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n ev e Be AU T Y M A R K eCRU n IC + ZOe e L L IOT T L AU R en IsdA ILLIA GO sI L K
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december
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T R IBE Z A
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features
d e pa rtm e nt s
People of the Year 56
Communit y
Natural Adaptations 80 Inspiration Board 88 Family Matters
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12
Social Hour
20
Homes Tour
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34
Profile in Style: Chris Krager & Amy Grapell
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What's New?
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Behind the Scenes
124
Perspective: Dan Winters
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Style Pick
TRIBEZA Talk Austin Icon
10 to Watch 100
Arts
december 2013 tribeza.com
Style
Column: Kristin Armstrong
10 Years of Uchi 96 Made in Austin 102
on the cover: p r o f e s s i o n a l b m x r i d e r a n d o n o u r 1 0 to w atc h l i s t, a aron ross; photo by r andal ford. shirt by Gitman B r o s . , $ 1 4 8 , t i e b y J ac k S pa d e , $ 1 2 8 , b ot h ava i l a b l e at STA G ; s t y l i n g b y l a u r e n s m i t h f o r d .
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Arts & Entertainment Calendar
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Theatre Spotlight
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126
Dining
Dining Pick
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: dylan winters photo by dan winters; jay b sauceda photo by randal ford; gail chovan photo by randal ford; uchi photo by andrew chan; the pipkins family photo by kenny braun; tim and karrie league photo by bill sallans.
Contents
Editor’s Letter Posing with the custom signs our art director Ashley Horsley (pictured left) made for the shoot with photographer Randal Ford
A
(middle) before our 10-hour shoot day began.
mongst the lineup of TRIBEZA’s 2013 People of the Year is a high-energy fitness instructor, who has helped change the minds and bodies of hundreds of Austinites, a fearless fashion designer and cancer survivor who has managed to stay relevant on the style scene for over a decade, a powerful force in city government who has helped changed the face of our city, and two dudes with a vision for a festival that would become one of the, well, most ‘fun’ in the country. We make our final selections after thoughtful consideration and a careful look back at the year, coming up with a final list of people who are all working in various fields. It may seem like they all live and work in different worlds of Austin, but in our time with each subject, we found that they are all united as innovators in their passionate love of the city. We enlisted photographer Randal Ford (no relation to me) to take portraits for the “People of the Year” story as well as the “10 to Watch,” a curated cast of up-and-comers to watch in 2014. Ford, an award-winning commercial and editorial photographer, had quite a year himself, shooting covers of TIME and Texas Monthly, as well as national ad campaigns. Ford brought an unmatched energy to the set, engaging each of the 21 subjects who came through the studio on the photo shoot day. It was particularly fun for me to collaborate with him since we go way back to college days when Ford photographed the fashion column I wrote for the student newspaper. He took two different lighting and style approaches to shooting each list for an end result that we couldn’t be happier with.
Lauren Smith Ford lauren@tribeza.com
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photo by evan prince
Writer Jaime Netzer makes her TRIBEZA debut with “Family Matters” on page 86. She sat down with four Austin families we admire—the Spences, the Butler Brothers, the Pipkins and, Lawrence and Caroline Wright—to learn more about the way they collaborate, encourage, and inspire each other. We are so grateful for the support we have received from our readers this year and over the past almost 13 (we celebrate this anniversary with our March issue as well as the magazine’s 150th issue in February). Happy Holidays!
Move In Beginning December 2013! A u s t i n a r t s + c u lt u r e
PUBLISHER
George T. Elliman EDITOR + creative director
Lauren Smith Ford
art director
Ashley Horsley
Events + Marketing Coordinator
Staley Hawkins
contributing editor
Leigh Patterson
Senior Account ExeCutives
Ashley Beall Andrea Brunner
principals George T. Elliman Chuck Sack Vance Sack Michael Torres
The newest boutique apartment community in Downtown Austin Call us for more information or visit us online.
interns Katia Banic Mary Bryce Amy Pham Jacy Schleier Madeline Waggoner
Columnist
Kristin Armstrong Illustrator
Joy Gallagher WRITERs
Meredith Bethune Steph Derstine Ramona Flume Dan Gentile Tolly Moseley Jaime Netzer Karen Spezia S. Kirk Walsh Elizabeth Winslow
Photographers
Miguel Angel Kenny Braun Andrew Chan Casey Dunn Randal Ford Wynn Myers Jessica Pages John Pesina Evan Prince Annie Ray Bill Sallans
mailing address 706a west 34th street austin, texas 78705 ph (512) 474 4711 fax (512) 474 4715 www.tribeza.com Founded in March 2001, TRIBEZA is Austin's leading locally-owned arts and culture magazine. Copyright @ 2013 by TRIBEZA. All rights reserved. Reproduction, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of the publisher, is prohibited. TRIBEZA is a proud member of the Austin Chamber of Commerce.
111 Sandra Muraida Way | Austin, TX 78703 866-995-0871 | www.gables.com/gablesparktower
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december 2013 tribeza.com
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Staf fers &
contributors
In honor of this year's P eo p l e I s su e , w e a sk ed s taffer s an d co n t r ibu to r s
randal ford p h oto g r a p h er
"I'm most inspired by my wife and kids. They inspire me to be a better person,
to sh a r e w h o in spi r e s
create better art, challenge
t h em m os t.
tinue to evolve."
myself more, and to con-
lauren smith ford editor + creative director
andrea brunner
"I am most inspired by my dad.
"I most inspired by mother.
He was diagnosed with cancer
She has shown me that life is
this year, and has held our fam-
about helping others, staying
ily together with his strength,
true to yourself, and having a
selflessness, and never-ending
great sense of humor along the
sense of humor. It's been a great
way. Her intelligence, faith and
joy of my life to watch him and
independence is inspirational
my daughter Ellie together."
to me and those who know her
s en i o r acco u n t e x ec u t i v e
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december 2013 tribeza.com
ashley horsley a rt d i r ec to r
ashley beall s en i o r acco u n t e x ec u t i v e
"Cheeseball, I know, but my
"As the sibling of a powerhouse
boyfriend Sam subsequently
entrepreneur, I am constantly
works as my everyday inspira-
inspired by my older sister Jennifer.
tion. Never have I met anyone
In three years, she has built a baby
so humble, talented, and hard-
car seat cleaning company (Clean-
working. Competitive by nature,
BeeBaby) that employs 12 people in
our silent battle for who works
LA, NY, and San Diego with plans
harder and longer never gets old.
to franchise nationwide next year.
No one keeps me more focused
She is hard working, charitable,
and creatively motivated."
and definitely leads by example.
ashley & jennifer beall photo by bill sallans
everyday."
social hour
austin
Social Hour Party With A Purpose
Dell Children's Surgical Global Outreach partnered with The Shalom Foundation for Party With a Purpose at the Four Seasons Hotel. The event offered guests dinner, an auction, and a night of music that featured Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel. All proceeds supported the Dell Children’s Surgical Global Outreach Mission Trips.
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Four Hands + Kendra Scott for Susan G. Komen
Kendra Scott and Four Hands partnered to benefit Susan G. Komen Austin, one of the city’s leading breast cancer support and prevention organizations. The evening offered guests shopping, cocktails, and a silent auction, with proceeds going directly to Komen Austin.
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TRIBEZA Architecture Issue Release Party
TRIBEZA celebrated the release of its October Architecture issue with a party to benefit Citizen Generation. The event was sponsored by the chic team behind Posh Properties and was held at owner Mary Anne McMahon’s beautiful Westlake home. Guests snacked on food from Benji’s Cantina, drinks from Deep Eddy Vodka and Dickel Rye Whisky, and music by Charlie Gore.
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Party With a Purpose: 1. Andra Liemandt & Kelly Haselwood 2. Meghan Slover, Carrie Hicks, Patti Rogers & Sara Zeigler Four Hands, Kendra, Komen: 3. Megan Beagle & Charla Adams October Release Party: 4. Adam Dorsey & Courtney Howell 5. Melissa Young & Abby Alwan 6. Mary Anne & Doran McMahon 7. Mark Halsell, Amber Davis & Jason Duggan 8. Manuel Navarro & Jonathan Tieken 9. Rebekka Glass, Joe Ross & Jenn Walley 10. Mayra Garza & Julian Mardirosian 11. Jake George & Wilson Hack 12. Cindy Black & Rick Black
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P h oto g r a p h y by j o h n p e s i n a & m i g u el a n g el
social hour
austin
March of Dimes’ Signature Chefs Auction The March of Dimes hosted its annual
Signature Chefs Auction, featuring the artistry of chef David Bull and other top local chefs at the First Texas Honda dealership. After the dinner and live action, guests enjoyed an after party with dancing and cocktails.
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Waller Creek Benefit at Stubbs In support of the Waller Creek Conservancy, C3 Presents hosted an official late-night show at Stubbs, featuring The Blind Boys of Alabama, Texas natives Penny and Sparrow, and The Shouting Matches, featuring Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. Guests with platinum tickets were treated to dinner by celebrity chef Tim Love.
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RedBird Boutique’s Grand Opening
Maureen Staloch welcomed friends and shoppers to her new Westlake boutique RedBird with a grand opening party, where guests admired the store’s stylish selection of clothes and accessory offerings while enjoying appetizers from Blue Dahlia and Marye’s Pizza and wine provided by The Grove.
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March of Dimes: 1. Kelti Late & Charisse Sayers 2. Aryn Hellmund & Katie Jaffe 3. Clayton & Carly Christopher 4. Suzette & Andrew Burrow 5. Genny Hardeman & Annie Shiflet Waller Creek Benefit: 6. Melba Whatley & Charles Attal 7. Leah LeFebvre & Ben Bernell 8. Lana McGilvray & DJ Stout 9. Mike Martinez, Diego Martinez & Lara Wendler 10. Tom Ball, Adrian Grenier & Luis A. Reyes RedBird Boutique Grand Opening: 11. Maureen & Ted Staloch 12. Wendy Walicek, Lisa Parrish & Jen Smith
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P h oto g r a p h y by J o h n P e s i n a & M i g u el A n g el
social hour
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Gail Chovan’s Aesthetic Ghosts Gail Chovan, one of Austin’s premiere fashion designers, premiered her Spring/Summer 2014 collection “Aesthetic Ghosts” at the unexpected, but perfect location for a fashion show—Delta Millworks. The candlelit show of beautiful one-of-a-kind pieces was designed and produced by Erika Stojeba of ES Productions.
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Gail Chovan: 1. Alton Dulaney & Gail Chovan 2. Kelly Garcia & Stephanie Moore 3. Broc Wilson & Laurel Kinney 4. Hattie Lindsey & Katie Bruegger 5. Shelley Neuman & Andrew Miraeal 6. Josh & Kate Terry 7. Thea Montgomery & Tom Lewis 8. Paul Forde & Cheryl Schulke 9. Jacob Pechenik & Amal Safdar10. Elizabeth Gibson & Elizabeth Chapin 11. Isabel Glass & Adrianne Mikes Ova 12. Sarah Creel, Lydia Hutchison & Callisto Griffith
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P h oto g r a p h y by j o h n p e s i n a
ChrisLong GOTTESMANRESIDENTIAL
Chris Long Broker, Elite 25 512.289.6300 chris@chrislongaustin.com
social hour
austin
Finell Design Co. Launch
Finell Co. premeired its 2014 line of modern luxury housewares and decorative accessories with a celebratory open house at the Finell Headquarters, where guests enjoyed wine and appetizers while viewing a sneak peek of the upcoming product line. Owner Rebecca Finell started international modern baby product company, Boon, and moved to Austin to launch this new venture. For more information, visit finellco.com.
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Ro Sham Bo
A "bonus stop" of the AIA Home Tour weekend, guests celebrated the opening night of RO SHAM BO at Canopy Studios, a livable showcase of furniture, textiles, and ceramics made by local artist-designers Alyson Fox, Keith Kreeger, and Michael Yates.
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Celebration of Giving
The Austin Community Foundation honored Luci Johnson and Ian Turpin with the Austin Community Foundation Philanthropy Award at the Event Center at the Circuit of Americas. Guests enjoyed a performance by Esther's Follies.
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Finell Design Co. Launch: 1. Mark Gambino & Meredith Murray 2. Rachel Hoffman, Michael Nieto & Heather Christensen 3. Pearl Schenkel, Rebecca Finell & Angelina Stevens 4. Joe Strada & Reagan Wilson 5. Maddy Busch & Christiana Guzman 6. Garrett & Samantha Kypke 7. Nidia Otero & Jeff Tung Ro Sham Bo: 8. Derek Dollahite & Alyson Fox 9. Katy Coggins & Kevin lorica 10. Katy Chrisler & Tomoko Kuwahara Celebration of Giving: 11. Alexandra Florencen & Steven Pho 12. Juan & Monica Gonzalez
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december 2013 tribeza.com
P h oto g r a p h y by m i g u el a n g el & j o h n p e s i n a
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social hour
austin
Waller Creek Garden Party
In support of the Waller Creek Conservancy, James David and Gary Peese hosted an exclusive evening with Elizabeth Barlow Rogers, the founding president of the Central Park Conservancy.
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La Dolce Vita
Guests celebrated the 24th Annual La Dolce Vita Food and Wine Festival, benefitting The Contemporary Austin’s education programs at the Jones Center, Laguna Gloria, and The Art School. Guests wined and dined on food and drinks from some of Austin’s top restaurants on the shores of Lake Austin.
Interior Design Anniversary Celebration
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The Interior Design Program of the University of Texas' School of Architecture invited students,
alumni, and friends to a three-day event celebrating the school's rich history. UT first offered interior design classes in 1912. One of the event highlights was a happy hour of the historic Charles Moore House.
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Waller Creek Garden Party: 1. Cliff Ernst, Lynn Meredith & Martha Ernst 2. Jackson Broussard, Virginia Davidson & Pippa Walton 3. James David, Stacey Abel & Mell Lawrence 4. Nancy Scanlan, Colleen Gardner & John Watson 5. Lee Leffingwell & Elizabeth Barlow Rogers 6. Janet & Wilson Allen La Dolce Vita: 7. Lourdes Kaufman, Tiburcio Franco & Rosa Marie Avila 8. Anna Anami & Will Hardeman 9. Derek Van Wagner & Blythe Bailey 10. Jessica Dickman & Adam Kirby Interior Design Anniversary Celebration: 11. Ellen Sampson, Grace Mathieson & Grace Dixon 12. Deborah & Ed Wasser
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P h oto g r a p h y by J o h n P e s i n a
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social hour
austin
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FELIZ Kickoff + TRIBEZA November Issue Release Party
Guests kicked off the second annual Feliz pop-up sale and the release of TRIBEZA ’s November Makers Issue, with a party at Public School , where Feliz designers donated pieces to be auctioned off for local organization Girls Guild, which pairs girls with creative and entrepreneurial female mentors.
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Tricks & Treats presented by Austin Pets Alive!
Austin Pets Alive! hosted Tricks & Treats at the Nowlin Rehearsal Studio at Zach Scott Theatre, a party, silent auction, and threecourse vegan dinner benefitting the organization.
Feliz Kickoff + TRIBEZA November Issue Release Party: 1. Christine Taylor, Christian Klein & Marigny Klein 2. Megan Carney & Hayden Dunham 3. Misty Incontrera, Emily Gudman & Lillianne Steckel 4. Amanda McArthur, Ali Meyer & Daniela Lukomski 5. Agathe Fay & Brad Walton 6. Jordan Greenberg & Mary Bryce 7. Laura Bowmen & Grayson Berryhill 8. Alexia Brown & Justin Cox 9. Paul Munguia & Megan McDonald APA!: 10. Adam Zeplain & Alex Winkelman 11. Mary & Rusty Tally
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P h oto g r a p h y by J o h n P e s i n a
social hour
austin
Stephen L. Clark 20th Anniversary Show
Guests celebrated two decades of art at the Stephen L. Clark Gallery with a reception and show launch featuring the work of artists important to the gallery's history, including Kate Breakey, Henri-
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Cartier Bresson, Keith Carter, James Evans, Jack Spencer, Rick Williams, Bill Wittliff, and others.
Brack to the Future Seton Hospital hosted “Brack to the Future,� a benefit bash and costume party to raise funds and awareness for its new teaching hospital. Held at Brazos Hall, guests enjoyed Halloween-themed treats, games, and competed in a costume competition.
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Dress by Candlelight Julian Gold hosted Dress by Candlelight, a benefit for Candlelight Ranch, a unique outdoor environment that helps special needs and at-risk children. Guests enjoyed a fashion show, delicious bites, and cocktails.
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Stephen L. Clark Gallery Party: 1. Kate Waitzkin & Lesley Ramsey 2. Josh Verduzco, Sara Buckingham & Paul Galvan 3. Robert Gomez & Kim Felsher 4. Leslie Herrington & Ben Thompson 5. Derek McDonald & Darren Gibson 6. Bryn & Josh Williams Brack to the Future: 7. Leslie & Joe Lamy 8. Marielle & Buddy Quaid Dress by Candlelight: 9. Claire Winslow & Katie Warner 10. Darian Honigsfeld & Travis Huse 11. Don Barr, Mark Traeler & Ann Harriet 12. Sergio Gudarrama, Amber Davis & Daniel Magoon
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P h oto g r a p h y by J o h n P e s i n a & M i g u el A n g el
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community
column
Virtual World BY K R I STI N ARMSTRONG I llu s tr atio n by Joy G a ll ag h er Hey did you see so and so’s status update? Beep. Brrrring. Bark. Guitar strum. Sorry, I just tweeted! Mwah—Selfie! Hold on a sec, sorry, I gotta finish this text. Get together y’all, let’s post a pic of us at dinner! OMG. LOL. Honey, can’t you see Mommy is very busy on her phone? Hold on a sec, quick email. Why haven’t you friended me back yet? I can’t believe you haven’t heard yet, it was all over Instagram. Click, click, tap, tap… Part of me really wants to give thumb communication the middle finger. Much has been said and written about how people expend more energy and intention updating about their lives than they do living them. I mean, how many vacation photos have you seen with captions like, “Check out this sunset! Unreal!” Um, are you really enjoying that sunset? Or are you documenting it? “Kids at the park!” Oh I see, and you are playing with your phone while they choke on pea gravel? “Cheers! Happy Anniversary to us!” My, how romantic, dear God I hope we don’t get another update later. We used to have to suffer through other people’s photo albums if an evening took a nostalgic or narcissistic turn and the hosts pulled them off a dusty shelf, now we have to see them as they are happening. We are saying, “Look at my life” to random people more often than we are inviting special people to truly be part of it. It’s kind of creepy and surreal, reading everyone’s super awesome updates. Hi from the Virgin Islands! Just got a promotion! Pregnant again! Bonjour from Paris! Junior holding his report card— straight A’s again! Here’s me on the finish line—Ironman’s are getting easier! Little Susie got into Harvard—yay! No one ever posts the real stuff like: PMS again! Just ate a bag of Tostitos and an entire row of Oreos! Junior is barely scraping by with a C! Ruh-roh, just got pulled over! Still constipated! Hi from El Paso! I just gained five pounds! Losing my hair! Losing my mind! All the kids have lice! Boss said to clean out my desk! Johnny’s skipping college and might get a job at GameStop! No. No one says these things. These kinds of updates are reserved for
actual conversation, between real friends, not cyber acquaintances we want to impress. We carry our phones around the way people used to carry babies. Aww, careful now don’t drop it, they crack real easy! You don’t understand, I’m exhausted, I have to keep my eye on it every second. Let’s set it right here in the middle of our dinner, in case it makes a peep. (The second it does, you do understand I will have to tend to it, probably even take it to the bathroom or outside for a walk.) OH MY GOD I FORGOT IT IN MY CAR! We hold them, stare longingly at them, we monitor their batteries, we charge them in the car, we have Bluetooth for them, we (hopefully) put them on silent at the movies and in church, we go back home if we forget them, we are completely lost and forsaken if they disappear. They cause a lot of trouble on an airplane. We definitely don’t want our own children to have one too soon. Don’t get me wrong, I like my phone. If I can’t find it, I have no idea what people’s phone numbers or addresses are, what I’m doing next if my calendar isn’t beeping instructions at me, and I wouldn’t know how to get there anyway without my phone’s map. It’s a tool, and I clearly rely on it too much. When someone says, “Sorry my phone battery died,” it can be an accepted excuse for pretty much anything. I forgot your name, your birthday, I couldn’t call, I’m late, I’m lost, I’m cheating, I’m a no-show, plans changed. It scares me the way some younger people rarely make eye contact; a whole group of them ‘together’ yet silent, staring down at screens through shaggy side bangs. It scares me even more that ‘grown-ups’ are doing the same thing. I saw a married couple on a dinner date recently, fork in one hand and thumb on phone in the other. We are human beings. Beings need to Be. We cannot connect through updates. We can’t share our feelings through Emojis. We can’t date via text. We cannot share time if we won’t make it or take it. It’s time to take our thumbs out of our (phones) and reengage in real life and in each other.
i l lu s t r at i o n by j oy g a l l ag h er For a limite d- e dit i on p r int , c onta c t jo ygall agh e r@g m ail .c om .
tribeza.com december 2013
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2500 W 35th St $1,100,000 Private Retreat in Central Austin www.250035th.AmeliaBullock.com
Susan Griffith | Broker, Elite 25
Office 512-327-4874 x 164 | Fax 512-328-0518 sg@ameliabullock.com | susangriffithrealestate.com
What's New?
