Texasliving Magazine April 2020

APRIL 2020

LIVING THE “GOLD” LIFE AT THE FAIRMONT HOTEL

THE WRITING COWBOY

CUSTOM HOMES OF TEXAS

RONIN FARM AND RESTAURANT: FOOD-BODY CONNECTION

5

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CONTENTS features 5 | LIVING THE “GOLD” LIFE AT THE FAIRMONT AUSTIN

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Fairmont Austin has taken luxury to a new level: gold.

Located in downtown, the tallest hotel in Austin offers a resort-like spa, exceptional dining, stunning views of local landmarks, and personalized service that will bring guests back year after year.

22 | THE WRITING COWBOY With many accolades and over 40 novels written throughout his life, Elmer Kelton became one of the greatest Western literature writers. This humble storyteller showed many readers life as it used to be in Texas, and his stories continue to inspire people across the state and nation.

28 | CUSTOM HOMES OF TEXAS

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This custom home, designed by ML Interiors Group, shows how finding a balance of both feminine and masculine elements in every room makes for a beautiful personalized space that everyone will love.

46 | RONIN FARM AND RESTAURANT: FOOD-BODY CONNECTION Ronin Farm and Restaurant in Bryan aims to make guests feel connected to their food and each other. Food grown on the farm is used for the fresh, seasonal dishes served at the restaurant, which offers communal seating and a chance to be neighborly.

articles TRAILS & TALES

TEXAS INTERIORS

9 | Bonnie Hale, Lost Pet Specialist

26 | Alternatives to the Lawn

12 | Rewild Your Life 14 | Cowboy Roundup at the Fancy Hotel

35 | The Perfect Book Nook 36 | Spruce Up Your Patio for Spring 38 | Inspired Gift Ideas to Celebrate Mom

16 | City Guide Of: Canyon, TX 18 | Texasliving ProTips

TABLESIDE

19 | Tales of a Texas Horse Trader

40 | The Guerrilla Gourmet is Taking Over Texas 42 | The Vegan Cheesemakers of Texas 44 | McPherson Cellars: A Lubbock Tradition in Wine 49 | Scones and Sandwiches for Spring

TEXAS IS FAMOUS FOR

SO MUCH:

The Alamo, NASA, Buddy Holly, and Dallas (the TV show) to list a few. Our great state is still associated with the cowboy, the open range, campfires, the Texas Rangers, and cattle drives. Our state is rich in history and has a unique identity, with a “larger than life” personality. At Texasliving, we take great pride in showcasing the history, culture, and style of Texas. We trust that you’ll find this magazine reflects the unique identity that makes Texas great!

PUBLISHER

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Michael Padgett Ashley Sullivan

MANAGING EDITOR Claire Wilson

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Celeste Tamez

COPY EDITORS Becca Nelson Sankey

Megan McLawhon

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

Amanda Hoevelman

PRODUCTION MANAGERS Cara Dyer

CUSTOM HOME EDITOR

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Rebecca Neighbors Bobbi Padgett Christina White

Erica Krouse

Jenny Stauffer

MARKETING COORDINATOR

Austin Contrestano

WRITERS

Diane Adams

Lorie Fangio

Tania Taylor Griffis

Follow us on social media!

Allison G. Henley

Steve Huddleston

Advertising | Business Office

Alisha McDarris

Megan Ann Oswald

Becca Nelson Sankey

Kimberly A. Suta

Celeste Tamez

Claire Wilson

Molly Wolchansky

1716 Briarcrest Drive, Suite 750, Bryan, Texas 77802 1.888.887.2450 | info@rgpmarketing.com

©2020 Texasliving. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of Texasliving.

L I V I N G T H E " G O L D " L I F E AT T H E

FAIRMONT AUSTIN WRITTEN BY: KIMBERLY A. SUTA PHOTOS COURTESY OF: FAIRMONT HOTEL AUSTIN

Austin is now home to yet another new luxury brand, but you can be sure that the Fairmont Austin takes luxury to a truly iconic level. Located in the heart of the Central Business District, the hotel, which opened in March of 2018 at a cost of $370 million, is a brand new 37-story building with 1,048 guest rooms and 60 suites with awe-inspiring views of Lady Bird Lake, the State Capitol, and the city itself. It also happens to now be the tallest hotel in Austin and the city’s second-tallest structure, at 590 feet tall.

Hotel highlights include five different food and beverage concepts, a full-service resort-like spa and salon, a state-of-the-art fitness center, the giant heated Rules & Regs Pool on the seventh floor, (complete with thirteen private cabanas and one grand cabana), and 140,000 square feet of meeting space.

The décor, though modern, is elegantly vibrant, with swatches of bold color here and there. The very reallooking oak tree in the lobby is a perfect example of the lovely yet playful décor. You might also notice the Texas Hill Country-inspired art, such as the original art pieces by the front desk, which were inspired by Hamilton Pool Preserve.

APRIL 2020 | 5

Fairmont Gold Perhaps the best thing about the new hotel is their Fairmont Gold offering, which Director of Sales and Marketing Michael McMahon described as a hotel within a hotel. “Essentially, it’s a higher level of service, if you want the very best in personalized service and best quality products,” he said.

McMahon was the first Fairmont Austin employee and has been working for the hotel since its inception over three years ago. The Fairmont is actually part of a larger luxury brand, Accor Hotels, based in Paris, France. “It’s more well-known in Europe and Asia,” he explained. In any case, the brand is on par with the best-known luxury hotel and resort brands, such as the Waldorf Astoria™, Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton®, and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.

There are 131 private guestrooms on levels 32 to 35 dedicated to the Fairmont Gold packages, in addition to eleven suites. This exclusive, lifestyle hotel experience begins prior to check-in when the hotel contacts guests to personalize their experiences.

Upon arrival, instead of checking in at the lobby, Fairmont Gold guests check-in and out on the 35th floor, where a stellar concierge team services all of their wants and needs. “We do get every conceivable kind of request,” McMahon said. “We have a saying: if it’s legal and moral, then it’s our obligation to deliver it.” The requests can range from renting a helicopter to taking guests to the race track to acquiring hardto-get tickets to a musical performance.

There is also a lounge on the 35th floor open to Fairmont Gold guests that provides a complimentary deluxe breakfast and evening hors d’oeuvres. However, whether you go gold or not, you will likely be lured away from your private floor by the other exceptional culinary offerings at the hotel.

6 | APRIL 2020

“You can design your experience based on the mood that you’re in, and it doesn’t get stale.”

C H E F N AT E R A

Garrison You can expect a contemporary, fine dining experience at this modern American grill house; Garrison is dedicated to dishes prepared using live fire, smoke, high-quality meats, seafood, and locally-sourced produce. The menu is full of scrumptious options, such as Wagyu Eye of Ribeye, Rigatoni Trapanese Pasta, and Whole Grilled Branzino. When relevant, the menu lists the name of the farms and ranches from which it sources its ingredients.

“It’s a really phenomenal restaurant,” Natera said. “Everything has some form of smoke, charred, or grilled element to it.

People are pleasantly surprised by the service element and some of the finer touch-points which are really pleasant and match the quality of the food.”

Gold Star Dining Fairmont Austin showcases a stunning variety of five different restaurant and bar concepts. “From my vantage point, what’s most impressive is our culinary diversity and quality of the culinary professionals we’ve brought to the team,” McMahon said. “We have the ability to create and execute the finest food and beverages for our events, meals, and cocktail program than any hotel I’ve worked in. There’s a passion to André and his team that has energized this hotel and really makes it fun to come to work every day, not to mention, eating in the restaurants.”

Executive Chef André Natera has been instrumental in the culinary research and development as well as writing the menus, even though the concepts were laid out before his arrival. “Personally, I think all of our offerings are unique,” Natera said. “Revue is so different than other restaurants. There’s nothing else in Austin like it. As for Rules & Regs, the view up there is what makes it unique. Every restaurant just has something very unique.”

Natera received top honors from the former Le Cordon Bleu School of Culinary Arts Portland and has over 20 years of experience in the culinary industry. He said he is inspired by Mother Nature to bring a fresh approach to cooking, which is beautifully translated into each Fairmont Austin concept.

The restaurant features an open kitchen, and guests walk in through the back, Goodfellas-style, so you get a preview of what is to come. An example of the special touches includes a hand-drawn dessert menu. “We decided it would be really interesting to draw it, so when you unfold this beautiful piece of art, it tells the story of Garrison,” Natera said.

Revue Revue is perhaps the most interesting concept at the Fairmont Austin and offers something that almost everyone in your party is bound to like. Similar to a small food court, Revue is a journey through four different types of cuisine: Italian, Asian, seafood, and artisanal pastries. Again, there is an emphasis here on sourcing and utilizing locally-grown and -made products. This is a great stop for small or large groups, whether you are staying at the hotel or not. Even locals like swinging by for a quick bite to eat.

“We wanted to appeal to the way people eat nowadays with everyone sharing a little bit of this, a little bit of that,” Natera said. “Revue lends itself to sharing completely, and you can eat at the same restaurant multiple times and have a different experience each time. One day, pizza, the next day, Taiwanese beef noodles. You can design your experience based on the mood that you’re in, and it doesn’t get stale.” Natera said he is currently enchanted with their tonkotsu-style ramen.

The other concepts include Good Things, where you can grab and go with a cold brew coffee and a scratch-made snack; the lobby bar known as Fulton, where you can kick back and enjoy some local wine, beer, or spirits along with some very Austinstyle live music; and the aforementioned Rules & Regs on the pool level for an assortment of nibbles and libations.

APRIL 2020 | 7

Fairmont Spa Austin According to Spa Director MacKenzie MacDonald, most guests are also pleasantly surprised by the vast luxury spa experience at Fairmont Austin. “It’s definitely more like what you’d see in a resort, with our expansive wet facilities,” he said.

The spa is the largest full-service spa in the Downtown Austin area and boasts nine treatment rooms, two VIP couples’ suites, and gorgeous solariums with floor-toceiling windows with cityscape views.

MacDonald encourages guests to come at least an hour before their appointment to take full advantage of the hydrotherapy wellness solariums, which feature a saline soaking pool, a eucalyptus steam grotto, and a European dry heat sauna. It is truly a downtown oasis, where you can relax, rejuvenate, and rediscover your Zen in just a few hours, or a full day if you so choose.

The spa offers sensory experiences that incorporate organic elements of the Texas Hill Country. “The Fairmont looks at drawing from a sense of place, from local surroundings,” MacDonald said. “We really blend both traditional and modern luxury. It’s a little different than what you find in other places . . . we pamper you before and after, and we offer traditional therapies, but use a lot of modern technologies to give people what they’re looking for.”

He recommended a treatment called the Texas Hill Country Awakening, a decadent two-hour experience that starts with a mineral foot soak while enjoying some tea.

After a jaunt in the eight-jet Swiss shower, you receive a full-body massage using mesquite rolling sticks on those tense pressure points. You finish with a warm rosehip and cedar wood-infused scalp massage and full body scrub in rosemary and lavender. To top it off, you are presented with custom-made truffles by local chocolatier, Delysia.

As spa director, MacDonald is confident guests will leave the spa not only relaxed but happy with the visible results.

However, for a brand as refined as the Fairmont, you can expect to leave any aspect of the hotel with a renewed spring in your step.

McMahon most eloquently explained the experience guests can expect at the Fairmont Austin. “The best way to describe us: we are a luxury brand, and the service experience is part of our culture,” he said. “What that entails is just a relentless obsession with executing service at the highest level.”

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BONNIE HALE, LOST PET SPECIALIST WRITTEN BY: MOLLY WOLCHANSKY | PHOTOS COURTESY OF: BONNIE HALE

MOWGLI AND MURPHY It was mid-morning in August. I sat outside to enjoy my daily cup of coffee, but that particular morning I felt as though something was off. I looked around with my coffee in hand and realized that I could not find one of my cats, Mowgli, who usually enjoyed going outside. We lived in the home for months and months of Mowgli staring at the tall fence, knowing there was no way he could climb it.

I guess he conquered his goal that day. I searched around and called his name, but he did not come.

Days passed while I put up “missing” signs and made phone calls, but nothing came to fruition.

Fast forward to one week later when I was coming back from Dallas Animal Services to see if anyone had found Mowgli. It was my fourth time visiting that week. When I got home, my other cat, Murphy, who also liked going outside occasionally, was gone. I was heart-broken, angry, and confused. After spending hours on the internet trying to figure out what to do, I stumbled upon a Facebook page called Texas Pet Detectives Association, run by a woman named Bonnie Hale. I messaged her that night, and she was at my house by 7:30 a.m. the next day with her search dog, Bodhi. Before that day, I had no idea that pet detectives existed.

