photo courtesy Galveston CVB

CRAZY ABOUT

Cruises

Cruise lovers sometimes claim that it can cost more to stay at

home than to take a cruise out of Galveston. That may be a slight

exaggeration, but it’s true that Texans can find affordable great-

value cruise vacations with all the food, entertainment and excur-

sions they desire. So which major cruise lines make Galveston their

port of call?

DISNEY CRUISE LINES – Disney caters to families of all ages

with extensive kids’ programs, spectacular Disney entertainment, relaxing spa facilities and an enticing array of dining options. In

November 2016, the Disney Wonder will return to Galveston. The

ship will begin sailing from the island on Nov. 10, offering a lineup of several seven-night and four-night itineraries through the end of the year.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES — Royal Caribbean offers

year-round sailings from Galveston, with the Navigator of the Seas

departing January through November, and the ship Liberty of the

Seas departing in November and December 2016. Royal Caribbean sails to some of the most popular cities and destinations. Its grow-

ing fleet of innovative, stylish ships is relaxed, elegant and upscale

with a broad appeal.

CARNIVAL CRUISES — Carnival offers round-the-clock excite-

ment on its “Fun Ships.” In 2016, Galveston will become home to the newest ship in the Carnival Cruise Lines fleet when Carnival

Breeze is repositioned to the Port of Galveston. The ship will offer

year-round cruises, departing every Sunday on three different seven-

day itineraries: western Caribbean cruises calling at either Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, or Belize, Mahogany Bay (Isle

Roatan) and Cozumel, and a seven-day Bahamas/Florida route with

stops in Nassau, Freeport and Key West. In March 2016, the Carnival

Liberty will also be repositioned to Galveston, joining the Carnival

Freedom that began sailing from Galveston in February 2015.

november/december 2015 | 95

W DINING

Cappy’s “Puffer fish,” said our waiter, Kyle—“but not the toxic kind,” he hastened to add.

Kyle was referring to the special appetizer of the day at Cappy’s, newly risen from the ashes of a disastrous fire that had closed the

popular ’09 restaurant since mid-June. Such a rebirth might have

served as an excuse for a total retooling of the menu as well, but

regulars can breathe easy; old favorites such as the Heights Burger

and Mustang Chicken still prevail. Specials such as the puffer fish are where chef Gabriel Ibarra can play with his food.

Three chubby tails, battered and fried, were served in the order.

“There are bones,” said Kyle in another note of caution. But the

bones were nothing more than a small spine, and it was easy to

strip the flesh from either side. We also stripped off most of the

accompanying sweet/sour/spicy glaze that coated the fish; it was

good in its own right but for some might seem too much for such

STAYING ROOTED IN TRADITIONAL FAVORITES

BY RON BECHTOL PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANET ROGERS

etable array that included vibrantly colorful okra and green beans.

It all made for a visually impressive plate that was also generous

to a fault; much of this went home to be savored again another day.

There’s not much effort expended in making the presentation of

the pan-roasted chicken fancier than it needs to be for such a com-

forting dish. Some cherry tomatoes and chunks of carrot provide

a pop of color, but that’s it. Bursts of flavor also come from a couple

of kinds of mushrooms and what appeared to be sliced and roasted

fennel bulb. But the moist and perfect chicken is, as it should be,

the star of the show here. The exotic-sounding diver scallops with

seared foie gras, mofongo mashers and spicy mango coulis had

tempted during the selection process, but there are times when

simple seems altogether appropriate. This was one of those times.

We had admittedly also been tempted by the coconut cream pie

and the warm chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream at

delicate flesh. A five-pepper jelly tops the ramekin of old-favorite

evening’s end. But cooler heads prevailed, and we settled instead

the flavorful jelly to get a bit of the creamy and robust blend in

dessert was just what it needed to be: crackling sugar capping vel-

tioned on the menu are really far more appealing slices of buttery,

of an exotic coffee bent will find many to accompany—or serve as—

chicken and duck liver paté; be sure you dip way down through

each bite. And delight in the fact that the “toast points” men-

on a shared vanilla bean crème brulée. As was the chicken, this

vety interior, all accented with impeccably fresh raspberries. Those

grilled ciabatta.

dessert. There are also ports, sherries and liqueurs in abundance.

Long-time regulars at Cappy’s might be able to detect subtle dif-

your finalé of choice.

ferences in the renewed interior; to the rest of us, it seems that

Sit back in one of the meticulously refurbished chairs and enjoy

nothing has changed: Warm, friendly and accented by colorful art,

And if you haven’t yet had enough of the puffer fish phenomenon,

vironment, the char-grilled oysters seem perfectly at home. An

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising consumers

the place seems not to have changed at all. In this welcoming en-

herbed garlic butter is their only adornment, and it’s all that’s

needed to ease the half-dozen mollusks down. Oh—that and a glass

here’s something I found on an FDA site:

only to eat puffer fish (also known as fugu, bok, blowfish, globefish,

swellfish, balloonfish, or sea squab) from two known safe sources.

of wine from the well-curated and fairly priced list.

The safe sources are 1) imported puffer fish that have been processed

We did pick our 2011 St. Chinian to go with the entrees, but the

city of Shimonoseki, Japan, and 2) puffer fish caught in the mid-At-

and prepared by specially trained and certified fish cutters in the

pretty syrah/mourvedre blend was light enough to play reasonably

lantic coastal waters of the United States, typically between Virginia

of lamb with minted pea risotto and a lamb demi-glace. Crusty and

deadly toxins and therefore are not considered safe.

well with the oysters. It was unequivocally beautiful with the rack

perfectly medium-rare, the lamb was triumphant. Robust flavors

also distinguished the pale green risotto, a notoriously difficult dish

to do in a restaurant setting no matter what its tint. We found this

one a touch too sticky, but did appreciate an accompanying veg96 | sawoman.com

and New York. Puffer fish from all other sources potentially contain We’re assuming the mid-Atlantic source for those on Cappy’s

menu, but would be secretly pleased to presume the whiff of dan-

ger that accompanies “specially trained” cutting in Japan.

Clockwise from top: Cappy's newly renovated dining room; pan-roasted chicken with vegetables, coconut cream pie, oysters on the half shell.

november/december 2015 | 97

TIME EAT to

RESTAURANT GUIDE SUSHI ZUSHI

AMERICAN

Silo

1133 Austin Highway (210) 824-8686 434 N. Loop 1604 (210) 493-8989

BIGA ON THE BANKS BIRD BAKERY BLISS BOUDRO’S CAPPY’S CAPPYCCINO’S BISTRO CYPRESS GRILL ANNE MARIES’S BISTRO SAN ANTONIO CAFÉ CHEESECAKE FACTORY FEAST THE GRILL AT LEON SPRINGS GUENTHER HOUSE HOULIHAN'S J. ALEXANDER’S JOSEPHINE STREET KONA GRILL LIBERTY BAR MADRID ROOM MAGIC TIME MACHINE MAMA'S CAFE THE MONTEREY RAINFOREST CAFÉ RESTAURANT GWENDOLYN SCENIC LOOP CAFE SILO ELEVATED CUISINE STONE WERKS VINEYARD ZEDRIC’S

TAIPEI

203 S. St. Mary’s 225-0722 5912 Broadway 804-2473 926 S. Presa 225-2547 314 E. Commerce 224-1313 5011 Broadway 828-9669 5003 Broadway 828-6860 170 S. Main St., #A, Boerne (830) 248-1353 555 Funston Place 826-5800 1150 S. Alamo 271-7791 7400 San Pedro 798-0769 1024 S. Alamo 354-1024 24116 IH-10 W. 698-8797 205 E. Guenther 227-1061 14601 IH-35 N. 651-4744 385 N. Loop 1604 W. 494-3371 555 E. Basse 824-0275 400 E. Josephine 224-6169 15900 La Cantera Pkwy.

877-5355 1111 S. Alamo 227-1187 300 E. Travis 227-4392 902 N.E. Loop 410 828-1470 2442 Nacogdoches 826-8303 7929 Pat Booker Rd. 653-2002 1127 S. St. Mary’s 745-2581 517 N. Presa 223-3297 152 E. Pecan #100 222-1849 25615 Boerne Stage Rd. 687-1818 1133 Austin Highway 824-8686 434 N. Loop 1604 483-8989 Broadway at Basse 823-3508 27315 FM 3009 (830) 980-8033 5231 Broadway 824-6000

ASIAN Hsiu Yu 8338 Broadway St San Antonio, TX 78209 (210) 828-2273

BIG KAHUNAS CHINA BISTRO DING HOW FORMOSA GARDENS FUJIYA GOLDEN WOK

ILSONG GARDEN INDIA OVEN INDIA PALACE KOI KAWA MANOLA’S THAI MENCIUS’S GOURMET MON THAI BISTRO P. F. CHANG’S SAWASDEE SUSHIHANA SUSHI ZUSHI

98 | sawoman.com

203 S. St. Mary’s 999 E. Basse 18720 Stone Oak 2211 N.W. Military 18802 Stone Oak 300 W. Bitters 126 W. Rector 9405 San Pedro 1146 Austin Highway

741 W. Ashby Pl. 10103 Huebner Road 4531 N.W. Loop 410 1011 N. E. Loop 410 9030 Wurzbach 8822 Wurzbach 8230 Marbach 6905 Blanco Rd. 1031 Patricia 8440 Fredericksburg 4051 Broadway 7212 Blanco Rd. 7959 Fredericksburg 4901 Broadway 255 E. Basse 15900 La Cantera Pkwy 6407 Blanco Road 1810 N.W. Military IH-10 W. and Wurzbach

733-8473 340-7944 340-7944 828-9988 615-7553 615-8282 674-2577 366-4508 366-1033 692-5262 805-8111 348-9071 615-1288 822-3253 507-1000 507-6500 979-9110 340-7808 691-3332

TASTE OF ASIA THAI LAO RESTAURANT TOKYO STEAK HOUSE TONG’S THAI

472-2900 826-8500 545-6100 366-3012 403-3316 496-6266 524-9908 341-4461 829-7345

BARBECUE BUN ‘N’ BARREL THE BARBEQUE STATION CHIT CHAT BBQ THE COUNTY LINE RUDY’S COUNTRY STORE THE BIG BIB TWO BROTHERS BBQ

1150 Austin Hwy. 610 N.E. Loop 410 218 N. Cherry 111 W. Crockett 10101 I-10 W. 24152 IH-10 W. 15560 I-35 N. 10623 Westover Hills 104 Lanark Dr. 12656 West Ave.

