TulsaPeople April 2025 by TulsaPeople

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Springer Building

6160 S Yale Ave

918-495-2600

Tulsa Hills 7858 S Olympia Ave 918-986-9250

South Memorial 10506 S Memorial Dr 918-943-1050

BROKEN ARROW

Elm Place 2950 S Elm Pl, Ste 120 918-451-5191

Kenosha 1801 E Kenosha St 918-449-4150

saintfrancis.com/urgentcare

OWASSO *If

SAND SPRINGS 11610 N 137th E Ave 918-928-4180

102 S Main St 918-246-5750

TULSA

Leaders with Heart

Easing the suffering of others is not just a profession for Dr. Andrew Revelis, it is his passion and purpose. As a pain management specialist at Utica Park Clinic – Pain Management of Tulsa, Andrew focuses on helping those who live with chronic and severe pain caused by a myriad of causes, including disc and arthritis pain.

An interest in science and specifically anatomy and physiology initially attracted him to the medical profession.

“I found the structure and function of the human body fascinating when I was young,” Andrew says. The field of pain management was especially appealing, however, because of the ability to provide patients with immediate pain relief.

“I found it very rewarding that I could make such an impact in a relatively short amount of time,” he says.

Upon graduation from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Andrew completed an internship in general surgery at Methodist Hospital in Dallas followed by a residency in anesthesiology and a pain management fellowship at the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Just as Andrew has a heart for easing pain, he also believes strongly in helping those in need. He is drawn to causes and organizations that provide food and shelter to people facing hardship.

“As a child of immigrants, I grew up with modest means. Despite that fact, my parents always stressed the importance of community and giving, regardless of your means. They instilled values of civic duty and philanthropy and taught me that I should always strive to help those who are less fortunate.”

Both his parents immigrated to the United States from Greece in the 1960s. Andrew was born in Chicago. “I’ve gained satisfaction in knowing that I have made a difference in my small corner of the world…Acts of service for the community are incumbent on all of us.”

Andrew has been involved with boards of many organizations. Most notably, he served as a Bixby City Councilor and as a Commissioner and Vice-Chair on the governor-appointed Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement (ABLE) Commission. For many years, he served as Parish Council president at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, which annually hosts the Tulsa Greek Festival – the city’s oldest

cultural festival – where guests can enjoy Greek food and traditions.

“The true measure of doctors’ greatness lies not just in their skill, but in their unwavering dedication, their ability to inspire, and their compassionate heart. Dr. Andy Revelis exemplifies all these qualities and more. His tireless efforts in our community have left an indelible mark, and we are grateful for his commitment.” says President and CEO Tom Bennett III.

“First Oklahoma provides one with a personal connection and local expertise. …Having someone in the community who you can pick up the phone and talk to affords one the best business opportunity. There’s no substitute for a personal touch,” says Andrew.

69,000+ ORANGE ALUMNI STRONG

With 69,280 proud and loyal alumni in northeastern Oklahoma, chances are your family, neighbors and co-workers have been impacted by Oklahoma State University.

Local partnerships with hundreds of companies and nonprofits, and more than 2,500 employees, means OSU is a changemaker for our region. We’re training future health care leaders for Oklahoma, helping adults earn bachelor’s and advanced degrees, educating tomorrow’s career-ready STEM workforce and building a world-class medical district downtown – right here in our own backyard.

Discover why orange is the answer and partner with us to make a difference for Tulsa at orangecountry.okstate.edu.

CITY DESK

NATALIE MIKLES

LIFESTYLE

Upcoming art shows and sales. Emerging fashion professionals. City golf courses get a new manager. Who was Hugh Finnerty?

High-quality home goods. From push mower to lawn empire. Fairy plantings. Connie Cronley is out with lanterns.

TABLE TALK

Copper Dome impresses. 3 deals for Taco Tuesday. BA burger joint’s second location. Going nuts for secret doughnuts. 7

and Charo Fitch inside their midtown greenhouse.

PHOTO BY MICHELLE POLLARD

The Adah Robinson home — now known as The Oath Studio — received signiﬁcant interior and exterior renovations. Owner Rod Yancy and the team removed the pool from the home’s backyard, creating a grassy area more conducive for large groups to gather outside.

LETTER

My rst “where were you when ...” moment happened when I was in the seventh grade. ere’s not much about that particular year in school I remember other than one fateful day in April.

irty years ago this month, halfway through a typical morning on April 19, 1995, I was sitting in Mrs. Strakoulas’ classroom when we were told there had been a bombing in downtown Oklahoma City. I can’t remember exactly what was said, but that classroom — with its green linoleum oor, chalkboard and a small TV permanently mounted in the corner — is forever etched in my memory.

While I didn’t know anyone there, the wave of “what ifs” started storming through my 13-year-old brain. A few days later I remember my dad bringing me a copy of the latest special edition of Time magazine. e cover featured a photo of the bomber with an inset photo of Oklahoma City re Capt. Chris Fields carrying 1-year-old Baylee Almon away from the destruction that killed 168 people. I read the magazine cover to cover and stared at the image that so many remember to this day. I glued the magazine into a scrapbook, which I still have, documenting several of those middle school years.

If you haven’t been to the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, I strongly suggest a visit. Although a somber setting, it is also a place to re ect and express gratitude for those whose lives were changed forever — survivors, family members, rst responders and Oklahomans. Earlier this year, Museum President and CEO Kari Watkins was named a USA Today Women of the Year honoree. According to the article, Watkins was the rst employee hired and has been with the

site ever since. is month the Survivor Tree, an American elm that survived the bombing and still grows on-site, will sprout its serrated leaves expressing the hope and fortitude the tree has grown to represent.

As spring continues to roll through Oklahoma, many in Tulsa will gather to admire the colorful blooms sprouting up in gardens this month. Four Tulsans featured in this issue on p. 48 have been prepping for this for months. eir greenhouses have been full of plants they’ve overwintered and seed-started, all itching to get out into the warm spring sun. is season is a beautiful time to travel to Depew for a night at the Living Kitchen Farm and Dairy where chef Lisa Becklund creates a menu inspired by what’s in season on the farm. In this issue Becklund and wife Linda Ford re ect on their careers as restaurateurs and the success of their two Tulsa restaurants, il seme and FarmBar. Read more about their passion for local food starting on p. 52.

I hope you also enjoy learning about the renovation of the former home of Adah Robinson into e Oath Studio on p. 56. Owner Rod Yancy and designer Justice Quinn have rejuvenated a space designed for gathering with a modern touch.

As always, thank you for picking up this edition of TulsaPeople. tp

Anne Brockman EDITOR

Volume XXXIX, Number 6

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Madeline Crawford

Georgia Brooks GRAPHIC DESIGNER Ashley Guerrero MANAGING PHOTOGRAPHER Michelle Pollard VIDEOGRAPHER Greg Bollinger

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Andrea Canada

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Melissa Givens Josh Kampf

CONTROLLER Mary McKisick

RECEPTIONIST/MARKETING ASSISTANT Madison Walters

OF FOUNTAINS AND FLOCKS

After nearly 25 years, the fountains at Swan Lake Park, 1596 Swan Lake Drive, are operational again after a renovation project was recently completed by City of Tulsa’s Parks Department. The $2.2 million project was funded by the Improve Our Tulsa 2 and 3 initiatives. Upgrades include two underwater aerators to improve

water circulation, help mitigate algae blooms and increase oxygen levels for aquatic life.

According to the City of Tulsa, Swan Lake was one of the ﬁrst suburban developments in the city. The area gained its name in the 1920s when swans were introduced to the pond. tp

April

APRIL 3, 10, 17 AND 24 SPRING MARKET

Every Thursday in April Jenks’ Riverwalk hosts a pop-up market and live music at its outdoor amphitheater. facebook.com/jenksriverwalk

APRIL 4 DRILLERS SEASON OPENER

Come support the Tulsa Drillers as they take on the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in their 2025 season opener. Be sure to stick around after the game for a ﬁreworks show! Homestand continues through April 6. tulsadrillers.com

APRIL 9

MARGARET CHO

Twisted Arts presents stand-up comedian and actress Margaret Cho at Cain’s Ballroom for a night of laughter as part of her “Live and Livid” tour. cainsballroom.com

4 APRIL 11-12, 18-19

FRIENDS OF THE HELMERICH LIBRARY BOOK SALE

Shop a vast array of genres at this annual book sale with all proceeds supporting Peggy Helmerich Library and other libraries in the TCCL system. Friends of Helmerich Library members can shop early on April 10. tulsalibrary.org

APRIL 11-12

SPRINGFEST

Celebrating its 70th year, SpringFest is a one-stop shopping experience when it comes to getting your garden and ﬂowerbeds ready for the changing seasons. tulsagardencenter.org/springfest

APRIL 12

HOUSTON WE HAVE A PARTY

Celebrate the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission with a weekend of special events at Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium. tulsamuseum.org

APRIL 19

GOLDEN DRILLER MARATHON

Marking its 10th year, the Golden Driller Marathon also includes lower race distances like a 5K, 10K and half marathon. Running not your thing? Head out to cheer on participants! runsignup.com/race/ok/tulsa/ goldendrillermarathon

APRIL 19

PARTY FOR THE PLANET

To celebrate Earth Day, head over to Tulsa Zoo to discover what they’re doing to conserve and protect wildlife with specialty keeper chats. tulsazoo.org/planet

APRIL 25-27

ALL BREED DOG SHOW

Now in its 104th year, the Mid-Continent Kennel Club of Tulsa hosts multiple competitions at Tulsa’s Expo Square. mckctulsa.com/canineextravaganza

APRIL 26

ORBIT ARTS FESTIVAL Arts for all!

Brimming with activities like workshops, demonstrations and performances, Orbit Arts Festival makes its return for another year of spotlighting Tulsa talent. tulsapac.com/orbit-arts-festival

Easter events and activities

COMPILED BY MADISON WALTERS

THROUGH APRIL 19

EASTER BUNNY AT WOODLAND HILLS MALL

Woodland Hills Mall, 7021 S. Memorial Drive | Times vary; visit whereisbunny.com/mall/1074 Prices vary.

Get ready for a tail-wagging adventure at the PAWS Egg Hunt, where furry friends are invited to join the hunt for treat eggs and toys.

SPRING FLING EGG HUNT

Owen Park, 560 N. Maybelle Ave. 11 a.m. | Free.

Get your photos taken with the Easter Bunny and then grab a sweet treat from the food court! Reservations are available.

Explore Owen Park while hunting for eggs and creating fun memories for you and your entire family.

17

5

EASTER EGG DECORATING

SPRING CARNIVAL EGGSTRAVAGANZA

Chandler Park, 6500 W. 21st St. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. | Prices vary; registration for the egg hunt is required. Join Tulsa County for a fun-ﬁlled day at its Spring Carnival Eggstravaganza! Enjoy a carnival-like atmosphere with live music, games, face painting and so much more.

Central Park Community Center, 1500 S. Main St., Broken Arrow 6-8 p.m. | Free, but participants must bring their own eggs. Central Park Community Center and Arts@302 will provide all the materials you need to paint or dye your eggs.

REED PARK EGG HUNT

FINISH YOUR BACHELOR’S DEGREE EARN

GRADUATE DEGREE

6 CARING BUNNY

Woodland Hills Mall, 7021 S. Memorial Drive

10:30-11:30 a.m. | Prices vary. Caring Bunny is a special, sensoryfriendly experience that allows children of di erent abilities to meet the Easter Bunny in a safe environment. Reservations required.

12

EASTER FUN DAY DOWNTOWN

Washington Irving River Park, 13700 S. Memorial Drive, Bixby 10 a.m.-noon. | Free.

Hop into spring with a candy drop, petting zoo and pony rides, face painting, bounce houses, yard games, Easter photos, food trucks and more.

EASTSIDE EGG HUNT

Tulsa Immigrant Community Development Co., 1801 S. Garnett Road 11 a.m.-2 p.m. | Free. Make sure to bring the kids out to meet the Easter Bunny, hunt eggs and more.

Reed Park, 4233 S. Yukon Ave. 6:30 p.m. | Free; pre-registration is required.

Children under 12 will be assigned to age groups for an age-appropriate egg hunt around Reed Park. Don’t miss the games and Easter crafts.

EGG HUNT

Will Rogers Memorial Museum, 1720 W. Will Rogers Blvd., Claremore | 11:30 a.m. | Free.

Over 20,000 eggs will be available for the taking at this annual event.

OWASSO COMMUNITY EGG HUNT Rayola Park, 8300 N. Owasso Expressway 10 a.m.-1 p.m. | Free, pre-registration encouraged. Over 10,000 Easter eggs will be scattered across Rayola Park for this massively, EGG-citing hunt with prizes for each age group. The Easter Bunny will also be in attendance.

SPRING WITH THE BUNNY

PAWS EGG HUNT

Whiteside Park, 4009 S. Pittsburg Ave. 10-11 a.m. | Free. Donations of dog food and pet supplies are welcomed and appreciated for Tulsa Animal Welfare.

Tulsa Zoo, 6421 E. 36th St. N. 9 a.m.-noon. | $10 per person in addition to the cost of admission

Guests will enjoy animal chats, crafts, enrichment opportunities for some of the zoo animals and most importantly, meeting the Easter Bunny. tp

Rod Yancy

The entrepreneur on making music memories with Bootleg.Live

STORY AND PHOTO BY TIM LANDES

Rod Yancy is nestled into a swiveling brown leather chair as he sits in what used to be the late architect Adah Robinson’s house that is now Oath Studio — one of his many ventures. (Read more about Oath Studio on p. 56.)

Yancy is an entrepreneur who once built a daily fantasy sports website that would eventually lose out to Fan Duel and Draft Kings, and then he lost the iPhone photo sharing app wars to Instagram about 15 years ago. RIP Blurree.

Law degree in hand from the University of Oklahoma, Yancy then launched Oath

Law — which focuses on estate and nancial planning services — in 2010. It has since grown to be in 33 markets in 22 states with more than 100 employees and now is a part of Oath Group of Companies. e founder and CEO stepped away from day-to-day operations in 2022 and serves as chairman. Now he’s back to chasing success in the app game with Bootleg.Live, which o ers high-quality audio recordings of concert performances from a wide range of artists of various levels of fame performing in venues across the country. He has an ambitious goal of 1,000 concerts available by the end

of the year. e app is available to download for free in the Apple App store, and concert recording prices vary by artist.

Yancy discussed his return to mobile app development and his love of music during our conversation in late February.

THE IDEA FOR BOOTLEG.LIVE STEMS FROM A CONCERT EXPERIENCE SEEING BECK AND PHOENIX WITH HIS SONS ... We just had this amazing time. It was the rst concert that they had gone to, and I go to the merch table, and they didn’t have anything for me to buy for the kids. I ended up buying a couple of vinyl records. It kind of just hit me that what I really want is a recording of this show with all the banter between the artist and the crowd. Technology exists. e soundboards are digital. ( e music artists) can all record. I would just want it to stream right to my phone so that on the way home I could just drive and relive it.

HAVING INTERNED AT THE RECORDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA DURING LAW SCHOOL, YANCY KNEW THE OLD RULES FROM WHEN PHYSICAL SALES DOMINATED AND THEN THOUGHT ABOUT THE NEW ERA OF STREAMING MUSIC ... Now that most revenue comes from streaming, I think labels might actually want this to occur, especially if they were to get a cut.

WHAT’S DRIVING HIM AND HIS TEAM OF SIX IS ... is helping artists to monetize their craft. For a starting artist, they can’t go play a show and sell their music anymore, and so it makes it really hard for them to make money from their craft. It takes a very long time for somebody to get enough streaming revenue to replace anywhere close to what they would have gotten from selling CDs.

For an up-and-coming artist to have to outlay thousands of dollars to get CDs printed and take the risk of that and then inventory them and deal with breakage and loss and theft, we’re providing them a nocost way to go out and monetize their work.

e artists get a split of the revenue and that percentage varies by the artist (and their level of fame) ... We have to be able to generate a pro t to pay for the technology and the team and the coordination and give Bootleg team members a good job as well.

BEYOND THE MONEY ... It’s also giving the artists a new way to reach fans. It’s giving the artist a new way to collaborate with fans. It’s also preserving these shows. Bootleg.Live can create a catalog of the work they did, so it doesn’t just disappear at the end of the show. tp

Zero Tailpipe Emissions is Good for the Planet. (And Not Just During Earth Month.)

Being environmentally friendly is a big selling point for EVs. And no wonder. Even though they accelerate faster than gasoline-powered cars, EVs produce zero tailpipe emissions, reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Want to learn more? Let us provide answers to your EV questions, so you can make informed decisions.

You’ve got EV questions. We’ve got EV answers. | Learn more

Renewed purpose

A chance encounter for retired businessman Jay Betz evolved into an encore career at Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa.

BY MARNIE FERNANDEZ

Call it serendipity or a happy accident. Or maybe a little of both. Jay Betz was in the process of retiring from a career spent in various nancial and operational positions — most recently as the president and chief nancial o cer for health care laundry company Linen King — when a chance meeting at Mazzio’s pizza brought him his next calling.

“I ran into an acquaintance who was working for Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa,” Betz says. “( e organization was) in

a transitory period, and he knew my background was in nance and operations, so he asked if I would be willing to take a look at theirs and give them some advice.” e meeting turned into an interim CFO position, which then morphed into the interim CEO role when that position became available.

