Tex Appeal | February & March 2019

February / March 2019

Life and Style in Central Texas

Fired Up Flavor!

CHEFS SHOW OFF CULINARY SKILLS

LOCAL SPICES

Keep It Hot

Mix Masters

COCKTAILS, BEER & WINE ON TAP

HOLLY TUCKER FEATURED AT IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Ameriprise Financial FOOD + DRINKS ISSUE

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TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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INDEX

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Holly Tucker Headlines Day for Women Event

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Love in Bloom at Woods Flowers

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Local Chefs Share What’s On the Menu

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On Tap at Local Breweries, Bars and Wineries

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Green Fields Farm Returns to the Good Life

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DIY Baking Station “SW Pizza,” acrylic painting by Sheri Wilson of the Five Hills Art Guild

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EDITOR’S LETTER CONTRIBUTORS NEIGHBORS Lisa and Johnny Walker SCENE Bell County Museum SCENE Last Night Gala

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ON THE COVER

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SOUTHERN STYLE Find comfort with hygge CALENDAR WELL-FED HEAD Books spread love & healing IN THE SPOTLIGHT Ameriprise Financial GIFT GUIDE Ideas for your valentine

Lisa and Johnny Walker | 8 Photograph by JUSTIN BORJA

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DISHED! Local restaurant profiles GOOD CAUSES Help Heal Veterans DAY-TRIPPIN’ Romance in Marble Falls ADVERTISING INDEX

OUR MISSION: The Bell County Museum exists to engage and educate the community by collecting, preserving, and interpreting the prehistoric and historic heritage of Bell County.

Come dine with us, shop with us and travel with us. The journey will be amazing.

Tex Appeal

OUR VISION of the Bell County Museum is that all people are drawn to a unique and welcoming museum experience where they can learn about and develop an appreciation for those who have gone before, engage with their community of today, and develop a passion to preserve those experiences for future generations.

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ADMISSION 2019 Upcoming Exhibits 2019 Upcoming Events

IS ALWAYS

FREE!

Lonesome Dove

Show Love All Year!

January 18 - April 15

February 9

Bell County Artists

STEAM Exploration

April 26 - June 1

February 23

Backstage Pass: Early Years of Rolling Stone

Director’s Chair

June 16 - August 11

March 30

American Farmer

Cinco de Mayo

September 1 - October 20

May 4

201 N. Main St • Belton, TX 76513 (254) 933-5243 Tuesday - Friday 12pm-5pm • Saturday 10am-5pm

www.bellcountymuseum.org

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FROM THE EDITOR

W

elcome to our “Food + Drinks” issue of Tex Appeal. When I asked folks what they appreciate about winter, many answered that visions of comfort food and intimate gatherings with friends and family came to mind. So here we gathered a collection of food- and drink-related articles designed to inspire you to get in the kitchen or head out for some local fare at a restaurant near you.

Our friends at Country Restaurant Supply in Temple graciously allowed us to gather a group of talented chefs and restaurant owners at their store for a photoshoot this month. You can see the results in our “On the Menu” article on p. 32. The best part of the shoot? Hands down, the leftovers! Our photographer, Justin Borja, happily went home at the end of the day with the spoils, arms loaded with STACY MOSER multiple to-go boxes. stacym@ Another photoshoot, though, almost didn’t texappealmag.com happen at all. The Brasher and Cobb families of 254-774-5266 Green Fields Farm in Rogers remained patient as we scheduled dates for a photoshoot there about a dozen times—all canceled due to inclement weather.

A day finally arrived, though, when the clouds parted and we gathered in their barn for a feast of home-grown pork roast. Next, we hopped on ATVs to venture into the pasture to capture images of the steers, who reluctantly posed for us as they stood in about a foot of mud. Jennifer Brasher took one look at my white sneakers, rolled her eyes and handed me some mud boots for our trek into the field. As we waited for the sun to set and create a lovely backdrop, family patriarch Leonard Cobb sidled over to me, hands in his pockets, also sporting mud boots.

“Do you mind if I call you in August, when we haven’t had rain for weeks, so we can schedule another photoshoot?” he smiled at me.

You can read about their organic, sustainably managed farm on p. 52.

Writer Sharon White interviewed Carol Hajda, who met her husband working at her grandma’s flower shop (now hers), Woods Flowers. If you’re inclined to send a Valentine’s Day bouquet to your special someone, check out our charts on p. 30 explaining what various flower colors and types actually symbolize. You might be surprised by a few!

I was delighted to get to know country western singer-songwriter Holly Tucker over the last few weeks. To say that she is as gracious as she is talented would be an understatement. Since her appearance on TV’s “The Voice,” she’s been a star on the rise, but she’s remained grounded as well. As we dined at the new Palmeras Tex-Mex Con Sabor restaurant in Harker Heights, we discussed everything from her latest album to her opinions on women (and men) in the music industry today. See the story on p. 22.

And don’t forget to buy tickets at CentralTexasTickets.com for our annual Day for Women on Feb. 16 at the Frank W. Mayborn Civic & Convention Center in Temple. Holly is the featured luncheon speaker at our event that includes a fashion show, demonstrations and, yes, lots of shopping!

Happy Valentine’s Day, Erin go Bragh and Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler!

6 FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019 | TEX APPEAL

Tex Appeal Life & Style in Central Texas

Published by FRANK MAYBORN ENTERPRISES, INC. KILLEEN DAILY HERALD

1809 Florence Rd., Killeen, TX 76540

TEMPLE DAILY TELEGRAM

10 S. Third St., Temple, TX 76501

Publisher SUE MAYBORN Editor STACY MOSER Graphic Designer M. CLARE HAEFNER Contributors FRED AFFLERBACH JUSTIN BORJA NAN DIXON KRISTI DOMINGUEZ MICHIAH POSEY SKEEBO REICHERT MANDY SHELTON SHARON WHITE Advertising 254-778-4444 in Temple 254-501-7500 in Killeen ABOUT US: Tex Appeal Magazine is published bimonthly

by Frank Mayborn Enterprises, Inc. 10 S. Third St., Temple, TX 76501.

The cover and content of Tex Appeal Magazine is fully protected by copyright and cannot be reproduced in any manner without prior permission.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: For the United States, $24 per year, 6 issues. Mail check to P.O. Box 6114, Temple, TX 76503-6114. For questions about subscriptions, call 254-778-4444.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Tex Appeal Magazine, P.O. Box 6114, Temple, TX 76503-6114.

HOW TO CONTACT US: Advertising: 254-778-4444 or 254-501-7500.

Editorial: Contact Stacy Moser at 254-7745266 or email stacym@texappealmag.com.

CONTRIBUTORS FRED AFFLERBACH literally took the long road to a journalism career. He has written for the Temple Daily Telegram and numerous other newspapers. Drawing on experiences from his long-haul trucking days, he has published two novels. He now lives in Cedar Park.

JUSTIN BORJA is a proud service member in the Air Force Reserve. He does portrait and commercial photography and lives in Harker Heights. He loves to explore other cities, connecting with people and taking their photos.

BorjaVisuals.com NAN DICKSON is a fourth-generation Texan. She combines a trained eye with technical photography skills and exhibits her black-and-white photography at various galleries in Texas and Colorado.

Car

Krashians take it to

ROCK COLLISION!

KRISTI DOMINGUEZ is the blogger behind the “projects and printables” blog IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor.com. She’s been featured in Good Housekeeping, Country Living, Flea Market Home & Living and Country Sampler magazines and is the author of Home Organization Tear Outs for the Whole Family.

Kristi resides with her family in Harker Heights.

MICHIAH POSEY is a commercial photographer originally from Tennessee, where she graduated with a degree in commercial photography from Nossi College of Art. She focuses on portrait and product photography.

MichiahDeziraePhoto.com SKEEBO REICHERT has over 25 years experience as a professional photographer and has expanded his services to include filmmaking. He is a Temple High School graduate and has a BFA in photography and sculpture. He lives in Temple with his wife and two sons. PhotoBySkeebo.com MANDY SHELTON is a fifth-generation Texan and earned a master’s degree at the National University of Ireland, Galway.

Her writing and photos have appeared in newspapers, magazines and literary websites. She enjoys volunteering at the Florence Library and hanging out with her dog, Biscuit.

SHARON WHITE is an award-winning author who lives in Central Texas. Her writing has been featured in the New York Daily News, Huffington Post, Advancing Women.com, Sweet Tart Beauty and Fashion Bible.com. Her weekly lifestyle blog is based on her book, Quintessential Style: Cultivate and Communicate Your Signature Look.

DID YOU KNOW?

You can read back issues of Tex Appeal online at TexAppealMag.com.

Log on today to find the current issue and older editions of Tex Appeal.

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8 FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019 | TEX APPEAL

NEIGHBORS

Emporium Spice Company

Delivers the Heat W

By STACY MOSER | Photography by JUSTIN BORJA

hen you enter the Emporium Spice Company storefront in rural Temple you’re instantly met with the smell of chili powder. As you peruse the shelves in the charming retail shop, new aromas begin to dance in your head. Look around and you’ll notice other customers doing the same thing you are—lifting packages of spice mixes and jars of herbs to their noses to inhale the tantalizing fragrances emanating from them.

For anyone who likes to cook, Emporium Spice is akin to a candy store for a sugar addict.

Johnny and Lisa Walker have built this business from the ground up—literally—using the earth’s bounty to create enticing combinations of herbs and spices for home cooks and restaurant chefs alike to use in their own culinary creations.

The couple met in the 1980s when Lisa was a step-aerobics instructor and Johnny was, as she admits, her favorite student. “We did lots of cooking together,” she says. “Our social life was very much centered around food.”

“Remember that time we made lobster at your apartment?” Johnny asks her. “The cracking of it went pretty badly. I think it hit the wall.”

Lisa smiles at her husband. “You were a little aggressive with it.”

Back then, Johnny owned two sandwich shops, one in Temple and one in Waco. The best seller on the menu, though, was his homemade chili bowls.

He eventually sold both shops in order to pursue the sale of his chili mix through grocery stores and restaurants. Then he and Lisa grew the business and began to offer a variety of spices and premixed spice blends for everything from white bread to jerky seasoning to Pontchartrain sauce.

Lisa calls Johnny The Chemist. “He can taste something and detect what ingredients are in it—it’s amazing. Our restaurant customers come to us and say, ‘This is our recipe, can you produce a spice mix to duplicate it?’ Or they say, ‘Can you create this flavor for us?’ We match what they want and get it just right.”

Johnny describes his process when he creates a new spice mix. “I decide what food I want to sit down and enjoy. I visualize the flavor I’m aiming for, then I choose an initial ingredient and branch off of that. Of course, I play with it. That’s the fun of it. I nip and tuck and get something we’re happy with,” he says.

“We recently put together a Russian spice blend because we wanted to get away from Southwest flavors a little bit,” Johnny says. “I wanted something that would set off a lamb dish.

So we came up with a cinnamon base, then used Russian, Mediterranean and Moroccan blends of spices. I have to keep up with what customers might want. On Fort Hood, for instance, there are people from all over the world who are used to other flavors.”

Johnny is amused at the memory of his effort years ago to create a gumbo spice mix. “Lisa’s a Cajun girl,” he says. “Her parents gave us invaluable feedback about my mix. They didn’t pull any punches, either. When he tasted my first batch, Lisa’s dad said, ‘Nah, that’s not even close.’

So I went back to square one.”