828-2829 691-3332 271-2888 229-1491 641-1998 698-2141 653-7839 520-5552 654-8400 496-0222

CAJUN/CREOLE ACADIANA BIG EASY CAFE BOURBON STREET SEAFOOD THE COOKHOUSE PAT O’BRIEN’S

1289 S.W. Loop 410 4822 Walzem Road 2815 N. Loop 1604 720 E. Mistletoe 121 Alamo Plaza

674-0019 653-5688 545-0666 320-8211 212-8698

EUROPEAN ANAQUA GRILL CITRUS CRUMPETS FIG TREE FOLC FREDERICK’S FREDERICK’S BISTRO THE GAZEBO AT LOS PATIOS HOUSTON STREET BISTRO LAS CANARIAS LA FRITE BELGIAN BISTRO LION & ROSE ENGLISH PUB LÜKE NOSH SAVEURS 209 WAXY O’CONNOR’S

555 S. Alamo 150 E. Houston 3920 Harry Wurzbach 515 Villita 226 E. Olmos 7701 Broadway 14439 N.W. Military #100 2015 N.E. Loop 410 204 E. Houston 112 College 728 S. Alamo 5148 Broadway 842 N.W. Loop 410 700 E. Sonterra Blvd.

125 E. Houston 1133 Austin Highway 209 Broadway 234 River Walk

229-1000 227-9700 821-5454 224-1976 822-0100 828-9050 888-1500 655-6171 476-8600 518-1000 224-7555 822-7673 798-4154 798-5466 227-5853 824-8686 639-3165 229-9299

HAMBURGERS BIG’Z BURGER JOINT BOBBY J’S BUCKHORN SALOON BURGER BOY CHRIS MADRID’S CHEESY JANE’S CHESTER’S HAMBURGERS

FATTY’S FUDDRUCKERS

2303 N. Loop 1604 W. 13247 Bandera Rd. 318 E. Houston St. 2323 N. St. Mary’s 1900 Blanco 4200 Broadway 1006 N.E. Loop 410 9980 IH-10 W. 16609 San Pedro 621 Pat Booker 1624 E.Commerce 115 Alamo Plaza 8602 Botts Ln.

408-2029 695-4941 247-4000 735-1955 735-3552 826-0800 805-8600 699-1222 494-3333 658-3000 299-8110 223-9944 824-6703

GOURMET BURGER GRILL LONGHORN CAFE MO MAK’S SAM’S BURGER JOINT TEXAS HAMBURGER CO TIMBO’S

18414 Hwy. 281 N. 17625 Blanco Rd. 13838 Jones Maltsberger 330 E. Grayson St. 9010 Huebner Rd. 1639 Broadway

545-3800 492-0301 481-3600 223-2830 699-1189 223-1028

ITALIAN 1203 N. Loop 1604 W. ALDINO AT THE VINEYARD 8539 Fredericksburg ALDO'S RISTORANTE BRAVO CUCINA ITALIANA 15900 La Cantera Pkwy.

CAPPARELLI’S ON MAIN 2524 N. Main CARRABBA’S ITALIAN GRILL 12507 IH-10 W. CERRONI’S PURPLE GARLIC 1017 Austin Hwy. DOUGH PIZZERIA 6989 Blanco 200 E. Grayson, #100 IL SOGNO OSTERIA LORENZO’S 8032 Fredericksburg Rd. LA FOCACCIA ITALIAN GRILL 800 S. Alamo 824 Afterglow LITTLE ITALY LUCE RISTORANTE E ENOTECA11255 Huebner LUCIANO’S 849 E. Commerce 401 South Alamo 521 River Walk MICHELINO’S MILANO RISTORANTE 11802 Wurzbach PAESANOS 555 E. Basse 111 W. Crockett Loop 1604 at N.W. Military 255 E. Basse PIATTI PIATTI EILAN 1701 La Cantera Pkwy., #7 PICCOLO’S 5703 Evers Rd. 16019 Nacogdoches POMPEII ITALIAN GRILL TRE TRATTORIA 4003 Broadway

340-0000 696-2536 877-9300 735-5757 694-4191 822-2300 979-6363 223-3900 692-9900 223-5353 349-2060 561-9700 223-0500 888-7030 223-2939 493-3611 828-5191 227-2782 493-1604 832-0300 251-3542 647-5524 946-5518 805-0333

MEDITERRANEAN DEMO’S COPA WINE BAR GREEK TO ME JERUSALEM GRILL JOHN THE GREEK MIMI & DIMI’S PAPOULI’S GRILL

7115 Blanco 2501 N. St. Mary’s 19141 Stone Oak Pkwy.

5440 Babcock Rd. 3259 Wurzbach Rd. 16602 San Pedro 7159 W US Hiwy 90 8250 Agora Pkwy., #120 255 E. Basse, #384 11224 Huebner, #201

342-2772 732-7777 495-2672 699-6688 680-8400 403-0565 674-3464 659-2244 804-1118 641-1313

MEXICAN/LATIN El Jarro 13421 San Pedro San Antonio, TX 78216 (210) 494-5084 ÁCENAR MODERN TEX-MEX 146 E. Houston AJUÚA! CUISINE DE MEXICO 11703 Huebner ALAMO CAFÉ 10060 IH-10 W. 14250 San Pedro ALDACO'S 100 Hoefgen 20079 Stone Oak Pkwy.

AZUCA NUEVO LATINO 713 S. Alamo CASA RIO 430 E. Commerce BETO’S 8421 Broadway CIELITO LINDO 19141 Stone Oak Pkwy.

EL CHAPARRAL 15103 Bandera 2838 N. Loop 1604 EL MIRADOR 722 S. St. Mary’s EL MIRASOL ALTA COCINA 13489 Blanco IRON CACTUS MEXICAN GRILL200 River Walk LA FOGATA 2427 Vance Jackson LA FONDA ALAMO HEIGHTS 1633 Crownhill LA FONDA ON MAIN 2415 N. Main LA FONDA OAK HILLS 350 Northaven LA HACIENDA DE LOS BARRIOS 18747 Redland Rd. LA MARGARITA 120 Produce Row LOS BARRIOS 4223 Blanco MAMACITA’S 8030 IH-10 W. MI TIERRA CAFE AND BAKERY 218 Produce Row

ORIGINAL MEXICAN PALOMA BLANCA PALOMA RIVER WALK PAPPASITO’S CANTINA PERICO’S BAR AND GRILL PICANTE GRILL PICO DE GALLO RIO RIO CANTINA ROSARIO’S ROSARIO’S NORTH SALSALITO’S SAZO’S LATIN GRILL SOLUNA COCINA MEXICANA TACO TACO TOMATILLOS CANTINA URBAN TACO

528 River Walk 5800 Broadway 215 Losoya 10501 IH-10 W. 10820 Bandera 1439 E. Sonterra Blvd.

3810 Broadway 111 S. Leona 421 E. Commerce 910 S. Alamo 7915 San Pedro 14535 Nacogdoches 11523 Bandera 101 Bowie 7959 Broadway 145 E. Hildebrand 3210 Broadway 290 E. Basse, #105

224-9951 822-6151 212-0566 691-8974 684-5376 402-6006 822-3797 225-6060 226-8462 223-1806 481-4100 646-8088 558-6788 223-1000 930-8070 822-9522 824-3005 332-5149

PIZZA 2920 McCullough BARBARO 7959 Broadway BRAZA BRAVA PIZZERIA CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN 11745 IH-10 W. 255 E. Basse Rd. 7701 Broadway FLORIO’S PIZZA GRIMALDI’S PIZZA 330 E. Basse, #101 618 McCullough GUILLERMO’S MISS ELLIE’S 903 E. Bitters Rd SORRENTO 5146 Broadway 19141 Stone Oak Pkwy.

TRILOGY PIZZA BISTRO VOLARE GOURMET PIZZA 5054 Broadway

320-2261 320-2100 699-4275 424-2014 805-8646 832-8288 223-5587 499-1258 824-0055 404-1818 828-3354

SEAFOOD FISH CITY GRILL FUSION SEAFOOD, STEAK LANDRY’S SEAFOOD PAPPADEAUX SEAFOOD OSTRA ON THE RIVER THE SANDBAR SILO TERRACE OYSTER BAR STARFISH WILDFISH SEAFOOD GRILLE

18130 Hwy. 281 N. 11703 Huebner Road 517 N. Presa 76 N.E. Loop 410 212 W. Crockett 200 E. Grayson 22211 IH-10 West 709 S. Alamo 1834 N.W. Loop 1604

495-3474 694-4201 527-1845 340-7143 396-5817 212-2221 698-2002 375-4423 493-1600

SOUTHWESTERN CALIZA GRILL CANYON CAFE FRANCESCA’S AT SUNSET ORO RESTAURANT AND BAR

420 W. Market 225 E. Basse 16641 La Cantera Pkwy.

705 E. Houston

224-6500 225-0722 558-6500 225-5100

STEAKS 222-2362 877-0600 691-8827 495-2233 222-0561 494-0561 225-5550 225-6718 930-9393 545-6965 695-8302 490-8302 225-9444 479-8765 224-9835 340-1337 824-4231 733-0621 342-8981 497-8000 227-7140 732-6017 341-5424 225-1262

Chama Gaucha 18318 Sonterra Place San Antonio, TX 78258 (210) 564-9400 ANTLERS LODGE THE BARN DOOR BOLO’S ROTISSERIE GRILLE FLEMING’S GREY MOSS INN KIRBY’S STEAKHOUSE LITTLE RHEIN STEAKHOUSE MORTON’S STEAKHOUSE MYRON’S STEAKHOUSE J. PRIME STEAKHOUSE THE PALM PERRY’S STEAKHOUSE RUTH'S CHRIS

9800 Hyatt Resort Dr. 8400 N. New Braunfels 9821 Colonnade 255 E. Basse Rd. 10901 Scenic Loop 123 N. Loop 1604 E. 231 S. Alamo 849 E. Commerce 10003 N.W. Military 1401 N. Loop 1604 W. 233 E. Houston 15900 La Cantera Pkwy.