TRIBEZ A checks in with some of our favorite subjects from December People Issues of years pa st.
jeff nichol s direc tor , Mud, shotgun stories , take shelter Fe atu r ed: 10 to Watch, TRIB EZ A’s December 2009 issue
What are you working on right now? Midnight Special. It's a new film I'm making with Warner Bros., [which] I wrote and will be directing. We begin filming in January, [and] locations will range from West Texas to the panhandle
Bobby Bones
of Florida. It's being described as a present day, sci-fi chase film. What was your career highlight of 2013? The response to Mud—I've really been blown away by the reactions I've received. The fact that it is considered a financial and people talk about the film. Good or bad, it's just cool to have made
Fe atu r ed: Cover of TRIB EZ A’ s Decem b er 2011 issu e
something that people got a chance to see.
What are you working on right now? It’s been a big year—hosting “The Bobby Bones Show” (heard in over 60 cities every weekday from Nashville), host of “Country Top 30” with Bobby Bones (a weekend national countdown heard in over 150 cities), host of “The Bobby Bones Sports Show” on Fox Sports Radio
What’s been your favorite new thing in Austin this year? This may just be new to us, but in.gredients on Manor. It's become our neighborhood hang-out. Great people and a great idea for a store/gathering place.
(heard in 200+ cities), and an acting gig on ABC’s Nashville. I am currently working on a pilot for a new talk show in 2014. What was your career highlight of 2013? Watching the radio show grow to one of the biggest in the United
pamel a colloff
States… And, we spent 2013 as the number one show in Austin for the eighth year in a row. I hated moving from Austin full-time, but Nashville is also great. I still live part-time in Austin as well; I never plan to really leave.
Executive Editor, Texas Monthly
What’s been your favorite new thing in Austin this year?
Fe atu red: People of the Year, TRIBEZA’s
Extending the Austin City Limits Music Festival to two weekends: It was
December 2010 issue
easier to get all my friends (who constantly hit me up) free tickets. I am also loving the progress of the Andy Roddick Youth Center in Austin…it is going to bring great things for the youth of Central Texas.
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What are you working on right now? A story about a prosecutor who is having second thoughts about
pam e l a co lo ff p h oto by wynn my e r s ; j e ff ni c h o l s p h oto by l e ann mu e l l e r
critical success is very gratifying to me, but mostly I love hearing Hos t, “ Th e Bob by Bon es Show ”
having sent a 17-year-old away to prison for life many years ago.
mark str ama
Both he and the inmate are talking to me, and it’s a fascinating story, so I’m very excited about it. What was your career highlight of 2013?
H e a d of Goog le Fib er in Aus tin
Winning a National Magazine Award for feature writing. But
Fe atu r ed: People of the Year, TRIBEZA’s December
a close second was an evening I spent with death row exoneree Anthony Graves, who I’ve written about before, and his attorney, Nicole Casarez, shortly before the third anniversary of Anthony’s release. It was such a happy night. What’s been your favorite new thing in Austin this year? My friend Travis Kizer’s coffee shop/craft beer/barbecue joint, the Buzz Mill. Travis roasts the coffee beans himself, and I think he has the best coffee in town.
addie broyles
2010 issue
What are you working on right now? Leading Google Fiber's effort to make the Internet 100 times faster in Austin. What was your career highlight of 2013? The very warm send-off my colleagues gave me when I passed my last bill as a member of the Texas House of Representatives. What’s been your favorite new thing in Austin this year? Google Fiber.
What was your career highlight of 2013? Publishing the Austin Food Blogger Alliance Cookbook was easily a high point not just of the year, but of my career. As I started learning more about the history of community cookbooks, I realized that our project tapped into my loves of food, storytelling, feminism, gene-
Food Writer , The Austin Americ an Statesman Fe atu r ed: 10 to watch, TRIBEZA’s December 2009 issue
alogy, and community-building. It’s such an honor to carry on this longstanding tradition of compiling recipes and stories and bring it into the 21st Century!
What are you working on right now? We’re gearing up for our holiday food sections, which are the big-
What’s been your favorite new thing in Austin this year?
gest of the year. From the sweets and treats of Halloween through
My backyard garden! We took a break for a few years to try our
the rejuvenating-yourself-through-food stories of the New Year, it’s a
hand at chickens, but the clucking and pooping got out of con-
busy (and exciting) time of year. I’ve also started treating the Femi-
trol, so we’re back to regular old vegetable gardening. Outside my
nist Kitchen book club like a college class, so we’re in the middle of
home, I’m excited about all the new food gems near my house:
our fall syllabus, talking about subjects like Sylvia Plath and Lucky
Barlata, the Austin Beer Garden Brewery Company, Trader Joe’s,
Peach magazine.
and Wheatsville South. tribeza.com december 2013
39
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i n h i s ow n wor ds
Dan Winters PHOTOGR APH ER
An excerpt from Road to Seeing, the much anticipated autobiography by the legendary photographer.
M
y son Dylan was born in December 1993. We owned a beautiful home on Bryn Mawr Drive in the Hollywood Hills that provided us with a peaceful haven amid the bustle of Los Angeles. I called the house “the tree house,” as it reminded me of the Swiss Family Robinson tree house at Disneyland, which was magical to me as a boy. It was quiet and secluded and provided a nurturing environment for Dylan as a toddler. As he grew older and started nursery school and kindergarten he was, out of necessity, spending more and more time on the LA freeway system. One day, while driving him to school and sitting in the bumper-to-bumper drollery that is the 101 freeway, I caught a glimpse of him in the rearview mirror. He was sitting quietly, gazing out of the window in what appeared to be a moment of contemplation. It was as though he were pondering his predicament. I had fond memories of a childhood filled with space to run and explore, and longed to offer my son a childhood that reflected my priorities rather than the experience he was having in Los Angeles. The moment was a seminal one for me as a father. Shortly thereafter, Kathryn and I decided to try living somewhere else. I had long been fond of Texas, and was particularly drawn to Austin. Kathryn’s mother, Meta Sue, was born in Texas, and Meta’s mother, Mary Emma, is still living in San Antonio at age 96. We also had friends in Austin who loved the city for its quality of life. Kathryn and I began seri-
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ously considering a move. I have tried to view my successes and failures in equal measure, and always from the standpoint of their significance in my growth as a man. I try to live free of regrets, but as humans, it’s common for us to focus deeply on our failures. If I were to view my behavior during my 10-year period in Hollywood, it’s clear to me that I was living more unconsciously than I would have preferred. My work ruled my life, and the decisions I made were usually steeped in the frenzy that was my career. I would have liked to spend more time with my friends and family, and I’m grateful that I came to this awareness when I did. I was recently reading about a hospice worker who recorded the last thoughts and words of many of the people she assisted in their final days. One of the most common regrets people shared was that they wished they hadn’t worked so much. Kathryn and I agreed that moving out of Los Angeles was the right thing to do. Austin is a wonderful city packed with cosmopolitan offerings, yet devoid of most of the frustrations that come with living in a larger metropolis. World-class music is performed live nearly every night. There is an incredible food culture, plenty of green space, and, most importantly, a conscientious populace. The city is home to the University of Texas at Austin, and the optimism and energy of its student body resonates throughout the city. It’s a genuinely special place. Kathryn visited Austin to assess the situation and, after being in town for only a few days,
bought a house. We made the move one month later, leaving our Hollywood Hills home and LA office intact, just in case things didn’t pan out as we hoped they would. For several months, I continued to spend most of my time in Los Angeles, working in my Hollywood studio. But as soon as I had a break, I began the search for a studio outside Austin. Eventually I found a building in the country, 22 miles from downtown, at a crossroads called Driftwood. Built in 1903, the structure served the small ranching community into the 1990s as the post office, general store, gas station, barbershop, and feed store. The roads in the area had remained unpaved until the late ’80s. The seclusion is a true gift. The property has turned into a compound, with several free-standing structures housing my woodshop, storage, and various shooting spaces. There is also a WPA-constructed outhouse, which for me was one of the property’s most salient selling points. The studio is two miles from a deep swimming hole and worldclass barbecue. The home Kathryn found for us is a short walk from a lake, and Dylan’s summers were filled with swimming and fireflies. Though we maintain a home and office in Los Angeles and a beach house on Tybee Island, outside of Savannah, Georgia, Austin has been a true gift from the universe. The seclusion of my studio has afforded me a place that is truly peaceful. This environment has given rise to an intense amount of personal work, as well as many seminal assignment jobs, in the years I’ve spent there. It has revealed itself as my corner of the universe.
Co py r i g h t © 2014. U s ed w i t h p er m i s s i o n o f P e a r s o n Ed u c at i o n , I n c . a n d N e w R i d er s .
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December Calendars arts & entertainment
Entertainment Calendar Music Trombone shorty & orleans Avenue
December 1, 7pm Stubb's
florida georgia line
December 1, 7:30pm ACL Live at the Moody Theater UT Symphony orchestra & MIRÓ quartet
December 4, 8pm Bass Concert Hall
Less than jake
December 5, 6pm The Belmont John Gorka
December 5, 7:30pm Cactus Café DANÚ
December 5, 8pm Bass Concert Hall John Mayer
December 6, 7pm Frank Erwin Center A Charlie brown christmas with david benoit
December 8, 6pm One World Theatre
Conspirare christmas 2013
December 9, 7:30pm Long Center for the Perfoming Arts Esteban
December 11, 7pm One World Theatre
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Escondido
December 11, 9pm Mohawk Austin Kopecky family band
December 17, 8pm Stubb's Max bemis
December 21, 8:30pm Stubb's Trans-siberian orchestra
December 26, 3pm & 8pm Frank Erwin Center Old 97's
December 27 & 28, 8pm Antone's Willie & friends family new year
December 30 & 31, 9pm ACL Live at the Moody Theater Pink floyd Laser Spectacular
December 31, 7pm One World Theatre
Bob Schneider's new year's eve
December 31, 8pm The Paramount Theatre
Film it's a wonderful life
December 4, 7pm The Paramount Theatre A christmas story
December 4, 9:35pm The Paramount Theatre
Meet me in St. Louis
December 15 & 16 The Paramount Theatre White Christmas
December 15 & 16 The Paramount Thatre
Theatre Sleeping beauty dreams
December 1, 2pm & 4:30pm The Paramount Theatre Memphis
December 10 through 15 Bass Concert Hall A christmas story
Through December 29 ZACH Thatre
This wonderful life
Through December 29 ZACH Theatre
Comedy Nick kroll
December 5, 8pm The Paramount Theatre Jimmy pardo
December 6 through 7 Cap City Comedy Club Godfrey
December 11 through 14 Cap City Comedy Club Carmen lynch
December 18 through 21 Cap City Comedy Club Mike Lawrence
December 26 through 28 Cap City Comedy Club
Children Poetry on the plaza: Childhood favorites
December 4, 12pm Harry Ransom Center
Santa's workshop: Make Clay ORnaments
December 6, 10am Toybrary Austin
Texas outdoor adventure day
December 7, 9am Mckinney Roughs Nature Park 2013 Gingerbread Village
Through January 1 Four Seasons Hotel Austin
Other city wide garage sale
December 1, 11am Palmer Events Center
13th Annual blue genie art bazaar
December 1 through 24 Marchesa Hall and Theater
6th annual lights of love 5k & family fun run
December 6, 5:30pm Mueller Park
day of tango festival
December 6 through 8 Ben Hur Shrine
trail of lights 5k run/ walk
December 7, 6:30pm Zilker Park
Project transitions Holiday swing
December 7, 8pm Shoal Crossing Event Center Violet crown arts festival
December 7 & 8, 10am Triangle Park
2013 Cherrywood Art Fair
December 7 & 8, 10am Maplewood Elementary School Ballet austin: The nutcracker
December 7 through 23 Long Center for the Performing Arts Dancing with the stars austin
December 8, 7pm Hilton Austin Downtown
International Film festival summit
December 8 through 10 Hyatt Regency Austin Trail of Lights
December 8 through 22 Zilker Park Luminations
December 14 & 15, 6pm Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center armadillo christmas bazaar
December 17 through 24, 11am Palmer Events Center Shen yun
December 27 through 29 Long Center for the Performing Arts
arts & entertainment
C A l e n da r s
Davis Gallery
Westering America: Frontier Thinking and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art Lecture, 7pm december 6 Harry ransom center
Alec Soth & Brad Zellar Pop-up Exhibition, 7pm
December 7 wally workman gallery
Will Klemm: Solo Show Opening Reception, 6-8pm december 12 Women & their work
Yuliya Lanina: Arcadian Rhapsody Opening Reception, 6-8pm
Ongoing Blanton Museum of Art
Cubism Beyond Borders Through December 8 Imperial Augsburg: Renaissance Prints and Drawings, 1475-1540 Through January 5 The Nearest Air: A Survey of Works by Waltercio Caldas Through January 12 Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
Views of the Capitol: 125 Years in the Making Through December 31 The contemporary Austin
Erin Curtis: Furthest West Through January 5 Liam Gillick Through January 5 Marianne Vitale Through January 5
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Holiday Group Show Through January 4 Flatbed Press and Gallery
Ann Conner: Suite Symphony Through January 4 Harry Ransom Center
Radical Transformation Through January 5 Eli Reed: The Lost Boys of Sudan Through December 8 Lady bird johnson wildflower center
Natural Patterns Through December 8
EVENT P I C K
Lora Reynolds Gallery
“The Texas Triangle” pop-up preview at the Harry Ransom Center
Photo methode gallery
Friday, December 6 at 7pm hrc.utexas.edu
Personal, Political, Mysterious Through January 11
The Dutiful Daughter: Laura Pickett Calfee Through December 21 umlauf sculpture garden
Priour: Lost Pieces and Early Drafts Through January 26 Visual arts center - UT
Alyson Shotz: Invariant Interval Through December 7 Echoes of Form November 8 through December 7 Department of Art & Art History Faculty Exhibition: Part Three November 8 through December 7 Wally workman gallery
Will Klemm: Solo Show December 7 through 24
Women and Their Work
Yuliya Lanina December 5 through Janurary 23 THIRST on Lady Bird Lake Through December 16
A
s John Steinbeck famously said, Texas is more than a state; it’s a state of mind. It’s this framework Magnum photographer Alec Soth and writer Brad Zellar are using to bring their “irregularly published” newspaper, The LBM Dispatch, to Texas, culminating in a one-night pop-up preview at the Harry Ransom Center on Friday, December 6. The show, titled “The Texas Triangle,” will explore the state’s unique voices and places through photography and writing, as discovered in a two-week trip the pair took through the triangular area between San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Galveston. Since its inception in 2012, Soth and Zellar’s project has produced five state-themed issues of The LBM (Little Brown Mushroom) Dispatch, published by LBM, the independent publishing company started by Soth in 2008. And from the Dispatch’s beginning, Soth says, both he and Zellar were drawn to including Texas. He explains, “Whether one is talking about politics, culture or sheer geography, the role Texas plays in American life is too big to ignore…” The show, organized by Ransom Center Chief Curator of Photography Jessica McDonald with assistance from UT Art students, is in conjunction with the Center’s current exhibition of images from its Magnum photography collection, “Radical Transformation: Magnum Photos into the Digital Age,” which runs through January 5. l. patterson
"Dottie." Denver. © Alec Soth / Magnum Photos
december 5 harry ransom center
Liam Gillick
September 21, 2013 – January 5, 2014
Marianne Vitale
September 21, 2013 – January 5, 2014 Charles Long January 18 – April 20, 2014
Jones Center 700 Congress Avenue Austin, Texas 78701
Laguna Gloria 3809 West 35th Street Austin, Texas 78703
thecontemporaryaustin.org Director’s Circle: Michael and Jeanne Klein, Suzanne Deal Booth and David G. Booth, Michael A. Chesser, Johnna and Stephen Jones, The Still Water Foundation, Melba and Ted Whatley, Anonymous Exhibition Sponsors: Deborah Green and Clayton Aynesworth, Susan and Richard Marcus, Jane Schweppe, Diane Land and Steve Adler, Sue Ellen Stavrand and John Harcourt, Amanda and Brad Nelsen, Pedernales Cellars, Gail and Rodney Susholtz, Lora Reynolds and Quincy Lee, Janet and Wilson G. Allen, Shalini Ramanathan and Chris Tomlinson, Austin Ventures, Oxford Commercial, Vinson & Elkins LLP , Lindsey and Mark Hanna, and the Jewish Community Foundation Additional Support Generously Provided By: ACL Live at The Moody Theater, Pedernales Cellars, Luxe Interiors + Design, The Texas Tribune, Hotel Saint Cecilia, Hotel San Jose, W Austin, Four Seasons Hotel Austin, InterContinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel, The Austin Chronicle, and KUT/KUTX
This project is funded and supported in part by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and in part by the City of Austin Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services Office/Cultural Arts Division believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin’s future. Visit Austin at NowPlayingAustin.com.
museums & galleries
Art Spaces Museums The Contemporary austin: laguna gloria
3809 W. 35th St. (512) 458 8191 Driscoll Villa hours: Tu–W 12-4, Th-Su 10–4 Grounds hours: M–Sa 9–5, Su 10–5 thecontemporaryaustin.org. the contemporary austin: Jones Center
700 Congress Ave. (512) 453 5312 Hours: W 12-11, Th-Sa 12-9, Su 12-5 thecontemporaryaustin.org Austin Children’s Museum
t h e at r e p r e v i e w
“This Wonderful Life” at Zach Theatre
I
nspired by the Christmas film classic "It’s a Wonderful Life", ZACH Theatre will stage its first production of “This Wonderful Life,” starring actor Martin Burke, who was named “Austin Actor of the Year 2013” by The Austin Chronicle. In the play, Burke takes on the momentous and hilarious task of playing all 37 characters in the film, from Jimmy Stewart to Clarence the Angel. “It is a theatrical celebration of the ordinary choices that add up to extraordinary lives,” explains the show’s director Richard Robichaux. “We all need to be reminded of that, especially around the holidays.” For Burke, the new adaptation of the beloved film is an opportunity to resonate with audiences directly. “I love what Clarence the angel inscribes in the book that he gives George at the end [of the show]: Remember, no man is a failure who has friends,” Burke says. “Somewhere, someone has been touched by your life, and it has caused a lasting, positive effect.” Performances run Nov. 21-Dec. 29, Wednesday-Sunday at 7:30 and Sunday matinee at 2:30. For more information about added performances and ticket ordering, visit zachtheatre.org. m. bryce
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201 Colorado St. (512) 472 2499 Hours: Tu 10–5, W 10–8, Th–Sa 10–5, Su 12–5 austinkids.org Blanton Museum of Art
French Legation Museum
802 San Marcos St. (512) 472 8180 Hours: Tu–Su 1–5 frenchlegationmuseum.org George Washington Carver Museum
1165 Angelina St. (512) 974 4926 Hours: M–Th 10–9, F 10–5:30, Sa 10–4 ci.austin.tx.us/carver Harry Ransom Center
300 E. 21st St. (512) 471 8944 Hours: Tu–W 10–5, Th 10–7, F 10–5, Sa–Su 12–5 hrc.utexas.edu LBJ Library and Museum
2313 Red River St. (512) 721 0200 Hours: M–Su 9–5 lbjlibrary.org
Mexic–Arte Museum
200 E. MLK Jr. Blvd. (512) 471 7324 Hours: Tu– F 10–5, Sa 11–5, Su 1–5 blantonmuseum.org
419 Congress Ave. (512) 480 9373 Hours: M–Th 10–6, F–Sa 10–5, Su 12–5 mexic–artemuseum.org
The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
O. Henry Museum
1800 Congress Ave. (512) 936 8746 Hours: M–Sa 9–6, Su 12–6 thestoryoftexas.com Elisabet Ney Museum
304 E. 44th St. (512) 458 2255 Hours: W–Sa 10–5, Su 12–5 ci.austin.tx.us/elisabetney
409 E. 5th St. (512) 472 1903 Hours: W–Su 12–5
Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum
605 Robert E. Lee Rd. (512) 445 5582 Hours: W–F 10–4:30, Sa–Su 1–4:30 umlaufsculpture.org
image courtesy of Zach scott theatre
arts & entertainment
arts & entertainment
Galleries Art on 5th
3005 S. Lamar Blvd. (512) 481 1111 Hours: M–Sa 10–6 arton5th.com The Art Gallery at John-William Interiors
3010 W. Anderson Ln. (512) 451 5511 Hours: M–Sa 10–6, Su 12–5 jwinteriors.com Artworks Gallery
1214 W. 6th St. (512) 472 1550 Hours: M–Sa 10–5 artworksaustin.com
Austin Art Garage
2200 S. Lamar Blvd., Ste. J (512) 351-5934 Hours: Tu–Sa 11–6, Su 12–5 austinartgarage.com Austin Art Space Gallery and Studios
7739 North Cross Dr., Ste. Q (512) 771 2868 Hours: F–Sa 11–6 austinartspace.com capital fine art
1214 W. 6th St. (512) 628 1214 Hours: M-Sa 10-5 capitalfineart.com champion
800 Brazos St. (512) 354 1035 By Appt. Only championcontemporary.com Creative Research Laboratory
2832 E. MLK Jr. Blvd. (512) 322 2099 Hours: Tu–Sa 12–5 uts.cc.utexas.edu/~crlab
Davis Gallery
837 W. 12th St. (512) 477 4929 Hours: M–F 10–6, Sa 10–4 davisgalleryaustin.com Flatbed Press
2830 E. MLK Jr. Blvd. (512) 477 9328 Hours: M-F 10-5, Sa 10-3 flatbedpress.com Gallery Black Lagoon
4301-A Guadalupe St. (512) 371 8838 Hours: Sa 1-5 galleryblacklagoon.com Gallery Shoal Creek
2832 MLK Jr. Blvd. #3 (512) 454 6671 Hours: Tu–F 11–5, Sa 10–3 galleryshoalcreek.com grayDUCK gallery
608 W. Monroe Dr. (512) 826 5334 Hours: W 11-6, Th 4-8, F-Sa 11-6, Su 12-5 grayduckgallery.com Jean–Marc Fray Gallery
1009 W. 6th St. (512) 457 0077 Hours: M–Sa 10–6 jeanmarcfray.com La Peña
(512) 474 1700 Hours: M–Sa 10-6 lotusasianart.com
Hours: Tu–Sa 10–4 stephenlclarkgallery.com
Mondo Gallery
1011 West Lynn Hours: Tu–Sa 11–5 (512) 236 1333 studiotenarts.com
4115 Guadalupe St. Hours: Tu - Sa, 12- 6 mondotees.com The Nancy Wilson Scanlan Gallery
6500 St. Stephen’s Dr. (512) 327 1213 Hours: M-F 9-5 sstx.org Okay Mountain Gallery
1619 E. Cesar Chavez St. Sa 1-5 or by appointment (512) 293 5177 okaymountain.com
Wally Workman Gallery
1202 W. 6th St. (512) 472 7428 Hours: Tu–Sa 10–5 wallyworkman.com
Women & Their Work
Pro–Jex Gallery
Yard Dog
1710 S. Lamar Blvd., Ste. C (512) 472 7707 Hours: M–F 10–6, Sa 12–4 Red Space Gallery
1203 W. 49th St. By appointment only redspacegallery.com
Russell Collection Fine Art
Lora Reynolds Gallery
sofa
1009 W. 6th St., #101
502 W. 33rd St. (512) 453 3199 By Appt. Only fluentcollab.org
1710 Lavaca St. (512) 477 1064 Hours: M–F 10–6, Sa 12–5 womenandtheirwork.org
1137 W. 6th St. (512) 478 4440 Hours: Tu–Sa 10–6 russell–collection.com
Lotus Gallery
Testsite
1118 W. 6th St. (512) 472 1831 Hours: M-Sa 10-5, Su 12-4
Positive Images
227 Congress Ave., #300 (512) 477 6007 Hours: M-F 8-5, Sa 8-3 lapena–austin.org
360 Nueces St., #50 (512) 215 4965 Hours: W-Sa 11-6 lorareynolds.com
studio 10
1319 Rosewood Ave. By appointment only sofagallerytx.com Stephen L. Clark Gallery
1101 W. 6th St. (512) 477 0828
1510 S. Congress Ave. (512) 912 1613 Hours: M–F 11–5, Sa 11–6, Su 12–5 yarddog.com
Alternative Spaces ARTPOST: The Center for Creative Expression
4704 E. Cesar Chavez St. artpostaustin.com Austin Presence
330 Bee Cave Rd., #700 (512) 306 9636 Hours: Tu–F 10–6, Sa 10–4 austinpresence.com
M u s e u m s & Ga l l e r i e s
Bay6 Gallery & Studios
Roi James
5305 Bolm Rd. (512) 553 3849 By appointment only bay6studios.com
3620 Bee Cave Rd., Ste. C (512) 970 3471 By appointment only roijames.com
Big Medium
Space 12
5305 Bolm Rd., #12 (512) 939 6665 bigmedium.org Clarksville Pottery & Galleries
4001 N. Lamar Blvd., #550 (512) 454 9079 Hours: M-Sa 11-6, Su 1-4 Co-Lab Project Space
613 Allen St. (512) 300 8217 By appointment only colabspace.org farewell Books
913 E. Cesar Chavez St. (512) 476 DOMY Hours: Mon-Sa 12–8, Su 12–7 domystore.com Julia C. Butridge Gallery
1110 Barton Springs Rd. (512) 974 4025 Hours: M–Th 10–9:30, F 10–5:30, Sa 10–4 ci.austin.tx.us/ dougherty/gallery.htm Pump Project Art Complex
702 Shady Ln. (512) 351 8571 pumpproject.org
Quattro Gallery
12971 Pond Springs Rd. (512) 219 3150 Hours: M–Tu 10–3, W–Sa 11–4 quattrogallery.com
3121 E. 12th St. (512) 524 7128 T-F 10-5 space12.org
Fredericksburg AGAVE GALLERY
208 E. San Antonio St. Hours: M-Sa 10-5 (830) 990 1727 agavegallery.com ARTISANS AT ROCKY HILL
234 W. Main St. (830) 990 8160 Hours: M-Sa 10-5:30, Su 11-3 artisansatrockyhill.com FREDERICKSBURG ART GALLERY
314 E. Main St. (830) 990 2707 Hours: M-Sa 10-5:30, Su 12-5 fbartgallery.com INSIGHT GALLERY
214 W. Main St. (830) 997 9920 Hours: Tu-Sa 10-5:30 insightgallery.com WHISTLE PIK
425 E. Main St. (830) 990 8151 Hours: M-Sa 10-5 To have your gallery considered for listing in the Arts Guide, please send a request to events @tribeza.com.