APRIL 2020 | 9

THE PET DETECTIVE Bonnie Hale has been a pet detective for thirteen years. Before she started in the business of finding lost pets, she taught English at Saint Louis University, utilizing her master’s degree in English and creative writing. During that time, she also competed with her dogs in competitive agility trials. “I had done some high-level dog training, but mainly I was just a dog fanatic,” Hale said. It was not until she participated in a dog search in St. Louis, Missouri, that her life took a turn. Hale saw a story on the news that someone had left their dog in their car to run an errand, and the car was stolen with the dog inside of it. She called the people who were asking for help, and she and an organization called Missing Pet Partnership set out to find the car and dog. That day, Hale became entranced by the pet detective business and began to understand the concept of using dogs to find missing animals.

Hale found out that the leader of Missing Pet Partnership, Kathy "Kat" Albrecht, now the founder of the Missing Animal Response Network, was offering a training class a few states away. Hale chose her Australian Shepherd rescue, Murphy, to tag along with her to the training, but she had unclear expectations of where it would lead. “Murphy was the logical choice because he was a very smart, big dog,” Hale said. “I really got into this for the dogs, but Murphy ended up being a real cat fanatic himself. He was the poster dog for an ideal cat detection dog, and I was so proud.”

After Murphy finished with his training, Hale was told that he was ready to start searching for missing cats.

Of course, one cannot jump right in and start using their dog to find other people’s missing pets. To become a qualified pet detective, Hale traveled to Fresno, California, to obtain her missing animal response (MAR) technician certification. In addition to the certifications, she also had to become a licensed private investigator. Now, after thirteen years in the business, she has worked with over 2,000 people to find their pets. She started with two cases per week. As her business grew, that number skyrocketed and she transitioned into a full-time lost pet specialist working in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and as far as Slidell, Louisiana.

The search process is not exactly glamourous. Hale goes door-to-door with her search dog asking neighbors for permission to check in their backyard. Some people are less than willing to let her do so, which makes her job a lot more difficult. Many times, Hale and her dogs have to track through dangerous ravines, rubble, trees, and overgrown alleys, and she has run into her fair share of snakes and even wild hogs.

In addition to nature, there is always a possibility of finding the animal deceased.

Unfortunately, she has come across this tragedy more times than she can count.

“People go from feeling very hopeful to feeling very desperate to utter panic — this huge range of emotions,” Hale said. “It’s brutal.”

The search, of course, does not always end up negative. There are many situations in which Hale and her dogs have found the animal for which they are searching.

Once her dogs get to their goal, they are heavily rewarded with treats and love. Hale worked with her dog Murphy for seven years until he passed away. With Murphy in dog paradise, she now uses Bodhi (her boxer/terrier/corgi/beagle/etc. mix) to search for cats, and Idabelle, her American black and tan coonhound, to search for dogs. The search goes beyond dogs and cats, as Hale said she has received phone calls about a lost pig, ferret, tortoise, miniature cow, and even an aardvark.

10 | APRIL 2020

Bonnie rewarding Bodhi after a search

Of course, one cannot jump right in and start using their dog to find other people’s missing pets. To become a qualified pet detective, Hale traveled to Fresno, California, to obtain her missing animal response (MAR) technician certification.

THE SEARCH Hale arrived at my home on that hot August morning with Bodhi and got to work. She asked me to bring something out that the cats slept on so Bodhi could become familiar with both cats' scents. Hale was honest with me and told me that because Mowgli had been missing for a week, there was not a high chance of finding him, because his scent trail was not strong anymore. I walked with Bodhi and Hale down streets and alleyways. We knocked on doors and searched in garages and under porches. Bodhi found a few cats, but they were not Murphy or Mowgli. After a few hours of circling the neighborhood, we arrived at the house next to mine. After receiving permission, Bodhi and Hale made their way back. Before doing so, Hale informed me that the majority of the time, the missing cat is directly next door, so I walked back there with them.

Bodhi went straight to the back of the yard, and there, lying on the ground behind the garage, was a gray cat with a purple collar. He had no visible marks on him and no injuries, but his heartbeat was gone. It was Mowgli. I fell to the ground and sobbed, and Hale came over to me with tears in her eyes to express her sorrow with me. I could see that she was hurting along with me, and I could tell she truly cared about what I was going through. Murphy and Mowgli were with me for twelve years, and then one day, they were both gone. I had never experienced the loss of a pet, much less two pets, and I do not think I could describe the feeling.

Life does not always go the way you want. It does not always end in a happily ever after or a glorious reunion with something that disappeared from your reach. We did not find Murphy that day, but Hale helped me and told me what to do next. She sent me signs to place all around the neighborhood and a detailed email with search instructions. She called me later to make sure I was okay and check in on the search. I had never held a pet funeral (and before, I even thought it was kind of silly), but because Hale and Bodhi were able to locate Mowgli, I buried him in a fuzzy pink blanket on my father’s land. My whole family even came to support me at his funeral.

I never found Murphy. To Hale, I will be known as one of the most devastating cases she has worked in her career, and the only person she has worked with who lost two animals.

Hale helps people find their missing animals and closure, as she helped me locate Mowgli. Although we did not find my cat Murphy, I like to think that he found a new home and is living his best life imaginable. Hale said that she and Bodhi find indoor cats 80 percent of the time, and she and Idabelle find the missing dogs very often as well. If a dog or cat is not found on her search, she does everything in her power to find the animals, even returning to search the next day for a lower cost if requested.

Hale and her dogs, Bodhi and Idabelle, have brought so much happiness to the homes of those who thought they would never see their furry family members again. They continue searching across multiple states to return lost animals into the arms of their loving families. Hale said she could not be happier with her work: “Taking my dog to work every day and putting families back together – what could be better than that?”

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REWILD WRITTEN BY: ALISHA MCDARRIS PHOTOS COURTESY OF: CRISTINA SCHOOLER

Your Life

REWILDING. REROOTING. NATURE THERAPY.

More than buzzwords, these are increasingly accepted concepts suited for mental and physical healing, as well as overall well-being. But in our fastpaced culture, one steeped in social media, over-packed schedules, highstress jobs, and family obligations that leave us stressed and overstimulated, we have lost our connection to the natural world around us and the peace it brings.

Cristina Schooler is trying to change that. With her Austin-based integrative nature experience company, The Rooted Method, she is attempting to remind people of their place in the world and that slowing down can bring harmony to more aspects of our lives than we might think.

It is easy to get so caught up in day-to-day obligations (sporting events, work deadlines, fitness routines, to-do lists) that we ignore life’s macro perspective: everything is connected, and all the little pieces do not exist in a vacuum but fit together like a puzzle to create the bigger picture that is our lives.

Schooler’s mission is to help people step back, see that big picture of their interconnected human existence, and find a place of harmony where they feel capable, connected, and more rooted in all areas of their lives.

Somewhere along the way, mankind forgot that innate resilience to hardship and challenges. Schooler believes with all her heart that rooting ourselves in nature has the power to do the same in our lives.

“I felt that there was a gap in knowledge, understanding, and spiritual connection with Mother Nature,” Schooler said. “There is such a vast richness in learning and healing in mind, body, and spirit that comes with spending a few days in nature, but none of us were ever taught how to truly connect to the gifts of Mother Nature that enrich our lives.”

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THE METHOD

Schooler has become the teacher. She leads guided nature meditation and reflection walks in Austin several times a month, monthly camping retreats, multi-night retreats in Big Bend National Park, a four-week in-person program for women called Rooted Sisterhood, corporate retreats, and an annual Rewild Festival. This is a two-day event in Austin encouraging people to connect with nature, themselves, and others in mind, body, and spirit.

The Rooted Method is not an outdoor company or a backpacking outfitter. Schooler is not leading experienced hikers on grueling excursions or instructing people how to survive in the wilderness, nor is she an adventure guide or meditation guru. She is simply utilizing naturebased education and programming to provide an integrated experience that brings harmony to people’s lives through guided meditation, music, hiking, and journaling.

“When someone walks away from an event or retreat, I want them to feel more relaxed in their body, more in tune,” Schooler said. “I want people to feel in harmony with themselves.”

THE COMMUNITY

But it is about more than brain function for Schooler; it is about human connection, too.

On the front page of her website, a quote by Florence Williams, author of The Nature Fix, was in bold: “One of the underappreciated benefits of venturing into remote landscapes is that we are often thrown into connecting with each other.”

“Nature is the one thing we all have in common,” Schooler said.

She believes that sitting with strangers in nature can heal the world. Experiencing it together and learning what it can do for well-being is why she started The Rooted Method in 2017. But the best part of her job is standing back to watch as participants find their place in nature.

CRISTINA SCHOOLER

FOUNDER, The Rooted Method

THE SCIENCE

Some might think the concept sounds a bit New Age, but science suggests otherwise. Spending time in nature has been proven to reduce stress, and more physicians across the country are prescribing time outdoors to patients who suffer from a variety of conditions, from physical to mental.

“It's when people realize that the day-to-day life they experience is not the only one that exists, that there is a world within the plants, the trees, and a special kind of harmony that is created when we gather together outdoors,” Schooler said.

No outdoor experience is required to attend any of The Rooted Method events, nor do participants have to live in or near Austin. Every foray she leads into the outdoors, much like the outdoors itself, is open to everyone, no matter their experience or knowledge with nature, meditation, or the benefits that come from connecting with the people and the world around them. Find upcoming events at The Rooted Method’s website.

According to a study performed by psychologists at the University of Utah and the University of Kansas, backpackers and campers who spent four days immersed in nature and disconnected from technology showed a 50 percent improvement on a creativity test. Additionally, the University of Michigan psychology researchers found that memory and focus improved twenty percent after participants spent an hour interacting with nature.

David Strayer, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Utah, found that disconnecting with technology while in nature had a beneficial impact on people’s brains, allowing them to feel more relaxed, even after leaving the hiking trail, and resulted in participants remembering twice as much of what they saw and experienced than those who used cell phones during the walk.

And the more time spent in nature means more benefits, too: three days sans technology is associated with better problem solving, memory, creativity, lower levels of stress, and more positive feelings of well-being.

APRIL 2020 | 13

COWBOY ROUND UP AT THE

Fancy

HOTEL W

WRITTEN BY: DIANE ADAMS

hen the Southern Pacific Transportation Company rolled into San Antonio on an early May morning in 1898, it was carrying then-Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt, who was bent on a mission. Roosevelt disembarked and encamped himself and his entourage at the historic Menger Hotel in Alamo Plaza. The already popular public favorite and future United States president arrived in Texas with plans to create a unit of men willing to take their chances on a daring plan to oust the Spanish from Cuba, which was then under Spanish control. A part of an offensive in the SpanishAmerican War, the unit, officially known as the First United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, was affectionately dubbed Roosevelt’s Rough Riders. It was named in honor of William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody’s trick riding, sharpshooting, and

crowd-pleasing traveling show, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World, of which Roosevelt was a passionate fan.

Local San Antonio papers, as well as national media, ran countless stories on Roosevelt’s temporary headquarters in Texas, describing his recruitment techniques and plans for the troops that had already become famous before ever lifting a weapon in actual combat. From the bar-room of the Menger Hotel, the Ivy League graduate made speeches to audiences of raw recruits on the future glory to be won by joining up to serve their country through the Cuba effort. Roosevelt organized an eclectic combination of fellow Ivy League northeasterners, and a ragtag collection of Native Americans, frontiersman, and sharpshooting rebels from the Western states. In his famous personal memoirs of the event, Roosevelt wrote: “We drew a great many recruits from Texas, and from nowhere did we get a higher average, for many of them had served in that famous body of frontier fighters, the Texas Rangers. Of course, these rangers needed no teaching. They were trained to obey and to take responsibility. They were splendid shots, horsemen, and trailers. They were accustomed to living in the open, to enduring great fatigue and hardship, and to encountering all kinds of danger.”

Recruits from all over the country flowed into San Antonio, seeking adventure and desiring to contribute to the wellbeing of the nation. The slick-dressing Northern recruits from the likes of Harvard and Yale, held the fascinated interest of the locals, while men such as Bronco George, Rattlesnake Pete, and other colorful characters from the Western states brought an element of wild adventure and fearlessness to Roosevelt’s idea.

“There were men who had roped wild steers in the mesquite brush of the Nueces, and who, year in and year out, had driven the trail herds northward over desolate wastes and across the fords of shrunken rivers to the fattening grounds of the Powder and the Yellowstone,” Roosevelt wrote: “They were hardened

PHOTO COURTESY OF: PAUL THOMPSON, NEW YORK WORLD-TELEGRAM AND THE SUN NEWSPAPER PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION (LIBRARY OF CONGRESS)

Theodore Roosevelt, Leonard Wood, and Alexander O. Brodie sitting in front of camp tents in San Antonio

to the scorching heat and bitter cold of the dry plains and pine-clad mountains.