7720 Jones Maltsberger 600 E. Market Street

520-4001 824-0116 691-8888 824-9463 695-8301 404-2221 225-1212 228-0700 493-3031 764-1604 226-7256 558-6161 821-5051 227-8847

ENHANCE YOUR LISTING!

Call (210) 826-5375 for more information. november/december 2015 | 99

W ARTBEAT

A Joy and a Responsibility Ruiz-Healy Art Helps San Antonio Connect to the International

Art Scene

BY JASMINA WELLINGHOFF PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANET ROGERS

Patricia Ruiz-Healy is owner of RuizHealy Art Gallery.

She is pictured in her gallery in front of an art piece by Cecilia Paredes, “Shawl I (gold and green)” 2015 felt and dyed feathers.

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Patricia Ruiz-Healy did not develop an interest in art until she traveled to England at 18 to spend a year studying English.

“My first significant aesthetic experience happened in London,” says the San Antonio gallerist and art dealer. “I was on scholarship and lived with a nice family. As I started going to museums, I absolutely fell in love with art. Since I had always loved history, after my year in England I returned home to Mexico and became a student of art history.”

Today, her Ruiz-Healy Art is a highly respected dealership and exhibition space that specializes in post-war and contemporary art in a variety of media, from painting and sculpture to photography and works on paper. When I arrive at the gallery on East Olmos Drive, she greets me warmly and gives me a short tour of the premises. The exhibit on view features Peruvian artist Cecilia Paredes, who creates “photo performances” that amuse and intrigue the eye while commenting on the relationship between the individual and her environment. To convey this concept visually, the artist paints intricate patterns on her body that correspond to patterns on her chosen backgrounds, then photographs her painted body against these backgrounds in ways that make the two almost blend together.

“I first saw her work at the ArteAmericas fair in Miami in 2007, and it literally stopped me in my tracks,” explains the gallery owner as we settle down to talk in her office in the back of the gallery proper. “I met her in person the same day, and we got along really well. By the end of the fair we agreed to start working together.” Paredes soon developed a following in San Antonio and gained admirers in high places. Both the San Antonio Museum of Art

and UTSA bought examples of her work for their collections.

Paredes is only one of a number of Latin Americans who have been introduced to Texan and American audiences by RuizHealy Art, which started in 2004 by dealing primarily in Latin American art. It has since expanded to include San Antonio and area artists, such as Ethel Shipton, Connie Lowe, Nate Cassie, Ricky Armendariz, Jesse Amado, Julie Speed and a few others. In addition to Paredes, the Latin American contingent includes Cecilia Biagini and Nicolas Leiva from Argentina, Andres Ferrandis, originally from Spain, and three from Mexico – Benjamin Dominguez, Graciela Inturbide and Pedro Diego Alvarado, the grandson of famed muralist Diego Rivera. All are internationally recognized names. Beyond this roster of regulars, prominent guest artists have also shown their work here. And exhibit openings are regularly reviewed by local, state and even national art media.

“You have to be passionate to be in the gallery business,” notes Ruiz-Healy. “For me, it’s a dream job. I like being the conduit that helps an artist’s work find a home in a museum or private collection. I like introducing talented artists to the world. It’s a joy and a responsibility. It’s an exciting industry, and there’s a glamorous side to it – travel, meeting interesting people — but business can be inconsistent, and you have to have savings to survive the slow times.”

As the owner and director of Ruiz-Healy Art, it is her prerogative to decide whom to represent. This selection process is informed by her knowledge and experience, of course, but ultimately depends on her response to the artwork itself. “I have to love the concept behind the work, and the technical execution has to be top quality,” she notes somewhat hesitantly as if she had never really analyzed her method. “It also has to bring a different aesthetic, something that we don’t already have among the artists we work with. My personal relationship with the artist is also important. I like to work with friends.”

The Legacy of Chuck Ramirez

One such friend was Chuck Ramirez, the conceptual photographer who died in a bicycle accident in 2010. As the exclusive representative of his artistic estate, Ruiz-Healy has been instrumental in getting the city and the San Antonio Airport authorities to restore and relocate a series of Ramirez’s photographic light boxes, originally installed in the parking

garage. On Sept. 14, a group of about 25 people and city officials gathered at the airport to officially unveil the restored artworks, collectively titled Suitcase Portraits. They now greet visitors as they exit Terminal B, “at San Antonio’s front door,” as Felix Padron, the director of the Department for Culture & Creative Development, said at the event.

For Ruiz-Healy it was something she felt she owed to Ramirez. Another project close to her heart is the planned 2017 retrospective of her friend’s oeuvre at the McNay Museum, which will travel to other cities, and she also continues to place his pieces in museums around the country. Handling the estate “takes a lot of my time, but I love doing it. I put everything else aside,” she admits.

From Ranch Kid to International Art Dealer

Ruiz-Healy spent her childhood on her father’s ranch in the Sonora region of Mexico, the youngest of eight children. The ups and down of agricultural life in a dry landscape prepared her for the ups and downs of her current business, she says half-jokingly. The family later moved to San Luis Rio Colorado on the border with the U.S., giving young Patricia her first opportunity to visit Arizona and California. Following the aforementioned year in England, she studied art history in Mexico City for a while until she met and married Juan Ruiz-Healy, a prominent TV newscaster who swept her off her feet. It was love at first sight, says the gallerist, love that has lasted for 32 years and produced two daughters, now grown. The couple soon moved to Miami and a few years later to San Antonio where they had family connections.

Juan switched to working for a Mexico City newspaper, and the family experienced “kind of a mobile situation” that split their lives between the two cities.

Once here, Patricia resumed her studies and eventually earned a master’s degree in art history from UTSA. (She is currently close to completing her Ph.D. at UT Austin.) Her first studio-gallery was in a house in a residential neighborhood, which restricted the new business’ modus operandi. Openings were “by invitation,” and potential buyers had to make appointments to view her stock.

To market her business, she took part in established art fairs in Miami, New York and

other cities, built a network of contacts and used the Internet. Word-of-mouth spread, and the business grew “organically.”

Almost a decade later, Ruiz-Healy decided to make the leap to a public gallery when the Olmos Park space became available in 2013. “It has been a very positive experience,” she says. “Now the artists get reviewed, and the public gets to see their work.”

For the holiday season, she has invited guest curator Octavio Avendano Trujillo, a Mexico City-based art critic and curator, to put together a group show titled Why Is the Sky Blue. “I am excited to be collaborating with a younger curator, who brings a fresh outlook to creating something a little different for the gallery,” she notes. “I try to invite one or two guest curators a year. It’s important for my artists to have their work seen by other curators.”

The gallery also allowed her to spread her wings through collaborations with other institutions here and abroad, which has resulted in several high-profile exhibits of foreign artists. In addition, as a member of the International Fine Print Dealers Association, Ruiz-Healy remains active as a dealer of works by the likes of Picasso, Miró, Rufino Tamayo and other 20th-century masters.

So, what are her goals for the future?

There are two: She would like to have the opportunity to “discover” a promising new artist, and she is already planning to open a second Ruiz-Healy Art space in New York City. “That way I can be in the art market capital of the world,” she quips. november/december 2015 | 101

W SAARTS.COM

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF

RUBY CITY & HOLIDAY FUN

Most San Antonians remember Linda Pace as the founder of Artpace, but her remarkable legacy goes much further. She wanted to create a new art oasis downtown on Camp Street, which started with the development of CHRISpark, a small, beautifully laid-out green space that opened to the public in 2005.

Pace also redeveloped a commercial building across the street into condominiums, where she lived for a while before her death in 2007. Since then, her vision has been carried out by the Linda Pace Foundation (LPF), which recently announced a major new undertaking: a gallery and sculpture garden complex on the shore of San Pedro Creek — just 100 steps down the street from CHRISpark — to permanently house the eclectic Linda Pace art collection.

Called Ruby City, the new edifice has been designed by British architect David Adjaye, whom Pace personally selected and to whom she showed her sketch of a red building she had seen in a dream. Though Adjaye’s design doesn’t look anything like that castle-like sketch, the sleek, contemporary structure he conceived manages to embody the essence of the dream. LPF trustee Kathryn Kanjo explained that the architect was inspired

by Pace’s idea of a jewel-like place full of color where people could gather and interact with contemporary art.

Ruby City does, indeed, promise to be a jewel. Though LPF doesn’t like to call it a museum, it will essentially function as one, though entirely privately funded and operated. In addition to showing works from the foundation’s 800-piece-strong collection, it will also organize other contemporary exhibits. Slated to start in a few months, the construction will be completed in

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2018, just in time for the 300th anniversary of our city. What a gift to downtown, San Antonio as a whole and Texas! We should all be grateful for people like Linda Pace.

To get a sense of the art collected by Pace, see the current show, Immersed, at Space, an existing gallery adjacent to the park. Then spend a little time in shady CHRISpark and imagine the future art hub, stretching from South Flores to the creek.

For a very different visual arts experience, wander over to the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center to admire and buy unique handmade pieces during the three-day shopping event Hecho a Mano, starting Dec. 4. Each year a panel of jurors selects the participating artists.

On the performing arts front, there’s a lot going on at holiday time. I want to draw your attention to two productions that are not likely to return to San Antonio anytime soon: Pinocchio by Teatro del Drago from Italy, and the TEN Tenors from Australia.

The former is a unique version of the iconic classic told entirely using puppets, shadow theater, music and live actors, with no spoken dialogue. It has toured the world and won awards and is being brought to town by AtticRep, which has established a collaborative relationship with the Ravenna-based theater founded in 1822. (Nov. 11-14 and Nov. 18-22, atticrep.org).

As for the acclaimed Aussie classical-crossover group, it promises to dazzle American audiences with a heavy dose of holiday spirit with its new show, Home for the Holidays. Head north to Boerne to see them on Dec. 17. (boerneperformingarts.com).

Happy holidays!

november/december 2015 | 103

W ENTERTAINING

SAN ANTONIO WOMAN

reached out to leaders in the

Entertaining

Alamo City’s culinary world to

find out what they like to serve to family and friends at their holiday gatherings.

Here are the delicious recipes

and anecdotes they shared with us.