tribeza.com december 2013
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TRIBEZ A Talk A n i n s i d e r ' s g u i d e to A u s t i n ' s h i d d e n g e m s .
b y l e i g h pat t e r s o n
austin musicia n
Hey, jazz mills! In a movie about your life, what three songs are on the soundtrack? 1. “Hold Me” by Fleetwood Mac My daughter Ava is obsessed with it and has to listen to it 100,000 times a day. I don't think it's a coincidence either that the name of the song is “Hold Me.” 2. Shania Twain Can't pick just one song but definitely at least one by Shania Twain I grew up listening to so much 90s country and even though I listen to almost anything now, I have not/will not get over Shania. 3. “Hungry Eyes” by Eric Carmen It is amazing and so hot even with the horrible saxophone solo. Austin musician Jazz Mills has opened for artists like the Arcade Fire and Stevie Wonder, and most recently performed with the local folk/blues band Cowboy and Indian. Last month, Mills released her self-titled debut EP, a delightful pop soundtrack that feels both unique and timeless.
Jazz Mills photo by Courtney Chavanell
O n a sc a l e o f o n e to t e n , w e a r e a b o u t at a n e l e v e n w i t h o u r e xc i t e m e n t a b o u t t h e n e w J a m e s T u r r e l l S k y s pac e i n s ta l l at i o n o n t h e r o o f to p o f UT ’ s S t u d e n t Ac t i v i t y C e n t e r at
ry at 2320 East Cesar Chavez and is open 11-5 (closed on Mondays).
2 2 n d a n d S p e e d way. Done in conjunction with the UT Landmarks program, which brings public art projects to UT, Turrell’s piece explores a connection to the universe through the medium of light. To experience the Skyspace guests file into an elliptical, white plaster structure with a ceiling oculus allowing for light to enter the space. Daily, at dusk and dawn, LED lights are programmed to illuminate the inside and outside, fluctuating in intensity and color while simultaneously juxtaposed with a changing sky through the oculus. The result: a peaceful and sublime escape from reality. Learn more about the installation and reserve a time to see it at utexas.edu/cofa/turrell/
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P h otos by F lo r i a n H o l zh er r
Ple a su re vs. Pa in in ATX Jennifer Chenoweth is creating a map of experiences. Inspired by her own Austin memories, the artist researched the topics of pleasure and pain with psychologists and behaviorists to create a “Hedonistic Map of Pleasure and Pain,” a project that anonymously polls locals on simple pleasure, love, and the everyday. Eventually, the questionnaire will result in a giant visual blueprint modeled after Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions, drawing connections between experience and location. The map, originally installed at Co-Lab in October, will continue to grow, as Chenoweth plans to accept survey submissions until at least 2015. Hedonistic Map of Pleasure and Pain questionnaire courtesy of Chenoweth and Dave O'Donnell.
@ilov etex a s photo
Questions from Chenoweth's questionairre: Where is one place you feel alive and excited? Where have you laughed the hardest? Where did you fall in love? Where do you go to reconnect with nature?
Read more about the project, see the full list, and submit responses at: fisterrastudio.com
Where do you go to get your creativity inspired? Where was your faith in humanity restored? Where have you felt the most competent? Where did you have an experience that caused your awareness to change? Where was the best night of your life in Austin?
3 questions for: Austin Eastciders Bring on the cider-sippin’ weather: new ‘Urban Cidery’ Austin Eastciders, which will be opening to the public in early 2014, will feature a bar, tasting room, and outdoor event space. Cider will go into bottle production early next year, but for now can be found on draft at select Austin bars and restaurants. See a full list on Austin Eastciders’ Facebook page.
Austin Instagrammer of the Month : I Love Tex a s Photo We like seeing the state through the lens of I Love Texas Photos’s ‘gram account, founded by photo editor Jasmine DeFoore. Every three days, I Love Texas Photo passes its account to a different Texas user, allowing followers to experience daily life through the eyes of a variety of different photographers. “We love photographers who share stories about the people, traditions, and activities that make up daily life in Texas,” says ILTP editor Wynn Myers. “It's great to see a historic building, and even better to see a portrait of someone who has worked in that building for the last 30 years.” Anyone is welcome to submit to be part of the project. Get in-
1. You call cider the Original Drink of America: please explain. Cider was the most popular drink in America right up until the Prohibition era, [with] traditions of cider-making brought over by the original settlers from the West of England…[cider] was the drink of choice of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, elections were notoriously won by plying the voters with cider, and it was even drunk by children because the alcohol made it cleaner and safer than drinking water. What they don't tell you at school is that Johnny Appleseed wasn't growing apples for eating; he was growing apples to make cider out of! 2. Tell me more about how the apple variety influences the flavor of the cider. The interesting thing about cider-making is that in most respects it is very similar to winemaking, with one major exception: The finest ciders are usually made with a blend of many different cider apple varieties rather than one single variety...This is because, unlike wine, it is rare to get the perfect balance of flavors from one variety. 3. What’s the ideal meal to pair with a cold glass of cider? Dry, traditional cider styles happen to go incredibly well with Texas BBQ, which was a huge win when I discovered it! Classically, cider pairs great with anything porky, smoky or cheesy.
volved at: ilovetexasphoto.com/contact/ I n s tag r a m p h oto by M a rco To r r e s
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The passionate Austini-
tes who are stepping up
to bring change to the
city; the individuals be-
hind some of this year’s
biggest ideas, places,
and movements.
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“ This was my opportunit y to create a re al communit y.�
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RIDE, In d o o r Cyc li n g
By Tolly Moseley
david garza A former couch potato turned his life around to become a leader of a fitness movement that’s inspiring the masses.
“This is my therapy session.”
“It’s weekly inspiration.” “You talk about things I’m dealing with in my life.” It’s the type of feedback one might expect for a popular priest. Scrawled lovingly on a church comment card and dropped in the collection plate, perhaps
did. That’s when his sister waved to him from across the course, shouting to keep going. With the finish line in sight, brother and sister crossed together. “At that moment, a new person emerged,” says Garza. “To this day, I’ve completed 10 consecutive Austin Marathons. I am utterly grateful for what it did to me.”
accompanying a generous tithe. One can hear the organ playing softly in the
After that race, Garza—a former vet tech—was inspired to take his career
background, see the lips turning up in gentle smiles as—one by one—attendees
in a fresh direction. Now earning his keep through exercise, he took jobs
submit their notes of gratitude.
with Camp Gladiator and Lifetime Fitness where he began to teach fitness
But these words are voiced by a different congregation, and it’s not one meeting
classes, including indoor cycling. A recent Austin transplant named Kim
at Sunday mass. Rather, these are the devotees of RIDE Indoor Cycling, a new
Dowling walked in Lifetime’s door, and asked David if he had ever heard of
cycling studio that opened up downtown in March. Its charismatic Principal and
Soul Cycle: the workout favored by handfuls of East and West coast glitte-
Master Instructor, David Garza, has taken some of his students out to coffee min-
rati. Characterized by hip music, hand weights, and a vibe more life coach
utes before our interview. “I asked what keeps them coming back, and this is what
than drill sergeant, Soul Cycle was Kim’s beloved workout back in New
they told me,” he answers earnestly. “This is not just exercise for people.” Which
York, and she longed to have something like it in Austin. But after her
seems accurate, given that RIDE’s been open less than a year and every class is
first session with Garza—who naturally gravitates towards the spiritual
close to bursting. But in a city where outdoor cycling abounds and spin classes ar-
in class—she decided she liked what she saw.
en’t too sparse either, what gives? How did RIDE shoot to crazy success almost overnight? The answer lies with Garza himself. Judging by his bicep alone, you’d never guess he once struggled with weight. “I was the big kid in school,” says Garza.
That was 2010. Two years later, Dowling and her husband Tim approached him about creating RIDE. “They brought me in as a partner, which was something I had been praying about. To have partial ownership of something,” Garza says. “This was my opportunity to create a real community.”
“Twelve years ago in college, I was close to 300 pounds, smoking and drinking.
These days, nobody can deny the community that charges through RIDE’s
I just totally let myself go.” But fresh out of school, Garza—a newly-minted Tex-
doors. Classes start like a cannon, with a collective energy that (to return to
as Tech grad—moved to Austin and fell into a fitness groove, eschewing yo-yo
our church analogy) borders on tent revival. Participants high-five each other
diets for running and pick-up soccer. Jocky friends would pester him about
as the music blasts, breaking out into crunches, weight lifting, sprints, and on-
local races until, at age 26, he signed up for the first marathon of his life: the
the-bike dance parties by intervals. For Garza, who teaches about 12 classes a
Austin Marathon. Unfortunately, that wasn’t his only first.
week, the growing fervor around RIDE and the personal success stories it has
“At that time I was also going through a divorce, and fitness saved me,”
fostered affirm his basic principle: This is more than exercise.
says Garza. “I was going out at night with my friends, but since I had the
“I know the journey that people are on, because I’ve been there. And it hurts,”
marathon coming up, I’d always be the coffee guy, the designated driver.
he says. “I know it’s hard to step into a new place where you’re uncomfortable,
It was a reason to stay healthy and not fall into more destructive ways of
so I always make a point of telling the new people, ‘Look, a few years ago, I was
coping.” On race day, Garza’s sister drove in from Houston to run with him.
you. I was the back row guy! Just reverse these roles and I was right where you
As he trudged the last mile up a steep hill, every muscle in his legs screamed
are!’” he laughs. “But when we step into that room and the door shuts, it’s our
to stop—”like a baseball bat cracking over my calves”—and in fact, he almost
time. It’s our hour to be who we want to be.” tribeza.com
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Editor, T h e T e xas T r i bu ne
emily ramshaw How a D.C. girl found “the greatest journalism job in America” in the Lone Star State.
“This sounds cheesy,” Emily Ramshaw is saying. “But for me, journal-
streaming of Senator Wendy Davis’ eleven-hour filibuster of an anti-abortion bill
ism never really seemed like a job. It seemed like a calling.”
went viral, with more than 183,000 people tuning in from 187 countries. Leading
For the Texas Tribune editor, being a journalist isn’t just a passion; it’s a biography.
into 2014, the Tribune plans to live-stream much of the upcoming election season,
Born to journalist parents in Washington D.C.—her mother was a reporter and
thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $65,000 to cast an
editor and father a television news reporter—Ramshaw, who has been with the
unfiltered lens on the gubernatorial race, and ultimately to make live-streaming of
Tribune since it started in 2009, attended J-school at Northwestern and “never
politics “the new norm.”
considered any career other than this.” After graduation, she landed a job at The
These are few among a variety of big projects the site will be rolling out in the
Dallas Morning News and, sight unseen, moved to Texas, where she covered City
next year, which range from launching a user-generated, issue-based op-ed site to
Hall for the paper before transferring to Austin to cover the State Capitol where, as
generating more concerted e-newsletters on a range of topics like water, public ed-
she puts it, she “fell in love with Texas politics.”
ucation, and transportation. As Ramshaw sees it, the bottom line is “reaching as
Then, four years ago, Evan Smith and Ross Ramsay approached her with an
many people as humanely possible,” be it through online streams, grassroots efforts
interesting proposal: They were staring a new project and wanted her to come
to spread reporters to all corners of the state, or partnerships with other publica-
aboard. “Newspapers were in incredible turmoil,” she explains. “The Texas Tribune
tions (Texas editions of The New York Times publish select Tribune articles each
seemed like an opportunity to blend incredible, established journalism with an
week and state newspapers also have the option to republish its stories). “Texas is the gift that keeps giving,” Ramshaw says. “We have benefited an enor-
For Evan Smith, the decision to hire Ramshaw from the get-go was a no-brain-
mous amount because of the news that keeps coming out of this state. We’re in a
er. When the Tribune started to draft its “fantasy baseball league” of initial reporter
humongous state where population trends are what people expect the rest of the
hires, Emily’s name was “on everyone’s list of political journalists who were simul-
country will look like.” As a recent TIME cover story phrased it, “Texas is America’s
taneously admired, resented, and feared,” he explains. “Everyone in the press corps
future.” And contextualizing this future, and the issues at the front of it—surging
knew her and heard her footsteps.”
population, demographic shifts, natural resources, education, and access to health-
During the Tribune’s first two years of operation, Ramshaw was a reporter on
care—is, from the border to UT, what state readers are owed, Ramshaw says.
the ground, covering Rick Perry on the presidential campaign trail. Since 2011,
According to Smith, it’s this combination of problem-solving and gumption that
she’s been the site’s editor, overseeing a team of about 25 reporters, artists, and
has defined both the site and Ramshaw’s role in it. “The way I see it, the people you
technologists. “I spend a lot of time doing things I never thought I would do as a
hire can fall into two camps,” he says. “There are the people who have their head
journalist,” Ramshaw explains. From planning new products that will help make
down and do the job they are given and then there are the people who do that and
additional revenue for the Tribune, to coming up with innovative ways to engage
then, if given the opportunity, show they are capable of more…they carry the vision
readers, it is, as she puts it, “a brave new world.”
even further. Emily had ideas that were not mine or anyone else’s about how to
This uncertainty of venturing into untreaded territory is largely what has made the Tribune such a successful product. In October, the site won a “General Excel-
make the Tribune better and take it to another place. We’re better for her and Texas is better for her.”
lence in Online Journalism” award from the Online News Association, following
Yet for Emily, who just crossed her ten-year Texas anniversary, it’s all in a day’s
a year of making news accessible and public in trailblazing ways. In June, after
work. “I am so lucky,” she says. “I have the greatest journalism job in America, and
setting up a live YouTube channel for the state legislative session, the Tribune’s
I get to do it in Austin. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
december 2013
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d r e s s b y m i l ly, $ 3 7 5 , ava i l a b l e a t J u l i a n G o l d
Austin tech startup. For me, that was an incredibly thrilling proposition.”
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By leigh patterson
“ Texas is the gif t that keeps giving.�
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“I have a real passion for making the right things happen,�
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Ass istan t C i t y M anag e r ,
Ci ty o f Au s t i n
sue edwards A longtime employee of the city, with the passion and energy to make things happen
By S. Kirk Walsh
On the third floor of City Hall, Assistant City Manager Sue
to tie downtown together,” she says. “It’s going to draw people from all over the
Edwards’s office overlooks the exterior limestone plaza, the steady stream of
city. And it’s one of things that the City of Austin could not have done on our
daytime traffic on Cesar Chavez, and the nearby blue-green swath of Lady Bird
own without a private partner.”
Lake. The sounds of car horns can be heard faintly through the broad windows.
Given her long history with Austin, Edwards has maintained a front-row
Sunlight dapples the tidy blond-wood desk with a few short piles of paperwork.
seat to the city’s remarkable growth and transformation during the past four-
Edwards, 72, wears an elegant black sweater, and her sandy blonde hair hangs
plus decades. “It’s been a little hard,” she admits. “The question for me is how
neatly to her shoulders. During a recent encounter, a visitor quickly learns that
are we going to accommodate the growth—because it’s going to keep coming,
she is a woman of contemplative pauses and well-chosen words. And under-
regardless—in a way that maintains the unique personality of Austin. It’s not
neath the composed demeanor is a veteran city employee who clearly knows
easy to blend the old and the new, and still have people really recognize that
how to make things happen.
this is Austin. In some tiny form, we’ll make sure that anything we touch—in
A native of Roswell, New Mexico, Edwards first moved to Austin from Louisiana in January of 1970. Her first job was with the Community Action Agency
terms of development or redevelopment—that we’ll have something of Austin’s values still in there.”
that was eventually taken over by the city. During this period of time, Dan Da-
One of Edwards’ favorite activities in the city is walking the streets or the trail
vidson served as City Manager (he passed away in 2007). “Dan believed that
that encircles Lady Bird Lake. “I love seeing the changes and watching the people,”
if you were a good manager, you could manage anything because you had the
she says. “It’s one way that I learn about Austin and watch things keep growing.”
big picture and knew the right questions to ask,” remembers Edwards. “This
A typical day for Edwards is chock-full of meetings, decision-making, and
scared me to death.” During her first tenure with the City of Austin, Davidson
putting out fires. “The thing that helps me get up every day is that we get to
advanced Edwards into multiple leadership roles: She directed five different
touch a lot of people and a lot of the things that happen in Austin,” she says of
departments—from the Community Action Department to EMS. After being
her role as assistant city manager. “Hopefully, we’re doing this in a positive way.”
promoted into the position of Assistant City Manager in 1984, she decided to
To retreat from the bustle of downtown, she commutes to her quiet home
resign a year later in order to spend more quality time with her daughters. “We
that borders the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge in Hill Coun-
were working eighty hours a week, and I just hadn’t spent a lot of time with
try, between FM 620 and 360. “It’s nice to be able to go out and relax in the
them,” says Edwards.
back yard and listen to the birds,” says Edwards, who is also an avid gardener.