He chuckles, “I learned a valuable lesson back in my sandwich-shop days. What really told the story was what people left behind on their plate as they left the shop—what they didn’t eat. That tells the brutal truth right there!”

Lisa and Johnny are quite particular about where they source their herbs and spices. “My feeling is that Capsicum, which is the pepper family, grows best in New Mexico,” Johnny explains. “They’ve got it all. The right soil, the perfect temperatures and humidity levels. We source our peppers from a family-run operation out of the Hatch area.”

“But we do everything we can to source as locally to Temple as we can,” Lisa adds. “It’s really important to us to support this community.”

Just beyond the retail store, in the huge Emporium Spice warehouse, forklifts cruise Continued

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PONTCHARTRAIN SAUCE MIX This delicious sauce is a perfect complement to fish, chicken, pasta or rice.

Melt ½ cup unsalted butter in a saucepan. Add contents of package to butter, stirring constantly while bringing to a low boil for about 10 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup water and 1 cup half and half.

Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until thickened, about 2–3 minutes.

LISA’S TOP

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TIPS

TO GET THE MOST OUT OF SPICES

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Don’t store spices above or near the stove or oven.

The heat will reduce the flavor of spices by drying them out. Always store spices in a cool, dry area.

Take your time when you cook. Let a sauce simmer slowly to evaporate water and concentrate the flavors. This is called a reduction and is extremely important in flavor development.

If you have picky eaters, you can still use Emporium chili mix. Just make the batch without the “fire” packet, then sprinkle it on the bowl of chili that you will serve the heat-lover in your family.

Customers buy our spices for health reasons, like Ceylon cinnamon that is reported to increase blood circulation. We have a fellow come in to buy cardamom for hiccups. Another customer swears by our spice tea to help with the side effects of chemo.

Watch out for monosodium glutamate in products—some people are sensitive to it. MSG excites the nerves in the taste buds, adding a sensation of flavor when you taste a dish. But some people experience headaches or swelling from it.

10 FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019 | TEX APPEAL

between shelves filled with bags and boxes of spices and shrink-wrapped packaged mixes. “We also focus on doing custom blending for restaurants and restaurant chains in addition to our retail outlet,” Lisa explains.

The couple is very close with their employees, some of whom have been with the company for more than 20 years.

“These folks really know their stuff,” Johnny says proudly. “You know, there can be a color variation from crop to crop with spices—our crew can recognize the difference from a mile away. For instance, they can instantly tell the difference when Mediterranean oregano might accidentally be swapped with Mexican oregano—mixing them up is a big booboo! That takes heart, to care like they do.”

Lisa agrees, “We have some pretty significant competitors, but our customer service is what has kept our big accounts.

Our clients know we can be completely depended upon to take care of them.”

“Emporium Spice isn’t equipment, or a building or the spices,” Johnny says.

“It’s us. It’s our team. We are Emporium together.”

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Chrome & Carols Committee Seleese Thompson, Michelle Carter, Carol Clements, Taryn Cox, Kenny Kelly, Judy Garrett, Brenda Hill, Paula Wilson

United Way of Central Texas fights for the Health, Education, and Financial Stability of every person in our community.

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SCENE: BELL COUNTY MUSEUM FUNDRAISER

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1. Ellen and Dr. James Brien 2. Bell County Museum Director Coleman Hampton and Sue Mayborn 3. Melanie and Jason Collier 4. Shelly Wells and Dennis Eakin 5. Cindy Newton, Sharon Wilson and Janice Wilson 6. Amy Thomas, retired Judge Jon Burrows and Lloyd Thomas 7. Tim Brown and Gary and Linda Young 8. Mary Jo and Dr. Allan Price 9. Billy and Carol Mills 10. Kenny Rae 11. Diane Connell Photos by MICHIAH POSEY TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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SCENE: LAST NIGHT GALA

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1. Jeff Wayman, Patsy Sulak and Debbie and Peter Brumleve 2. Tony Castillo, Tara Stafford, Jordan Castillo and James Stafford 3. Gabriel Linnemann and Kennedi Fettig 4. Drayton McLane III addresses Last Night Gala attendees Photos courtesy of PRISCILLA BECHTEL 14 FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019 | TEX APPEAL

SOUTHERN STYLE

Hygge: The Danish Art of Coziness

By SHARON WHITE Photography by SKEEBO REICHERT

Hy•gge

H

ygge has been called everything from “the art of creating intimacy” to “the absence of annoyance” to “cocoa by candlelight,” according to Meik Wiking, Danish author of The Little Book of HYGGE (HarperCollins, 2017).

Hygge is all about making your home welcoming—and embracing life’s little moments of serenity and comfort. Picture a family sipping hot cider and snuggling by a roaring fire on a cold winter’s night, or an intimate gathering of friends enjoying a candle-lit dinner and great conversation.

Hygge involves savoring the moment, letting go of the hectic world around you and feeling completely relaxed. It embraces the simple pleasures of good food, good drink and good company.

A CUP OF LOVE Charming “Cup of Love” mug from Coton Colors (like this one from Paperdoodles in Temple) A TREAT FOR YOUR FEET Warm chilly toes with super-soft Snoozies slippers.

They’re fleeced-lined with non-slip soles. (Find them at the Baylor Scott & White Gift Shop in Temple.)

(Pronunciation: “hue-guh”) / noun Origin: Danish, from Norwegian

Cozy and comfortable surroundings that invoke an inner sense of contentment and well-being.

CREATE A BASKET OF COZINESS Imagine giving the gift of coziness with a hygge basket. Include items like these: • Candles (an important element for creating ambiance) • Slippers or socks • A robe or pajamas • A soft throw • Hot chocolate mix, tea or coffee • Cookies, beautiful chocolates or candy • Wine and wine glasses • Scented lotion • Books • Bubble bath or bath salts • Puzzles • Games or cards • Stationery and a beautiful pen • A CD of soothing music (think Michael

Buble or Kenny G)

COZY THROW Blanket from Mud Pie (available at 21 Main in Salado)

FLICKER AND FRAGRANCE No fireplace? No problem! Light a beautiful VOLUSPA Blond Tabac candle and you’ll have any room glowing in no time. (We found this one at Brickwood Boutique in Temple.)

TEXAS TWO-STEP TORTILLA SOUP Nothing warms the soul like a steaming bowl of soup. Try an easy, two-step gourmet soup mix from Bear Creek Smokehouse (available at Strawberry Patch in Salado).

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CALENDAR

Royal Street Art Walk (RAW) Explore galleries and unique vendors Royal St. and S. Main St., Salado Fourth Friday of each month, 6–9pm Free RoyalStreetArtWalk.com

FEBRUARY National African American History Month AfricanAmericanHistoryMonth.gov Feb. 1 & 2 20th Annual Father Daughter Dance Frank W. Mayborn Civic & Convention Center, 3303 North 3rd St., Temple 6–9pm $12 per person CentralTexasTickets.com Feb. 2 African American Arts & History Showcase Mini-seminars, performances, dancing, singing, storytelling, spoken word, genealogy class, arts & crafts Killeen Civic & Conference Center, 3601 S. W.S. Young Dr., Killeen 11am–5pm Free ImpacAAAHS@eventbrite.com 254-598-0240

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“Two Pair of Pears,” acrylic painting by Sheri Wilson of the Five Hills Art Guild

ONGOING

CALENDAR Feb. 2–9 Bell County Youth Fair Livestock Show and Rodeo Rodeo Feb. 8 & 9 Bell County Expo Center, 301 West Loop 121, Belton Fair and livestock show, Feb. 2–9, 7:30pm–10pm $14–$20 BellCountyExpo.com/Events/2019/ Bell-County-Youth-Fair 254-933-5353 Feb. 9 The Caring Ball Benefiting the Temple Community Clinic Wine tasting, dinner & dancing Frank W. Mayborn Civic & Convention Ctr., 3303 N. 3rd St., Temple 6:30pm–midnight TempleCommunityClinic.org 254-298-5720 Feb. 9 10th Annual Valentine’s Family Dance Dancing, light snacks and activities for the whole family Harker Heights Activities Center, 400 Indian Trail, Harker Heights 2–4pm Free CI.Harker-Heights.tx.us/index.php/ Programs-a-Events/Special-Events 254-953-5465

Feb. 15 Glenn Miller Orchestra in Concert Cultural Activities Center, 3011 N. 3rd St., Temple 7:30–10pm $30 in advance, $35 at the door CACArts.org 254-773-9926 Feb. 16 Temple Daily Telegram “Day for Women” Fun-filled event featuring shopping, a fashion show, product samples, demos, workshops, door prizes.

Luncheon with rising country music star Holly Tucker the featured speaker.

Frank W. Mayborn Civic & Convention Center, 3303 North 3rd St., Temple 10am–4pm Luncheon tickets $25, includes entry to merchant area and door prize eligibility. General admission $10.

CentralTexasTickets.com Feb. 16 & 17 Mother Earth News Fair Workshops and lectures on everything from how to grow and raise your own food to creating a green dream home Bell County Expo Center, 301 West Loop 121, Belton 9am–6pm $20; 17 & under free

BellCountyExpo.com/Events 254-933-5353 Feb. 22–24 Temple Area Builders Association Home and Garden Show 125 companies highlight services and products in 75,000 square feet of exhibit space: home builders, landscapers, plants and health and beauty products. Inexpensive building materials for sale at the Surplus Sale.

Bell County Expo Center, 301 West Loop 121, Belton 10am-6pm $5 TAHB.org/Events 254-933-5353 Feb. 26 Taste of Salado Evening of fine food from Salado restaurants, auction & art displays Stagecoach Inn, 416 S. Main St., Salado 6–9pm $30/person 254-947-1089 CentralTexasTickets.com Feb. 27–March 2 Mid-Winter Used Book Sale Temple Public Library, 100 N 3rd St., Temple

Continued

...because she’s one of a kind.

1202 SOUTH 31ST STREET, TEMPLE 254-773-5772 lastov icafinejewelers.com

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CALENDAR Feb. 27–28, 10am–8pm; March 1, 10am-5pm; March 2, 10am-4pm FriendsOfTheTemplePublicLibrary.org 254-298-5556

MARCH National Women’s History Month WomensHistoryMonth.gov March 2 Paws in the Park Dog-friendly demos, adoptions, games, contests and expert pet advice. Bring a new pet item or food to donate to the Harker Heights Pet Adoption Center.

Purser Family Park, 100 W. Mountain Lion Rd., Harker Heights 2–5pm Free CI.Harker-Heights.tx.us/index.php/ Programs-a-Events/Special-Events 254-953-5465 March 2 & 3 Lone Star Gun Show Bell County Expo Center, 301 West Loop 121, Belton March 2, 9am–5pm; March 3, 10am–4pm $7 LoneStarGunShow.com 254-933-5353

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March 8–10 Carden International Circus Bell County Expo Center, 301 West Loop 121, Belton 2-7pm Prices vary, children under 2 free SuperShrineCircus.com 254-933-5353 March 16 Bell County Extension Education Association 14th Annual Style Show and Luncheon Fashions by Cochran Blair & Potts Temple College Pavilion, 1903 S. First St., Temple 11am $15 Purchase tickets by calling 254-933-5305

Featuring 45 restaurants from Bell, Coryell and McLennan Counties.

Proceeds benefit homeless, runaway and at-risk youth and families.