“ at was 18 months ago, and I’m still here,” he says with a laugh. “I was obviously not very good at the retirement thing.”

While the 69-year-old brought his business acumen to the organization, Betz has learned just as much from his team.

“I am not a nonpro t guy by trade,” he says. “It was a de nite paradigm shift. But my team is exceptional. My job is to stay out of their way and let them do what they do.”

Betz, who is also the president of the organization, had basic knowledge about Meals on Wheels, but did not realize the breadth of services o ered or the herculean operations e ort that goes into serving the homebound population.

“Experiencing MOW’s mission rsthand has been nothing short of incredible,” he says.

With the aging population expected to grow by 21% over the next decade, Betz says they are working hard to keep up and to help combat the triple threat of aging: poor nutrition, isolation and loss of independence.

“It’s much more than delivering a meal,” he says. “We’re also providing that human connection. We also have a pet (foodproviding) program, a home safety program where we build ramps, install safety rails and help with basic needs like changing light bulbs. We also do wellness calls.”

It currently serves about 1,400 people daily. Recruiting volunteers is another crucial component in addressing the growing need.

“We couldn’t do any of this without our volunteers,” he says. “ ey are the lifeblood of our mission. e pandemic was di cult on us, and we are still trying to rebuild our base.”

When asked how long he plans to stay in this role, Betz foresees himself there inde nitely.

“I feel extremely lucky to work for this organization that provides such crucial services to some of our most vulnerable citizens,” he says. “I continue to be touched by the generosity of our community.” tp

Jay Betz is president and CEO of Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa, which serves about 1,400 people daily. “The mission of the organization has grown more dear to me over time, and I’m daily struck by the devotion and capabilities of our staff, the amazing generosity of the community to provide the ﬁnancial support necessary, and the overwhelming commitment of our volunteers who deliver meals and much more day-in and day-out to our homebound friends in the Tulsa area and beyond,” he says.

Don’t panic! Be prepared.

Disaster Readiness 101

BY MACY GOODNIGHT

Spring in Oklahoma brings beauty in abundance, but unfortunately, also extreme weather events. Oklahomans are not naive about catastrophic situations such as tornadoes or oods, and many across the state have experienced the worst that nature can o er rsthand. But even with modern technology, anyone can be caught o guard when disaster strikes. Now is the time to consider: are you and your family prepared for calamity?

According to the Emergency Preparedness and Response Program with the Tulsa Health Department, being prepared during a natural or manmade disaster, pandemic or other health threat is crucial today. Carrie C. Suns, community relations/Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps coordinator, and Megan Calahan, manager of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Program, share advice to help keep you and your family safe during an emergency.

HAVE A PLAN inking ahead and creating a personal plan for yourself and your family will aid in avoiding panic. “Have that plan and practice it,” Suns says. “ ink about ‘what if’ scenarios and how we respond to those.” Make sure everyone in the household knows what to do in the event of an emergency. “Make sure phone numbers are written down in case cell phones are inaccessible, as most of us don’t memorize numbers anymore, and designate a place outside of your immediate jurisdiction as a meeting place in case you can’t get home,” she says.

MEET YOUR NEEDS

Storing personal survival supplies is an intelligent and forward-thinking approach to being prepared. “Decide what you need personally for yourself and your family for crucial needs,” Calahan says. “A ‘go-bag’ is something you can keep in your car, and a ‘ready kit’ at home includes supplies you have ready if your power is out and you’re sheltering in place.” Go-bags

should contain copies of important documents, whether hard copy or digital. Preserve these items in a sealable bag to prevent water damage. Cash, medications, nonperishable food and water, extra batteries and personal hygiene items should be included. Keeping solar battery-powered or crank-style radios and lights is essential at home. Write vital information in a notebook and store with documents in a waterproof bag. ese are the items you would need to keep on hand for an emergency; having the essentials to get through at least three days is recommended.

STAY INFORMED

Keeping oneself informed of local news and weather events is key. “ e more prepared the person, the more ready the community, which makes for a more prepared state and nation,” Calahan says, who recommends ready.gov, okmrc.org, fema.gov and tulsa-health.org/programs/ emergencypreparedness. tp

According to local experts, having a go-bag with items like non-perishable food, water, cash, phone numbers, batteries and more is an important part of disaster readiness.

Living the dream

Entrepreneur’s passions for music and entertainment lead to new business ventures.

BY JULIE WENGER WATSON

In many ways, Hugo Gutierrez’s life is the embodiment of the American Dream. As any immigrant will tell you, achieving that dream requires a whole lot of hard work, sacri ce and, in Gutierrez’s case, a few basic dance skills.

e Colombian-born child of a hard-working single mother, Gutierrez came to Tulsa in 2001 at the age of 18 to attend Oral Roberts University.

“I’ve always been a big fan of American culture and wanted to master the language,” he says. “It was worth leaving my own country behind and seeking the American Dream.”

While working toward degrees in theology and business, Gutierrez was surprised

to learn his fellow students weren’t big salsa dancers.

“It was odd to me, because dancing was such a normal part of my culture that I thought everybody did it,” Gutierrez recalls.

Gutierrez quickly discovered he could turn his own dance skills into a business enterprise, and thus the “Salsa Nation” was born.

What started out as small gatherings of 15 or so people rapidly grew into a monthly salsa dance party averaging about 500 guests.

ose college parties eventually became Gutierrez’s rst business. More than a decade later, Gutierrez has DJ’d over 1,100 weddings, and his entertainment company, LionsRoad Studio, continues to ourish.

“I just happened to be somebody who thrives in environments of creativity, and my favorite things include music, people and dancing,” Gutierrez says. “To the credit of the 20-something me, I realized that if I did things that I loved, it was hard to quit, so I just found a career in something that continuously feeds me.”

Gutierrez’s experience provided a natural transition into the world of event management and wedding planning. In 2017 he learned an event space in west Tulsa was up for sale. With the help of a loan from Regent Bank, he was able to secure the

nancing to purchase e Silo Event Center, 4629 W. 41st St., and he began renovating the property. (Read more about e Silo’s restaurant, Copper Dome, on p. 82.)

Everything was set for the grand opening in 2020, but then the coronavirus ground the world to a halt. Gutierrez took time to heal himself nancially and emotionally, refocusing on his family.

“After basically 11 years of pursuing business really hard, it came back to being home and enjoying my children, and maybe not being quite as pressed to go make a pro t and leave a legacy,” he says.

Since then e Silo has become a profitable business, and Gutierrez has expanded his vision to include Rockstar Weddings — a nonpro t he created to sponsor weddings for teachers, rst responders, military and veterans. It’s Gutierrez’s way of “celebrating those who serve us unconditionally and sel essly.” Last year Rockstar supported the weddings of an Army veteran and a Tulsa Police Department o cer.

For Gutierrez, who became a U.S. citizen in 2009, it’s all part of the dream.

“From time to time, I still pinch myself and think, ‘Man, that 18-year-old kid has come a long way.’”

Visit thesilotulsa.com for more information. tp

Hugo Gutierrez is the owner of The Silo Event Center, pictured at right, and founder of Rockstar Weddings, which sponsors weddings for teachers, ﬁrst responders, military and veterans.

Art by Laura Austin

On display

One-day art show returns for another year.

BY JULIE WENGER WATSON

The Maple Ridge Art Happening returns April 19 to Tulsa’s historic Maple Ridge neighborhood at All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria Ave. Event organizer Pam Watson says this might be the nal year for this location of the art show and sale, which features 40 local artists from a range of disciplines. Created as a response to COVID-19 in spring 2020, the annual event grew from a small display in Watson’s driveway, to encompassing her neighbors’ lawns, to now lling a parking lot just down the street.

“During COVID, everything was shut down, including all the galleries where we’d always go for openings,” Watson says. “A small group of my friends were still talking to each other every day, sitting around in our houses by ourselves creating. I asked them what they thought about having a little driveway show, an exhibit outdoors for people walking and driving by. at’s how this whole Maple Ridge Art Show started.”

e show includes paintings, mosaic art, ceramics, baskets, jewelry, ber art and sculptures, and much of the art is for sale. It’s a juried event, meaning artists submit their work for review for the opportunity to participate.

Watson, who rst became involved with Tulsa’s creative scene when she started painting in 2016, is passionate about the arts. is show is an expression of that, a labor of love organized on top of a full-time day job. e e ort has been rewarding in many ways. For newer artists, the show has been a chance to experience the full process — from submission to exhibit — in an environment that Watson describes as “safe and easy.”

“ is whole thing started out being like an incubator for young artists, and I don’t mean young in age, just new people who have not shown their work, even though they’re good,” she says.

In many ways the event is really about creating community.

“ ere are so many people I’ve met, even in the last three months,” she says. “Some of these people just know each other by name, but now, on the day of the sale, they get to talk to whoever it is that they’ve known through Facebook and get to know each other. It’s just very cool.”

For more on Watson’s art and this event, visit Instagram @pamwatson_art or email pamwatson59@cox.net. tp

Asking questions

Where were the Christians in Germany during the Holocaust and genocide of World War II?

Where were the Christians in Rwanda and former Yugoslavia in the 1990s during the genocide there?

These countries were overwhelmingly baptized Christian nations, so why were the Christians so silent?

Answering questions like these became a lifetime study for Carol Rittner, Ph.D, Roman Catholic nun with the Religious Sisters of Mercy, professor and editor. She will discuss “Lessons from the Holocaust: Protecting Each Other in Perilous Times” during the 27th annual Yom HaShoah: An Interfaith Holocaust Commemoration, at 7 p.m., April 24, at Temple Israel, 2004 E. 22nd Place. The free, public event is presented by the Tulsa Council for Holocaust Education of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa in partnership with Tulsa City-County Library and The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art.

What led you to the subjects of Holocaust, genocide and rape as instruments of war? I was just starting graduate school when I read “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl, an Auschwitz survivor, and I wondered, “Why didn’t the Christians help these Jews in their time of need? What happened to (the precept) of ‘love one another?’” Complicated questions. The study became my passion. I can’t say I have come to any responses that satisfy me.

Her new book, co-edited with John K. Roth, is “Stress Test: The Israel-Hamas War and Christian-Jewish Relations.” “It’s a very difﬁcult topic ... and certainly a perilous time. Every day I ask myself, ‘What have I done to deal with this terrible situation that we’re in in this country?’” — CONNIE CRONLEY

Carol Rittner

Pam Watson is the founder of the Maple Ridge Art Happening, this year set for 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on April 19 at All Souls Unitarian Church.

Join us for Discovery Lab’s Annual Gala and support hands-on learning that inspires curiosity, creativity, and innovation Enjoy exclusive experiences, unique exhibits, great food, and a night of discovery. madscientistball org

Carly Treece (Muscogee Nation) is the owner of Tvlse Studios, an art studio rooted in Indigenous culture, and will be a participating artist at the Mvskoke Art Market, happening April 26-27 at River Spirit Casino Resort. Learn more at muscogeenation.com/mvskokeartmarket.

Creating space for Indigenous expression

Artist fosters inclusive art community by uplifting all voices.

BY HEATHER KOONTZ

Born and raised in north Tulsa, Carly Treece is a multidisciplinary artist whose work has been featured in FX’s “Reservation Dogs” and showcased in exhibits around the world. A citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and of Cherokee descent, she is dedicated to uplifting the voices of her community through art and advocacy.

One of Treece’s most proli c art styles is painting with oil and cold wax, a medium she discovered in a community workshop at WaterWorks Art Center before entering lockdown in 2020.

“It allows me to tell complex, layered stories — just like the land that inspires me,” she says. “ e land is full of stories. When you are quiet and truly listen, it speaks.”

Treece also nds signi cant inspiration in painting “Beloved Women,” her series

that depicts women of all tribal communities that also is a nod to her Cherokee ancestry. rough her work, Treece says she hopes the audience feels the layers of history and emotion associated with themes of identity, sovereignty, and connection to community and the environment.

In addition to her own work, Treece is also the owner of Tvlse Studios — an art studio rooted in Indigenous culture — and founder of Four Mothers Collective, a nonpro t art organization located in the Muscogee Nation. e goal of both organizations is to foster an inclusive art community by uplifting all voices.

Showcasing art from Indigenous people of all genders, Tvlse Studios emphasizes diversity and allows space for artists at all levels of their career. With a more focused audience, Four Mothers Collective was

created speci cally to spotlight the art of Indigenous women.

“Indigenous women often carry the responsibility of caring for both younger and elder generations, leaving us little time to create or participate in meaningful artistic opportunities,” Treece says. “ ere is also a broader gap in representation within mainstream arts culture, where the artistic pursuits of women are often seen as ‘hobbies’ rather than serious, professional work.”

Open to BIPOC women and Two-Spirit artists, Four Mothers Collective works to bridge these gaps by creating a space that uplifts marginalized voices, provides opportunities and resources, and ensures artists who may otherwise be overlooked have the support and visibility they deserve.

e Collective recently received a grant to host monthly workshops and provide more opportunities for artists to grow in the community.

rough exhibits and shows, both Tvlse Studios and Four Mothers Collective strive to create space for artists to show their work alongside established artists on national stages, including an annual exhibit at Sovereign Santa Fe.

In 2026 one of the Four Mothers Collective’s recent shows will become a traveling exhibit featured in the Mid-America AllIndian Museum in Wichita. Treece says this is especially important for artists in Tulsa, a land that sits on three tribal reservations.

“Inclusivity is key to celebrating the immense talent within our communities and ensuring all voices and mediums are seen and valued,” she says. “Our stories and perspectives need to be heard and should be a central focus within art communities everywhere.”

is April Treece’s work will be included in the Mvskoke Art Market, a large Native American festival showcasing the work of emerging and established artists from around the country. In addition to a diverse range of art, visitors can enjoy cultural presentations and experience the rich heritage of Indigenous people.

Treece’s art is also on exhibit at the Tulsa International Airport Public Art Display through January and will be featured in the Mayfest Invitational Gallery, as well as several other exhibits throughout the year in Tulsa and beyond. is year’s Four Mothers Collective exhibit will take place in November at Positive Space Tulsa. To see all upcoming shows, visit tvlsestudios.com. tp

Seams perfect

Fashion collective seeks to develop and nurture emerging professionals with opportunities and mentorship.

BY LACEY C. TAYLOR

Tulsa’s likely not the rst place many think of when it comes to couture fashion, but Parker D. Wayne wants to change that. Whether Wayne’s holding runway shows in parking garages or a sold-out 600-person show in an abandoned church, their forward-thinking in uence is helping springboard Tulsa’s growing fashion community into a new era.

A conversation with Wayne is an artistic experience in itself; silhouetted by a genuinely warm presence, Wayne is a fashion-forward force who draws you into their journey from youth pastor, to server, to stylist, to magazine publisher and nally to founding the Oklahoma Fashion Alliance in 2023.

Oklahoma Fashion Alliance is a dynamic collective of designers, artists, stylists and creatives formed to develop the emerging fashion professionals in Tulsa and the surrounding areas through mentorship and work opportunities.

OFA’s upcoming fourth show cycle (or “OFA4”) will be held May 17 at a yet-tobe-determined location. Each cycle spans six months where artists workshop and develop their collection within the creative community. “Each cycle has had the same

base programming, but with each iteration it evolves and becomes more detailed and resourceful,” Wayne says.

Lolly McLain, OFA co-producer and creative director, hints the upcoming show will deliver something “loud and charged,” including themes that touch on the current political dynamics and how OFA hopes to create a safe environment for emotional and creative expression.

On why OFA is important, McLain says, “It’s critical for Tulsa. So many young people are interested in fashion careers they don’t think that they can have here and that’s why we want to create a community.” She continues, “We lose so many people to bigger, more fashion-focused cities like LA, New York and Chicago. So, why not show people that we have that same interest and opportunity to build on here?”

As the team prepares the nal looks for May’s show, Wayne reminisces about OFA’s origins and goals for its future.

After a two-year ministry program, Wayne served as an associate youth pastor but was eventually let go because their sexual orientation broke the organization’s code of conduct. Wayne describes rejection as a theme in their life, including being let go

from the ministry, but it forced the then-21year-old to truly think about what was next. To some, a pastor turned stylist and fashion alliance founder might seem like an odd path — but then again, fashion is so often the juxtaposition of eclectic concepts. For Wayne, it was a turning point in their own self-discovery and integral to their evolving identity as a queer artist.

Coming out of the pandemic, Wayne launched LPBP, a magazine brand featuring their own wardrobe styling. An authentic ode to self, LPBP has dual meaning — both for “Let Parker Be Parker” and “Let People Be People.” LPBP’s rst volume was published on social media and eventually grew into a styling consulting business.

Wayne’s path to OFA revealed itself after attending New York Fashion Week, when they knew they wanted to host a fashion show in Tulsa. In just six weeks their rst show came together at a co ee venue with 50-60 people in attendance. From there, a second show, and then a third. Soon, Wayne knew they wanted to remain a show designer but realized there were no established resources or organizations that fully supported emerging fashion designers and events.

In 2023, the newly formed Oklahoma Fashion Alliance started work on its rst production as a collective.