Almost a decade later, after repeated offers, she returned to City Hall in 1994
Back in her City Hall office, a glass snow globe with the identifiable land-
and moved into her current role of Assistant City Manager in 2007. Her ar-
scape of Austin—the Frost Building, the Capitol, the UT Tower, the Penny-
eas of oversight include aviation, economic development (which encompasses
backer Bridge—sits alone on the circular desk in front of Edwards. When shak-
the arts, music, and film), small businesses, sustainability, watershed protec-
en, tiny black bats, music notes, and confetti-like glitter cascade down onto the
tion, and redevelopment. Recent projects have included a number of vital pri-
miniature metropolis of buildings and structures before settling onto the base
vate-public partnerships, such as the redevelopment of the Mueller project, the
again. Edwards was given the globe as a favor upon the opening of the new City
Second Street District, and Waller Creek. “I have a real passion for making the
Hall, designed by architect Antoine Predock, in 2004. She laughs quietly as
right things happen,” adds Edwards. Waller Creek currently ranks number one
she turns it upside down, holding the transparent sphere steadily in her hand.
amid her favorite projects. “Waller Creek is going to be that jewel that’s going
“Every time I look at it, I see something new,” Edwards says with a smile. tribeza.com
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Head Honc hos at T r a n s m i s s i o n En te rtainme nt
Graham Williams & James Moody A pair of music industry masterminds who just want to have fun “Having Fun Fun Fun Fest at Auditorium Shores is kind of like opening our kimono. Everyone can see and hear what we do,” says Transmission Entertainment founder and FFF coordinator James Moody. “It was a little bit of a dirty secret for awhile.” After eight years of growth, Fun Fun Fun Fest is now far from secret, but the first incarnation of the festival was decidedly under the radar. It began in 2006 as an all-day, genre-crossing concert held on three stages (hip-hop/ electronic, indie, and punk/metal) in Waterloo Park, a 10-acre plot of grass tucked a few blocks north of the Red River music district. The first incarnation was produced by Graham Williams (long-time booker of the original Emo’s) and featured 25 bands ranging from scene stalwarts like the Octopus Project to hardcore punk legends the Circle Jerks. Tickets were offered at a price that even a punk rocker could afford: $20. The following year Williams joined with Moody to form Transmission, a dream team of industry professionals aiming to provide an independently-minded alternative to bigger event production companies. The pair first met right before Moody took the reigns of the Mohawk, which was originally built as a Mexican restaurant in the ‘60s and had an unsuccessful track record as a music venue. “I thought this joker in his Bad Religion shirt and his love of music is going to lose his ass,” Williams says. Since then, the duo and their scrappy team have turned the Mohawk from a pipe dream into the cornerstone of the Austin music scene. And although Fun Fun Fun Fest still takes third billing next to SXSW and ACL, the festival has evolved into a three-day event that employs hundreds of Austinites and contributes $27 million to the local economy. The stages are now framed by Lady Bird Lake and the Austin skyline, but the music hasn’t lost its edge. The howling screams of “Angel of Death” by 2011’s thrash metal headliner Slayer could be heard everywhere from Travis Heights to downtown. As Williams puts it, “How Austin is that to be able to hear Slayer from the balcony of the W Hotel?” What’s most unique about FFF is that it refuses to ditch its signature oddball mentality despite exponential growth and broader appeal. The experience is as much about the gags as the headliners. WTF-worthy happenings like Henry Rollins marrying a couple on-stage or a Taco Cannon blasting out Tamale House to the hungry crowds distinguishes FFF from stuffier stops on the festival circuit. One year there was even a performance by Metalligur, a Metallica cover band fronted by a watermelon-smashing Gallagher impersonator. This year there’s a
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By Dan Gentile
much broader focus on comedy, with headlining stand-up comics like Jack Black and Sarah Silverman. Transmission’s left-field approach also applies to their promotion and marketing. Instead of print ads the group relies mostly on social media and inventive tactics like releasing their line-up through DJ sets on Turntable.FM or in coded clues based on the nautical flag system. To help build anticipation for the fall festival they host a summer aqua olympics at Fiesta Gardens with paddle-board jousting and tug o’ war. If Transmission actually holds a real press conference, it usually involves bad suits and power-point presentations graphing the growth of their awesomeness. “It was always about the ideas more than writing the check,” Moody explains. “When you don’t have the financial resources you’re forced into creativity, which is what we prefer anyways. If we can fight on those terms we feel like we can do pretty well.” The strategy is paying off. This year Transmission doubled their staff, signed a lease on a larger office space under construction next to the old post office on East 6th, and set the groundwork for a new 1500-person-capacity club on East 6th and Brushy. With the larger staff they’ve expanded their focus beyond booking and put more emphasis on event production services like location scouting, backline capabilities, and promoting shows in other cities. They’ve also begun to work more actively with ACL Live’s Moody Theater (no relation), a natural pairing since Transmission’s financial partner Beau Armstrong also has a stake in the venue. The ACL alliance has, Moody says, “peanut butter and jellied” together the two companies’ staffs, giving Transmission more marketing resources and allowing them to continue to book acts that they’ve supported for years but who have grown too big for any of their other venues. In terms of the city’s overall growth the pair remain enthusiastic and optimistic. “The promise of Austin was this thing where you get to park your car and see multiple shows in one night,” Moody says. “That was always the mystery of what Austin could offer compared to other cities.” He doesn’t see the Waller Creek development threatening that, citing city planning promises to maintain Red River as a music district and capitol view corridors as a defense against the encroachment of condos. “Things move around,” says Williams. “The Drag used to be the hip place where all the kids saw bands, South Congress used to be all crack heads and hookers. If things really do change, there will be a new Red River.” If that change happens, Transmission will be there.
“ When you don’ t have the financial resources you ’re forced into creativit y, which is what we prefer anyways.”
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“I thought, ‘ why am I doing things I don’ t want to do? Why am I worried about doing things that aren’ t important to me?’” 66
december 2013
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fas hion d e s i g n e r
By lauren smith ford
gail chovan She’s fought for her life. She’s fought for her childrens’ lives. And now, she’s doing things the only way she knows how—her own.
It all started with an email invitation. Fashion design-
The store was thriving, so she opened a space next door to Blackmail
er Gail Chovan was going to present Aesthetic Ghosts, her Spring 2014 col-
called Vivid. She got pregnant with twins in 2004, and then, as she says,
lection. There was a date and time, but the location was “to be revealed.” It
“everything got crazy.” Her twins were born prematurely at 26 weeks in Sep-
felt exciting…and mysterious, two feelings that the chic and almost always
tember of 2005. They weighed just two pounds. They were airlifted to Texas
clad-in-black Chovan is a master of evoking to her devoted sea of followers.
Children’s Hospital and had health issues from the start, so the surgeries be-
From the West Austin moms at the local elementary where her children go
gan—heart, brain, eye. Between them, the twins had 21 different surgeries in
to school to the many interns she has had from the UT fashion design pro-
the first year of their lives. After a few weeks, the twins were diagnosed with
gram, people are fascinated by Gail Chovan.
congenital toxoplasmosis, which left her daughter (Zelda) blind and both
A week later, I was driving down East 5th Street looking for Delta Mill-
children with brain shunts.
works, a lumberyard by day and the unexpected location for tonight’s fash-
Then, just three years later, Chovan was diagnosed with breast cancer.
ion show. It was dark, but we knew we were in the right place—our path
“When I was diagnosed, I felt I could handle it because nothing compared
was illuminated by a single light, a neon sight that read FASHION SHOW.
to what my kids went through,” she says. “I am just going to face this because
With an overwhelming, but delightful smell of cedar in the air, the show be-
my kids had showed me how much they can withstand.” One of Chovan’s
gan amongst the candlelit sawmills and rusted industrial size fans. Fourteen
sisters and her mother were both diagnosed with breast cancer around the
structured looks made of open weave linen and laser-cut velvet in hues of
same time she was. She finished eight months of chemo and radiation in July
cream, grey, and maroon went down the runway. The crowd of over 300
of 2009 and had both her breasts and ovaries removed, but you will never
people rose to their feet in cheers as Chovan walked down the runway with
hear her say she beat it. “I don’t believe anyone is cancer-free. It’s just not ac-
her stylish 8-year-old son, Creed, as the grand finale to the show.
tive right now. I never celebrate a ‘cancer-versary’…I don’t give it the power.
I met up with Chovan after the show at the studio on South First Street that she shares with her husband of 15 years, neon sign artist Evan Voyles.
I only refer to it with a little c,” she says. “The most important thing to me is to keep fighting for my kids.”
It was noon, and she needed a “cronut,” a melt-in- your-mouth donut meets
After all of these challenges and the sudden death of her father, ev-
croissant, from La Patisserie next door. Breakfast for lunch, opening a bou-
erything changed for Chovan. “I thought, ‘why am I doing things I don’t
tique that only sells black, leaving a Master’s program in French Literature
want to do? Why am I worried about doing things that aren’t important
for fashion design school—Chovan knows who she is. She came to Aus-
to me?’” She knew what she had to do—find a way to spend more time
tin in 1995 and worked as the manager and buyer for Tesoros Trading
in France, the place she fell in love with on a high school trip when she
Company before opening Blackmail in the fall of 1997. “My dad gave me
was 15. So, she packed her bags and moved to Paris for the summer with
$2,000 to put down for the deposit, and Evan fronted me the money
her twins to teach design courses. “Everyone thought I was crazy…but I
to stock the store,” she remembers. “We drove all over West Texas to-
said I was going to do it, and I don’t just say shit and not do it,” she says,
gether buying black.” Blackmail first opened on South Lamar and after
taking one last bite of her cronut. “I need to be in France, I need to be
four years, moved to its current location on Congress, where Chovan and
with people that I love, who support me. I need to be doing what I like to
Voyles immediately bought the house behind it.
do…life is too short.” tribeza.com
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2013
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pub lishe r s, Com m u ni t y i m pact ne ws pa p er
john & jennifer garrett
68
To thrive in today’s media landscape, companies are con-
with his slingshot.” And although the goal isn’t to topple these other pub-
stantly reinventing the way they create, package, and deliver content. But
lications, Community Impact’s ammunition has proven strong enough
while publishers scramble to optimize their products for iPhone consumption
to grow it into a serious player in the local landscape. While juggling the
and Facebook traction, Pflugerville natives John and Jennifer Garrett of Com-
responsibilities of raising three young daughters, John and Jennifer have
munity Impact Newspaper focus on entirely different mobile and social strate-
expanded the company to a staff of 100 that publish unique editions in 15
gies: postal route carriers and conversations between neighbors.
regions throughout Central Texas, Houston, and Dallas. They now have a
The husband-and-wife team launched the monthly print edition of Com-
robust web presence and a weekly email version, but the priority is still on
munity Impact in 2005. John’s sales experience at the Austin Business
the physical product. They send out one million newspapers per month and
Journal convinced skeptical advertisers and Jennifer’s acumen for human
issues often top 60 pages. “We’re the post office’s best friend,” Jennifer jokes.
resources and accounting balanced the books. “He’s more extroverted, I’m
When asked how their print publication has managed to thrive contrary
more introverted,” Jennifer explains of their working relationship. “It’s nev-
to digital media trends, John seems to relish the question. “A lot of people
er a battle because our personalities are so complementary.”
think that digital is the future, but I just don’t see how local news is going to
With editorial guidance from John’s high school journalism teacher
be done well digitally. We can’t build a business based on someone search-
Cathy Kincaid (who now serves as executive editor), the first issue was de-
ing Google to find out when 183 will be done. We think that that kind of
livered to the mailboxes of 60,000 residents of Round Rock and Pfluger-
news has to be delivered to us. And if it’s done right, we’ll look at it. It’s not
ville, just as those areas were being transformed by a series of new toll
that people are sick of paper, the phone is just more convenient.”
roads. “Most of the other publications were talking about the debate over
Community Impact’s print gamble has paid off, with revenue over $12
whether we should have toll roads, but they were already being built, so all
million in 2013. But if you look under the hood, their advertising model
everyone wanted to know was where they were going and how much they
actually has more in common with Google Ads than one might think. Small
were going to cost,” John says. “We were the first to actually publish the
businesses that can’t afford a full ad in their local edition can advertise via
entry and exit ramps.”
inserts that target the specific postal routes surrounding their businesses.
The no-nonsense approach to hyper-local journalism has struck a chord
“We’ll sometimes have 21 versions of the same paper,” says John. “There
with readers. Instead of coloring civic news with opinion or industry jar-
aren’t many places in the US anymore where people can do what we do at
gon, Community Impact prides itself on delivering a non-biased and
the carrier route level.”
easy-to-understand solution to today’s media glut. And rather than clutter
The newspaper’s ability to fill such hyper-local niches has resulted in
up email inboxes or fight for bandwidth, the monthly paper went all-in on
a wealth of community success stories. Business profiles have revitalized
a decidedly old-school direct mail strategy. “We write the paper so everyone
struggling Mom and Pop restaurants and land development reporting has
can understand it,” Jennifer says. “And since everyone gets it in the mail, it
kept at least one family from literally selling their farm, but perhaps the
makes it easy for the community to know what’s going on rather than just
most powerful aspect of Community Impact is its ability to harness the old-
the insiders.”
school power of print to rally a growingly disconnected populace around
This underdog mentality led the company to adopt the myth of David
what’s happening in their own backyard.“There’s never been a better time
and Goliath into their mission statement. “We’re David, we’re small,” says
to be in this business,” John says. “When people ask ‘where do you get your
John. “The Statesman, The Chronicle, The Dallas Morning News, these are
news,’ we want them to say Community Impact. We cannot compete with
giants. David wasn’t scared of Goliath because he knew what he could do
the digital world and I don’t really want to. That’s not really where it’s at.”
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j e n n i f e r : d r e s s b y n i c o l e m i l l e r , $ 4 1 0 , ava i l a b l e at j u l i a n g o l d
By dan gentile
An old-school approach to printing the news
“A lot of people think that digital is the future, but I just don’ t see how local news is going to be done well digitally.�
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“I wanted to keep money in the communit y, create an environment where people can have a better experience, and increase their qualit y of life.�
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Chef/Ow n e r , Ed e n Ea s t & H i lls i d e Farmac y
sonya Coté The chef and champion for local food brings the table to the farm.
By Meredith Bethune
According to Sonya Coté, restaurants should be a true reflection
and catering companies in the Dallas area. Eventually she noticed, “people
of the chef. Then you could say that her latest venture, Eden East, unques-
started to come to my art shows to eat the food, not look at the art.”
tionably embodies her personal dedication to community.
Coté left Dallas in 2003, moving to Austin with a teenager and $600 in
Occupying one of Austin’s loveliest settings, the unique dining concept
her pocket. For years, she had nursed a dream to open a bed and breakfast,
is set at Springdale Farm, where diners enjoy a prix fixe, locally-driv-
so she jumped at an opportunity to work at a boutique hotel and restaurant
en menu of “elevated comfort food” under a canopy of twinkling lights
in Fredericksburg. Ultimately, though, she grew bored with small town life
hanging from oak trees. Both Eden East and Coté’s other restaurant,
and returned to Whole Foods—this time in Austin. On a company trip to
the French-influenced Hillside Farmacy, represent her “commitment to
San Francisco, she toured farms and learned about local food, and while in
work with the best possible ingredients, and that’s usually local,” she says,
the airport waiting to return to Texas, Coté found a copy of the book Alice
which, in the case of Eden East, means that most of the vegetables are
Waters and Chez Panisse by Thomas McNamee. Inspired by the pioneer of
harvested just mere feet away. “Basing a menu on the ingredients is a
California cuisine and local food, she vowed to adhere to a similar ethos in
big challenge,” Coté admits, yet she considers, for example, developing 15
her cooking. “I wanted to keep money in the community, create an environ-
ways to use sweet potato or fennel a cherished learning experience. She
ment where people can have a better experience, and increase their quality
explains, “I don’t want to do things that are on any other menu. I don’t
of life,” she remembers.
want to just recreate masterpieces.”
Another chance encounter lead Coté to become executive chef at East Side
Fans of Coté’s stylish cuisine might be surprised that punk rock was
Showroom after running into the restaurant’s co-owner Mickie Spencer, an old
the catalyst that brought her to Texas. “I ran away from home when I was
friend from Dallas. Although at that point Coté had been cooking professional-
fifteen,” she recalls, “I then traveled with a band of wild punk rockers.
ly for years, she had to overcome a steep learning curve, working 12-hour days
They were my community.” Perhaps she had left behind her large Italian
nearly every day of the week. Despite the challenges, Chef Coté became a local
family in Rhode Island to recapture the spirit of her early childhood on
food champion while working at the Showroom. “I was Glenn’s first customer
a transcendental meditation commune in Iowa. According to Coté, her
ever,” she says proudly, referring to Glenn and Paula Foore of Springdale Farm.
father “rescued” her three years later, but her eyes twinkle as she recalls
“I hated leaving, I just wanted to hang out there all the time.”
her adventures with the other children there, saying wistfully, “we were a band of wild children.”
That feeling was the impetus to open Eden East earlier this year, explaining, “I wanted to help the farmers, so why not pay them rent?” Coté now
In Dallas, Coté married young at age 18, and becoming a mother forced
spends most of her weekday afternoons at this restaurant on the farm, prep-
her to abandon her self-described “gypsy tendencies,” working at Whole
ping for the weekend, and making stocks and pickles. Opening a fine dining
Foods as a graphic artist while also attending art school. The job pro-
restaurant on a farm could sound overly romantic to some, but Chef Coté
voked “such a craving for food knowledge because it’s endless, like art,”
insists the process only took about six months from the initial concept to fru-
Coté explains. “You can never know everything about food.” Her new-
ition. According to her, “Opening a hotel gave me the stamina... It’s a piece
found interest motivated her to apprentice with several different chefs
of cake to open a restaurant.” tribeza.com
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capital facto ry
By tolly moseley
Joshua BAer The entrepreneurial guru next door’s pledge to create solutions for the Austin start-up community. When the elevator doors open to Capital Factory, the first
he soon founded Other Inbox, an email filtering and organizing service. This
thing you notice is a distinct hum—the kind that suggests productivity. Fur-
was 2008, and heralded by a big launch at TechCrunch, Other Inbox quickly
rowed-brow employees march back and forth, iPads in-hand, while small
developed a partnership with Yahoo!. Baer sold it after three years, but on the
meetings gather at giant picture windows. An industrial space tricked out with
side, he was already hatching a new vision: a downtown Austin co-working
modern design and gadgets aplenty, it’s almost like walking into a very hip
hub, where entrepreneurs and small companies could open up shop and min-
alien spaceship.
gle with their kind. Capital Factory opened its doors in 2009.
At the center of it all is Joshua Baer, Capital Factory’s founder.
tin,” Baer says. He’s not kidding: There are 200 companies on Capital Factory’s
startups and quietly investing two million dollars in over 150 companies (in-
roster, many of them brand-new. The co-working space also helped create the
cluding Alamo Drafthouse, Greenling, and Outbox), Baer has become some-
Capital Factory Mentors, “about 50 of the most successful tech entrepreneurs
thing of an entrepreneur’s guru. In fact, his Twitter profile (which depicts him
and executives in Austin,” Baer explains. These include folks like Mellie Price,
addressing Barack Obama) reads, “I help people quit their jobs and become
founder of Front Gate Tickets, and Jonathan Coon, founder of 1-800-Contacts.
entrepreneurs.” That’s probably because Baer has been starting companies
From becoming a young startup’s first angel investor to sharing industry con-
since he was a teenager.
tacts, it’s a powerful mentorship group—a group Baer aims to double in size
Baer’s story reads like a less scandalous version of Mark Zuckerberg’s. In the
by next year.
mid-‘90s, he created a tech startup in his college dorm room (one of the first
When asked about Capital Factory’s success stories, Baer shares exam-
email hosting companies); his first customer paid him $50/month. By the time
ples of companies and founders poised to make substantial profits. But, he
he graduated, the company was banking a couple hundred thousand dollars
notes, “many of these people who have financial success see solutions—and
in revenue. “As a college kid, I couldn’t afford to buy any software for my com-
problems—in many other areas, too. Now they have the financial indepen-
puter, so I applied for all of these beta programs trying to get free software,”
dence and resources to let them focus on problems that don’t provide the
Baer says, recalling the olden Internet days when beta wasn’t synonymous with
same kind of financial upside.” He tells me about Dan Graham at BuildA-
“free,” and email was a hot new commodity. “I applied for this email server not
Sign, who runs a program giving free signs to families welcoming home
even knowing what it was, and got accepted. Obviously no one else important
soldiers from overseas. Guava, another Capital Factory resident, teaches low-in-
was applying for it, because I was this college kid with very little to offer.”
come workers financial responsibility and helps them save money with a mobile
With his shiny new $500 piece of software in hand, Baer read the manual,
app, which ties to their bank account and teaches them good financial habits.
and—presumably because no one else did—quickly became an expert. Soon,
For Baer, these kinds of organizations are revolutionary because of the
he was answering people’s questions online, and got so adept he built an email
way they approach problems. Their leaders think differently than the rest
hosting service for it: one of the first email hosting services. This helped him
of us do. That’s because instead of the problem, they become obsessed with
get recruited by Trilogy Development Group in Austin when he graduated in
the solution. “Entrepreneurs are such awesome, fascinating, interesting
1999, and—it being the height of the tech boom—he jumped in with both feet,
people,” Baer says, excitement coloring his voice. “They are, by definition,
taking his company, SKYLIST, with him.
out there changing the world. And they’re the ones making it work better,
At 30, Baer sold this company, but not one to sit on his proverbial laurels,
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“Capital Factory is meant to be the entrepreneurial center of gravity in Aus-
Between creating a 500-person co-working space largely focused on tech
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and faster, and cheaper.”
