October 2020

RELI A BLY RED ? F ORECAST ING T HE ROA D A HE A D F OR OK L A HOM A’ S P OLI T ICA L PA RT IES

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FE AT U R ES

4 05 M A G A Z I N E | V O LU M E S I X I S S U E T E N

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HER

Five women who are impacting OKC for the better

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Women’s Health Guide Medical advances and recommendations you should know about

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Toeing the Line

How will the urban-rural divide push the needle on Oklahoma politics?

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DEPA RTM EN TS

4 05 M A G A Z I N E | V O LU M E S I X I S S U E T E N

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OUT & ABOUT 80 ROAD

TR IP Bentonville: The apple of Arkansas’s eye

82 PR I ME

PICK S 5 must-visit food trucks for seasonal noshing

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SOCI AL HOUR Scenes from events in the 405

20 IN THE 405 16

FA SHION Fresh looks in fall footwear

20 PER SON

OF IN TER EST How one man is driving growth and progress in northeast Oklahoma City

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WH AT’S ONLINE Best posts from around the 405

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22 ARTS

& CULTUR E Meet Raymond Dorwart and his boot-making artistry at Dorwart Custom Boots

EVERY ISSUE 86 LOOKING

BACK Even before the 19th Amendment, there was Kate Barnard

24 GIVING

BACK Camille Landry transforms her love for literature into a hub for community activity

DINING 70 GOOD

TA STE Sheesh Mahal brings Pakistani flavor to OKC

70 72

THE DISH The wonders of chile verde

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THE DR INK OKC’s developing taste for hard cider

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LOCAL FL AVOR A guide to the best restaurants in and around Oklahoma City

O N T H E C OV E R HER Awardee Maurianna Adams at Bradford House Boutique Hotel. Photo by Shevaun Williams

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88 L A ST

L AUGH The socially fatal act of using a tacky font.

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Giving Back.

It’s In Our DNA. 33,792 Your Business Is Hope.

We Can Help.

Nonprofit organizations like yours strive to provide hope to those who need it the most. Bank of Oklahoma provides a full suite of services to help nonprofits manage, grow and protect their assets. From financial sustainability guidance to investment and mineral management to customized treasury services, we can help. Because no mission is more important than hope.

Total Volunteer Hours

311 Employees Serving on Nonprofit Boards & Committees

640 Paul Pustmueller | 405-252-5431 www.bokfinancial.com/nonprofit

Š 2020. Services provided by BOKF, NA. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender

. BOKF, NA is a subsidiary of BOK Financial Corporation.

Investments and insurance are not insured by the FDIC; are not deposits or other obligations of, and are not guaranteed by, any bank or bank affiliate. All investments are subject to risks, including possible loss of principal.

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OCTOBER 2020

VOLUME 6 • NUMBER 10

OWNER | PUBLISHER

Jordan Regas

jordan.regas@405magazine.com EDITOR IN CHIEF

Melissa Mercer Howell

melissa.mercerhowell@405magazine.com ART DIRECTOR

Christopher Lee

christopher.lee@405magazine.com PRODUCTION MANAGER

Artisan Tile Studio will be expanding this fall. They eagerly await the opportunity to host you at their new location on Wilshire Blvd.

Emiley Sexton

emiley.sexton@405magazine.com STYLE EDITOR

Come experience the finest selections of luxury tiles, range hoods and sinks.

7108 N. Western Ave, Suite D1, OKC & 300 W. Wilshire Blvd, OKC 405.242.2227 | @artisantilestudio

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saragae.waters@405magazine.com TRAVEL EDITOR

Matt Payne

matt.payne@405magazine.com SENIOR WRITER

Greg Horton

greg.horton@405magazine.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Dream Home? Dream Loan…

And now, Dream Rates!

Kimberly Burk, Evie Klopp Holzer, Greg Horton, Brandon King, George Lang, Linda Miller, Elaine Warner

Yes! Rates have drifted down to historic lows once again. You might discover that NOW is the time to buy that new house, refinance, or take on that home improvement project. At Kirkpatrick Bank, we are here to ensure you have a loan experience that is more than a great rate. From application to closing, we don’t just give you a loan, we give you the right loan. Conventional Mortgage, FHA, VA and Jumbo Loans.

Lexi Hoebing, Fran Kozakowski, Rachel Maucieri, Charlie Neuenschwander, Matt Payne, Don Risi, Rachel Waters, Bailey Rucker Shevaun Williams

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

JOIN THE CONVERSATION Follow 405 Magazine on Facebook and @405Mag on Instagram and Twitter

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STORY IDEAS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Your views and opinions are welcome. Include your full name, address and daytime phone number and email to editor@405magazine.com. Letters sent to 405 Magazine become the magazine’s property, and it owns all rights to their use. 405 Magazine reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity.

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- fred Rogers, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood

Oklahoma City is OUR neighborhood. And what makes our neighborhood special is we help each other out in times of need.

OCTOBER 2020

VOLUME 6 • NUMBER 10

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issues are $9.50 each

PROMOTION

Dr. Jacob Haynes, M.D. HIP AND KNEE REPLACEMENT SPECIALIST

D

r. Jacob Haynes is a fellowship-trained adult hip and knee reconstruction surgeon with the Oklahoma Sports & Orthopedics Institute.

The Iowa native came to Oklahoma as a national merit scholar, and completed his medical training at the Oklahoma College of Medicine, where he graduated at the top of his class. That was followed by a residency in orthopedic surgery at Washington University of St. Louis and an adult hip and knee reconstruction fellowship in Virginia at the Anderson Orthopaedic Clinic.

Haynes is one of the few surgeons in Oklahoma performing the direct anterior approach to hip replacement.

“The incision is on the front of the leg, using the natural plane between muscles, rather than cutting through muscle tissue,” Haynes explained. “It’s a slightly more complex procedure. Recovery requires less pain medications and fewer restrictions on motion.”

The anterior approach is ideal for younger seniors who are still enjoying an active lifestyle. “The technique needs less recovery time, so they can get back to their active lives more quickly,” Haynes said.

Upwards of 90 percent of Haynes’s patients come to him for pain and mechanical issues – swelling, catching, etc. – related to arthritis, especially degenerative arthritis, and “wear and tear” due to age. Many have already

tried the non-surgical approaches like injectables and physical therapy, but have not achieved the relief they desire.

“When the non-surgical options have failed, a patient becomes a candidate for knee or hip replacement,” he said. “Usually it’s a case of advanced arthritis, and they’ve been experiencing pain for quite some time.”

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F R O M

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E D I T O R

Hail to the Queens

G

A L S, YOU K NOW HOW W E A R E . HOW often have you been sitting around with your female friends and a glass of wine, musing about how much better the world would be if it were run by women – all of it?

Wars? Hunger? Corruption? They would each be a thing of the past.

Interestingly, there was a time when women ruled much of the world – Europe, at least. It was the era between the late Middle Ages and the French Revolution when, according to scholars, some 30 female monarchs ruled with very little political opposition.

Most notable were Catherine de Medici in France; Elizabeth in England and Ireland; Isabella in Spain; Maria Theresa, who ruled over the entire Habsburg Empire comprised of Germany, Austria and most of eastern Europe; and Catherine the Great of Russia.

Unfortunately, wars, hunger and corruption didn’t disappear during that time – especially wars. Nor did all these women rulers join hands and sing “Kumbaya.” But many exhibited sublime, even inspirational leadership, courage and intellect.

Which brings me to our October issue and the 405 Magazine HER Awards. HER, or “Honoring, Empowering, Raising Up,” was created to recognize 2020’s feminine trailblazers in the 405 – both their accomplishments and the extraordinary contributions they make to their communities.

These women don’t run empires. But they are, most certainly, made in the mold of their forerunners, who did so with aplomb. You’ll enjoy meeting these remarkable women.

Elsewhere in our October issue, we introduce readers to industrial engineer Quintin Hughes, Ph.D., who is working through education and investment to build strong communities in northeast Oklahoma City.

We also look into Raymond Dowart’s “laboratory of leather” at Dowart Custom Boots, where made-to-measure footwear starts at $3,000.

And, with the election around the corner and unrest in the air, an examination of the future of the Democratic and Republican parties in Oklahoma is a constructive exercise in forecasting what could be a rocky road ahead. How long will the state stay reliably red? George Lang talks to U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn, Oklahoma City Mayor David

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Holt, political pollster JR Day and Princeton professor and former U.S. Rep. Mickey Edwards.

Food also is on the table in this issue. Senior writer Greg Horton serves up a tasty collection of epicurean news and information that takes a cultural path through Sheesh Mahal’s Pakistani fare, the regional nuances of chile verde and the home-grown virtues of hard cider.

We at 405 Magazine wish you all the delights of fall: crisp weather, the aroma of cinnamon and apples and long afternoons of football. Happy fall, y’all!

Melissa Mercer Howell EDITOR IN CHIEF

Shared Lives, Distant Places

Recent Acquisitions in Photography

See this work and more in person at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Opening October 17!

Peter Turnley (American, b. 1955) The Fall of the Berlin Wall, Berlin, Germany, November (detail), 1989, Archival pigment print, 20 x 24 in. (sheet) Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Gift of Ryon and Lauren Beyer in honor of the Museum’s 75th anniversary, 2019.173 Š Peter Turnley

Christmas Lights, Permanent Christmas Trees and So Much More!

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New Furniture at Consignment Pricing Shop online or in-store!

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FORMA

OPTICS AND ART

Pontiac Building Automobile Alley 1100 N Broadway Ave, Suite 102 Oklahoma City, OK 73103 (405) 768-4295

FORMA OPTICS AND ART Coming Fall 2020

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In the 405

Fashion

16

Person of Interest

20

What’s Online

21

Arts & Culture

22

Giving Back

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Suited and Booted Authentic and adept, Guthrie boot makers wear national

RACHEL WATERS

reputation like comfortable, worn leather. See page 22.

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Shoes for the Season COOLER WEATHER BRINGS FRESH FASHIONS IN FOOTWEAR

BY LINDA MILLER PHOTO G R A PH Y BY JE S SICA M ORG A N FOR SHE VAUN W ILLI A MS A R T D IR EC T ION BY SHE VAUN W ILLI A MS

C

A N YO U H E A R I T ? T H AT ’ S T H E sigh of relief from women in the 405 who are eager to pitch those sandals to the back of the closet and slip into a much-welcome pair of fall shoes. When October rolls around, it’s usually still too warm to embrace full-on fall fashion. Shoes are a more practical approach to welcome the start of the season comfortably and stylishly.

Several fall styles have a familiar feel including chunky lug soles, combat boots, retro sneakers, platforms, square toes and slip-ons. Their moment continues. If one of those is already a favorite or will be soon, add a modern and fresh touch by pairing with one of the season’s popular skirt suits or a leather midi dress.

Reptile is classic and always popular, but this year it really stands out on flats, boots and pumps. Looking for something a little less expected? Brogues and oxfords, often in metallic, heeled or lug sole styles, are this season’s attention-grabber. And rightly so; they can add a bit of interest or polish to any look. As can slouchy, over-the-knee boots worn with short dresses or skinny jeans.

While boots may seem the obvious choice for fall and winter, let’s not forget that the holidays are coming. Slingbacks are dressed up with wide, ruched straps, and other flirty details include chains and crystals on pumps and flats. Bows and pearls play into that feminine approach, too. Consider it jewelry for your feet.

And, finally, there’s the fluffy, furry slipper. This is probably the most surprising trend, though perhaps it shouldn’t be considering everything that’s going on in the world these days. In shearling or faux fur, this updated style is a fun, more wearable take on the bedroom slipper. It’s cozy and comfortable, which can elicit another sigh of relief.

Clergerie Paris Carly gray suede bootie from CK & Co

BALLIETS, 6443 AVONDALE, BALLIETS.COM BETSY KING A SHOE BOUTIQUE, 3001 PASEO, BETSYKINGSHOES.COM CK & CO., 6429 AVONDALE, CK ANDCOMPANY.COM

Kelsi Dagger Brooklyn Savas oxford from Betsy King

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Kelsi Dagger Brooklyn Sedona lace-up bootie from Betsy King

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Jimmy Choo Rene 65 snake printed leather pump from Balliets

Nicholas Kirkwood Casati pearl combat boot from Balliets

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FEEL SAFE, SHOP HAPPY SHOP CONFIDENTLY AT SPRING CREEK PLAZA

VOTED EDMOND’S BEST SHOPPING CENTER 12 YEARS IN A ROW. Conveniently located at the intersection of 15th and S.Bryant.

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Gearing up for NE OKC Growth DEVELOPING THE COMMUNITY AS A COMMUNITY

BY G REG HOR T ON PHOTO BY CH A R LIE NEUENSCH WA ND ER

Q

UINT IN HUGHES L ANDED IN Oklahoma City – Norman, really – from his native North Little Rock, Arkansas, to attend the University of Oklahoma. A recipient of a Boys & Girls Club scholarship, Hughes studied industrial engineering, eventually completing a Ph.D. in the field with an emphasis on engineering education.

“My goal was not to be an educator, but to start a nonprofit focused on education,” Hughes says. “I never expected to be employed by a school district, but when the ideal opportunity presented itself, I said yes.”

That ideal opportunity was GEAR UP, a federal program that assists middle school and high school students prepare for college.

The program, according to official materials, provides direct support services, “including college campus tours, ACT test preparation and testing, college exploration and preparation courses, leadership/STEM summer academies and one-on-one guidance from education specialists.” The students are part of a single cohort. GEAR UP Oklahoma has already completed one full cycle with a cohort and is currently working with the fourth.

Hughes also is a partner in Kindred Spirits, a new restaurant, bar and venue that we will review in a later issue of 405 Magazine. “I have a few hats,” he says. “I’m moving out of the education sector now and will be focusing more on development on the northeast side of the city.”

In 2016, Hughes founded NE OKC Renaissance, a board-driven nonprofit

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Quintin Hughes at Kindred Spirits in Oklahoma City.

organization to foster intentionally ethical revitalization on the city’s northeast side. He is the current board president. Rather than just focus on revitalizing and redeveloping, NEOKCR “proactively addresses resident displacement by ensuring current residents are benefactors and participants” – a much different approach than gentrification in many urban areas. Bringing residents in as stakeholders is a much slower process.

“I’d say ethical development probably does slow the development process down,” Hughes says. “For developers from outside of the

The barriers are knowledge, education and access to capital. NEOKCR is working to help ameliorate those issues.

405MAGAZINE.COM

community committed to ethical projects that benefit existing neighborhoods, it takes time to build enough of a connection with the community for it to support your project.”

That people are difficult is too harsh an assessment, but there is truth in the notion that getting a whole community on one page is a challenge, he said. NEOKCR recruits and trains its neighbors using a development workshop model that pairs stakeholders with mentors and attempts to connect them with financing. “The barriers are knowledge, education and access to capital,” Hughes says. “NEOKCR is working to help ameliorate those issues.”

Hughes said the goal on the northeast side is to implement incremental, manageable change that doesn’t leave residents behind. That requires patience and long-term investments, both in capital and sweat equity.

“An incremental approach to development inherently takes time,” says Hughes. “The point is to organically grow so that change happens at a pace that current residents can keep up with, rather than a rapid artificial surge that changes the demographic, economic, social and political landscape, seemingly overnight.”

W H AT ’ S

O N L I N E

Explore the World

while learning

Social Love W E C A N ’ T H E L P but love seeing our furry friends in the 405! That’s why we follow @dosgofnicholshills.

Neighbors can submit photos of their pups to be featured on the page. Beware of scrolling on the page for too long or you will get puppy fever …

Educational toys, books, and games for children of all ages.