Bell County Expo Center, 301 West Loop 121, Belton 6–9pm Prices vary BellCountyExpo.com/Events 254-939-3466 March 29–30 Contemporaries’ Spring Market Vendors, craft demos, food trucks & entertainment Cultural Activities Center, 3011 N. 3rd St., Temple 10am–5pm CACArts.org 254-773-9926

March 23 & 24 A Sami Show: Arts and Crafts Market Bell County Expo Center, 301 West Loop 121, Belton March 23, 10am–5pm; March 24, 11am–4pm $6, children 12 and under free SamiShow.com 512-441-7133

March 30 & 31 Five Hills Art Guild ‘Bridge the Gap’ Art Fest Ogletree Gap Park, 1878 Post Office Rd., Copperas Cove March 30, 10am–7pm; March 31, 11am–4pm Free FiveHillsArtGuild.com 254-547-8448

March 28 Taste of Central Texas Dinner, dancing and live music.

Email events in April/May to stacym@texappealmag.com by March 1.

WELL-FED HEAD

Texas Authors Inspire with Books about Love & Healing A Love Letter to Texas Women

Sarah Bird University of Texas Press, 2016 Sarah Bird, a reluctant transplant from New Mexico, came to Texas in 1973, sure that she’d made a terrible mistake. In this witty account, she describes her transformation into an admirer of women indigenous to the Lone Star State. She describes the Texas Woman as “Southern, but with the Western grit handed down by her foremothers, who could give birth during a Comanche attack, help out when it came time to turn the bulls into steers, and still end up producing more Miss USAs than any other state in the union.” She gives her take on Texas icons, like Lady Bird Johnson, Molly Ivins, Ann Richards and Laura Bush, paying tribute to their style and legacy.

Return to Joy

Bev DeSalvo NavPress, Tyndale House Publishers, 2016 Temple author Bev DeSalvo has penned an uplifting, thoughtprovoking book, where she details the spiritual journey to self-acceptance that she undertook alongside her husband, Gary, a pastor. She describes the fear of intimacy she developed as the result of her abusive upbringing and how she ultimately finds happiness in her marriage and with others through her relationship with God. Her message of hope is meant to inspire hurting women around the world.

This Is Where You Belong

Melody Warnick Penguin Books, 2017 During the sixth move in her life, from her home in Austin, Texas, to a new life in Blacksburg, Virginia, Melody Warnick struggled with a deep despair. To overcome her sense of loss, she used her skills as a journalist to probe deeper into why humans move from place to place or hunker down and stay put. What does it take to create a connection with a community where you’ve landed? Warnick asks readers to examine what connects them to their local communities— offering plenty of ideas about how to embrace a town and find happiness there.

The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily

Laura Creedle Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017 This debut novel aimed at young readers by Austinbased author Laura Creedle spins a tale of two teens who feel out of step with society. Lily, who struggles with ADHD, and Abelard, afflicted with Asperger’s Syndrome, operate outside the periphery of their high school’s societal norms. But their mutual interest in ancient love letters ultimately connects them to each other in this poignant, hilarious story.

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‘Putting TheDaniel DanielGroup, Group,a afinancial financia ‘Puttingclients clients first’ first’ guides guides The “Putting clients first. It’s what we do.” That is the guiding principle for The Daniel Group, the Ameriprise Financial advisors in Temple.

perience, formed The Daniel Group and opened the downtown Temple Ameriprise office in January 2018.

The father-son team is supported by Client Service Associate Teresa WestRoger and Bryan Daniel, who have brook and Client Service Coordinator more than 60 years of combined ex- Bailey Harrell.

Roger Daniel has been in the business of helping people his entire life.

With bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Central Texas – now Texas A&M Central Texas – Roger joined AG Edwards as a financial advisor in 1978. He then moved to Morgan Stanley (previously Dean Witter Reynolds) where he became senior vice president and branch manager.

Roger recognized the chance to provide service to current and future clients when Ameriprise Financial offered him and son Bryan a unique opportunity in Temple.

“We’re proud to be associated with a firm known for its service and how it relates to clients because serving your interests is our priority. We offer comprehensive financial advice and a broad range of solutions to help you and your loved ones live brilliantly now and in the future” says Roger. “With the right financial advisor, life can be brilliant.”

Roger has seen many different dynamics in the economy over the years and has counseled nervous investors when the economy was not performing up to expectations. His approach is professional and personal.

“I comfort people when they have a fear of running out of money,” Roger says. “I like to tell

AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL

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Ameriprise Financial cannot gu Investment advisory products and s Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Ameriprise Financial, I

al advisory practiceofofAmeriprise AmeripriseFinancial Financial Services, advisory practice Services, Inc.Inc. The Daniel Group offers comprehensive financial services including: • • • •

Investment Management Estate Planning Strategies Retirement Planning Family Finances

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Wealth Preservation Strategies Small Business Consultation Retirement Plan Distribution Charitable Giving

With education and experience Roger and Bryan have helped many clients preserve and grow their wealth. them that I will treat their money not how I would treat my own money, but rather how I would treat my mother’s money.”

Roger is committed to serving the community and is involved in several local organizations, including Canyon Creek Baptist Church; Presidential Leadership Circle at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor; City of Temple Planning and Zoning Board; Temple Exchange Club; Belton Rotary Club and the Tembel Shrine Club Roger says the foundation of his business is customer service and knowledge “When a client calls in about something that they saw on TV, heard on the radio or one what of their friends said, I try to turn that fear into good.

“We are here to serve our clients – period.”

Bryan Daniel is a problem solver.

While he has many responsibilities at The Daniel Group, including Managing Director with his father, Bryan considers his main function to be a problem solver for his clients through customer service and knowledge.

Bryan has a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Baylor University and an MBA from the University of Texas. He has more than 22 years of financial services experience. He worked for Morgan Stanley from 1996 – 2018 as Senior Vice President and Wealth Advisor.

ertisement

“Our clients tell us that the number one reason they use us is trust. We can help turn their fear into good. We comfort people who fear they are running out of money” Bryan says.

“Our approach is to be their problem solver. We do that by making regular contact with all of our clients and use straight forward communication,” he says.

Bryan is involved in several local organizations including being a member of the Temple Industrial Foundation; past president and board member for Leadership Temple; District Deputy Grand Master of the King Solomon Masonic Lodge; member of the Knob Creek Masonic Lodge; and member, board member and Sunday School teacher at Canyon Creek Baptist Church.

Bryan’s relentless pursuit of knowledge is a major factor in his success. “You have to constantly be improving your craft. You have to stay educated to the constantly changing environment of the market,” he says.

He also credits his co-workers on The Daniel Group team, especially Teresa and Bailey. “To have the best opportunity to succeed, you need to have incredible, dynamic people who you can trust.”

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PAID ADVERTISEMENT Ameriprise Financial cannot guarantee future financial results. Investment advisory products and services are made available through Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., a registered investment adviser. Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., Member FINRA and SIPC. © 2018 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.

Her time to shine HOLLY TUCKER BUILDS A CAREER WITH SUPPORT FROM HER FAMILY

H

By STACY MOSER | Photography by JUSTIN BORJA

olly Tucker’s rise to fame as a singersongwriter has truly been a family affair.

This native Texan has quickly gained momentum on the national country western music scene—with a career that kicked into high gear after her climb to the final six as a contestant on NBC’s fourth season of “The Voice.”

But pull back the curtain and you’ll see the entire Tucker tribe, supporting her behind the scenes. Her brother Travis assists with photography and graphic designs, her brother Shane and her dad, Johnny, manage her business, while her mother, Cheryl, keeps the books.

Together, the Tucker clan clears the way for Holly to make the most of her musical talent.

When asked how she first discovered her penchant for performing, Holly shrugs her shoulders and smiles. “I’ve always really loved singing. As a kid, I would practice for hours and hours in my room with a karaoke machine.”

Shane nods in agreement. “My friends would come over and we’d be hanging out on the porch and Holly would start singing in the other room.

They’d look at me and say, ‘Wow, who is that?’ I’d tell them it was my sister and I’d be all annoyed,” he laughs. “Now, of course, I love it.”

She describes her brand of music as a hybrid soul–country sound. “My music isn’t exactly traditional country. I dig into more of the soul aspect, but don’t want to lose the country feeling.

The combination is a really magical sound.”

Holly says her songs weave her personal experiences into the lyrics. “Country music is all about heartbreak—songs that make you feel that loss again,” she says. “But I’m a happy, optimistic, bubbly person, so I like to put my positive perspective in my music. I don’t write a lot of songs about sadness for that reason.” She hesitates a moment. “It doesn’t mean I haven’t had my heart broken, though, because I certainly have. It’s just hard for me write about it.”

That’s why her newest release, “Country Music

22 FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019 | TEX APPEAL

Won’t Let Me,” due to drop on February 15, is such a departure for her. “The song’s about when you’ve had your heart shattered—then you move on and think you’re over it. Suddenly you hear a certain song and you’re right back there with the pain,” Holly explains. “The title refers to that situation where country music won’t let you get over a loss.”

She describes the title of her last album, “Steel,” named East Texas Music Office’s 2018 album of the year, as a nod to the notion that a young woman can be both strong and vulnerable at the same time. Holly acknowledges that she struggles to achieve balance between those two traits herself.

“I was really shy when I got on the ‘The Voice.’ I was insecure about my appearance and performing for a big audience,” she explains.

“I was 19 and that was the biggest break I’d ever gotten. I was on a national platform, offering myself up for criticism. I learned a lot about myself then—how to be strong and let go of what people think. I had to give great performances regardless of how people would view me or the negative things they might say,” she says.

“Blake Shelton, my mentor on the show, was a big part of that. He told me, ‘You’ve got to come out of your shell.’ He’s an extremely good performer, very energetic. He knows how to grab a crowd and make them listen. Many times I would shut my eyes and close myself off a little bit. It’s nerve-wracking having all those cameras on you!” Holly laughs at the memory. “I was so nervous, but Blake helped me get over it.”

Holly flew back and forth from her family’s home in Lorena to Los Angeles to tape the show many times over a period of five months in 2013, performing before a huge audience each time. “I made it to number six out of 40,000 contestants on the show. What I took away from the experience was how to have fun performing.

Continued

Holly enjoys an Avocado Steak Salad at a recent stop into The Gin at Nolan Creek in Belton.

TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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Holly’s Tips to Avoid On-Stage Pitfalls Holly earned a degree in communications from Baylor University, which seems appropriate for such a prolific songwriter. But songs aren’t the only communication tool in Holly’s bag— she also spends time as a motivational speaker. Here are her tips for publicspeaking (or singing) success: 1. Don’t let nerves get to you. Be prepared! I’m always afraid I’m going to say something stupid. So when I give a speech, I want to be as prepared as possible. Write it down!

Not just a few bullet points—write out your whole speech.

2. Practice your speech out loud. Lots.

Never, never go on stage thinking you can just wing it.

3. Be comfortable in your clothes.

Sometimes I’ll get an outfit that I think will be so cute on stage and then I’ll realize I’m uncomfortable in it. Then I get nervous and it goes downhill from there. I know I won’t give my best performance unless I’m physically comfortable.

Photo courtesy of TRAVIS TUCKER

Now, the stage is where I feel most at home.”

Shane talks about Holly’s success in the music industry. “She makes opportunities for herself,” he says. “She doesn’t wait for them to come to her.”