They were accustomed to sleep in the open, while the picketed horses grazed beside them near some shallow, reedy pool. They had wandered hither and thither across the vast desolation of the wilderness, alone or with comrades. They Theodore Roosevelt greeting Rough Riders had cowered in the shelter of cut banks from the icy blast of the norther, and far out on the midsummer prairies, they had known the luxury of lying in the shade of the wagon during the noonday rest. They had lived in brush The cavalry unit arrived in Florida by train on May 30, 1898. lean-tos for weeks at a time, or with only the wagon-sheet as From there, it was dispatched to Cuba, yet the majority of the an occasional house. They had fared hard when exploring mounts for the cavalry were inadvertently left behind. Malaria, the unknown; they had fared well on the round-up, and they yellow fever, an uncoordinated launch, and the unexpected had known the plenty of the log ranch-houses, where the strength of the Spanish resistance led to large casualty numbers tables were spread with smoked venison and calf-ribs and among the Rough Riders. Returning to the U.S., many of the milk and bread, and vegetables from the garden-patch. (Such troops faced poverty and hardships resulting from the expedition were the men we had as recruits: soldiers ready-made, as far yet refused government compensation out of a sense of loyalty as concerned their capacity as individual fighters.)” to Roosevelt and the country’s cause.

While hundreds of Roosevelt’s friends and political PHOTO COURTESY OF: PAUL THOMPSON (LIBRARY OF CONGRESS)

associates from the well-to-do Northern states signed on for the expedition, and many more were rejected due to lack of space, the majority of the recruits were from the frontier territories. “These were the men who made up the bulk of the regiment and gave it its peculiar character,” Roosevelt wrote. “They came from the Four Territories, which yet remained within the boundaries of the United States; that is, from the lands that have been most recently won over to white civilization, and in which the conditions of life are nearest those that obtained on the frontier when there still was a frontier. They were a splendid set of men, these Southwesterners — tall and sinewy, with resolute, weatherbeaten faces, and eyes that looked a man straight in the face without flinching. They included in their ranks men of every occupation; but the three types were those of the cowboy, the hunter, and the mining prospector — the man who wandered hither and thither, killing game for a living, and spending his life in the quest for metal wealth.”

The First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment trained at the nearby county fairgrounds in San Antonio (which later became Riverside Park) under the command of then-Colonel Leonard Wood. Roosevelt himself was offered the command, but having resigned his secretary post, declined to lead the unit, citing his inexperience with live combat. Instead, he took the rank of lieutenant colonel and served alongside his troops, suffering the same hardships and deprivations as anyone else in the company.

While the Rough Riders and their intrepid founder failed to live up to expectations with their performance on the Cuban front, a bold charge on San Juan Hill, billed as a glorious victory amid the heartbreak of many losses, helped to cement Roosevelt and his Rough Riders in the public mind as a great leader and fighting company. The Rough Riders were disbanded several weeks after the San Juan assault, but the entire episode remained firmly entrenched in the collective American imagination, preserved in silent film reenactments that helped inspire generations of Americans to volunteer their services for the country’s military recruitment projects and added to the legend and mystique that surrounded Roosevelt himself.

The historic Menger Hotel has played host to a long line of famous people, from singer Frank Sinatra to the first President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston, yet Roosevelt’s stay is perhaps the most celebrated one of all. The bar in the hotel, a replica of the taproom at the House of Lords club in England, was at one point renamed as The Roosevelt Bar in honor of the Rough Riders unit and the vision of the highly educated, yet wild and wooly American idealist, who was their founder. The section of Riverside Park where the recruits trained is now part of Riverside Golf Course, yet the deeds of the tough yet humble Theodore Roosevelt and his equally fearless Rough Riders remain embedded in the historical memory of San Antonio to this day.

APRIL 2020 | 15

C I T Y G U ID E OF

CANYON, TX: WRITTEN BY: CELESTE TAMEZ

Where to Stay

HUDSPETH HOUSE BED & BREAKFAST Rich in history, the charming Hudspeth House Bed & Breakfast dates back to the 1800s.

When the city of Canyon was established in 1889, Thomas P. Turk and his brother, owners of a successful dry goods company, built a house. In 1910, West Texas State Normal College (now West Texas A&M University) opened, and a teacher named Mary E. Hudspeth moved to Canyon to teach. The Turk brothers rented her a room, and eventually, sold her the property.

She relocated the home to its current location to be closer to campus.

PHOTO COURTESY OF: HUDSPETH HOUSE

What to Do

Since the passing of Hudspeth in 1943, the house endured five different owners. In 1987, it was transformed into a bed and breakfast. The 7,500-square-foot historic landmark offers guests seven rooms, each intentionally designed and decorated. Each room’s name carries significance, honoring local artists, the Palo Duro Canyon, and former owners’ children. The house features three functioning fireplaces, authentic stained-glass windows, and original hardwood flooring.

BURROWING OWL BOOKS

TH E 1,7 00 -SQ UA RE FO OT SH OP IS FIL LE D W IT H BO OK SH ELVE S HA ND MA DE BY TO DD BE LL .

Book lovers of all ages can explore the cozy, hand-crafted Burrowing Owl bookstore.

Family-owned and operated, the full-service bookstore in Downtown Canyon offers the perfect nook to curl up with a great read. Dallas and Todd Bell, passionate about books and reading themselves, opened the bookstore in 2017 and have poured more than just different genres into the store.

The 1,700-square-foot shop is filled with bookshelves handmade by Todd. On the shelves, readers can find fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and even first edition novels.

In their collection, about 90 percent have been previously read and loved. Visitors can even purchase books published by local Canyon authors, unique gifts, and cards. The bookstore will also purchase your books in exchange for store credit. Whether you are looking to support a local business or itching for a new read, stop by for a new treasure to burrow into.

PHOTO COURTESY OF: DALLAS BELL

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Must See

PALO DURO CANYON STATE PARK Become one with nature and witness breathtaking views at the Palo Duro Canyon State Park. This scenic Texas gem formed from water erosion from a combination in nature: Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River and the West Texas wind. The natural landscape extends 15,000 acres, with red-orange rock and greenery spanning as far as the eye can see. The canyon’s colors are layered in an ombre scheme ranging from red, orange, white, gray, and maroon. These colors reflect how Palo Duro Canyon and the spectacular natural beauty within stand the test of time.

A fourteen-mile drive from Canyon Main Street begins your state park experience. Visitors can traverse Palo Duro’s incredible scenery by hiking or biking through the miles of rocky trails. The park has a variety of historical sites and markers with which explorers can interact. Stop for lunch and take a breather at one of the park’s many picnic tables, restrooms, and showers. Birders, grab your binoculars.

Palo Duro offers guidance on the trails to help spot unique native birds, as well as educational infographics.

No matter what time of year you visit Canyon, be sure to pack clothes to protect you from the elements and plenty of water, as the canyon floors can reach hot temperatures.

Where to Eat

SAYAKOMARN'S RESTAURANT

Since 2007, Sayakomarn’s Restaurant has been a tasty staple in the Canyon community. The restaurant, owned and operated by Cindy Sayakomarn and her family, began after she attended school in the area. The West Texas A&M University graduate and her family introduced a new world of flavors to the Panhandle area of Texas, and the restaurant has been a family affair ever since. After eight years of success in Canyon, Sayakomarn’s Restaurant relocated into a brand new building near its former residence.

In an interview with the Canyon People the business owner said, “We wanted to try to cook the food the way we would at home, and that’s worked out well for us.” Try they did. Sayakomarn’s Restaurant offers an array of authentic Thai and Laotian cuisine made from fresh ingredients, with other dishes inspired by Asian cultures. Order a Canyon favorite like the Banker Special or another classic dish like the sweet and sour chicken. With a multitude of mild to spicy dishes on the menu, there is something for everyone! The restaurant is open Monday through Sunday serving freshly-made lunch and dinner.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF: TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE

APRIL 2020 | 17

TEXASLIVING

PROTIPS How to Get the Perfect Portrait PROTIP ONE

If you are recently engaged, about to get married, or have an anniversary coming up, you are probably dreaming about the perfect portrait. One of the most important aspects of an exquisite photograph is lighting. From the brightness, tone, texture, mood, and atmosphere: lighting controls everything about a photo. To get that perfect portrait, schedule your session approximately two hours before sunset. This is when you will have soft, creamy lighting that makes for the most beautiful and dreamy images. Second, make sure you choose a location that allows for even lighting, to eliminate inconsistent brightness and shadows within your portrait.

Keeping these two ideas in mind will help provide you with a portrait so elegant, you will want to frame and hang it on your wall.

Jordan Daly

OWNER, JORDAN ANN PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTO COURTESY OF: JORDAN ANN PHOTOGRAPHY

Last Minute Travel PROTIP TWO

The day before a trip, attempting to run last minute errands can be frazzling. However, following these last-minute travel tips can help alleviate stress the minute you return. Before you leave, try to make a stop at the gas station to fill your vehicle.

In addition, a trip to the grocery store to pick up snacks for the flight and essentials like bread and half-and-half to stock the fridge will help combat an empty fridge. This will ensure preparedness for activities when you return.

Jane Ko

OWNER, A TASTE OF KOKO

PHOTOS COURTESY OF: JANE KO

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TALES OF A TEXAS

Horse

TRADER WRITTEN BY: DIANE ADAMS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF: JOHNNY AND MILLY KIRKLIN

I met Johnny and Milly, his wife, at a local café to talk with him about his life experience as a Texas ranch hand.

“They made a bumper crop of cotton back on the Panhandle one year,” Johnny Kirklin said in a soft-spoken drawl. The 72-year-old resident of Mercury, Texas, and oldschool storyteller continued. “They needed a place to store all that cotton. So they’d take two sticks of cedar, cut just right, so they could stack them on the ground. They had millions of bales that had to have those cedar poles. So Daddy come down and got us, and we got in some virgin cedar and started cutting.

They had to be like a 3-inch diameter, about 2 feet long, so we’d load the cut wood on the trailer. We made pretty good money off of them. One time we’d have plenty of money, then the next we’re out beating the bush, looking for money. That’s just part of being independent, being free. Horse trading around, I guess you could call it. There’s nothing guaranteed about it.”

DRIVING IN THE DARK “Growing up in Brady, Texas, there was never any, and there’s still not now, any jobs. So I had to find a way to make money,” Kirklin said, while slowly stirring a cup of black coffee at the Red Wagon Restaurant in Brownwood. His sharp, blue eyes flared into the cup as he thought back. “So we made our own jobs, and I grew up doing that, and that’s what I call horse trading stuff.”

Kirklin kept at it, “My dad, he’d go to East Texas. We’d leave out at midnight to avoid the highway patrol, drive all the way to East Texas. I was just twelve years old, and we’d set out to leave the house, so mamma didn’t know that I was driving. He’d pull over and say, ‘I’m gonna lay down in the seat and get some sleep.

You get over and drive.’ Truck had a big old steering wheel; I could just see underneath that steering wheel. We was going the back ways, and he’d go to sleeping, and it scared me to death when I’d meet a car on those farm to market roads,” he said.

“We stopped at a truck stop. I was hungry. I’d been driving, and it was just turning daylight, so he said, ‘Pull over here to the truck stop.’ I pulled over there, just looking underneath the steering wheel. I was glad not to handle any more traffic, and we went in there. Well, I’d never really been out of Brady, and that was a big deal for me to go down there, and the waitress come down, and Daddy ordered his eggs over easy and all that.

I’d never heard of it. She asked me, ‘Sonny, what’ll you have, how do you want your eggs now?’ and I said, ‘Well I want them cooked.’ I didn’t know there was any other way to have them.”

“We went on down to East Texas from there,” Kirklin said.

“We’d pick up at the sawmill a load of ash and shavings. It was my job, after school. I’d run these ash posts through this dowel machine and make ‘em round. I’d bundle ‘em up, ten to a bunch, put them in this bobtail truck and run ‘em out to the big ranches where they were building fence,” he explained. “We got like 25 cents apiece for them, which was big money then. I grew up close to the racetrack in Brady. We’d take the wood chips and sell them over there at the racetrack for the stalls for the horses.

Every time they’d have races down there, I’d go down and sell racing programs. You never missed an opportunity to make a dollar around there,” Kirklin remembered.

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and have a saddle on him. I would pull him around with my daughter in the saddle, snubbed up close so he couldn’t get his head down,” he said. “That’s how we like to do it. We never want a horse to learn how to buck.

Joe Dee Davis, Johnny's Grandfather

BECOMING A RANCH HAND Storytelling as an art form was once a popular, even competitive, pastime in Texas during the old settler days of the state’s early history. Tales were woven — some true, some not so much — around fireplaces in the evenings, and the competition was fierce to earn the handle of a good storyteller. Telling tales was a way for settlers to catch up on news and to take a break from the harsh workload and constant dangers presented by the largely unsettled lands west of Austin. Fourth-generation Texan Johnny Kirklin, cowboy, bulldozer man, and general jack-of-all-trades, can tell stories with the best. He ended up cowboying, he said (not surprisingly), because of the stories his grandfather told him about the life: “My granddad told me all them old stories about him working on the Slaughter Ranch, way out in West Texas back in the teens, the turn of the century,” Kirklin said. “He rode to El Paso to join “Black Jack” Pershing to look for Pancho Villa down in Mexico. He just told me all those stories about him working the big ranches in West Texas and New Mexico.