405.848.1415 | 7638 N. Western, OKC | learningtreeokc.com

H AV E A G R E AT PHOTO TO SHARE? Tag #Your405 on your photo for a chance to be featured in one of our issues!

What’s Online Did you know that 405 Magazine will deliver a weekly newsletter to your mailbox every Thursday? Our 405 Now features the best local stories of the week, talking points and it even features an Insta of the Week from some of our neighbors and friends.

Sign up and see what you’re missing!

Head to 405magazine.com/newsletters

Your Next Sweet Treat is Calling.

Subscribe to our Food for Thought newsletter for dining news and reviews around the metro area.

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Made to Last THE HANDCRAFTED LEGACY OF DORWART CUSTOM BOOTS

BY BR A ND ON K ING PHOTO S BY R ACHEL WAT ERS

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T ’ S J U LY I N O K L A H O M A . A L I G H T breeze pierces the stagnant air and heat hanging over downtown Guthrie. On an otherwise silent city block lined with century-old buildings, the stillness is interrupted by the creak of a metal sign. It’s handpainted, bearing the image of a single boot and the words “Dorwart Custom Boots.”

An old Chevy truck idles to a stop in front of the shop.

Black cowboy boots – as worn as the truck – drop to the pavement as a graying, mustachioed man in a stained leather cowboy hat climbs from the driver’s seat.

This is Mr. Dorwart; Raymond, or Ray for short. He, along with his business partner, Bo Lockhart, are better known as two of the most prominent custom cowboy boot makers in the United States.

Starting in 1989, Dorwart Custom Boots became a household name for those looking for made-to-measure boots – personally measured and designed. Dorwart and Lockhart sell boots ranging from $1,500 to $3,000 – or more, depending on the boot – to people throughout the country, even in Canada and Japan.

Humming fans are heard from the open entrance in an effort to quell the summer heat. As Dorwart steps into the old, Victorian-era building, Bo Lockhart shoots a quick smile from behind his cluttered workbench.

This is no store; it’s a laboratory of leather. Currently operating machinery dating back to the late 1800s lines the walls alongside miscellaneous art. Each of the shop’s walls tells a story.

There’s no counter or register. The only way to navigate the shop is via the footpaths between the various benches; each occupied in different stages of boot creation. Smells of leather and polish float through the air as Dorwart and Lockhart work under fluorescent lights.

Traditional cowboy boot-making is not a profession one stumbles into. The craft is passed down from craftsperson to craftsperson over generations.

“This all started in the 1980s up at a farm in Wyoming,” Dorwart says. His tone is measured and his words are chosen with precision. “I was workin’ as a cowboy when I 22

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Bo Lockhart and Raymond Dorwart of Dorwart Custom Boots.

Leather and lasts, or foot molds, used in boot making.

Raymond Dowart attaches boot leather for a madeto-measure fit.

Traditional cowboy boot-making is not a profession one stumbles into. The craft is passed down from craftsperson to craftsperson over generations. had a horse go down with me. Got hurt pretty bad, so I talked with a friend from another ranch about what we were gonna do. I wanted to make saddles; he convinced me to make boots.”

Dorwart was in his early 30s with only a Chevy truck, a bedroll and a saddle. He traveled to Utah and paid his way into a twoweek apprenticeship to learn to make boots.

“I only knew about boots from what I’d experienced,” Dorwart says. “I’m not tryin’ to brag here, but he told me I was a master boot maker. I don’t think I am, ’cause I keep learning every day; even from a joker like Bo.” Lockhart laughs. Dorwart’s laughter bellows as his leathery, hardened hand smacks the bench.

Dorwart said he went back home to Nebraska to start his shop in 1982, and eventually met Jay Griffith – a boot maker from Fairfax, Oklahoma. Griffith convinced

Dorwart to work for him for 10 days, and spent the next seven years trying to talk Dorwart into working full time at his shop.

By 1989, Griffith sold his Fairfax interests and relocated, with Dorwart in tow, across the street from current-day Dorwart Custom Boots.

Two years. That’s all Dorwart had in mind for Oklahoma. Today, the shop is a community staple.

“Around 1994, everyone in Guthrie would wave at me and I wondered why,” Dorwart reminisces. “It was strange because it was the first time since I was a kid, I remembered being in one spot long enough for people to know me.”

People across the country took notice of Dorwart’s expertise, including cowboys like Bo Lockhart.

“I was riding horses around Guthrie around November before working here,” Lockhart says. “It was gettin’ colder. Last thing I wanted to be on was a horse. So, I started hangin’ around here after a friend recommended him. Once I saw what he was doing, I was persistent to get in.”

Dorwart agreed to give him a four-month trial under one condition. “‘I own you for four months,’” Lockhart recalls. “‘Come rain or shine, you’re mine.’ I don’t think he was ready for me to agree to it.

I started in April three years ago and he still ain’t been able to run me out.”

Dorwart accepts boot order forms and in-person meetings for customers; however, the in-shop interactions are preferred to understand the buyer – and thus understand the boot’s design. Regardless of veteran or newcomer status, Dorwart Custom Boots has seen every occasion for a pair of boots.

“I take most pride in making boots for those who want to use them for what they were made for,” Dorwart says. “If we can make you something reliable that also shows who you are, then we’ve done our job.”

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Camille Landry at Nappy Roots.

Strong Words NAPPY ROOTS BOOKS OWNER CAMILLE LANDRY EMPOWERS HER CUSTOMERS WITH LITERATURE AND LITERACY

BY G EO RG E L A NG PHOTO S BY BA ILE Y RUCK ER

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A M I L L E L A N D RY S E E S T H E P OW E R I N words. Growing up, she spent most of her waking hours in a library, and she said she tried to move into her local branch when she was a child in Chicago.

“I didn’t understand why I had to go home at quitting time,” Landry says. “It was my favorite place, and I spent a ridiculous number of hours there as a child. I’ve got a lifelong love of books, and a local, black-owned bookstore was a really important and formative place for me growing up, you know, as a high school and college student. So, it’s always been important to me to have a place like Nappy Roots Books in my life.”

Nappy Roots Books, 3705 Springlake Drive, started when a friend was brainstorming projects for Landry, a lifelong activist. He asked Landry what she loved, and when she answered “books,” he told her she should open a bookstore.

Landry pulled some books from her own shelves and started the first Nappy Roots Books location at the New Black Wall Street Marketplace, a now-closed merchant collective on NE 23rd. When that establishment closed in 24

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2018, Landry sought out a permanent location dedicated to her collection of black authors.

The new location opened in 2018 on Juneteenth, the anniversary of black emancipation from slavery, and Nappy Roots Books has since become a nexus point for education, entertainment and the progressive movement in Oklahoma City. For those who need help reading, Nappy Roots offers literacy classes at every level, and teaches with books that relate to the black experience.

“Well, it is critically important that young readers – young people who are learning to read and everybody else who reads – to see themselves reflected in the material that they read; not only reading for information, but also reading for pleasure,” Landry says. “It is often the only way you get kids interested in reading … if they see themselves on that page.

And that’s something that often does not happen to a great degree in a school setting.”

Indeed, that kind of representation can be rare in public schools, where books are selected for mass consumption with few specific cultural reference points. But Landry points to a more insidious problem: historically, the books sometimes were not there at all, even in AP (advanced placement) classes.

“My daughter attended a magnet high school. She had near-perfect ACT scores,” Landry says. “I mean, she was a stellar student. She never had a history book for a solid year of world history classes. There was never a textbook. These were AP classes in a magnet high school. What do you think she would have gotten in an ordinary class?”

Those problems have existed nearly as long as Oklahoma itself. In his doctoral dissertation A History of Black Education in Oklahoma, archived by the Oklahoma History Center, Leonard Cayton wrote that until the 1950s, outdated textbooks were sold to black schools at full price, ensuring a systematically substandard education for the state’s black students. So, for Landry, opening Nappy Roots Books was a mission – and as she

Well, it is critically important that young readers – young people who are learning to read and everybody else who reads – to see themselves reflected in the material that they read...

pointed out, starting a bookstore in the 2000s is hardly a get-rich-quick scheme. Just 20 years ago, the greatest threat to independent bookstores were the literature megastores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders. Now, in the age of Amazon and coronavirus, anything brick-and-mortar is under constant stress.

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AC T I V I S M I N T H E O K In the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis and the rise of Black Lives Matter protests throughout the country, Nappy Roots Books has become somewhat of a home base for progressives wanting to expose inequality and injustice in law enforcement.

Today, Landry is motivated by the needs of current and future generations to experience true equality under the law, and by the current climate of police brutality and how it affects people such as her 16-year-old grandson, who recently told her that he does not want his driver’s license for fear of being pulled over.

“He’s afraid he’ll die if he drives,” she says. “I mean, think about that. Do you remember being 16? That’s all you want. … It means adulthood. It’s a rite of passage, really, in many ways more significant than graduating from high school.

The kid didn’t want to drive.”

Through the bookstore and her continued activism and advocacy, Landry hopes to energize people to change the system, so that people can feel safe in their communities and in this country.

“What has to happen before change begins is that people have to say, ‘You know what? Somebody needs to do something, and I’m somebody,’” she says.

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H O N O R I N G . E M P OW E R I N G . R A I S I N G U P.

405 Magazine’s HER Awards has one purpose: to celebrate the dynamic female leaders in the 405 who work tirelessly to affect positive change and enhance our community. The 405 is filled with so many incredible women who are trailblazing a path for others to follow. This year’s recipients of the HER Award were nominated by their peers for making a profound impact, leading the way and continuously putting others before themselves for the greater good.

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WOMAN

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JANE HAMM LERUM 0 5 M A G A Z I N E ’ S W O M A N of the Year award is designed to honor a woman whose achievements over the past year have fueled groundbreaking progress. No one fits that description better than Jane Hamm Lerum.

The daughter of oil and gas entrepreneur Harold Hamm and philanthropist Sue Ann Arnall, Lerum, while accustomed to being in the public eye, carries herself with disarming grace and humility. Her experience as a court-appointed special advocate in Los Angeles piqued her interest in criminal justice and led her to begin work with the beleaguered Oklahoma County Jail when she and husband Tom moved back to Oklahoma from California in 2018.

Lerum was appointed the county’s first deputy commissioner and Criminal Justice Reform Policy Director. In her new role, she found a way to push through the creation of the Oklahoma County Jail Trust that would assume oversight of jail from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Although many in the past had tried and failed to bring about that change, Lerum was able to accomplish the move in just six months.

In addition to her work with Oklahoma County, Lerum recently helped establish the OKC Black Justice Fund. This fund aims to achieve racial equity through a number of different grant initiatives.

Established this spring, the fund has raised close to $300,000 in donations to date.

The Lerums live in Oklahoma City, but split their time between here and Carmel Valley, California, where they own and operate Joullian Vineyards.

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IN HER WORDS What draws you to criminal justice reform? The issues facing our criminal justice system have a major impact on people and families in our community. I am drawn to work on criminal justice reform because I have seen firsthand the negative effects these issues can have on families, and I believe that through working to alleviate them I can help people and improve our

community. I first encountered the criminal justice system while serving as a court appointed special advocate (CASA) for a foster child in Los Angeles. As a CASA, I saw the inefficiencies of our criminal justice system and the ripple effect it had on foster children whose parents were involved or trapped in the criminal justice system.

How did your upbringing influence what you do now?

I was very fortunate growing up with parents that were, and are, immensely successful and who chose to use their positions and resources to give back and help others in a variety of ways. I am grateful that they purposefully worked to instill in their children this work ethic and desire to give back, and I credit that effort in bringing me to where I am now in my career.

Their example has been an inspiration for me to work hard and use whatever associated influence I have to better our community and give back.

Where do you go from here? Any aspirations for the future? My work in county government and criminal justice reform inspired me to seek a formal education in law. I am excited to be starting my first year of law school at Oklahoma University College of Law this fall. After school, I hope to continue working on bettering our community through public service and philanthropy.

What advice would you give to a young woman who is just starting to see her potential? Seek mentorship and do not be afraid to ask someone you trust to mentor you. Most people are more than happy to invest their time and share valuable lessons with you if you show the initiative and the desire to learn. They can help you see things from a different perspective because they have likely been in your shoes before or they know someone who has. Judge Cindy Truong has been a mentor of mine and she is constantly supporting, encouraging and challenging me to push myself outside of my comfort zone in order to achieve things I did not think I could do.

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COMMUNI T Y

VI SI ONARY

H E N O K L A H O M A C I T Y Councilwoman Nikki Nice enters a room, people take notice. Statuesque and graceful, she projects a sense of gentle strength and dignity. Pride in her heritage and care for her community permeate everything she does.

Born and raised in Oklahoma City’s Ward 7, Nice learned early the value of service from her mother, who regularly visited sick and shut-in seniors, lent a hand where she could and wrapped loving arms around friends, neighbors, family, even strangers in need. “She was and is an example of what service means, what community means, what family means, what extended family means,” Nice says.

Having received a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting from historic Langston University, Nice spent more than a decade in radio and television prior to her 2018 election to the Oklahoma City Council. Most recently, she was an on-air personality at Heart & Soul 92.1 and Power 103.5.

She is the 10th woman to serve on the Oklahoma City Council and the second woman of color following Willa Johnson, who sat on the council for 14 years through the 1990s and early 2000s. It is trailblazers such as Johnson and Clara Luper, and of course her mother, Roberta, that Nice considers role models, she says.

Nice, who won her run-off election by 71.8 percent of the vote, sums up her vision for Ward 7 and Oklahoma City as cohesive compassion – where growth and action are driven by intentional generosity and empathy.

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IN HER WORDS If you had to describe yourself in one word, what would that be? Ever-evolving. Every day there is something new, every day there is a new challenge, every day there is a new opportunity, every day I learn more about myself.

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What are the things that give you inspiration or bring you joy in the work that you do for the city? The thing that gives me joy is knowing that I can be a conduit of service … and to stand and preserve our Black history in the community, and honor and recognize a community – give space to people who have not been able to tell the stories that are relevant to our communities and relevant to our city’s fabric.

I get joy by working with other council members. I get joy with working with our mayor. I get joy with, every day, meeting someone new. I get joy to be a person who can give back to the community and the city that has given so much to me.

Where do you see OKC’s greatest potential for growth?

Diversity – diversity and inclusion. There’s always a better opportunity for diversity and inclusion. We have been named a Top 25 big city, so our diversity and inclusion should also reflect that. I see great opportunities in that. Actually, I see great opportunities in reconciling and telling our story: how Oklahoma was founded, how Oklahoma City has come to be where it is. We have to tell the good, bad and ugly in order for us to truly to become that top city that we try to be for Oklahoma and for the country.

What would you like OKC to look like in 10 years? I would like to see a different city in terms of how we are taking care of each other. I would like to see us continue the path of diversity and inclusion – but as we continue that path, our city council and city government should reflect that. The ward that I serve, it is a large ward and in 10 years I do want to see better connection overall. I know it looks separate right now [between] the northeast community and the other parts of our ward and city. But I would like to see more cohesiveness. I know in 10 years we will see a better, more interconnected city.

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I NDUST RY

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TIMILA S. ROTHER N 2 0 1 9 , F O R B E S Media named Oklahoma’s first and oldest law firm, Crowe & Dunlevy, to its inaugural list of America’s Top Law Firms. It’s the only Oklahoma City-based firm named to the list. Not surprising to those in the field, the firm is led by Timila S. Rother, a 30-year veteran of Crowe & Dunlevy and, yes, a woman.

A conversation with Rother will reveal several things about her. While she is highly intelligent, wise and compassionate, she also is direct and very genuine – qualities that speak to her rural upbringing in Sterling, Oklahoma, a town of 806 residents.