Shane knows what he’s talking about, having earned a degree in talent management from McLennan Community College in Waco. “Holly hates me,” he jokes. “We booked her in 168 shows for the ‘Steel’ album tour this year, on top of 75 media appearances. Out of 365 days in the year, I’d be very surprised if we spent 65 at home.

But that’s the music industry. As a growing artist who’s trying to become relevant—if you don’t push like that, you’ll fail. You have to be willing to make music the center of your life.”

Holly acknowledges that her private life takes a back seat to her career right now. “As far as goals for 2019, I’d like to headline more festivals and do a lot more full-band shows. Success in this business comes down to how many tickets you sell. If that’s the goal, then that’s what I’m

24 FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019 | TEX APPEAL

committed to doing. Plus there’s social media, physical presentation, branding. We’ve got to constantly get better,” Holly says.

“Shane is more business-minded and I’m a creative, sensitive person. Those are polaropposite personalities. But we bring out the best in each other.”

It’s important to Holly, though, not to lose sight of the creative songwriting process as she and Shane push themselves physically and mentally to the limit. “I have to improve as an artist always,” Holly says. “I don’t do it often, but I love to take writing trips to Nashville. I become so inspired there. Something about that city, I can feel the energy in my veins.”

When the subject of her physical appearance on stage and her presence in the public eye comes up, Holly becomes animated. “In this industry, there are way higher standards for women than for men,” she says. “There are male artists who Continued

Day for

n e m o W SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 10AM-4PM

MAYBORN CONVENTION CENTER, TEMPLE

Enjoy the Day!

• Luncheon • Shopping • Style Show • Giveaways • Demonstrations • Prizes

Holly Tucker

LUNCHEON GUEST SPEAKER Country singer/songwriter Texas Country Music Association’s 2018 Female Vocalist of the Year

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Florist & Gift Shop TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

25

When Holly meets friends at Palmeras Tex-Mex Con Sabor in Harker Heights, she orders the ceviche for a treat.

get up there in a T-shirt and jeans—you know who I’m talking about. They show up like they just rolled out of bed. For women, it’s not that way. If a woman doesn’t reach those high standards, she’s picked apart ruthlessly. Before ‘The Voice,’ I really didn’t pay much attention to my appearance. But afterward, I learned I had to really push myself to be healthier, eat better and work out.

“My goal has been to actually enjoy physical activity,” she laughs. “I’m very clumsy and I’m not good at sports—I fall over my own feet,” Holly says, rolling her eyes. “If I forced myself to run

26 FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019 | TEX APPEAL

every day, I would hate every second of it. But I found that I love lifting weights. It makes me feel powerful. I have a trainer, Kenneth Ford, in Waco.

He pushes me where I wouldn’t push myself.”

“I push her, too,” Shane teases Holly. “But, because we’re family, she talks back to me more than she would with her trainer!”

“I know this is my calling,” Holly admits. “You know how, just like with faith in God, it’s a belief in something you can’t see? I really believe this is the right path for me. And I’ve got my family by my side, so I can’t lose.”

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Carol Hajda tends to the flowers at Woods Flowers in Temple.

28 FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019 | TEX APPEAL

A RASH DECISION LEADS TO

Love in Bloom

By SHARON WHITE | Photography by JUSTIN BORJA

I

f Verba Rose Woods hadn’t had an allergic the occasion.” When Carol was 10, she created reaction to the detergent she was using to wash her very first floral arrangement to be sold in her dishes, there may not be a Woods Flowers. grandmother’s shop. Later that day a man came Verba and her husband, Cullen Woods, in and bought it. “It was a very proud moment for owned The Chicken Inn in Temple between me,” Carol says.

1939 and 1950. It was a popular restaurant, often Not only was Carol’s grandmother in the crowded with busloads of floral business, but her hungry soldiers who had paternal grandparents come to listen to the big were owners of bands play at the nearby the Robinson Road Kyle Hotel.

Greenhouse near Waco.

But when Verba had Carol divided her time an adverse reaction to between helping her the only commercial grandfather grow dish soap available at poinsettias, cyclamen the time, she decided and chrysanthemums to move on to another in Waco and delivering business endeavor—floral flowers and fashioning designing. corsages in Temple.

“My grandmother was Carol jokingly declares, a true entrepreneur,” “I’ve been a bloomin’ says Carol Hajda, Verba’s idiot my entire life.” granddaughter and In a chance encounter current owner of Woods in 1977, Carol went Flowers. “After my to visit a delivery boy grandmother left the who worked for her restaurant, she enrolled grandmother, and she in the elite Buddy Benz met Frank Hajda—who School of Floral Design. was also a delivery boy— She finished the program but for the competing in 1950 and opened her flower shop in town, A-1 own flower shop, which Florist. The two hit it was originally located on off, and soon Frank was Avenue G.” hired to work for Verba Granddaughter too. He also began Carol literally grew up dating Carol.

Verba Rose and her mother, Martha Jane Edgar, in among the blossoms.

“Frank and I were “I started going to 1936 in Temple. Photo courtesy of Carol Hajda. delivering flowers on design shows with my Valentine’s Day in 1980,” grandmother when I was 6 years old,” she says.

Carol recalls. “We were in his truck. I was looking “I carried arrangements down the runway for all for something in his glove box and accidentally the designers to view. I always loved doing that, stumbled upon a small velvet box.” She didn’t because it meant I would get a new dress for Continued

TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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mention anything to Frank. Later that evening, he proposed.

That same year, Verba Woods sold her flower shop to Carol, who was then a 22-year-old education major at the University of Mary HardinBaylor. Carol and Frank have owned Woods Flowers ever since.

It’s safe to say that if Verba Woods had never gotten an itchy rash from dish soap, there would not be a Woods Flowers—and Carol and Frank may not have gotten together.

These days Carol teaches eighth-grade social studies at Travis Science Academy and Frank manages the flower shop. “Last night, when we got home,” Carol confesses, “I was grading papers while Frank tied 52 bows.”

“We work together as partners,” says Frank.

“And we have fun.” But Carol is quick to add, “I like to tell Frank that he’s the manager—but I’m still the boss!”

Woods Flowers 1415 W. Avenue H, Temple Facebook.com/WoodsFlowers/

Flowers and What They Symbolize

Carnations fascination and new love

Daffodils good luck and happiness

Gardenias purity, joy and love

Gerbera Daisies beauty, innocence and purity

Irises faith, hope and wisdom (dark purple represents royalty)

Orchids beauty, luxury, strength and exotic seduction

Peonies romance, prosperity and bashfulness

Peruvian Lilies friendship and devotion

Pink Asters sensitivity, charm and love

Ranunculus charm, attraction and radiance Red Chrysanthemum love, passion and romance

Sunflowers warmth and happiness

Tulips perfect love, comfort and warmth

White Lilies beauty, class and style Source: FTD Flowers

Rose Colors and Their Meanings

If you decide to send roses to a loved one this Valentine’s Day, here’s how to add another layer of meaning to the gift. Discover what message the actual rose color you choose is communicating. You may be very surprised.

Dark pink gratitude and appreciation

Green life and vitality

Ivory charm, thoughtfulness

Light pink grace, admiration

Orange fascination

Peach modesty Purple or lilac enchantment

Red love and romance

Salmon desire and excitement

White purity

Yellow friendship, gladness

Source: Teleflora 30 FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019 | TEX APPEAL

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ON THE MENU

By STACY MOSER | Photography by JUSTIN BORJA

32 FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019 | TEX APPEAL

We challenged these successful chefs and restaurant owners to bring us a dish inspired by their favorite ingredient.

What they brought was a delicious crosssection of local cuisine.

VLATKA ADAMS Owner: Acropolis Greek Cuisine, Harker Heights Favorite ingredient: Feta cheese

What’s so special about feta cheese? Like me, Greek people can’t live without feta. It can create an explosion of flavor in food. I use it for creaminess, saltiness, and sometimes just for its crumbly texture. I can’t imagine life without it!

What brought you to Texas? I moved here from Bosnia in 2001. During the war there, I worked for the United Nations and Dutch Army as a translator and that’s how I met my husband. We moved to Texas after we got married.

Do you cook for your family after a long day at the restaurant? I love to cook for my family. Their first name is “Always” and their last name is “Hungry.”

At the restaurant or at home, I have a passion to cook the best meal possible. The difference is that at home I can be more laid back. I can take my time.

In the restaurant, you need efficiency, which only a well-trained staff can provide. Rarely will you get acknowledgment for your food if it is anything less than perfect. You must pay attention to every detail.

Dish: Stuffed Peppers with Rice and Feta Cheese

ALEX ROBERTSON Chef: Megg’s Cafe, Temple Favorite ingredient: Pork

What inspires you to think outside the box with salads? I think vegetables are the unsung heroes of kitchens. I’m inspired by our farming partners— they put so much effort into growing beautiful produce. My goal is to respect the ingredients and let them speak for themselves. I’m always testing new items for seasonal changes in our dishes.

Who influenced you to start cooking? My dad. He makes a traditional Sunday sauce that takes two days to make. By the time we’d finally get to eat the spaghetti, I’m not sure if it was so delicious because of the ingredients, or the anticipation!

What’s the difference between cooking at home and cooking at work? Cooking at the cafe is easier in so many ways. Everything I need is on hand. We make everything from scratch with fresh ingredients, so we’re always completely stocked with any essentials I need. And I’m not going to lie … having an industrial dish room is also a huge luxury.

Dish: Kale Salad with Maple Bacon and Butternut Squash

TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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JACOB BATES Owner: Bird Creek Burger Company, Temple Favorite ingredient: Beef

Who was your first mentor in the kitchen? I started cooking when I was 8 years old. I was absolutely obsessed with Martin Yan from the PBS show “Yan Can Cook.” My mentor was, without question, my mother. She cooked every night and would take time to do extra steps or use different foods just to have a little bit of fun in the kitchen with me.

What’s with the obsession with beef? It is incredibly versatile and it can be seen in cooking in most cultures throughout history. There just aren’t many things on our planet as good as beef.

What’s your favorite part about cooking? I go to a different place in my mind and try to create something that people enjoy eating. My mind works very differently with food than it does with anything else. I can almost visualize flavors using my palate and I construct that visualization with the tools and ingredients around me. It is a very exciting dance inside my mind.

What’s unique about Bird Creek Burger Company?

We don’t have a freezer. I think that idea excites people. My customers know they will get something fresh when they come in.

Dish: Caprese Burger with Garlic Parm Fries

WALLY REDELK Owner: Opa’s Schnitzel Hut, Harker Heights Favorite ingredient: Onions

What inspired your restaurant’s name? My father, Herbert Schreiber, was the head chef of his family’s large, beautiful hotel in Germany. His schnitzel was the best! But during World War II, he was sent to the front lines and became a POW in Africa before returning to Europe. He found out his beloved hotel had been turned into apartments after the war. He didn’t have the heart to go back and see it again.

So I named my restaurant after him (Opa is what his grandkids call him), and his schnitzel.

Why are onions your favorite ingredient? They add flavor to everything—my goulash, side dishes, salads, gravy. They make it all taste better. And they can make a grown man cry.

How did you restaurant get its start? Before I opened the restaurant, I would bring leftovers of my cooking to work and my colleagues always wanted more. Then friends and family urged me to open the restaurant. They helped me do it—from painting walls to designing a menu to hauling and hooking up equipment.

What draws people to Opa’s? I try to provide a slice of Germany for everybody who walks in.