1 pound unsalted butter, melted 2 cups flour 3 /4 cup sugar 1 /2 package active dry yeast/1 cup lukewarm water to dilute 3-4 pounds pounds pitted dates, or purchase prepackaged ground dates Pour farina into large bowl and mix in lukewarm melted butter. Allow butter to saturate into farina for about 15 minutes. Sift flour and sugar into farina mixture.

Margaret Jabour CO-OWNER, TWIN LIQUORS

I chose two recipes because I love all varieties of dates, the edible sweet dried fruit. As a young girl, I would enjoy eating the dried fruit and would eat a substantial amount of them while completing my homework assignments.

Maybe it gave me more energy and focus.

Whatever it did, I enjoyed them and they must have been beneficial, as I was an exemplary student.

The first recipe is a fruitcake recipe shared by a great-aunt who enjoyed baking sweets among many other delicious recipes. When I was a young girl, my family would go over to their house almost every Sunday for family visits. I enjoyed her fruitcake because it was mainly dates and nuts and not all the excess fruit, as in the normal recipes. As a fourthgrader, I asked for her recipe, and it was the second dessert I ever prepared. The recipe below is the same fruitcake recipe that I wrote down in fourth grade.

The traditional fruitcake is not as common as when I was young. So I took this time to share the recipe in hopes of salvaging fruitcake from its typical bad reputation. The second recipe is a traditional Lebanese date cookie that has been prepared for generations.

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FRUITCAKE

4 eggs 1 cup sugar 1 cup flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 3 ounces cognac (Pierre Ferrand Memorable Cognac) 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 pound dates (whole, pitted) 1 pound maraschino cherries, whole (Luxardo are the best) 1 pound walnuts or pecans (whole)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Beat eggs, add sugar, vanilla and cognac, then mix in sifted flour and baking powder. Fold the dates, cherries and walnuts into the batter, adding a little at a time. Pour into well-greased Bundt pan. Bake at 250 degrees 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

DATE COOKIES

3 cups farina (ground) 1 teaspoon ground mahlab (aromatic spice made from seeds of specific cherry.

Flavor profile is almond and cherry.

Found in specialty food stores).

Melt dry yeast with lukewarm water and mix by hand or mixer.

Add lukewarm water as needed to form dough mixture. Cover mixture with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 1/2 inch or thicker layer of farina mixture on greased 12x16-inch pan; add a layer of dates. Repeat layer of farina mixture.

Bake for 45 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and pour cooled syrup immediately over surface. Allow syrup to saturate until the next day before cutting pastry.

SYRUP

4 cups water 2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon lemon juice 2 tablespoons orange blossom water

Bring water and sugar to boil and add lemon juice. Lower heat and stir in orange blossom water. Allow to cool.

Bon appetit!

W ENTERTAINING SAN ANTONIO SPICY FONDUE

Melissa Guerra

OWNER, MELISSA GUERRA, LATIN KITCHEN MARKET

My husband and I ducked into a tiny, dusty pink restaurant that featured fondue when we were in Buenos Aires this summer. We didn't have much hopes for the meal, but it ended up being our favorite evening together. We chattted, quibbled over who would get the last piece of bread and finished off two bottles of wine.

Here's a San Antonio version of that recipe:

1 clove peeled garlic 1 cup white wine 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded 4 ounces Pepper Jack cheese, shredded 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons tequila 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional) 1 loaf French bread, cut into chunks 1 apple, cut into slices 1 pear, cut into slices Assorted veggies and sausage, cut into chunks (about 8 ounces each) Rub the inside of a 2-quart saucepan with the clove of garlic. Discard the garlic. Fill the saucepan with the white wine, and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, place the shredded cheeses in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, and toss to coat well. Add the cheese to the simmering wine, stir and allow to melt, about 3 minutes. Add the tequila and pepper flakes (if desired), and simmer for 2 more minutes. Pour the hot fondue into a fondue pot. Light candle or fuel source under the fondue pot to keep it warm. Serve with bread, fruit, veggies and sausage.

Serves 4

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

Caryn Hasslocher

CMP; FRESH HORIZONS CREATIVE CATERING AND T.A.S.T.E. FOOD INC.

Pumpkin Cheesecake has been a tradition in our family for years. I love this recipe from Taste of Home.

Pumpkin Cheesecake 1 cup crushed gingersnap cookies (about 20 cookies) 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans 1/4 cup butter, melted 4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened, divided 1-1/2 cups sugar, divided 2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 large eggs 1 cup canned pumpkin 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1-1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg GARNISH: Fresh Ginger Whipped Cream

Preheat oven to 350째. Place a greased 9-inch spring form pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 inches square). Securely wrap foil around pan.

In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs, pecans and butter. Press onto the bottom of prepared pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack.

For filling, in a large bowl, beat 1 package of cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in remaining cream cheese, one package at a time until smooth. Add remaining sugar and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined.

Place 2 cups filling in a small bowl; stir in pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Remove 3/4 cup pumpkin filling; set aside. Pour remaining pumpkin filling over crust; top with remaining plain filling. Cut through with a knife to swirl. Drop reserved pumpkin filling by spoonfuls over cheesecake; cut through with a knife to swirl.

Place spring form pan in a large baking pan; add 1 inch of hot water to larger pan. Bake 55-65 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove spring form pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

Garnish with Fresh Ginger Whipped Cream. Yield: 12 servings.

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Christine Kelly OWNER, LILY’S COOKIES

ENTERTAINING W

My maternal Greek grandmother was an amazing matriarch who loved to entertain and was very devoted to family. She had four brothers, and all of their families would come together at her house for wonderful meals during the holidays and year-round. She would make delicious Greek food that was enjoyed by all. These are two of her recipes.

GALATOBOUREKO

(Custard with Filo Dough)

CUSTARD: 1 quart milk 1 3/4 cups sugar 3/4 cup farina or Cream of Wheat 1 cup butter 10 eggs, separated 2 teaspoons grated orange rind 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 jiggers Cointreau or other fruit liqueur Cinnamon 1 pound filo pastry leaves Melted butter

GREEK COCKTAIL MEATBALLS /KEFTEDAKIA

2 pounds ground beef (or optional 1/2 ground lamb or pork) 1 cup finely chopped onions 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 cups moist bread crumbs or cooked rice 2 eggs (slightly beaten) 1 tablespoon salt (or less salt if desired) 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 1 teaspoon dried mint leaves 1 teaspoon dried oregano White wine (optional)

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Sauté the onions and garlic in the butter and olive oil until soft and then let them cool. Place the cooled onions in a bowl and add the meat, bread crumbs or rice, eggs, mint, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Knead well until all ingredients are blended and shape into small meatballs, the size of a walnut. Place in an oiled baking pan and bake for approximately 20 minutes. Remove from oven and pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup white wine over the meatballs. Place in a serving dish to keep warm and pour any pan juices over the meatballs.

As an alternative cooking method, these meatballs can be dredged in flour and fried in a heavy skillet in about an inch of extra virgin olive oil. Heat the oil and fry a few at a time, turning constantly, until golden. Serve hot or cold.

Maureen Weissman CO-OWNER, MOSHE’S FALAFEL

This recipe is a family favorite and a crowd pleaser even with the older set of Jewish women who think that we don't know kugel from schmaltz!

SPICED SYRUP: 1 cup water 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 jiggers orange or peach liqueur 3 whole cloves 1 cinnamon stick 2 teaspoons orange peel

In a large saucepan, heat the milk and 1/2 of the sugar over low heat until warm.

Add farina slowly, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it thickens and is smooth. Add the butter and stir until completely blended. Remove from heat, add vanilla, orange rind, and liqueur. Stir well and allow mixture to cool. Beat egg yolks and remaining sugar until frothy.

Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into yolks. Add farina mixture and mix well.

Bring all the spiced syrup ingredients (except vanilla and liqueur) to a boil. Simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. Add vanilla and liqueur. Remove from heat and cool. Prepare the custard and syrup and allow to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan. Place about 10 sheets of filo dough on the bottom of the pan, each individually brushed with melted butter. Pour the cooled custard mixture into the pan and spread evenly.

Cover the custard with the remaining filo sheets, brushing each sheet with butter.

With a sharp knife or razor blade, cut the top of the pastry into 3-inch squares.

Bake for 1 hour; remove from the oven and pour cool syrup over the pan, so that it saturates the filo and custard thoroughly. Allow to cool before serving.

WEISSMAN FAMILY KUGEL

2 pounds egg noodles 1/2 pound unsalted butter 2 pounds cottage cheese 8 cups labneh 2 cups sugar 25 eggs 4 cups yellow raisins 5 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil noodles. Mix with all other ingredients.

Bake 45 minutes. Crush frosted flakes over top and dust with cinnamon to finish. november/december 2015 | 107

W ENTERTAINING YOUNG’S CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION TREE

The foundation for the tree is a Styrofoam cone, which can be purchased at most arts and crafts stores. The size of the cone selected depends on the size of the party.

Young Cacy

OWNER, ILSONG GARDEN

The Christmas Tree Appetizer has been a favorite of the Cacy family for over 30 years during Christmas gatherings in the festive home of chef Young Cacy, the owner and chef at Ilsong Garden Korean BBQ at 6905 Blanco Road. The tree is always the centerpiece on the table, and even though there is an initial hesitation by the guests to tear apart the artistic masterpiece, it is quickly devoured every time. The concept and design are beautiful, and the construction is simple.

REQUIRED: Styrofoam cone Boiled and peeled shrimp (the larger the better on larger cones) One large bunch of parsley with main stems removed One pint of cherry tomatoes Party toothpicks

CONSTRUCTION: Begin by placing shrimp on a circular/ascending pattern on the cone, secured with the party toothpicks. Next, place cherry tomatoes next to the shrimp also on a circular/ascending pattern. The final task is to place the destemmed parsley between the rows of tomatoes and shrimp to simulate the tree branches.

That’s it. Sit back, marvel at your work, and then enjoy.

YOUNG'S TANGY COCKTAIL SAUCE

1/2 cup catsup 1 teaspoon horseradish 1 teaspoon tobacco sauce 1 teaspoon parsley, chopped 1 teaspoon green onion, chopped 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice Mix together and enjoy.

sheet. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over baguettes.

Toast at 300 degrees for 8-10 minutes until crisp and slightly golden.