Rother is the first in her family to attend college, much less law school. Regardless, she excelled early in her academic pursuits, sailing through semester after semester with straight A’s, which landed her a job at Crowe & Dunlevy in 1990. It was a good fit for a small-town girl – local, but not too local, and established and diverse. “When you grow up in a town of 800 people, Norman was big to me. So, I didn’t at that time aspire to go off to the Big Apple or anything. I was thrilled to be there,” she says.

Three decades later, she attributes her success in law to a penchant for argument. “Just ask my husband,” she says. But in her five years at the helm of the 230-employee behemoth, she also has leaned on her conciliatory nature, seeing the common threads that run through all of her employees. “We’re all equal,” she says. “We just need to do a better job of not labeling each other.”

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IN HER WORDS How would you describe yourself in one word? I think, “earnest.” I’d love to be that funny person, the life of the party. But that’s not me. I’m a little more serious. I finally decided that works for me.

What’s it like to be a woman and lead this prestigious firm? Are you the first? No. There have been two other female presidents of Crowe & Dunlevy – one in the ‘90s and one in the early 2000s, so we’ve always been diverse and good about that. But I am really so honored. And to the female part of that, I have many clients that are focused on and so impressed by the fact that our firm is led by a woman. It’s more unique to them than it feels to me, but I’ve enjoyed (mostly) every minute of it.

Who is your hero or the person you most want to emulate? My mom was a single mom for a long time and she always impressed me with the way she was able to do everything and still make us feel loved. And recently I’ve been thinking about Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. and the courage that they had to have to face hatred and seek equality knowing that their lives and the lives of their family were at risk. Just think about that era and the risks they took when they said, “I want justice.” So, when I think about people who have shown that kind of courage, that’s who impresses me.

What advice would you give a woman who is looking to break the glass ceiling? Make it plain that you expect to be treated equally and do not allow for anything else. I am not talking about grand speeches or adopting a persona that is not you, but simply doing your job, whatever it is, with the same determination and confidence as your male counterparts. Don’t assume you will be treated differently, don’t buy into stereotypes and don’t exhibit stereotypes. Both in the courtroom and in my dealings with colleagues on a daily basis, I find that I have the greatest success when I convey that I will do the right thing and I expect them to do the right thing too. The right thing is to accept you on merit, not on gender.

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R I S I N G

S T A R

MAURIANNA ADAMS AU R I A N N A A DA M S C A N enliven a space simply by walking in. The colors are brighter and there is a palpable sense of joy. Perhaps that’s why, in her work as executive director of a nonprofit, she is naturally positioned to build community. People from all walks are drawn to her.

Raised in both the northeast and northwest areas of Oklahoma City, Adams grew up in a single-parent household with strong role models – especially her grandfather Carl Wayne Buckner, who was a powerful influence. He was a social worker and, later in life, a schoolteacher. Adams said she has vivid memories of outings with him: lunches at Wendy’s with bacon cheeseburgers and bottles of Pepsi at the local convenience store. Undoubtedly, everywhere they went, he was greeted by someone he knew. After each interaction, he would explain how they had met. Most frequently, the connection had been forged through some service her grandfather had performed in the community.

Those experiences taught her to think of community in terms of puzzle pieces. When put together, the pieces form a more complete picture. “My piece is just as important as yours, yours as essential as mine, and yet there is much clarity and strength to be had in linking together,” Adams says. In her role at Progress OKC, an organization that supports and revitalizes Oklahoma City communities that have experienced significant disinvestment, Adams has used her unique abilities to pull puzzle pieces together to create life-changing opportunities in underserved areas.

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IN HER OWN WORDS What are the things that keep you up at night? Our current public health crisis and the catastrophic economic fallout has further exposed just how many are on the margins of severe poverty. As important, how fragile some of our systems are, which can be as under-resourced as the individuals and families they seek to

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serve. In addition, there are historic and continuing disparities that contribute to the plight of community prosperity. None of aforementioned can be solved with the snap of a finger, yet citizens, constituents, our neighbors are in dire need. The question I constantly ask myself when thinking through both gaps and opportunities: How can we take incremental AND impactful steps today, and leverage the assets (i.e., human, financial and physical) and strengths apparent within each community?

What is the most positive or inspiring outcome you’ve seen while serving as executive director of Progress OKC? To date, Progress OKC has reinvested over $2 million in underdeveloped communities through cultural and historic preservation, place-making efforts and affordable homeownership projects. Our Euclid Project … which is an infill redevelopment project, included the construction of nine single-family, for-sale homes.

Seven of the homes were subsidized to maintain affordability for the buyer, but we do not sacrifice quality or efficiency. We build with dignity and care. On average, there is a $20,000 to $40,000 gap between what we spend to build a quality home and what a low-to-moderate income family has to purchase the home. Home ownership has neighborhood and personal wellness benefits, and it generates public revenue to support the physical and social infrastructure of a community.

What are the keys to improving economic conditions on the NE side of OKC? It is already happening. Between current and projected private and public reinvestments in infrastructure, arts and entertainment, cultural preservation, businesses, health and housing, economic conditions … are improving. Now is the time to shift the focus to people. Economic opportunity is tied to quality of life, so ensuring that northeast community members are engaged as leaders and have access to growth – as parents, residents, business owners, employees – is vital.

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HUMANI TARI AN

STACY MCNEILAND H E F I R S T T H I N G anyone will notice about Stacy McNeiland is her vitality and joie de vivre. Her broad smile, sparkling eyes and ready wit make her instantly approachable.

McNeiland carries that affability into her work as CEO of The CARE Center (Child Abuse Response and Evaluation). The CARE Center is nationally accredited by the National Children’s Alliance and serves as a collaborating partner with state and local agencies that deal with child abuse in Oklahoma County.

She also brings an unrivaled tenacity and drive to a job that few have the wherewithal to perform. Herself a survivor of years of childhood abuse, McNeiland uses her insights to give hurting children the attention they need, while working with law enforcement to prosecute their abusers.

McNeiland also wrote and developed the center’s ROAR program for children aged 4 to 8 that teaches them how to protect themselves from abuse. Launched in April 2016, the ROAR program has provided training for 12,439 children.

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IN HER WORDS What is your background, and why did you seek the role you currently perform? I was fortunate to have a great career in higher education, and then discovered an opportunity completely outside my comfort zone – CEO of The CARE Center. Ultimately, this unknown opportunity has become my calling, one that I am honored to fill every day. I am a child abuse survivor and believe in the justice and healing The CARE Center provides. I am passionate, driven and love living life to the fullest.

What are the things that keep you up at night? Currently, and due to COVID-19, I am worried about children returning to the classroom and finally having access to safe adults. For children in homes where abuse is the norm, school can be a lifeline. Think about it: There are children in our community who have been home since mid-March. Those children may not have had contact

with a safe adult for the last five months. They may have endured five months of abuse – unchecked, out of sight and out of mind. It breaks my heart. Did you know more than half of all reports of child abuse are generated from teachers and school counselors, who recognize signs of abuse and get children get the help they need? In the evening hours, before sleep commands, I pray for clear eyes and the fiercest of fighting spirits for all counselors, teachers, coaches and beyond. May they recognize the children who have waited so long to find an ally, and may they speak up to protect kids from the epidemic that is child abuse – even as the pandemic rages on.

What are the things you do that give you the most satisfaction, inspiration or joy? Things that give me satisfaction, inspiration and joy are dreaming big, giving back to my community and enjoying some simple things. I’m a visionary, and never satisfied with the status quo. I believe there’s always room to improve and strive for excellence in my work and life. Giving back is in my heart – whether it’s for my friends, social groups or things I deeply believe in. And if all else fails, shopping, family dinners, traveling and a good girls’ night spark joy in my life!

What advice would you give to a young woman who is just starting to see her potential? Never, never, never give up.

But also, be patient – with yourself and others.

What do people need to know about child abuse? First, understand that child abuse is an epidemic in Oklahoma.

One in three girls and one in five boys will be abused before their 18th birthday in Oklahoma County. Second, recognize and report suspected child abuse. Don’t hesitate to call the Child Abuse Hotline at 1.800.522.3511.

Third, if people are unsure about what to look for, The CARE Center offers free prevention education courses to adults and children. We hope abuse doesn’t happen, but if it does, The CARE Center is Oklahoma County’s only child advocacy center providing true wrap-around services for education and healing from abuse.

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4 0 5

M A G A Z I N E

Women's Health Guide WHAT

WOMEN

NEED

TO

KNOW

ABOUT MAINTAINING WELLNESS

by Kimberly Burk

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A Quiet Enemy Understanding – and combatting – depression epression is not a character flaw, said Dr. Britta Ostermeyer, chair of psychiatry for OU Medicine, and women who have it “are not being lazy or bad.”

Depression is one of the most common disorders of the brain; in fact, it’s one of the most common disorders of humanity. It’s the leading cause of disability among North Americans ages 15 to 44. And it’s not always easy for women to recognize it in themselves.

“Depression sneaks up on people,” Ostermeyer says. “They don’t wake up one morning and realize they have it. It takes time to recognize it, especially if it’s the first time.”

Depression causes many women to become “more and more listless, more and more down, less interested in pursuing activities that have been pleasurable in the past,” she says.

Depression is underdiagnosed among people of every age and gender, especially in men and adolescents.

“Women are more forthcoming,” Ostermeyer says. “It’s more difficult for men, likely given our culture, to make the leap and talk to a professional and get help.”

That’s somewhat good news for women, she said, but it isn’t enough; depression is nonetheless underrecognized and undertreated in women.

The causes of depression are “multi-factorial,” Ostermeyer says. “It starts with genetic predisposition. And early childhood experiences make a great deal of difference to the brain.” Children who do not grow up in a nurturing environment with their basic needs met are at high risk for depression as teens and adults. “It’s damage that gets imprinted into the brain,” Ostermeyer says, affecting the size of the cells and how those cells are networked and communicate with each other.

For adults, hardships such as a losing a job, illness, a death in the family and having lost a parent as a child are environmental factors conducive to depression.

“We recommend psychotherapy as well as medication, and a third arm is to seek psycho-social changes to address stressors

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in one’s life as much as possible,” she said. “In therapy, finding out about life’s stressors is absolutely crucial.”

Women might think it’s impossible to eliminate certain stressors, such as caring for an aging parent or raising young children. But Ostermeyer said they can explore with their healthcare providers ways in which the burden can be shared and resources accessed. Every city has free and low-cost mental health care for low-income women – although it might take longer to get an appointment, and there might be challenges with transportation to the appointments, time off from work and childcare.

“Family support is absolutely priceless,” Ostermeyer says. “They bring emotional support and resources. Extended family members can help mothers with babysitting so mom can get her appointment done. We wish for all of our patients to have good family support; they then fare better with treatment.”

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Managing Ovarian Cancer Risk Gynecological knowledge on screening and aging woman’s chances of developing ovarian cancer are about one in 70, but genetic screening and the resultant research could be bringing that number down.

Dr. Dana Stone, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Lakeside Women’s Hospital, said some women who have mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, and thus are at higher risk for ovarian cancer, are choosing to have their healthy ovaries and fallopian tubes removed as a preventive measure.

Laboratory researchers who look for early signs of cancer in the removed ovaries, Stone said, sometimes find it instead in the fallopian tubes. “That makes us think the ovarian cancers start there.”

That discovery has led to recommendations that some women have only their fallopian tubes removed and delay the surgical removal of their ovaries, which allows them to avoid premature menopause. And women can consider having that

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procedure if they are over 40 and finished childbearing, Stone said, even if they don’t have the BRCA mutation.

While studies are always underway in the fields of obstetrics and gynecology, Stone said many best practices haven’t changed in a while. Women who are ready to start their families should still begin taking a multivitamin with folic acid, she said, which decreases the risk of infant spinal cord defects and some heart defects. Healthy couples should plan on conception taking up to a year, and Stone recommends fertility evaluations for couples older than 35.

The average age for menopause is 51, and women who have perimenopausal symptoms can benefit from a low-dose birth control pill. Once menopause begins, women who need estrogen to help with symptoms should generally take it for no more than three to five years, Stone said, because the breast cancer risk goes up slightly with estrogen use.

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For Your Heart’s Health Positive steps to prevent cardiovascular disease s most women are likely aware, cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death in America. What they might not know, said Dr. Katherine Hays, is just how many of the risk factors they can do something about.

“There are multiple things under our control,” says Hays, a cardiologist for Norman Regional Health Systems. Women can give up smoking, change their diets, exercise, drink alcohol only in moderation, take their medications as prescribed and manage stress.

Other risk factors are not as well-known, Hays said.

Women who have pregnancy complications such as high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes are at higher risk for heart disease later in life, even though it might be 40 years later.

Heart disease often develops after menopause because of lower estrogen levels, but studies have shown that taking supplemental estrogen does not decrease the risk.

There are no clear guidelines as to when a woman should make her first appointment with a cardiologist, Hays said, since age is not the only determining factor. Women should be aware of their family health histories and ask their primary care physicians for a risk assessment.

Women between the ages of 40 and 50 who have no symptoms should consider having a heart scan to check for calcium deposits, Hays said. Norman Regional charges just $35 for the scans.

Fatigue and shortness of breath are common warning signs of a heart attack. Women who are having a

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heart attack usually feel chest tightness and pressure, which can radiate to the neck and jaw area.

There’s also a correlation between depression and anxiety and heart disease, said Hays. “When stress hormones are high, that raises your blood pressure.

You don’t get good sleep. The heart is not a freestanding organ; it relates to everything else. I’m a big fan of yoga and meditation, which deal with stress in a more natural way.”

RECOMMENDED SCREENING GUIDELINES Pap tests, for cervical cancer screening, should start at age 21 and continue every one to five years depending on results of prior tests and latest guidelines. Many women can skip the test in their senior years.

Mammograms, for early detection of breast cancer, should start at age 50, at the latest, for low-risk women. Mammograms should be scheduled every one to two years, depending on age and risk factors.

Colonoscopies, to detect pre-cancerous polyps and early colon cancer, should start between ages 45 and 50 for women with no symptoms. Frequency should be based on age, family history and whether pre-cancerous polyps are found.

Information provided by Dr. Allison Huebert, Claremore Indian Hospital, and the American Cancer Society

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The Key Difference Crucial factors for women’s long-term health egular screenings detect cancer in its early stages and help doctors diagnose other diseases before symptoms are apparent. But a woman’s best health strategy, according to Dr. Allison Huebert, is all about lifestyle.

“It truly is the things you do outside of the doctor’s office that make the biggest difference,” says Huebert, an obstetrics and gynecology physician and department chair at Claremore Indian Hospital, an Indian Health Service facility. “For example, good nutrition and exercise play a big role in a woman’s long-term health. These two strategies alone reduce your risk for heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes and several types of cancer. Regular exercise and nutrition also play a role in mental health.”

Any discussion about women’s health has to start with basic lifestyle approaches, and “a critical lifestyle issue is that of smoking cessation,” Huebert said.

“Oklahoma has long had high rates of female smoking, and this unhealthy habit leads to heart disease and lung cancer.

It is also associated with higher rates of cervical cancer.”

Native American women have higher smoking rates than non-Native women, and IHS has a program called Health Promotion/Disease Prevention that has goals of increasing exercise, improving nutrition and eliminating smoking among Native American women.

“There are resources online and in clinics to address these issues in a culturally relevant way,” Huebert says. “Our health system addresses specific health concerns of Native peoples and emphasizes prevention strategies and cultural respect.”

Managing stress is also critical for women, Huebert said. “Stress can have many deleterious effects on your health. [It] can lead to

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unhealthy lifestyle habits such as poor nutritional choices, smoking, alcohol misuse and exercise avoidance.”