In OFA1 with the concept of “Street as our Runway,” models walked through the streets of the Tulsa Arts District followed by a production team member with a spotlight. e event was co-produced with OFA’s creative director and event producer Atlas Fielding, and Wayne recounts the milelong “runway” was a struggle for some of the models in heels and elaborate apparel. An unexpected crowd gathered and started following the models back to the gallery. Wayne says the audience’s response was that they’d never seen anything like it in Tulsa.

Eight months later, OFA collaborated with Rebekah Danae, a local artist and a mentor of Wayne.

Last year OFA hosted its third show cycle, drawing a crowd of more than 600 that waited for hours to get inside Kendall Whittier’s Artisan Hall. It was a unique addition to Tulsa’s ever-evolving fashion portfolio not often found in this region.

Visit oklahomafashionalliance.com or nd OFA on Instagram at @oklahoma. fashion.alliance for more information. tp

Oklahoma Fashion Alliance Co-Producer and Creative Director Lolly McLain and Founder Parker D. Wayne

50 years of Newsmakers

Annual event honors outstanding women making a positive impact on the community.

BY MARNIE FERNANDEZ

Since 1973, Tulsa’s Association for Women in Communications has recognized almost 200 women for their contributions to the community and their support and advancement of women through the annual Newsmakers Awards luncheon. is year’s event on April 30 will add four more honorees to this prestigious list.

“ ese women represent virtually every sector, not just communications,” says Teri Bowers, a past AWC president and current co-chair of Newsmakers with Judy

Morency. “Business, community volunteers, education, government, health care and nonpro ts have all been represented, but they all share the same core values central to AWC.”

is year’s honorees include Ebony Johnson, Tulsa Public Schools superintendent; Kimberly Johnson, Tulsa CityCounty Library CEO; Jennifer Loren, senior director of Cherokee Film and host of “Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People;” and the Saidie Adwon Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to LeAnne

Taylor, longtime KOTV morning anchor and breast cancer survivor and advocate.

e Association for Women in Communications started in 1909 as a professional society for women pursuing careers in journalism. Over the years the organization evolved to extend its reach and unite communicators across a spectrum of disciplines. However, in 2023, the national organization closed its doors, but the Tulsa chapter made the decision to continue operating on the local level.

“Like many other organizations on the local and national level, the pandemic hurt membership and related revenue,” Bowers says. “ e national organization made the di cult decision to dissolve but allowed local chapters to continue operating on their own. We stayed open because we think the greatest value comes through the connections that are made right here.”

Past Newsmakers honorees have included entrepreneur Mary Beth Babcock, actor and native Tulsan Alfre Woodard, and state representative and local broadcaster Betty Boyd, who died in 2011.

“Betty was an iconic broadcaster who went on to become a state legislator,” Bowers says. “Mary Beth is a visionary entrepreneur who is still using her talents to showcase our city and state with her out-of-the-box ideas, and Alfre is still in Hollywood making movies and TV shows.”

Wilma Mankiller, the rst woman Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, was a past Saidie Adwon honoree.

“I was fortunate enough to have the chance to interview her in the early ’90s,” Bowers says. “She was a tremendous activist for Native Americans. She possessed the kind of quiet strength that is both commanding and comforting at the same time. A truly remarkable woman who passed away in 2010.”

Longtime TulsaPeople Editor Missy Kruse and Columnist Connie Cronley are past Saidie honorees.

In addition, AWC awards a minimum of two $2,000 scholarships to women pursuing a degree in a communications-related eld.

“ e Ruth E. Richards Rising Star Communicator Scholarship Award is a critical piece of our support of young women in communications,” Bowers says. “Ruth was a longtime AWC member who passed away from cancer in 2021.”

is year’s event will be held at 11:30 a.m., April 30, at Southern Hills Country Club. For more information on sponsorships and tickets, visit awctulsa.org. tp

The 2025 honorees for Tulsa’s Association for Women in Communications’ Newsmakers Awards are, clockwise from top left, Ebony Johnson, Jennifer Loren, LeAnne Taylor and Kimberly Johnson

Major talent

BY LAUREN ROGERS

This spring Mohawk and Page Belcher golf courses are under local management. Sidorakis Golf won the opportunity after beating eight national rms that also submitted proposals last fall to manage Tulsa Parks’ public courses.

Sidorakis Golf is headed by Nick Sidorakis who, in 2023, retired from his role as general manager at Southern Hills Country Club after 29 years. During his tenure, the facility hosted seven majors, including the 2022 PGA Championship.

“ e city deserves golf courses that are manicured and well taken care of,” Sidorakis says. “And that’s our goal, number one, for both facilities.”

e City of Tulsa had opened the competitive selection process due to changes in the golf course market. e operator since 2008, Indigo Sports, was one of the unsuccessful bidders.

Sidorakis is one of the founders and current president of First Tee Tulsa, established in 1999, which uses golf to teach life skills to students ages 8-18. Out of 150 First Tee

programs nationwide, Tulsa’s is the only one o ered at no cost to the students.

“We’ve always had a relationship with Mohawk,” Sidorakis says. “We built the (First Tee) headquarters, Junior Golf Learning Center, there back in 2000 and opened it in 2001.”

Since 2001 Southern Hills Country Club has raised more than $2.5 million for the program through its annual First Tee of Tulsa Charitable Golf Tournament. Southern Hills Country Club Charitable Foundation has invested in making improvements at Mohawk on behalf of First Tee.

“Nick has been one of the biggest supporters of the First Tee Program at Mohawk Golf Course ... and he has also demonstrated a willingness and ability to raise private money to support the golf courses in the past,” Mayor Monroe Nichols said in January. “I am con dent that together, we will continue to create the best municipal golf courses in the region.”

In 2020 Sidorakis joined the Citizens Golf Advisory Committee to assist the City

of Tulsa with oversight of Mohawk and Page Belcher. e committee helped raise nearly $1 million in donations to support City funding, and provided counsel to the City on how to use available resources to best maintain the public courses. Golf course architect Randy Heckenkemper, who is now a partner of Sidorakis Golf, was part of this team.

Because of these e orts, all four 18-hole courses have undergone substantial renovations. In 2022 Olde Page and Stone Creek at Page Belcher saw signi cant tree removal, grading, sodding and other turf improvements totaling over $750,000.

In 2024, 50-plus bunkers at both Page Belcher courses were completely renovated. e Citizens Golf Advisory Committee raised $970,000 and the City matched with $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding, along with a private match. e City also installed a new irrigation pump station at Mohawk, an investment of nearly $500,000.

“Irrigation is the life blood of a golf course, just like your home,” he says. “If you can’t irrigate your lawn, it’s going to die.” ere are approximately $4 million in irrigation system repairs planned for Mohawk over the next few years. Sidorakis says they’re in the process of completing a master plan for Mohawk Park, which will be presented to the City in the near future. Having been a part of the conversation each step of the way, Sidorakis Golf is poised to continue this progress.

“ e only way we’re going to improve is by making money in the operation,” Sidorakis says. “We’ve got to drive rounds of golf and revenue to make pro t to where we can reinvest and then improve it with that money.”

In recent years total rounds played at the golf courses have been around 100,000. Sidorakis’ goal is to exceed 110,000 rounds this year through an enhanced culture and player experience at the courses that will encourage repeat use. Rounds range from $21-$31 depending on time of day and other factors.

“We’re going to create an atmosphere of fun, not only for employees, but for the people who play golf,” Sidorakis says. “We’re going to set the bar really high and keep it there.” tp

Nick Sidorakis and Sidorakis Golf were chosen to manage Tulsa Parks’ public courses. Sidorakis is photographed at Mohawk Park, which has more than $4 million in irrigation system repairs planned over the next few years.

‘The Voice of Tulsa’

Hugh Finnerty’s legacy in Tulsa’s sports scene

BY MICHAEL OVERALL

Newspaper reports described the conversation as a Sunday afternoon “explosion.” When the dust settled, the general manager of the Tulsa Oilers baseball team had either quit or been red, depending on which side of the blast was telling the story.

Hugh Finnerty and A. Ray Smith, the baseball team’s general manager and owner, respectively, had never particularly

gotten along. ey were “a case of opposite personalities, striving for the same goal, but doomed in a sea of incompatibility,” according to the Tulsa World’s iconic sports columnist Bill Connors

Most fans, however, didn’t know about the behind-the-scenes friction and seemed genuinely surprised by the team’s separation from Finnerty, who had been a beloved public gure in the city for nearly 20 years.

Finnerty was born in 1918 in St. Louis, where he went to work at age 7 selling newspapers on the street for a nickel each. He grew up loving baseball and, technically, he could boast that he played semiprofessionally on a Kitty League team in the late 1930s. He was listed as a rst baseman in Paducah, Kentucky, but Finnerty would modestly admit that he only played during batting practice and just kept the bench warm during games.

After serving in World War II, Finnerty found another way to stay involved with baseball — as a sportscaster for KCRC radio in Enid. He came to Tulsa in 1954 to work as sports director at KOTV.

Smith, meanwhile, saved the Oilers when he took control of the team in 1961, preventing the previous owner from moving the franchise out of Tulsa. Smith, despite their personality clash, made Finnerty general manager. And with his tireless promotion, ticket sales mushroomed from 130,000 in 1961 to more than 200,000 in 1963, when he won an award as the national Double-A baseball executive of the year.

Finnerty, already a local celebrity from being a TV sportscaster, became so popular in Tulsa that his name was tossed around as a potential mayoral candidate, but he didn’t want to leave baseball. He did however leave Tulsa in 1965 to become president of the entire Texas League.

His personal philosophy was simple: “Just do the common things uncommonly well.”

“I guess I’m just a at extrovert,” Finnerty would say. “I just love to meet people.”

Brie y working for the Oilers again in 1971, Finnerty confronted the owner for sacking the team manager without even telling him rst, much less seeking his opinion.

So he quit. Or Smith red him. Or maybe both happened at the same time. Nobody could tell.

“If he wanted a yes man, then I wasn’t needed to begin with,” Finnerty explained later.

Smith put the Oilers up for sale soon afterward and the franchise moved to New Orleans in 1976. But Finnerty used his connections with the Texas League to help bring the Drillers to Tulsa in ’77.

Finnerty also owned the Tulsa Speedway from 1971-1979 and started the annual indoor Fun Fair as a way to promote the racetrack. e Fun Fair remained a Tulsa tradition for 35 years and even spread to a dozen other cities nationwide. tp

Known as “the Voice of Tulsa,” Hugh Finnerty holds a microphone at Tulsa Baseball Park, 4400 E. 15th St., with an unidentiﬁed man circa 1962. Finnerty was the manager of the Tulsa Oilers baseball team, whose home was the park until 1976 when the franchise moved to New Orleans.

APRIL CHARITABLE EVENTS

COMPILED BY MADISON WALTERS

Global Vision Awards Gala

Beneﬁts Tulsa Global Alliance. tulsaglobalalliance.org/gv2025

The Brew Bash

Beneﬁts Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tulsa. rmhctulsa.org

Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Beneﬁts Will Rogers High School Community Foundation. willrogersfoundation.net

JA BizTown Bowl

Beneﬁts Junior Achievement of Oklahoma. oklahoma.ja.org

Pinnacle Awards

Beneﬁts YWCA Tulsa. ywcatulsa.org/pinnacle-awards

Women of the Year Luncheon

Beneﬁts Tulsa Area Alumnae Panhellenic. tulsapanhellenic.org

4-6

Art in Bloom

Beneﬁts Philbrook Museum of Art. philbrook.org/visit/bloom

Bloomingdeals: Tulsa’s Biggest Garage Sale

Beneﬁts Junior League of Tulsa. jltulsa.org/bloomingdeals

Furchella

Beneﬁts Skiatook Paws and Claws Animal Rescue. skiatookpawsandclaws.com

Memory Gala

Beneﬁts Alzheimer’s Association Oklahoma Chapter. memorygala.org

ONE Awards

Beneﬁts Oklahoma Center for Nonproﬁts. okcnp.org

Raising Hope Blue Tie Gala

Beneﬁts The Demand Project. thedemandproject.org

Will Rogers High School Hall of Fame Gala

Beneﬁts Will Rogers High School Community Foundation. willrogersfoundation.net

William Booth Society Gala

Beneﬁts The Salvation Army. southernusa.salvationarmy.org/ tulsa-area-command

Founders’ Dinner

Beneﬁts Iron Gate. irongatetulsa.org

Spring Luncheon

Beneﬁts Tulsa Boys’ Home. tulsaboyshome.org/spring-luncheon

Sip for Sight Gala: Eyes Wide Open

Beneﬁts Vizavance. vizavance.org

Uncorked

Beneﬁts The University of Tulsa Alumni Association Scholarship Fund. tualumni.com

VOA at the Vista

Beneﬁts Volunteers of America Oklahoma. voaok.org/event/voaatthevista

11-12

SpringFest!

Beneﬁts Tulsa Garden Center. tulsagardencenter.org/springfest

Mini-Laps

Beneﬁts Little Light House. littlelighthouse.org

Overture

Beneﬁts Signature Symphony at Tulsa Community College. signaturesymphony.org/overture

ZooRun

Beneﬁts Tulsa Zoo. tulsazoo.org

Dance Around the World

Beneﬁts German-American Society of Tulsa. gastulsa.org

Back Roads Bash

Beneﬁts The Bridges Foundation. facebook.com/thebridgesfoundation tulsa

Legacy Award Dinner

Beneﬁts Greenwood Cultural Center. greenwoodculturalcenter.org

Go Girl Gala

Beneﬁts Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma. gseok.org

ARTrageous

Beneﬁts Foundation for Tulsa Schools. foundationfortulsaschools.org

Spring Blooms Sip and Stroll

Beneﬁts Tulsa Botanic Garden. tulsabotanic.org/calendar

Spring with the Bunny

Beneﬁts Tulsa Zoo. tulsazoo.org

Golf Tournament

Beneﬁts Town and Country School. tandcschool.org

President’s Council Dinner and Concert: Lisa Marie Rogali and Jason Zacher

Beneﬁts Tulsa Opera. tulsaopera.com

Annual Leadership Luncheon

Beneﬁts City Year Tulsa. cityyear.org /tulsa/events

Reserve Dinner

Beneﬁts Philbrook Museum of Art. philbrook.org

Galactic Gala

Beneﬁts Tulsa County Democratic Party. tulsacountydemocrats.org

Gather at The Gallery with The Spring

Beneﬁts The Spring. thespringok.org

Philbrook Wine Walk

Beneﬁts Philbrook Museum of Art. philbrook.org

Raise the Roof

Beneﬁts Revitalize T-Town. revitalizettown.org

Spring Soiree

Beneﬁts Saint Simeon’s Foundation. saintsimeons.org/foundation

Celebrate Cascia

Beneﬁts Cascia Hall Preparatory School. casciahall.com/celebrate

Hunger In Your Backyard Gala

Beneﬁts Broken Arrow Neighbors. baneighbors.net/hunger-in-yourbackyard

Mrs. Roper’s Romp

Beneﬁts Family Promise of Tulsa County. familypromisetulsa.org

Wine and Hip Hop

Beneﬁts Philbrook Museum of Art. philbrook.org

Zoo Nights

Beneﬁts Tulsa Zoo. tulsazoo.org

Baby Steps

Beneﬁts Emergency Infant Services. eistulsa.org

Bishop Kelley Auction

Beneﬁts Bishop Kelley High School. bishopkelley.org

Icons and Idols

Beneﬁts Tulsa Ballet. iconsandidols.org

Mad Scientist Ball

Beneﬁts Discovery Lab. discoverylab.org

Shoot for The Center

Beneﬁts The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges. tulsacenter.org

Smoke and Guns

Beneﬁts Special Olympics Oklahoma and Oklahoma Fireﬁghters Burn Camp. facebook.com/smokeandguns918

Tulsa Heart Walk

Beneﬁts American Heart Association. heart.org

Wish Upon A Par Golf Tournament

Beneﬁts Make-A-Wish Oklahoma. wish.org/oklahoma

Growing Joy Luncheon

Beneﬁts Joy in the Cause. joyinthecause.org

Newsmakers Luncheon and Awards

Beneﬁts Association for Women in Communications Tulsa. awctulsa.org

Meals that give back.

RESTAURANT WEEK 2024

Thank you, TULSA!

Thank you to the diners, restaurants and sponsors who supported Tulsa’s 18th annual Restaurant Week. TulsaPeople and the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma wish to extend special thanks and recognition to the top donating restaurants and restaurant groups for 2024:

McNellie’s Group • Chandler Hospitality Group • Roka • Queenie’s Café

Justin Thompson Restaurant Group

Additional thanks go to these participating restaurants….

Sisserou’s • Jackie Potter Collective

Ti Amo Ristorante Italiano • MK Bistro

Café Ole • and The Melting Pot!

And our campaign sponsors for their generous donations:

Argonaut Private Equity

Nadel & Gussman • Curtis Restaurant Supply

Bama Companies, Inc.

Restaurant Week has generated almost $800,000 for the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma since it began in 2007!

Early Bird Prize: Get your ticket by April 25 for a chance to win a trip for two to the Country Music Awards in Nashville, TN including flight and hotel, courtesy of K95.5 and Triple Tigers Records.

Bonus Prize: Get your ticket by June 6 for a chance to win a 2025 Ford Bronco, courtesy of Dream Day Foundation, Bill Knight Ford, and Silo Hill Customs and Off Road.