“Capital Fac tory is meant to be the entrepreneurial center of gravit y in Austin,�
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“I have always felt like being open about what we are trying to achieve gets you so much closer to the end goal , rather than being secretive.�
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ceo, fo u r ha n ds h o m e
By lauren smith ford
matthew briggs Fearless Leader—a South African’s quiet confidence and bold decision-making has helped this global company rise to the top of the troubled furniture industry. Matthew Briggs isn’t your cliché CEO —he would choose
to achieve gets you so much closer to the end goal, rather than being secretive.”
jeans over a suit any day of the week, he prefers reading Malcolm Gladwell to
Briggs got started in furniture serendipitously because of his deep-seed-
Jack Welch, he runs an open financial books policy and during the economic
ed love of business, a knack he discovered he had at his first job in South
downturn of 2007, he took an aggressive stance, buying up real estate and se-
Africa—bagging bottles at a liquor store for tips only. He grew up right in
curing better designers and suppliers on the product side, resulting in signifi-
the middle of the Apartheid and by the time he was 17, he had never left the
cant growth for the international company. “At that time, I preached that the
country. “Crazy stuff happens in the Third World…it doesn’t have the order
whole downturn would produce as much opportunity as it would obstacles,” he
that the U.S. has,” he says. “When you grow up on the southern tip of Afri-
says. “I took the attitude of ‘I am not going to hunker down, try to survive, and
ca, you know you are at the opposite end of the world. It was an amazing
wait around to die…let’s just go for it.’” And that he did—Briggs became the
childhood, but we always felt excluded from so much.” The country didn’t
CEO in 2009 and since then, the company’s revenue is up over 250 percent.
have television until well in to his childhood, but he loved movies like Sat-
“The biggest misconception is that people come in the store or attend a
urday Night Fever and Grease, which left him hungry for an adventure to
warehouse sale and assume that Four Hands is an Austin furniture store…
America. At 17, he applied for a student exchange program. He spent a year
but the reality is that we are an international, North American-based whole-
in Central Illinois, and fell in love with Colorado on two visits during that
sale distributor,” he says. Behind a discreet door at the back of the Four Hands
year. He returned to South Africa for four years of University. Post-gradu-
store location on Woodward is the company’s corporate headquarters, where
ation, he signed up for an MBA program, but he felt the mountains calling
over 100 people are working with retail clients like Anthropologie, Crate &
him back, so he took a job as a photographer at a ski resort in Breckinridge,
Barrel, Neiman Marcus, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, and West Elm.
Colorado.
The 12,000-square-foot Austin showroom may seem sprawling, but it isn’t the
It was in Colorado at age 26 that he came into the furniture busi-
company’s largest—the High Point, North Carolina space is 36,000 square
ness—importing from Mexico. He became interested in Indian antiques,
feet, and they also have showrooms in Las Vegas and Atlanta, as well as offices
and met Brett Hatton, the founder of Four Hands. Briggs was a client of the
in China, India, Thailand, and Vietnam.
company’s for four years, and when he grew tired of the mountain life, he
As the CEO of a global company, Briggs’ days start early or end late with inter-
sold his business and Hatton offered him a job. Before moving to Austin, in
national phone calls, and he is often on a plane. But he still finds time to oversee
his first four years in the U.S., he went without ever buying anything larger
the product team and to lead the company’s “young, fun, casual, but very serious
than what he could fit in a suitcase, unsure whether he could warm up to
about the right things about work” culture. Employees enjoy perks like a generous
the idea of living here forever. Today, the now-father of three couldn’t be
profit-sharing program, health insurance and 401K, comp days, and lots of happy
happier with his wife, Sage, and their life in Austin.
hours. They also have the option to buy any piece of furniture at cost, use it for as
The day of our interview, it was announced that Briggs led a management
long as they like and trade it in for another one. “I think it’s just cowardice that
buyout of the company, making him its majority shareholder. So with this, I
other furniture companies don’t do it,” he says. “I don’t know how you can get your
had to ask, what’s next? “Aggressive growth is in the DNA of this company,” he
employees excited about your product if they never use it!”
says. “When I hear people say, ‘my company is about as big as I want it to be.’
Briggs is open with the company about the financial performance and com-
I say, ‘what the hell are you talking about?’ Aggressive growth is always a part
pany goals. He says, “I have always felt like being open about what we are trying
of our plan.” As I leave, the CEO has one request: “Please, leave the door open.” tribeza.com
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Executiv e D i r ecto r , S u s tain a b le F o od C e nt e r
By leigh patterson
ronda rutledge Eight years ago, she was hired to find a new executive director for Austin’s Sustainable Food Center. Little did she know the perfect candidate would be herself. “Today is one of those days where, no I haven’t checked my
think largely due to my experience and heritage, I am very much about what
email,” Sustainable Food Center Executive Director Ronda Rutledge says.
we are doing to our environment; food production is a huge part of that.
“Right now, I’m just here trying to find a pen.”
From land use to water quality, air quality to the way animals are treated…
From her desk at the SFC’s new offices, Rutledge is talking about the whirlwind-of-a-six months the organization has had. For one, despite exist-
of us being in symbiosis with this planet.”
ing in some capacity for nearly 40 years, until June they were the Sustainable
As the Executive Director, Rutledge plays a largely policy-driven role: tak-
Food Center without the center. Now, almost at the end of a $4.5 million
ing speaking engagements and getting involved in big-picture conversations.
project that put the SFC on the literal map, they are back to work from their
As of October, she is the chair of the Austin/Travis County Sustainable Food
new building in the Chestnut neighborhood off East MLK and Airport Blvd.
Policy Board, where, she says, she makes recommendations to the city about
“It’s been a dream come true because it puts us right in the middle of our
ways to make it easier for people to grow their own food in Central Texas.
client base, most of which live east of IH-35,” Rutledge says.
76
that all spoke to me from this organization and from my own native beliefs
The SFC’s own work, Rutledge explains, falls into three categories: how
One organization in a “Social Profit Village” housing a likeminded set of non-
do you grow food, how do you share it, and how do you prepare it. In each of
profits and start-ups, including People Fund, Urban Roots, Eco Rise, and (in the
these facets, the organization has projects, from starting community gardens
near future) Creative Action, the development is phase three in the ambitious
and farmers’ markets to its current focus, Sprouting Healthy Kids, which al-
Chestnut Plaza project originally started by former Dell Chief Financial Officer
lows the SFC to act as a matchmaker between a local grower and a cafeteria
Tom Meredith. Situated on a donated 30-acre tract the Meredith family bought
so there can be farm-fresh produce going into school cafeterias. The only
from the Featherlite Concrete Company, the project was conceived with the in-
farm-to-school project in Central Texas, SHK started six years ago on two
tention of working with the East Austin community to transform the former
campuses and is now on 50 campuses in the Austin area. The new brick-
industrial wasteland into a collaborative, self-sufficient neighborhood. In 2006,
and-mortar Center will also serve as HQ for its cooking classes and work-
Meredith’s son Will and partner Tom Patton took over the project, expanding
shops, which are free for low-income communities and offer instruction on
its vision to include (phase one) Chestnut Commons, a four-acre, 64-home sub-
anything from breaking down a chicken to ideas for healthy kids’ lunches.
division, (phase two) a Cap Metro rail line, and eventually (phase four), the de-
And with waiting lists for each of the SFC’s programs as well as many of the
velopment of the rest of the land, which will include a community garden, park,
local CSAs not able to meet customer demand, the SFC’s biggest goal for the
amphitheatre, skatepark, and a commercial/retail space.
future is coming up with ways to increase food production, be it in Austin or
Rutledge, who is Cherokee, worked for the American Indian Child Resource
through program replication trainings throughout the country. “This isn’t a
Center in the Bay Area, and nine years ago moved to Texas to be closer to family.
foodie movement,” Rutledge says, an important distinction to make in under-
Knowing she wanted to stay involved in nonprofits, Rutledge became an “affil-
standing the SFC’s role. “We work with lots of restaurants and markets, but we
iate consultant” for Greenlights, a role that positions seasoned executive direc-
are also talking about families that are growing food because that’s what’s going
tors in nonprofits who have lost administrators, allows them to assess the status
onto their family’s plate. That’s the cheapest, most accessible, healthiest food for
of the organization, and find someone permanent to fill the position. “I wasn’t
their families. We are trying create a more sustainable solution for food security
supposed to stay at the Sustainable Food Center,” Rutledge explains. “But the or-
by giving people tools, training, and empowerment to learn how to create habits
ganization resonated with me—actually from an environmental standpoint. I
for themselves and their family for the long haul.”
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“ This isn’ t a foodie movement.”
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“ This rhy thm and compliment of commissioning both new work and temporary projec ts, I hope, will entice our communit y to return to L aguna
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p h oto g r a p h by b i l l s a l l a n s
Gloria frequently.�
Execut i ve D i r ecto r , The Co n te m p o ra ry Au s t i n
Louis Grachos From the front lines of the Contemporary Austin, an intention to integrate art in the city
By s. kirk walsh
On a recent afternoon, Louis Grachos sat behind his long desk,
house for exhibition space and orchestrated a highly successful international
his hands carefully folded over each other, in his shared office configured out
biennial. Upon arriving in Austin, Gracho’s primary task was coming up with
of a former storage/studio space at the rear of the Jones Center on Congress
a new name and identity for the museum. For this undertaking, he and his
Avenue and Seventh Street. A vibrant Sol LeWitt drawing, “Wavy Horizontal
staff teamed up with DJ Stout at Pentagram to devise a new identity that is
Lines” (1996), hangs on the wall behind him. The nine-foot-long drawing—
both clear and concise. And with the recent generous grant of $9 million from
countless ribbons of brilliant colors—is at once an elegant study of fluid move-
the Marcus Foundation, Grachos will have the resources to curate and shape
ment, inherent order, and quiet chaos.
a new vision for Laguna Gloria’s 12-acre grounds, with its 1916 Italianate-style
In January, Grachos was hired as the Ernest and Sarah Butler Executive Direc-
villa, and transform it into a striking sculpture park. During the next decade, a
tor of The Contemporary Austin to lead the new configuration of Austin’s contem-
series of commissioned artworks—both permanent and temporary—will also
porary art museum—the merging of the Jones Center (formerly called Arthouse)
be created for the site. “This rhythm and compliment of commissioning both
and Laguna Gloria into a single artistic institution. “The exciting opportunity was
new work and temporary projects, I hope, will entice our community to return
taking the two organizations and coming up with a vision for a future,” Grachos ex-
to Laguna Gloria frequently,” Grachos says.
plains. “That was so attractive to me as a project. How do we think about growing in the future? How will we contribute to the Austin community?”
Currently, as a part of the development of Laguna Gloria, Grachos and his team, along with Frederick Steiner, Dean of the Architecture School at the
Grachos has worked in the arts field since he graduated from the Uni-
University of Texas, are conducting a search for a landscape architect. In addi-
versity of Toronto with a degree in art history in 1979 and then completed a
tion, Grachos is looking to other great sculpture parks around the country and
post-doctoral year at New York University. His passion and appreciation for
world for inspiration. For example, he plans to visit the deCordova Scuplture
art started at an early age when he attended Roden Public School in Toronto.
Park and Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts, and the Kröller-Müller Museum
“In those days, we were very strongly tied to the Commonwealth,” he explains.
in The Netherlands. “As we move forward, we’ll continue the research with the
As a result, as a young student, Grachos had teachers who were from all of
selected architect and come up with a master plan,” Grachos explains. “I think
the Commonwealth, such as Australia, Pakistan, and Scotland. “I was lucky
Laguna Gloria deserves it. It’s been, in my opinion, under-utilized. We want to
enough to have an Australian teacher who was wonderful in terms of sparking
integrate all of this into a great experience for visitors.”
my interest in art,” he remembers. Field trips included treks to the Art Gallery
The Contemporary already has several curatorial commissions in the works:
of Ontario, artists’ studios, commercial galleries, and museums throughout the
Orly Genger will be installing an enormous piece constructed from her trade-
Great Lakes’ region. “It was the first grade when I saw a still-life painting, ‘Jar
mark, repurposed lobster-fishing ropes, in the outdoor amphitheater at Lagu-
of Apricots,’ by Jean-Siméon Chardin at the Art Gallery of Ontario,” Grachos
na Gloria. A new show, “A Secret Affair,” will revolve around figurative art and
remembers. “I see that painting every time I visit that museum. People still
include works by artists, such as Mark Quinn, Jim Hodges, Louise Bourgeois,
don’t believe it because most of my career has been in the contemporary arts.”
Maurizo Cattelan, and Juan Munoz. There will also be a two-venue show with
Most recently, Grachos served ten years as the executive director of the Al-
work by Do-Ho Suh, an internationally renowned Korean artist.
bright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York. Last year, the museum celebrated
During the coming years, Grachos plans to be a vibrant and strong col-
its 150-year anniversary and is often regarded as one of the country’s great modern
laborator in the local art community. “What I have learned and enjoyed
collections. “Being the steward of the history and that collection and advancing the
seeing is the strength and the new wave of the artist collective,” he says,
museum at the same time with new acquisitions was thrilling,” he says.
referencing local spaces like Co-Lab Projects and MASS Gallery. “There is
Grachos likens his new role to leading a start-up, like when he was first hired as the director of SITE Santa Fe, where he led the renovation of a ware-
a lot of great energy out there—and we really want to be involved and engaged with that culture.” tribeza.com
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natural adaptations b y r a m o n a f lu m e | p h oto g r a p h y b y c a s e y d u n n | s t y l i n g b y a da m f o r t n e r
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The Battles’ front door, a contained splash of emerald green amidst the all-white exterior, was a trade-off: Ryan is colorblind and wants “loud, bold colors all over the place,” while Kim didn’t want their home turning into “a circus.”
An inventive
The morning light struck the front façade
replicate the original façade, but Kim stopped
of the Clarksville home like a well-timed
me and said the front porch was all the tradi-
A u s t i n co u p l e
spotlight on a movie set, illuminating a ra-
tion she could handle,” Randolph says. “That’s
diant-white Greek Revival cottage, complete
when I had the real “Aha” moment of the proj-
r e n o vat e d
with a classic pitched roof and dormers and
ect.”
h i s to r i c a l
Austin architect Hugh Randolph of Hugh
they wanted to build upon it. Especially when
Jefferson Randolph Architects had never seen
they began to uncover the unique story behind
the house before that 2010 autumn morning,
the Clarksville home. Ryan was particularly
but he was overjoyed with his decision to cut
interested in the house’s history—tracking
through Clarksville’s Palma Plaza to avoid
down the original blueprints and discovering
Enfield Road traffic. And the most exciting
the architect, Hilda Urbantke, a UT architec-
aspect of the idyllic 1930s home that looked
ture grad who designed the home (with her
to be in excellent condition? A “For Sale” sign
older sister, Elsie, overseeing construction)
planted in the front yard of the corner lot.
for their family in 1935. “Ryan really thought
Clarksville h o m e to s u i t a modern, s u s ta i n a b l e lifestyle
symmetrical front porch.
The Battles didn’t want to bury the past;
Randolph immediately thought of his cli-
of the design in the larger context of histo-
ents, Ryan and Kim Battle, who were current-
ry,” Randolph says. “He saw his family as the
ly living with their two young daughters in
current keepers of the house, who wanted to
a modern Tarrytown home he designed, but
add parts of themselves, but also continue the
had recently started looking for a smaller, old-
spirit of Hilda.”
er home to renovate in Clarksville to accom-
Randolph realized this wouldn’t be an over-
modate a more sustainable lifestyle. That first
ly reverential historic redesign. It would be a
“For Sale” sighting proved to be fateful. Just
unique evolution of design adaptations (some
six weeks later, the Battles signed on the home
subtle, some bold) that would honor the past
and began outlining their unique redesign vi-
while, at the same time, move the space into
sion with Randolph at the helm.
the future.
A Historic Foundation
Evolutions and Adaptations
The Battles were initially drawn to the
Over the course of the next year, Rudolph
home’s original aesthetic, but quickly realized
and general contractor, Matt Risinger of
they didn’t want to replicate the past. “When
Risinger Homes, essentially stripped the
we first started the process, I proposed adding
house to its studs, installing a new roof, four
another porch on the adjacent street side to
feet higher than the original, to accommodate tribeza.com
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“[ we wanted the house to be] something that showed the history of the owners, old and new, like rings on a tree.” - hugh randolph
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The front living room’s brick chimney is the only original material still located in its original place. “We saw it as a real time capsule,” Randolph says. “Something that showed the history of the owners, old and new, like rings on a tree.”
a small second story for their daughters’ bedrooms. Distinctly modern dormers replaced the originals and other modestly-sized windows were expanded to maximum sizes, allowing natural light to flood in through panoramic panes, espe-
During construction, Randolph and his team uncovered “archeological artifacts,” like fingerprints from the home’s original contractors preserved on the shiplap walls and other strange fossils, like a frying pan found hanging within one of the walls.
cially in the kitchen. But despite new construction, original materials were not discarded or forgotten. The Battles were passionate about the preservation and adaptable reuse of the home’s historic materials (like shiplap walls, exposed steel, and worn redbrick chimney), but wanted them to exist within a more modern space. Once new spaces and dimensions were adjusted to the Battles’ specifications, original materials were reinstated, just in slightly different locations. The front living room’s brick chimney is the only original material still located in its original place. The Battles were charmed by the redbrick centerpiece and thought it created a natural hearth around which the whole house could revolve. But there was one slight adaptation: The chimney had to be extended to accommodate the new, higher roof, leaving a visible line where the original and new brick meet—a noticeable “watermark of the past.” “We saw it as a real time capsule,” Randolph says. “Something that showed the history of the owners, old and new, like rings on a tree.” The team decided to showcase it as an archeological artifact, with a large skylight installed directly overhead, encasing the column of bricks in a radiant shower of natural light, like a museum display case. It’s a fitting tribute to the past, but while the façade and entry remain fairly traditional, the distinct personality of the Battles—a delightful juxtaposition of new and old, modern and ret-
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The home’s façade remained fairly traditional, but the Battles’ distinct personality—a delightful juxtaposition of new and old, modern and retro— can be seen throughout the interiors, designed entirely by Kim. tribeza.com
One of Kim’s favorite pieces, a black and white wallpaper design, entitled “All of Us” by the LA designer Pottok, is framed behind the kitchen’s hovering range hood. It’s an engaging mash-up of monochromatic individuals from all walks of life—a community which the Battles don’t mind watching over them as they cook their family meals.
Ryan, in his backyard workshop with, Macon, his nine-year-old wheaten terrier. “He is constantly by my side,” Battle says. “Kim did a bunch of research on wheaten terriers before we got him to make sure their temperament was good with kids. He quickly turned into my ‘boy.’ Probably one of the best unintended consequences of my life.”
ro—can be seen throughout the interiors, designed entirely by Kim. Despite a background in psychiatric nursing, she has a natural flair for cultivating contrasting, yet complementary spaces, characterized by colorful Scandinavian accents sourced from local boutiques like Nannie Inez, alongside antiques like the 1800s player piano in the family den. One of Kim’s favorite finds is framed behind the kitchen stove’s hovering range hood—a black and white wallpaper design, entitled “All of Us” by the Los Angeles designer Pottok. It’s an engaging mash-up of monochromatic individuals from all walks of life—a community which the Battles don’t mind watching over them as they cook their family meals. It’s just another daily reminder that “we’re all in this together,” as Ryan likes to say.
A Home to House a Sustainable Life The small workshop in the backyard (formerly the garage) has also evolved into a space where Ryan, a Principal Program Manager at Microsoft with a lifelong passion for sustainable practices, works to build upon his personal and community-oriented passions. “We joke that I built the house so I could have the workshop,” he says. Ryan spent his first years in Austin volunteering for a local non-profit that created community gardens on undeveloped city lots. He’s also an avid cyclist and car-sharing supporter, but after a frustrating lack of options to safely store bikes within vehicles, like Car2Gos, he invented a lightweight bike rack designed to easily attach and detach from Car2Go vehi-
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“We all figure out what we want to be important in life and what we want to teach your kids,” Ryan says about his dedication to sustainable living. “And in Austin, it’s easy to think that way, because that is Austin… I feel like I adopted that in my approach to the house project and the bike rack.”
The home’s traditional, modestly sized windows were replaced by larger panes to allow the maximum amount of natural light to filter into newly modernized spaces, like the master bathroom.
“I just want to keep doing things that encourage other people to do better…for themselves or for their community.” - ryan battle
cles. His “Free2Go” patent is now pending,
in between the house and workshop, will be
with a Kickstarter campaign running un-
the site of his latest vegetable garden, provid-
til early December and initial design stages
ing fresh ingredients for his Sunday ritual of
scheduled soon after. He has high hopes for
cooking family meals, in addition to supply-
his innovative bike rack and says it’s the first
ing neighborhood restaurants, like Cippolina,
of many to be born from his new workspace.
in the near future.
His family’s new home, featured in this No-
“I just want to keep doing things that en-
vember’s AIA Homes Tour, was an excellent
courage other people to do better…for them-
way to exercise his passions in the hopes of in-
selves or for their community,” Ryan says. “It
spiring others, but he tends to work best when
might be a neighbor seeing how we’ve de-
juggling multiple projects. At the moment,
signed our house or someone starting an ur-
he’s busy installing a front porch swing—an
ban garden or a cyclist using the Free2Go rack
homage to the former owners’ favorite pas-
to get to and from their shared car…. I just
time. And the backyard, a xeroscaped space
want to help people get there.” tribeza.com
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Inspiration Board:
The Alamo Drafthouse’’’s Tim and Karrie League
b y l e i g h p a tt e rs on | pho to g raphy by bill sa lla ns
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When the Alamo Drafthouse’s Tim and Karrie League say something about film, everyone listens. Like, for example, in October when Tim accidentally started a viral pop culture news story after jokingly Tweeting that Madonna was banned from their theater until she apologized for texting up a storm during a recent screening. As founders of the Texas—and now national—moviehouse institution (not to mention their distribution company Drafthouse Films, or the countless events and festivals the company has started), the Leagues have created for filmgoers a business that doesn’t just bring movies to town, but does so in a way that contextualizes them in totally innovative and fun ways, be it through food pairings, live commentary, or movie marathons. And, big surprise: try topping the collection of inspirational objects and souvenirs they shared with us. Just like the company they started, it is an assembly of relics that is equal parts nostalgic, earnest, poignant, and very weird. 2013 was a year of expansion for the Drafthouse, as they opened eight new theaters, nearly doubling their size; in the works are outposts in Brooklyn and San Francisco. Yet amid this growth, for the Leagues, the message remains the same as it was from the theater’s humble beginnings in a former parking garage on 4th St. and Colorado: “[We are] making sure we don’t lose sight of what got us into this business in the first place: to have fun at the movies,” Tim says. Fortunately there’s no shortage of that: Tim’s highlight of the year? A Fantastic Fest event called Danger Gods, where, much to the chagrin of the fire department and the Drafthouse’s insurance carrier, “Legendary stuntmen from Hollywood set themselves on fire, wrecked cars in the parking lot, and jumped off the top of the theater.”
tim & karrie’s Inspiration Board
1.