Physical effects of stress include headache, fatigue, chest pain, elevated blood pressure, digestive troubles and sleep disturbances. All women should be aware of their personal health risks and discuss early intervention strategies with their healthcare providers, Huebert said.

“Stay attuned to your body and report changes to your healthcare team. Remind your sisters to do the same.”

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FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @405MAG

Meet the hard-working women in the 405 who imbue the community with entrepreneurial spirit, thoughtful growth and vitality.

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SPECIAL SECTION

Emoly Walters SAGE SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY When Sage Sotheby’s agent Emoly Walters takes on new clients looking for their dream home, or just a place to lay their head for a few years, her approach is to make the process something most people don’t often associate with the sometimes long and frustrating process of buying a home.

“To me, it’s about building relationships and providing an experience that goes beyond the transaction,” Walters says. “The whole goal is to help people enjoy finding the greatest investment of their life. As a real estate agent, you might as well make that process fun and memorable in a good way.

That happens when you develop trust with those you’re working with – but there’s no reason it can’t be fun.”

Like most real estate agents, Walters is busy these days. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, home sales are booming as people invest more in the space where they spend more time than ever.

“Our homes are becoming more of a sanctuary than ever before,” Walters says.

“It’s a place where people feel safe, but also it needs to be comfortable and have everything that they want.”

Walters said OKC’s market is hot right now.

Homes don’t stay on the market for long. As a native Oklahoman, seeing that kind of active market is exciting.

“I’m a fifth-generation Oklahoman,” she says. “I grew up here and my husband and I chose to stay here because it’s a great place to raise a family. It’s where we wanted to build our lives. And that’s one of the things I love so much about real estate: It’s about helping people build their lives. You build a relationship throughout the process of finding a home, and then you help them get across the finish line.”

Sage Sotheby’s Realty 6430 N Western Ave, Nichols Hills OK 405.640.8923 • sagesir.com

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Jenna Harper SAGE SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY In her eight years in real estate, Jenna Harper has sold homes throughout the Oklahoma City area, but her areas of expertise are the downtown historic neighborhoods that have been among the hottest in the local market in recent years.

Harper is part of Sage Sotheby’s Realty, an internationally known firm that is synonymous with high-end service. Harper is the branch broker of Sage Sotheby’s recently opened location on Walker Avenue in Midtown.

“Sotheby’s is the No. 1 luxury brand in the world,” Harper says. “It’s local expertise but global exposure that you wouldn’t have with other companies. Sotheby’s also serves feeder markets like Dallas and Denver. That regional and international network makes a difference.

There are a lot of boutique brokerages that are great, but you miss out on those kinds of referrals.”

The Midtown area, with its neighborhoods that are in high demand, has become her area of focus.

“It’s a niche market,” she says. “I work all over, but that’s sort of my specialty.

Clients have access to great homes in Mesta Park or Heritage Hills or Downtown, with good schools that are free. The area also is walkable. It’s kind of a lifestyle living in those areas that people seem to really enjoy.”

Harper said no matter where a client decides to buy, the right real estate agent is a critical part of the home buying process.

“There are thousands of real estate agents in the area,” she says. “It’s really easy to get a license. But it can cost a homebuyer if they don’t have someone with experience. Who you work with really matters; working with the right professional can save a client a lot of money in the end.”

Sage Sotheby’s Realty Branch Broker, Midtown location 405.465.6566 • sagesir.com

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The Hefner Team SAGE SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY The three Hefners – Alexis, Gabrielle and Iman – have turned their strong sisterly bond into a thriving real estate team. Each with her own unique set of talents, they maximize each other’s strengths in order to provide their clients with luxury customer service and a streamlined home selling or buying experience.

Iman has a gift for sales and communication, Alexis has a background in real estate finance and banking and Gabrielle has a degree in marketing and advertising. “Together, we make one phenomenal real estate agent,” Iman says jokingly. Their time in real estate began in 2007, when she first became a real estate agent. Alexis partnered with Iman in 2016, creating “The Hefner Team,” and Gabrielle completed the trio in 2019.

“We were born and raised here, and we’ve loved being a part of the growth of the greater Oklahoma City area,” says Iman. “We have lived in what feels like every part of the OKCEdmond area, from Nichols Hills, Belle Isle, Quail Creek, Oak Tree to Rose Creek, just to mention a few. Our family loved turning each house into our family home. We continue that tradition today in our own families.” That love of new homes, and of turning a house into a home, attracted the sisters to real estate.

“With a family history rooted deeply in the growth of our great state, the love of real estate is in our blood,” Alexis says. “It’s so much more than what HGTV reflects. It’s a blend of client relationships, real estate market knowledge, contract knowledge and vast networking. We love getting to know new families, making the home buying and selling process fun and exciting and watching this city we love grow and thrive.”

Real estate is often perceived as a welcoming field for women in business, and Gabrielle affirms that notion. “We are very thankful to be in a women welcoming profession,” she says. “We have always been taught that we are capable and smart, leading to a very bold and optimistic approach in whatever industry or situation we are in.”

Sage Sotheby’s Realty 6430 N Western Ave, Nichols Hills OK @TheHefnerTeam on Instagram and Facebook 405.696.0867 48

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Jennifer Kragh Group SAGE SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY The Jennifer Kragh Group with Sage Sotheby’s International Realty moves the city with a perfectly-curated, impeccable level of expertise. Under the Kragh’s leadership, the team has crafted a strategy for listing homes that is changing the real estate game in Oklahoma City. For home buyers, the formula is just as strong.

“Customer service is what we do. Whether one is buying or selling a property, our mission is for them to feel absolutely confident in the service we provide, and for the experience to be enjoyable,” Kragh said.

Kragh, the team leader, has an extensive background in communications. She holds a master’s degree in the field, while sales associate Megan Tabor brings expertise in interior design, a discipline she holds a bachelor’s degree in. Their complimentary skills combine to create an unparalleled client experience.

“Together we provide staging, styling, beautiful photography and copy that conveys a story. We live in a visual world, especially online, so beautiful photos combined with a compelling story helps tremendously in getting a property noticed.” “I believe no one is better at that part of the business than we are,” Kragh said.

“Once we are under contract on a home, we provide service every step of the way, so it’s seamless and as worry-free for the client as possible,” Tabor said.

Kragh and Tabor also believe that the Sotheby’s name is synonymous with high quality. “We are fortunate in that we have the name recognition and expectation of quality that comes with the Sotheby’s International Realty name,” Kragh said, “and that’s a particularly valuable asset no other firm can claim. In terms of resources, no one has the global reach of Sotheby’s.”

405-274-6767 jenniferkraghgroup.com L to R: Megan Tabor and Jennifer Kragh

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Keven Calonkey Carl NCIDQ, ASID PRESIDENT, MISTER ROBERT FINE FURNITURE AND DESIGN “One of my earliest memories is of my mother giving me a plastic briefcase to go on home visits with her. I was just a toddler,” says Keven Calonkey Carl. “I carried coloring books and crayons in my briefcase and while coloring, I was listening and learning how to be a professional woman.”

Those design calls and the fact that her parents included her in the business they founded more than 60 years ago shaped her sense of purpose. “I always knew that I wanted to study interior design, and I never changed my major in college.”

She has been an officer of Mister Robert since graduating from the University of Oklahoma, and as sole owner of the company, she leads a team of four talented designers.

A winner of 18 Excellence in Design Awards from the American Society of Interior Design, Calonkey Carl works in both residential and commercial design. She has national certification, since 1982, with the prestigious National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ), an accomplishment held by very few designers in the state.

“My mother was a role model and mentor to me, and I try to provide that for the designers who work for me today,” Calonkey Carl says. “When mom and dad started the store, business was a ‘man’s world,’ but that didn’t stop them working together and building a business. My mother was a working woman and my dad was always supportive of her, which is why Mister Robert has been so successful.

“My mother and father taught me about design and also the business side of the industry. As dad used to say, ‘It’s a business, and one day you’ll need to know how to run it yourself.’”

109 E Main St. Norman, OK 405.321.1818 • Misterrobert.com

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Amber Kern ROSEGOLD Showcasing her own apparel line, Happenstance, Amber Kern’s spinoff location in Midtown will continue the ethos that undergirds her original Nichols Hills store, Rosegold: a focus on ethically made and sustainably sourced women’s apparel. She’ll be sharing the space with two other female entrepreneurs – one of whom provides alterations, and the other, a line of clothing.

“I just felt like the time was right to fully develop the line. It’s something I’ve had on the backburner for far too long,” Kern says.

“This new space gives me an opportunity to let Happenstance stand on its own. Rosegold is going strong, celebrating four years in Nichols Hills, and we are excited to have recently added designer consignment to our business there. I like the idea of sustainable luxury and giving those pieces a second life.”

By carrying smaller, independent labels and brands that give back, Kern also is able to better support women-owned companies and initiatives. “Every industry has challenges,” she says, “but I think retail is pretty accommodating to women. In this field, the challenges for me are in educating and emphasizing the importance of ‘ethical and sustainable’ in a world of fast fashion.”

Kern chose the name rosegold because “I kept coming back to it.” As with her taste in clothing, she wanted warm, feminine, pretty, and simple, but not too precious, frilly or fussy. “It just came together, and I like the name.”

The new space will have a familiar airy, modern feel like Rosegold. “I personally find shopping much more enjoyable when I’m not overwhelmed with too much clutter,” she says. “My goal is to create a welcoming, elegant space as a backdrop for all the pretty things.”

6423 Avondale Dr. Oklahoma City, OK 405.775.0105 • shoprosegold.com

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Dr. Victoria Ball Dr. Victoria Ball was drawn to endodontics – the branch of dentistry focused on saving teeth – while in college. “My hometown dentist was great about letting people who were considering a career in dentistry shadow him while he worked,” the West Virginia native says.

“Before college, I was trying to decide between medicine and dentistry, and that experience opened my eyes to all the ways dentists helped people. Healthy teeth are tied to overall health and quality of life.”

Dr. Ball started her practice, Contemporary Endodontics of Oklahoma, in June of 2018.

While in dental school, she investigated several specialties, but kept coming back to endodontics. “I love the challenge of saving natural teeth,” she says. “Every patient, every tooth is different, kind of like that box of chocolates metaphor.”

As a fan of new technology, Dr. Ball uses state-of-the-art Zeiss PROergo microscopes and 3D cone beam scans to diagnose and treat every patient. The 3D cone beam scan provides a detailed view of the anatomy of the tooth to detect curvatures and calcifications or blockages within the tooth’s nerves, while the microscopes help to detect small hairline cracks or fractures that may not yet be detectable on a 3D scan. When used together, this equipment helps to provide the best diagnosis and longterm prognosis for each patient’s case. “I’m excited about new technology, and how it has changed our profession and the way we treat our patients,” she says.

In a field traditionally dominated by men, Dr. Ball is the first female private practice endodontic owner in the 405 who has achieved board certification and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics. She is upbeat about how the field is changing. “I read a recent report that the University of Pennsylvania’s newest class is made up of 86 women and 49 men, and regularly now, I get patients who are seeking out a female practitioner. I think the measurement is not male or female, but skill, competence and the ability to communicate with and care about patients. The fact that women have smaller hands on average doesn’t hurt either,” she says with a laugh.

Contemporary Endodontics of Oklahoma 2916 Astoria Way, #100 Edmond, OK 73034 ceoklahoma.com • 405-285-5042 52

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Andrea Worden and Darlene Carbitcher WORDEN LAW FIRM Andrea Worden and Darlene Carbitcher aren’t stereotypical trial attorneys, and the firm they’ve built is equally distinctive. Worden, who founded the firm in 2006, remembers early in her career often being the only female attorney in a packed courtroom. “It didn’t intimidate me or make me want to do something else,” she says. “I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be, doing exactly what I was meant to do.”

It is her refreshing sense of dedication to her clients and the work, along with her gender, that sets Worden apart. “I don’t just want a particular legal outcome for my clients; I want their day-to-day lives to be richer and more rewarding than the day they met me,” she says, “and I want everyone associated with my firm to share those values.”

Darlene Carbitcher joined the firm as an associate in 2016, and has recently been promoted to partner. What stood out most to her was the way women worked together on behalf of the firm’s clients. “In today’s

world, women are often pitted against one another – we are our own worst enemies and our own worst critics. This office showed me that it doesn’t have to be that way. We all work together and empower one another, and it’s not just us that benefit from that kind of environment – our clients do, too.”

As their firm grows, Worden and Carbitcher are committed to preserving the culture they’ve created. “We want team members who are strong, smart and focused on being the best in their field,” says Worden, “but above all, they must value and honor everyone else on the team.”

109 E Tonhawa St, #100, Norman, OK 73069 405.360.8036 • wordenfirm.com

Pictured L to R: Andrea Worden, Darlene Carbitcher

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Teagan Dorsey OMNI LUX MED SPA Teagan Dorsey’s career goal as a nurse practitioner is to make sure clients who visit Omni Lux Med Spa leave feeling better and more confident about their appearance than when they arrived.

As a provider who has a Master of Science in nursing, she educates individuals on vital health principles, and motivates them to live a healthy lifestyle. She understands that aging cannot be prevented, but truly believes that it can be done gracefully.

Omni Lux Med Spa in Oklahoma City offers an array of services from hormone replacement therapy to tattoo removal, but among its most popular services are hydrafacial procedures that don’t require surgery and leave the client’s face refreshed.

Dorsey’s services include offering injectables, vitamin IV infusions, laser treatments, hydrafacials, microneedling RF with PRP, BioTE hormone replacement, viveve and body contouring. She is also highly knowledgeable in ZO products, helping with treatments in anti-aging, rosacea and acne.

“We love hydrafacials, and so do our clients,” Dorsey says. “It’s the equivalent of getting four facials in one treatment. It’s very efficient and a time saver over similar treatments.”

Dorsey said the hydrafacial is a good jumping off point for other procedures.

“Once you get a hydrafacial, you can get a wrinkle relaxer or a laser treatment,” she says. “The hydrafacial is really good to get in conjunction with other treatments. All of this can be done in the same setting and all of it is reasonably priced.”

These treatments are all part of the goal of sending Omni Lux’s clients back out into the world looking their best.

“Your skin is your first impression and I think people need to invest in that,” Dorsey says. “I always say nobody really remembers what you were wearing, but if you have brilliant skin, people remember that.”

13921 N. Meridian Ave, Suite 202 Oklahoma City, OK • 405.237.9915 • omniluxemedspa.com

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Parent Promise Leadership The mission of Parent Promise/Prevent Child Abuse Oklahoma is straightforward: To strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect through parent education and support programs. That simple statement requires a complex network of people with specific skills to make it happen.

“Every positive outcome we want in the state of Oklahoma begins with raising healthy and resilient children,” says Cindy Allen, director of external relations. “Our clients come to us voluntarily, and we seek to help them overcome helplessness and hopelessness to better their and their children’s lives.”

Parent Promise is a nonprofit founded in 1988 by the local civic group The Exchange Club of Oklahoma City, and supported by two other local Exchange Clubs and private foundations, donors and the state health department.

4323 NW 63rd St., Suite 200 Oklahoma City, OK 73116

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Executive Director Sherry Fair said the organization seeks board members with a passion for the mission and specific skills who can help further the mission of Parent Promise. Many of those board members are local up-and-coming young professional women who are successful in their careers.

“They bring amazing energy to the board,” Fair says. “These women all serve as board officers, and include a legislative consultant, a CPA and two attorneys. Program staff leaders also are young, professional women. All these women are contributing to the success of Parent Promise.