Tickets on Sale Prize: Get your ticket by April 4 for a chance to win a $5,000 gift card, courtesy of Moody’s Jewelry.

HEART BALL On March 7, the American Heart Association hosted its annual Heart Ball at Arvest Bank Convention Center where approximately 350 guests gathered to celebrate and support the organization as it marks its centennial year. Through its focus on impact areas, AHA has improved the health and well-being of Tulsa, while saving and improving countless lives. 1: Sweethearts Vivi Lee, Reidy Siegfried and Camdyn Neeley helped the local community through various fundraising initiatives. 2: Claire Cottom, Darren Cottom, Karissa Cottom and Collin Cottom 3: Maverick McLain, Maya McLain and Chad McLain 4: Jared Kuykendall and Ally Kuykendall 5: Fox23 Anchor and Emcee Shae Rozzi, Jean Jensen, Jared Smith, Dr. Heather Cha and Collin Cottom 6: AHA Development Director Kennady Irwin and her husband, Karsten Irwin 7: Cindy Decker, Morgan Decker, Jason Decker and Kelly Wagner 8: Max Heckenkemper and Sweetheart Madelyn Heckenkemper share a dance.

BUSINESSES

YEARS OR MORE

TULSAPEOPLE CELEBRATES LEGACY BUSINESSES THAT HAVE MADE THEIR MARK IN TULSA FOR 25 OR MORE YEARS.

The locally owned institutions featured in the following pages provide a vital economic foundation for our city and are known for their overall excellence, creating loyal customers, business success and longevity.

Empire Fence Company

Empire Fence Co. has become the familiar face to turn to for all your fencing needs. This year, Empire Fence proudly marks its 70th anniversary, a significant milestone reflecting decades of service to their customers and community.

Nathan Nelson, who serves as President/CEO of the company, honors the rich history of the fence company his grandfather, Bob Richison, founded in 1955. “It was an honor of a lifetime to spend over 20 years of my life working alongside my grandfather, learning the ins and outs of the family business, and growing it together,” notes Nathan.

Nelson and his incredible team remain committed to leading a legacy company built on excellence. Over the years, Empire Fence has built a solid reputation of offering customers quality products and excellent service at a fair price. Since its inception, Empire Fence has sought to foster lasting relationships with their customers, vendors and those in the community. The company partners with

local organizations and nonprofits and hosts quarterly outreaches to provide free fence repair services for widows and single moms. “Our community-minded approach is just part of our DNA at Empire because we believe to whom much is given, much is required,” Nathan notes.

Empire Fence has become the leading company for residential and commercial fencing throughout northeast Oklahoma. “As we look to the future, we promise to build not only fences, but lasting relationships for decades to come,” added Nathan.

Linda Dover, Nick Robison, Nathan Nelson, Josie Villarreal, Krystal Ford, Kevin Pilger and Sandy Caldwell

McGraw REALTORS®

Founded in Tulsa in 1938 as an independent residential real estate company, McGraw REALTORS® has grown into one of the nation’s top 10 fastest-growing real estate companies with more than 830 experienced associates across 21 offices in three states. Even with exponential growth, the company and its associates remain dedicated to making one of the most critical choices a person will make — where they live — a simple, stress-free process.

“There are many attributes that make McGraw REALTORS® the best in our business. It could be the tenacity of our people, or it could be the dedication they have to each other and to our customers. I believe it is our culture that separates us from everyone else,” says Bill McCollough, president and CEO. McCollough joined the firm in 2017 and has been at the forefront of McGraw’s recent growth, including the expansion of its multifamily division.

“Our people focus every day to provide the best service, marketing and technology in the business. We are relentless in our

pursuit to be the best and we have been for over 85 years,” he says. “McGraw is a diverse company filled with a diverse group of people, but for all the things that make us different, three crucial values hold us together: strong character, the courage to always do what is right, and the resolve to stay loyal to our principles.”

McGraw leadership uphold the company’s core values: committed, loyal and tenacious. These attributes reflect the relationships that are made every day between McGraw agents and their clients. Whether buying or selling, McGraw agents dedicate themselves to making the process as simple as possible.

“Our aim is to stay true to the core values that have underscored our approach to business, relationships and the real estate industry for more than 85 years,” says Lindsey Schlomann, executive vice president and Oklahoma principal broker. “We lay a foundation of family, support and outstanding character. We are committed. We are loyal. We are tenacious. We are McGraw REALTORS®.”

McGraw President and CEO Bill McCollough with Lindsey Schlomann, EVP and Oklahoma Principal Broker

The Bros. Houligan

Since 1987, Tulsans have been coming in droves to The Bros. Houligan for their hearty, freshly prepared dishes and menu mainstays like their award-winning chicken fried steak. You can still find it — and all the comfort food classics — at 4848 S. Yale Ave.

“We began as a small bar seating 28 in 1987, slowly morphing into a family friendly restaurant known for its entrees like deep fried catfish, fried gulf shrimp, grilled steaks, burgers and, of course, our legendary chicken fried steak,” says owner Patrick McMurchy. “Our longevity is thanks to our customers, as well as a staff that does its best to provide quality food and personable service at a reasonable price.”

The Bros. Houligan became famous beyond Tulsa’s city limits when its chicken fried steak recipe was featured in Southern Living Magazine’s cookbook “Off the Eaten Path.” First-timers and veteran “Houligans” rave about the restaurant’s special recipe green beans. Its cottage fries, waffle-cut fries served with a side of gravy, are the stuff of legend. The motto at The Bros. Houligan is “Eat More Gravy” and once you get your first taste you’ll know why.

Open for lunch and dinner, the restaurant boasts a full bar, their own locally brewed Bros. Houligan Brown Ale on tap courtesy of Cabin Boys Brewery and plenty of seating to catch the big game with a side of comfort food.

Brian Trufitt, Brandon Reavis Funk, Corwin Moore, Conor McMurchy, and Megan Mitchell.

Tulsa Boys’ Home

The Tulsa Boys’ Home was established shortly after two young boys were found sleeping in trash boxes in an alley in downtown Tulsa in 1918. Leaders of the First Presbyterian Church and the Downtown Tulsa Rotary Club were instrumental in its founding as an orphanage. Started in a two-story house in downtown, Tulsa Boys’ Home has grown over the past 107 years into the largest residential treatment facility serving troubled boys in Oklahoma.

“We currently deliver residential treatment services to approximately 62 boys between the ages of 12 and 18, and sometimes their family, on a daily basis,” says Executive Director Gregg Conway. “Fifty of our boys are placed by the Department of Human Services’ Division of Child Welfare. The other 12 boys are privately placed by parents or legal guardians into our Substance Abuse Treatment Program.”

One of the unique and powerful programs at TBH is its Therapeutic Equine Program. Under the watchful eye and direction of Equine Program Manager Scott Averill, along with Equine Therapist Johnny Clark, boys are provided both

individual and group equine therapy sessions throughout each week to help promote the overall mission of providing healing and hope to the boys. Counseling staff facilitate the development of “social intelligence” by using horses in an experiential game format.

“The connection made between the boys and the horse creates an opportunity for the boys to see themselves through the eyes of the horse in a non-judgmental, accepting manner that facilitates their healing,” Averill says. “The boys’ relationship with their horse also helps develop their ability to connect in human relationships, as well as increase their sense of self-confidence, self-esteem and hope for the future.”

Most of the TBH residents attend the on-campus alternative school led by certified teachers of the Sand Springs School District.

TBH, which is led by Conway since 1997 and governed by a volunteer board of directors, hosts several events throughout the year to fundraise and raise awareness of the nonprofit’s community impact.

Rebecca Lineback, Mike Murphy, Hannah Quin, Clyde Stacy, Dawne Edelman, Gregg Conway, Cammie LaPorte, Kylee Nash, Scott Averill and Jayme Poole.

Moore Funeral Homes and Fitzgerald Funeral Service

When James Herbert Moore opened his funeral home in 1932, he had no idea his company would become the largest funeral provider in Oklahoma. More than 90 years later, Moore has grown with Tulsa, both in the number of locations — six in total — and in the scope of services.

What have not changed are Moore’s core values — as well as the family at the helm. “Our mission is to provide excellent care to the deceased and their families and to help create tributes that remember, honor and celebrate the lives of those very special people,” says Joseph P. Moore, owner and grandson of the company’s founder. “We give our families the highest level of personal and professional care during one of the most difficult times of their lives.” Unique services offered include an onsite crematory, to ensure that all aspects of cremation are performed properly and with dignity.

Additionally, Moore offers special veterans’ services and an extensive aftercare program — including online resources and weekly grief support groups. Moore’s pre-planning services lock in today’s prices and provide peace of mind. These offerings,

plus a commitment to service, have resulted in excellent reviews on family satisfaction surveys. Moore Funeral Homes and Fitzgerald Funeral Service’s motto is to provide extraordinary service at a fair and affordable price.

Moore/Fitzgerald maintains strong community involvement, both individually and corporately. The company takes special pride in its 40 full-time, dedicated and professional staff members, many of whom have been with Moore/Fitzgerald for more than 10 years and have experience working with families of all faiths. “Our families have come to know that we’ll be here when they need us,” Moore says.

Recently Moore further expanded services by opening a 2nd family center. In addition to the family center at the Fitzgerald Southwood Colonial Chapel, there is now a lovely 1700 square foot family center at Moore’s Southlawn Chapel, 9350 E. 51st St. At these family centers, families and friends can continue to share memories and celebrate the life of their loved one while having refreshments or a meal at a reception following the memorial service.

Jeff Tutt, LaFonda Ehlers, Koby Creason, John Wilson, Chris Penn, Lynne Moore, Terry Hamm, Joseph Moore.

Energy One Federal Credit Union

Energy One Federal Credit Union is a full-service financial institution that was originally chartered in 1935 by oil field workers at Empire Oil Refinery in Okmulgee. The credit union started out as a one room, one-person operation with $405 in assets and has grown into a multi-million-dollar institution serving members across the United States and throughout the world.

For 90 years, Energy One Federal Credit Union has been a steadfast partner to its members, growing alongside the community. “This milestone anniversary isn’t just a celebration of our longevity, but a testament to the trust and loyalty you’ve placed in us,” CEO Steve McNabb says. “From humble beginnings to our current strength, we’ve remained committed to providing exceptional financial services and personalized support.”

Credit union members enjoy personal financial services, as well as competitive rates and a comprehensive range of products and services. Energy One employs an expert staff with many years of experience.

“We take the time to listen to our member’s needs and provide them with common sense financial solutions,” McNabb says.

While Energy One maintains a “small town credit union” atmosphere, it still offers all the modern conveniences like mobile banking, debit card rewards and other automated services.

“We have the ability to provide essential services to all members, no matter where they are located, even overseas,” says Guy Brunson, chief marketing and business development officer. Along with five Tulsa-area branches, Energy One is in Bakersfield, California, as well as Dallas and Houston. “Our members have the freedom and flexibility to choose how to do business with us.”

Energy One Federal Credit Union provides affordable loans, financial literacy and low- or no-fee accounts. “Energy One Federal Credit Union is committed to providing outstanding service to our members by utilizing engaged employees dedicated to improving someone’s financial successes through competitive and innovative products and services,” according to Chief Financial Officer Elena Stemple.

Here’s to 90 years of shared success and a future filled with prosperity!

Steve McNabb, Guy Brunson, Elena Stemple and TJ White

J. David Jewelry

As a full-service luxury jeweler with three locations in the Tulsa metro, most know the name J. David Jewelry, but do you know the story of how one of Oklahoma’s most trusted family jewelers came to be?

In 1987, Joel David Wiland, an eager 15-year-old from Tulsa, got his start as an apprentice making tulip rings. He continued his passion for goldsmithing, working under some of Oklahoma’s most renowned artists and craftsmen. Those formative years developed his skills and led him to become an award-winning Master Jeweler and Smithsonian featured artist as an adult. But if you ask Joel, all of that would be nothing if it weren’t for God and his wife, Kendra.

In 1993 Joel married his high school sweetheart, Kendra. “Kendra was born and raised in Broken Arrow and comes from an entrepreneurial family. She has the biggest heart for people, and has always been my biggest cheerleader,” Joel says. So, with three pieces of jewelry, $500 and an unconventional dream to show people love through their people, process and jewelry, J. David Jewelry was born!

That was over 30 years ago, and it’s easy to see when talking with Joel and meeting his talented team that their culture of caring is still very much alive today. Many of their team members have been with the company for well over a decade. We were introduced to one member, Melissa Beall, who just celebrated 23 years with the company, as well as the Wilands’ son, Christopher, who is now one of the company’s goldsmiths. Joel says, “The longevity and commitment of our team to get behind a dream and to serve our guests with the same heart that Kendra and I committed to back in 1994 — well to me, that is our greatest legacy!”

3646 S. PEORIA AVE. | 918-969-6300; 8200 E. 101ST ST., SUITE B | 918-364-6300; 613 N. ASPEN AVE., BROKEN ARROW | 918-251-6300 | JDAVIDJEWELRY.COM

Family and Children’s Services

Founded in 1921, Family and Children’s Services cares for Tulsans through more than 70 comprehensive programs supporting vulnerable children, strengthening families and offering hope to those battling mental illness and addiction. The organization also works to divert individuals from the criminal legal system and provide 24/7 crisis care and stabilization, ensuring safety and support during life’s most challenging moments.

“Family and Children’s Services has never abandoned its original purpose to help under-resourced and struggling Tulsans and to work in partnership with other organizations through social work and evolving services,” President and CEO Adam Andreassen says.

FCS was named a Certified Community Behavioral Health Center in 2021. In the metro Tulsa area, there are 10 office locations, as well as supplemental programs embedded in 138 schools

5310 E. 31ST ST., SUITE 800 | 918-587-9471 | FCSOK.ORG

and 31 other community service organizations. As one of the original Tulsa Area United Way partner agencies, Andreassen says the agency has benefitted from capable, longstanding leadership through a community-minded board of directors to serve Tulsa’s most vulnerable individuals using proven, evidence-based practices.

Joel and Kendra Wiland

Renaissance Hardwood Floors

In 1982, Tom Nicklas founded Renaissance Hardwood Floors, a family-owned company that has become a trusted name in hardwood flooring installation, refinishing and repairs. Today, his son, Duston Nicklas, continues the legacy, leading the company from its headquarters in Tulsa while serving clients across Oklahoma.

“We take pride in being a family-owned company with deep community roots in the greater Tulsa and Oklahoma City areas,” Duston says. Renaissance’s expert craftsmen bring dream floors to life while ensuring they stand the test of time. Elegance and quality define every project, with custom designs handcrafted from the finest materials. The team stays ahead of industry trends, mastering everything from intricate to minimalist designs. “No matter the style, every Renaissance hardwood floor is crafted with exquisite detail,” Duston says.

Beyond beauty, Renaissance floors are designed to enhance every space with distinctive accents and lasting durability. Dedicated to innovation and customer satisfaction, the company has established itself as a leader in the hardwood flooring industry. Clients immediately experience the difference when they step onto a Renaissance floor — where artistry meets craftsmanship.

“What sets us apart isn’t just the installation,” Duston explains. “It’s the design, precision and attention to detail that transform every floor into a masterpiece.”

Let Renaissance’s experts create a floor that not only enhances your space but tells a story of quality and craftsmanship.

550 W. 125TH PLACE S., SUITE 300, GLENPOOL | 918-298-4477

3608 E. I-35 FRONTAGE ROAD, EDMOND | 405-431-9393

RENHARDWOOD.COM

Jim Blankenship Quality Collision Repair

Jim Blankenship and his wife, Elizabeth, are proud that their downtown auto body repair business has been successful in Tulsa for over 49 years.

Blankenship purchased the company in 1975 from auto dealer Bob Spraker. “I had worked with my parents in their body shop starting at age 14,” says Blankenship, a 1960 graduate of Tulsa Central High School who attended TU and served in the National Guard before going into business.

“It has been our pride over these many years to provide our customers with the highest quality of collision repair, striving to achieve excellence on every job,” he says.

1216 S. DETROIT AVE. | 918-587-4356 |

Blankenship is proud to have trained and mentored many students from Tulsa Technology Center and Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology over the years.

“I am very appreciative of the good company we have been able to build over the years and I thank Elizabeth for being so special to our customers, our employees and to me,” says Blankenship.

For the past 30 years the experts at We B Trees have been providing tree removals, trimming and arborist consultations in the Tulsa area. Founded by Barbara and Tim Nall, the company has recently expanded to include plant health care. “As the world changes around us, there are things we do differently than when we founded,” Tim says, “but we stay true to ourselves and continue to do a lot of things the old-fashioned way.”

The Nalls are champions of Tulsa’s urban forest. “Our arborist and crew are dedicated to doing what they can to save a tree rather than just remove it,” Barbara says.

Tim is a member of the Downtown Tulsa Rotary Club as well as the Home Builders Association of Greater Tulsa. Both keep We B Trees active philanthropically.

As a family-owned company, the Nalls are grateful to its longtime customers and dedicated team of employees. “We pride ourselves on the relationships we have with our staff,” Tim says. “Barbara and I treat them as part of our own family.”