Heat heavy cream and sugar over medium heat until sugar dissolves and milk simmers. Prepare a slurry with the cornstarch, and drizzle it slowly into cream mixture, being careful to whisk quickly and avoid lumps. Allow sauce to simmer and thicken, stirring often. Remove sauce from heat and add vanilla and bourbon if desired.

Rosemary Kowalski

CHAIRMAN EMERITUS THE RK GROUP

This bread pudding recipe is very special to me because we began making it at Uncle Ben’s 70 years ago. Today, it holds a very special place at our family holiday table. Our family looks forward to enjoying it every Christmas.

ROSEMARY’S BREAD PUDDING

1 French baguette, sliced into 1/2” rounds 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground 4 ounces butter, melted 4 cups heavy cream 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla 4 tablespoons cornstarch 1/4 cup bourbon (optional)

Mix together 1 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Toss baguette rounds in melted butter, then lay out on a baking

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In a cake pan or other deepsided baking dish, ladle 1/4” of sauce, and then cover with a single layer of baguette toast. Cover baguettes with another layer of sauce and repeat process until dish is full.

Wrap entire dish in plastic wrap and foil. Heat bread pudding in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes when baguettes will have softened a little and become soaked with sauce. Invert bread pudding onto a serving platter, and then ladle extra sauce over the top. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings, berries or toasted nuts.

W AROUND TOWN

UT Health Science Center San Antonio hosted their annual President’s Gala on Sept.

26. Honorees at the event were Bartell and Mollie Zachry. Ann Biggs, the widow of Glenn Biggs, who passed away earlier this year from Alzheimer’s disease, was honorary co-chair.

The gala raised $600,000 for the new Bartell and Mollie Zachry Endowment for Alzheimer Research and Patient Care. The endowment will benefit South Texas’ first Institute for Alzheimer and Neurodegenerative Disease at the UT Health Science Center with an additional $34 million raised from the community.

1.

Lawrence Harkless, D.P.M., Jim Reed, Katie Reed, and Navarra Williams.

2. Steven Pliszka, Ph.D., his wife, Alice Narvaez, Ph.D., Gail Frazer and Alan Frazer.

3. Barbara Turner, M.D., M.S.Ed., MACP, Marcia Weser, Elliott Weser, M.D., and Francisco González-Scarano, M.D. 4. Gala honorees Bartell and Mollie Zachry with Mary and William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP.

5. Mollie Zachry discusses the remarkable life she has had with husband Bartell Zachry.

6. Lisa Bailey, Veronica Galvan, Ph.D., and Matthew Hart, Ph.D. 110 | sawoman.com

W SAWOMAN

Connect JOANN BOONE

CEO/President, Rio San Antonio Cruises Since JoAnn Boone took over the City of San Antonio’s river barge concession in October 2002, she has re-created what was once a failing operation with unreliable service and poor employee benefits into an award-winning, record-breaking company. Every improvement she implements, from her focus on positive customer service and stellar employee benefits, to a streamlined operation, has turned Rio San Antonio Cruises into the success it is today on our great San Antonio River.

Throughout, Rio San Antonio Cruises has landed numerous accolades from local, state and national organizations, including being selected as one of the “Top 10 Best Boats Rides” in the United States by USA Today Travel.

JoAnn’s commitment to San Antonio and its famed River Walk extends into her community involvement and philanthropy.

Entertainment Rio San Antonio Cruises 205 N. Presa, Bldg. B, Ste. 201 San Antonio, TX 78205 210-244-5700

www.riosanantonio.com

ANNETTE CANALES Commercial Loan Officer Lone Star Capital Bank, N.A.

Annette M. Canales is a Commercial Loan Officer with Lone Star Capital Bank, N.A. with over 25 years’ experience in the banking industry.

She is a graduate of Texas A&M University, Kingsville, Texas, and received her MBA and BBA in Finance.

Annette currently serves on the Board of Directors for Catholic Charities Archdiocese of San Antonio, Inc. as Senior Services Board Chair. She is also a member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and recently completed the Alexander Briseno Leadership Development Program. Other community involvement includes serving as a member of the Finance Committee and the ACTS Core Committee for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church.

Banking Lone Star Capital Bank, N.A. 150 N. Loop 1604 E. San Antonio, TX 78232 210-496-9482 Annette.Canales@LSCB.com

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www.LSCB.com

Medical Billing Progressive Billing 6655 First Park Ten Blvd., Suite 116 San Antonio, TX 78213 lettiecantu@peoplepc.com www.facebook.com/ progressivebilling 210-733-1802

LETICIA CANTU Progressive Billing

The medical billing professionals at Progressive Billing realize how crucial it is to conduct business practices with integrity, honesty, and compassion while remaining in compliance with the laws and regulations that govern their operations. Leticia Cantu is the owner and takes pride in providing answers to any questions or concerns her providers may encounter and consults with them to maximize profitability and proficiency.

Leticia has been immensely involved in the medical billing and collections field for nearly three decades, and has dedicated her life to pursuing her passion for providing the best service available throughout the state of Texas including Dallas, Corpus Christi, Austin, West Texas, Laredo and San Antonio.

Leticia is a true inspiration to those around her and enables others to strive to be better. She opened the doors to Progressive Billing in October 1997 from home with just one account and built referrals through word of mouth. She then opened her first office with five employees and referrals kept coming allowing her to grow to 20+ employees and servicing over 32 doctors ranging from pain management, physical therapy, orthopedics and many other specialties. The Progressive Billing management team has over 50 years of combined medical billing experience, which allows them to train their staff thoroughly.

What separates Progressive Billing from others is that it provides a mom and pop atmosphere which helps employee morale knowing the owner takes such pride in her work and works accounts alongside her staff so that they are aware of all aspects of the business. Lettie’s eldest daughter has been working with the company for five years since graduating from college and shares the passion for this business as well, helping manage one of its largest accounts.

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Connect LISA FULLERTON

President/CEO, A Novel Idea, dba Auntie Anne’s & Cinnabon

After 15 years in corporate America, Lisa left a secure job as managing director of an international behavioral acience firm to pursue the dream of owning her own business. In 2000, A Novel Idea, LLC (A.N.I.) was founded and began operating its first Auntie Anne’s Pretzels at North Star Mall. Lisa traded her pumps for pretzel proprietorship and worked 70 hour weeks for years, learning the business from the ground up. That hands-on training allowed the business to grow from one store employing eight individuals to seven locations employing 80 people. Lisa was introduced to pretzels by her neighbor – who just so happened to be “Auntie” Anne Beiler herself. Lisa quickly learned about Anne’s passionate work ethic, worldview, and intriguing success as a pretzel franchiser. She was most impressed by their high regard for people, knowing the correlation between happy employees and positive production. Lisa and her husband have created a purposeful culture with charitable partners in San Antonio, which include Clubhouse San Antonio, Alex’s Lemonade, the USO and Operation Gratitude.

Specialty Food Retail A Novel Idea, dba Auntie Anne’s & Cinnabon 20540 State Hwy. 46W, Suite 115 Spring Branch, TX 78070 830-885-6730 lisa.fullerton@texasani.com

www.Auntieannes.com

CRISTINA MORALES HEANEY CEO, U.S. Safety Services

U.S. Safety Services celebrates its tenth anniversary in business this year. A Certified First Responder Organization with the Texas Department of State Health Services, U.S. Safety Services is a provider of first aid, medical first responder services, CPR training, and OSHA training: 10- and 30-hour classes for general industry. Select clients served include tourism, sporting and entertainment venues, manufacturing, warehousing and distribution facilities, and municipalities. U.S. Safety Services is a proven, customized and cost-effective “outsourcing” solution.

Cristina is dedicated to the success of all small business owners. In particular she understands the impact that women business owners have on the economy. Cristina is also passionate about education, being available to all the young people in our city. Currently, Cristina serves on the SA Youth Board and is president of the National Association of Women Business Owners, San Antonio chapter.

First Responder/Safety Training U.S. Safety Services cmheaney@ussafetyservices.com 210-687-1604

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www.ussafetyservices.com

Energy Shining Star ENERGY 302 Huntington Place Shavano Park, TX 78231 210-213-5678 Siempre04@aol.com

SONDRA L. GROHMAN CEO-President of Shining Star ENERGY

Sondra L. Grohman and Shining Star ENERGY are synonymous in character and in nature. Grohman is a trailblazer as a woman in both the automobile industry and the globally acclaimed Eagle Ford Shale oil play in South Texas.

Grohman amassed 28 years of success in the automobile industry before surging forward as an active force in the oil and gas industry. As a master of negotiation, development, management, and operations, Grohman became one of the most successful women in two of Texas’ male-dominated industries.

Her strong work ethic and willing servant’s heart has compelled her to support the community in many ways. Grohman’s mantra is to be the mojo and hand up for the oppressed, the abused, the silent voice, and for higher education.

Strong examples include Grohman’s service as a member of the board of director's for Dress For Success, Career Gear SA and Opera Piccola; and as the vice chair of corporate business development for the San Antonio Women’s Chamber of Commerce. She serves on the Academy of Creative Education Council (Northeast School District — Scholarships) and also sponsors the Alamo Valero Bowl Shining Star ENERGY youth football clinic. Grohman is also the top buyer at the San Antonio Rodeo & Stock Show, where AG children’s animals are brought and sold. Grohman is also a strong advocate of Family Services Association and Girls, Inc. She continues to mentor local high school girls that have hopes of one day becoming a business owner and contributes a $10,000 scholarship for their business plan competition.

Awards & Nominations · National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Entrepreneurial Spirit Award · Finalist for the United Way Volunteer of the Year Award – Unsung Hero · San Antonio Business Journal 2015 Women’s Leadership Award · San Antonio Women’s Chamber of Commerce Constellation of Stars Award · Recipient/Inductee for San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame

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W SAWOMAN

Connect MARGARET JABOUR Twin Liquors

Twin Liquors is a third-generation, Texas family-owned-and-operated wine and spirits business that started after Prohibition. Owners Margaret Jabour and brother, David Jabour, have expanded the business to 80 locations throughout Central Texas.