“Our outstanding volunteer board understands that non-profits must operate as a business, and they guide us in making good business decisions for the organization,” she says.

parentpromise.org

Clockwise from bottom left: Michelle Edstrom, Esq., President, Edstrom Law Center and Parent Promise Board Secretary; Shawna Norman, Program Manager, Parent Promise; Brittney Wycoff, CPA, Assurance Partner, Hogan Taylor LLP and Board President/Treasurer; Jodi Lewis, Consultant, Government and Community Relations and Immediate Past President; Cindy Allen, External Relations Director; and Sherry Fair, Executive Director. Not Pictured: Melanie Wilson Rughani, Director, Crowe & Dunlevy, P.C. and President Elect.

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Devon Cantrell and Andrea Painter FLEISCHER, FLEISCHER, PAINTER & CANTRELL Devon Cantrell and Andrea Painter are partners with Fleischer, Fleischer, Painter & Cantrell, a firm that was founded to practice energy law in Oklahoma.

“We are currently moving in the direction of a permanent transition to provide more comprehensive legal services,” says Cantrell, whose specialty and passion is family law. “It’s important that families have committed advocates who are good listeners and can guide them through decisions that are important for their future.”

Painter, a cum laude graduate of Oklahoma City University School of Law, practices in the areas of estate planning, probate and adoption.

She said she thinks of estate planning – which includes the preparation of wills, trusts and other documents – as a gift to one’s family. “I have a family of my own,” she says, “so I know how important it is to be prepared for the future to alleviate unnecessary burdens on your loved ones.”

Law has not always been a welcoming field for women. When asked about the challenges women face in the legal profession, both Cantrell and Painter offered advice to other women pursuing a legal career. “It’s important to be authentic and to be strong in your own convictions,” Cantrell says. “Don’t let people push you off the course you set.”

Painter’s approach is similar, with an emphasis on the equality of representation. “Be confident in your abilities as a woman,” she says.

“Never doubt that you’re just as talented and capable of being an effective advocate.”

As a point of emphasis, both stressed that they are passionate about being accessible to clients, listening attentively as clients share their legal issues, and showing compassion as they help clients effectively navigate the solutions to those issues.

13190 N. MacArthur Blvd. Oklahoma City, OK 73142 405.400.1875 • ffpclaw.com

Pictured L to R: Devon Cantrell, Andrea Painter

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Dr. Anureet Bajaj, M.D. BAJAJ PLASTI C SURGERY Dr. Anureet Bajaj was raised in Oklahoma City.

After graduating from Casady School in 1987, she left to pursue her education. She graduated from medical school at the University of Pittsburgh and completed her plastic surgery residency at Loma Linda University Medical Center, followed by a fellowship in reconstructive microsurgery at the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. She is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Bajaj returned to OKC after 20 years and never looked back, establishing her practice in 2007.

“I believe that plastic surgery is a way that we can take care of ourselves – it’s about self-care,” she says. Some of us may have things that bother us or that make us self-conscious. If we can improve upon things, we can be confident in our own skins. I don’t believe that it’s about changing who you are; rather, it’s about being a better version of yourself.

Given that mindset, it’s no surprise that Dr. Bajaj has also had plastic surgery herself. “Like many women, I have struggled with insecurities about my body,” she says. “I have had several procedures, and also get botox and fillers regularly.

For me, plastic surgery is something that you do for yourself.”

Nationally recognized for her accomplishments, Dr. Bajaj has also been a Visiting Professor for the Plastic Surgery Foundation and is currently working toward an MBA at OCU. “Once I started my private practice, I knew that I still wanted to be involved on a national level – I’m currently on the editorial boards of the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and PRS-Global Open. These opportunities keep me energized; it isn’t about finding the time, it’s more about, ‘These are the things that make me tick.’”

When she isn’t working, Dr. Bajaj enjoys painting and writing, and can almost always be found running with her dogs or her husband in the mornings – she has run more than 30 marathons, and says, “I love the mental peace that running gives me!”

Bajaj Plastic Surgery 8106 N May Ave, Suite B 405.810.8448 • bajajplasticsurgery.com

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Lauren Toppins CHERRYWOOD REAL ESTATE After an extensive career as a corporate attorney, Lauren Toppins decided it was time for her to pursue her next dream.

Without skipping a beat, she moved out of her corporate career into real estate, and she couldn’t be more enthusiastic for what the future holds.

Even before she made the official switch from being an attorney, she was already investing in properties. She bought first homes for her younger siblings to rent and began remodeling rental and residential properties.

Her dream was to create a brokerage that handled all things real estate – from property management to house flips, and everything in between, Lauren was ready for the challenge.

She soon opened up her brokerage, Cherrywood, and made it all happen.

“We slowly added to our portfolio by taking houses that need some love and making them better,” she says. “I got to see how that process works from the ground up, and through that you learn a lot.”

Lauren stays involved with it all. From swinging a sledgehammer to closing deals, she refuses to slow down. Helping clients and her employees find what they need and reach for their goals is what Lauren and Cherrywood is all about. Cherrywood handles home flips, buying and selling real estate, property management for investors as well as managing Cherrywood rental properties. The team already has an amazing group of realtors and staff making clients’ dreams a reality, and hopes to continue to grow.

Cherrywood’s goal is to connect with the Oklahoma community, not only as a part of the buying and selling process, but as part of their clients’ real estate journey every step of the way. Cherrywood is growing fast in the real estate industry, with Lauren leading the way. She is a trailblazer ready to take on any challenge, and ready to help transform Oklahoma for the better with real estate.

Cherrywood Real Estate

4501 N. Western Avenue 405.768.3468 • cherrywoodre.com

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Megan Meier, MD MCBRIDE ORTHOPEDIC HOSPITAL CLINIC When it comes to the patients she sees, Dr. Megan Meier’s goal is to keep them off the operating table.

Meier is a primary care sports medicine physician at McBride Orthopedic Hospital Clinic. In her practice, she sees everyone from accountants to ballet dancers and every type of athlete in between. Those non-surgical interventions are aimed at getting her patients back in form.

“The body is like an automobile in many ways,” she says. “If there’s a part that’s not working correctly, a tire for example, that you’ve got rubbing the wrong way, you look at its age and the quality of the tire but also its alignment.”

As a former dancer, Meier knows that from her own experience.

Dance-specific injuries and her interest in them were her entrée into her career.

“Not a lot of people understood dance-specific injuries, and when I

got into my medical training it was something that was like a puzzle to me,” she says. “I knew that was what I wanted to do.”

On Friday nights, it’s not unusual to see her examining injured high school football players on the sidelines. Once, she was photographed while 9 months pregnant with her second child, while carrying her 3-year-old on her back. It went viral. “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “Today” featured her, though she was unable to travel because of her pregnancy.

“It was bananas,” she says. “I was getting calls from people all over the world.”

Meier enjoyed her brief celebrity status, but enjoys serving patients at McBride more.

“McBride is such a really valuable and important resource,” she says.

“We bring so many specialties together under one roof with the goal of helping people stay healthy and active.”

McBride Orthopedic Hospital Clinic Edmond and Norman

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405.230.9270

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Valerie Riley LIFESQUIRE Valerie Riley is a serial entrepreneur who loves the work of caregiving. For Lifesquire, the company she founded, it’s the perfect combination.

“We match assistants with executives,” she says. “It can be a personal assistant in people’s homes or an executive assistant in the office.”

Riley came up with the idea for Lifesquire after working several years as an assistant herself. Eleven years later, the company is 20 employees strong and is the largest of its kind in the country.

Lifesquire offers both permanent placement and temporary services. Most interactions with clients can be done through the company’s Lifesquire app.

“What we offer is really strong management of the team, and we care deeply about our team and our clients. We have technology that creates even more value for our clients,” Riley says. “What I think I like most about it is the empowerment of women. Caretakers are often taken advantage of. We get to bring them into our team and celebrate them.”

1618 N Gatewood Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 405.889.4430 • lifesquire.com

Amanda Ward-Neikirk SPRING CREEK PLAZA, WARD CONSTRUCTION, LEVEL HANDYMAN El Reno native Amanda Ward-Neikirk moved back to Oklahoma City in 2008, and immediately got involved with the family business of commercial construction and real estate development. She now devotes significant time to serving the mix of local, regional and national concepts in Edmond’s Spring Creek Plaza, built 20 years ago by Ward Construction.

Two years ago, she and Valerie Riley (owner of LifeSquire) went on a business retreat. “We talked about ‘holes’ in the OKC market, and we both agreed that the city needed a professional quality, customer service-oriented handyman service,” Ward-Neikirk says.

Level Handyman service was born of that conversation. The company currently employs three handymen with expertise ranging from IT service to home repairs.

Ward-Neikirk believes being a woman has been an advantage in her endeavors. “It allows me to see things from a different perspective. I know what female shoppers want, because I am one. I created a handyman company that I would want to hire for my home. I work hard at understanding my clients and how to best serve them.” springcreekplaza.com 60

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Well Kept Space, LLC The partners who make up Well Kept share one very important quality: “Organizing brings me joy,” Ashlee Sanders says. Sanders, Jessica Harroz and Adrienne Husted met via friends and serendipity at a time when all were looking for a new challenge.

“I had always found joy in helping people organize their homes, closets, spaces, etc., and after my kids were in school full time, it finally hit me: Why not do the organizing as a job?” Harroz says.

Well Kept helps people create clutter-free and stress-free spaces in their homes and businesses, and just as importantly, they help customers create a system to maintain the organization. The hardest step can be getting people to overcome their embarrassment about their clutter, though, and Sanders has some reassuring words: “We’re there to do a job we love, and the bigger the mess, the more fun the challenge. We are judgment-free.”

Harroz said the team takes care of everything, including shopping for bins, containers, etc., and designing customized labels (font, color, verbiage) for the system. “People ask what they need to do ahead of the consultation, and I tell them ‘nothing.’ We do it all from consultation to even donations for their excess stuff.”

Founding a new business after children are in school is not new to women in business, and both Sanders and Harroz encouraged women to look at their own passions and the activities that bring them joy to find that new challenge. “More than anything, don’t be afraid to take a risk,” Harroz says. “Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.”

405.819.0147

From L to R: Ashlee Sanders, Adrienne Husted, Jessica Harroz

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wellkeptspace.com

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April Walker A LITTLE MORE TRUTH, LLC April Sojourner Truth Walker started A Little More Truth, LLC, in April this year, but it was just formalizing what she had already been doing professionally for years. A graduate of Emory University and Hollins University (MFA), the Dallas native came to Oklahoma City with her AT&T job, which she has now left in order to pursue writing coaching full time.

As an adjunct, Walker teaches creative writing, composition and critical thinking, so her classroom skills have been honed by real-world experience, both in large classes and working one-on-one with students.

“I have three areas of focus with A Little More Truth,” she says. “I work with students in sixth through twelfth grades in the area of language arts enrichment; with graduating seniors and current college students on writing for admissions to college or grad school; and in the area of business writing – resumes, cover letters, etc.”

Walker works with groups and individuals, and the process for each client begins with a one-hour consultation to assess skills, needs and best methods.

405.761.7753

HOLIDAY WISHES

G I F T G U I D E 2 0 2 0 Capture the Holiday Spirit by showcasing your perfect gifts and spread the joy to our 120,000+ monthly 405 Magazine readers that are active and affluent shoppers.

For more information about this section or to discuss a comprehensive advertising plan with one of our staff members, email info@405magazine.com or call 405.842.2266.

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How Oklahoma Politics Could Change in the Next Few Decades

BY GEORGE LANG

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n Nov. 6, 2018, Oklahomans cast votes for who would become the state’s 28th governor. Mayor David Holt and his special assistant, J.D. Baker, were carefully studying the returns in Oklahoma City, which dominates Oklahoma County as well as the 5th Congressional District. What they witnessed was a nearly seismic shift in voting preferences and a gulf between urban and rural voting.

“Drew Edmondson defeated Kevin Stitt by 12 points,” says Holt, a Republican. “So yes, [Oklahoma City] is very much purple. Now, I suspect the margin won’t be that wide for the Democrat in November of this year, but nevertheless, the city is obviously becoming a potential foundation for a more Democratic future for the state.”

Given that Stitt has served as Oklahoma’s governor for nearly two years, there is obviously much to divine from an urban landslide that was not replicated at all in the rest of the state. In fact, when the polls closed throughout Oklahoma, Stitt flipped that statistic. Rural voters sided overwhelmingly

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I DON’T THINK IT IS PRODUCTIVE TO DISCUSS THE POLITICS OF AN URBAN AND RURAL DIVIDE. IT IS FAR MORE VALUABLE TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES AFFECTING OKLAHOMANS, WHETHER THEY LIVE IN THE CITY OR IN RURAL AREAS, AND TO CROSS PARTY LINES TO FIND SOLUTIONS.”

–Kendra Horn

with the Republican candidate, giving him a 12-point victory over the former Oklahoma attorney general. Still, Holt said he believes the state overall will eventually trend purple. It could just take a while.

The mayor looks to what has become conventional wisdom in political polling regarding the Sooner State: In general, Oklahoma trendlines are roughly 10 years behind Texas.

“They went really Republican about 10 years before we did,” Holt says. “And you know, now they’re kind of at a tipping point.

And even if it isn’t this election, it’s obvious that Texas is going to go more reliably Democratic and in statewide elections, probably in two years, four years, six years. That urbanized vote will eventually mean something and have a critical mass here in Oklahoma, 10 or 15 years from now.”

Being enamored of rugged individualism, Oklahoma will not go where it does not want to go. Again, during the June 30 vote on State Question 802 – which provided for Medicaid expansion as of July 1, 2021 – 70 of 77 Oklahoma counties voted against the measure, which is expected to have a positive impact on rural health care in a state where medical care is harder to access outside of urban centers. Those 70 counties were rural, but due to overwhelming popularity in the state’s more “purple” areas, Oklahoma narrowly passed SQ 802.

JR Day, a pollster who operates OkiePolls, said he sees this replicating trend as evidence that the tectonic plates of Oklahoma

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voting trends are shifting, due in part to changes in who is voting and where they are voting. Some of this reflects a rural-to-urban diaspora that has accelerated in the past 30 years.

“I think so much of this can be attributed to work that Oklahoma City and Tulsa have done to create an attractive area for younger, more progressive-oriented individuals,” Day says.

“One walk on NW 16th Street on a Friday night will show the dynamics of a changing OKC. Many of those voters aren’t from OKC originally, either, as they have migrated from rural outposts around the state. As time goes on, I think there begins to be a bit of a cascade effect here, where the cities get bluer and bluer and the rural areas get redder and redder.

“You have demographic trends that suggest – in the present for Oklahoma County or in the future 10 or so years for Tulsa County – that while the rest of the state’s demographics favor conservative voting choices, the cities and suburbs have and will continue to become overwhelmingly friendly to Democratic and more liberal ideas and candidates,” he adds. “The long-term – and I mean very long-term – concern for the GOP is if and when OKC and Tulsa have enough weight and lean blue enough to really begin to make statewide races competitive again.”

For Democratic U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn of the state’s 5th Congressional District, who is currently facing a Republican challenge from State Sen. Stephanie Bice, that seemingly evident break in voting habits between city and rural voters does not accomplish much in understanding the needs and desires of Oklahomans. She said that the 2004 Thomas Frank book What’s the Matter with Kansas? did not result in any kind of conversion in values. While Oklahoma’s neighbor to the north is experiencing its own changing trend lines – Kansas elected a Democratic governor, Laura Kelly, in 2018 – actual needs and values do not usually change at the same rate as demographics. Horn points to values such as education, healthcare and employment as areas of concern where all Oklahomans converge. They just differ in how to improve those areas.

“I don’t think it is productive to discuss the politics of an urban and rural divide,” Horn says. “It is far more valuable to address the issues affecting Oklahomans, whether they live in the city or in rural areas, and to cross party lines to find solutions.”