Jim Blankenship

Left to right: Joseph Clayton, Ron Roberts, Omar Caracheo, Skyler Cardenas, Barbara Nall, Tim Nall, Shawntel Lunn and Rachel Cox.

Oklahoma Disaster Restoration

Oklahoma Disaster Restoration (ODR) is a familyowned and operated business in Tulsa. Founded in 1988, ODR employs technicians who are certified in disaster restoration and reconstruction services.

“Our company utilizes state-of-the-art technology and equipment, and a highly trained staff for perils such as fire, water, sewer, mold and bio-hazard,” says Jay Stokes, president and co-owner of ODR with his wife, Tammy Stokes, who is general manager. “We do personal property restoration and reconstruction on homes that have been through those perils.”

OKLAHOMA DISASTER RESTORATION OFFERS:

Rapid Response Disaster Mitigation The ODR team responds to calls within an hour, 24 hours a day. Callers talk to a live person with the experience to guide them through what can otherwise be a traumatic situation. We are a first responder for your disaster!

Quality Workmanship ODR’s team is highly skilled in treating water and smoke damaged items, and offers a commitment to satisfaction and happiness with the outcome.

Turn-key Repairs & Remodel Many ODR clients take advantage of our full service offerings from water, fire or mold mitigation services, personal property processing to home repairs after the loss. ODR will be your General Contractor for your home repairs and remodeling needs. While your home is under ODR repair, take the opportunity to also do those renovations you have been desiring in your home.

Commercial Restoration ODR is the one to call for your business property needs, too. Our seasoned project managers have the experience to put a business back together quickly with less down time. ODR also helps small and medium businesses plan ahead by setting up Emergency Response Plans to prepare for unexpected disasters. ODR helps you keep your business open.

“The difference is in our people and company culture. ODR is a great company for our employees. We invest in our team making our members more valuable to us, their families, and our customers,” notes Tammy Stokes.

Jay and Tammy Stokes

Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa

Since 1976, Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa has served more than 300,000 Tulsa-area American Indians with comprehensive health, wellness and behavioral health care. All services are offered at a single location for ease of care, accessibility and integration. Several special programs and events are available to enhance well-being and reconnect the community to their culture.

More than 10,500 individuals from over 134 tribes receive care annually. IHCRC continues to expand its services and programs to support the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of the American Indian community. What began with a single part-time physician has grown into a staff of 180. As part of its ongoing commitment to accessibility and comprehensive

550 S. PEORIA AVE. | 918-588-1900 | IHCRC.ORG

health services, IHCRC’s expansion is nearing completion, adding over 62,000 square feet of space dedicated to dental, optometry, pharmacy and fitness, as well as new physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy services.

IHCRC is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care as an Ambulatory Health Clinic and a Medical and Dental Home. All services are free to any individual with a CDIB or tribal membership card. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a community board and is not tribally affiliated.

ABC Equipment Rental

ABC Equipment Rental has been dedicated to renting and selling quality power tools and construction equipment in Tulsa since 1952. ABC offers a wide variety of products, to rent including excavators, skid steer loaders, boom lifts, scissor lifts, forklifts, telehandlers, appliance dollies, aerators, garden tillers, jack hammers, compaction equipment, heaters, pressure washers, plumbing equipment, and concrete equipment. Big and small we try to rent it all.

“Our company works with contractors, home owners, landscapers, manufacturers, construction personnel and also do it yourselfers, said Charles Hewett, the owner of ABC. “We constantly strive to provide our customers with solutions to get jobs completed. The right tools and the right equipment help insure a job well done. We rent solutions.”

ABC Rental began in 1952 four blocks from the current location at 2910 East 15th Street. Charles Hewett’s father Tim Hewett, a Vietnam War veteran, purchased ABC in 1977. Charles Hewett, who became president of ABC in 2015, and then owner in 2019,

has expanded the business with a second location at 9222 E 21st Street. The second location has a large lot where the company stocks the larger equipment in the fleet.

“I am extremely proud to own a business that has served the greater Tulsa area for 73 years,” said Charles Hewett, “and to have built a reputation among our customers for reliability, helpfulness and knowledge of equipment.”

Service Manager Joshua Blankenship, Operation Manager Wendell Edd, who has 40 years of service, Sales Manager Chris Rust, Owner and President Charles Hewett, Fleet Manager Brad Burgess

Final Touch Commercial Cleaning

For 40 years, Final Touch Cleaning has been driven by a single mission: to serve. From clients to employees and the Tulsa community, the company’s commitment to people is at the heart of everything they do. Final Touch has always viewed its clients as family, nurturing long-lasting relationships built on trust, care and mutual respect.

Founder and owner Sandra Mullins reflects on the company’s success: “We are a team of professionals with a proven track record in this region, delivering our services with integrity and consistently exceeding expectations.” Final Touch’s dedicated team of more than 280 experienced staff members cleans over 10 million square feet each night. Many have worked together for years, including several with 30+ years of experience. Their hard work and expertise have been key in building the company’s solid

foundation and fostering strong, successful partnerships.

At Final Touch the focus has always been on people. The company prides itself on fostering a positive work environment where employees are valued, supported and empowered. Many team members have been with the company for decades, contributing to the close-knit culture that sets Final Touch apart. This sense of unity and loyalty extends beyond the company itself, with FTCC also making a meaningful impact on the local community.

As Final Touch celebrates its 40th anniversary, its dedication to the people it serves — whether employees, clients or community members — remains unwavering. The company’s legacy is built on trust, teamwork and a passion for serving those who matter most.

Chelsea Hanoch, Lindsay Henderson, Jackie Vu, Brooke Taylor, Madi Page

Sandra Mullins

ImageNet Consulting

ImageNet Consulting was founded in Oklahoma in 1956 as Southwest Typewriter Company. As times and technology changed, so did the name. Southwest Typewriter Company began a legacy of providing superior solutions, products, and service. Over the years, the company experienced constant innovations in office equipment and communication technology. As the copy machine revolution began in the 1970’s, ImageNet supplied clients with the products that met their budgets and provided the best solution. Through the generations, the company continues to utilize the platforms of leading technology companies to maximize efficiency and lower costs for clients.

Today, ImageNet Consulting is an industry-leading and award-winning Managed Services powerhouse. “With over 60 years of experience in the technology and business consulting industry, we have built a reputation for providing cutting edge technology to our clients with dependable expertise and strategic guidance along the way,” says Alan Webb, Oklahoma Market president.

ImageNet works with companies of all shapes and sizes and from every industry.

ImageNet is an Oklahoma based company, and has a presence in 7 States with 19 locations. “While Managed Print is one of our core business offerings, we have evolved to a true IT Solutions company,” notes Webb. “Our customers now additionally rely on us for Enterprise Content Services, Audio Visual

Solutions, 3 D Printers and Managed IT Services” says Ben Berghall, Director of Managed IT Services.

“Audio Visual (AV) has been our fastest growing segment of our business,” notes Webb, “we’ve proudly become the premier AV company in Oklahoma.” Kyle Kempf, manager of the company’s AV Services, invites those interested in AV to visit ImageNet’s office in Tulsa to see the products and options available”.

ImageNet’s Managed IT solutions team of over 40 individuals provide small and medium size clients across multiple verticals essential IT services from 24/7 help desk support, network and server management, data backup, disaster recovery to critical cyber security. “It is difficult for small and medium businesses to keep up with all the cyber security threats” says Berghall. That’s why ImageNet has invested heavily in people and technology to help businesses secure their networks, computers and end-users. ImageNet Managed Security Services includes: Automated server and workstation protection tools backed by 24/7 threat hunting teams, cybersecurity end-user awareness training, and email protection and threat monitoring.

As Webb and Berghall reflect on their 15 years with ImageNet, they have seen the company grow from a few hundred employees to almost 500 in seven states. “We welcome you to stop by and see our showroom” says Webb, “and learn more about the products and services we offer our business clients.”

ImageNet leaders include: Ben Berghall, VP of Managed IT; Andrew Newell, Tulsa Sales Manager; Kyle Kempf, VP of AV; and Alan Webb, Oklahoma Market President.

Reflecting on 40 years in Tulsa.

BY MICHAEL OVERALL

Rabbi Marc Boone Fitzerman

Rabbi Marc Boone Fitzerman grew up in Detroit and went to the University of Michigan in the 1970s, where he received a special dispensation to begin studying as a rabbinical student as well. After graduation, he served at a synagogue in Kansas City for ve years before coming to Congregation B’nai Emunah in 1985.

e move to Tulsa remains one of the most de ning events of his life, Fitzerman says.

“I came to Tulsa after an institutional crisis in Kansas City,” Fitzerman says. “To this day, it remains the most damaging disruption I’ve experienced, but the synagogue leadership in Tulsa held me upright. It doesn’t mean that it was an easy transition.

“B’nai Emunah was deeply conservative at the time, and I excited plenty of anxiety about institutional change. But the synagogue led with tenderness and generosity. In the middle of all of this, one of my closest friends said that I had to ‘live in a world that I did not make.’ It felt like the scales suddenly fell from my eyes.”

WHAT AGE DOES HE FEEL RIGHT NOW AND WHY?

Fitzerman, 71, retired in 2023 but says he will always feel 27, the age he was when he married his wife, Alice

“ e year before that,” Fitzerman says, “I took my rst pulpit, and the year after that our rst child, Micah, was born. I’m getting accustomed to the idea of growing older, but I notice that I can’t exactly say the word ‘retirement.’ Instead, I’ve chosen a half-dozen euphemisms, beginning with my favorite: Life 2.0.”

e Fitzermans have two children, including daughter Nina

HOW WOULD YOUR FRIENDS DESCRIBE YOU?

“I think that they would describe me as a source of frustration: plenty of love, plenty of grief. My rst years in school were deeply solitary, and I have never really overcome a strong tendency toward introversion. I’m slow to return calls and make plans with others, and I can spend a lot of time on my own.”

WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? “My mother was a woman of tremendous intelligence and dignity who swore like a sailor and seemed to delight in the sound of it. In some ways, at least, I am her son and heir.”

IF HE COULD WITNESS ANY EVENT OF THE PAST, PRESENT OR FUTURE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Fitzerman and his wife are deeply invested in their ve grandchildren.

“Because we’re in the wrong column on the actuarial tables, we are not likely to live to see any of them partnered,” he says. “But I would dearly love to witness their

“Without getting the least bit self-congratulatory, I’m trying to act out a life of political and social activism.”

RABBI MARC BOONE FITZERMAN

happiness. e short version is that I’d like to know that they are secure and cared for, and that they are capable of making a real contribution to the world.”

HOW DID YOU PULL THROUGH THE TOUGH TIMES IN LIFE? “I always rely on the very same strategy. Each of the writing projects I’ve undertaken in my life has owed from an upset, disappointment or failure. No great American novel has come out of these e orts, but I have found them absorbing and therapeutic. It simply feels good to sit down at my desk and write my way toward some version of calm.”

WHAT CONCERNS YOU TODAY? “We’ve entered a zone of overtly racist rhetoric, naked antagonism toward minorities, and highpitched antisemitism, especially the torchand-pitchfork kind. I worry that those tendencies are now deeply embedded in our society and it will take a very long time to change course on this development.”

HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS? “On the personal level, it’s living a meaningful life. I want to speak my mind, however unsettling it may be to others, and engage in careful, respectful conversation. I now write a (slightly) snarky blog called oughts and Prayers, which is my daily contribution to public dialogue. It follows a program of letters to public gures I wrote during COVID when I tried to address some of the issues posed by the rst Trump presidency. On a larger level, success is more challenging.

If we work each day as if our hair is on re, we’re entitled to ask if the world is

human, more decent or more civilized. If the answer is yes, that’s success for me.”

DESCRIBE A PERFECT WEEKEND. “Friday night and Saturday are given over to Shabbat and all the pleasures of home and synagogue: great food, great guests, prayer and conversation.”

e secular weekend begins on Saturday night, when Fitzerman and his wife ideally start with a movie at Circle Cinema, where the concessions include Altamont cookies.

Fitzerman launched the Altamont Bakery in 2011, with Tulsans experiencing homelessness and/or a mental health conditions baking side-by-side with synagogue volunteers.

“On Sunday morning,” Fitzerman continues, “it’s sometimes pancakes at Queenies while the grandkids are in Sunday school at B’nai Emunah. I would like to say that I do opera or ballet in the afternoon, but Alice does that with friends while I mess around the house, shop at Lowe’s, Home Depot or Ace Hardware, or do a Sunday run to Southwood Landscape. In the evening, the whole family goes to dinner at Hideaway. It’s probably clear that I stay pretty close to home.”

WHAT PLACE IN TULSA DO YOU MISS MOST? In the 1980s, a well-known Brookside shop called Chubby’s served a Chambord raspberry ice cream that Fitzerman considers “the de ning taste of my rst decade in Tulsa.

“Apart from Chubby’s,” Fitzerman says, “I miss the vintage Big ree hardware stores: Best on Peoria, Swinney’s on Lewis and Burgess on Southwest Boulevard.”

WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ROLE AT B’NAI EMUNAH?

“I see myself as an activist and cheerleader. e people and causes I’ve cared about continue to mobilize me: immigrants and refugees, reproductive freedom, environmental degradation and multicultural engagement. Without getting the least bit self-congratulatory, I’m trying to act out a life of political and social activism.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE CURRENT CONFLICT IN GAZA AND ONGOING EFFORTS TO FIND A PEACE SETTLEMENT? “ e hurt of Oct. 7 has been nearly unbearable, and it has led us to a place of intractable con ict. But I believe that things are slowly turning in the right direction. e return of hostages has been an essential part of this process and it may open a way to establish a formal cease re. I wish I had a particle of in uence, but Oct. 7 underscored many fundamental limitations. At the same time, I have faith in the Israeli electorate, that it will nd a way toward coexistence and that Palestinians will respond with a will to succeed.” tp

ROOM TO GROW

4 Tulsans share how their greenhouses nurture plants and encourage peace of mind.

STORY BY ANNE BROCKMAN

PHOTOS BY MICHELLE POLLARD

SACRED SPACE

When Charo and Jim Fitch decided to build a greenhouse in their midtown sideyard, the design all started around a 17th century cast-stone ﬁnial imported from Castres City near Montpellier, France.

“We wanted it to look like the ruins of an old Spanish mission or chapel,” Jim says, referring to the glass and stone structure ﬁlled with dozens of cacti, succulents and ferns that sit on benches and tables made by Jim in his workshop.

The couple, self-proclaimed “nurturers,” have collected countless plants and specimens over their 47 years of marriage. A couple of the plants in their home and greenhouse are ones Jim’s mom gifted the couple when they were ﬁrst married. “Some have been with us quite a while,” Jim says with a smile.

Completed in 2017, the greenhouse’s primary goal is to provide a winter space for the many potted plants (primarily succulents and ferns) surrounding the outdoor living spaces and pool. Whether purchased or propagated, the plants inside the Fitch greenhouse are nestled in myriad vessels. “I like to go to flea markets and antique shops,” he says. “Most (pots) here are old — from Peru, Italy, Mexico.” Peek underneath a leaf or stalk and you might discover a fairy or animal figurine Jim hides for his 11 grandchildren to find.

Along with caring for the balloon, barrel, golden rat’s tail, potato and spiral cacti — and so many others — Jim considers his time in the greenhouse as sacred. “It’s like meditation for me,” he says. “It’s cheaper than therapy.”

Jim and Charo Fitch with granddaughter Hazel Hunter

BESPOKE SPACE

As a young girl growing up in Tulsa, Pam Oakley remembers riding in the car with her grandmother and seeing a home with a greenhouse on-site. While the greenhouse she remembers is long gone, what she didn’t know as a girl was that she would one day live on that property and build a greenhouse of her own.

Seven years ago, Oakley decided to design a structure from materials her husband had laying around. A smattering of windows and doors created a one-of-a-kind slanted-roof greenhouse that sits on a rock base matching her home’s exterior. Along the windows sit custom-made tables that support a collection of agave, cacti and other exterior plants. “I really like the sleekness of agave,” Oakley says. “I tend to like sleek for some reason and the structure is so unique. I love cactus because they’re so funky and unpredictable and they do their own thing.”

After visiting the Chelsea Flower Show in London — where designers create memorable displays with greenhouses and other outdoor spaces — Oakley knew she needed to up her game. “I thought, mine needs to be cuter,” she says. From there she was inspired to add twin potted topiaries to her entrance and bring in a table and chairs to make the space even more inviting. e interior designer says she spends time in her greenhouse nearly every day.

A longtime ower and garden enthusiast, Oakley says she passed down her plant devotion to her children who have developed similar passions. Her daughter, Heather Oakley, founded nonpro t Global Gardens in 2007 and implemented garden-based education in several public schools. (Read more about Global Gardens on p. 84.)

Pam Oakley

PRACTICAL AND PEACEFUL

In 2017 Robin Milton became a Master Gardener, but her love of gardening was something rooted in her upbringing. Her dad was an avid gardener who grew vegetables and owers. Milton continues that agricultural tradition from her Maple Ridge home where she grows veggies in raised beds and gardening bags — safe from the rambunctious energy of three dogs.

She had been thinking about a greenhouse for several years. “A lot of the appeal is to extend the season,” she says. In mid-to-late February the clinical pharmacist spends a lot of time starting seeds, this year for lettuces, spinach, tomatoes and peppers.