Margaret believes, “It is important to provide outstanding customer service along with product knowledge and education. I believe that an educated staff can teach consumers to feel confident with their wine and spirits selections. I believe it is equally important to provide tastings in the stores — much like fragrance samplings at a cosmetics counter. It was important to bring the department store ambience to the wine and spirits industry with great selection of name brand products at great prices. Relationships are important and why we believe in neighborhood stores that give us the opportunity to know the people in the communities and the needs of the communities. Through philanthropy Twin Liquors is involved with over 500 charitable events annually.”

Spirits Twin Liquors 9 San Antonio area locations info@twinliquors.com www.TwinLiquors.com

DAWN LAFREEDA

Den-Tex Central, Inc. dba Denny’s Franchise Restaurants

Dawn Lafreeda, founder and CEO of Den-Tex Central, Inc., is one of the most successful restaurant franchise owners in the country. Working her way up from waiting tables at Denny’s at 16, she currently owns 75 of their restaurants and employs over 2,800 in her multi-state operation.

During her career, Lafreeda has been featured in numerous publications, such as Entrepreneur, Food and Drink International, and Multi Unit Franchisee, among others. She has received numerous business and service awards, including Working Woman 500’s Largest Women Owned Businesses in the Country, Denny’s Operator of the Year, the Presidential Leadership Award from Big Brothers Big Sisters, Denny’s Developer of the Year, and the Anchor Award from Equality Texas. She recently filmed a pilot for The Food Network in which she advises young restaurant owners on how to take their business to the next level.

Lafreeda is involved in her local community and supports Big Brothers Big Sisters, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Special Olympics, Family Endeavors, Equality Texas, Family Equality Council, and The Human Rights Campaign, among others.

Restaurant Den-Tex Central, Inc. dba Denny’s Franchise Restaurants P.O. Box 690730, San Antonio, TX 78269 Dlafreeda@dentexcentral.com 210-694-0707

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www.dennys.com

D’ANN HARPER

Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper, REALTORS® Named one of the Best Places to Work according to the San Antonio Express News and the San Antonio Business Journal, Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper, REALTORS® is led by a wonderful lady, D’Ann Harper, who has set the tone by promoting trust, partnership and innovation in her company. By empowering her entire staff that branches across eight offices in six different surrounding cities, D’Ann has embraced her company with compassion. Moreover, D’Ann has tasked singularly unique managers who carry her ideals to the forefront and have continued to elevate the company by helping elevate each other.

D’Ann Harper was honored in September 2015 with a Hero of the Year award from Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. The Coldwell Banker brand is known worldwide for its charitable efforts, such as Habitat for Humanity, Toys for Tots, Ronald McDonald House and the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The Hero of the Year Award honors one Coldwell Banker individual, office, and/or company that has taken great pride in strengthening their community while going the extra mile to ensure that those in need have a trusted advocate to ensure a brighter future.

D’Ann Harper gives in a variety of different ways, through money, time and most importantly, her heart, supporting various causes and charities throughout the year including organizations such as Roy Maas Youth Alternatives, Habitat for Humanity and The South Texas Blood & Tissue Center. Specifically, D’Ann Harper currently serves as a board member of Any Baby Can San Antonio, guiding families from crisis to care, and actively participates in the Any Baby Can events, which include The Walk for Autism and the Fore Any Baby Can Golf Tournament. D’Ann also served as board president of Any Baby Can, and as recognition for the time and service she was awarded a beautiful handmade award. The inscription on the award reads, “To D’Ann Harper, Board Chair July 2013 – June 2015 With Deep Gratitude for your Generous Service to the Children & Families of Any Baby Can of San Antonio, Inc.” As a leader in the real estate industry, D’Ann Harper is well respected in the community and beloved by her employees. Making Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper, REALTORS® a family affair has built a sense of trust and partnership. Innovation and growth, along with empowering others, have guided D’Ann on the path of leadership. She is an inspiration to many and considered a powerful resource in local real estate.

Realtor D’Ann Harper Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper, REALTORS® 18756 Stone Oak Pkwy., Suite 101 San Antonio, TX 78258 210-483-7070 www.cbharper.com

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KATHLEEN ACOCK

KAREN ANDERSON

Alpha Building Corporation

Number Crunchers Bookkeeping

Kathleen Acock is responsible for the oversight of Alpha Building Corporation and ensures the firm continues to prosper in a sustainable and ethical way. She provides over 40 years of construction management skill, knowledge and experience. Her management approach is based on the ethical and guiding principles her father laid down when he founded Alpha almost 50 years ago. Ms. Acock is a philanthropist who strongly believes in the power of education and is a member, and founder, of

Number Crunchers offers full-service bookkeeping for all sizes of companies, as well as review services for CPA firms. By establishing accounting best practices and procedures, they assist clientele in streamlining their bookkeeping so that the business owner can focus on what they do best: running their businesses.

Founder Karen Anderson passionately gives back, both locally and globally. She sits on the executive board of NAWBO, and the board of directors of Deborah’s House. Additionally, she participates actively in local mentoring efforts, as well as international mission efforts, drilling water wells in Central America for those without clean, safe drinking water.

numerous non-profit boards.

Construction Management Alpha Building Corporation 24850 Blanco Road San Antonio, TX 78260 210-491-9925 www.alphabuilding.com

VANESSA BESSLER

CEO, The Dance Center of San Antonio Artistic Director, The Children’s Ballet of San Antonio Bessler is a former principal dancer with the National Ballet of Panama and the founder and CEO of San Antonio’s premier ballet training center, the Dance Center of San Antonio (DCSA), and artistic director of the Children's Ballet of San Antonio, the only pre-professional ballet company in San Antonio featuring children ages 7 to 18 in full-length ballet productions. Vanessa has a 15+ year track record of preparing successful students who have been accepted in professional companies and strong college programs.

Accounting Number Crunchers Bookkeeping 17890 Blanco Road, #301 San Antonio, TX 78232 210-492-0100 numbercrunchersbookkeeping.com karen@ncbkg.com

ROBBIE CASEY

Broker, Robbie Casey Commercial Realty

Robbie Casey Commercial Realty offers a quarter century of experience ranging from the retail industry to real estate brokerage.

Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, Robbie Casey Commercial Realty specializes in the commercial real estate markets throughout Texas.

When considering leasing,purchasing or sales call Robbie Casey.

She has been featured in Texas Monthly, Southern Living, San Antonio Express News, Fort Worth Star Telegram, Woman’s Wear Daily, and The New York Times.

Robbie brings professional experience and extensive knowledge to her clients by combining knowledge, vision and creativity to meet the needs of clients. She is a Gold Member of The Circle of Friends of the Bexar County Medical Society, CCIM, CREW, and NAWBO.

Dance Dance Center of San Antonio Childrens Ballet of San Antonio P.O. Box 90008 San Antonio, TX 78209 210-540-8398 vanessa.bessler@ dancecenterofsanantonio.org http://dancecenterofsanantonio.org www.childrensballetofsanantonio.org 118 | sawoman.com

Broker Robbie Casey Commercial Realty 210-872-8453 robbie@robbiecaseyrealty.com http://robbiecaseyrealty.com

LISA MOCHEL

Strategic Business Consultant, eEmployers Solutions, Inc. Lisa Mochel, Strategic Business Consultant for eEmployers Solutions,

Inc. (eESI). I consult with businesses to help them focus on increasing

profitability, maximizing employee productivity, assisting with employee

retention, reducing time spent in transactional human resource duties,

and reducing employment-related liability. eESI was established in 1999,

and is based in San Antonio with a national presence. eESI is a relationship

company, who wants to know our partners, and wants our partners to

know us. I enjoy working with people to help them solve their business is-

sues or challenges that keep them up at night. In today’s environment, human resource management is much more complex than ever before. We

take the burden off our partners, making certain they are compliant. I also

feel very strongly about being involved in the local community, and I love

giving back. I have my BA, and am currently working on my MBA.

Business Consultant eEmployers Solutions, Inc. (eESI) 12211 Huebner Road San Antonio, TX 78230 210-495-1171 lmochel@eesipeo.com

http://eESIpeo.com

ROBBIE L. WARD

Attorney at Law, LaHood & Calfas PLLC

Born in West Texas, Robbie Ward learned early the importance of strong family values and a strong work ethic. Upon graduation from college, she moved to San Antonio to attend St. Mary's University School of Law. The internship she began in Law School became her first full-time job as a lawyer in the Bexar County District Attorney's office. Because of her hard work, intelligence and skills as a trial lawyer, she was quickly promoted to a high ranking Felony Prosecutor in the family violence division.

While at the District Attorney's office, she was recruited by the United States Attorneys office. She worked as a Federal Prosecutor for over a year before becoming the First Assistant in the Ector County Attorney's office.

After two years as the second in charge of the Ector County Attorney's office, she returned to San Antonio. Now in private practice with the premier law firm of LaHood & Calfas PLLC, Robbie is blazing a trail in her representation of those in-need of criminal defense, family and personal injury matters. Robbie is very experienced in both state and federal court, and well respected throughout the legal community.

LaHood & Calfas PLLC 1924 N. Main Avenue San Antonio, TX 78212 210-212-6969

Attorney LaHoodLaw.com Like us on facebook

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Connect Medical Managment

Tourism

DINA PETRUTSAS, CPA

JUNE BRATCHER

Managing Partner, Concordis Practice Management, LLC

CEO, Founder, Daisy Charters & Shuttles

1505 E. Houston Street San Antonio, TX 78202 210-225-8600 June@DaisyCharters.com www.DaisyCharters.com

613 NW Loop 410, Suite 345 San Antonio, TX 78216 210-704-1014 • concordispm.com dina@concordispracticemgmt.com

A deluxe charter coach provider with over 30 years of experience in transportation. Specializing in mass transportation locally and nationwide with 26 deluxe coaches with offices in San Antonio and Corpus Christi, TX.

As managing partner at Concordis, Dina Petrutsas helps practices survive in today's competitive health care environment. Her 30 years of experience as a Certified Public Accountant, consultant, and medical practice executive give her excellent credibility. Dina’s passion is developing solutions that meet the unique needs of medical practices.

Title Company

Events

JENIFER BROWN Presidio Title

7373 Broadway, Suite 105 San Antonio, TX 78209 210-757-9600, ext. 104 • Mobile: 210-804-2366 jbrown@presidiotitle.com • presidiotitle.com With over 20 years in the real estate profession, Jenifer Brown brings her talents and skills sets to Presidio Title as the newest escrow officer at the Alamo Heights location. As a longtime realtor, Jenifer understands the importance of customer service, demands of working with deadlines and the details it takes to complete a real estate transition.