Dishes: Red Cabbage, Spätzle and Wiener Schnitzel 34

THOMAS MADDUX Owner: Oscar Store, Temple

Favorite ingredient: Freshly cut round steak

How did Oscar Store get started? Oscar Store has been here since 1934. Grace and Rudy Schiller owned it before me—they would have turkey shoots on weekends and dances under the outdoor pavilion. I bought the property in 2006 after the old Oscar Store burned down. I built the new one out of reclaimed lumber and tin. For three years, there was a steady stream of traffic driving by— looking to see what I was doing. People were really curious! We opened the doors in 2009.

What’s your favorite part about cooking? I love seasoning the food. I personally cut and tenderize all the meat that we cook here. I want the food to taste like it came out of your mom’s kitchen.

What’s the biggest challenge about cooking for a living? The restaurant business consumes your life— you’re married to it.

What draws people to the Oscar Store? We offer home cooking and we’re off the beaten path. You always see a smiling face here, we’re a family and we treat our customers like they are, too.

Dish: Chicken-Fried Steak and Gravy

STACI SCHOEPF Owner: Schoepf’s BBQ, Belton Favorite ingredient: Jalapeños

Some home cooks are afraid to use jalapeños in their dishes. How do you control the heat in yours?

Nothing adds flavor like a jalapeño. Even their color adds a zing to any dish. If you’re afraid of the heat, remove the light-colored ribs and seeds before chopping it up. Those are the hottest parts of the pepper.

How did Schoepf’s BBQ get its start? Back in 1993, my husband, Ronnie, helped his dad find a location for the restaurant. They picked this building, which was owned by the former mayor of Belton—Clark Potter, and it was about to be torn down. Then, in 2007, we bought the business from Ronnie’s dad.

We remodeled the building, added lots more food options and incorporated music into the business, too, with our Free Texas Music Series in our outdoor Schoepf’s Backyard venue.

Who taught you how to cook? My grandmother and parents were my biggest mentors in cooking. They always cooked from scratch and made delicious meals every day. When I was a young girl, they gave me the freedom to experiment with different recipes. Now, I cook for my family as much as possible—it’s a love that I want to pass down to my children.

Dish: Smoked Brisket Nachos with Cheddar Cheese and Jalapeños TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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From left: Ryan Butler, Steve Henderson and Honorio Gallegos.

STEVE HENDERSON AND HONORIO GALLEGOS Chefs: Bay Street Steak & Grille, Temple Favorite ingredient: Butter

Why is butter your favorite ingredient?

Honorio: Butter just makes everything better— no matter what. Herbs or spices, add them to butter and you’re done!

Steve: As a younger man I would have said garlic is my favorite, but over the years I’ve discovered so many different flavors that I would hate to limit myself to just one favorite. I wouldn’t want to do without butter in the kitchen, though.

What’s your favorite part of being in the kitchen?

Steve: There’s nothing like taking different

ingredients and combining them into something that people stop and talk about.

My father was my cooking mentor, and I’ve been cooking professionally since I was 21 years old. Every day I feel the same way, I love bringing the ingredients together to make something wonderful.

Honorio: I feel like my parents were my biggest mentors, teaching me to cook since I was 13. But I have to give credit to a lot of hours spent watching Emeril Lagasse and Anthony Bourdain. Their TV shows were like a master class in cooking. I absorbed everything they did. BAM! Dish: Crab Cake Benedict

OUR THANKS to the team at Country Restaurant Supply in Temple for graciously allowing us

to gather these chefs for a rip-roaring food fest and photoshoot. CountryRestaurantSupply.com

36

NARUNYA ESTRADA Owner: Narunya’s Modern Thai, Belton Favorite ingredient: Garlic

Why do you love garlic so much? It’s a small ingredient, but it packs a big punch of flavor. Plus I hear it keeps vampires away!

What’s your favorite part of the day at work? It’s the feeling I get after a lunch rush. I feel a sense of achievement when everyone has come and gone and I fulfilled their hunger. I know Thai food is different from what people expect here—we’re in Texas, where burgers and barbecue dominate. But I keep seeing new faces coming into my restaurant, along with my regulars. That lets me know I’m doing something right.

Do you cook for your family at home? That’s my husband’s job! He’s a retired U.S. Marine and cooking for the kids when mom can’t be there comes with that title.

Dish: Eggplant Tower

CHRISTINA CASTRO Owner: Sweet Confections Café & Bakery, Temple Favorite ingredient: Sugar

How much does sugar influence your life? I run through sugar like no tomorrow while I’m baking. I even use it in savory things, like tomato basil soup, to help temper the acidity that tomatoes give off.

I constantly smell like sugar and consume sugar to make me less of a zombie at 5 every morning when I come to work.

Who influenced you to start baking? The person who showed me the most about baking (and ate the most cookie dough with me) would be my grandmother. We baked cookies while we sang songs. My mentor is Rebecca Alcozer, my culinary arts teacher from my years at Belton High School.

We still share recipes and tricks with each other. I help out with the culinary department at the school when she needs a cake-decorating instructor.

What’s your favorite part about baking? It’s very relaxing, even when I want to tear my hair out.

Living with anxiety, I’ve realized that very repetitive things make me feel better—I don’t have to think or worry. I mix, scoop, put things in the oven and create a delicious product. What’s even better is when people, especially kids, eat my products or see a cake I’ve spent hours working on. Their eyes light up and they’re so excited. It makes my day.

Dish: Custom White Cake with Fondant Frosting TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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SONYA SOUTHEE AND FIDEL RAMOS Chefs: Palmeras Tex-Mex Con Sabor, Harker Heights Favorite ingredient: Guajillo chile

Why is a guajillo chile your favorite ingredient?

Fidel: When I cook with it, it gives off a wonderful aroma and I can tell when it has the optimal spicy level just by smelling it. And I love the bright red color.

Who mentored you as you learned to cook?

Sonya: When I was young, I would sit on the floor with my grandmother with a bowl of glass noodles, a colorful array of shredded vegetables and little meatballs. There were thin circular sheets I had to learn to separate. After many ripped sheets, I finally rolled my first egg roll.

38 FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019 | TEX APPEAL

After rolling hundreds of them, we drove around and gave them to her many Thai friends. The joy she got from teaching me traditions made cooking special to me. What better way to make someone smile, than with a good bite to eat?

How is cooking at work different than cooking for family at home?

Fidel: I love the action of cooking, you know? It means a lot to me that I can sustain my family with something I really enjoy.

Sonya: Cooking at work, you have to please everyone with one recipe. At home, my family doesn’t get to be picky—they either eat or go hungry. Lucky for them, I’m a good cook!

Dish: Shrimp La Diabla

Dished!

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Lily Halabi is an entrepreneur and, if you have seen some of her creations, an artist. She’s a twotime winner on Food Network’s “Cake Wars.” Born in Venezuela to Syrian parents, Lily is creating her own American Dream. Her family moved to Central Texas in 1995 for her husband’s work. A baker and cook since childhood, Lily took cake-decorating classes at Hobby Lobby. She opened her first shop in Harker Heights and then expanded to Temple, turning her passion into a successful business.

Drizzle Cake Vanilla cake filled and covered with our homemade vanilla American Buttercream and finished with chocolate and homemade caramel sauces

LILY’S CAKES HAVE A SWEET DAY!

Custom cakes for all occasions; a large variety of cupcakes and cheesecakes • Buy 5 cupcakes, Get 1 FREE Lily Halabi, with the support of husband and partner Sam Halabi, has created the region’s premier specialty cake shop.

From simple cupcakes to elaborately designed cakes for all occasions, Lily’s Cakes has it all. Try one of Lily’s signature creations such as her delicious American Buttercream or German Chocolate cupcakes, an Italian Cream cake or a New York-style cheesecake.

Customers rave about the large variety of cupcake flavors that can be made into any cake design. Lily’s Cakes is known for delicious cakes, extravagant designs and great customer service.

Lily’s Cakes serves its customers from two convenient locations: 360 W. Central Texas Expressway, Suite 204, Harker Heights; and 2101 S. 31st Street, Suite 140, Temple.

Lily’s is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

360 W. Central Texas Expressway, Suite 204, Harker Heights 2101 S. 31st Street, Suite 140, Temple

40 FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019 | TEX APPEAL

254-319-3555 (Harker Heights); 254-813-9700 (Temple) Lilyscakes.com • Lilyscakestemple@gmail.com

family friendly

OSCAR STORE

BURGERS, STEAKS, SANDWICHES AND MORE IN A CASUAL SETTING

Tucked away in the Oscar community east of Temple, Oscar Store is the place for great food and great service. Owners Thomas and Lorianne Maddux invite you to savor the chicken fried steak that’s so tender you can cut it with a fork or a juicy 10 oz. sirloin steak with a loaded baked potato.

8133 Oscar Spur Temple, Texas 76501

254-983-2175 oscarstoretexas.com

STEAKHOUSE Serving only the highest quality steaks and seafood in an elegant setting in historic downtown Temple.

Lauren and Joe Wilson have a hands-on approach to their familyowned establishment. Lauren, a Central Texas native, and Joe both grew up in the restaurant business. They have both worked with award winning restaurants and chefs in the Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex.

USDA Prime Angus steaks and fresh seafood from around the world, prepared with fresh top-quality ingredients from scratch with awardwinning wine list. Dinner for two options starting at $110.

Daily happy hour and appetizer specials from 5-7pm.

Half price drinks all day every day. Private dining available.

Monday through Friday 11am- 10pm Saturday 5pm- 10 pm

14 East Avenue A Temple, Texas 76501

Cheeves.com

For reservations phone

254-742-2300 TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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Palmeras has three chefs that skillfully handcraft delectable dishes served inside the warm and tropical oasis that will be sure to have you coming back with friends and family.

The chefs are (from left to right) Fidel Ramos, Luis Rivera and Sonya Southee, who is the kitchen manager and chef.

With the capability to seat over 180, Palmeras is ready to create that one-of-a-kind dining experience.

“I envision the success for this restaurant to one day be in a bigger market such as South Miami Beach, Las Vegas and Dallas and maybe Austin,” Halabi said

PALMERAS

$$$

THE FINEST IN CONTEMPORARY TEX MEX CUISINE If you’re looking for a spin on old school Mexican cuisine with a twist of contemporary classics, then this is for you.

family friendly

Palmeras Tex-Mex Con Sabor will leave your stomach full of their savory enchiladas, tacos and fajitas, along with mouthwatering appetizers, soups and salads, while leaving money in your wallet with its affordable prices.

alcohol

Mike Halabi, developer of Palmeras TexMex Con Sabor in Harker Heights, has been in the hospitality business for over 35 years. He brings those years of experience to Palmeras, which started operating in August 2018.

“Start with the location, quality fresh ingredients, great ambiance, great service and consistency -- these are some of what makes a restaurant successful,” Halabi said.

201 E. Central Texas Expressway Harker Heights, TX 76548

254.892-4323 palmerastexmex.com 42 FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019 | TEX APPEAL

Whether you want to sit inside or outside, you will be sure to receive great customer service and tasteful dishes that will be sure to leave your palate wanting more.

Don’t forget to check out their cocktail menu which include the Uber Taxi Margarita and La Barbie.

Quality food and impeccable service will draw one in from near and far, and that is just what has taken place at Palmeras Tex-Mex Con Sabor.