Horn’s concern about dividing Oklahoma’s populations against themselves is rooted in truths about whether Oklahomans believe that anyone is actually listening to them. Mickey Edwards, who represented Horn’s district from 1977 to 1993 and is currently teaching at Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, has built much of his post-Congres-

sional career on understanding the internal and external factors that affect voting behavior. One key factor in understanding how Oklahoma behaves at the polling place is a sense of being ignored, Edwards said.

“You know, a lot of Oklahoma’s rural, and a lot of Oklahoma is very small towns, and so the benefits of globalization were being felt more in New York and Philadelphia and San Francisco than they were in a place like Oklahoma,” says Edwards, who also serves as Vice President of the Aspen Institute and counts both Bice and Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris as students. “And so, I think a lot of people in Oklahoma started thinking, ‘This isn’t working for us; we need to find a way to make sure that our children are going to have good jobs, and that we’re going to be upwardly mobile – if not us, then our children and our grandchildren.’”

The result, Edwards said, was a rush toward the populist message of President Donald Trump, who never held public office before entering the 2016 presidential race.

He understands the problem: In terms of infrastructure, technological development, education and other important issues, rural Oklahoma has not appreciatively advanced in its standard of living in the past three decades. Edwards said this allowed Trump’s political stance to resonate with such voters.

“If you look at the way conservatives expressed their conservatism in 1980 compared to today, which almost seems to be, ‘Whatever the president says is right, and if tomorrow

he reverses himself and comes out for the exact opposite, then we’re for that,’ I think that there is a danger of losing your principles,” says Edwards, a Republican who chose not to support Trump in 2016. “You either believe in free trade, which is what we always believed in, or you believe in tariffs, which were always what the Democrats believed in. Now we believe in them. We believed in a strong Congress to be a check against a president who was acting like the king. Now, it’s the opposite.”

U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, a former Republican strategist who now represents Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District, said he still sees a lot of conservatism in his district, and that is rooted in some economic and ideological needs. He points to Oklahoma’s five major military installations and places such as the National Weather Center in Norman as evidence of enormous federal presence. Cole, a member of the Chickasaw Nation that makes up much of his district, also points to the responsibility the federal government has toward Native American tribes and maintaining a jurisdictional balance – concerns that he believes lean toward conservatism.

“So, honestly, the biggest change in the last 20 years was the alignment of basic philosophical beliefs with partisan identity,” Cole says. “There just are not very many conservative Democrats left anymore, and this state used to be a very conservative Democratic state. It’s become now, I think, a pretty conservative Republican state. We’re certainly going to see a growth in Democratic strength; we see signs of it in the two big metropolitan areas now, but it’s still, as a state, reliably pretty conservative.”

That alignment means that, while Libertarian and independent candidates routinely stake out single-digit results in Oklahoma elections, a rise in independence from the Republican and Democratic orthodoxies is unlikely to take hold soon in the state. Holt said it might take generations for that to happen.

“It feels impossible right now,” Holt says. “I mean, it’s always seemed like it’s far New England where that’s ever worked, but everywhere else they want to see a normal party after your name. But I don’t know. I think if there was ever a time that people are frustrated with the polarization and the parties, this is it and it could be in the future. It’s not imminent, but I always think that’s a possible trend.”

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Dining

Good Taste

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The Drink 74 Local Flavor 76

Ciderverse Check out our coverage of the people behind the ciders and take a stroll through Sheesh Mahal’s Pakistani fare and OKC’s selection of chile verde.

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Pakistani Mastery SHEESH MAHAL’S TOP-TIER TASTES

BY G REG HOR T ON | PHOTO BY LE X I HOEBING

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H AT SHEESH M AH AL SITS near the top of the delicious food pantheon in Oklahoma City is not even a matter of debate for the city’s culinary cognoscenti. Simply post a picture of anything from this N. May Avenue eatery on social media, and the chorus of praises for the food will follow quickly. Many in that chorus will be respected chefs.

When Sheesh Mahal (“crystal palace” in the Urdu language) opened in the old Zorba’s location in 2013, many in the city’s religious communities took notice that they advertised halal food front and center. Halal – Arabic for permitted – is similar to Judaism’s kosher dietary rules.

How would a restaurant that featured not Indian but Pakistani food and led with halal standards perform in OKC? The success of a restaurant often has more to do with unpredictable

food, great service, a patient and helpful staff and a history as a building with another successful restaurant (that one is more important than people often realize).

Owner Naeem Ahmed attributes some of his early success to three factors: his experience running a catering business prior to opening the restaurant, a positive review within the first six months from a local newspaper and the support of medical professionals in OKC, especially doctors from Pakistan.

“Many people ‘forced’ us to open up,” Ahmed says with a laugh. “The doctors hosted parties, used our catering and spread the word about our food by word of mouth. The transition from catering to restaurant took about four years.”

Offering Pakistani cuisine in a city primarily familiar with Indian food

Sheesh Mahal had everything required for success inside the building: excellent food, great service, a patient and helpful staff and a history as a building with another successful restaurant. factors than with what’s happening inside the building. Examples abound of restaurants with excellent food shuttering while the concept down the street thrives in spite of average fare.

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via buffets seemed a big risk in 2013.

(Pakistan was part of India until 1947, so there is a great deal of similarity in styles of food.) Even now, with all their success, regular diners would have a hard time telling the difference.

The restaurant serves Nihari, an

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uber-traditional beef dish from Pakistan, but the menu also has items such as naan and butter chicken that are typically associated with Indian food.

“Indian food has more curry, and it’s spicier,” Ahmed says. “We wanted to serve traditional food from Pakistan, but we also took customer feedback.”

That last bit has been important for their success, too. (Quick definition: Desi – A person from the Indian subcontinent, including Pakistan. From the Sanskrit word for “country.”) When non-Desis dined in the restaurant, Ahmed and his team would quiz them on their experience.

Sheesh Mahal serves a wide range of dishes both familiar, like curry, and not so familiar, like the traditional Pakistani dish nihari.

“We tweaked some of the dishes based on what they told us,” Ahmed says. “You could say that Sheesh Mahal is Pakistani food with American input.”

Call it what you like; it’s delicious. The Nihari isn’t as well known as the dal dishes (lentilbased) or the curries, but given Oklahoma’s love affair with beef, it should be. Tender, slowcooked beef in a savory stew redolent with more than a dozen spices and herbs, it’s perfect with or without rice, but you’ll definitely want naan or paratha to soak up the sauce.

Green chicken, a stunning dish made with cilantro and garlic in a cream sauce, also deserves more fame across the city. The chicken tikka is purposefully done differently than elsewhere in OKC; it’s more soupy and served with Masala (a spice blend – think za’atar or herbs de Provence) rice. There are plenty of flavorful vegetarian options, too, including dal, aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower) and rice dishes.

Ahmed recommends just asking about dishes if diners are unfamiliar with the style.

“I usually ask what they like, beginning with proteins,” he says. “Then I just talk about their options and recommend some dishes.”

Familiarity is also a good way to start.

Recognizing a dish like butter chicken or chicken tikka makes ordering easier, and it introduces new diners to the differences in style, techniques and seasonings that shape Pakistani cuisine. And whatever you choose, don’t be surprised if it prompts a return trip.

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ipped Chris Castro wh emade up a b atch of hom story, chile ve rde for th is e of it, s o we took a pictur o sty le. and the n ate it tac

Green Chiles Mean Go THE SPICY JOYS OF CHILE VERDE

BY G REG HOR T ON PHOTO S BY CHR IS CA S T RO

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V E RY Y E A R W H E N H AT C H green chile season rolls around, Oklahomans are reminded that many dishes – including macaroni and cheese – are made better by these spicy wonders from New Mexico’s Hatch Valley. But the tradition of cooking with green chiles is deeply embedded in the cultures of Mexico and New Mexico; Hatch is only one of several varieties that can be used to make chile verde or guiso verde.

The difference is primarily in usage. Guiso verde is a stew traditionally made with braised pork, peppers and tomatillos, but the same ingredients combine with tortillas to make chile verde tacos – or, in the case of Taqueria Rafita’s, with potatoes and a huge tortilla to make a chili verde burrito.

Rafita’s has been on N Pennsylvania Ave., for seven years, and the family had a food truck nearby for three years before leasing the current space at 1222 N Pennsylvania Ave. The trick to the menu is that chile verde tacos 72

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aren’t available, but the platter comes with fresh tortillas, which means you get five or six tacos just by building your own. Theirs is one of the very best in town, but it does run spicy.

Stockyards City is home to Los Comales, 1504 S Agnew Ave., another family-owned taqueria with stellar chile verde. The heat is less pronounced, but not the flavor, and the tacos are stuffed with savory pork and tangy, spicy green sauce. Unlike the street tacos around town, these are similar in portion size to what you get in a Tex-Mex spot.

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There are two ways to fully enjoy Birrieria Daiz, 6700, NW 39th Expressway, and both involve going with a party of four or more.

First, get the lamb birria, a dish made with spicy ground lamb that’s traditional in northern Mexico. The second involves getting the birria and guiso verde so everyone at the table can have birria and tacos. Diaz’s guiso verde recipe is on the mild side, so it serves as a good introduction to the dish – and of course, fresh tortillas come with every order.

Mexican food, like American food, has big differences from region to region. A tour of taquerias down SW 29 Street or SW 44 Street can make those differences apparent. Taqueria Cardenas SLP, 1233 SW 29 St., serves traditional Oaxacan food, including mulitas – think of it as a small, crispy quesadilla made with corn tortillas.

They come three to an order at Cardenas, and while the chile verde is the subject here, you’d make a mistake not ordering two green and one red, or vice versa. Their chile verde leans heavily on tomatillos, so it’s very mild. The hot sauces on the table will help if you want more heat.

We asked Chris Castro for his guiso verde recipe (pictured), which you can find on the 405 Magazine website. It’s a relatively easy dish to make at home, and given its flexibility, a pot of it means tacos, burritos, tortas and even bowls of stew.

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How Do You Like Them Apples?

THE JOYS OF EXPERIMENTATION AT OK CIDER CO

BY G REG HO R T O N PHOTO S BY LE X I HOEBING

Some of the fun of OK Cider Co’s tasting room is found in the eclectic design tastes of the founders, which is to say, thrift-store chic.

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S S O O N A S T I M K I N G C A N GET a copy of Disney’s “Johnny Appleseed” on vinyl, he will have it playing overhead at OK Cider Co in Film Row. The cidery opened in July in the old Plant Shoppe facility, and a mural of Johnny Appleseed (masked as of press time)

by Meghan Buchanan adorns the left wall as you enter. He’s an appropriate mascot for a cidery, and the overall aesthetic – rusted-out truck, rough woods, thrift-store purchases, rustic bar – speaks to a warm comfort that’s somehow located in our pasts.

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King and partner LukE (yes, the E is capital on purpose) Hadsall started making cider in 2014. “I’d just moved back to Oklahoma, and being gluten intolerant, I looked for a cider I liked,” King says. “I didn’t find one, so I decided to make my own.”

The pair debuted their ciders at the Oklahoma Craft Beer Festival in 2017, to a chorus of praise from the assembled beer geeks.

“We like to say our cider is beer-influenced,” King says. That’s not just talk. The ciders have bases like Belgian and saison, and more than

a few are hoppy. Still, the beer focus doesn’t hurt the cideriness of the finished product.

The Naughty Apple, done in a traditional English style, is still a burst of refreshing, crisp apple, and the Cherry Poppin is perfectly tart with a blend of Naughty Apple and cherry juice added after fermentation.

In fact, all the ciders are on the dry side – with sugar kept to five grams or less per 12-ounce serving – and what sugar there is Hadsall adds after fermentation.

Juice is sourced from the same place for every batch, chosen for flavor and consistency rather than species of apples, and isolated yeast strains build the flavor profile of the desired style. The technical precision is impressive, and the ciders, even the ones that sound weird, are delicious.

Coffee cider? Yeah, that’s a thing.

“It was LukE’s idea,” King says.

He pours samples, and we all agree that it’s weirdly delicious, as in “can we have more” delicious.

“I used an Ethiopian coffee to get the profile I wanted, and we were very pleased with how it turned out,” Hadsall says.

A gross understatement.

They’re thrilled, and rightly so. The experimentation is all over the menu board: pineapple, hazy IPA style, peaches done in a still rather than sparkling style, lemon-ginger, chocolate and cherry, and so on. The best way to innovate in booze is to try things that sound weird alongside things that will be predictably good; it guarantees some failures, but it also promises something like coffee cider.

Now Delivering Wine and Grocery

LukE Hadsall (L) and Tim King (R) on their favorite couch.

The technical precision is impressive, and the ciders, even the ones that sound weird, are delicious.

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405.840.3047 | labaguettebistro.com | 7408 N. May Ave. OKC

There is a story behind nearly everything in the tasting room, including the Johnny Appleseed mural and this truck, which is wisely sealed shut.

OK Cider Co is planning on self-distribution, and for now everything is in kegs for the taps at the cidery. They do have flights and a membership program that offers access to one-offs and experimental stuff. It’s a reason to celebrate for our friends and family with celiac disease, as well as a well-executed and much-needed addition to Oklahoma’s booze landscape.

CAPITALS ICE CREAM M I D T O W N O K C & E D M O N D R A I LYA R D C A P I TA L S I C E C R E A M . C O M

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Restaurant Guide These listings are not related to advertising in 405 Magazine. If you find that a restaurant differs significantly from the information in its listing or your favorite restaurant is missing from the list, please let us know.

Email info@405magazine.com

Designation $$ MOST ENTREES $10 TO $25 $$$ MOST ENTREES OVER $25

A M ER I C A N Black Walnut The eclectic, creative cuisine is hard to categorize, but Chef Andrew Black delivers seafood, chops, steaks, and healthy fare with equal attention to detail and beautiful presentation. Always say yes to the fish, and the cocktails are excellent as well. 100 NE 4, OKC, 445-6273 $$$ The Hamilton Tucked into Northpark Mall, this Okie-centric supper club features upscale casual dining with regional favorites like bison tartare, quail and steaks, as well as an excellent wine list and creative cocktails. 12232 N. May, OKC, 849.5115 $$$ The Hutch On Avondale Chef David Henry serves modern American cuisine with a creative twist, and the bar offers a full suite of tempting cocktails, wines and spirits.