Like many others, Milton took the plunge and bought her prefabricated greenhouse in 2020 during the height of COVID. “I knew I wanted a blend of something practical that I could start plants in, but also a place to relax,” she says. Her backyard greenhouse has a seating area, chandelier and many comforts of home. She says most days she makes her way to this space, which is often lled with potted perennials and houseplants waiting out the winter months.

For those considering adding a structure of the same sort, Milton recommends to “research as much as you can and plan what you want to do.” She already had a concrete pad for it to sit on and traveled to Okmulgee to see an example of her desired model rsthand. Milton recommends a greenhouse that is the biggest size available for your yard or desired space.

Robin Milton

‘HAPPY PLACE’

Come May, the greenhouse that sits in the center of Brenda Nickels’ south Broken Arrow backyard will be nearly empty. e Master Gardener of two years primarily uses it to overwinter patio potted plants as well as seedlings she has started inside her home under grow lights.

e greenhouse, a GrowSpan Estate Pro kit her husband put together, was something the longtime gardener had been saving up to purchase in 2013 when the time was right. “ e return on investment was made the rst day in my mind,” she says. “It’s my happy place.” Before diving in, Nickels took a class at the Tulsa Garden Center speci cally about greenhouses, which helped her think through all the aspects of the structure — such as its orientation, water access and supplemental heat. Nickels’ husband assembled the greenhouse and she hired someone to lay the brick oor, pathways and shelves.

“As soon as the spring season starts, I’m out here a lot,” she says, adding that she can stay for hours with a speaker playing her favorite praise and worship or bluegrass music. She loves prepping seeds for vegetables like bok choy, beets, spinach, tomatoes and herbs, all of which will be planted at Harvest Garden, a community garden she helps administer at Broken Arrow’s Abiding Harvest Church. Since 2017 the garden has grown more than 10,000 pounds of food.

e retired paralegal became pro cient enough to begin her ower farm NickelsWorth Gardens, which provides local businesses and orists cut owers like foxgloves, ranunculus, eucalyptus, zinnias and dahlias. She recently expanded and installed an unheated 30-by-96-foot-high growing tunnel on her property as well. tp

Brenda Nickels

As leaders in Tulsa’s culinary and local food movement, Lisa Becklund and Linda Ford are changing — and improving — the ways in which we consume.

More than 20 years ago Lisa Becklund turned in her chef’s knife for a hoe. She had a deep, nearly primal desire to become a farmer — to raise animals, to turn seedlings into harvest and to put her hands in the Oklahoma dirt. And for many years, that’s what she did. Day after day — through hail storms and blistering heat, through bitter cold and failed crops — this Seattle-chef-turned-Oklahoma-farmer put in the work. e farm was her life, and she took on all the responsibilities that come with it, including xing plumbing issues in the farmhouse, repairing the tractor and developing a sense for when to cover crops to protect them from a late freeze.

Becklund wouldn’t trade those years but has since taken a step back from farming to concentrate on her restaurants FarmBar, il seme and her latest endeavor, Cow and Cabbage. She does it all with her wife and business partner, Linda Ford

For Ford, food and farming weren’t a lifelong passion but rather a path she embraced when she married Becklund. With a background in theological higher education and nonpro t work, Ford’s skills have been key in helping guide the couple’s business to new heights. In 2021, she joined Becklund full-time.

e shift from nonpro t work to the restaurant industry for Ford — and from full-time farmer to chef for Becklund — has proved fruitful. Recently, Becklund has twice been named a James Beard Foundation Award semi nalist for Best Chef-Southwest (in 2020 and 2023) and is a Best Chef semi nalist this year. Farming has played a pivotal role in her professional success and, as Becklund will tell you, those accolades wouldn’t have been possible without her experience on the farm.

wine pairings. e experience became one of the hottest tickets in town, with people hovering at their keyboards to score reservations once they were posted. e Living Kitchen dinners, which continue to this day and typically run from late spring to early fall, are a foodie’s dream. (Find a schedule at livingkitchenfarm.com.)

Picture food lovers walking through green grass, carrying baskets to gather eggs and taking photos in the vegetable gardens before settling in for a picture-perfect sunset dinner.

“ e farm is all about rootedness, both literally and guratively. Until I got to the farm I’d never lived anywhere for more than seven or eight years, and that all changed once I nally got to the farm and really, truly became rooted,” Ford says.

“ at’s what people feel when they come out to the farm to have dinner. ere’s something about being in nature — not having a lot of distractions, sitting down with people they know or maybe don’t know. ere’s a rootedness there in community and in nature that I think is often lacking from our daily lives.”

STORY BY NATALIE MIKLES

PHOTOS BY MICHELLE POLLARD

FARM TO TABLE

Farm-to-table restaurants were thriving in Seattle when Becklund left in 2003 to reboot her life in Oklahoma. As chef and co-owner of a Sicilian restaurant there, Becklund spent a lot of time at farmers markets, becoming friends with farming families.

“ ey had this lifestyle that I craved,” she says. “It was stability, it was warmth, it was also their self-su ciency, and I wanted to be part of their family.”

So when she began working on a farm in Oklahoma, she was living her dream. Before long, she understood she would need to expand her horizons to support herself, so she started farm-to-table dinners in 2009 at her farm under the name Living Kitchen Farm and Dairy, giving diners a chance to walk the farm, see the animals and have a real farm experience before coming inside the farmhouse for gourmet dinners with

Living Kitchen is a farm-to-table experience like none other in Oklahoma — so much it was named a 2022 semi nalist for a James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant. But Becklund understands the limitations of asking people to make the drive from Tulsa to the farm in Depew, so she brought the farm to Tulsa with the creation of FarmBar, 1740 S. Boston Ave. e restaurant opened in 2020 to rave reviews. Four nights a week FarmBar features an ever-changing meal experience of between ve to 10 courses under the direction of chef Caleb Mohr. Tuesday nights are reserved for burger nights, which many say feature one of the best burgers in town. Many restaurants claim to be local or seasonal, but FarmBar is more than that — Becklund calls it hyperlocal. She and Ford bring in produce from their own farm in Depew and work with area farmers to bring in the freshest eggs, dairy, meat and produce available.

When a re at a next door restaurant forced FarmBar to temporarily close in February 2022, Becklund and Ford were invited to do a pop-up restaurant downtown they named il seme. Opened in May 2022, the opportunity allowed them to keep their sta employed while repairs took longer than anticipated. What they didn’t know at the time was that they were launching a new staple of downtown dining.

Located at 15 W. Fifth St., il seme’s focus on regional Italian fare showcases what Becklund and Ford do best: sourcing ingredients from Oklahoma farmers and then making unforgettable dishes. Here the pasta is made using farm-fresh eggs, and dishes like a pork chop with butternut

squash puree and grilled radicchio are made almost entirely from local ingredients. Last year il seme chef Jordan Hawley was named a James Beard semi nalist for Best Chef in the Southwest, and the restaurant expanded adding a full bar.

CHEF OR FARMER?

In the midst of her success, Becklund has dealt with a bit of an identity crisis. She’s now come full circle — from abandoning her life as a chef to become a farmer and then back to life in the kitchen.

“I always saw myself when I rst moved here as a farmer. I wanted to leave the restaurant business and really dive in to the agrarian life. at is a part of my history I really love and cherish, but I learned that what I really do best is cook,” Becklund says. “ roughout these many years I’ve struggled with ‘How do I describe myself to people? What is my identity? Am I a chef? Am I a farmer? Am I a local foods advocate? Am I this or that?’ And now I think I’m this and that. You know, I don’t farm anymore for a living so I can’t really call myself a farmer. Ultimately, today I’m a chef and a restaurateur whose primary passion and drive is our local food system.”

Becklund and Ford are motivated by sustainable local food — both because of the support it gives to farmers but also because they believe it simply tastes better. e closer food is made and grown, the better it’s going to taste, Becklund says. at means sourcing from farmer friends in Oklahoma and branching out to farmers in neighboring states for things like beets or rice. Sourcing those ingredients is part of what Becklund and Ford do for all their restaurants.

“We’re restaurateurs with a very speci c purpose: supporting the local food system and local agriculture. For us, what we’ve done over time is demonstrate the many ways which that can be done through a restaurant. One of the things we noticed when we rst got started is that many people didn’t see it as a possibility to use largely local ingredients to operate. We’ve proved that various models can operate and work with what’s available locally, and I think that’s an important thing for Tulsa to see.”

COW AND CABBAGE

When the opportunity came to take over the former space of Grassroots Larder on Cherry Street, Becklund and Ford decided

to go for it. e new concept, Cow and Cabbage, is both a restaurant and market with a menu of regional American cuisine focusing on South and Central U.S. foods. e market is slated to open tentatively at the beginning of April at 1325 E. 15th St., Suite 107, and will feature local produce, dairy and meats in a setting that’s “less bougie market and more farmers co-op,” Becklund says. Tulsa Farmers’ Market vendor products will be featured at the shop, as well as meat bundles, eggs and other farm-raised items. e restaurant seats 60 with an upstairs dining space and will be open for lunch and dinner. Chef Zach Pittman has taken the reins on the Cow and Cabbage project.

“You’re looking at a little more Southern than any of our other restaurants,” Becklund says. “You’re de nitely going to see some beautiful tallow biscuits and cornbread.”

You’ll nd unique dishes like a full platter of nose-to-tail pig that Becklund says is a family-style menu item that incorporates di erent preparations of a whole hog with Southern-style sides. She is also playing with ideas of pot roast, schnitzel and other family-style o erings.

Becklund is e usive when talking about the space, which was a major draw for her

Chef Lisa Becklund, left, moved from Seattle to Oklahoma in 2003 to farm on what would become the Living Kitchen Farm and Dairy. She continues to host farm-to-table dinners there and runs three restaurant concepts with wife and business partner Linda Ford, right.

to take on another restaurant, describing the interior as “so beautiful, so detailed and so gorgeous.”

“I know Tulsa needs a store like this that’s right in the metro, right smack dab in the middle of everything. And with a restaurant that’s so connected to the farm,” Becklund says. “I want Tulsa to have nice things. I think that we deserve to have cool, sexy shops.”

A TULSAN AND AN OKIE

It took some time before Becklund considered herself a Tulsan, but at 20 years in, she says she’s a full- edged Tulsan and Okie. She has been a part of incredible restaurant growth in the Tulsa metro during that time. One of the biggest developments she’s noticed is the impact of social media on restaurants. She says platforms like Instagram expanded the global restaurant community, letting others see a larger world and allowing restaurants in middle America to showcase their work.

Becklund says she’s changed and grown, too. And, it has taken time for her to feel accepted by other Tulsa chefs and restaurant owners.

“I’ve had a harder time connecting with the Tulsa restaurant community in general because I’ve been out on the farm so long. A lot of people didn’t consider the farm a restaurant, so I think it was just like ‘Look at this girl doing this thing out there — good for her.’ And then when I came to Tulsa, and now 10 years later, I feel more a part of the community.”

In many ways nding her place included nding herself. But at the center of that long, winding road to self-discovery was an abiding love for food and for the people who grow and produce it. Her selfre ection about where she ts in the bigger picture has led to a ful lled, vibrant and busy Becklund. She makes eating healthy, working out and taking care of herself a priority. e mental health and substance abuse struggles of people working in restaurants is a very real thing, she says, and it’s something she’s sensitive to. But though she makes her mental and physical health a priority, her work-life philosophy is more about generosity and pouring into others. In fact, as her success grows, Becklund says she sees her next phase as developing “excellent culinarians.”

“My goal is to make these guys and girls the best chefs they can be — not just food but how they treat each other, how they mentor other people underneath them, how they teach, how they communicate. It’s not just about cooking and food cost and labor cost. It’s really about leadership. It’s about bringing everyone up with you,” Becklund says. “I want to leave this industry better than I found it.” tp

PERFECTLY PAIRED

Drive about 45 minutes southwest of Tulsa to Depew and you’ll discover a farm that looks like the farm of nostalgic dreams. Even those who have never stepped foot on a farm could feel almost sentimental about how things are done here. It’s a place where old-school farming traditions are married with modern techniques for things like organic pest control and season extension. There’s no industrial ag complex running the show. Instead, it’s a young couple, Katelin and Will Nole, and their Lightfoot Farm, which sits where Lisa Becklund and Linda Ford host their Living Kitchen Farm and Dairy dinners.

“All the food we produced last year went directly to Living Kitchen, FarmBar and il seme. As a farmer, it is an incredible feeling when a chef wants everything you grow and understands the seasonal nature of growing vegetables in Oklahoma,” Will Nole says. “We also sold a little to Country Bird Bakery, and had a couple small pop-up markets out at the Living Kitchen dinners.”

Farming hadn’t been a lifelong dream for the Noles, whose college degrees are in management and sociology. It was in 2019, when they were both working for Tulsa nonproﬁts, that they attended a dinner at Living Kitchen that opened their eyes to the idea of small farming. About a year and a half later they attended an organic farming program in Washington before returning to Oklahoma. A little symbiotic magic happened when Becklund was looking to step away from the farming side of Living Kitchen and the Noles were looking for land to begin farming themselves.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled with the situation we ﬁnd ourselves in. We are huge foodies ourselves and watch cooking shows like others watch sports. It’s a giddy, nerdy feeling when we see the true masterpieces Lisa and her team create. Lisa’s cooking was what got us on this path to begin with, so getting to provide for the restaurants and seeing our food transformed on their menus is like a dream come true,” Nole says.

Besides growing food for the restaurants, the Noles also give garden tours before Living Kitchen dinners. Nole says it’s a great opportunity to enlighten people about alternative farming and to talk shop with avid gardeners and eaters alike.

Will and Katelin Nole talk to Lisa Becklund and Linda Ford about the spring crops currently growing at Lightfoot Farm.

Will and Katelin Nole

Many publications, including Dwell and Southern Living, credit architect Bruce Goff with the creation of the first-ever sunken conversation pit in Adah Robinson’s home. After Goff originated the idea, conversation pits went on to explode in popularity through the 1950s-’70s.

As a tribute to the property’s legacy, many of the home’s original elements are still in place. The living room’s terrazzo floors, emblematic of art deco design, still remain. The unique ceramic light switch covers, possibly added by the previous owner’s daughter in the 1980s, remain as well.

Restored to glory

The Oath Studio celebrates the legacy of Adah Robinson in Tulsa’s historic Tracy Park.

STORY BY GRACE WOOD

PHOTOS BY VORA QUINN

Nestled next to Tracy Park, just east of downtown Tulsa, the former home and studio of celebrated artist Adah Robinson — now called e Oath Studio — stands fully restored.

Tulsans can thank entrepreneur Rod Yancy, interior designer Justice Quinn and architect Philip Doyle for 1119 S. Owasso Ave.’s preservation.

Yancy, founder and CEO of Oath Group of Companies, had his eye on the home — designed for Robinson by famed architects Bruce Go and Joseph R. Koberling Jr. — for years. When it nally came on the market in 2022, Yancy quickly made a move. Since purchasing the property, he and the team of designers, architects and contractors have made it their mission to restore the space and modernize it while still paying homage to its rich architectural history.

“When people ask me why I was drawn to it, I tell them it’s the creative spirit of the property that drew me in — you can see the spirit of Go and Koberling (in it),” Yancy says.

Robinson started teaching art at Central High School around 1916, where she taught a young Go and, later, Koberling. She and Go developed a friendship and kept in touch after he graduated in 1922. ough the two would later infamously develop a rivalry sparked by the contention over who actually designed Boston Avenue Methodist Church in downtown Tulsa (it’s believed Robinson drafted the initial sketches, and Go built upon her drafts and developed a design from them), Robinson asked Go and Koberling to design the property at Tracy Park in 1924. Originally intended to be Robinson’s studio space, it later became her residence after a kitchen was added.

Built in an art deco style, the two-story property features terrazzo oors and a large interior balcony overlooking the living room and stained-glass windows, as well as the sunken conversation pit, which is Yancy’s favorite part of Oath Studio.

“Working on a historic property like this was the honor of my career. Before this ever came about, Go was someone who I was greatly in uenced by,” Quinn says.

The Oath Studio is owned by Rod Yancy who intends to use the site for the betterment of the Tulsa community. He’s made the space available to charitable organizations, providing them with an opportunity to host private dining experiences for their patrons at the property. “It’s about celebrating creativity and preserving Adah’s legacy while helping Tulsa,” Yancy says. Read more about Yancy on p. 12.

Yancy says he has been continuously impressed by Quinn’s ability to source historic, eclectic pieces of furniture from all over the country. In 2023 Yancy had seen a desk in Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art he liked, and texted a picture of the desk to Quinn. “He is like a hound — he was able to track down the exact desk in Arizona for a reasonable price,” Yancy says. The desk, “Palado” by Gilbert Rohde for Herman Miller, now sits in the upstairs study.

“For me, the restoration of this historic property was something I didn’t take lightly and still count myself lucky for. I’m forever grateful to Rod for trusting me to see it through. Restorations like this is what excites me. It could have gone south really fast, but I’m pleased with what we were able to do by honoring the architecture that already existed.”

Robinson was known for the salons she hosted at her residence, where other artists and intellectuals gathered to discuss culture, politics and ideas. Since nishing renovations in April 2024, Yancy has already done the same at Oath Studio, carrying on Robinson’s legacy by giving visitors a space to gather and converse.