“We have people traveling from up to 35 miles to dine with us here, and that just shows how good our food is,” Halabi said

brunch

lunch

dinner Lunch and dinner are served 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. A special brunch menu is served Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

It’s a dining experience so good that it will keep you coming back for more.

SMALLCAKES

CUPCAKERY & CREAMERY

Our treats are all fresh baked and homemade in-house.

We offer:

SCORES PIZZA & WINGS

ENJOY DELICIOUS FOOD AND CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES

Open 7 days a week

Scores Pizza & Wings specializes in delicious pizza, crisp beer and endless good times. Owner Jeff Potvin takes pride in serving insanely good food in a laid-back atmosphere. The rustic space features exposed brick walls with a tin and wood bar. Enjoy live music every Friday and Saturday from the two-story patio.

6102 W. Adams Ave. Temple, TX 76502

219 S. East St., Ste B (Next to The Gin) Belton, Texas 76513

• Cupcakes • Cakes • Ice Cream

• Cookies • Brownies • Cake Pops

and More!

254.742.7662 smallcakescupcakery.com

254-831-5111 scorespizzaandwings.com

OLD FASHIONED HAMBURGERS AND MORE!

Cheeseburger with Fries The Crow’s signature dish is the timeless Cheeseburger with Fries, made by the beloved cook Garrett Marshall.

Crow’s Burgers has been a staple of the Bell County community for decades, maintaining its family owned and operated shops since 1995. With a shop in both Belton and Temple, owners Jesse Jr. and Karen Martinez like to keep their recipes simple and old fashion, just the way Texans like it. Customers return day after day, year after year for Crow’s friendly atmosphere, consistency, reliability, and most importantly, they’re fresh, never frozen burgers!

2302 S 57th St, Temple • 254-773-9650 and 613 Waco Rd, Belton • 254-939-0333

BurgerRestaurantTempleTX.com

TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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44 FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019 | TEX APPEAL

TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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On Tap

Pouring Local Favorites Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras or St. Patrick’s Day, there are plenty of ways to pair party fare with beverages. These local adult-beverage purveyors share how they celebrate with drinks crafted Central Texas-style.

By MANDY SHELTON | Photography by MICHIAH POSEY

Bold Republic Brewery’s Luck of the Irish

O

n St. Patrick’s Day 2011, Patrick Hodges wandered into an Irish pub across the street from his hotel in Virginia Beach. Given the occasion, Murphy’s was packed to capacity, but Hodges found a seat next to a pretty local wearing a shamrock headband. He told her, “You look like fun, let me buy you a drink.”

Eight years, three kids and several moves between Texas and Virginia later, the St. Patrick’s Day couple now operates Belton’s first brewery, Bold Republic.

The brewery has been a dream for Adriane and Patrick since their days in Virginia’s fertile ground for breweries. Patrick mainly handles the brewing and Adriane focuses on the front of house, including the decor. Even though she was busy with her own children and a full-time teaching gig, Adriane painted the boldly hued hops-and-grain murals that adorn the walls after school and on weekends. “I guess it was therapy,” she says.

Adriane taught Spanish until a health scare sidelined her at the start of the school year. “I had two little holes in my heart, and I had an aneurysm,” she says. “I’m really lucky. Very, very lucky. Patrick caught it.” After her stroke, Adriane had to leave her job in order to recuperate. The experience also changed her beer-tasting palate— she’s developed an appreciation for IPAs that she’d never had before.

Both Hodges enjoy crafting new brews, which Adriane says can get “funky and experimental,” and they have plans for a second alcoholmanufacturing business in Bell County. In the meantime, Bold Republic will host a first anniversary party on June 2, and another special holiday is right around the corner.

“We’ll have this place decked out for St. Patrick’s Day,” says Adriane, whose parents also met on March 17. In addition to enjoying live music and green beer, patrons can, perhaps—

Bold Republic Beer Cheese “Hands down, our best-selling appetizer is the Jumbo Pretzel & Hot Beer Cheese Dip, which is infused with our beer,” says Adriane. Bold Republic’s recipe is customizable: “Pick your favorite beer, pick your favorite cheese. It’s like beer fondue!”

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour ¾ cup milk ½ cup beer (“We use Jalapeño Cream Ale and a splash of Amber for a kick, but you can use your favorite beer—I’d recommend a lighter one.”) ¼ tsp. garlic powder ¼ tsp. salt 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 3 cups shredded cheddar (or your favorite) ¼ cup diced jalapeños In a medium saucepan, melt butter and whisk in flour to make a roux (medium heat works best). Remove pan from heat and whisk in 2 Tbsp. of milk until smooth. Then whisk in remaining milk slowly, 2 Tbsp. at a time. Add beer, garlic powder, salt and Worcestershire sauce. Place the pan back on the heat until it bubbles. Add the cheese, bit by bit, and mix it with the whisk.

Add jalapeños. Serve warm with a pretzel, bread, broccoli … whatever makes you happy.

with the luck of the Irish—experience a chance meeting of their own.

Continued TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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AT Z MEDICAL AESTHETICS YOU’RE NOT A PATIENT YOU’RE

family!

LASER SKIN CARE ZSA ZSA HOWELL YOUR LICENSED SKINCARE EXPERT IN NON-INVASIVE AESTHETICS • Micro Needling • Anti-Aging Facials • IPL Photofacial • Laser Skin Resurfacing • Z HydraFacials • Laser Skin Tightening • Yolo Curve • RF Lipoplasty • Chemical Peels • Oxygeneo • Z Dermaplaning

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CLIENTS LOVE ZSA ZSA’S NON-INVASIVE RESULTS ...I am forever grateful to Zsa Zsa for being such a highly skilled aesthetician. She is truly an artist with an eye for symmetry and a passion for making people feel their ultimate best, without overdoing it... - Julia B YELP

2919 S. Market Loop, Temple • 254-541-7837 ZMe dic alAesthetics.com

48 FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019 | TEX APPEAL

Taking a Lap Around Local Wineries

L

aura and Alpheaus “Fitz” Campbell have been in business together for almost a year. To keep the wheels on the bus going ’round, they draw on lessons from their 34-year partnership of a different kind.

“He drives the bus; I do everything else,” Laura says on a recent trip with their company, All Around Wine Tours. “I usually stand up and talk while he drives,” she explains, though she also acknowledges that Fitz is a lifelong NASCAR fan.

“When he’s going around corners, I sit down and hold on tight.”

The two met when they were stationed at the same company in Fort Dix, New Jersey. “I had just arrived from Hawaii, where I’d been stationed,” says Fitz, who grew up in Brooklyn after his parents emigrated from British Guyana. The globetrotting gearhead has since retired, but he works as a fulltime contractor for the Army as a wheeled-vehicle mechanic. “I’m still supporting the warriors,” Fitz explains.

Laura finished her six years of active duty in 1988 and now works full time as a workforce management analyst for Blackboard. The idea for the business took hold when Laura planned a trip for friends on a 35-passenger bus to Messina Hof Winery & Resort in Bryan. The Campbells launched All Around Wine Tours in 2018 with an inaugural tour for friends. First, however, they had to find the right bus.

“We wanted something that was small and intimate,” Laura says. She found the bus during a girls’ trip to Las Vegas, so Fitz and Laura flew there

to drive it home. The 13-passenger bus infuses each trip with a bit of the Vegas spirit. “What happens on the bus stays on the bus,” Laura jokes with passengers.

The Campbells’ motto, “We do the tour, they do the pour,” leaves the formal wine education in the

Dancing Bee Winery offers the perfect accompaniment for a wine-tasting visit.

hands of the professionals, but Laura is more than happy to help out with tips and tricks of the trade, especially for novice oenophiles. “Typically, it’s the third taste that gives you the true taste of the wine,” she told a recent tour to The Vineyard at Florence.

“I just like to drink,” a passenger jokes during the wine and cheese tasting. “And we like to drive!”

Laura says. “I think that’s a good pairing.”

Continued

How to Book a Tour Watch the All Around Wine tours website and Facebook page for opportunities to join organized tours to local wineries, breweries and distilleries. Public tours last about six hours, with three or four stops.

The Campbells provide snacks and water.

“We want you to stay hydrated,” Laura says.

Drinking is permitted on the bus, but smoking is not. While children are not allowed on group tours, they may attend private tours.

To arrange a private tour, call 254-368-7311 or visit AllAroundWineTours.com.

TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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Behind Closed Doors: Alexander’s Distillery

F

or those in the know, drinks are pouring behind a bookcase passageway in a Salado Creek speakeasy.

Though the name should be a giveaway, Alexander’s Distillery, the restaurant on the property of Salado’s Inn on the Creek, does not manufacture alcohol. The name comes from the distillery that occupied the grounds until 1865, when it washed away in a flood. The site is designated by a Texas Historical Commission marker.

Nowadays, Alexander’s Bar and Cocktail Lounge manager, Trey Golden, pairs the thirdfloor veranda view and gourmet appetizers with beer, wine and carefully crafted cocktails. Or not.

“I get a mocktail request maybe once a month,” Trey says. “Enough to keep me on my toes.” The usual teetotalers? Expectant mothers.

Whether due to pregnancy or Prohibition, creating mock cocktails is not as simple as

50 FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019 | TEX APPEAL

swapping a soft drink for a hard drink. The trick is replacing the alcohol without losing the complexity of the flavor. Though Trey says a substitute for alcohol can be as simple as water, questions of consistency, sweetness and flavor determine whether an ingredient like coconut rum is replaced by coconut milk, coconut water, cream of coconut or even fresh coconut.

Trey can put the non-alcoholic spin on any of Alexander’s signature drinks, such as the PreProhibition Ol’ Fashioned, which can be infused with smoke. Another popular choice for a mocktail is their Black Rose, garnished with rosemary grown on the property. Stopping to smell the rosemary can enhance the sensory experience of the cocktail or mocktail, Trey explains.

“I purposely don’t put straws in the drink. Then you have to put your nose to the glass and smell the rosemary as you’re imbibing. It’s a really nice experience.”

Photo by RUSTY SCHRAMM

Alexander’s Bar & Mocktail Lounge Alexander’s strawberry “No-jito” jettisons the rum from the traditional Cuban highball, bringing forward the natural flavor of the strawberry—with a hyperlocal twist.

“The mint grows right on the property, so I just went outside and picked some fresh,” says bar manager Trey Golden. He suggests playing around with the strawberry ingredient in this drink, using puree or even jelly. “That gives it an additional sweetness and an interesting spin on the flavor,” he says. At-home mixologists can also go out on a limb and replace the mint, Trey notes. “We’ve made strawberry basil mojitos here before, which were phenomenal.”

As for the rum? This “faux-jito” recipe uses water, extra simple syrup and maybe a bit more Sprite, but other mojito mocktails might include cane sugar or club soda. “It’s really crisp, very much a spring-type of cocktail,” Trey says.

Cook Like a Chef!

Retail Store Open Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm

Come check out our new spices 23208 SE H.K. Dodgen Loop, Temple 254-774-9098 emporiumspice.com

Temple’s Premier

Fine Dining Restaurant Photo courtesy of TREY GOLDEN

Virgin Strawberry Mojito 1 sprig (4 or 5 leaves) fresh mint, plus some for garnish 1 fresh strawberry, sliced, plus some for garnish 1¼ ounces water ¾ ounce simple syrup Sprite Muddle strawberry slices and mint leaves in water and simple syrup in a tall shaker, then add ice. Shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds.

Strain mixture into a short tumbler, then fill with Sprite. Garnish with strawberry and a mint sprig.