3.
2.
5.
7.
4.
8.
9.
6. 1. Handmade 12” Bowie knife: “Our Dallas franchise partner Bill Digaetano presented this knife [to us] on the occasion of the theater opening. We now use this to saber Champagne at all of our new store openings.” 2. Animal mask: “A movie prop from the horror movie “You’re Next,” [which] was produced by, stars, and was directed by Fantastic Fest veterans. It’s a reminder of the new breed of really smart and exciting genre filmmaking.” 3. My Life, My Dog, My Strength, Volume Two “In the Drafthouse Films release “Wrong,” the mysterious guru Master Chang has written a book instructing dog-owners in the art of metaphysically connecting with their dogs. Director Quentin Dupieux and Evan Husney from Drafthouse Films put together the actual book, which contains the script of the film along with the few pages that were written for the movie.” 4. Tae Kwon Do: Philosophy, History, Technique “Through the Drafthouse films release “Miami Connection,” we had the opportunity to get to know filmmaker and Tae Kwon Do master Y.K. Kim, who presented us with his book, a comprehensive manuscript of everything you ever wanted to know about Tae Kwon Do.” 5. Davy Crockett bust: “We named our theater the Alamo, so we have a small collection of Davy Crockett dolls. This one was 3-D scanned and blown up to create the larger-scale busts that flank the stairway at the Alamo Ritz.” 6. Farrah Fawcett heads: “Purchased off the shelf at Urban Outfitters when they were a lot smaller outfit. A reminder that some things should always be low-fi and goofy even as our company grows.” 7. Woman on toilet doll: “This is the most amazing gift we have ever received, from director Eugenio Mira who found it in a dollar store in Spain. It dances, sings, and makes rude toilet noises, all while carrying on a phone conversation. It is motion-activated and is our most prized possession.” 8. The Rock-afire Explosion manual: “A few years ago, Tim bought a complete Rock-afire Explosion band, which is currently in a state of disassembly in our basement. He has pledged to assemble and program the band so it can play for our two-year-old girls’ fifth birthday party.” 9. Moisture Measure: Karrie loves to garden, and has created a nice flower garden in our front yard. Tim also loves to garden, but prefers growing food. He has a greenhouse and several vegetable beds in the back yard. tribeza.com tribeza.com
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From left, Ashley, Roy, Mary, Shay and Courtney Spence all live by this advice: Find something you love and make a living doing that. The other thing Roy taught his children ad naseum, he says? Be kind.
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O
nce they’d grown, Roy and Mary Spence’s children did some-
Courtney Spence, meanwhile, founded a nonprofit while just a soph-
thing strange: They listened to their parents’ advice. “I’ve
omore at Duke University, based in part on her love of film. Fourteen
always told them it’s not what you want to do, it’s what you
years later, Courtney is at the helm of Students of the World, which has
love to do,” says Roy, who co-founded fabled Austin ad agency
told the stories of more than 50 nonprofit organizations in more than
GSD&M, and now serves as its chairman and CEO. “You can
30 countries through film, photography, and journalism. Courtney says
make a life and living doing what you love to do. And they just took us
her interest in storytelling comes directly from her childhood with her
up on it.”
father, who has also published three books. “Watching the Super Bowl,
The spirit of entrepreneurship that led Roy to found GSD&M the same year he graduated from UT is alive and well in his children:
it would be more muting the game and watching the commercials, cheering and booing for spots,” she remembers.
daughter Ashley opened Wanderlust LIVE Yoga downtown in 2012,
The Spence’s son, Shay, is in culinary school in New York City and
after finding inspiration at the Wanderlust Festival, which brings to-
hopes to eventually open a restaurant, perhaps back in Austin. And
gether yoga and music in locales with breathtaking backdrops. Classes
Mary started a haunted house nearly 20 years ago that has grown into
at Wanderlust are occasionally held on the rooftop or set to live music,
such a production that next year she is looking to move into a com-
and Ashley says “almost 100 percent” of what she’s doing now is in-
mercial space downtown. “I think every parent eventually wants to be
spired by her family, from her dad’s business sense to her mom’s long-
happy not for themselves anymore, but by watching their children and
time yoga practice.
their friends build their own dreams,” Roy says. tribeza.com
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The Butler brothers Adam, left and Marty actually got their start in advertising with internships at GSD&M, co-founded by Roy Spence (see previous page). There they had chances to pitch to high-level executives, including Southwest Airlines co-founder Herb Kelleher.
The Butler Brothers
A
dam and Marty Butler have run an advertising business to-
expect from clients, how to draw boundaries,” Marty says. “It’s all come
gether for more than 10 years. But if you ask them, they’ll tell
to roost in our business, which is really cool.”
you they’ve been negotiating over resources since 1974—the
One of the business boundaries Marty and Adam have drawn is rath-
year Marty was born, and Adam started sharing a crib with
er unusual: Though they didn’t start this way, the Butler Bros. company
him. Just 14 months apart, the Butler brothers now seem as
today only works with brands in whose mission they actually believe.
close as twins. They share the same bright brown eyes, the same sense
Period. That means no selling big tobacco or sugar-laden sodas, but it
of humor, the same ability to charm and disarm anyone in the room.
has also meant getting out on the offensive: One recent PSA campaign
By ages eight and ten, they were helping their father run his promi-
92
for the Legacy Foundation exposed cigarette butts as toxic waste.
nent Austin painting company. “We didn’t go to business school,” Marty
Some of this change came about after the brothers lost their mother
says. “We learned how to do business from him.” Not that they realized
to pulmonary fibrosis. Then they both started having kids. For Adam,
it back then. Their father would task them with painting the top of a
the philosophy is simple: “We will not sell anything that hurts someone
cabinet, even though no one was going to see it. Now, looking back,
else’s family. That’s our thing. Why would we treat someone else’s fam-
the lessons are clear. “We learned about how to treat people, what to
ily worse than we treat our own?”
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Caroline Wright moved back in with her father Lawrence and mother Roberta after a stint in Paris in the fashion and art scenes. She painted in their garage, meanwhile getting encouragement from Lawrence’s artist friends. Her parents also framed her first painting, made when she was ten years old, of a cat, which Lawrence says “looks like a New Yorker cover.�
Caroline and Lawrence Wright tribeza.com
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Caroline and Lawrence Wright
The Pipkin Family
one another, reading the same piece of music and making their way
T
through the piece together. Their other careers, at least for a few mo-
and Katie Rose says, “Come on, we’re creatives.” They laugh again.
C
aroline Wright is an accomplished painter and performance artist; her father Lawrence Wright is a Pulitzer-prize winning author and New Yorker staff writer. But on the chilly Sunday morning TRIBEZA met them, father and daughter ended up making music together in a sun-strewn living room, close to
he Pipkin family, their many talents aside, is not very good at taking a serious photograph: Turk Pipkin won’t stop cracking jokes. His wife Christy seems full (nearly to bursting) with the kind of joie de vivre that makes her smile a permanent fixture on her face. And Lilly and Katie Rose, like all sisters, tend to
make one another titter. They try hard to stare calmly into the camera,
ments, faded away behind the sounds of piano, ukele, and Caroline’s
Turk and Christy Pipkin, together for 30 years, are a well-suited pair:
high, honeyed voice. Lawrence took up piano at 38-and-a-half, with
He’s a writer and actor, and she worked for years as a producer. Af-
the goal of playing “Great Balls of Fire” on his 40th birthday. (He made
ter years of work in TV and film, however, Christy and Turk, whose
it, and then some: Lawrence now plays keys with and fronts the Aus-
full resume reads something more like screenwriter, television writer,
tin-based blues collective WhoDo.) Caroline took up ukulele a few
journalist, novelist, director, and actor, wanted to change their focus.
years ago, playing her great-grandfather’s Gibson.
Christy explains that her girls were growing up, growing curious about
This performance is a tribute to exactly the kind of family the
the world, and “asking questions that needed better answers.” At a par-
Wrights are: People more interested in making things than consuming
ty, then-12-year-old Katie Rose spent the better part of the evening
them, more interested in hobbies and passions than habits. Caroline is
peppering Nobel Prize-winning physicist and UT Professor Steven
an adept ukulele player, an avid cyclist, a former yoga teacher, a cellist,
Weinberg with questions. Turk and Christy followed suit: They inter-
and speaks easily and happily with her mother Roberta about garden-
viewed nine Nobel Laureates about the world’s biggest problems and
ing. She’s put on art performances at Ballet Austin and the Blanton
from those interviews created the documentary film Nobelity. They
Museum and Art and has a studio space on East Cesar Chavez.
then founded a nonprofit called The Nobelity Project, which works to
Lawrence, meanwhile, has published seven books, including The
advocate for children’s education and uses the power of film to create
Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, which won the Pulit-
positive change. And yet after building the first high school in a ru-
zer Prize in 2006. His most recent book, Going Clear: Scientology, Hol-
ral area of Kenya, and travelling internationally, they still call Austin
lywood and the Prison of Belief, out in January of this year, is based on
home. Both Katie Rose, a visual artist who just wrapped up a residency
a New Yorker profile he wrote of writer-director Paul Haggis. But Law-
at the Joshua Highlands Residency in California, and Lilly, who is a
rence isn’t only a celebrated nonfiction writer. He’s also a playwright
Plan II honors student at UT and a symphony percussionist, also live in
and a screenwriter (He co-wrote The Siege.) In 1992 he cofounded
town, which means on any given evening, you just might be able to find
Capital Area Statues (CAST), which raises money to celebrate Austin’s
the Pipkins—talking over one another, laughing, together.
culture and history through the building of sculptures. And though he’s long since learned enough to get him by, Lawrence still takes keyboard lessons from two-time Grammy winner Floyd Domino. “I’m going to take lessons until either Floyd or I die,” Lawrence says with a laugh. And then he and Caroline begin making more music together.
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From left, Christy, Katie Rose, Turk, and Lilly Pipkin have travelled extensively together as a family, from Spain to Kenya, because of Christy and Turk’s nonprofit, called the Nobelity Project. The Project has opened an eye clinic in Nepal and worked extensively with schools in Kenya, completing everything from water purification projects to science labs.
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10 years of
by e l i z a b e t h w i n s lo w p h oto g r a p h y by andrew chan
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From the beginning: Tyson Cole, Uchi Chef and Co-owner, and Daryl Kunick, Co-owner, are pictured with Masazumi “Masa” Saio, Sushi Chef, and Brian “Jeli” Jelinek, server, both of whom have been with the restaurant from day one.
A look back at what has given the beloved Austin restaurant its own flavor of legacy Legends don’t start out that way. It’s hard to imagine now, but ten years ago, Uchi was just a gleam in a sushi cook’s eye, just another new kid on the culinary block in Austin. When he opened Uchi in a little cottage on South Lamar, Tyson Cole had just left a post at Musashino’s sushi bar. Luckily for him, a sushi chef works in front of his customers, not in the back of the house. There, he met Daryl Kunick, who would become his business partner. “Daryl had been my customer for nine or ten years—we spent a ton of time talking about ideas and dreams, and Uchi grew out of that,” Cole remembers. “When we opened, I never imagined there would ever be anything more than just Uchi.” Cole’s restaurant empire now stretches from South Lamar to North Lamar and east all the way to Houston. Rather than a tendency towards megalomania, Cole keeps expanding in order to create a future for talented and loyal employees. “In the beginning, my vision was a sushi bar with amazing service, where the kitchen food was as good as or better than the sushi, but the essence was people.” As someone with a deep respect for the individtribeza.com
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2003 Uchi opens on South Lamar with favorites Uchiviche, hamachili and Brie Tempura on the menu.
2005
2005
Maguro Sashimi with Goat
Executive Pastry Chef Philip
Chef and owner Tyson wins
Cheese introduced to the
Speer debuts dessert favorite
Food & Wine Top Ten Best
Uchi menu.
Peanut Butter Semi Freddo.
New Chefs
2005
and Qui) battle Morimoto on Ironchef America
uals who are the soul of the restaurant, Cole
Cole “can walk into a restaurant and know
around. And while a first restaurant exists
knows they are going to want to grow and de-
instantly where it is in its development. It’s
only as a vision in the mind of its creator, suc-
velop and move forward, so new restaurants
very apparent when a restaurant takes on that
cessive locations start with a vision that has
offer opportunities for cooks and servers to
magical life of its own, but it’s not easy to get
become reality to many, and are built from
move into management positions or to open
there,” he explains. “Uchi definitely had sim-
an essence honed over time. “Uchi, Uchiko,
new kitchens and dining rooms.
ilar growing pains, and I can still empathize
and Uchi Houston all share an essence—from
with everyone in years one through three. It’s
the beginning we established a culture that’s
hard work.”
about people and likeability. We have always
Success didn’t come overnight at Uchi. In Cole’s view, it takes a restaurant three years to
98
2008 Chef Cole (and Chefs Speer
really hit its stride: “There’s so much pressure
What’s it like to attempt to replicate a suc-
hired off personality first,” Cole explains, put-
in the beginning, but it takes years and a lot of
cessful concept? “It’s certainly easier to open a
ting his finger on what makes all his restau-
staff turnover to really come into its own. The
restaurant when you already have a success-
rants so special, “It’s about people. Food is
people who stay are the ones who are really
ful one that people can connect to,” Cole says,
secondary.”
in it—then, about year three, the restaurant
laughing. The expectations were high, but ev-
This is not to say that the food is not very,
develops legs and takes off running.” From
erything from funding to hiring was a whole
very good—excellent, even. Cole was awarded
his vantage point of a decade in business,
lot easier the second and then the third time
the coveted James Beard Award for Best Chef
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2010 Uchiko opens on North Lamar
2011
2011
2011
Yokai Berry debuts
Uchi the Cookbook
on Uchiko menu
is released
Chef Cole wins James Beard Foundation Award, “Best Chef Southwest”
2012 Uchi Houston Opens
Southwest in 2011; Uchi was named one of
ergetic and generous encouragement, many
the top ten best new restaurants by GQ in 2011
Uchi staff have gone on to open kitchens of
and was identified this year by Bon Appetit as
their own, taking with them an ingrained
one of the 20 most important restaurants in
sense of playful excellence and commitment
the country along with a fistful of addition-
to people.
al accolades from the press, the public, and
And that dream in the young sushi chef ’s
peers along the way. From the Tempura Fried
eye—the vision that believed Austin was ready
Twinkies on Uchi’s very first menu to today’s
for something edgier, more deliciously ambi-
Jar Jar Duck with Candied, Citrus, Endive,
tious, creative, and authentic than anything
and Applewood Smoke on the Uchiko menu,
we’d ever seen before? That vision spawned
Cole’s vision has always combined excellence
three restaurants and a cookbook, but more
with an element of fun; his food never fails to
importantly, has influenced Austin’s culinary
surprise and delight, and we’re all the lucki-
scene in myriad ways, setting a new bar for
er that Uchi was born here. The real reach of
what kind of restaurants and cuisines can
Cole’s vision can’t be overstated—with his en-
thrive, challenge, and inspire in this city.
2013
2013
Uchi restaurants
Uchi hosts first
team announces
Citywide 86’d
Dallas location
competition
“it’s all about people. food is secondary” - tyson cole
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M ov e r s a n d s h a k e r s. U p -a n d - co m e r s. N e w K i d s i n To w n . Call ‘ e m w hat yo u w i ll , b u t w e p r e d i c t 2 0 1 4 w i ll b e a b i g y e a r fo r th i s g r o u p.
P H O TO G R A P H Y B Y R A N DA L F O RD
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s h i r t b y G i t m an B r o s . , $ 1 4 8 , t i e b y J a c k Spa d e , $ 1 2 8 , b oth a v a i la b l e at S T A G
aaron ross
Professional BMX Rider In the high-flying, fast-paced world of BMX, a beloved veteran on the scene always makes time for helping others. Catch me up to speed on your year. What have you been working on?
I pretty much spent the year traveling nonstop. I got out of the country for a bunch of different trips. I rode a lot of bikes, and saw a lot of cool places. I’ve done some volunteering in Austin with the Christian Outreach Foundation—hanging out with kids, helping with homework, and reading books. I am always talking back-and-forth with BMX kids through social media: I remember what it was like to be a little kid and being able to talk to someone that was a pro or who I looked up to, so I try to just put myself in their shoes. What new projects does 2014 hold for you?
There are a few secret projects as of right now… Since it’s BMX, not everything is planned in advance…It just kind of comes up a month before. But, I’ve been traveling for about nine years now, so I’m sure it’ll just be another year [of] a lot of [that and] a lot of fun. What’s one thing in town you are really loving right now?
The weather! You can’t ask for better weather to be outside. I play a lot of golf, tennis, and ride all kinds of bikes so this is perfect to be outside. What’s something I don’t know about your job?
It never feels like a job. What has been the proudest moment of your career?
I’ve been very lucky and there’s a lot highlights and accomplishments I’m really proud of. But being able to travel the world with my best friends riding a bicycle (I started riding when I was 11) is my favorite. I’m very appreciative of it all and look forward to more. tribeza.com
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aisha burns musician The violinist in the local instrumental ensemble Balmorhea, Burns stepped out on her own this year to release “Life in the Midwater,” a nuanced and delicately-powerful folk album Burns has been quietly working on since 2010. Her first press? “Somehow the first thing that came out about the album was on NPR’s World Café,” Burns laughs. “So…good things are happening?!” Catch me up to date on your last year.
Well, this time last year, I was in the thick of mixing “Life in the Midwater” with Michael Landon, who also engineered the record. The process was kind of drawn out, as I jumped out on the road with Balmorhea for a full U.S. tour literally a few days after I finished tracking. I spent the fall/winter getting the mixes done and moving through the stages of artwork with my designer Bethany Bauman. All the prep of getting the actual physical record together and finding people to help promote it always takes way longer than you originally imagine[…] What new projects does 2014 hold for you?
I’m still figuring all of that out. I’m talking with some promoters about putting together a European tour in the spring…The year prior to this one was pretty rough for me, and had me moving around a lot. And between touring with Balmorhea, Idyl (another band I play violin in), and traveling on my own for work and play, I haven’t been home for more than three weeks at a time since early June. So as excited as I am to tour and share this record with everyone, I’m also really looking forward to being in Austin for a couple months and not going anywhere… What’s one thing in town you are really loving right now?
I am obsessed with the migas taco at Veracruz All Natural. I have no idea what it is about this specific taco...but I find myself daydreaming about this thing. What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
Being featured on NPR’s World Café was exciting. That was the first piece of press for the record, and it appeared months before the record’s release. I listen to NPR pretty frequently, and I had no idea they were going to cover it like they did. It was a strange feeling to make the record and then keep it to myself for a year until all the prep work was done. I remember the day I heard that broadcast as the first time that the record felt real to me.
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Office Leasing & Sales Broker, ECR & President, Friends of the House Making deals and serving others in the community—it’s all in a day’s work for this young philanthropist. Catch me up to speed on your year. What have you been working on?
Continued expansions of our home-grown companies and well as major corporate relocations have been keeping Austin’s office market intensely competitive. Friends of the [Ronald McDonald] House has had an astounding year by doubling our active membership as well the frequency of our very popular Speaker Series, held every other month. What new projects does 2014 hold for you?
I will continue to serve in a support capacity to the Leadership Council for Friends of the House and focus efforts to strategic partnerships with like-minded organizations in Austin. I’m always looking for ways to connect people or organizations in need – whether it’s the right office space or a nonprofit they align with, I like a challenge. Tell me a story about the most fun you had in Austin this year.
Participating in this years’ CharityBash Live Auction was an absolute blast. I developed the skill of putting together a large auction package, raised over $140,000 in one evening, and was there to give it all away a month later. What’s one thing in town you are really loving right now?
Beyond my weekly bike rides out to the hill country, I’d have to say the Rooftop Architecture Film Series at the Contemporary Austin We became members this summer and I’m looking forward to putting the art major in me to good use! Wednesday nights, Dinner-For-Two picnics with a bottle of wine, and a few irreplaceable friends. What’s something I don’t know about your job?