“I want it to be a place to promote culture and arts in Tulsa, and that’s how it’s going,” Yancy says. “We just hosted a group from the Tate Modern Museum in London who came through with Lindsay Aveilhé (a Tulsa-based curator and art historian) and they had this incredible luncheon over here. at’s what we want to happen here.” tp

The Oath Studio was designed by Justice Quinn of Justice Quinn Interiors. Quinn, a huge fan of Bruce Goff, left a comment on the Studio’s Instagram account expressing his excitement about the project. After looking through Quinn’s own account and seeing his design work, owner Yancy knew he would be perfect for the restoration and reached out.

Adah Robinson, above, was a respected artist and teacher. In 1929, The University of Tulsa hired her as the founder and chairperson of its art department, and she also founded the Alpha Rho Tau art fraternity and the Tulsa Art Association. Philbrook Museum of Art now owns some of her original works. This portrait of her hangs at Boston Avenue United Methodist Church.

Above left, stained-glass windows were a key part of the art deco movement. Because many of the stained-glass windows at the Oath Studio were failing, Yancy contracted Roy Loman of Loman Studios to restore the windows, ensuring they were still historically appropriate.

Above right, the home’s original second-floor fireplace, located in the study, features inlaid stone in a spade-like shape. The fireplaces are a good example of how the property mixes elements from several different design styles — from art deco to arts and crafts to Mediterranean.

Left, Yancy and the team had their work cut out for them when restoration efforts first began. They redid the roof initially after noticing a leak and later discovered water damage and wood rot under some of the windows that needed to be repaired. They also removed the house’s old wiring and replaced it to bring the house up to modern standards.

VOTE

FIRST PLACE PRIZE $300 package including gift certificates for Travers Mahan and In the Raw

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THREE ADDITIONAL WINNERS will win a $50 gift card to one of these fabulous local establishments: Ida Red, In the Raw or Sisserou’s!

Something for Everyone

AMANDA WATSON

Sarah Cameron and Dutton Hughes

SEPT. 21, 2024

Dutton, a Navy ofﬁcer, and Sarah, who works in ﬁnancial services, grew up playing tennis and golf together throughout the summer at Southern Hills Country Club. A friendship eventually blossomed into love as the young couple moved 1,300 miles apart for college.

Dating all four years of college and later as they made their lives in different states, the couple ﬁnally closed the long-distance chapter of their romance in May 2023 once Dutton received a permanent assignment in Connecticut.

He popped the question during a weekend spent in Tulsa. The couple spent 15 months planning their wedding, which Sarah says was “elegant, timeless and happy.” Approximately 240 were in attendance. “Because we have both lived in so many different places, the majority of our guests were from out of town, and for a lot of them it was their ﬁrst time to visit Oklahoma,” she says. “It made us so happy to show off Tulsa and everything it has to offer.”

THE DETAILS

Ceremony and reception site: Southern Hills Country Club

Bridal gown: Kleinfeld Bridal Bridesmaid dresses: Bella Bridesmaids

Menswear: The Black Tux Rehearsal dinner site: Discovery Lab

Wedding cake: Frostens Wedding planner: Annie Brady Design

Invitations and programs: The Inviting Place, Magpie

Favors: Magpie Music: Jordan Kahn Orchestra and Brava Quartet

Flowers: Poppy’s Garden Lighting: Omni Lighting Hair: Ash Franke

Makeup: Stunning by Starla Transportation: Old Urban Trolley

Rentals: Marianne’s, Magpie Videographer: Reagan Lynne

Photographer: Holly Felts

Makenzie Nickel and Alex Bartovick

OCT. 26, 2024

Tulsa natives Makenzie and Alex wed at the bride’s childhood home in front of an intimate group of family and close friends. “I loved having loved ones visit me throughout the day while I got ready in my childhood bedroom,” she says. Both parents walked the bride and groom down the aisle, with the couple’s best friend ofﬁciating the service.

The couple — he’s an entrepreneur and she’s an interior designer — met during the 2022 Christmas holidays and he popped the question during a special birthday event at Southern Hills Country Club. She loves that Alex is creative with a sense of humor and has an outgoing personality. He loves Makenzie’s selﬂessness, kind heart and ability to make others feel loved.

THE DETAILS

Ceremony site: The bride’s childhood home

The Summit

Reception site: Southern Hills Country

Club

Bridal gown: Maria Farbinni Menswear: Q Clothier

Rehearsal dinner site:

Club Groom’s cake: Frostens Caterer: Southern Hills Country Club Wedding planner: Nicole Allen Events

Flowers: Toni’s Flowers and Gifts

Invitations and programs: The Inviting Place

Makeup: Melinda Pritchard Hair: Ash Franke

Rentals: Stay Gold and Party Pro Rents Hotel: Ambassador Hotel

Photographer: Amanda Watson

Kaitlyn Wayman and Marshall Pritchard

NOV. 2, 2024

Neither Kaitlyn nor Marshall ever expected to meet their life partner while shopping the aisles at Natural Grocers. “It was the right place at the right time and the right person,” Kaitlyn says. A favorite date of the couple’s threeyear courtship was feeding the squirrels at Woodward Park. “It’s difﬁcult to choose what I love most about her,” Marshall says, “but I love how nurturing she is to everyone and every creature she meets.”

The couple’s wedding on the upper lawn of the Tandy Garden at Tulsa Botanic Garden welcomed 100 guests. Friends left audio guestbook messages for the bride and groom, a Cherokee marriage license was signed and the couple danced the night away. The evening ended with a celebratory tinsel wand send-off.

THE DETAILS

Ceremony and reception site: Tulsa Botanic Garden

Bridal gown: Bryde Menswear: Jos. A. Bank

Rehearsal dinner site: Hotel Indigo Wedding cake: Fawnwood Bakery

Music: Radio Flash Invitations and programs: The Inviting Place

Flowers: Messages Floral Design Studio Caterer: Jay Cline

Rentals: Party Pro Rents Jewelry: Diamond Cellar Photographer: Ace Cuervo

Venue & Catering Guides

Visit TULSAPEOPLE.COM/DIRECTORIES for the updated 2025 Venue Guide, Catering Guide and other informative directories.

ALL SOULS UNITARIAN CHURCH

2952 S. Peoria Ave

918-743-2363 • allsoulschurch.org

Event rental contact: Hunter Jameson, HJameson@allsoulschurch.org

Capacity: Sanctuary: 400, Chapel: 70, Garden: flexible

GAST EVENT CENTER

1429 Terrace Dr. 918-744-6997

gasteventcenter.com

Event rental contact: Sara Gonzales

Capacity: up to 200

HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO TULSA

777 W. Cherokee St., Catoosa 918-384-7931

hardrockcasinotulsa.com/amenities

Event rental contact: meetingsthatrock@hardrockcasinotulsa.com

Capacity: 900

LAFORTUNE STUDIO AT THE TULSA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

110 E. 2nd St. · 918-596-7111

tulsapac.com/lafortune-studio

Event Rental Contact: info@tulsapac.com

Capacity: 200

Available for rehearsal dinners, receptions, and parties.

MOTHER ROAD MARKET

1124 S. Lewis Ave.

motherroadmarket.com

Event rental contact: events@motherroadmarket.com

Capacity: Mother Road Market has dedicated space for intimate small gatherings to large festive parties.

OSAGE CASINO HOTEL TULSA

951 W. 36th St. N.

osagecasino.com/events

Event rental contact: 918-947-5071

Capacity: Oak Ballroom: 450, Sunflower Ballroom: 180

STATION 13

3924 Charles Page Blvd.

918-810-6765

station13tulsa.com

Event rental contact: Jackie Potter, info@station13tulsa.com

Capacity: 500 Indoor/Outdoor

THE CAMPBELL HOTEL & EVENT CENTERS

2636 E. 11th St. 918-744-5500

eventsatcampbell.com

Event rental contact: John-Michael Benardello Capacity: 225

GLENPOOL CONFERENCE CENTER

12205 S. Yukon Ave., Glenpool, OK 74033

Phone: 918-209-4629 • glenpoolconferencecenter.com

Event rental contact: Katlyn Yarbrough, kyarbrough@cityofglenpool.com

Capacity: flexible, up to 500

HERMAN & KATE KAISER YMCA

5400 S. Olympia Ave. 918-446-1424

ymcatulsa.org/hkeventplanning

Event rental contact: Summer Knox, sknox@ymcatulsa.org

Capacity: 300

MARGARITAVILLE

TULSA

8330 Riverside Parkway, Suite A 918-995-8080

margaritavilletulsa.com

Event rental contact: Teresa.Street@riverspirittulsa.com Capacity: 30-800

ONEOK FIELD - HOME OF THE TULSA DRILLERS

201 N. Elgin Ave.

918-744-5998

tulsadrillers.com

Event rental contact: events@tulsadrillers.com

Capacity: 10 – 8,000+

POSTOAK LODGE & RETREAT

5323 W. 31st St. N.

918-425-2112 • postoaklodge.com

Event rental contact: Mike Givens, 918-728-2764

Capacity: inside: 220+, outside space available for larger events.

TULSA BOTANIC GARDEN

3900 Tulsa Botanic Drive

918-289-0330

tulsabotanic.org

Event rental contact: events@tulsabotanic.org

Capacity: Call for information.

LUDGER’S CATERING & EVENTS

1628 S. Main St. (918) 744-9988

ludgerscatering.com

Catering Capacity: 20 person minimum with no max

Additional information: Drop-off to full-service catering, service staff, bartenders, cash bars, linens, centerpieces and floorplan design.

RIBCRIB

9 Tulsa Metro Locations

918-712-7427

ribcrib.com/catering

Catering Capacity: 5-5,000+

Additional Information: Slow-smoked BBQ and plenty of it. All packages are buffet style and include setup. Free delivery on all caters over $100.

MCNELLIE’S GROUP CATERING

608 E. 3rd St. 918-442-2993

catering@mcnellies.com

Catering Capacity: Unlimited

Additional information: McNellie’s Group Catering is Tulsa’s go to catering service that offers full-service catering and event planning that specializes in weddings, corporate events, special events, and non-profits.

SOCIETY

3 Tulsa Metro Locations

918-712-7427

societyburger.com/catering

Catering Capacity: 5-250*

Additional Information: Burgers, salads, and pasta. All packages are buffet style and include setup. Free delivery on all caters over $100. *We can customize larger caters with notice.

Lifestyle

HOME HEALTH TRENDS

IN NEED OF YOUR OWN PERSONAL FAIRY GARDEN?

Of course you are! The plant experts at Cohlmia’s, 1502 S. Cincinnati Place, can help you pick out the perfect plants for your desired vessel and help you create a design to suit your needs. Prices vary based on items.

Reputation of trust

Furniture

and home accessory consignment store is the place to ﬁ nd quality goods at a great price.

BY JANE ZEMEL

At the rate the sofas, dining sets, artwork, rugs, light xtures and accessories arrive and depart, the entry to Mustard Seed Consignment should be a revolving door. Co-owner Diana Clark sells a whopping 97% of the items she accepts.

She opened the store 23 years ago at the request of friends, designers and customers of the furniture and home decor business she owned then. For the past 16 years London Square — near the intersection of 61st Street and Lewis Avenue — has been Mustard Seed’s address.

Clark attributes the store’s success to its uniqueness and integrity. “Our whole atmosphere is service,” she says. “People buy here because of our reputation as a top-quality store.”

Everything is in excellent condition. Customers shop top brand names like Baker, Bernhardt and Hooker, and much of the artwork is original.

Clark says her customers do better with consignment than with estate sales, auctions or online sales. “ ere’s no hassle. You get it here, we’ll handle it. No phone calls or scammers or people coming to your house,” she explains.

Her consignors range from “people making lifestyle changes, downsizing, redecorating, moving … and sometimes because of a death,” Clark says.

Clark works with her son, John Clark , a co-owner, to research and price the goods. e most expensive item they consigned was an enormous Italian bookcase/wall cabinet unit at $22,000, originally sold for $52,000. eir most unusual piece was a custom life-sized driftwood horse. “It sold in two days,” she says.

Clark’s customers trust Mustard Seed. “We’ve had people move out of the country and leave all their furniture and deposit slips with us,” she says. “People feel good about selling here. ey want their mom’s stu or things they paid good money for to go to good homes.” tp

SHOP FAVORITES

A reproduction of a hand-painted Tibetan scroll chest, which can be used as a media console, buffet or entry piece.

Inspired by the world-famous glass blower Dale Chihuly, this opaque blown-glass ﬁxture commands attention.

Country French sideboard cabinet with plenty of storage and display areas.

Flexsteel leather sofa.

Diana Clark and son John Clark, owners of Mustard Seed Consignment

Growing toward the future

Tom’s

Outdoor

BY ALLY LIGHTLE

Living celebrates 20 years of lawn care while also caring for community.

As the weather gets warmer people begin opening their windows, dining alfresco and moving activities outside. For those working at Tom’s Outdoor Living, spring is the busiest time of year. ey turn from the winter months of planning landscape design projects into building, planting and servicing lawns across the city.

While today it is a well-known landscape business, many might not know its origin story.

Tom Butchko founded the lawn care company as a high schooler, borrowing his dad’s red Craftsman mower for a 10% fee

and cutting grass for his neighbors. Even after Butchko graduated from the University of Oklahoma and began a full-time job as a mortgage broker, he couldn’t give up his beloved clients. Eventually he quit his day job and took a chance at growing his own company.

Today he celebrates two decades of business.

“It’s been a year to contemplate and look at the past,” Butchko says. “Over the past 20 years we’ve put together the strongest team possible.”

Tom’s Outdoor Living has seen signicant growth. In fact, it provides year-round

services such as landscape design featuring pools and outdoor kitchens, seasonal maintenance such as leaves and mowing, fertilization, irrigation, lighting and more.

“(In the) early days I would listen to my existing clients and as those requests increased, we saw outdoor living expanding around Tulsa,” Butchko says. “ ere was no one to ll that niche and that’s when we decided to diversify.”

Tom’s employs more than 50 people ranging in positions from horticulturists to designers, and Butchko’s father has even joined the team as a project engineer and chief nancial o cer. Now employees are gearing up for their next chapter: a new location.

e new headquarters for Tom’s Outdoor Living is being constructed just o Highway 75 and 41st Street. At 7 acres, the space is more than double the size of the current location.

“We will be able to propagate plants out there and have room for proper composting,” Butchko says. “We are always striving to be better. at’s probably what I’m most proud of.”

Improvement and education are fundamentals within the company. ose themes also have been demonstrated in philanthropy work, with Tom’s giving back to more than 30 organizations over the past three years including Street School, Tulsa Community Foundation, Global Gardens and the Foundation for Tulsa Schools. is spring the team will work on a landscape project for Council Oak Elementary School by planting shade trees.

One project Butchko holds close to his heart is maintaining the green islands in Maple Ridge and working on the neighborhood’s annual Home and Garden Tour, this year set for early October. is is a full-circle passion project in the community where he began mowing lawns more than two decades ago.

With a full team of experts, the future for this local landscape company is bright as they continue to innovate, educate and encourage more people to enjoy time outside. tp

Tom Butchko has been caring for Tulsa yards since he was a teenager mowing lawns with his dad’s mower. Today he owns Tom’s Outdoor Living, a 20-year-old business that will soon move to a new headquarters.

I am out with lanterns

BY CONNIE CRONLEY

Ilike something Emily Dickinson wrote in a letter to a friend: “I am out with lanterns looking for myself.”

I’ve been out with lanterns lately, too, looking for my lost joy.

Peter Pan lost his shadow and J.M. Barrie wrote an entire play about it. I misplaced my joy and nobody seems to notice. I think that’s because they’re busy with their own lantern-lit quests.

When there’s something heavy in the air or a feeling of menace, it’s easy to lose joy. For me all it took was ve consecutive gray days of gloom and fog. Whoosh! ere it went, my buoyancy. My good-thingsare-coming-my way, put-on-a-happy-face optimism.

Actually, the weather was just the tipping point. What really did me in was the national news, a steady cannonade assault on my psyche. My little fort of goodwill couldn’t withstand the bombardment.

e brooding weather was the nal straw. Nothing gallantly streaming over my ramparts. Just gloom upon gloom.

Oklahomans do not fare well without sunshine. It is our birthright. Tulsa has 230 days of sunshine — that’s sunny days 62% of the time. Shortchange us, add bad politics and watch out. One friend ed to Phoenix for a week of sunshine- x. Another friend moved to Portugal. en, out of the fog: a distraction. Not quite joy exactly, but a nugget of pleasure. Something that made me laugh out loud. What was it? A New York Times fashion story about what rapper A$AP Rocky was wearing to stand trial in Los Angeles on felony charges of assault with a semiautomatic rearm.

I laughed because of the silliness of the story, complete with photographs and breathless description: a $4,000 Saint Laurent trench coat, a Gucci cashmere coat,

blacked-out Ray-Bans. Of everything going on in the world, this is news?

Not long after that I watched the Super Bowl halftime show with rapper Kendrick Lamar and followed the explosion of news and analysis it caused. My mouth was agape. Here was an entire world that has passed me by. How is it that I have missed the most popular music genre in the United States?