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BAYSTREETTEMPLE.COM 1420 SW H K Dodgen Loop, Temple, TX 76504 | 254.314.2229

TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

51

Caring for the Land

Green Fields Farm Returns to the Good Life

W

By STACY MOSER | Photography by JUSTIN BORJA

“

e’re raising pigs and cattle the way that God intended,” John Brasher declares from the driver’s seat of his pickup truck as he bumps down a dirt road that accesses the pastures of Green Fields Farm.

“Our concept here is to mimic Mother Nature.”

He stops the truck and jumps out onto the soft dirt of the road. He steps over a low wire fence surrounding a quarter-acre of land as a small herd of rusty-colored pigs eyes him curiously. He points to some round divots in the soil of the pasture, explaining that this is where pigs root around with their snouts, searching for tasty bugs and the roots of plants. “When they do that, it’s great for the soil,” John says, squatting to scoop up and examine a handful of deep-brown dirt, which he says is rich in nutrients.

The Brashers, John and his wife, Jennifer, are a new breed of farmer—employing low-tech, environmentally focused strategies to accomplish a simple goal: create healthy soil in order to grow healthy food.

Jennifer’s parents, Leonard and Inez Cobb, have spent their entire married life on that property, Leonard’s parents having farmed the land since before he was born. As time went on, farming methods followed in the footsteps of most industrialized farms across America in the last century. They became efficient machines,

52 FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019 | TEX APPEAL

using chemicals to replace depleted nutrients in the soil and kill pests and large machinery to accomplish what had been done by hand (and by mule) in days past.

The family describes their loss of enthusiasm about conventional farming methods they’d used to grow cotton and corn in the past. “The combination of high costs and more and more extreme weather-related crop failures made us realize that the cycle was broken. The soil wasn’t working properly. It wasn’t sustainable,” says Jonathan, Jennifer’s younger brother.

But then, on one prophetic day, Jonathan and Leonard attended a lecture about healthy soils.

Soil scientist Ray Archuleta had traveled to Temple to offer a seminar educating family farmers on techniques to heal the soil, creating healthy habitats, improving food quality and strengthening a farm’s business overall. Jonathan and Leonard were fascinated with the concept.

The family began to research the connection between nutrients in the soil and nutrients in food they ate and their overall health. “We thought, ‘What if we raise our own cattle, got chickens for eggs, cows for milk and pigs for pork? We could control how we feed them and how they’re treated.

Then we could find like-minded families who would want to buy from a local farm where they can visit and see how the animals are raised,’” Jennifer says.

“What we do is called regenerative agriculture,” she continues. “It goes beyond organic or sustainable farming. We heal the land through management practices. We don’t till the soil, we plant cover crops, reestablish native prairie grasses and change the animals’ impact as they move across the land. We use rotational grazing. The animals graze in one area, then we move them to another. By the time we get back, the grasses have sprung right back up since they weren’t over-grazed.”

The family was determined to farm in a humane way, too. “We treat the animals kindly and we have respect for them,” John says, as he surveys the cattle grazing in the pasture.

“Moving the animals is so important,” he explains. “If you don’t, they congregate in one area all the time. Then parasites congregate there too.

So if we move the animals constantly, we don’t

From left: John, Jennifer and Elyse Brasher, and Inez and Leonard Cobb have to give them antibiotics or wormers. The parasites are gone because they have no host.”

Most cows are raised on grass until they’re about a year old. Jennifer describes what usually happens next. “Then, unfortunately, conventional farms ship them to a feedlot and fatten them on grains very quickly. That’s so they weigh more and can be sold for more.”

“It’s not good for the animal—their systems aren’t built for that,” John says, shaking his head.

“It’s harder to get a steer fatter on grass. But to that we say, ‘So what?’ It’s worth doing.”

“We have 450 acres of land here,” Jennifer waves her arm at the horizon. “There’s a wooded forest with native elms and Virginia rye grass. We also planted diverse cover crops for the animals to eat in the pastures.”

John laughs. “When I open the gate and let the

steers in a new area, they’re like a kid in a candy store. They kick their legs up and run to the new grass!”

“It’s the same way with pigs,” Leonard adds.

“They forage for clovers and grasses and it comes across in the flavor of their meat—it’s a little darker than the pale meat you see in the store. And after they’ve stayed in an area for about a week, this land is fertilized and it didn’t cost us a dime to do it.”

Jennifer describes the role her parents play on the farm. “For two retired people, they aren’t very retired!” she laughs. “They work every day with us, which is nice. In order for this to work, it takes all of us—a village.” Jonathan and his wife, Kaylyn, regeneratively raise sheep on the farm, too.

Leonard recalls the first time he realized that the new methods were definitely improving Continued TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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From left: Elyse, Jennifer and John Brasher, Leonard, Inez, Jonathan and Kaylyn Cobb

THE ADVANTAGES OF BUYING IN BULK

“Our passion is the desire to know where our food comes from,” John says. “We want ours to be the best and share that with people who are like-minded.” Green Fields sells frozen beef and pork in whole, half and 25-pound “bundle” boxes, each containing most major cuts—sirloins, rib eyes, tenderloins, cutlets, etc. When it comes to menu planning for the week, buying in bulk and having beef and pork already in the freezer is a big time saver. Consider this: A typical upright freezer has a capacity of about 20.7 cubic feet. A typical family of four: • Consumes about half a beef in one year, requiring about 10 cubic feet in the freezer.

• Consumes a whole pork in one year, requiring about 5 cubic feet in the freezer.

the farm’s soil. “It was a blazing hot August afternoon—103 degrees out. I took an infrared thermometer and went out to our neighbor’s field—he had plowed and plowed until there was nothing left. The thermometer said his soil was 155 degrees. Nothing can live in that hot soil! Our soil’s temperature was 88 degrees. The matt of plant matter was holding in moisture. Plant roots are like a wick that brings moisture to the surface.

It has a cooling effect. That’s when I knew we were on to something positive,” he says, smiling.

Inez says she’s delighted at the changes taking place at Green Fields Farm. “Our soil is healthy, so the plants are healthier—and pests aren’t interested in healthy plants. The capacity of soil to hold water is higher and the plants can go longer without rain.”

She recalls times when the farm struggled. “We were discouraged with what modern farming had become. When Leonard and I were first married, our kids could play in the dirt. Then, in the ’80s, all these harmful chemicals came out. I wouldn’t dare let my kids play in the dirt any more. You didn’t know your land. You weren’t a part of it. I couldn’t lie in the field in the sunshine any more. Now, I can feel that energy coming back to the soil. All this work has been so worth it.”

She leans forward, saying quietly, “I hear people say that you can’t go backward. Well, I’m thinking, yes, you can go backward—back to a better way of doing things. The good life.”

GFFTexas.com | HolisticManagement.org 54 FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019 | TEX APPEAL

Tex Appeal is: Fascinating, alluring, engaging, tempting, influencing and charming.

We’re all about Central Texas living... the people, the places and the things that make us appealing.

Come dine with us, shop with us and travel with us.

Life & Style in Central Texas

December

2017

in Central Texas Life and Style

Tex Appeal Magazine

Life and Style

in Central

Texas August /Septe

Brynn My ers

mber 2018

AT THE BELT

ONIAN THEA TER Classic film a new au s find dience

FIRST WOM AN CITY OF TEMP TO LEAD LE

December 2017

ATTORNEY & VETERAN SEEKS

1

OctOber 2013

Justice for all

tex AppeAl

BELL COU NTY MUSEUM DIRECTOR

LIVING IN HISTOR Y Rememb eri the Titan ng ic HISTORIC

EXP AT MAYBOR ERIENCE N MUSEUM

Life and Style

in Central

Eat food, not chemica ls

Texas October /

GUT GUR U ADVOCA HEALTHY TES CHOICES

Jennifer Brasher knows just how to showcase the delicious meat that Green Fields Farm produces. “This roast pairs well with sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts.”

EASY HERB-CRUSTED PORK ROAST

4- to 5-pound pork shoulder or Boston butt roast 10 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped 4 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary 4 tsp. chopped fresh thyme 4 tsp. whole-grain mustard 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. olive oil In a bowl, combine garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard and olive oil.

Coat the roast with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. When you’re ready to cook, preheat oven to 300°.

Place roast in a roasting pan and bring to room temperature. Cook roast, covered. Check after 2 hours and then every 25 minutes until thermometer inserted in the center registers 175° (for medium). Transfer to baking sheet. Turn oven up to 400°. Bake an additional 13–17 minutes uncovered.

November

2018

LORENZ O THE AMA ZING THERAP

Bringing smY DOG ile to sick child s ren

Building patient connection s

THE ART OF LISTENIN G

Chef Katie convenien’s t culinary creations

Acting sick

MODELS DISEASE MIMIC FOR MED STU DENTS

IN THE SPO TLIG

Seton Med HT ical Center Harker Hei ghts & We llstone Hea HEAL lth

THCARE

PROFES

SIONALS

Partners

The journey will be amazing!

Call Temple 254-778-4444 or Killeen 254-501-7500 to reserve your ad or profile.

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55

Create a baking station to bring seasonal fun into your kitchen.

It’s a great way to get the kids inspired to bake and create.

56

DIY KITCHEN

a seasonal

5 STEPS TO CREATE

BAKING STATION

By KRISTI DOMINGUEZ Local blogger at IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor.com

1. Clean Out & Organize

Clean out and organize your baking station in a cupboard that’s easy to keep tidy. Throw out kitchen items you haven’t used in a year. Don’t overstuff the area; keep it user-friendly.

2. Add Colorful Accessories

For fun, add color with budget-friendly accessories, like paper straws in a variety of patterns for interest.

Other color-popping add-ins can include cupcake liners, doilies and baker’s twine, all available at local craft stores. Display in measuring cups, bowls or ramekins.

3. Use a Variety of Glass Containers & Jars

Use glass jars to keep colorful contents visible, appealing and accessible. From flour and sugar in larger jars to sprinkles and jimmies in smaller containers ... seeing everything makes an eye-popping difference.

4. Keep It Easy to Change

Use this space every season by changing out accessories, candies and sprinkles. For spring, use pastel items—for summer, patriotic colors are perfection! This can be your easiest space to redecorate for holidays.

5. Make It Functional

Functional items like cookie cutters and cake stands can double as decor. Group cookie cutters in a clear jar and display baked yummies on your prettiest stands for an extra special touch.

TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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GOOD CAUSES

Veterans Find Hand-Crafted Healing

By STACY MOSER | Photography by NAN DICKSON

A

rmy veteran J. M. “Sarge” Valderrama rests his elbows on a table to steady his hands as he carefully attaches a wheel onto a miniature airplane. Next to him, Andre Johnson pushes a large needle though a swatch of leather—he’s almost done with the pouch he’s sewing together. Brent Williams, also an Army veteran, leans back from the table and takes a sip of coffee as he watches both of his friends intently, joking that they aren’t going fast enough.

These men are regulars at the Temple chapter of Help Heal Veterans, a small storefront where they can stop in, visit with other vets and choose a free craft kit to keep their hands busy.

“It seems so minor, it’s just a craft kit,” says Trish Alger, craft care specialist at this Help Heal Veterans location. “It’s amazing that something trivial, like making a leather wristband—our easiest craft—takes 10 minutes but can create such a feeling of accomplishment for some people.”