Estate Sales PEGGY CALHOUN, ISA & JOY CURNUTT Professional Estate Sales, LLC

900 NE Loop 410 San Antonio, TX 78209 210-826-7653 www.professionalestatesales.com

When liquidating an estate or downsizing, call the experts the professionals use. We are licensed, bonded, insured with an A+ rating from the BBB. At PES, we know that our relationship begins with trust and ends with satisfaction. We are the company that is honest and trustworthy.

Consulting

ROSE TAYLOR

Business Development Specialist, Santikos Theaters

18402 US Hwy 281 N., Suite 229 San Antonio, TX 78259 210-394-2218 rose@santikos.com • santikos.com

As the business development specialist my main objective is to raise awareness within our community of our theatre space for corporate meetings and events, gala and premieres. Give me a call or email me to learn more.

NANCY L. HARD

President/Chief Executive Officer Family Service Association Nancy Hard is the president/chief executive officer of Family Service Association, which has been “empowering individuals and families to transform their lives and strengthen their community” since 1903. She oversees a staff of almost 600 serving over 100,000 individuals in a 28-county radius, with an annual budget of over $25 million. Nancy has a commitment to children and families of San Antonio, Texas, and the nation. She has a national reputation for leadership in program development, community resource development, capacity building, and leadership and expertise in the early childhood education field. Nancy is an active community volunteer as a speaker on non-profit issues and serves on many local and state boards.

LINDA ELLIOTT Founder/President, Elliott Connection, LLC

2013 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78215 210-495-1733 • 210-887-5904 Mobile linda@elliottconnection.com www.elliottconnection.com www.healthcarethinktank.org Linda Elliott, president of Elliott Connection, LLC, is the go-to woman for connecting individuals with people they should know, skillfully facilitating profitable business relationships.

A subsidiary of Elliott Connection is Healthcare Think Tank, with chapters in San Antonio and Austin. Included is a vibrant online presence providing articles on the most up-to-date and relevant health care topics.

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Family Service Family Service Association 702 San Pedro San Antonio, TX 78212 210-299-2405 nhard@family-service.org

CINDY HILL

Commercial Property Acquisition/Sales Cindy Hill Commercial Real Estate Law Cindy has been intensely involved in complex commercial real estate acquisition/sales and contract projects with large retail companies for two decades. Two of them are publicly traded companies headquartered in San Antonio.

She knows how critical the details are in commercial property transactions. How these transactions are negotiated, structured and managed makes a big impact on the company/investor’s bottom line.

Cindy’s experience and know-how help the parties in a real estate transaction maximize profit and efficiency.

Cindy has proven to be an engaging leader with the ability to organize, analyze, and innovate to lead teams to project success.

Lawyer Cindy Hill Commercial Real Estate Law 926 Chulie Drive San Antonio, TX 78216 210-225-6666 cindy@cindyhill-law.com www.cindyhill-law.com

BRENDA VICKREY JOHNSON

President and CEO, Vickrey & Associates, Inc., Consulting Engineers

Brenda Vickrey Johnson serves as the president of Vickrey & Associates, which employs over 70 professionals in San Antonio and Austin. Vickrey is the recipient of numerous ACEC Engineering Excellence and San Antonio Best Places to Work awards.

Brenda is active in the community and currently serves on the UTSA Development Board, the P-16 Plus Education Council of Bexar County, and the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce Board.

She is a former chairman of the board of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. She is a graduate of the University of Texas and is married to Jerry Johnson. They have three adult children and one grandchild.

Engineering Vickrey & Associates, Inc. 12940 Country Parkway San Antonio, TX 78216 210-349-3271 www.vickreyinc.com

NANCY VICTOR

DAWN WINBORN, CIC

25 year Family and Woman-Owned. Your one-stop shop for both your personal and business IT needs. Our team keeps your costs down and offers preventative maintenance or on-demand services.

However you need us we are here to help!

Nancy Victor is a passionate advocate for small business and women’s issues. The Immediate Past President for the National Association of Women Business Owners – San Antonio, a Rotarian and Toastmaster, 2014 Enterprising Women of the Year Award Winner and Bexar County’s Woman of the Year 2009. Featured in media across the country, she is a community activist, writer, and public speaker.

Insurance agent Dawn Winborn is a certified insurance counselor who specializes in placing insurance with A+ rated insurance carriers for high net worth individuals. She has extensive experience with exceptional homes, jewelry, fine arts, watercraft and interesting collections. Between the competitively priced policies and risk management services Dawn provides, she makes sure her customers are well protected from unforeseen but insurable circumstances.

Wortham insurance and Risk Management has been securing superior insurance products and services for its clientele since 1915.

We would welcome the opportunity to review your current personal insurance needs and discuss the most appropriate coverage options for you.

President Help Me!! Tech Team

Information Technology Help Me!! Tech Team 903 Austin Highway San Antonio, TX 78209 210-822-8817, x303 nancy@helpmetechteam.com www.helpmetechteam.com

Insurance Agent Wortham Insurance & Risk Management

Insurance Wortham Insurance & Risk Management 131 Interpark Blvd.

San Antonio, Texas 78216 210-249-2341 dawn.winborn@worthaminsurance.com www.worthaminsurance.com november/december 2015 | 121

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Calendar

WURSTFEST November 6-15 Landa Park

ART // MUSIC // FILM // THEATER // DANCE // CHARITY // OUTDOORS hit NBC variety competition series. www.tobincenter.org

November 5-15

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA The Majestic Theatre, times vary Hailed by critics as bigger and better than ever before, this production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical boasts many exciting special effects, including the show’s legendary chandelier, new scenic and lighting designs, new choreography and the beloved score. www.majesticempire.com

November 6

FAMILY FLASHLIGHT NIGHT San Antonio Botanical Garden, 6 – 8:30pm It’s your chance to see a very different side of the Garden. Encounter nighttime insects, create a constellation craft and test your directional skills in a light maze. Bring your own flashlight. www.sabot.org

November 11 Program. The smoke stacks will be illuminated, and snow flurries are forecast to fall! www.quarrymarket.com

November 7-8

GEORGE WEST STORYFEST George West, Texas, 10am-9pm Texans are known for spinning “tall tales.” And for nearly two decades, some of the state’s best storytellers have gathered on the first weekend in November in the tiny town of George West for the annual Storyfest. In addition to performances by the storytellers, the event also features live music, a car show, street dance, “Little Red Wagon” parade, quilt show and more. www.georgeweststoryfest.com

SALUD! CULINARY NIGHTS AT THE WITTE The Witte Museum, 6:30–8:30pm Gather your friends and experience an evening of conversation and culinary delights at the Witte Museum. www.wittemuseum.org

November 15 November 11-22

PINOCCHIO The Tobin Center, 8pm In a magical retelling of the old fairytale, Teatro del Drago integrates puppetry and shadow theatre alongside actors, telling the tale through movement and music without the use of spoken dialogue. This production has toured internationally and returns to San Antonio for an encore performance following its one-night-only presentation at Trinity University in 2013. www.tobincenter.org

November 6-15

WURSTFEST Landa Park,New Braunfels, times vary A unique celebration rich in German culture located near the headwaters of the beautiful Comal River in New Braunfels.This festival features food, music, dancing, carnival rides and German, Texan and domestic beer, special events and the finest in Alpine and Bavarian style entertainment. www.wurstfest.com

November 8

SUNDAY JAZZ AT THE WITTE

November 13

NACHO LIBRE HEB CINEMA ON THE PLAZA The Tobin Center, 8pm Bring your lawn chairs or blankets and enjoy the movie on our 32foot LED screen. No outside food or drinks are allowed, but concessions will be available for purchase, including full bar service. www.tobincenter.org

November 7

The Witte Museum, 3-5pm Join us every second Sunday of the month to enjoy a relaxing afternoon listening to jazz under the pecan trees of the Will Smith Amphitheater. Food and beverages are available for purchase from Picante Grill. Sunday Jazz at the Witte is presented in partnership with Trinity University’s KRTU Jazz 91.7. www.wittemuseum.org

ALAMO QUARRY FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

November 9

DIWALI

AMERICA’S GOT TALENT LIVE!

La Villita, 5-10pm Diwali celebrates the Indian Festival of Lights. San Antonio’s celebration is one of the largest in the U.S. Diwalisa.com

Alamo Quarry, 6-8pm The Family Service Association and the Alamo Quarry Market present Festival of Lights, an event benefiting the Adopt-A-Family Holiday

The Tobin Center, 7:30pm The show features some of the most popular performers from the

November 14

DON WILLIAMS The Tobin Center, 7pm Don Williams returns to the Tobin Center for one spectacular night of his greatest hits, which include Good Ole Boys Like Me, I Believe In You, Love Is On A Roll, Amanda and Tulsa Time. www.tobincenter.org

November 17

DIANA KRALL The Majestic Theatre, 7:30pm Diana Krall will perform pop classics such as The Mamas and the Papas’ California Dreamin’, the Eagles’ Desperado and Bob Dylan’s Wallflower and more. www.majesticempire.com

November 19

LAST COMIC STANDING LIVE TOUR The Tobin Center, 7:30pm This Emmy-nominated laugh-fest returns with an all new group of the world's funniest comics. See the finalists perform live. www.tobincenter.org

November 20-22

BEETHOVEN’S EMPEROR The Tobin Center, times vary Fast-rising pianist Inon Barnatan brings dazzling virtuosity and daring emotional depth to Beethoven’s majestic and much beloved “Emperor” Concerto. Conducted by Sebastian Lang-Lessing. www.tobincenter.org

November 21

LIGHT THE WAY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE INCARNATE WORD

LIGHT THE WAY November 21 The University of the Incarnate Word

The University of the Incarnate World, evenings at dusk A million twinkling lights illuminate

the night sky at the University of the Incarnate Word to celebrate the holiday season. This free walking or driving experience is truly a San Antonio-style holiday event. www.uiw.edu/lighttheway.org

November 21 - December 31

SEAWORLD SAN ANTONIO CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION Dates and times vary, see website Enjoy stunning live shows in this wintery, watery wonderland. Immerse your family in the spirit of the season as you stroll through a sea of sparkling lights and share laughs with a jolly Santa. www.seaworldparks.com

November 21

UNTAPPED FESTIVAL SAN ANTONIO The Lone Star Brewery An indie craft beer and music festival offering more than 200 unique craft beers from more than 50 breweries and a music lineup composed of local and national acts, including Metric, Tokyo Police Club, GZA, Saint Motel, Nina Diaz, Mariachi Nuevo Estilo, King Pelican, Ellis Redon, Los Callejeros De San Anto. www.untapped-festival.com

November 21- January 3

SIX FLAGS FIESTA HOLIDAY IN THE PARK Six Flags Fiesta Texas,Open select days, see website for details It’s the most wonderful time of the year as Six Flags Fiesta Texas is transformed into a winter wonderland with thrilling rides, tasty treats and exciting family entertainment for the holiday season. www.sixflags.com/fiesta

( EDITOR’S PICK ) December 5-6

HUMANA ROCK & ROLL MARATHON AND 1/2 MARATHON Thousands of runners will pound the pavement during this two day event. Music makes up the heart and “sole” of this event. Live bands will be performing a variety of music from alternative, classic and punk rock to blues, jazz and soul along every mile of the race course. The bands set the tempo for this running party, where runners and spectators alike will be “dancin’ in the streets” to these mini-concerts.