So I grew up listening to all that, and we headed out that way, after Milly and I got married. We went up to Big Lake, there was 125 sections up there, and my grandad come and helped us during roundup. My mother would come out and ride too.

Well, we moved from that ranch to Six Shooter, Texas, near Fort Stockton. We did a lot of roundup work, bringing in cattle and sheep. We’d spend a lot of time fixing the fences and then fixing windmills. One ranch had 65 windmills. When we wasn’t out tending livestock, we always had a windmill needing to be fixed,” Kirklin said.

He shared the benefits provided by the ranch owners while working as a hand. “We’d have a milk cow,” he said. “They usually furnished you with a milk cow and one or two beefs a year. We had our chickens and the garden. They’d give you two good older ranch horses and two young green ones to train. I usually took green broke horses and tried to put miles on them.

Never, ever let them learn how to buck.”

Eventually, Johnny and his wife Milly grew their family.

“My daughter is very good with young horses,” he said. “I used to take a good gelding and we would snub him with a halter

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“You had to go to West Texas to get the bigger money on a ranch. We’d come to town once a month to buy groceries.

Milly ordered a course to teach our kids. It was too far to get to any schools, so she homeschooled our kids back before it was cool to do that,” he said.

Milly Adams Kirklin has been married to Johnny for 52 years. She weighed in on what their life was like back then.

“We didn’t throw things away back then,” Milly said. “We fixed them. Johnny never stops. He never gives up. Sometimes it looks like an impossible situation; he just keeps on and keeps on until it works. He might get discouraged and put it up for the night, but the next day he’s back at it. If something is broke, he doesn’t throw it away,” she said while stacking up breakfast dishes on the café table. And on the stories flowed.

“My grandad was always horse trading,” Kirklin said.

“He’d go out to West Texas and buy a horse. He used to take me with him, when I was young. He had an old car, like a ‘56 old car, and he’d pull a two-horse trailer behind it. And when you go out in West Texas, used to be, [and] still like that a little bit, there might be a big windmill or a rock reservoir right there next to the highway. We’d pull over and he’d make coffee, maybe get some pork and beans, and he’d stake his horse out there and he’d get water to water that horse. He’d lay down in the seat and go to sleep. So that’s how I went into horse trading,” he explained. “I was probably eight or nine years old. I wanted to live the life my grandad grew up in, riding for the big ranches, so I did. Then it got to the point where I needed to make more money; the bulldozers did that, so I got into that work.”

The morning passed, fading into a cold, cloudy noon in late October, while I sat listening. The tales of a lifetime, the stories of lessons learned, and the ideals embodied all came one by one. Johnny Kirklin is what author J. Frank Dobie would have deemed ‘out of the old rock.’ He sought out and continued a slower pace of life, passed down from one generation to the next through extraordinary tales. These stories kept alive characters and lifestyles built on a foundation of hard work, handshakes, and a wry sense of humor. “He can look right at you and tell you a joke; his face never changes,” Milly said.

“You don’t know it is a joke.”

Ovella Ada Davis, Johnny's Mother

““I was probably eight or nine years old. I wanted to live the life my grandad grew up in, riding fo r the big ranches, so I did.”

Johnny Kirklin

HORSE TRADING TO BULLDOZING TO SWEEPING CHIMNEYS “A guy I grew up with over in Brady, he moved to Bethesda, Maryland on the East Coast,” Kirklin said. “He got in the business of cleaning chimneys. That was a big deal back then. I was working on a ranch down in Lampasas when he had me fly up there. He sent me the airfare [and] kept begging me to come up, so I went up there and he showed me the chimney business.”

“So I came home and we packed our stuff. My friend had some old equipment for me to get started,” Kirklin said. The Kirklins moved off the ranch and shifted their lives to Austin.

“I started doing that, cleaning chimneys. It was possible for one person with just two hands to make $150,000 a year doing that.

We thought we’d won the lottery. We come right off that wild buffalo ranch to the big city. We couldn’t believe there’d be stores to stay open all night,” Kirklin said of the city life.

“So we’d clean chimneys and that’s how I got to meet some famous people. I went to one house, and the guy said, ‘You come on into my study here.’” So Kirklin went in and the two chatted a while. “We’d got to talking a bit and he was writing a book about Texas. And he wanted me to come in his office. I didn’t know

who he was, but he told me he was writing this book.” After being interviewed by the man for nearly an hour, Kirklin began to worry about turning the money from cleaning chimneys. The man kept him to the point that Kirklin had to “go back and make some different appointments because I had other appointments I was committed to that day.”

Later, Kikrlin shared the account with his wife. “I actually went back there to talk to him three or four times,” he said.

“I told Milly, ‘This man here made me miss my appointments because he was writin’ this book about Texas.’ And she said, ‘Who is it?’ I told her and she said, ‘Oh my gosh. That’s James Michener.’ She’s the one who told me who it was. That kind of business, you met all kinds of people.”

At this point, the check had been sitting on the table for over an hour and the staff of Red Wagon Restaurant seemed ready for us to leave. “I’ll tell you another one,” Johnny said, “about the time I took a trailer load of [raccoons] to Lookout Mountain, out in North Carolina. You see back then … ”

APRIL 2020 | 21

THE WRITING COWBOY Ask writers or book aficionados in West Texas if they have ever heard of or met Elmer Kelton, who, more than a decade after his death, is immortalized in his hometown as San Angelo’s western writing ambassador, and eyes alight with recognition. For those who knew him, anecdotes about the cowboyhat wearing, bespectacled journalistturned prolific western author pour forth. For those who never had the honor of an encounter, most have at least heard of one of his more than 40 novels, the likes of which line the shelves of Felton Cochran’s Cactus Book Shop in Downtown San Angelo.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF: CACTUS BOOK SHOP

WRITTEN BY: BECCA NELSON SANKEY

“That’s just the kind of guy he was,” Cochran said, who met Kelton in the 1980s when the writer would frequent his book shop and furniture store. “He was down to earth. He always seemed in awe from the fame he had from his books.”

Cochran later began hosting book signings for Kelton in the late ‘90s at his bookstore’s former location on Oakes Street. “I had been a fan of his for many years,” he admitted. “I had read all of his books up to that point, and I’ve read all of them since that point. We just hit it off and started working together. I’d have book signings, and they’d be huge. He was a gentleman and an easy-going old cowboy - although he’d tell you he wasn’t a cowboy.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF: BECCA SANKEY PHOTOGRAPHY

Cochran has dedicated a section of his shop to his late friend, with whom he visited on the very day he died in 2009. A few of Kelton’s signature cowboy hats hang on one narrow wall, while newspaper clippings and photos adorn others. It is, in a sense, a veritable shrine to a man Cochran knew for more than two decades as a profoundly talented writer and, perhaps even more importantly, a hospitable gentleman who was not above inviting fans into his home for a coffee and impromptu book signing.

Kelton certainly had the roots to be one, however. Kelton was born April 29, 1926, at Horse Camp on the Five Wells Ranch in Andrews County to Robert William “Buck” Kelton (a working cowboy and ranch foreman) and Neta Beatrice “Bea” Parker. He had three brothers. When Kelton was three, the family moved to the McElroy Ranch in the Crane and Upton Counties, where his father worked for decades. There he spent his time at the ranch’s three different homesteads.

“We both agreed, without saying it aloud, that I would never become a real cowboy.

Who would pay me for my limited skills?”

In his autobiography, Sandhills Boy: The Winding Trail of a Texas Writer, published in 2007, Kelton wrote: “…I had ambitions to become a cowboy like my father and grandfather [at the McElroy Ranch]. It was where I had to concede, after years of bumps, bruises, and disappointments, that I never would.”

“I had known for years what I wanted to do but had not known how to tell him. I was afraid he would not understand. But I had to answer his question. I told him I wanted to go to the University of Texas, study journalism, and become a writer.”

Still, he said in his memoir, the ranch where he grew up, albeit different than it was in his youth, forever held a special place in his heart. “…In memory, all is still as it used to be, perhaps bigger and brighter than the reality ever was,” he wrote. “I cannot live there again, but I can visit in my mind. I go every day, for a little while.”

Kelton wrote that writing stories became a hobby when he was a young boy of eight or nine years old, “though I never had the nerve to put them in an envelope and send them to a magazine. On the contrary, I did them mostly in secret, for writing seemed a sissy activity for a ranch boy when there were chickens to be roped and milk-pen calves to be ridden.”

During his senior year of high school, he wrote, his father asked him what he was going to make of himself. “We both agreed, without saying it aloud, that I would never become a real cowboy. Who would pay me for my limited skills?”

Kelton graduated from Crane High School at the tender age of sixteen, attended UT for a spell but, by his own account, began to feel guilty for not joining the war. By eighteen, he had joined the U.S. Army. It was his second choice after the U.S. Navy rejected him for his “flat feet.” Kelton served from 1944 to 1946, of which time he had combat infantry experience in Europe during World War II. While in Austria, he met Anna “Anni” Lipp, an Austrian native, whose “…shining blue eyes [melted me] like butter in the sunshine” and whose “smile told me she was worth whatever it took,” he wrote.

Kelton brought his fiancée and her son, Gerhard (later known as Gary), back to his home in the United States, and the couple married in 1947. Though they did not embark on a honeymoon, Kelton took his new bride to an uncomfortably hot Fourth of July barbeque in Crane, then drove to Pecos for Anni’s first rodeo.

“It was no less hot there than in Crane, and dusty as well,” Kelton wrote. “She has never been to a Pecos rodeo since.”

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Kelton returned to UT and finally conjured the gumption to begin pursuing a writing career, but his manuscripts were repeatedly rejected. However, one editor, Fanny Ellsworth, encouraged him to persist and sent him notes on how he could improve. Finally, he wrote, Ellsworth sent him a check for $65 for his short story, appropriately titled, There’s Always Another Chance. “I thought I could see fame and fortune right around the corner,” he wrote.

In 1948, Kelton graduated from UT with his bachelor’s degree in journalism. Then San Angelo came calling. “Fortunately, because of my ranch background, I was invited to San Angelo to interview for a job at the San Angelo Standard-Times and was hired to be a farm and ranch writer,” he wrote. While working in this capacity, Kelton summoned the courage to switch from writing short stories to novels, and in 1956, he published his first book, Hot Iron.

“With two careers in parallel, I felt like a juggler trying to keep two plates spinning,” Kelton admitted in his memoir. “I was shortchanging my growing family by spending so much time at one or the other, but I rationalized that it would be worth the sacrifice in the long run.”

Kelton and Anni’s son Steve was born in 1951, and daughter Kathy in 1954. “They grew up watching me sitting at a typewriter, my back turned to them,” he said.

Kelton’s son, Steve, wrote in Elmer Kelton: Essays and Memories, published in 2011, “As far back as I can recall, he worked at a newspaper during the day and at his own typewriter at night. More than once in later years, he expressed regret that he hadn’t given us kids as much attention as other fathers gave to their children, hammering away at that typewriter from shortly after supper until long after we’d gone to bed. But for us, that was normal; we didn’t know any different, and if we lacked for attention, we were unaware of it.”

San Angelo writer Travis Monday, a longtime member of the San Angelo Writers Club, of which Kelton was a member, met the tenured writer at a book signing at the former Hastings Entertainment. “He would always encourage new writers and always encourage them to read a lot” to better their writing, Monday said. “He was a real gentleman, very kind, humble, generous, and very willing to talk with you and spend time with you.” That time and advice included mentoring budding writers, Monday said.

“One of the best compliments I ever heard [about Kelton] was from a deacon, Frank A. Davis, at a church I pastored in Sweetwater,” Monday said. “We were talking about Elmer Kelton, 24 | APRIL 2020

PHOTO COURTESY OF: BECCA SANKEY PHOTOGRAPHY

Kelton worked full time from 1948 until 1990, said his son Steve Kelton, first at the San Angelo Standard-Times for fifteen years, then as the editor of Sheep and Goat Raiser magazine for five years.

He retired in 1990 after 22 years at Livestock Weekly, but his writing continued up until the final days of his life.

and he said, ‘He could always make you smell the bacon.’

You felt like you were there [in his novels], and he did it in simple language almost anybody could understand.”

Having been a fan of his for many years, Cochran also expressed appreciation for Kelton’s writing style. “Elmer put his characters in a real-life historical setting,” Cochran said. “When you read a Kelton book, you’ll be entertained, you’ll meet some wonderful characters, and there’s usually a little subtle message somewhere in his books.”

“I still have people come in [to the book shop] who have never read a book until they started reading Elmer Kelton, and they’ll read all of his books. That’s happened on many occasions.”

Cochran said he has the largest collection of Kelton’s books in the world, and they are still in demand – particularly his first edition signed copies. “I’ve shipped his books all over the country and into Canada, and I still do,” he said. “People still are looking for his books.”