I’ve helped some incredible companies find office space— everything from horse farrier’s to drone helicopter manufacturers to law firms and job search engines. I meet new people on a daily basis and love learning about their businesses by producing a strategy for space needs and future growth. What has been the proudest moment of your career?
patrick ley
I feel fortunate to have been with ECR when it started in a little window bay on 8th Street. On the community side, I’m beyond proud of serving as President of Friends of the House. When you’re surrounded by great people focused on a common goal serving the greater good, incredible things can happen! tribeza.com
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jay b sauceda Photographer + Owner, Sauceda Industries It makes sense that this creative cowboy almost went in to politics—he knows how to inspire and bring people together. Catch me up to date on your last year. What have you been working on? This year has been a busy one. Photographically, some of the bigger projects were the spring catalog for Dick’s Sporting Goods, a national campaign for Sierra Mist, and I was asked to shoot for and star in a Hampton Inn Ad. It was surreal to be on that side of the camera, especially since the ad ran on Hulu and ESPN. The TexasHumor/ YesToTexas.com business I started as a joke has kind of exploded, so recently I’ve hired people to help grow it. Also, the studio I’m a partner in, Public School, is relaunching our long-dormant blog and site, which has been a year in the making. Tell me a story about the most fun you had in Austin this year. There’s no one specific thing I can point to about this year other than moving South. My wife and I have mainly lived downtown and moved to the Manchaca area when we got married. Exploring that area and settling into the neighborhood has been great. There are bumper stickers that say “Old Austin didn’t die, it just moved south” and it’s totally true. Strange Brew, Casa Garcia, the Horseshoe Lounge, and the Broken Spoke are all south, which has been perfect for us. What’s one local thing you are really loving right now? I started organizing Shuffleboard tournaments at the Horseshoe Lounge on South Lamar about a year ago after they had stopped a few years back. That has been one of my favorite things to do every two weeks. We have them every first and third Tuesday of the month, and the group of people who come each week have really grown into a vibrant family. What has been the proudest moment of your career? My grandfather worked construction in Chicago and picked tomatoes in South Texas for a living with zero education. Every day I’m blessed enough to be self-employed, I’m proud and thankful for the road he and my father paved with their Tejano work ethic. I’ve been very proud to have the opportunities I’ve been given.
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amanda garcia Music Industry Manager, Austin Convention & Vistors’ Bureau Garcia has the official job of promoting Austin’s music scene for out-of-towners, “making sure everyone knows how to access live music when they get here,” she explains. And in a job—and city— that is constantly evolving, Garcia is a natural trailblazer. Catch me up to date on your last year. What have you been working on? My job is to chase music and find out what’s going on: a huge part of that this year was the Airstream Road Trips project. We bought a 1974 Airstream trailer, had Jack Sanders’ Design Build Adventure gut it, and then now we take it around to different festivals around the country, from DC to Nashville to Atlanta to New Orleans. This summer we took it to Lollapalooza and throughout the Midwest. What new projects does 2014 hold for you? I just joined the board for the Austin Music Foundation, so with that we just kicked off a fundraiser for their Creative Media Center, which is a space for musicians to come in and use software or consult with people in different parts of the industry as mentors. The organization was recently been given a new space, which currently exists as four walls, a roof, and a dirt floor. We have launched a crowd-funding campaign to raise money to finish that out, but eventually, it will be a huge resource for Austin musicians Tell me a story about the most fun you had in Austin this year. I saw Los Lobos at ACL Live and it was such a good night. I also just really love walking around Austin at night—downtown and Clarksville especially. It’s a great city to just walk around and listen. What’s one thing specific thing in town you are really loving right now?
all year long. We’ve had almost 900 music inquiries so far this year—people asking
Going to the White Horse on Sunday nights. Also, the truffle popcorn at
about live music, venues, musicians, or booking. It’s kind of crazy.
the Driskill Hotel.
What has been the proudest moment of your career this year?
What’s something people don’t know about your work?
We made a music video last summer and then, this past May, recreated that in a
Promoting music in Austin is an all-year thing: I think some people only
live performance. That was definitely something special that took a lot of hands
think we’re busy during festivals, but we have convention groups coming in
on deck and came out really awesome in the end…A really proud moment for me. tribeza.com
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Catch me up to speed on your last year.
Ben: Just trying to keep Contigo going: with the recent weather shifts, changing seasons...the challenges of operating an outdoor restaurant are never-ending. However, the challenges [make it] fun; we plan on getting a tent for the winter this year, so that should help. What new projects does 2014 hold for you both?
Ben: We are working diligently toward a second restaurant. There is absolutely nothing fast about this process, but I am hopeful it will happen in 2014. Andrew: In addition to figuring out our new project, I will be working to stay focused on cooking and Contigo. It sounds basic, but it is easy to get distracted and forget about the basics. Tell me a story about the most fun you had in Austin this year.
Ben: Memorial Day 2013: Brunch at Perla’s, drinks at the San Jose Hotel, swimming in Barton Springs, dinner at Chez Nous, and a nightcap at Easy Tiger. Andrew: ACL Weekend What’s one thing in town you are really loving right now?
Ben: Houndstooth Coffee. Simply put, my life would not be the same without this place, and without these people. Andrew: I like the food that is being cooked at Wine Belly in South Austin, as well as Lucy’s Fried Chicken. What’s something I don’t know about owning a restaurant?
ben edgerton Andrew wiseheart For the co-owners of Contigo, running one of the city’s most talked-about restaurants isn’t enough; there is always more to explore. Between continually editing Contigo’s menu, keeping up with the uncertainties of an outdoor restaurant, and pursuing a new restaurant project for 2014, the duo is always—happily—kept on their toes.
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Both: There is a really wonderful community of people who comprise the food community of Austin. If you are not a daily part of that community, it might be hard to realize or understand what a rich tapestry of talented, creative, and extremely hard-working people we get to call our colleagues. What has been the proudest moment of your career?
Ben: April 15, 2011: This was the very first day we ever served a customer at Contigo. I decided I wanted to own a restaurant when I was 16, and I had been working on this project specifically for over two and a half years. Hands down, the proudest day of my career. Andrew: I vividly remember the sign being put up about one hour before we opened Contigo in 2011. I can’t think of many times I was more proud than that.
maile roberts-loring Don’t just call her the “daughter of”—this petite dynamo is taking the family business—the legendary Salt Lick—to new places with her role in the company. Catch me up to date on your last year. For me, there really is zero separation between my work life and business life. Welcome to working for the family business. That said, this past year has been crazy! I have been working to increase sales in our catering division, I’ve been managing Salt Lick Cellars [the restaurant’s winery and private label]—picking the wines and merchandise we offer, I renovated Pecan Grove, our largest event facility, my husband and I renovated our home, my mother and I have started a side business buying and renovating a house together, and I helped a good friend plan her wedding that was held in our vineyards. What new projects does 2014 hold for you? A new Salt Lick location! I have been pushing my dad for years to open another Salt Lick, and I think this is the year it will finally happen. We are also planning to upgrade some of the facilities at our Driftwood location—new bathrooms, a new catering kitchen...the list goes on and on. We are constantly striving to make the Salt Lick experience better for our customers. What was the most fun you had in Austin this year? I love football. I mean I really love football. You might not be able to see me in the stands (I’m only 5’1) but you will defiantly hear me. The most fun I have all year is tailgating and going to UT football games with my husband and friends. We lead such busy lives that I have learned to really cherish the few hours of uninterrupted football bliss that we get to spend together each week. What’s one thing in town you are really loving right now? I really love the THIRST installation on Lady Bird Lake. I run around the lake every day and am always amazed by it. For as long as I can remember, my dad has ingrained in me the importance of water conservation because he saw firsthand how awful the 50s droughts were on Central Texas. At the Salt Lick, we do everything we can to use as little water was possible. In addition to rain water capture, we collect wastewater from the ice machines and the A/C condensation and use it to water the gardens. tribeza.com
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kyle osburn cinematographer Through His Lens—the gifted filmmaker finds beauty all around him. Catch me up to speed on your year. What have you been working on?
A few highlights were working with the camera crew on the final year of filming of Richard Linklater’s “12 Year Project” in Big Bend and collaborating with director/photographer Matt Rainwaters on a couple projects, including a lookbook film for Austin’s own Traveller Denim Co. What new projects does 2014 hold for you?
I enjoy collaborating with friends in the creative field who are designers, photographers and artists so I’ll be working on some documentary film projects and narrative film projects with friends in 2014. I turn 30 this month (December), so I’m looking forward to what the first year of my thirties has in store. Tell me a story about the most fun you had in Austin this year.
I saw a lot of great shows at SXSW this year but one band I missed seeing was Night Beds. I was able to catch them play again in June at Mohawk inside. It was one of the best shows I’ve see in a long time. What’s something I don’t know about your job?
Filmmaking is very collaborative, and I consider myself lucky to be in Austin and work with the most talented and friendly crew base in the country of camera assistants, gaffers, grips, electrics, and other crafts people. What has been the proudest moment of your career?
What has been the proudest moment of your career? There hasn’t been one specific moment, but being in the Austin film community and working with and being surrounded by influential filmmakers like Terrence Malick, Richard Linklater, David Gordon Green, and Jeff Nichols is a big highlight.
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hillary-anne crosby The pixie-haired editor is a veritable force to be reckoned with; the founder of feminist local ‘zine Vagina, Crosby balances the smart, progressive voice of her growing publication with personal aspirations to become involved in politics and policy conversations. Catch me up to date on your last year. What have you been working on? So much! Really, if I’m ever not trying to accomplish ten things at once then someone should probably check my pulse and call a doctor…I’ve been working on Vagina of course. It’s the most exciting, creative, and challenging part of my life any given day of the year. We put out four issues this year and I’m hopelessly proud of each of them[…] This year I also served as a spokesperson for U by Kotex’s Generation Know campaign. It was meant to de-stigmatize periods and bust myths that young girls fall victim to. A commercial in which I said awkward things about periods aired for a few months on MTV and CW. Beginning in the spring, I started planning for a book I’m putting together about female cyclists called Babes & Their Bikes…in May I rode out of Austin to do a bike tour from here to Chicago, stopping to interview and photograph lady riders along the way…Recently I began interning with Pioneers Youth Leadership. It’s an organization that works with students from rural Texas counties to get more involved with local/ state/national issues like water, education, food, [and] environment[…] What new projects does 2014 hold for you? I’m really hoping to turn Vagina into a ‘real’ magazine next year! I’m not yet sure how this will happen or what this will look like but we’ve grown so much
completely different—cut/pasted/Xeroxed, laid out on InDesign, full-color,
over the past (nearly) three years and I think it’s time to step things up. I’m also
black and white, completely art-based, completely diary-based, etc. Really
intent on getting Babes & Their Bikes published in 2014.
they’re all just so unique! You’ll never see the same zine twice.
I’m applying to the LBJ School next fall for the Masters of Public Affairs Program and maybe even law school! I’m ready to get focused on my dream of someday working in Texas politics and with everything that has happened to Texas women with the past two legislative sessions, I think it’s time I get down
What has been the proudest moment of your career so far? I cried the day that I opened an email from Kotex saying that they’d been following my work with Vagina and wanted me to be a part of their Generation
to business.
Know campaign[…] And definitely my time at the Capitol during the special
What’s something I don’t know about making a zine?
erything unfold and follow it for Vagina. I was there for something like 100
It can be whatever you want it to be! I think the fun thing about zines is that
hours total and ended up with my arm in a sling and lost a handful of friends,
any time you tell someone you have a zine, they’re going to picture something
but I got to witness democracy in action[…]
session this summer. I took off work and cancelled plans so I could watch ev-
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Grocery a isle hom etown heroes: from espres so to veggie b u rgers, ou r favori te loca lly- ma de produ c ts on th e rise
Yellowbird Sauce yellowbirdsauce.com
Inspired by a Chinese bird known for its immunity to spicy things, Yellowbird Sauce was created by Austinite George Milton as an all-natural, spicy alternative to Sriracha. Crafted with a mixture of carrots, habanero pepper, tangerines, limes, and garlic, the sweet-spicy sauce can be used on everything from pasta to tacos.
Primizie Crispbreads primiziesnacks.com
that they took matters into their own hands. Enter
Chameleon Cold-Brew
Primizie Crispbreads: crunchy, thickly-cut spe-
chameleoncoldbrew.com
cialty chips perfect for everything from topping to
Co-founded by UT alums Chris Campbell and Steve
dipping. The best topping? According to Primizie
Williams, each batch of Chameleon Cold-Brew Coffee is
there’s “No question: Fresh-made guacamole on the
brewed for more than 16 hours to create a super-smooth,
Chile & Lime!”
extra-caffeinated coffee concentrate.
After traveling through Italy, Mark and Lisa Spedale were so inspired by the country’s ‘crisped’ breads
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Grandma’s Humus themedchef.com
Nikki Turkel Plotkin’s grandmother taught her how to make humus when she was in high school. After settling in Austin, Plotkin started a catering company, but customer demand for her humus became so intense that she created Grandma’s Humus based on her grandmother’s original Turkish recipe. Thanks to popular demand, Plotkin’s humus is now available throughout the Austin area.
bola pizza bolafrozenpizza .com
Austin food bloggers Christian and Jamie Bowers loved making pizza so much that they bought a wood-fired oven, mounted it on a trailer, and started their own company. Bola Pizza, “cooked hot and frozen solid” specializes in handcrafted frozen pies topped with local ingredients from Texas cremini mushrooms to farm-fresh tomatoes. We recommend the “Truffle Daisy”: Tomato sauce and whole milk mozzarella, finished with a luxurious drizzle of truffle oil. Simple indulgence.
The Hot Dang Grain Burgers thehotdang.com
Austinite Martha Pincoff was inspired to make a great-tasting vegetarian burger using all whole ingredients, a less-processed frozen burger that was just as convenient as other freezer aisle options. The result, Hot Dang Grain Burgers are soy-free, vegetarian, and made with handpressed, fiber-filled, and all-natural grains.
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I will ďŹ nd your Ultimate Property Representing Buyers and Sellers in Central Texas Charlotte Brigham, Broker, MBA 512.423.5707 | CharBrigham@gmail.com
Resolve to Revel in 2014. Give a little but gift yourself this holiday season with our special offers including a complimentary $50 AWAY Spa gift card for every $250 in gift card purchases and receive a bonus $20 gift card for every $100 in Trace gift card purchases. Family overload? Enjoy our special room packages that are the perfect escape. VISIT wh otel au st in .c om /brin g t h ebrig ht 200 LAVACA STREET / AUSTIN, TX
WHOTELS.COM/AUSTIN
Gift Guide
Amy’s Ice Creams b i g k i d s’ m or e s Amy Simmons was inspired to create Big Kid S’mores kits after
2013
roasting ordinary s’mores with her family. Complete with Callebaut chocolate and Amy’s signature marshmallows, this kit is an elegant twist on a childhood favorite.
special advertising section
www.amysicecreams.com
Salt Lick
Tiny Pies
b eef b ri s ke t
Pies & Joy
Send friends and family a delicious taste
Sweeten your holiday gift giving
of Texas with a 4-5 pound beef brisket
this season with Pies & Joy from
smoked slowly for 14 hours. Each Brisket
Tiny Pies. Order online at www.
includes a bottle of Original Recipe BBQ
tinypies.com. We deliver locally
Sauce ($59.95) We ship nationwide!
and ship within the US.
www.saltlickbbq.com
www.tinypies.com
Con’Olio Oils & Vinegars O i l & Vi neg a r Sa mp l e r Gift set comes with your choice of oils & vinegars & gift wrapping. Choose from over 50 varietals on tap at one of our 3 locations or order online at www. conolios.com. Starting at $25.00
mail@conolios.com
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gift guide 2013
Bang & Olufsen B eo P l ay H6 The high performance and stylish, over the ear H6 headphone is crafted in exquisite New Zealand leather and lightweight aluminum. The sheepskin covered ear pads are designed with memory foam so they always fit perfectly and enclose the sound for a divine and enjoyable listening experience. Use the daisy chain-functionality and share your lust for life and love of music - just in time for the Holidays.
www.bang-olufsen.com
Scott + Cooner My New Fl a me Light someone’s fire with this clever, new flickering LED candle. In sleek red
AWAY Spa by W Hotels C la ri soni c ARIA
or black by Moritz Waldemeyer for Ingo Maurer. Starting at $515
www.scottcooner.com
Sleek, modern and fully customizable this device offers three-speed cleansing for advanced skincare of all types. Invest in glowing skin this holiday season. $199
www.austinawayspa.com
Salt Lick Sa lt l i c k co o k bo o k
Blanton Museum Shop dconstruct cuff & earrings Inspired by nature and minimalist design,
More than a collection of BBQ fare made
handmade dconstruct jewelry incorpo-
famous by the restaurant, it =
rates renewable fibers and materials from
contains an array of closely guarded reci-
artisan communities in developing coun-
pes that until now, have never =
tries. Find a variety of handcrafted jewelry
been shared. ($39.95)
at the Blanton Museum Shop. $32 & $40
www.saltlickbbq.com
blantonmuseum.org/shop
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Hatbox:
A Modern Haberdashery Ste tso n Inwo o d $2 58 , S tetson Cata lina $1 08 , Lo u is e Gr een C lo che $26 8 Austin’s premier hatter since 1981, featuring exclusive women’s and men’s hats, whim-
Kelly Wynne Handbags
sical fascinators and practical caps from around the world. Find us downtown on 6th
Mingle Mingle Mini in Black/ White Hair Calf & Black
and at The Domain.
www.hatbox.com
This flirty bag adds a bold twist to accessorizing! Each bag is handcrafted in the USA with printed hair calf and leather. Its petite frame beholds a roomy interior and a slip pocket on the back. $340
Salt Lick
www.kellywynne.com
Barbecue Sauce Gift Pack A premium trio of sauces, our BBQ Sauce Gift Pack includes a bottle of Original Recipe Sauce, Spicy Recipe Sauce and Original Dry Rub($19.95).
www.saltlickbbq.com
Better Bronze Cu sto m Air b r u s h Tan n in g
Mana Culture
‘Tis the season to be bronze! Get rid of
Mana Culture is a small local artisan boutique that aims to give the city not only a plethora of fashionable accessories, but wearable pieces of art that are gorgeous and truly oneof-a-kind.
your winter white...life is always better bronze! $35 Tarrytown Studio, $45 Mobile. 512.537.7416
www.betterbronze.com
manacultureboutique.com
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gift guide 2013
Salt Lick t urkey b rea st Our moist boneless, white meat turkey breast feeds up to 6 guests. Choose from traditional smoked or spice it up with our Habanero smoked ($49.95). We ship nationwide!
www.saltlickbbq.com
Austin City Gift Baskets
Milk + Honey
Give the gift of local Austin flavor! Austin
Gi ft cert i fi cat e
has a taste and style all its own. This holiday, share authentic Austin flavors
Milk + honey, Austin’s favorite (and locally
in a variety of sauces, treats and local
owned!) spa offers luxury massage, body
excellence.
treatments, facials, and natural nail therapy
www.austincitygiftbaskets.com
in a modern, tranquil environment. Special holiday packages and instant gift certificates are available online. Downtown, Bee Cave and Arboretum, (512) 236-1115.
milkandhoneyspa.com
Salt Lick GSM, BBQ Red & BBQ White Wine GSM-a delicious combination of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre is grown, produced and bottled 100% in Driftwood, Texas. BBQ Red – Compliments an array of
Gusto Italian Kitchen + Wine Bar
dark meats. Perfect balance of dryness, oaky flavor and a refreshing crispness. BBQ White-Pair this delicious, buttery flavored wine with any white meat. Cheers!
Treat your friends & family on a trip to Italy in the
Purchase any of these wines at Salt Lick Cellars. Con-
heart of the Rosedale neighborhood. Receive a com-
veniently located just a few steps from the original Salt
plimentary $10 gift certificate with each purchase of
Lick restaurant in Driftwood, Texas.
a $50 gift card.
www.saltlickbbq.com
www.gustoitaliankitchen.com tribeza.com
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style
Old Enfield Historic
ho m e s t o u r
Homes Tour
Originally built in 1934, the “Bull House” overlooks Pease Park. The textured floors are a perfect pairing with the smooth finish of the fireplace. For more information about this property, visit 2213windsorrd.com.
G at h e r a r o u n d t h e f i r e i n f o u r homes with inviting fireplaces.
south austin contemporary This Cumaru
wood, steel hearty, and brick fireplace is a design focal point in the spacious downstairs. The house is a new construction built by Brodie Builders and designed by Burton Baldridge Architects. For more information visit kimsellsaustinhomes.com.
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High Design The subtle modern fireplace is a focal point of the home’s highceilinged great room. For more information about this property, visit 1305meriden.com.
Cozy German Cottage
Perched in the charming Bouldin Creek ‘hood under a canopy of magnificent oak trees, this rock fireplace is one of the highlights in this home that was built in 1935. For more information about this property, visit ameliabullock.com/realtors/ info/sgilchrist.
P hoto by j e s s i ca pag e s
information@bellrossusa.com 路 e-Boutique: www.bellross.com
512.473.0078 | 2727 Exposition Blvd Suite 110 | samlmajorsaustin.com
9.
P hoto g r aph y by w y n n m y er s
profile in
style
Chris Krager & Amy Grappell onto which we project ourselves," Chris
Sol. KRDB, centered around making modern homes affordable
Krager is saying. High language, but the bottom line is simple for
and accessible, applied the same sensibility to Sol, approaching a
the Austin architect and his wife, filmmaker Amy Grappell: Design
large-scale housing development in a way that first considers prox-
matters. And a well-designed space—be it where you live, work, or
imity, green space, and longevity. Grappell is also in the throes of her
just hang out—affects you.
own work, developing a pilot for the HBO series adaptation of her
"Modern design is a stage
“I remember when I walked into this house, I felt special,” Grap-
2010 film, Quadrangle, a documentary based on the personal his-
pell says, gesturing to their East Austin home, where the couple has
tory of her family, which screened internationally and won numer-
lived for ten years. “It seems weird to say it now, but when you are
ous accolades at Sundance and SXSW. “Austin has been a great place
in a place that is really well-designed and built, you notice it. This
for us, and for our work,” Grappell says. “It’s a great place to do your
house elevates us.” Her remark is an unintentional double enten-
own thing, to manifest work of your own.”
dre for the airy home's position in Swede Hill, a small neighbor-
Inside their house, the couple’s style reflects an easy balance be-
hood pocketed between IH-35 and the Oakwood Cemetery, that
tween their passions: framed movie stills and posters from Amy's
is—despite my elevator pitch—quite cozy. With its second story
films line the home’s walls, mixed in with colorful bits of personal
nestled in trees, allowing for tons of natural light to stream in, the
ephemera ranging from a portrait of their beloved dog Blue to a tiny
house overlooks the neighborhood like a treehouse, from which
poster of Barack Obama. When they bought the house, they kept
Chris and Amy have watched their neighborhood change and
the original wood floors but redid pretty much everything else. They
develop in sync with the city. “I'm not nostalgic for old Austin,”
added a second story and opened up the entire first floor to create
Krager says. “Like any growing city, Austin is in its teenage years
one big room, with the kitchen, dining, and living spaces all seam-
and there are things that you don't like that come with that—
lessly sharing a space that extends outside to a big backyard and
like congestion. But I love being here now, with everything that
back porch, where Amy sits and writes in the mornings and overflow
is happening: the restaurants, the opportunities, the people, the
from their frequent dinner parties spills out.
energy.”