Physicians, therapists and social workers often prescribe arts and crafts as an important part of a patient’s treatment plan. Working on crafts can help alleviate anger issues and the severity of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury symptoms like anxiety, sadness and frustration. The kits help vets overcome physical injuries, too, improving hand-

Trish Alger welcomes veterans with a friendly smile and well-stocked shelves full of craft kits.

58 FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019 | TEX APPEAL

eye coordination and manual dexterity.

Trish’s role here is to function as a Mother Hen for these men and women, many of whom regard her as family. “Here’s the best part about this job,” she says. “I get paid to talk and listen.

You know how many times I’ve gotten in trouble for talking too much on the job in the past?” she laughs. “Let’s say a vet’s had a bad day at their VA appointment, they want to vent about it and they want to get something fun to do. They come here to share with me the things that weigh them down.” She says she hopes they leave a little lighter—with some hope.

“I tell people who are hesitant about trying the crafts, ‘If you can do something that small, you can do something bigger next time,’” Trish explains. “They can go home and deal with their family, bills, medical problems and maybe feel a little less overwhelmed.”

Founded in 1971, Help Heal Veterans has provided free therapeutic craft kits to hospitalized and homebound veterans for generations. To date, over 30 million kits have been distributed nationwide. “The variety of kits is immense,” Trish says. “We have bird houses, bird feeders, wallets, purses. Our corporate donors, like La-Z-Boy and Southwest Airlines, donate pallets of fabric and we make them into messenger bags and moccasins.”

Trish, the volunteers and staff members at Help Heal Veterans deliver kits to many local agencies, hospitals and hospices, like Fort Hood’s Darnall Medical Center, Intrepid Spirit Traumatic Brain Injury Center and Apache Arts & Crafts; Mission Resiliency and Bring Everybody in the Zone (BEITZ) in Killeen—all dedicated to helping veterans and their families deal with the stress of active and post-military life.

“When anyone comes through our door, we ask how their day was. We want the truth, even if it was a horrible day,” Trish says. “One time, a young man walked in and, when we asked how he was, he said he was in agony. ‘I’m in so much pain.’ I looked around at everyone in the room and said, ‘Show of hands guys! How many people are in pain here?’ A lot of hands went up. Then I told the young man, ‘You’re in good company here. If you want to complain, no one’s judging.

We’re here to listen to you.’”

Continued

Andre Johnson, Curtis Smith, J. M. “Sarge” Valderrama and Brent Williams at Help Heal Veterans.

HEALING TRIPS TO VIETNAM Trish Alger recently returned from a trip to Vietnam that she took with her uncle, Pastor Michael Snook, a retired Army veteran who spent two years in Vietnam during the conflict as a radiotelephone operator from 1967 to 1969.

He now works as the director of veterans affairs for the Dave Roever Educational Assistance Programs (REAP) International.

“My uncle takes vets back to Vietnam for healing trips,” Trish explains. “I told him I wished I knew more about his experience over there during the war, and he said, ‘Why don’t you come with me this time?’” Trish, whose hobby is filmmaking, documented the trip, interviewing veterans and filming their interactions with people they encountered.

“It was an incredible intersection for me, between the Vietnam veterans that I serve

at work and my uncle’s personal story—and how he helps vets, too. A lot of the vets I meet don’t want to share their story. But sometimes, when we’re alone, they suddenly want to tell me about it. I can say I’ve been to Vietnam, too. I can tell them how the country is now and we can relate so much better to each other.”

Michael has written a book about his experience in Vietnam and the difficulties he faced when he returned, becoming divorced from his wife and suffering from PTSD and alcohol addiction. He recounts his journey back from the dark side in his new book, Vietnam Abyss: A Journal of Unmerited Grace, available on Amazon. Now, he focuses on veteran suicide prevention through his work with REAP. For more information, go to REAPWorldwide.com/Veterans.

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Photo courtesy of HELP HEAL VETERANS

Kerry Cahill Fights Zombies on TV, Fights for Wounded Vets at Home K erry Cahill is most widely recognized in her role as Dianne in AMC’s 8th season of the hit TV show “The Walking Dead” and as Rose Tricklebank in Netflix’s Academy Awardnominated film “Mudbound.”

Kerry grew up an “Army brat,” finishing high school in Cameron. She studied drama at Loyola University New Orleans, the British American Drama Academy Oxford and Queen’s University Belfast, later moving to Chicago to study with Second City.

In 2009, when Kerry was 27, her father, retired Army Chief Warrant Officer II Michael Cahill, was killed in the Fort Hood shooting in which 13 people were murdered. He had worked for the VA and volunteered to be at the event where the shooting took place. He was the only civilian killed.

Kerry has subsequently taken up the cause of veterans’ mental health and was the past national spokesperson for AmVets. She and her mother, Joleen, have become very involved with Help Heal Veterans and its cause. Kerry explains that

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her father wore a leather wristband for most of his life, so Help Heal Veterans created a wristband kit embossed with his signature to honor him. “I’m a megaphone for the cause of suicide prevention and veterans issues,” she says proudly. “I can take that kit and I can promote what Help Heal Veterans does and I can make it louder and get the word out.”

Photo courtesy of GENE PAGE | AMC

Joleen and Kerry Cahill share time working on crafts at Help Heal Veterans in Temple.

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DAY-TRIPPIN’

Romantic Road Trip to Marble Falls

By FRED AFFLERBACH

O

nly an hour’s drive from Bell County, a little piece of Tuscany awaits—no transcontinental flight, no passport required. Just imagine it. Holding hands and strolling through a 22-acre vineyard. Watching the skyline turn from yellow to gold to crimson red. Wine tasting and a tour of the winery. You can enjoy all this, and more, at Flat Creek Winery, just a few miles off FM 1431 near Lake Travis. And a short and scenic drive from Flat Creek delivers you to Marble Falls, renowned for its art galleries and a museum that celebrates native daughter Birdie Harwood, Texas’ first female mayor. Whether you make it a day trip or a weekend getaway, you’ll find the Marble Falls area a memorable romantic destination.

Falls on the Colorado Museum

Here’s a little secret. There is no marble in Marble Falls. Never was. The stone outcroppings in the Colorado River—now underwater—for which the town was named, are actually dolomite.

A nineteenth-century marketing campaign recruiting investors is responsible for the misinformation. Even if you’re not a history buff, stories like this will enlighten and entertain you at The Falls on the Colorado Museum, housed in a 120-year-old historic, granite schoolhouse.

A hands-on exhibit, built with 250-year-old cypress wood, reenacts how Mormon settlers harnessed energy from nearby Hamilton Creek 150 years ago. Although they kept to themselves, the Mormon community of about 250 was a vibrant and vital part of Marble Falls at the time.

In 1917, before women had the right to vote, Marble Falls elected the first woman mayor in Texas. The museum’s exhibit about Mayor Ophelia “Birdie” Harwood explains that she had parks and a power plant built, cleaned up the town and reined in the city’s finances. Known for campaigning by horseback, the diminutive woman packed a wallop when it came to her beliefs. “Her actions and background give you this feeling that she was a tough, big woman, but she wasn’t. She was a big persona, but a very small person,” says Darlene Oostemeyer, museum chairman.

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2001 Broadway, Marble Falls FallsMuseum.org

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Photo courtesy of FRED AFFLERBACH

Flat Creek Winery

This 80-acre estate, nestled in the Hill Country just outside Lago Vista, brings couples together.

Maybe it’s for a wedding, or an anniversary.

Driving through the front gate, Flat Creek makes a grand first impression with its groomed pastures, two spring-fed ponds and the namesake creek that flows through the property. In an unusual twist for a winery, owners Madelyn and Rick Nabers recently built an 18-hole disc golf course, with a layout easy enough for beginners to enjoy.

Inside the large dining room and arched doorways, high ceilings and a mural of a Mediterranean landscape set the tone for a special visit. The bistro menu offers paired wine and food with entrees like Ginger-Roasted Salmon with Zinfandel or Wild Boar with Special Reserve Tempranillo, all cooked in the wood-fired oven.

In the adjacent tasting room, you can sample five different wines for $15. “Occasionally, in the tasting room there will be a young man down on his knees ready to propose,” Madelyn confides.

“That’s when the whole room just cheers!”

Although it’s a happy journey getting lost in the maze of grape types and wine flavors, don’t ask Madelyn which is her favorite. She will simply tell you, “It’s the one that’s in my glass.”

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24912 Singleton Bend East, Marble Falls FlatCreekEstate.com

Photos courtesy of PEARY PHOTOGRAPHY

Madelyn Nabers owns Flat Creek Winery with her husband, Rick.

Continued

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Artwork at the gallery includes “La Flamenca con Flores” by Mitch Caster. Photos courtesy of MARTA STAFFORD FINE ART

Marta Stafford Fine Art

Situated on Main Street, where outdoor sculptures catch your fancy and boutiques and shops beckon, you’ll find Marta Stafford’s gallery.

An eclectic mix of paintings, sculptures and other three-dimensional art creates a soothing ambiance that invites you to relax and take a deep breath.

Browse the gallery and you’ll encounter whimsical works, like a sculpture of a cow suspended in mid-air by a balloon, right next to a dramatic oil painting of a dancer. There is something for everyone in this elegant, eclectic gallery.

Owner Marta Stafford says her goal is to offer affordable works for people looking to begin their collection and high-end paintings that will satisfy the most discriminating taste. She believes in the transformative and healing power of art. “There is a lovely thing that happens when looking at art,” Stafford explains. “For a lot of people, it reminds them of a dream they have. It reminds them of a time that they were happy. It’s so emotionally based.”

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200 Main St., Marble Falls MartaStaffordFineArt.com

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ADVERTISING INDEX Advent Health.................................................................. 2 American Heart Association........................................... 45 Ameriprise Financial..................................................20-21 Atmos Energy................................................................... 5 Bay Street Steak & Grille................................................ 51 Bell Air Conditioning...................................................... 27 Bell County Museum........................................................ 5 Bellezza Medical Aesthetics........................................... 27 Cheeves Brothers Steakhouse....................................... 41 Country Restaurant Supply............................................ 39 Crow’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers............................... 43 Day for Women.............................................................. 25 Document Solutions....................................................... 16 Ellis Air Systems............................................................. 18 Emporium Spice Co....................................................... 51 English Maids................................................................. 61 Extraco Banks,Temple/Local............................................ 3 H-E-B True Texas BBQ.................................................... 44 Kerley’s Grocery & Meatmarket............................... 11, 31 Lastovica Jewelers.......................................................... 17

Lily’s Cakes..................................................................... 40 Metabolic Research Center............................................ 11 Mobi Dog Pet Salon & Spa............................................ 31 Mr. Gatti’s Pizza.............................................................. 41 My Giving Tree............................................................... 31 Oscar Store.................................................................... 41 Palmeras Tex-Mex Con Sabor............................. 42, 66,67 Paperdoodles................................................................. 31 Precious Memories......................................................... 61 Premier ER & Urgent Care............................... Back cover Rock Collision Center....................................................... 7 Scores Pizza & Wings..................................................... 43 Smallcakes...................................................................... 43 Smile At The World Orthodontics.................................. 27 Temple Area Builders..................................................... 65 The Shack Caribbean Seafood & Grill............................ 39 United Way..................................................................... 11 Visiting Angels................................................................ 61 Z Medical Aesthetics...................................................... 48

The index is published for reader convenience. Every effort is made to list information correctly. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.

Saturday

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