Kelton’s Western Writers of America peers named him the Best Western Writer of All Time, he was honored with a lifetime achievement award from the National Cowboy Symposium in Lubbock, and he also received a star on the Texas Trail of Fame at the Fort Worth Stockyards.

PHOTO COURTESY OF: BECCA SANKEY PHOTOGRAPHY

The recognition for Kelton’s novels that he so fervently sought early in his career eventually came in droves. He penned more than 40 books; three of those were included in Reader’s Digest Condensed Books. Kelton collected eight Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America. Four other novels received Western Heritage Awards from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, and his book, The Good Old Boys, was adapted into a 1995 movie starring Tommy Lee Jones.

He received the Owen Wister Award for lifetime achievement and the inaugural Lone Star Award for lifetime achievement from the former Larry McMurtry Center for the Arts and Humanities at Wichita Falls’s Midwestern State University.

“I have occasionally been asked if I regret the 42 years I spent in agricultural journalism, for I could have written many more books had I not been tied to a job,” Kelton reflected in his memoir. “I have no such regret. Many of my novels have come partly or wholly from people, places, and situations I observed in my newspaper work. I could never have written The Time It Never Rained had I not covered that story as a reporter for seven years.”

At his funeral on a hot summer day, the Reverend Ricky Burk eulogized Kelton in prose Kelton himself would have been proud of – words that were later transcribed in Elmer Kelton: Essays and Memories. “I believe that history will record that even though he was a great writer, he was even greater in character,” Burk said. “To rub shoulders with Elmer Kelton made you want to be a better person and leave this world better than you found it. I will never cease to be amazed at how he could achieve such fame, popularity, and, no doubt, the wealth that came with it, yet never let it change him. In a world where success is harder than failure, Elmer remained untouched.”

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PHOTO COURTESY OF: CACTUS BOOK SHOP

Kelton was working on yet another book when he died on August 22, 2009, of natural causes. At the time, he left behind his wife of 62 years, Anna, and his two sons, one daughter, four grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and one greatgreat-grandchild. Prior to his death, local artist Raul Ruiz was working on a rendering of what would be a life-size bronze statue of Kelton to be installed at the Stephens Central Library in Downtown San Angelo. The statue was erected in the lobby of the library on Kelton’s birthday in 2011, two years after his death. The statue, complete with a cowboy hat and eyeglasses, stands to this day, a tangible reminder of one of the greatest western writers of all time, whose words, characters, and stories are immortalized in between the worn covers of his cherished novels.

“I still have people come in [to the book shop] who have never read a book until they started reading Elmer Kelton, and they’ll read all of his books.

That’s happened on many occasions.”

Alternatives For decades, American suburban homeowners have been conditioned to believe that every house should feature an expanse of emeraldgreen lawn both in the front and the backyard.

It is a standard that has not been challenged or questioned until recently. Many people have begun to consider alternatives to turf for different reasons. Some want to reduce their water bills. Conventional varieties of turf consume more water than anything else in the landscape. Others like the idea of converting the yard to a landscape full of native plants that give a regional look and consume less water.

Still others like the idea of replacing turf with a cottage garden or even a fruit and vegetable garden. Whatever your reasons for wanting to find an alternative to turf, consider these tips in replacing the conventional lawn with something else.

to the

LAWN WRITTEN BY AND PHOTOS COURTESY OF: STEVE HUDDLESTON

DESIGN Before you eliminate your lawn, decide how you want the renovated yard to look. Do you want it to be formal or informal? Do you want a natural, regional look that incorporates native plants? Do you want a cottage garden look that uses only perennials, or a combination of shrubs, perennials, and annuals?

Decide if you want to incorporate features such as boulders, sculptures, walks, steppingstones, arbors or trellises, water features, a swing, or a deck. If you need help creating a design, rely upon the services of a landscape designer or landscape architect. They will work with you to create the look you want.

PROCEDURE After creating a design, the first thing you need to do is to eliminate the existing turf. This can be accomplished by making at least two applications of glyphosate herbicide while the grass is actively growing. During the growing season, it could take ten to fourteen days for the grass to die completely. Once you take this step, there is no turning back!

The next step is to amend the soil if necessary. If you have clay soil, you can spread two inches of expanded shale over the dead grass and use a rototiller to incorporate this product into the clay soil. Expanded shale can be purchased in bulk at soil and stone yards. Because of its many internal air pockets, expanded shale aerifies and loosens tight, heavy clay. Next, spread a 2- to 3-inch layer of aged (not fresh) compost over the entire area and incorporate that product into the underlying mix. Aged compost also loosens heavy clay and helps turn it into a more friable medium.

Once the soil had been amended, use a bow rake to grade the entire area; this is where you can get creative! Grading is nothing more than sculpting the soil to assume the slope you want it to have, ranging from flat, inclined, or mounded.

If you want berms, now is the time to create them.

If you want to include boulders, place them after you have established the grade, and make any adjustments to the grade around them. This is also a good time to lay steppingstones or any other kind of hard surface such as sidewalks or pads for a bench.

Something else to do is dig a trench where the soil meets the sidewalk or driveway so that the soil level is 2 to 3 inches below the level of the concrete. Doing this ensures that, even after you have applied mulch to the area, soil and mulch will not wash out onto the sidewalk or driveway.

IRRIGATION If you have an irrigation system, now is the time to convert it from a system that waters grass to one that will water the kinds of plants you install.

Some communities require drip irrigation for anything other than turf. If you choose not to install an irrigation system, you can simply rely on a hose-end sprinkler to water the area. You may need to hand water certain spots that the sprinkler does not cover.

PLANT MATERIAL This is the part you have been waiting for – the reason you eliminated the lawn in the first place! Use your imagination and knowledge of plant materials to create a beautiful yet low water-use landscape. If you do not know which plants to use, contact a landscape designer or nurseryman who does.

Visit a local botanic garden to learn which plants do well in your area.

Ideally, you should choose low-maintenance plants that require less water than your turf did. Definitely include native plants in the renovated landscape, but do not rule out introduced plants that, once established, exhibit considerable drought tolerance and require low maintenance.

Native plants such as Texas Red Yucca, autumn sage (Salvia greggii), agarita, agaves, yuccas, zexmenia (Wedelia hispida), native and introduced ornamental grasses, coral honeysuckle, crossvine, coralberry, Turk’s cap, and fall aster combine to create a native Texas and very regional look.

In choosing plant materials, decide on a color scheme, and when you want those colors to appear - spring, summer, fall, winter, or all four.

With perennials and bulbs, you can have a succession of color from late February to November. Blooming shrubs and trees can provide color in the spring or summer, and the foliage and fruit of other shrubs and trees add color to the fall and winter landscape. Ornamental grasses, whether native or introduced, function in the place of shrubs but lend a soft, gentle look to the landscape and send up beautiful inflorescences in late summer that persist through the winter and provide food for birds.

If you want to create the look of a lawn without using turf, consider any number of native or introduced groundcovers that will give you that look.

You may even want to include edible plants in your landscape. Use such fruit trees as jujube, fig, pomegranate, pear, or citrus. Use blackberries as shrubs or even the native agarita for its edible red fruits. Edible perennials can include asparagus, rosemary, Mexican mint marigold, and strawberries. Grapes can function as vines. You can plug in a few annual herbs for accent and their savory flavor. Whichever plants you choose, use a variety of plants to create a tapestry of textures, form, and color in your new landscape. Such a design will have more visual interest than the monoculture you had with turf.

Any number of reasons can compel us to think of alternatives to the traditional lawn. Whatever your reason, take the necessary steps to eliminate the lawn and install a creative alternative. Consider soil amendments and grading. Decide on irrigation, if any. Finally, choose the plants that will create beauty, conserve water, and lower your maintenance. You will be glad you did!

Steve Huddleston is the senior horticulturist at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, co-author of Easy Gardens for North Central Texas, and president of his own landscaping company.

APRIL 2020 | 27

The entryway is the perfect spot for your home to make its first impression. Greet guests, and yourself, with a well-organized, yet functional space.

Layering rugs is best done with two low-pile rugs such as jute.

IN TER I O R DE SIGNER : M E G AN F OR NE S | ML I N TER I O R S GR O U P

WRITTEN BY: TANIA TAYLOR GRIFFIS PHOTOS COURTESY OF: MATTI GRESHAM

When lead designer Megan Fornes first set eyes on this home, it was nearly impossible to nail down an exact style. The designer, who works with ML Interiors Group, started working with the homeowners after they had already purchased a custom built home.

“When I walked through the home for the first time, there were modern features that stood out and yet a whimsical, shabby chic feel," Fornes said.

Additionally, the homeowners had furniture and plenty of collectibles with a more bohemian vibe from travels across the globe added into the mix.

The immediate challenge was to blend the architecture of the home with their personal collections and multiple styles, while adding new furnishings to provide function for their growing family. “I wanted it to be welcoming, express their love for travel while also telling a story about who they are; making sure anything important to our clients had a home rather than feeling out of place and random," she said.

She certainly accomplished that goal, resulting in the stunning home you see here. She found a balance of the feminine and masculine elements in every room and allowed plenty of breathing room throughout the home.

Most importantly, the homeowners loved the space and felt it represented them well. “Once we reviewed what was important to our clients, whether it be a piece of furniture, pillow, or coffee table book, we made sure it made an impact and continued to balance their new design style," Fornes said.

APRIL 2020 | 29

The living room in this home is quite large. To fill the space appropriately, Fornes grouped items together into different areas. For example, the 9- by 12-foot jute rug is anchored with two rattan chairs with a white elephant side table in between.

This large mirror is from Restoration Hardware and sits next to the fireplace.

To balance it, Fornes had large wood shelves installed (see page 34).

This boho Moroccan pouf in a neutral leather helps to create an additional layer that finishes the space.

The stairs in this home serve as a neutral area to help transition spaces. While the downstairs has a lot of pops of red, upstairs has more cool blue tones.

Fornes likes to fill empty spaces with purposeful neutrals. You may notice a repeating theme of greenery in woven baskets throughout the home—this is no coincidence. Greenery is used as a neutral thread throughout the home, while the woven baskets add texture.

This custom pillow exemplifies how the fabrics throughout the home bring the design together, while also serving as focal points. “You can easily remove the upholstery throughout and see that the rooms would become bland and not their style,” Fornes said.

APRIL 2020 | 31

This upstairs balcony is off the game room. The rustic doors (found at Round Top) were added to a more modern looking track to blend styles.

32 | APRIL 2020

Much of the artwork throughout the home was created by one of the homeowner’s mothers, Mary McKinley – Haas. This particular piece acted as its own greenery to soften the burgundy tones in the dining room.

Even the dishware itself speaks to the merging of styles in this home.

“These aren’t your typical plates,” Fornes said. “They have that rustic pottery vibe, but they are still white and clean, so we are mixing the simple and ornate together.”

These bamboo shades filter the light while also adding texture to the room.

This ornate table was a muchloved souvenir from a trip abroad and helped serve as a starting point for much of the home’s design. The elephants on the chairs inspired the elephant side table in the living room, and the red colors are carried throughout the home. Fornes opted to layer rugs in this space to make it feel less formal.

"I like to do things in sets of three," she said. "Not everything has to feel like it’s perfect. Instead, I want to make sure it is balanced."

The dark-colored hooks in the entryway had a pretty pearl detail in the center, which Fornes used along with the fabric to pair the feminine and masculine vibe of the home together. “This is actually a rug, but since it was low-pile, I used it as a tapestry to add texture,� she said.

Because everything on the shelf is bright and bold, Fornes turned the books backward so the binding of the books would not compete.

34 | APRIL 2020

The

Book Nook

Settling down to read never gets old. However, searching the house for a quiet, comfortable place to read can be tedious. Why not create a cozy reading nook where you can escape with your favorite tomes?

WRITTEN BY: CLAIRE WILSON

Finding a Space A reading space could be potentially anywhere. It might be an alcove in the living room, a seat by your bedroom window, at a desk, or in a restored attic. Wherever you choose, make sure it has ample room for a comfortable seat and somewhere to set your tea or coffee.

Peace and quiet might be the most sought-after staples of a reading area.

Scout out the potential hideouts to see if they encourage tranquility, muffle noises, and are secluded from the hustle of the home.

Seating Some people like to lounge while reading, some like to curl up in an armchair, some burrow beneath blankets. Others still enjoy porch swings or hammocks outdoors, weather permitting. Installing your preferred seat can be simple and inexpensive. Use an old armchair and drape it completely in soft, cozy throws. Add an ottoman for increased stretching room. Keep several blankets and pillows handy to adjust position without swapping seats.

For dreamy levels of comfort or just a dreamy aesthetic, try something a little more distinct. Papasan chairs, pillow top chaise lounges, pod hanging chairs, and cuddler chairs each give a distinct mood to your reading area.