“We wanted to live in a place where we are aware of time, place,
The city’s evolution is a familiar topic: Krager's firm, KRDB, is
and season, and this design affords all of that,” Krager says. “One
wrapping up its "biggest and most ambitious project to date," a
thing that we really love about our house is that it is all used…we live
40-unit sustainable housing development in East Austin called
and work and enjoy every part of this space.” l . patterson tribeza.com
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profile in style
1. A Theremin, awarded to Grappell from the SXSW Film Festival for her film "Quandrangle," which won best short documentary in 2010. 2. On the bookshelf: Patti Smith 1969-1976. An inspiration to the couple's life and work. 3. Storyboards by Krager for Grappell's narrative adaptation of "Quandrangle," alongside inspirational family photos from the 60s and an image of a protesting Abbie Hoffman. 4. A favorite photo taken by Amy's dad of her sister in the early 70s. 5. Grappell and their pup, Blue, hanging out in the bedroom. 6. Chris' "game ball" from the Texas Playboys victory in New Orleans 7. A hammock for relaxing on the upstairs deck 8. A painting by Matt Gutierrez in the living space.
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style
Huston depends on an apple for hydration and Lozenges for the throat. For a clearer read, she does a practice run with a cork between her teeth.
behind the scenes
Kelly Huston voice- over ac tress Huston can control the levels and effects of her voice on her soundboard.
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Voice-over actress Kelley Huston records sessions live from her Brentwood home studio. Most of Huston’s final editing is done right at her desk. To the left and right of her desktop are her DC Universe characters—Catwoman and Black Canary.
literally can’t remember a time when I wasn’t performing,” says voiceover actress Kelley Huston. This isn’t a surprise, given the fact that Huston descends from a family of vaudeville actors. By age 10, she knew she wanted to act professionally. At the age of 15, Huston began taking acting workshops while attending Anderson High School. During a scene-study she was recruited by DB Talent, an Austin-based voice talent agency. In 1995, she graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in Theater Arts. Soon after her graduating, DB Talent suggested that Huston consider taking a try at voice-over work. “Being behind the microphone, it felt like home,” Huston explains. Huston gives a quick tour of her Brentwood home recording booth. Inside the small converted closet, the space is dimly lit. Arolex, a dense foam material used for sound-proofing, lines the walls and hanging Tibetan prayer flags provide the room some color. Her recording studio is located in the back room of her slate-blue bungalow. “Part of having a home studio is that it’s allowed me to work on a national scale.” Some of Huston’s voice-over work can be heard in commercials for Nike and Southwest Airlines. She costarred as Princess Glenda in the Anime television series Petite Princess Yucie. She’s also the voice of Catwoman in the Playstation game, DC Universe. When asked what she relies on most on a busy day in the studio, she points to a bowl of apples sitting on her desk. “I often eat a Granny Smith apple before each session,” she explains, “because it clears up the clicking noises your mouth makes from dehydration.” On top of being a voice talent, Huston is also a new mother. Her face lights up when she shows pictures of eleven-month-old Sabine. In terms of juggling her roles, her freelance schedule has allowed Huston some flexibility. “The advantage of V.O. is when I have an audition, a lot of times I have twenty-four hours to get it done. So I can do it when Sabine is sleeping,” Huston says, pointing to her recording booth. “I just step right in there in my pajamas.” She also corresponds with fellow V.O. mother, Heather Costa, over Skype every week. Together, they recap their week’s achievements and next week’s goals. “I’m really lucky,” adds Huston. “Thoreau says to ‘Live the life imagined.’ I remind myself of that every day.” S. Derstine
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P hoto g r aph y by b i l l s a l l a n s
WWG
Wally Wor km a n Ga llery
Will Klemm 1 2 0 2 w . 6 t h s t . a u s t i n , t e x a s 7 8 7 0 3 w a l l y w o r k m a n . c o m 5 1 2 . 4 7 2 . 7 4 2 8 i m a g e : C o a s t a l S u n s e t (d e t a i l ) , o i l o n c a n v a s , 4 0 x 6 0 i n c h e s
style styleppi ci ckk The B&B sources its pastries from nearby bakery and biergarten Easy Tiger.
An afternoon inside the Wright Bros Brew & Brew the new coffee shop/craft beer hangout on E. 5th Street.
The Wright Bros. Brew & Brew
A cortado: espresso cut with warm milk
For this minimal East Austin bar, there are only two necessities—coffee and beer.
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he Wright Bros. Brew & Brew story goes like this: Brothers and lighthearted Progress days into, well, something more serious: Grady and Matt Wright were regulars at the Frank coffee This is grown-up coffee and beer. (A friend commented, “Everybar, where Matt Bolick worked behind the bar. While shoot- one in here looks…employed,” which in any city other than Austin ing the breeze one day, the topic arose: Wouldn’t it be great to some- wouldn’t be worth observing.) Ultimately, the B&B’s aesthetic is day open a craft beer bar and coffee shop? Thus the B&B was (unof- an exercise in intention, considering how many different creative ficially) born, with Bolick in the meantime leaving Frank to co-open Austin hands were involved in sheparding the project from idea to his own roastery and coffee hub, Flat Track, in the back of a shared execution. The long bar, designed by Erik Culver of Old Boy Co., retail space on Cesar E. Chavez. Eventually, after a brutal location is the true focal point of the space, housing the espresso machine, hunt for the Wright-Bolick collaboration, an unexpected opportu- taps, and a row of bar seats. The industrial-meets-schoolhouse innity presented itself: Progress Coffee, one of the first businesses to terior, with painted brick walls, subtle color pops, and dim lightredirect Austin’s attention eastward, was up for sale. And, as Bolick ing, was done by Grace Design, who collaborated on furniture says, “A month and a half later, we were the proud new owners. Insane.” pieces with South Lamar boutique Mockingbird Domestics. AdThe Brew & Brew, which opened in late September, remains true ditional woodworking—bench seating, shelving, and cabinetry— to its original vision: Dark lettering on the wall spells out: “Good was done by Josh Holstein, and the clean graphic design is from Beans & Good Beers,” an accurate jingle for the space’s modest ob- Justin Cox and Cody Haltom of Public School. What’s most interesting about the Brew & Brew is the sort of tranjective. Their online manifesto reads: “We believe that there is no reason to separate a great coffee shop from a familiar bar. At the sitional space it represents, especially for East Austin. It is simulhighest level of quality, these products make the perfect pairing.” taneously both a coffee shop and a bar, and also entirely neither of The menu is limited—coffee, espresso drinks, and craft beer—in a these things; it’s a place that is equally appropriate to unfold a laptop way that feels less like high coffee snobbery and more like, ‘there’s no but also kick back at the bar for a couple drinks. Mostly, the Brew need to get fancy.’ There’s also a small menu of hot sandwiches and & Brew is just a quiet, well-designed place to hang out, a seemingly simple qualification that’s surprisingly hard to come by bar snacks from Dishalicious, and plans are in the works 500 San Marcos St in this city. Perhaps, at least in the Brew & Brew’s case, to incorporate a selective wine and cocktail list. (512) 493 0963 The interiors are simple, transformed from the pastel thebrewandbrew.com less is truly more. l. patterson
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P hoto g r aph y by e va n p r i n c e
A New World of Timeless
Furnishings
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dining
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A woven metal wall inside the dining room.
Arro's cassoulet: white beans, duck confit, bacon, foie sausage, lemon turnips, breadcrumbs.
Arro 601 W 6th St. arroaustin.com
I
n the young professional’s playground known as West Sixth Street lies a respite called Arro. When the 20- and 30-somethings tire of bouncers behind velvet ropes and beer-swilling hipsters playing ski ball, they can stroll over to Arro for a civilized meal. But civilized doesn’t mean staid or boring. Arro is French after all, so it has plenty of sex appeal and style. It just means that amid all the bustle of West Sixth, there’s now a place to sit down and have a real meal, as opposed to the area’s predominant choices of pizza, burgers, tacos, and bar food. Located on the former site of Haddington’s pub and run by the folks behind 24 Diner and Easy Tiger, Arro has been reimagined as a casual-chic French bistro. Good-bye tartan plaid wallpaper and dark, choppy rooms. Bonjour cool neutrals and open, inviting spaces. Flickering votives illuminate the appealing scene. And since this is West Sixth Street, it is a scene. So although there’s no live band or DJ spinning
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Executive Chef & Partner Andrew Curren & Executive Pastry Chef Mary Catherine Curren.
tunes, the music is eclectic and loud and reflects the diverse clientele that fills Arro each night: a mash-up of singles in packs, couples on dates, and groups of business diners. Arro serves multiple purposes. It’s a great spot for just a drink, some appetizers, or a full-blown meal. Let’s start with the drinks. The wine list is curated by some of Austin’s hottest young sommeliers and the allFrench selections run the gamut from excitingly obscure to old-world classic. Cocktails are given equal billing and are crafted with loving attention. For nibbling, the bread offerings are a carb addict’s dream. Easy Tiger breads served with your choice of accompaniments: flavored whipped butters, cheeses, charcuterie or pickled vegetables. Or if you can’t decide, the Chef ’s Board offers a little of each. The bone marrow appetizer is old school with a twist: marrow is scooped out then mixed with a pistou sauce of garlic, basil, celery and Comte cheese. The vegetable tart
is a light yet decadently-rich combination of cheese and seasonal veggies baked in flaky puff pastry. Both French onion soup and steak tartare are classically executed. And although listed under appetizers, Scallops Provencal is substantial enough to be an entrée, adorned with, tomatoes, thyme, and arugula. Between courses, the herb salad is lovely palate cleanser, bright with basil, mint, chives, and radishes. For entrees, the roasted grouper is sublime, resting atop fresh vegetable ratatouille and finished with sorrel sauce. Two classic bistro dishes, roasted chicken and steak frites, also satisfy. Desserts are less successful but beautifully presented. Currently open for dinner only, Arro satisfies late-night diners with a full menu until midnight on weeknights and 2am on weekends. A new happy hour menu has recently been unveiled. And though French in flavor, Arro ditches the attitude with service that’s unfailing polite and helpful. Tres bien! K. Spezia P hoto g r aph y by j e s s i ca pag e s
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hand crafted furniture from antique elements, old ornamental, architectural fragments, unique hand printed, embroidered textiles
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BABA Give the Gift
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C LOS I N G S O O N
Dinner & Drinks
Rookies of the Year
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B r eakfas t
BR
Br unch
L
lunc h
HH happy hour
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dinner
Our favorite dining spots that opened in 2013 ARRO
601 W 6th St (512) 992 2776
(512)524 2523 minimally-elegant and
Created by veterans of
trendy setting; get the
Simple but intimate café
Easy Tiger and 24 Diner’s
Fresca pie.
and grocery with an ex-
ELM Restaurant Group,
D
offers rich French favorites, an excellent wine list, and delicious desserts. D
1500 S Lamar Ste 150 (512) 473 2211 Hoppin' Spanish tapas restaurant in a modern South
potatoes bravas. Reservations recommended. D
L HH D
JEFFREY’S
list; great for a leisurely
1204 W Lynn St (512) 4775584
brunch or date night. BR
cellent, affordable wine
LUCY’S FRIED
CHICKEN
5408 Burnet Rd (512) 514 0664 2218 College Ave (512) 297 2423
NOVA KITCHEN & BAR
87 Rainey St (512) 382 5651
Beautiful outside and in, No Va was transformed from an architect's home into a restaurant this
gress favorite opened a
year. Subtle design ele-
favorite got a welcome
new outpost off Burnet
ments make the space
facelift this year from
Road. Different location,
cohesive and modern,
Larry McGuire, all while
same straight-up South-
and its creative twists
maintaining the execu-
ern goodness, from Moon
on classic, comforting
tion, top-notch service,
pies to fried green toma-
dishes from a pork belly/
the owners of the popular
1900 Rio Grande St (512) 495 1800
and luxurious but wel-
toes to corn muffins to the
sirloin burger to season-
Kome Sushi Kitchen on
Modern spins on Ameri-
coming atmosphere that
crème de la crème: fried
ally-topped flatbread
Airport Blvd.
can classics and locally-
makes Jeffrey’s an old
chicken.
pizza are downright
sourced veggie sides inside
Austin staple.
the new Hotel Ella.
HH
612-B E 6th St (512) 369 3897
ramen and a simple, veggie-friendly menu from
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Austin setting. The octopus is a perfect dish, as are the
for it—french fries.
This historic Clarksville
DARUMA RAMEN
Rich chicken broth-based
BARLATA
gruyere sauce, and—wait
This year the South Con-
this recently-opened spot
EDEN EAST
755 Springdale Rd (512) 428 6500
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D
GOODALL'S KITCHEN AND BAR
B BR
L
D
D
JOSEPHINE HOUSE HAYMAKER
L HH D
1204 W Lynn St (512) 477 5584
delicious. BR
METTLE
507 Calles St (512) 236 1022
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PINTHOUSE PIZZA
A new spot from Rainey
4729 Burnet Rd (512) 436 9605
have never been more
2310 Manor Rd (512) 243 6702
Rustic, continental fare
Street proprietor Bridget
Was there every anything
delicious: Chef Sonya
It's comfort food meets
with an emphasis on
Dunlap, Mettle offers a di-
better than pizza and
Cote of Hillside Farmacy
sports bar meets beer
fresh, local and organic
verse, often-experimental
beer? A welcome addition
teamed up with Spring-
pub in Cherrywood, an
ingredients. Serving
menu exciting for om-
to North Burnet, Pint-
Rooftop dining on West
dale Farms this year to
easygoing place to get a
lunch, afternoon snacks,
nivores and vegetarians
house offers house-brewed
Sixth, serving up some of
create a (literal) farm-to-
craft beer and elevated
and evening cocktails,
alike. Be sure to try the
beer on draft, consistent
the best fajitas in town in
table concept restaurant
bar food. Get the name-
the shady porch is the
fried chicken and one of
pies, and great lunch
a lively ambiance.
on the East side, serving
sake: The Haymaker is
perfect spot for a late-
their seasonal vegetable-
specials.
a seasonal prix fixe menu
an open-faced roast beef
afternoon paloma.
and-grain salads (it’s all
under a the canopy of a
sandwich, topped with
majestic Texas elm tree.
flavorful slaw, tomatoes,
BR HH
BENJI'S CANTINA
716 W 6th St (512) 476 8226
BR HH D
BUFALINA
1519 E Cesar Chavez
130
EPICERIE
2307 Hancock Dr (512) 371 6840
Wood-fired pizza in a
Weekends at the farm
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december 2013 tribeza.com
a fried egg, decadent
L BR HH D
about balance!). L BR HH D
L
D
A u s t i n a r t s + cu ltu r e Aust
QUI
1600 E 6th St (512) 436 9626
is sure to be both top-of-
dishes are superb, and the
the-line and delicious.
beet and avocado tempura
L BR HH D
SEARSUCKER
L
D
Aust
an unparalleled dining experience set under an airy,
Stylish Southern fare from
beautiful backdrop.
San Diego celebrity chef
519 W Oltorf (512) 487 1569
Brian Malarkey. Go for
Tapas on Oltorf in a cozy
the decadent small plates:
setting: rich small plates
duck fat fries with tomato
are spins on old favorites
8557 Research Blvd (512) 339 0855
jam and prosciutto "dust,"
and the wine cocktails are
farm bird lollipops with
a welcome surprise.
Be prepared to wait for the
bleu cheese, and the “cow-
delicious ramen bowls that
boy caviar.”
D
RAMEN TATSU-YA
Ramen Tatsu-Ya is dish-
L BR HH D
ing out from its discreet location in a strip mall off
SWIFT’S ATTIC
HH D
WINFLO OSTERIA
1315 W 6th St (512) 582 1027
flavor-bomb-of-a-broth
This sleek restaurant is a
Austin brunch addition
like these guys.
welcome addition to the
(ricotta pancakes! Polenta
downtown dining scene,
benedict!) or casual place
complete with a big-city
to grab a weeknight glass
feel and a playful menu:
of wine.
D
SWAY
1417 S 1st St (512) 326 1999
edamame with Pop Rocks
Thai cuisine with a mod-
one? We recommend the
ern twist. An intimate
blistered shishito appe-
outdoor area—complete
tizer and the warm Niman
with a Thai spirit house—
Ranch pork cheek entree.
makes for an unforgetD
THE DOJO SAKE BAR AND IZAKAYA
Clarksville. A great new
WRIGHT BROS. BREW & BREW
500 San Marcos, Ste 105
i s s ue
THE
sept
emb
Style
issu
e
012 er 2
Subscribe to TRIBEZA Available for Delivery! V i s i t w w w . t r i b e z a . co m fo r m o r e i n fo r m at i o n
Come for a coffee and Brew & Brew, which opened in October in the old Progress Coffee on E.
It's small plates and (in-
rant/bar serves up simple
The farmer's market salu-
tentionally) slow service at
espressos and coffee
meria opened its brick and
the Dojo, a new Japanese
from Flat Track, an over-
mortar outpost early this
izakaya restaurant near
whelming assortment of
year, and now offers din-
Burnet and 183. A great,
craft beers, and a small
ner in addition to butcher
vegetarian-friendly spot to
but tasty food menu in
shop lunch favorites. Any-
go with a group and order
a minimal, industrial
thing chef-recommended
everything on the menu;
ambiance.
from the meaty offerings
all of the kimchee-rice
1912 E 7th St (512) 524 1383
TH
NightlE ife
st 20 12
L BR HH D
9070 Research Blvd (512) 458 3900
SALT & TIME
re
stay for a beer at the
table experience. L
Cozy outdoor dining in
candy and chili oil, any-
L BR D
ltu + cu
WINEBELLY
315 Congress Ave (512) 482 8200
L
rts in a
Augu
has perfected the rich,
183; nowhere else in town
re
is a deep-fried treat worth
415 Colorado St (512) 394 8000
in town for Japanese food:
+ cu ltu
indulging in.
Chef Paul Qui’s new HQ is one of the hottest new spots
in ar ts
5th Street. The restau-
B
L
D
Unique Spaces for Extraordinary Events Partner with Spaces 2 Host, List your Space. Envision your next event and rent a unique location on spaces 2 host. www.spaces2host.com
tribeza.com
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131
style
austin icon
Patty Hoffpaiur’s
The Garden Room 1601 W 38th St Ste 5 (512) 458-5407
In addition to an impressive selection of clothes, the Garden Room also boasts unique accessories and gifts like these seashell ornaments, clutches, and Diptique candle.
If these wall s could talk—how a charming Southern gal has done much more than just dress gener ations of Tex as women.
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Patty Hoffpauir, owner of the Garden Room, holds court at her Central Austin shop, a hub of style and friendship for women across the city.
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he gaggle of well-dressed, perfectlycoifed ladies who breezed in to The Garden Room today were there to shop, but they also had a lot of catching up to do with the shop’s vivacious owner Patty Hoffpauir…something that everyone who passes through the doors of the light-filled shop loves to do. “There have been a lot of stories, secrets, laughs, and even tears shared on those sofas over there,” she says, motioning to the sitting area that has become the town square of the shop. Hoffpauir bought the Garden Room in 1980 when it was a small, 900-square-foot gift shop. Then, she returned to her fashion roots (Hoffpauir was a textiles major and worked as a buyer at Dallas’ Sanger-Harris), and the Garden Room became exclusively a clothing and accessory boutique. The new business model worked, and she expanded her space to over 3,300 square feet. Since then, she has successfully dressed women and their mothers, and now their daughters. Generations of women have found everything from the perfect mother-of-the-bride frock to game-day ensembles. How has she made it through three economic downturns in a highly competitive business? “You have to know your customer and
you have to listen to their feedback. You have to remember what your customer is doing and where they are going on a daily basis,” she says. “We really love our customers and feel their joys and sorrows. We’ve grown up with them and seen their children have children.” Giving back to community through involvement with local organizations like Ballet Austin, the Austin Symphony, and Hospice Austin have always been a priority in her life. "I want my involvement in the community to be a constant reminder that I have been blessed in many ways by Austin both personally and professionally," she says. "I use The Garden Room as an instrument to give back." She still unlocks the doors of the Garden Room with the same excitement and curiosity for who might walk in the store, and what the day will bring that she did when she opened 33 years ago. No matter what, she has always advised her clients with what she deems the most important piece of fashion advice—“Be comfortable. If you aren’t comfortable in what you have on, whether it’s a ball gown or a pair of jeans, it shows. Pick clothes with personality, make a statement, and always suit yourself.” l. smith ford P hoto g r aph y by a n n i e r ay
Collage Studio
DESIGN PORTRAIT.
Sophie is in love with Ray and Contemporary Art. Ray is designed by Antonio Citterio. www.bebitalia.com
Scott + Cooner Austin Showroom - 115 W. 8th Street Austin Texas 512 480 0436 - www.scottcooner.com
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