6437 Avondale, OKC, 842.1000 $$$ The Jones Assembly From biscuits to Nashville Hot Chicken to burgers and healthy options, The Jones Assembly serves up eclectic, creative fare, including one of the city’s best brunches, excellent cocktails, and a solid wine list. 901 W Sheridan, OKC, 212.2378 $$$ Scratch Isn’t that the best place for food to come from? Top-of -the-line ingredients are combined into carefully concocted entrees, sides and wondrous craft cocktails. And check out their Paseo Arts District location for dinner. 132 W Main, Norman, 801.2900 $$ Vast Keeping your attention on the elegant cuisine might be difficult; the view from atop the Devon Tower is truly unparalleled in Oklahoma, making this a fantastic date spot. 280 W Sheridan, 49th floor, OKC, 702.7262 $$$

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Goro An “izakaya” is a Japanese pub, like this cheerful Plaza District spot for expertly crafted ramen, yakitori, bar snacks and more. 1634 Blackwelder, OKC, 606.2539 $ Queen of Eggrolls Chef KC Chansombat specializes in traditional Laotian food, and while her egg rolls are the reason many discover her, the larb, nam khao and capoon are what eventually keeps them coming back. 2815a NW 10th, OKC, 769.2417 $$

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Sala Thai The revamped menu and interior signalled a change in this popular Uptown eatery, but the food is as good as it’s always been. Dependably tasty Thai food, including excellent curries, and you can make it as spicy as you like. 1614 NW 23, OKC, 528.8428 $ Tokyo It’s neither huge nor lavishly appointed, and the menu focuses on tradition rather than creativity; but it’s palpably fresh and routinely cited as among the metro’s best sushi. 7516 N Western, OKC, 848.6733 $$

B A K ERY Ganache Patisserie Yes, they’re also chocolatiers, but the pastries, baked treats, pies and cakes at Ganache are made by a husband-wife chef team who really get food as art. As beautiful as they are delicious, the food at this Chisholm Creek patisserie is one of OKC’s best indulgences. 13230 Pawnee Dr., Ste. 114, OKC, 286.4068 $$ La Baguette Comfortable ambience and exquisite baking make a tres chic destination for brunch and beyond. 1130 Rambling Oaks, Norman, 329.1101; 2100 W Main, Norman, 329.5822 $

BARBECUE Back Door Barbecue Outstanding barbecue in Uptown 23rd, featuring housemade sauces, hearty sandwiches, weekly specials, and what may be the best potato salad in town. 315 NW 23rd, OKC, 525.7427 $$ Clark Crew Bbq Travis Clark reached the pinnacle of pit master-dom when he won Jack Daniel’s competition, and he’s brought the delicious brisket, burnt ends, championship beans and the best cornbread ever to OKC. 3510 NW Expy, OKC, 724.8888 $$$

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George’s Happy Hog A well-kept secret among State Capitol workers, the word is finally getting out. The turkey and greens are worth the trip, and if you’re hungry add potato salad and rib ends. 712 Culbertson Dr., OKC, 525.8111 $$ Swadley’s Bar-B-Q This family-owned barbecue joint has five metro locations, so they’re convenient for just about anyone. It’s traditional bbq, with brisket, chicken, sausages, hot links, and even a catfish dinner -- a local favorite.

The sandwiches and fries, especially the Firehouse, are solid lunch choices. 4000 N. Rockwell. Bethany 470.4343 $$

B R E A K FA S T & B RU N C H Café Antigua Authentic Guatemalan food in OKC, with traditional dishes like motuleños, machaca, and refried black beans. Full coffee service is available, and you’ll want extra green sauce. 1903 N. Classen Blvd., OKC, 602.8984 $$ La Baguette Deep Deuce This breakfast-lunch concept combines the Norman location’s bakery and some original chef-driven items from Chef Andrew Black to create a comfortable morning eatery with good coffee, delicious egg dishes, healthy options, grab-n-go, and all the baked treats. 100 NE 4th St. OKC 445.6272 $$ Neighborhood Jam Serving tasty takes on classic American dishes and more specialized options, this breakfast-centric spot aims to become a community favorite.

15124 Lleytons Court, Edmond, 242.4161 $ Sunnyside Diner Traditional breakfast spot in multiple locations, serving excellent classic breakfasts, as well as specialty items like Eggs in Purgatory and verde tamales. 824 SW 89, OKC, 703.0011 $

B U R G ERS & S A N D W I C H ES The Mule Solid beer and beverage selection plus a delectable array of gourmet grilled cheeses and melts; this relaxation destination in the Plaza District stays popular. 1630 N Blackwelder, OKC, 601.1400 $ New State Burgers A small, focused menu with burgers and a few sandwiches and sides in a burger joint that understands the most important thing is the

burger. Sneaky good whiskey list, local beers, and thoughtfully crafted cocktails round out a great meal. 1705 NW 16th, Ste. A, OKC, 724-7524 $$ Nic’s Grill This is the one everyone talks about, including Guy Fieri. Ask a local where to get a burger, they’re going to say Nic’s. It’s a classic onion burger, but somehow so much more. 1201 N Penn, OKC, 524.0999. $

C O F F EEH O U S E & TE A ROOM Clarity Coffee The space is crisp, cool and comfortable – including seating for sipping or getting some work done – and the brewers have their beverages down to a science. 431 W Main, OKC, 252.0155 $ Elemental Coffee Seriously spectacular coffee roasted in-house, augmented with locally sourced salads, breakfast options and other vegetarian and vegan friendly treats and entrees. 815 N Hudson, OKC, 633.1703 $ T, An Urban Teahouse Proving that an establishment’s focus can be at once narrow and broad, these retreats offer over 100 varieties and expert counsel to explore a world of possibili-teas. 519 NW 23rd, OKC $

C O N T IN EN TA L Ludivine The menu adjusts constantly to reflect availability of elite-quality, locally sourced ingredients - but every dish is the result of genuine culinary artistry. 805 N Hudson, OKC, 778.6800 $$$ The Metro A perennial favorite that feels comfortably upscale, the far-reaching menu covers culinary high points from vichyssoise to crème brulée. 6418 N Western, OKC, 840.9463 $$$

F R EN C H Café Cuvée A classic French bistro in the Ambassador Hotel, serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch. Choose from fresh oysters, beef Bourguignon, Dover sole, escargots, and delicious French desserts. 1200 N. Walker, OKC, 600.6200 $$ La Baguette Bistro Les Freres Buthion have deep roots in the city’s culinary landscape, and this flagship combines fine dining with a great bakery, deli and butcher on site.

7408 N May, OKC, 840.3047 $$

G ER M A N Das Boot Camp Longtime Deutsch fixture Royal Bavaria brews up exceptional cuisine and magnificent beer in a less expensive, faster-paced location in downtown Norman. 229 E Main, Norman, 701.3748 $ Royal Bavaria Superb takes on traditional dishes like Weinerschnitzel, Jagerbraten and sausages, plus fantastisch house-brewed beers. The time spent is a worthy investment. 3401 S Sooner, Moore, 799.7666 $$$

IN D I A N Misal Of India A Norman institution for over 30 years, specializing in tandoori-cooked delicacies and boasting healthy, natural, delicious cuisine served. 580 Ed Noble Pkwy, Norman, 579.5600 $$ Sheesh Mahal While billed as a combination of Pakistani and Indian cuisine, the menu will be familiar to fans of Indian food, with butter chicken, delicious curries, basmati rice, and fresh naan. You won’t find a buffet in the building, but you get complementary tea with every meal. 4621 N. May, OKC, 778.8469 $$

I TA L I A N & P I Z Z A Gabriella’s Italian Grill The current “Best Italian” according to 405 readers, Gabriella’s specializes in rustic Italian like pizza, hearty pasta sauces, and lasagne. An eclectic wine list adds to the experience.

1226 NE 23rd, OKC, 478.4955 $$ Patrono Not only is Chef Jonathan Krell’s food some of the best in OKC, the service at Patrono is professional, friendly and seamless. Krell is as adept at seafood as pasta and chops, so it’s impossible to go wrong with this spectacular menu. 305 N Walker, OKC, 702.7660 $$ Sparrow Chefs Jeff Holloway and Joel Wingate have put together stellar Italian dining in Edmond with this sleek, modern space. The agnolotti is house-made for an elegant, delicious dish, and the pepperoni pizza and 100-layer lasagne are a must. 507 S Boulevard, Edmond, 815.3463 $$ Stella Modern Italian Chef Chris McKenna is back in Midtown at the helm of Stella’s kitchen. That means outstanding pizza, pasta, seafood, and dessert. A full bar and Italian-centric wine list, as well as

a beautiful patio, round out the aperitif to dessert experience. 1201 N. Walker, OKC, 235.2200 $$$ Victoria’s A relaxed atmosphere for enjoying superb pasta – the chicken lasagna and linguine with snow crab are especially excellent. 215 E. Main, Norman, 329.0377; 3000 SW 104th, OKC, 759.3580 $

pastelitos (similar to empanadas) and pickled veggies. 3001 N May Ave., OKC, 673.7678 $$

PIZ Z A

M ED I T ER R A N E A N & AFRICAN

Empire Slice House This was the city’s first by-the-slice pizzeria, but you can also get full pies, giant meatballs, fresh salads, and a great selection of cocktails and local beer. The full menu is also available late night inside or on the excellent patio. 1804 NW 16, OKC, 557.1760 $

Cous Cous Cafe Authentic Moroccan food in the heart of Oklahoma City, featuring tagines, moussaka, bastilla and traditional dishes like hummus, kabobs, shawarma. 5620 N May, OKC, 286.1533 $$

Hideaway Pizza If you’ve been serving a devoted following for over half a century, you’re doing something right. In this case, that’s incredible pizza in jovial surroundings.

8 metro locations, hideawaypizza.com $$

Lua Mediterranean The newest addition to the Plaza Distric, Lua is Chef Shelby Sieg’s homecoming, and the food is stellar. Lamb tagine is the star, but the tzatziki is some of the best in town, and the chaluapa is a must-have for lunch. Full bar with excellent wine list, too. 1749 NW 16th, OKC, 601-4067 $$

Pizzeria Gusto Neapolitan-style pizza (which uses an extremely hot fire to quickly cook superfine flour crusts) stars alongside Italy-inspired entrees, pastas and appetizers. 2415 N Walker, OKC, 437.4992 $$

Nunu’s Mediterranean Café If there is another place in the metro to get hashwa, we don’t know of it, and if you’ve never had it, go to Nunu’s immediately. The popular Lebanese dish is the main draw, but the traditional favorites—kabobs, tabouli and hummus—are also excellent.

3131 W Memorial Rd., OKC, 751.7000 $$

ME XICAN & L AT I N A M ER I C A N Café Kacao A sunlit space filled with bright, vibrant flavors from the zesty traditions of Guatemala. Lunch possibilities beckon, but it’s the breakfast specialties that truly dazzle. 3325 N Classen, OKC, 602.2883 $ El Fogon De Edgar Colombian food made from family recipes is the heart of this hidden gem. A bowl of aji verde accompanies every meal and it should be ladled liberally on nearly everything, including flank steak, morcilla, arroz con pollo and patacones. 7220 S Western, OKC, 602.6497 $$ Fonda K-Tracha Honduran cuisine isn’t as well known as other Central American dishes in OKC, but this breakfast, lunch and dinner joint could help change that. Chimichurri pork chops are the easy part of the menu, but the bombastic flavors are in the

P L A N T B A S ED & V E G E TA R I A N Plant The Midtown restaurant features beautiful, creative vegan cuisine--including ice cream--for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Food is fresh, smoothies are made without ice, and flavor is the focus.

A small selection of beer and wine is also available. 1120 N. Walker, OKC, 225.1314 $$ The Loaded Bowl The food truck turned brick and mortar helped pioneer vegan comfort food in the metro, and they’re still famous for their “mac and cheese.” The menu runs the spectrum from healthy vegan to comfort food, and the bar serves excellent cocktails, beer and wine.

1211 SW 2, OKC, 820-9599 $$

SE AFOOD The Drake The Good Egg Group’s flagship and a standard-bearer for diners who crave excellent seafood, it serves chef’s creations featuring the sea’s finest, plus an oyster bar and tempting cocktails.

519 NW 23rd, OKC $$$

SOUL FOOD Brielle’s Bistro Blueberry beignets are the draw, but Chef Dwayne Johnson’s gumbo, etouffee, and catfish round out a Southern menu with Louisiana spice.

9205 NE 23, OKC, 259-8473 $$ Florence’s For more than 60 years, this eastside eatery has been serving crispy fried chicken, hearty meatloaf, tangy greens, and all the country cooking associated with soul food. Don’t leave without trying the pear pie. 1437 NE 23rd, OKC, 427.3663 $$

S O U T H W ES T ER N Cheever’s Southwestern-influenced recipes (the chicken-fried steak is a house specialty) and love of seafood drive the contemporary comfort food in one of the city’s finest dining destinations. 2409 N Hudson, OKC, 525.7007 $$ Hacienda Tacos Quality, of both ingredients and execution, and variety make this restaurant in Northpark a pleasure to visit, and to explore the menu again and again.

12086 N May, OKC, 254.3140 $

STE AKHOUSE Boulevard Steakhouse Perfectly soigné ambiance down to the last detail and cuisine easily in the metro’s elite – a sumptuous, if pricy, masterpiece. 505 S Boulevard, Edmond, 715.2333 $$$ Cattlemen’s Almost as old as the state itself, this Oklahoma institution’s immense corn-fed steaks and matchless atmosphere are history served anew every day. 1309 S Agnew, OKC, 236.0416 $$ Mahogany Prime Steakhouse The ambiance and service are sublime, but fine aged steak broiled to perfection is the star. 3241 W Memorial, OKC, 748.5959; 100 W Main, OKC, 208.8800 $$$ Opus Prime Steakhouse A beautiful interior contributes to the experience of the excellent food and service, and the wine list is exceptional. Prime steak, seafood, chops, lamb and hearty appetizers make this a class steakhouse experience.

800 W. Memorial Rd., OKC, 607.6787 $$$$

For more, visit 405magazine.com/Eat-Drink

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Out & About

Road Trip

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Feast for the Eyes Bentonville’s Momentary features artist Nick Cave, described by the

New York Times as ‘the most joyful, and critical,

COURTESY OF J.R. DOTY

artist in America.’

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Eleven Restaurant at Crystal Bridges

Bentonville Bounty SMALL TOWN DESTINATION WITH A BIG CITY FEEL Southern favorite pimento cheese with marmalade jam and toast at The Hive

BY EL A INE WA RNER

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C RYS TA L B R I D G E S At age 10, Sam Walton’s only daughter, Alice, was already an art lover. One of her first acquisitions was a Picasso print from her father’s dime store. In 2005, she founded Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Architect Moshe Safdie designed a series of pavilions incorporating spring-fed ponds. The plan included galleries, meeting and classroom spaces, a library and a museum store designed

by Marion Blackwell, and the 120-acre grounds include walking trails and outdoor sculptures.

Crystal Bridges, the name inspired by the clear springs on the property and the bridge design of the building, opened in 2011. In 2015, a relocated and restored Frank Lloyd Wright house opened to the public on the museum’s grounds. The collections encompass five centuries of America art. A featured exhibition, Ansel Adams: In Our Time, including more 80

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Buckminster Fuller’s Fly’s Eye Dome on the North Lawn Trail at Crystal Bridges

than 100 of Adams’ iconic images along with works by artists who influenced him or were influenced by him, is on display through Jan. 3, 2021.

The museum’s restaurant, Eleven, serves local and sustainable High South cuisine. The soup is smoky bean and ham hock served with cornbread – mother’s milk for those of us with Ozark roots! You can also get picnic boxes to be enjoyed on the trails.

This is the perfect time to enjoy the outdoor exhibition North Forest Lights, which runs through April 4, 2021. Five distinct displays use sound and lights to turn the nighttime trails into sensory experiences. There is a charge for this exhibition and, as with the museum, special precautions and requirements for health and safety are in place; visit crystalbridges.org.

T H E M O M E N TA RY The Momentary, a satellite of Crystal Bridges, is Bentonville’s newest cultural attraction.

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Making Change by Monica Mahoney at the 21 c Hotel

Once a Kraft cheese factory, this massive building has been repurposed into a home for contemporary visual and performance arts, class space and event venue. The currently featured exhibition is Nick Cave: Until. Cave, described by The New York Times as “the most joyful, and critical, artist in America,” turns 24,000 square feet of gallery space in the Momentary into an eye-feasting whirl of color and materials from found objects, wind-spinners, beads and more, overhung by an amazing crystal cloud. Through it all, the artist touches on issues of gender, gun violence and racial justice. While the temptation is to revel in the celebration of the visual, visitors are challenged on a deeper level.

The exhibition runs through Jan. 3. Admission to both Crystal Bridges and The Momentary is free; visit themomentary.org.