Lighting This is perhaps the most crucial element of a reading space. You need proper lighting to avoid straining eyes and ensure that you can read at any time. A tall floor or table lamp can be the perfect solution, while strings of lights give a whimsical ambiance. Optimally, readers can choose a large window and build their nook around it. The window provides natural light, visual space, and a scenic view when your eyes need a break from the pages.

Finishing Touches Despite the fire hazard, candles pair perfectly with reading. The flickering light and enchanting aromas allow readers to relax and immerse themselves.

Consider choosing candles with soothing natural scents. Finally, add a house plant and display your bookish collections, such as unique bookmarks and literary artwork.

Now, whenever you want to indulge in a new book, just head to your reading nook. Settle in, you may be there a while.

Books Most importantly, let your little nook reflect your purpose: reading! Keep your books nearby to browse at your leisure. Perhaps choose a separate shelf or bookcase to display your most prized books. These could be ones you discovered while traveling, special editions, signed copies, family heirlooms, or just your favorites. You can arrange the bulk of your books alphabetically or choose a more aesthetically pleasing method.

APRIL 2020 | 35

Spruce Up Your Patio for

Spring WRITTEN BY: TANIA TAYLOR GRIFFIS | PHOTOS COURTESY OF: BUTCH IRELAND

After a long, cold winter, many Texans

are eager to get back outdoors and start utilizing their patios once more. Your outdoor space has been exposed to harsh elements for months and likely needs a little tender loving care to get it back to tip-top shape. Here is everything you need to know to make your patio a favorite spring hangout spot.

REPAIRS

After months of rain, ice, and even snow, your patio will need some routine maintenance. Add these tasks to your spring cleaning checklist to get your space ready.

First of all, inspect your space. Observe if there are any cracks, loose rocks, or tears in the ground that need to be repaired. Depending on what your patio is made from, repairs may require a professional or be a do-it-yourself job.

Those who have a patio made from a natural stone will likely need to seal it, according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Paved patios are required to be sealed as signs of wear are shown, which is generally every three to five years.

Even if your patio is in perfect condition, it likely needs a good power wash to help remove the grit, dirt, and other elements that have collected there during dormant months.

Now is also the right time to take a look at your patio furniture.

If it has been properly stored throughout the inclement weather season, it will need a good wash as well. Check to see if there are any cracks or splits in your wooden furniture that need to be repaired with wood putty, or if there are any screws that need tightening, and then respond accordingly.

36 | APRIL 2020

PLAN OUT YOUR ZONES

Once your patio is restored to excellent condition, it is time to start planning how you would like to use the space in the coming warm months. The results from this exercise vary from family to family, and how you prefer to utilize the space.

For example, a family with young children may opt to keep their patio relatively clear so that the children can use chalk or ride bikes on the space.

A couple who loves to entertain, on the other hand, might plan for seating that spans the patio.

It is best to plan in zones. Just like your home, your outdoor area should have a living space where people can gather and sit, a dining space, and an outdoor kitchen. The outdoor kitchen can consist of nothing more than a simple charcoal grill, or a custom-built island. Either way, you will want to account for it.

PREPARE FOR ENTERTAINING

Whether you are entertaining a crowd or a few friends, now is also the time to consider and plan for any extras you would like to have while you entertain. This can mean adding a fire pit, an outdoor fireplace, or adding more seating onto your grill island.

Many families will appreciate a space to enjoy outdoor games such as cornhole, darts, or Giant Jenga®. Think about how much room these activities require and create a space where they can all easily be enjoyed.

PREPARE FOR HEAT

Although the spring weather is wonderful, it is fleeting in Texas. Before you know it, the temperate days will turn sweltering. To help extend the longevity of your patio season, think through how you can beat the heat, so to speak.

A pergola or roof extension can add welcome shaded space on your patio. This is particularly helpful over seating areas where there is already no natural shade cover from trees.

Additionally, you can consider accessories such as a fan, or even a misting fan, to make guests more comfortable.

PURCHASE OUTDOOR FURNITURE

If you find your current patio furniture does not meet the planned needs of the space, consider selling or donating it. Your patio furniture plays a crucial role in the livability and usage of your space. Without comfortable seating, people will likely drift back indoors, and the space will be underutilized.

Patio furniture comes in a wide variety of price points, styles, and colors. Opt for something more neutral to extend the lifespan of the piece. Properly cared for patio furniture will serve you well for years to come, so make sure to stock up on the correct sized patio furniture covers as well.

LAYER IN LIGHTING

Now that you have your zones planned out, it is time to think about your lighting. Just like within your home, lighting plays a big part in the mood and function of your space.

String lights are an excellent option for most patios.

They add ambiance, character, and are easy to install. If you do not already have an outdoor outlet, reach out to an electrician about getting one installed. You will use it much more frequently than you would think.

There are also plenty of lighting options that can be used without electricity. Solar-powered path lights are a popular and affordable option you can use to light a path or walkway.

Battery-powered uplights can also be layered into your patio space as well. Use these to draw attention to features such as trees or plants throughout your yard.

ADD ACCESSORIES

Now it is time to make the space your own by accessorizing and styling your patio. The right accessories can set the mood for the entire space, so take time to plan what you want people to feel when they are outdoors.

Just as they do indoors, outdoor area rugs can help define your zones as well as add visual interest and texture. Rugs can also help provide some additional heat barrier, particularly with stone or paved patios that absorb heat.

Outdoor cushions and pillows have a two-fold purpose.

Firstly, they add comfort and cushion to your outdoor furniture, which will help people linger outdoors.

Secondly, cushions will likely need to be replaced every few years, even when they are meticulously cared for. That makes them the perfect place to experiment with different looks and styles! Both pillows and cushions bring a welcomed splash of color or pop of pattern that can easily be swapped out when the mood strikes.

Layer in other accessories as well to complete your patio’s new look. Lanterns, outdoor throw blankets, trays, and new melamine barware are just a few examples of items you can purchase inexpensively to make your space feel like home.

With some thoughtful planning and a little elbow grease, your patio will quickly become your favorite spot this season — and for many seasons to come.

APRIL 2020 | 37

MOM INSPIRED GIFT IDEAS TO CELEBRATE

The Sentimental Mom

WRITTEN BY: ALLISON G. HENLEY

Looking for creative & personalized Mother’s Day gift ideas?

This gift guide is for you! These are not your run-of-the-mill flowers and a foot rub ideas; these suggestions take things a bit further and encourage you to truly personalize your gift for mom.

A RECREATED CHILDHOOD PHOTO Does mom have a favorite photo from when the kids were little that can be reenacted with adult children? This can be a fun way for her to compare all the changes over the years, but with a humorous flair! Grab two picture frames and gift her framed copies of each.

DIY FOOTPRINT FOOTSTOOL What mother can resist those sweet footprints belonging to her children? This can be an especially great gift for a grandmother! Start with a wooden footstool and paint it a solid color. Then, roll one foot from each child with paint and have them step that foot on the stool. This DIY can turn into an engaging family activity pretty easily, and one that should probably be done outside!

CHILD ARTIST CUSTOMIZED NOTEPAD This functional gift can serve as a sweet reminder of little ones when they are away during the day or live in a different area. Have the child artist draw along the bottom, top, and/or sides of a sheet of paper. Then make copies and cut to the desired size of notepad. Stack paper evenly and secure with binder clips on sides and bottom. Next, take a small paintbrush and paint the top of the stack of papers, edge-to-edge, with craft glue. Secure the top with binder clips and let dry. To add additional charm, apply washi tape to the top edge. Ta-da! You can give the gift of a custom notepad by a child artist!

ENGRAVED JEWELRY This type of gift can take many forms. Birthstones of each child can be included in many types of jewelry, as well as the engraving of birthdates. Even for mothers who have lost children, this can be a special gift of remembrance. A locket can contain a photo of a child, or even an ultrasound photo gifted to a currently pregnant mom would be a precious keepsake.

The Adventure-Seeking Mom A SUBSCRIPTION BOX This is a great gift that keeps on giving! With a new box each month, this type of gift can be great for the mom who thrives on excitement and adventure. This type of gift has a wide range of options to match up with mom’s personality and lifestyle, from athletic gear and accessories to new beauty products. There are subscription boxes for artists; recipients will get an entire kit to do a new watercolor painting each month, which includes paints, watercolor paper, as well as a video tutorial. Boxes are also available full of new and exciting stationery products for the mom who would be thrilled with new markers, stickers, washi tape, and paper products. There are even boxes for new moms and moms-to-be that apply from pregnancy to preschool. Monthly deliveries of fresh flowers, perfumes, clothing, healthy snacks, books, socks, and wine are available. From healthy to indulgent, there are boxes for personalized vitamin deliveries . . . and even candy.

A

SEGWAY OR SCOOTER TOUR OF THE CITY

If mom has recently moved to a new city or just needs to get out of the house, a tour of the city could be just the ticket.

Purchase two so that she can invite her husband or a girlfriend to ride along as they learn and laugh all through the town. This will help her feel carefree again in no time!

TICKETS TO A CONCERT Who has the mother in your life always wanted to see in concert? What type of music does she love? Do a little research and plan a night out for her on your dime! Grab tickets for her and a friend to see a live performance of one of her favorites. A special bonus would be to arrange for childcare for her as well, if applicable.

A WEEKEND TRIP Does your mom love wine? How about a quick trip to the nearest winery or even to the wine country? Does your mom love the ocean and live in the mountains, or vice versa? Plan a getaway for her to enjoy a change of scenery. Has she always wanted to see the Statue of Liberty, the White House, or the Golden Gate Bridge? Do a little planning and make it happen! If those ideas are too far-fetched, try a destination a little closer to home with creative accommodations like renting a tiny home or a fancy airstream for the weekend.

The “I Need a Break” Mom SPECIALTY BLANKET One option for the mother who would relish even just a few moments of serenity, silence, and sleep is a weighted blanket.

This is a wonderfully stress-relieving option for the frazzled mom who needs a rejuvenating night of shut-eye. Be sure to look up the easy formula for determining which weight to purchase based on body weight. Another blanket option is a cozy fleece or fuzzy blanket; pair it with an eye mask and cozy socks for a gift that is sure to pamper mom!

ESSENTIAL OIL DIFFUSER An oil-loving mom would surely love a new diffuser. If a mom is new to oils, gifting her a diffuser along with a sampling of oils would be a great idea as well. Some common “starter” oils include lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, lemongrass, orange, and tea tree.

SILK PILLOWCASE Another great item to enhance a tired mom’s sleep is a silk pillowcase. This is especially appealing for curly-haired mothers, as it is thought that the friction between curly hair and the silk causes less frizz than a cotton or microfiber pillowcase. These range in design from solid colors to intricately patterned.

JOURNAL The variety of journals is almost endless. Cover designs range from floral to geometric print to classic, solid-color leather.

Many contemporary journals are designed with either an inspirational or humorous quote on the front as well. A mom who is new to journaling would likely appreciate a lined journal, while a more seasoned journaler might have a preference as to unlined or grid paper for bullet journaling. A well-crafted pen is a nice item to pair with a journal, or a colorful pen set, depending on mom’s journaling style. Themed journals are a nice touch as well, such as a gratitude or prayer journal.

Additionally, there are many renditions of inspirational guided journals that provide quotes and prompts for the writer.

Hopefully, these ideas help you choose just the right gift for mom!

APRIL 2020 | 39

GUERRILLA THE IS TAKING GOURMET OVER TEXAS WRITTEN BY: KIMBERLY A. SUTA | PHOTOS COURTESY OF: GUERRILLA GOURMET

HE IS WILD. HE IS WACKY (IN A GOOD WAY).

HE IS THE WORLD TRAVELING GUERRILLA GOURMET,

CHEF JAMES CANTER.

N

ot only is he one of the most ingenious culinary creators in Texas, already having received national attention through his appearance on Food Network’s Guy’s Grocery Games, but he is also a skateboarder, a loving family man, a forager, and someone who just generally wants to do right by his fellow humans and give back to his community. He possesses the gift of graciousness, an incredible sense of humor with a contagious laugh, and a heart as big as his flavors.

When Hurricane Harvey hit a few years ago, it was Canter who rescued the city of Victoria when there was no electricity or food to be had for miles around. At the time, he operated his Guerrilla Gourmet food truck and a sister brick-and-mortar unit in Victoria. When his family was preparing to leave town before the storm hit, Canter knew it was his duty to stay and help any way he could. Over a week or more, he (along with his Chef Cooperatives friends in San Antonio) served thousands of people with food and funds donated from all over the world. More than anything, though, he gave these people a warm place to replenish; he gave them hope.

Baby Lobster Langostino Rolls

“The whole thing in Victoria opened my eyes as to what my purpose was in the world,” Canter said. “Throughout my career, I’ve lived and worked in 48 states, and I’ve always wondered why I’m so transient. I’d meet all these people and go to all these places, and when the hurricane happened and the word got out about what I was doing, people from my past, from all over the world, wanted to help. People I hadn’t talked to in years, from Alaska, Portland, Florida . . . In retrospect, I don’t think there’s anything else I’m supposed to be doing. There’s a hole in my heart when I’m not doing it. I’m destined to feed people.”