As someone who quotes Emily Dickinson, I am extremely unlikely to become a rap groupie spicing my language with words like “crunk, lit or trill.” I had to research “Crip Walk”! Rocky’s fashion story and Lamar’s halftime show remind me that there’s a huge world out there I know nothing about, layers of subject and nuance to explore.

“So, get over yourself,” I tell myself. I reread the Christmas letter from a friend in Scotland, a priest older than I, cheerfully reporting his hiking adventures in Portugal, Italy, the Czech Republic and across Scotland, and, mostly recovered from a fall, planning new trips to Rhodes, Vienna, Cologne and the Rhineland. Whew. My news was that one false spring day I looked out the back window to see ocks of black birds and robins on the holly tree eating every red berry. Small beer, in the scope of things, but it made me happy.

I still struggle with the gloom of national politics. I do what I can. I write letters of praise and support to our city o cials. I send letters and emails of complaint and advice to my national and state representatives.

I look for kindred spirits in literature. I was cheered to discover that Emily’s lantern quote was not existential angst, but literal. In a move she had lost some of her possessions. It gave her, she wrote, “a goneto-Kansas” feeling. I know that un-tethered feeling.

When I can’t form hopeful words myself, I borrow them from poets and artists. Like this:

Georgia O’Kee e: “I have done nothing all summer but wait for myself to be myself again.”

Pablo Neruda : “We need to sit on the rim of the well of darkness and sh for fallen light with patience.”

Mary Oliver : “It is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in this broken world.” tp

TULSA

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MOUNDS

78 acres in Tulsa County. 3 ponds, some trees, flat pastures and great location. Vacant land on SE corner of 201st & Harvard Ave. $1,700,000

MIDTOWN

GRAND LAKE

2 bed, 2 full bath brick house in Midtown. Beautiful hardwood floors, granite kitchen, inside laundry, master bedroom has ensuite bath. Sit outside on your wood deck and enjoy the backyard. Great location with close access to Utica Square, Highways, Grocery Store and Hospital. 2416 E 20th St. $299,900

SOUTH TULSA

This like-new, cheerful 2bedroom, 2-bath lake house at South Shore on Grand Lake is move-in ready with recent updates, including a 2024 HVAC, smart thermostat, kitchen cabinets, bathrooms, stainless steel appliances, hot water tank, washer/dryer, and new wrought iron fencing. Enjoy the amenities of the South Shore neighborhood, including a pool, clubhouse, ponds and waterfalls. Located less then 1 mile from Reasor's and just an hour from Tulsa, this home is also short-term rental friendly.446599 E 370 Road, Vinita. $359,000

Charming one-owner condo in the gated South Tulsa community of "The Timbers," featuring a spacious floor plan, a great room with a stone fireplace, and an upstairs master suite with a private bath and loft. Enjoy community amenities like pools, tennis courts, and beautifully landscaped grounds near shopping, restaurants, and Jenks Schools. 2806 E 84th St #3. $255,000

BROOKSIDE

This 1958 vintage home is located in the heart of Midtown, known for shopping, restaurants and close to The Gathering Place! It boasts 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and has 1,910 square feet of living space. 4331 S Norfolk. $375,000.

THE VILLAGE

This custom designed home was built in 2001 and owned by Don East, a well known home builder in Tulsa! Features include a custom kitchen, open floor plan and a spectacular master bedroom and en-suite bathroom on the first floor. Another bedroom downstairs is used as a home office. Two additional bedrooms and bathroom are upstairs with a study. 3,200 square feet of space plus a 3 car garage.10135 S 78th E Avenue. $550,000

Table Talk

DINING FOOD DRINKS

IN THE DOUGH

Can you keep a secret? A super secret? There’s a spot in town where the doughnuts often sell out by 10 a.m. Tulsans queue in anticipation of the latest drop, eager to get a taste of ﬂavors as delicious as they are aesthetically-pleasing. It’s Super Secret Donuts — but the word is quickly getting out. tp

Destination dining

Talent and taste shine at intimate culinary concept Copper Dome.

BY JUDY ALLEN

Enjoy the change in scenery from Tulsa’s hustle and bustle to the quiet, idyllic Silo Event Center, only two miles west of Highway 75. Watch the city lights disappear in the rearview mirror as you anticipate an evening spent in tranquil re nement at Copper Dome, e Silo’s intimate dining concept. ough former Palace Cafe chef Tyler Whitson opened Copper Dome in September, e Silo was already known for its on-site ne dining — the late Paul Wilson (who Whitson once worked for at Juniper) operated his pop-up, Sans Murs, here, and chefs Gabe Lazarde and Jeremiah Rankin carried on the theme with Solaire until Whitson took over the dining room, bringing in fellow Palace alum Nate Christensen as Copper Dome’s co-owner.

Copper Dome o ers three styles of service. ursday nights are Bento Night, featuring an a la carte assortment of small bites, a concept Whitson brought from Palace Cafe. is is paired with creative cocktails from bar manager Spencer Barrett and the option of a three-course tasting menu.

Sunday evenings are casual, family-style and themed around the Cuisine of the Month — February was French, and the menu featured croissants, cauli ower soup, braised leg of lamb, asparagus with bearnaise sauce, potato au gratin and chocolate pot de crème ($28 per person).

Friday and Saturday evenings are devoted to ne dining, where Whitson and Christensen shine. Choose from a customizable menu to create your own three- or fourcourse dinner ($60 or $70) or a chef-curated eight-course tasting menu ($90, with a $45

Smoked cauliflower with halloumi cheese and a pani puri, a deep-fried, hollow spherical shell

wine pairing option). “We want to o er a chef’s tasting but also let diners have a choice,” Whitson says.

My husband, Tate, and I shared a fourcourse meal with friends — a good choice because it allowed us to sample the entire menu. Whitson says all dishes are designed around “locality, seasonality and sustainability” and will change throughout the year. We dined at the end of winter, and our rst courses included butternut squash soup served with savory whipped yogurt on the side and rice-less “risotto,” which featured sweet potato as the star ingredient. My favorite was the smoked cauli ower served with cubes of halloumi cheese and a smokelled pani puri, a deep-fried hollow spherical shell. Both second courses were stars — lamb T-bone served over velvety celery root puree and a crisp, head-on shrimp with a lacy chive and sesame seed garnish.

Whitson says they source local meats whenever possible, and the prime Creekstone New York strip from Kansas — our table’s favorite of the evening — was cooked a perfect medium rare and served over demiglace and with a crisp, layered potato pavé (which just might be the best way to cook a potato). Other entrees included salmon and chicken, both of which were stunning.

For dessert the must-try is the namesake Copper Dome — lemon cake layered with bourbon mousse and pecan nougat, topped with a sheer coat of caramel and a sprinkling of aked salt.

ough the winter menu was memorably delicious, Whitson says spring is something to look forward to. April’s Sunday theme is Spanish food. tp

COPPER DOME AT SILO EVENT CENTER

4629 W. 41st St. 918-447-2724 • copperdometulsa.com

Bento Night: 5-9:30 p.m., Thursday Prix ﬁxe/a la carte: 5-9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday Sunday Supper Series: 4-8:30 p.m.

The dining room at Copper Dome features handmade tables by Silo owner Hugo Gutierrez (read more on p. 18) and a 16-foot bison painting by local artist Chris Mantle.

Copper Dome, a dessert of lemon cake with bourbon mousse and pecan nougat, a sheer coat of caramel and flaked salt

Fried togarashi shrimp with a sesame aioli and an everything spice and chive tuile

Chef Tyler Whitson

WHAT’S COOKING

The impact of Global Gardens’ mission — to empower students through a hands-on, holistic curriculum of science, peace, health and the environment — is most evident when seen in action: kids with their hands in the dirt. Squealing while pulling carrots out of the ground. Making funny faces while trying radishes for the ﬁrst time.

The gardens, at Tulsa Public and Union school sites across the city, are the kids’ gardens. These outdoor classrooms offer a place for students to learn about science, to problem solve and spark their curiosities. It’s their place for planning, planting, tending — and eating! The Global Gardens cookbook was created to help support that mission. Underwritten by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma, 100% of the proceeds beneﬁ t Global Gardens. The book is available at Kiddlestix, Magic City Books, Ida Red, Mother Road Market, Philbrook Museum of Art and Decopolis. It’s also available on the Global Gardens website. — NATALIE MIKLES

SUPER SNACKS

Kids involved with Global Gardens get to try the food they grow. One of their favorites is kale chips, says Ashley Neal, development director for Global Gardens. She adds that small snacks like these are an easy way to invite young chefs to try new things.

KALE CHIPS

5-6 large kale leaves

1-2 teaspoons olive oil

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 teaspoon pepper

1⁄4-1⁄2 teaspoon seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash kale and pat dry. Remove the hard rib from the center of each leaf, and rip the leaf into large pieces (about the size of a playing card). Place kale onto a baking sheet.

Drizzle olive oil over kale. Using clean hands, gently rub the oil all over the kale until coated and shiny. Spread the kale out into a single layer on the baking sheet.

Sprinkle salt, pepper and any other seasonings you’d like over the kale.

Bake for 5-10 minutes, watching very closely to check for browning or burning. e chips are done when they are crisp and starting to brown on the edges.

Every spring Global Gardens students harvest radishes to make this salsa, which the cookbook tells us will win over the pickiest of eaters.

RADISH SALSA

6-8 radishes, roots and stems removed, nely chopped

1⁄2 bunch cilantro (about 1 cup), nely chopped or torn

1-2 tablespoons lime juice

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Tortilla chips, to serve

Place radishes and cilantro in a medium bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of lime juice and the salt. Stir well to combine.

Taste and add more salt or lime juice to taste. Serve with tortilla chips. tp

THE HOLE STORY

Milton Perry is the chef and owner of Super Secret Donuts, which operates out of Foolish Things Coffee Co., 1001 S. Main St., from 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Thursday-Sunday (though doughnuts often sell out before the afternoon).

These scratch-made brioche doughnuts go way beyond chocolate and maple. The day we visited, ﬂavors included browned butter with caramel and smoked salt, sugar and spice, pandan coconut, blueberry cheesecake and burnt honey with goat cheese and pear.

Perry started selling his doughnuts in the Kitchen 66 space at Mother Road Market, and his ideas for combining complex, sometimes savory ﬂavors with sweet doughnuts caught on quickly. He rapidly outgrew that space, moving to Foolish Things, and continued to push the notion of what a doughnut could be.

“My biggest demographic originally was Gen Z and millennials — ’90s kids pushing back against the mainstream corporate machine,” Perry says with a wry smile. He may only be talking about doughnuts but there’s something to the idea of choosing Foolish Things over Starbucks, or Super Secret over Krispy Kreme that appeals to his customers.

“The people of Tulsa have been so wildly supportive and it has been so cool. Being a more recent transplant, I didn’t know what to expect, but each week we sell out and have people telling us how much they love what we do,” he says.

“The Tulsa food scene is honestly the best place to be. It’s in such a great place of innovation and expression, and the people of Tulsa are wanting to choose smaller businesses that are trying to do things the best they can.”

Milton adds the best place to keep up with weekly ﬂavor announcements and other SSD information is @ssdtulsa on Instagram. — NATALIE MIKLES

WHAT THE ALE

ALL HAIL

WEIRD ALE

Travis Richards started as a homebrewer in 2014, giving out samples at various beer events. He then contract-brewed at Anthem Brewing in Oklahoma City to get his product out to the public.

Travis and his wife, Lacy, knew they could make money if they had their own place. They found an old Texaco station turned detail shop at 1502 E. Sixth St. that would become the home of Nothing’s Left Brewing.

District Burger fans will be glad to know the popular Broken Arrow restaurant, 219 S. Main St., is opening a second location in Jenks this spring.

The Wagyu burger with trufﬂe sauce and pepper jelly, the Class burger with caramelized onions and the Klecka Burger — which is half beef and half breakfast sausage with shoulder bacon, hash browns, peanut butter and jalapeno jelly — will all be on the menu. District Burger also is known for its rosemary-garlic fries and trufﬂe-parmesan fries, which are fried in beef tallow, as well as the fried pickles made fresh to order.

The new restaurant will be opening soon at Jenks’ Riverwalk. — NATALIE MIKLES

“I remember walking in and saying, ‘Mom, there’s no way we can make this into a place where people can consume a food product,” Lacy says. “There’s no way. Travis and my mom had a vision that I obviously did not see.”

Opened in 2018, the operation has grown from a ﬁve-barrel brewhouse to a facility that houses private event space and two taprooms. They now have 150 barrels’ worth of fermentation going on.

Nothing’s Left is known for its more uncommon offerings, like frozen beer slushies, beer smoothies, beer soft-serve and non-alcoholic beverages.

“I feel like we changed a lot of minds here in Tulsa as to what beer could really look like. That’s a testimony to Travis’ creativity and his execution,” Lacy says.

“I think that’s what brings people here. We just have a little bit of everything for everybody.” — TOM GILBERT

From left, Nothing’s Left co-owners Travis and Lacy Richards and Abby Emmert

A LA CARTE

Taco Tuesday

3 favorite spots for Mexican food deals

LA TERTULIA has one of the best Taco Tuesday deals in town. Every Tuesday from 4:30-9 p.m., tacos are just $2 each with no limit on how many you can order. Choose from ground beef, carne asada, chicken, carnitas or lengua on soft tortillas or crunchy taco shells.

It’s not just the tacos that are a good deal; it’s also the $5 margaritas, frozen mezcal palomas and sangria, along with $2 Tecates. James Beard Award-winning chef Kevin Nashan brought his unique Northern New Mexican restaurant to Tulsa four years ago as an homage to his grandparents’ restaurant in New Mexico. If you’ve never been, Tuesdays are a great day to round up a group for tacos and drinks. 311 E. Second St. • 539-525-0853 • latertuliarestaurant.com

HOLÉ MOLÉ has quickly become one of our new favorite spots on Cherry Street. It has great Mexican food with an excellent people-watching patio to match — and on Tuesdays tacos are just $3 each, and house margaritas are always $5. Whether you’re there for lunch or dinner, you can dig in to tacos like the pork belly with pineapple salsa, mahi-mahi with chipotle crema, carne asada with onions and cilantro, or shredded chicken with Oaxaca-style mole and sesame seeds. Non-meat eaters will love the veggie taco ﬁlled with roasted zucchini, onions, squash and poblano pepper with avocado salsa. 1529 E. 15th St. • 539-867-2164 • 3sirensgroup.com/brands/hole-mole

Taco Tuesday at CATRINA FRESH MEX is a super good deal — six tacos for $10. Soft, fresh corn tortillas are stuffed with options including shredded beef, shrimp, birria, tripe, lengua, carnitas, chicken and more. Tacos are generously portioned and served with grilled onion, pickled carrots and jalapenos. It’s a good way to feed a family for under $20. And since you’re saving on the tacos, treat yourself to the loaded fries with guacamole, pico de gallo, melted cheese and sour cream, or the decadent tres leches cake. Catrina Fresh Mex has three locations in Tulsa plus Owasso, Glenpool, Broken Arrow, Jenks and Sapulpa. catrinafreshmextogo.com — NATALIE MIKLES

LONGTIME FAVORITE

These staples of the local restaurant scene are also winners in the A-LIST Readers’ Choice Awards.

KILKENNY’S IRISH PUB 1413 E. 15th St. 918-582-8282 tulsairishpub.com

THE BROS. HOULIGAN 4848 S. Yale Ave. 918-254-1086 broshouligan.com

POLO GRILL 2038 Utica Square 918-744-4280 pologrill.com

THE BROOK RESTAURANT AND BAR

201 E. Second St., 539-424-1256

3401 S. Peoria Ave., 918-748-9977 7727 E. 91st St., 918-392-9977 brookrestaurant.com

BIRD AND BOTTLE

3324-A E. 31st St. 918-895-6468

3sirensgroup.com/brands/ bird-and-bottle

The Bros. Houligan’s chicken fried steak

La Tertulia

TIME WARP

Bits and bytes

International Business Machines Corp. opened its rst Tulsa o ce during the late 1920s. Over the following decades the corporation moved o ces many times for their sales and services.

In February 1957 IBM announced the construction of a new o ce building in Tulsa near 13th Street and Boulder Avenue. e building was initially designed to be two-stories tall, but eight months into construction plans changed and two additional

oors were added, doubling the height of the building.

e IBM Building o cially opened on June 4, 1958. More than 100 IBM employees o ced there, with additional space that was leased to other companies.

In 1965 IBM o cials purchased the building and developed the location into the IBM Tulsa Datacenter. e company continued to utilize the building for computer training until the mid-1980s.

After 12 years sitting vacant, major renovations to the building were announced by Little eld Marketing and Advertising Inc. A complete redesign of the building was led by Tulsa architect Pat Fox

In May 1999 the building reopened as the Little eld Building and housed the company’s o ces. Today it operates as an ofce building for others. IBM o ces remain in downtown, but now are located at 521 S. Boston Ave. tp

STORY AND COMPOSITE IMAGE BY PATRICK MCNICHOLAS

An image of the IBM Building located at 1307 S. Boulder Ave. shortly after its completion in 1958. In addition to IBM, the building was utilized by other companies until the mid-1980s. After major renovations the building reopened in 1999 as the Littlefield Building.