THE HIVE: MARK JACKSON; ELEVEN RESTAURANT, FLY’S EYE DOME, CADDY:: ELAINE WARNER

P P L E S P R O B A B LY A R E N ’ T the first thing you think about when you hear “Bentonville, Arkansas.” But back in the early 20th century, Benton County – with Bentonville as its seat – had the largest number of bearing apple trees of any county in the United States. Apples, however, are not what turned this small community into a major art and cultural destination.

In 1951, a small-town businessman, born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, opened Walton’s 5&10 on the square in Bentonville. The rest is truly history. His business expanded with the first Walmart in 1962. Those humble beginnings have also morphed into major cultural contributions to the area – which is why in a recent Expedia Travel Blog, Bentonville was named as the third most popular vacation destination in 2020.

It’s an easy three-and-a-half-hour drive from Oklahoma City, so there’s no excuse to pass up what Bentonville has to offer.

North Forest Lights light up the trails at Crystal Bridges

Walton 5&10, Sam Walton’s original store on the town square

NORTH FOREST: MOMENT FACTORY; WALTON 5&10: ELAINE WARNER; MUSEUM OF NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY: PROVIDED

The Museum of Native American History covers 14 centuries of indigenous history

M U S E U M O F N AT I V E A M E R I C A N H I S T O RY David Bogle is a native-born Bentonville citizen, but also is a Cherokee with deep Oklahoma roots. He ranches in Oklahoma on land that has been in his family since the Dawes allotments.

Bogle started the Museum of Native American History (MONAH) in 2006, moving it to its present location in Bentonville in 2008.

The core of the 10,000-plus-item compilation is Bogle’s own collection, supplemented with donated items and items on loan. The aggregation spans 14,000 years of information and artifacts of indigenous peoples of North and South America.

Closed to the public as of press time, the museum staff has worked hard to provide virtual tours and online information.

D OW N T OW N The heart of Bentonville is its charming town square, and the main attraction is the original Walton’s 5&10. Now a museum and visitor center with an old-fashioned ice cream shop, visitors can see historic displays including Mr. Sam’s ’79 Ford pickup. The museum is closed now, but you can stop on the sidewalk and order a sweet treat from the Spark Café Soda Fountain, homage to Sam Walton’s love of ice cream (facebook.com/thesparkcafe).

TAS T E O F T H E T OW N For art while you eat, check out the 21c restaurant, The Hive. A giant honeycomb is a feature beside the entrance, with vines and bees winding into the restaurant – an immersive site-specific installation by artist Johnston Foster. The menu, overseen by award-winning Chef Matthew McClure, includes home-grown favorites with a sophisticated twist: for example, sorghum-roasted duck with hominy grits.

Bentonville has become a foodie mecca, always well-represented at the James Beard House.

Chef Matthew Cooper presides at The Preacher’s Son – and yes, he is. Plus, the restaurant is in a beautifully restored old church. Look for food with local roots such as rabbit and striped bass, but you’ll also find shrimp and scallops on the menu.

Tusk and Trotter is the place to go whole hog.

Chef and owner Rob Nelson’s menu leans toward pig parts – pig ears nachos, ribs and chops. Don’t leave without trying the Trot on Over, sticky toffee pudding with maple bacon ice cream.

These three chefs love the Ozarks and local comfort foods, but don’t be fooled: Their creations can hold their own in the largest, most food-jaded market. Even the Big Apple.

Which brings me full circle. This little appleproducing area has grown in so many ways. It provides big-city surprises, without big-city inconvenience.

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In Search of Savor 5 FAVE FOOD TRUCKS FOR FALL

BY BR A ND ON K ING

F

ALL IS A TIME OF CH ANGE for the 405. From fashion to fun activities, everything is subject to the transition of the season with the exception of one bad habit: the food rut. That’s when a person’s daily menu becomes less of an adventure and more of a Rolodex of comfort food and family recipes.

The food rut is a tricky trench to emerge from. Luckily, there are options – four-wheeled options that are tasty and COVID-friendly.

Here are suggestions for some of the OKC area’s finest food trucks that are sure to make this out-of-the-ordinary treat into an obvious choice for your next meal.

B I G T R U C K TA C O S Voted America’s Favorite Food Truck in a nationwide Food Network contest, Big Truck Tacos is an idyllic blend of Tex-Mex flavors with a culinary edge. With multiple B.T.T. food trucks in the metro area, visitors can experience the expansive menu including such items as the Borracho Chicken tacos: a spice-rubbed beer can chicken taco with spicy tomato sauce, onions and cilantro; and the Thunder Burrito: a blend of potatoes, beef picadillo, refried beans, jalapenos, cheese, guacamole and pico de gallo. Menu items, prices and times can be found online at bigtrucktacos.com.

Philly Cheesesteak sandwich at the Phill Me Up food truck.

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PHOTOS PROVIDED

PHILL ME UP Iconic regional food has a way of traveling to all corners of the country. This is why Oklahomans can enjoy genuine Philly Cheesesteaks and more at the Phill Me Up Cheesesteaks food truck. Now located at the Collective Food Hall in Midtown, food truck aficionados can experience the flavors of the Philly from the comfort of the Oklahoma City streets, including the classic “OG” Philly Cheesesteak, the Okie – a Philly Cheesesteak with pepperjack cheese and Sriracha barbecue sauce – or something more shareable such as the veggie fries and the Loaded Mac N Cheese: a bowl of three-cheese macaroni topped with ribeye steak and caramelized onions. Additional information is found at phillmeupokc.com.

TA S T E O F S O U L Freshly made chicken egg rolls and piping hot fried rice is bound to do the soul some good. At the Taste of Soul Giant Egg Roll food truck, customers can enjoy an eclectic blend of Southern-style chicken and Asian-infused cuisine that offers egg roll traditionalists and newcomers a unique experience. Known for its “giant” chicken egg rolls – a large egg roll with cabbage, carrots and succulent chicken in place of the classic chopped pork – the menu offers a variety of choices including a Spicy Chicken Fried Rice Box, an Egg Roll in a Bowl Salad and even Dessert Egg Rolls: two fried rolls filled with either cherry or apple and served with a side of vanilla ice cream. All information can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/tasteofsouleggroll.

Let’s Do Greek pita and hummus.

LET’S DO GREEK Gyros, falafel, baklava: If this all seems Greek to you, then you’re right on the Euro! At Let’s Do Greek, food truck patrons can enjoy professionally made Greek food, including the Thunder Gyro – gyro meat and grilled ham topped with Feta cheese, tomatoes, fresh onions and a spicy sauce blend known as Thunder Sauce – hummus, oregano chicken over rice and more to sate your Mediterranean craving. For more information, visit letsdogreek.com.

Taste of Soul Meat and vegetarian options.

C H I C K N WA N G S

PHOTOS PROVIDED

Fans of authentic Southern cuisine can rejoice at Chick N Wangs – a selection of menu items such as fried okra and fish, spiced Italian sausage and, of course, chicken wings. Whether you side with the spicy side or fancy the fried section, these chicken wings have everything a wing-lover could ask for. Typically served with a side of fries and ranch, bleu cheese, barbecue, honey mustard or other dipping sauces, this is family-owned down-home cooking on the move.

For more information, visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/Chick-N-Wangs.

Chick N Wangs fried chicken and tater tots.

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YWCA Purple Sash Gala Skirvin Hilton Hotel

YWCA Oklahoma City hosted its 17th annual Purple Sash Gala Aug. 7 featuring cocktail attire and live and silent auctions.

1. Chris Evans and Trish Williams 2. Kelly and Patrick Grace 3. Stephanie Bryce, Sami Grega 4. Janet Peery, Sami Grega, Whitney Tatum, Mary Ellen Alexander 5. Tiffany Earwood, Matthew Springs

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‘Thank You, Amelia Earhart’ It’s a Rap Party Friends and fans of Oklahoma City-based film writer and director Al Mertens met Aug. 2 to celebrate the completion of his latest film and Amazon’s bestselling published script, “Thank You, Amelia Earhart.”

2. Al Mertens, Merhawit Tsegay 3. Erika O’Bar, Olivia Buss, Mary Buss 4. Mirissa Shoemaker, Mikayah and Titus Fox, Gunnar Fox

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FRAN KOZAKOWSKI

1. Al Mertens, Jonah Schoenborn

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Faces of the 405 Party Wilshire Cabinet + Co Gallery

405 Magazine held its Faces of the 405 event Aug. 28 with a socially distanced evening of music and cocktails and hors d’oeuvres with co-host, Wilshire Cabinet + Co. 1. Amber Goodfrey, Shane Henry, Ashley Rahill 2. Dr. Carter Johnston, Ashley Forrest 3. Dr. Noel and Kim Williams, Dave Atalla 4. Jacqui Ford, Casey Davis 5. Jessica Richey, Jason Grife, Donna Mesigh, Michael

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Chapa-Field 6. Kaley Regas, Valerie Naifeh 7. Travis Morelock, Kim Lowe

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A True Oklahoma Trailblazer KATE BARNARD’S PIONEERING POLITICAL CAREER

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K L A H O M A H I S T O RY O F T E N is surprising. One particular revelation comes from the sometimes-overlooked life and influence of Kate Barnard, the first woman to hold state office in Oklahoma and, indeed, among the first in the nation. As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, it is interesting to note that Barnard was elected to office some 14 years before the amendment gave women the right to vote.

Diminutive in stature, Barnard was barely 5 feet tall and by many accounts, weighed only 90 pounds. In contrast to her size, she also was known for a thick head of black hair piled high and topped with a conspicuous hat.

But size was the only thing small about Barnard. By the end of her public life, her persona loomed large in the political arena. She had been pivotal in passing compulsory education laws, securing state support of poor widows dependent on their children’s earnings and pushing for a constitutional ban on child labor.

She was a labor advocate, championing legislation to ban unsafe working conditions; and was instrumental in establishing a reformed prison system that resulted in the construction of the state penitentiary in McAlester.

Born Catherine Ann Barnard in Geneva, Nebraska, on May 23, 1875, she was only 2 years old when her mother died. Barnard moved with her father to Newalla, Oklahoma, in 1891 and attended St. Joseph’s Academy, an Oklahoma City Catholic school, in 1895. She earned a teaching certificate and taught in one-room schoolhouses for nine years before entering business school to become a secretary, according to Oklahoma Historical Society records.

While attending the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, Barnard was drawn to the plight of the poor living in the city’s slums. Realizing that

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Oklahoma City had many of the same problems, Barnard began working with charities and, through her impassioned speeches, convinced delegates to the state’s Constitutional Convention in 1906 to ban child labor and create the Office of Charities and Corrections.

A y outhful Kate B

arnard.

As a reformer, Barnard garnered the support of like-minded factions including farm and labor coalitions that comprised much of the Democratic Party in Oklahoma. She was elected as director of the Office of Charities

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and Corrections in 1907 by more than any other candidate in Oklahoma’s first general election – an irony due to the fact that women could not vote.

In their scholarly article, “Progressive Reform and Oklahoma Democrats: Kate Barnard versus Bill Murray,” Suzanne J. Crawford and Lynn R. Musslewhite described Barnard as more of a pragmatist than a revolutionary, which could account for her political success.

As the pair wrote, “Despite Barnard’s call for increased female political activism, she did not see herself as a feminist. Nor did she view her political participation as an infringement upon masculine prerogatives. Indeed, she declared, ‘As a woman, I naturally confine myself to those laws that affect the childhood of the state and those that tend to better the condition of the poor and the unfortunate.’ But it was her advocacy for American Indian orphans that led to the end of her career.

In her book, Women of Oklahoma, 18901920, Linda W. Reese describes Barnard’s hostile brushes with legislators, including Speaker of the House William “Alfalfa Bill” Murray, as the end of her political career.

“Barnard’s prosecution of corrupt, court-appointed ‘guardians’ who dispossessed Indian orphans of valuable land, money and oil assets led to her political downfall,” Reese wrote. “In retaliation for her interference, members of the state legislature launched an investigation of her office, cut her appropriations and recommended that the office be abolished. Barnard left political office exhausted and ill. In obscurity, she continued to advocate on behalf of society’s most vulnerable citizens until she died alone in an Oklahoma City hotel on Feb. 23, 1930.”

Even though she only served two terms in office, Barnard forever altered the trajectory of women in politics and helped build a better state.

PH OTO C O UR T ESY O F T HE O K L A H O M A HIS TO R I C A L S O C IE T Y

BY MELISSA MERCER HOWELL

L A S T

L AU G H

Fonts of Misery THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS OVER THE LAZY DOG B Y L A U R E N R O T H | I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y D A N I E L L E D AV I S

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I N C E T H E F I R S T T I M E I S AW the typeball of an IBM Selectric II typewriter in the 1980s, I’ve harbored an unabashed love for fonts. I was instantly smitten by the novelty of changing from a basic Courier to the seemingly exotic IBM Selectric Script typeface.

When you think of great triumphs throughout the struggle of humanity, you might get hung up on the predictable advancements of society: penicillin, electricity, indoor plumbing, Liquid Paper and cell phones. But consider the quantum leap that fonts have taken from the simple typewriter to the typeball to the dot-matrix printer to the infinite combinations of typefaces your personal laser printer can replicate – this kind

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of progress carries man-walks-on-the-moon significance in my (font) book.

With all the font options available during these magical times we live in, I still marvel at the staying power of typography’s most reviled repeat offenders, habitually used by those who should know better. I freely concede that the 1990s were the “middle school” years in the life cycle of fonts: bad style decisions were made.

Most of us evolved, but an unsettling number of people are still committed to the font equivalents of white pantyhose.

As a public service to everyone who has ever had to suffer through bad typographical choices, I’ve decoded the meaning behind the most offensive fonts and the people who use them.

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Brush Script – Created in 1942, Brush Script should have died before the end of World War II. Instead, it enjoyed an undue level of popularity throughout the 1970s, much like corduroy bell bottoms and mutton chops. The Brush Script loyalist is either frozen in the 1940s or the 1970s.

Look for platform soles to determine which decade is holding him or her hostage.

Curlz – This is the cotton candy (or Peeps) of 1990s-era fonts. Its creator and users should be the defendants of a class-action lawsuit for inflicting this curly, swirly bubblegum mess onto humankind. Their sentence should include Mary Kate and Ashley videos on continuous loop, but they’d probably like that.

Hobo – Like its namesake, Hobo is a signal that something has gone wrong with society. I would expect this to be the signature font of a store that sells used mattresses or unlaundered secondhand clothing.

Monotype Corsiva – The misguided user of Monotype Corsiva believes that the invitation s/he is designing with Word Star will be made more beautiful with a scripty font. If Monotype Corsiva is the answer for the invitation, the mimeograph machine is probably the tool for printing it.

Courier – No one believes the user of Courier really typed his or her text on a typewriter, unless the typist is the Unabomber.

You’ll only be a Kaczynski copycat by using Courier, subjecting yourself to the scrutiny of the FBI and anyone else with eyes.

Broadway – This is another font that wore out its welcome during the 1970s.

Nary a school play or dance recital program emerged from that decade unblemished by Broadway. If you sell tap shoes for a living, you may still have an unhealthy fascination with this font, which should be considered an occupational hazard.

Papyrus – I recommend staging an intervention for anyone who uses Papyrus, a font whose novelty can be credited to the fact that it shone like a new Roman coin when the only other competition in the Forum was Calibri, Trebuchet and Verdana.

Comic Sans – There is an entire subculture (rightfully) devoted to the loathing of this crown jewel of crappy fonts. The official font of HOA Easter Egg Hunt flyers and first grade worksheets, Comic Sans is even rebuked by the comic book industry, which takes umbrage at the name association. If you know anyone who insists on using this ridiculous font, you owe it to society to find them help before changing social circles.

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