CHEF IN THE MAKING Undoubtedly, Canter’s travels have dramatically influenced his ability to merge and manipulate international ingredients and edible ideas artfully, but when looking back at his history and childhood, it is clear that fate did indeed launch him on a culinary path early in life.

A self-proclaimed latchkey kid, his mom taught him how to cook for himself, so he could make something when he got home from school if he was hungry.

“A lot of childhood food memories pushed me in the direction of where I’m at these days,” Canter said. “I had to have been all of five years old when I first knew I wanted to cook. I asked for a Holly Hobbie Easy Bake oven. I never heard the end of it, but my brothers would still eat my cake.”

Weekend trips to a local Chinese restaurant sparked his early love of Asian cuisine. “For me, I crave cold noodles for breakfast in the morning,” he said.

His family worked in restaurants. His uncle owned a really high-end seafood restaurant and market on one of the tributaries on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, which influenced his passion for fresh seafood. His mom also worked in a restaurant. It was there that Canter was first introduced to a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America by the name of Cheryl. “Mom would make me nest underneath the prep tables or hang out with Cheryl,” he said. “She was basically my summertime babysitter. I’d catch a bunch of bluegills, and she’d cook them up for me. She was a big influence on why I went in that direction.”

When he was nine, Canter spent four months in Europe with his family traveling from Spain and Portugal to France and Germany. The list goes on.

“I was really fond of the food cultures there,” Canter said. “It’s very food-centric, front and center. So, I think that’s where it really started to sink in. I’m such a child of global tastes and flavors that it’s hard for me to focus on any one type of cuisine, so I find the most compatible route that intertwines flavors that are globally inspired. For instance, the Spanish Paella Brunch has a lot of Moroccan and Middle Eastern intertwined. I’m inspired by the crossroads of culture.”

Redneck Macarons

Smoked Salmon Tostada

GUERRILLA GOURMET Somehow, by sheer luck or perhaps kismet yet again, Canter ended up in Texas, more specifically San Antonio. How long that will last, no one really knows. Currently, this culinary wanderer is still running his company Guerrilla Gourmet, which is a full-service catering, events, and food service management company offering creative culinary solutions to hospitality problems.

For those who want a taste of the Guerrilla Gourmet’s creations, you can visit one of San Antonio’s premier downtown bars, Paramour, which is really more of an alluring-yet-sophisticated rooftop lounge that was once the owner’s own penthouse. Canter has helped take Paramour to the next level with his extraordinary bar menu and culinary offerings.

In addition to a nightly bar menu with superior options, such as a beautiful charcuterie board, langostino lobster rolls, and Canter’s signature Redneck Macarons, Guerrilla Gourmet puts out a smorgasbord of international delights for Sunday’s Drag Brunch, something that is quickly becoming an iconic event each week. One of the newer culinary offerings at Paramour is the European-style brunch that takes place Monday through Saturday, along with an extensive coffee and liquor program.

“Currently it’s a grab-and-go type of thing, from baguette sandwiches, [with] Spanish cured meats, farmers’ cheese, and grain mustard; curried chicken salad; and almond and Nutella and strawberries and cream stuffed croissants,” Canter said. “We also make our own biscuits, cookies, and breakfast breads.”

Guerrilla Gourmet is working with Bending Branch Winery to provide their guests with divine eats, such as a paella feast, something for which Canter is known.

As if this chef has time, he has recently been back on the road, or on a plane, to be exact. “I’m doing a lot of international consulting and ambassadorship,” he said.

Thanks to his stint on Guy’s Grocery Games, he was asked to go to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, along with some of the actors from American Pie and Freaks and Geeks, as well as the band We The Kings, to cook for 3,000 troops. “We gave them a nice homespun meal and shared stories,” Canter said. “What an honor! No matter what your politics and beliefs are, there is a core group of people out there defending our rights, and I support them and what they do. It’s the most gracious and grateful group of people I’ve seen since the hurricane.”

Canter shared some of his vision for what comes next. “I am definitely heading in the direction of opening up a catering and production facility that has the capabilities of having a supper club and cooking lessons,” Canter said. “That’s the direction I would like to head. I used to do it in Victoria, and I’m ready to get back into it.”

You might want to make your reservations now, though, because as fate may have it, this extraordinary chef may have quite the waiting list very soon!

APRIL 2020 | 41

Across the country and the state, animal-free fare is gaining momentum. Impossible™ Foods and Beyond Meat have shaken up the burger game; Good Catch and Atlantic Natural Foods, Inc.’s Loma Linda® are just a few of the companies crafting fishfree seafood; non-dairy milk now takes up as much refrigerator space at the grocery store as cow’s milk; and vegan cheese, from creamy cashew to melty mozzarella, is the best it has ever been.

And that includes a wide variety of vegan cheeses made right here in Texas. Small businesses from Houston to Dallas are making everything from crumbly feta to aged gouda to creamy queso. It is not just vegans and vegetarians chowing down, because the dairy-free cheeses coming out of Texas kitchens are good – really good.

THEVegan CHEESEMAKERS

PHOTO COURTESY OF: GOOD EARTH CHEESE

of Texas

WRITTEN BY: ALISHA MCDARRIS

THE GOAT’S REVOLT | MCKINNEY While a cheese board made of delectable, sliceable, spreadable cheese is truly a thing of beauty, nothing quite matches the comforting feeling of a melty grilled cheese or toasted quesadilla. Fortunately, there is a vegan cheese for that, too.

Michele Silver of The Goat’s Revolt, based in McKinney, makes a little of everything when it comes to cheese, but some of her most popular items are her mozzarella with raw garlic and herbs, and a spicy pepper jane that pairs perfectly with pasta and melts like a dream.

PHOTO COURTESY OF:THE GOAT'S REVOLT

Benefits of Vegan Cheese

There are some health benefits of vegan cheeses.

Vegan cheese, for example, does not contain any cholesterol. It also contains unsaturated fats instead of saturated fat found in dairy. What is more, many brands strive to produce both protein- and calciumrich products. They provide tasty options for those who cannot or choose not to consume dairy. These are the local brands making them available to cheeseloving Texans.

42 | APRIL 2020

“It’s vegan cheese so good you’ll wish you were vegan,” Silver said. “It makes it very easy to transition [away from dairy].”

She makes raw, cultured, and organic spreadable cheeses from cashews, plus the self-proclaimed “world’s best vegan butter,” but Silver also offers a variety of dry cheese sauce mixes so you can stock your pantry and whip up a batch of dairy-free mac and cheese or cheesy broccoli soup on a busy weeknight.

FIND IT: Plant Based Grocery inside Viridescent Kitchen, Plano; Rabbit Food Grocery, Austin; Rebel Cheese, Austin; Vegan pop-ups and Dallas-area markets.

TRY IT: “Grate Melt Your Heart mozzarella into a pot with drained pasta, throw in roasted tomatoes or chopped greens, and serve hot or even cold as leftovers,” Silver said. “No extra oil required.”

REBEL CHEESE | AUSTIN

GOOD EARTH CHEESE | DENTON

Rebel Cheese specializes in traditionally prepared cheese. In fact, co-owner Kirsten Maitland and her partner, Fred Zwar, have even worked with chefs and cheesemakers in the dairy industry to make sure their batches are as close to the real thing as they can be.

But it is about more than recipes in the Rebel kitchen; it is also about aging. Each wheel is aged to perfection in traditional cheese caves where pH level, humidity, temperature, and more are monitored regularly.

Cheeses are flipped, wrapped, and sometimes brined until they reach perfection.

Good Earth Cheese serves up some mean aged options: all raw, organic, and cultured. This cheese does not melt (think of it like feta — perfect for crumbling, spreading, or on a cheese plate), because it is alive and full of probiotics without the additives of mass-produced store-bought vegan cheeses. The flavors of the nut and seed cheeses are phenomenal: Afternoon in Tuscany with sun-dried tomatoes and basil, Chili and Cranberry, sliceable Chedda’, and Smoked Miso with turmeric and truffle, Parm Crumble made with a triple-aged process, and a soft Coco Chive Spread cream cheese. They are cheeses for people who love cheese.

“It’s the technique that makes our cheese what it is,” Maitland said. “It looks the same, it tastes the same [as dairy cheese], and the feedback from non-vegans is consistently ‘I like this better.’”

There are rind cheeses like blue, brie, and camembert, plus semi-hard cheeses like mozzarella, Havarti, and Swiss. Rebel Cheese also makes soft cheese like ricotta, cream cheese, and chèvre, and most are made with the simplest of bases: nuts and cultures.

FIND IT: Rebel Cheese Shop, Austin, Texas.

TRY IT: “I love any of our rind cheeses on a baguette with fresh apples or fig jam,” Maitland said. “And we have a blue cheese that crumbles beautifully on a cobb salad.”

“It’s a great healthy alternative to dairy cheese even if you’re not interested in going vegan,” Co-Owner of Good Earth Cheese Angilee Wilkerson said.

“Doing better does not mean compromising on indulgence and taste.”

They are flavorful, nutrient-dense cheeses sans dairy, but for anyone still reticent about vegan cheese, “It’s nut pâté,” Wilkerson said with a grin. And it absolutely satisfies that cheese craving for those who think they could never give it up.

FIND IT: Denton Community Market, Juice Lab in Denton, Good Local Market, Nature’s Plate, The Market at Lakeside, area vegan pop-ups, and VegFests (festivals that promote a vegan lifestyle with food resources, guest speakers, and merchandise).

TRY IT: “I love cheese on crackers—it’s a classic,” Wilkerson said. “The cranberry chili is excellent crumbled on a kale and avocado salad.”

“I like brown rye bread with thinly sliced red or purple onions, and then I add the Tuscany,” Co-Owner Jana Perez said.

SIETE FAMILY FOODS | AUSTIN Another maker based in the vegan epicenter of Texas (Austin) is Siete Family Foods. The company, which focuses on grain-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free munchies, makes queso that does not contain dairy.

Sprouted Bean Dip, Mild Nacho Cashew Queso, and Spicy Blanco Cashew Queso are delicious and induce far less regret when you start scraping the bottom of the jar on game day or taco Tuesday.

“Our queso is not only a dip, [but] it’s a vehicle for shared experience, appealing to all sorts of different diets––vegan, paleo, and keto––or just anyone that enjoys delicious queso,” Co-Founder of Siete Veronica Garza said.

FIND IT: Most products can be found at H-E-B, Kroger, Target, and Walmart Supercenters across Texas, but also check your local grocer or health food store.

TRY IT: “We love to use the queso warm as a classic savory dip, on nachos, on top of potatoes, in casseroles, or as a taco topping,” Garza said. “Open a jar, and company will appear!”

PHOTO COURTESY OF: GOOD EARTH CHEESE

Dine out

There are also plenty of chefs crafting delectable vegan cheese in Texas restaurants. Li’l Nonna’s Pizzeria in Austin makes dairy-free mozzarella for pizza in-house; cheese boards at V-Eats Modern Vegan in Dallas and Counter Culture in Austin are mouth-wateringly delicious; Nuno's Tacos & Vegmex Grill in Dallas offers house-made dairy-free queso; and new makers are surfacing at local farmer’s markets and VegFests year-round.

Rest assured, you have plenty of opportunities to taste-test the plethora of exceptional vegan cheese options from talented artisans across the state.

APRIL 2020 | 43

McPHERSON

CELLARS: WRITTEN BY: MEGAN ANN OSWALD PHOTOS COURTESY OF: MCPHERSON CELLARS

MCPHERSON CELLARS, located in Downtown Lubbock, has roots dating back to 1976, when Dr. Clinton “Doc” McPherson established Llano Estacado Winery with Bob Reed.

One of the first growers in the state to cultivate true wineproducing grapes, and the first in Texas to plant Sangiovese in his Sagmor Vineyard, McPherson encouraged his son, McPherson Cellars owner Kim McPherson, to become a winemaker as well.

Doc & Kim

McPhers

on

A Lubbock Tradition in

WINE

After earning a food science degree from Texas Tech University, Kim completed the enology and viticulture program at the University of California, Davis and became a winemaker for his father’s vineyard. Now better equipped for the nuances of growing grapes, Kim went to work on selecting grape varieties that would do well in the High Plains of Texas. The region’s low humidity level means there are fewer chances of their vines developing mildew, or black rot, explained Kim. “Grapes do not prefer wet feet,” he said. Established in 2000 by Kim, McPherson Cellars was created in honor of his father, McPherson.

With six to seven local High Plains growers producing quality grapes, Kim categorizes McPherson Cellars as an artisanal winery with a focus on making wine available in small lots. They produce 480 tons of wine annually but reduced to 350 in 2019 to slow down large lot production and streamline their wine portfolio. “Our focus is on quality Texas wines and Texas grapes from the High Plains,” Kim said.

Kim wants to be true to the taste origin of the grapes without putting a Texas spin on their wine. “We don’t want the grape to do something it’s not naturally going to do,” he said.