There are also themed water stations, cheerleaders, dance squads, a world-class Health and Fitness expo and a finish line concert. www.runrocknroll.com, See website for race times and details

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FOR MORE ON SAN ANTONIO ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT VISIT WWW.SAARTS.COM

2015

ART // MUSIC // FILM // THEATER // DANCE // CHARITY // OUTDOORS November 27

FORD HOLIDAY RIVER PARADE AND LIGHTING CEREMONY The River Walk, 7pm The 34th Annual Ford Holiday River Parade is a San Antonio tradition, featuring spectacular floats. www.sanantonioriverwalk.com

November 27- December 31

HOLIDAYS IN BLOOM November 27

CHEAP TRICK The Majestic Theatre, 8pm Since the ‘70s they’ve been blending elements of pop, punk and metal in a way that is instantly catchy and recognizable. With timeless classics such as I Want You to Want Me, Surrender, and The Flame, they’ll be rocking the house. www.majesticempire.com

San Antonio Botanical Garden Experience Holidays in Bloom at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Step away from the holiday whirlwind of traffic and malls and enjoy the season in nature. Find a spot to capture a memory at the Garden, with picturesque backgrounds for family photographs. www.sabot.org

November 28

LIZA MINELLI The Tobin Center, 8pm Liza Minnelli, Oscar winner, Tony winner, Grammy winner, Emmy winner and one of the entertainment world's consummate performers, comes to the Tobin Center for one night only. www.tobincenter.org

Deccember 4-13

THE NUTCRACKER The Tobin Center, times vary.

Jump-start your holidays with this must-see production by Ballet San Antonio with live music by the San Antonio Symphony. Experience the magic with exquisite choreography, sets and costumes and Tchaikovsky's music live! www.thetobincenter.org

December 6 THE NUTCRACKER December 4 - 13 The Tobin Center

FROST AND FIRE CHILDREN’S CHOIR OF SAN ANTONIO The Tobin Center, 7:30pm The children’s choir celebrates the arrival of winter with guest conductor Emily Ellsworth (Anima, Chicago). This concert will include works by Hassler, Elgar, Gwyneth Walker, Sarah Quartel and Vince

Guaraldi. Come see them perform for our annual winter concert in the H-E-B Performance Hall at the Tobin Center. www.tobincenter.org

December 8

CONSPIRARE CHRISTMAS

Liza

The Tobin Center,7:30pm Austin’s Grammy® award-winning vocal ensemble Conspirare rings in the holiday season with an untraditional yet festive musical extravaganza, Conspirare Christmas. Led by artistic director Craig Hella Johnson, Conspirare Christmas is an unexpected collection of exquisite music and sounds. www.tobincenter.org

LIZA MINELLI Nov 28 The Tobin Center

December 10

JIM BRICKMAN COMFORT & JOY The Majestic Theatre, 7:30pm A holiday tradition, Jim Brickman delights audiences as he sings songs of the season with his soaring vocals and lush instrumentals. www.majestictheatre.com

December 11

ELF HEB CINEMA ON THE PLAZA The Tobin Center, 8pm Bring your lawn chairs or blankets and enjoy the movie on our 32-foot LED screen. No outside food or drinks are allowed, but concessions will be available for purchase. www.tobincenter.org

December 15

December 21-24

ROBERT EARL KEEN MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE FAM-O-LEE

RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER

The Tobin Center, 7:30pm Country legend Robert Earl Keen, along with his great backup band, and plenty of holiday decorations, brings you a sleigh full of holiday music and crazy family memories, all inspired by one of his most popular songs, Merry Christmas From The Fam-O-Lee. www.tobincenter.org

The Tobin Cener, times vary The beloved TV classic soars off the screen and onto the Tobin Center stage. Come see all of your favorite characters from the special including Santa and Mrs. Claus, Hermey the Elf, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster, Clarice, Yukon Cornelius and, of course, Rudolph, as they come to life.

Don’t miss this wonderful holiday tradition that speaks to the misfit in all of us. www.tobincenter.org

December 15-20

December 26

December 12

BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA CHRISTMAS ROCKS EXTRAVAGANZA The Majestic Theatre, 8pm The iconic guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and three-time Grammy winner and his 18-piece orchestra will perform Christmas classics.

Join them for one night only as they really rock around the Christmas tree. www.majestictheatre.com THE BOOK OF MORMON December 15-20 The Majestic Theatre

THE BOOK OF MORMON The Majestic Theatre, times vary Don’t misss this blockbuster Broadway smash from South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and the Oscarwinning composer of Disney's Frozen, Bobby Lopez.

This outrageous musical comedy follows the misadventures of a mismatched pair of missionaries, sent halfway across the world to spread the good word. It’s won nine Tony’s, including Best Musical. www.majesticempire.com

MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER

BY CHIP DAVIS The Majestic Theatre,8pm Grammy Award® winner Chip Davis directs this show featuring classic Christmas hits from Mannheim Steamroller and dazzling multimedia effects in an intimate setting. www.majesticempire.com

Thru April 3rd, 2016

EXHIBIT AT THE WITTE The Witte Museum announces The Wests of Texas: Cattle Ranching Entrepreneurs and Spurs for Texas: Selections from the Leo Quintanilla Collection. www.wittemuseum.org

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W Weddings

Mr. and Mrs. Matthew John Landon (Samantha Leigh Wakely) September 4, 2015

David Sixt Photography

Jenna-Beth Lyde/Parish Photography

Mr. and Mrs. Asa Ames (Brooke Hoffpauir) September 19, 2015

Overstreet Photography

David Sixt Photography

Dr. and Mrs. Marc-Fernand Ralph Erian (Dr. Jennifer Lynne Franke) September 26, 2015

David Sixt Photography

Mr. and Mrs. Emile Anton Sakhel (Sarah Kathryn Moise) September 19, 2015

David Sixt Photography

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Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus Manekshaw (Lauren Pruett) September 19, 2015

Overstreet Photography

Mr. and Mrs. W. Ochse III (Carol Dicker) September 19, 2015

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Clay Johnson (Caroline Denise Vaughn) August 29, 2015

David Sixt Photography

Mr. and Mrs. Byron Stockley Capt (Stephanie Marissa Cone) September 12, 2015

Photo by Dos Kiwis

Mr. and Mrs. Steven David Cox (Caitlin Eleanor Martone) August 23, 2015

DREAM HOME Guide

Luxury homes available for purchase in San Antonio and the Surrounding Texas Hill Country Area

SanAntonioDreamHomes.com

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WOMEN ON THE MOVE W

Laura Fritze

Joining Phyllis Browning Company with over six years of experience as a REALTOR® and drawing on the knowledge she gained in the corporate world, Laura Fritze prides herself on delivering exceptional service to her clients.

Veronique Le Melle

Veronique Le Melle is the new executive director for Artpace and will assume her position on Jan.18. Since 2009, Le Melle has led the Boston Center for the Arts, a 45-year-old performing and visual arts complex, and previously served as executive director of the Louisiana Division of the Arts, a job she began in 2005 right before Hurricane Katrina.

She has also served as the director of cultural affairs and tourism for Queens, New York.

Marilyn Hartmann

Marilyn Hartmann has been named senior vice president at Texas Champion Bank. She brings over 30 years of commercial lending experience in the San Antonio area and specializes in middle market lending, construction financing and SBA lending, including SBA 504 loans. Hartmann is active in CREW, CCIM, CTAGGL, the North San Antonio Chamber and the New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce. She received the Financial Services Champion of the Year award in 2010 from the Small Business Administration.

Nubia Katharine Moreno

Nubia Katharine Moreno, one of Phyllis Browning Company’s newest agents, offers high-quality real estate services to the large segment of Spanishspeaking residents of San Antonio and the surrounding areas.

She will also serve English-speaking clients.

Audrey Hughes

Phyllis Browning Company welcomes REALTOR® Audrey Hughes to their Alamo Heights office.

Originally from Olmos Park, Audrey has extensive knowledge of the tri-cities areas.

She admires historic homes and brings endless enthusiasm, as well as incredible organization skills to her clients.

Diane Prodger

Diane Prodger has opened Elm Grove Publishing, an independent book publishing company.

Its mission is to work with writers of all genres, whether they have finished or unfinished book projects or just raw book ideas, providing help with writing, book design, editing, printing and conversion to e-publication, marketing and worldwide distribution.

Elizabeth Lambert

Elizabeth Lambert has been promoted to vice president, senior financial accountant in the finance department at Broadway Bank. Lambert began her career at the bank in 1997 as a financial service representative at the Huebner Banking Center, then worked her way up to assistant vice president, accounting officer in the finance department. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Emily Sanchez

Emily Sanchez has been promoted to assistant vice president, loan coordinator, administrative supervisor in the Broadway Bank Austin Region.

She joined Broadway Bank in 2014 and most recently served as a loan coordinator.

Previously she worked in the mortgage industry in Austin for 13 years, processing and underwriting residential loans, and also as a loan officer.

Sanchez earned a BA in philosophy from Middle Tennessee State University.

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