Because of this growing and producing technique, there are different varieties of wines McPherson Cellars will not make because those wine grapes will not produce well in the region.

Out of the 350 to 480 tons, they produce about 2,500 cases of wine to go into their tasting room and 3,500 cases that go to their wine club members. Membership in their wine club is kept at a limited number for the quality, and membership is considered one of the most exclusive in Texas. They offer members a four-bottle a month membership with a full dinner for two and an open wine bar for tastings. Along with the four bottles per month, there is access to a select wine list available only to members. These select wines are from experimental blends Kim has created, or from vines that are no longer producing a specific grape.

Trying to combat the reputation of terrible Texas wine, McPherson Cellars tests their wines in several blind bag panels to get their product into more people’s hands. “If you don’t know it has a Texas label on the bottle, you would think it’s from Italy,” Kim said.

McPherson Cellars strives to keep their prices at a level where more customers can afford to try more of their wine varieties. They participate in a wine panel of master sommeliers in Dallas. With the work to create a great reputation for his wines, Kim would also like to see other Texas wineries grow their vineyards with the grape in mind and how it works best in the Texas environment. “If there could be great consistency year to year, these wineries could reverse the bad rep that hangs around Texas wines.” One of their goals is to encourage other wineries, not just his own, to make wines that are award-winning every year.

McPherson Cellars sells its wine in the wholesale market as well as restaurants and tasting rooms. Available in a select number of stores, Kim’s wines were chosen to be a featured wine in H-E-B’s Wooden Box Program. Their wine is also sold through 4.0 Cellars in Fredericksburg. Among the most-visited wine regions in the states after Napa Valley, the Fredericksburg area sees one million visitors a year who are looking to sample great wines. McPherson Cellars sends 4,000 cases of their wine annually to 4.0 Cellars for visitors to purchase.

Completed in 2008, Kim opened the newly renovated 1930s Coca-Cola bottling plant, turning the historic downtown location into an expanded urban winery and tasting room. To “get off the dirt road” and streamline production, Kim chose the bottling plant location because it comprised the entire city block to grow the production aspect of his business. “It was a labor of love, and I should have just started over, but I wanted to be able to preserve what was already there,” he said.

Dr. Clinton "Doc" McPherson McPherson Cellars tasting room is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with tastings and tours of the building available. The gorgeous patio plays host every Thursday night March through September to their patio nights. Approximately two hundred people gather to sample McPherson wines and a variety of food trucks while listening to live music. A cheeseboard special is available on Fridays and Saturdays from La Diosa Cellars, a local restaurant situated across the street from the winery.

A popular venue for weddings, rehearsal dinners, corporate, and private parties, McPherson Cellars can host up to 250 people for large gatherings. McPherson wines were chosen for one of the Bush family weddings and one of the wines listed at the Texas Governor’s Mansion.

Kim is a judge in four international wine competitions: McPherson Cellars partners with Lubbock Annual Vines & Wines Festival, Lubbock Uncorked, the Wine & Food Foundation of Texas, and donates to Lubbock Meals On Wheels and the Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains council. “Lubbock is a true gem,” Kim said. “We have a major university and regional hospital, but Lubbock is small enough to have that familiar feeling.”

And what sets them apart from other Texas wineries?

Kim had an easy answer. “We are the very best,” he said.

“Even if I’m a little biased.”

And even though Kim is looking forward to the addition of three more custom-made tanks for his wine, he hopes guests can walk in and see the history and architecture of the building. “I want people to see the wine and the building,” he said.

APRIL 2020 | 45

RONIN FARM A N D

R E S T A U R A N T :

Food-Body Connection WRITTEN BY: BECCA NELSON SANKEY

BRIAN AND AMANDA LIGHT WANT TO REVIVE THE CONNECTION DINERS ONCE FELT WITH EACH OTHER AND THEIR FOOD. The couple set out to accomplish that mission with the opening of their 15-acre Bryan property, Ronin Farm, in 2012, and their restaurant, located just ten miles away, in 2018. Ronin Farm & Restaurant is a farm-to-table concept, with 60 to 85 percent of the restaurant’s menu sourced directly from the farm.

“The menu changes every day based on what comes in off our farm,” co-owner Amanda Light said. “Many days of the week, my husband, Brian, walks in with the goodies picked that day. The proteins stay pretty consistent. Everybody loves our chicken fried steak because it’s made with Texas Wagyu. The one menu item not [sourced from] Texas is scallops; they get flown in two or three times a week from Maine.”

46 | APRIL 2020

PHOTO COURTESY OF: RACHEL DRISKELL

Other menu items include Gulf Coast shrimp and Freedom Ranger chicken, which “are bred for flavor, not for size,” Light said. “The chicken has really, really great flavor. I’ve had people tell us, ‘I haven’t had chicken like this in 50 years.’”

PHOTO COURTESY OF: RYAN PRICE

Undoubtedly, Ronin Farm & Restaurant is different from other eateries because of its authenticity, Light said. “We’re living there, raising the food, making it all by hand, and providing something that’s not out of a box or can,” she said.

“Everything is made from scratch. We even have our own sourdough starter. I think there’s a genuine aspect we’re able to provide just because we are raising the food ourselves.”

The Lights’s foray into entrepreneurship began when they catered their midwife’s wedding. “We realized there was a need for a caterer in town that would provide something different than the traditional barbeque or tacos,” Light said.

“We’ve both been in the restaurant industry for twentyplus years, so we just wanted to provide something a little different in town, and it seemed like a good opportunity to do so.”

Amanda Light’s career took a culinary trajectory when she was just a preteen, working at her father’s friend’s restaurant as a hostess. Brian Light started in the service industry at age sixteen, working first at a coffee shop, then moving to Houston, Philadelphia, and Chicago.

“I convinced my husband to try out for Top Chef because he’s worked for Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, and he has a great culinary background. I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re a shoo-in,’” Light said. “We went out to L.A., he tried out, and they asked him to use two words to describe himself.

He said, ‘Humble and honest.’”

Laughing, she added, “He should have been a little more flamboyant. He didn’t get a callback, but we did realize we needed to open a restaurant.”

FRESH FROM THE FARM The Lights began hunting for a place to house their restaurant and fell in love with a historic 20,000-squarefoot, $3 million building in Downtown Bryan. “A few months later, the building’s owner approached us and said, ‘We’re looking for someone to put a restaurant in,” Light said.

After two years of planning and a full year of construction, Ronin Restaurant opened. “When we started the farm, I think we thought it would be a little more consistent than it is,” Light said. “The restaurant offered the opportunity to be open every day, the ability to provide the community with farm food on a little more of a consistent basis.”

The 108-year-old building in the historic downtown, which is primarily occupied with locally-owned momand-pop eateries, harkens back to simpler, friendlier times. “My grandma used the term ‘neighboring.’ Nobody neighbors anymore,” Light said. “It’s a verb to her, and I think there’s something to that. We need to be more community-minded, thinking about what we’re eating and how it impacts future generations.”

Communal seating is offered at both the restaurant and the farm, Light said. At the former, tables are suspended from the ceiling that can be pulled up when not in use.

Both locations provide guests with a general appreciation for where their food is sourced – and for the company around them.

APRIL 2020 | 47

GETTING THE WORD OUT For now, the Light family is enjoying the close-knit vibe of their farm and restaurant and are doubtful they will expand further.

“We’re pretty busy as it is,” she said. “I think generally improving what we’re doing is the plan over the next five to ten years. There are still a lot of people who don’t even know we exist. We’ve done the farmers' market the last eight or nine weeks because we’ve had so much growing that the kitchen can’t use everything we have.

At the market it’s really interesting because it’s directly across the street from the restaurant, and people will walk up and say, ‘We’ve never even heard of you, and we’ve lived here for 20 years.’

PHOTO COURTESY OF: AMANDA LIGHT

“We’ve lost the connection to food but also to our neighbor,” Light said. “Eating food that comes from a genuine source just makes you feel better because it’s whole, healthful, and it doesn’t travel far to get here. A lot of produce and foods people eat have been plucked two or three weeks ago and are still being sold, and they’re sprayed so their shelf life is longer.”

“It’s good because we’re getting the word out more, but we’re small and family-owned, and we don’t have an advertising budget. So just generally growing and continuing to produce as much food as possible” are the goals for now, Light said.

Ronin Restaurant is open 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for Sunday brunch.

Ronin Farm is open during events or by appointment.

For more information, visit their website.

Fresh food and good company make people feel comforted, satisfied, nurtured, and loved, she said.

DOWN ON THE FARM Ronin Farm is nestled near Lake Bryan, a picturesque, peaceful getaway and hotspot for events including corporate gatherings, weddings, showers, and dinners.

Full Moon Dinners are held monthly (with the exception of July, August, and January) and offer guests a nine-course menu in the forest. “It’s a showcase of whatever’s in season and delicious at that time; the farm never stays the same for more than a month or two,” Light said. “They show up about an hour before sunset. Thirty minutes later they’re taken on a walking tour of the farm to see what’s growing and see the pigs and chickens. We take everybody out to our garden for dessert, and we watch the moon rise and have coffee.”

In the spring and fall months, the farm hosts a Family Farm Day complete with a plant sale, family photos, live music, activities for children, and a meal for purchase. The event is free with an RSVP or $5 at the gate.

48 | APRIL 2020

PHOTO COURTESY OF: TRAVIS HALLMARK PHOTOGRAPHY

“At the farm, you’re able to see where everything is growing and being raised; you’re outside and eating among the trees,” Light said. “It’s just lovely. People feel a connection to food in a way that they don’t at a different location.”

SCONES and SANDWICHES FOR SPRING WRITTEN BY & PHOTOS COURTESY OF: LORIE FANGIO A TASTE OF PARIS™

If you are hosting a shower this spring, the ideal menu is filled with tiny bites bursting with big flavor.

Whether you are celebrating wedding bells or baby bundles, tea sandwiches make the perfect refreshment.

Simple-to-make recipes that are jam-packed with goodness are the best way to satisfy those on your guest list.

Jalapeño Pimento Cheese Sandwiches

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups shredded mild or sharp cheddar cheese • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened • ½ cup mayonnaise • ¼ cup diced pimento • 1 tablespoon fresh jalapeño, finely chopped • ½ teaspoon garlic salt • ½ teaspoon onion powder • Dash of cayenne pepper • 12 slices wheat bread GARNISH INGREDIENTS

I N S T RU C T I ON S

1. P repare the pimento cheese by combining the first 8 ingredients in a bowl; mix very well.

2. Keep pimento cheese refrigerated until ready to serve.

3. P repare the finger sandwiches by coating 1 side of 6 slices of bread with a generous amount of pimento cheese.

4. T op each slice with the second slice of bread to create sandwiches.

5. C arefully cut the crust from the sandwiches and slice each one into 3 strips.

6. To garnish each finger sandwich, slice 1 to 2 jalapeños into very thin slices, removing the seeds if desired.

• ½ cup cherry tomatoes

7. Place a jalapeño slice in the center of each sandwich, top with a cherry tomato, and hold it in place by pressing a toothpick through each sandwich.

• Toothpicks

8. S erve immediately.

• Additional 1 to 2 jalapeños

APRIL 2020 | 49

Orange Scones

Lorie Fangio is a teaching chef and founder of A Taste of Paris™ food and wine trips to France. For more great recipes and to learn more about Lorie, visit atasteofparis.net.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups flour

• ⅓ cup sugar

• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder • ½ teaspoon baking soda • ¾ teaspoon salt • 1 orange, zested • ¾ cup cold butter • 1 cup buttermilk • ¼ cup butter, melted • ¼ cup coarse sugar for dusting scones • ½ cup clotted cream

I N S T RU C T I ON S

1. Preheat oven to 425° F. 2. I n a food processor, mix flour, ⅓ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and add orange zest until well combined.

Quick Berry Jam

3. A dd cold butter, slowly pulsing until the mixture looks like small peas.

4. A dd buttermilk and pulse 4 to 6 times until dough begins to form a ball.

5. T urn dough out onto a floured surface and gather it into a ball.

INGREDIENTS

6. K nead the dough gently, not more than a dozen times.

• 2 cups strawberries, hulled

7. C ut the dough in half.

• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

8. R oll each half into a ½-inch thick circle.

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

9. B rush the circles with butter, then dust with coarse sugar.

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

10. S lice the circles like a pizza, into 8 triangles.

11. P lace the triangles on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

12. B ake for 10 to 12 minutes until slightly brown around edges.

13. A llow to cool and serve with clotted cream and jam.

50 | APRIL 2020

• 1 cup blueberries

• ¾ cup sugar

I N S T RU C T I ON S

1. Place the berries in the blender and pulse until pureed; work in batches if needed.

2. Mix lemon juice and cornstarch in a small bowl until very smooth.

3. Add all ingredients to a heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium heat.

4. B ring to a boil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is bubbling and thick.

5. Remove from heat and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.