Luxiere - Oklahoma Lifestyle & Real Estate // Edition 56

THE POETIC PHOTOGRAPHY of

YOUSEF KHANFAR

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Revealing Truth

“I use the power of photography to transcend borders, raise awareness and connect us to our shared humanity.” OKC is a home base for Yousef Khanfar, but the entire globe is his subject, and brilliant images such as these are his calling card.

STORY BY GREG HORTON

24 Woman of Influence

A loving intervention changed young Katherine Craig’s life; now she shares support and care for foster Oklahomans through Anna’s House Foundation.

STORY BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON

30 Boom Times

As the OKC Thunder celebrated an NBA championship, bestselling author Sam Anderson was here to drink it in, and ponder his connection to our team and city.

STORY BY MICHAEL KINNEY

52 A Starring Role in the Future of Film

Newly named the executive director of deadCenter Film Festival, Amy Janes knows in her bones that Oklahoma is on the brink of making serious waves in indie cinema.

STORY BY ALEXANDRA BOHANNON

Distant, Never Disconnected

They’ve gone on to great acclaim elsewhere, but some red dirt may remain in their souls. A quartet of out-of-state success stories reflect on their lasting Oklahoma ties.

STORY BY MEGAN SHEPHERD

76 To Le Gala and Beyond!

Owner Jack Dao’s personal connections to Vietnam open a new world for OKC fashion lovers, as Le Gala expands horizons and builds a stylish community.

STORY BY ANDREA SCHULTZ

THOMAS | BLONDE

56 FROM THE PUBLISHER

There’s a line in Megan Shepherd’s story in this edition that spoke to me immediately. She writes, “Okie excellence is enduring and visible, and that alone is worth a conversation.” That single sentence could easily serve as the purpose statement for Luxiere. Since our very first edition a decade ago, our intention has been to engage in a dialogue about Oklahoma and Oklahomans.

This is my home. I’ve always been fascinated by and proud of the intrinsic creativity, talent and energy of Okies, and it is my privilege to celebrate those qualities within our pages. In this issue alone, you’ll meet a production stage manager for a Broadway play, an editor for The New York Times, a singersongwriter, a nonprofit leader and a wine importer, each of whom embodies their Oklahoma-ness — even if they’re no longer physically present in the state — in his or her own brilliant way.

The question of terroir, to use oenophile-speak, is fascinating. How does where you’ve grown affect your flavor? Writer Greg Horton delves into this subject in his effervescent piece about small-batch Champagne producers. He’s even created a guide to these delicious Grower Champagnes, as they’re called in the wine world, and we are happily working our way through it.

Author Sam Anderson, also a writer for The New York Times Magazine, first came to Oklahoma City on the heels of the OKC Thunder’s 2012 run to the NBA Finals. He was quickly fascinated by what he lovingly calls “one of the great weirdo cities of the world,” and penned the 2018 best-seller and much lauded history of Oklahoma City, Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City, Its Chaotic Founding, Its Apocalyptic Weather, Its Purloined Basketball Team, and the Dream of Becoming a World-class Metropolis. He was back in town recently to celebrate

the Thunder’s national championship, and to attend Gary England’s celebration of life. Writer Michael Kinney caught up with him and shares their conversation.

Creative powerhouse and Los Angeles transplant Amy Janes has been named executive director of Oklahoma’s premier film festival, deadCenter, which celebrated 25 years in June. Janes “got” Oklahoma the moment she set foot on our famed terre rouge to visit a friend in 2018; she and her family moved here quickly thereafter. And as she tells writer Alexandra Bohannon, she has tremendous faith regarding our state’s place in the future of indie film. Another creative powerhouse, Susan Sarich, whose cakes are becoming a national obsession, has opened an outpost of her luscious bakery SusieCakes in Oklahoma City. You’ll find her sweet story, as told to writer Christine Eddington, in this issue as well.

It’s a magnificent moment in Oklahoma, friends.

Until next time,

STACY D. JOHNSON Publisher, Owner

OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Each issue of Luxiere represents the combined efforts of an accomplished team of creative Oklahomans. We are pleased to share their work with you, and grateful for the time and talent each has contributed to bringing this publication into being.

MICHAEL KINNEY WRITER

GREG HORTON WRITER

STEVE GILL COPY EDITOR

ANDREA SCHULTZ SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIST / WRITER

ALEXANDRA BOHANNON WRITER

CHRISTINE EDDINGTON WRITER

KATE FRANK WRITER

STACY D. JOHNSON Owner/Publisher/Editor in Chief

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ON THE COVER

In Varanasi, India’s oldest living city and a spiritual heart of Hinduism, a Sadhu, a holy ascetic, meditates on a boat drifting along the sacred Ganges, the river Hindus call the Mother of Life. Flowing from the Himalayas to the sea, the Ganges carries prayers, ashes and the eternal cycle of life.

Photographer Yousef Khanfar

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Advertising claims and the views expressed in this magazine by writers do not necessarily represent those of Luxiere Magazine. No responsibility is assumed for unsolicited materials. Originals of manuscripts, photographs, artwork or other materials should not be sent to Luxiere Magazine unless specifically requested to do so in writing. Luxiere Magazine is not responsible for the return of any manuscripts, photographs, artwork or other materials submitted. Luxiere Magazine shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies in the information contained herein or for interpretations thereof. Luxiere

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Design’s New Palace

RH debuts a showcase in OKC

BY THE LUXIERE STAFF

The description “huge” is accurate, though something like “tremendous” or “grand” would give a better sense of its aesthetic as well as its size. “Inspirational,” certainly. But considering its overall magnitude, attention to detail and visual impact, the most apt word for this new addition to OKC’s retail landscape might be “stunning.”

Officially dubbed RH Oklahoma City, The Gallery at OAK, the complex fills 45,000 square feet on three levels with exquisite designs and luxury furnishings from the RH collections; rare art and antiques from around the world; a rooftop park and outdoor living space; and even a sumptuously appointed full-service restaurant.

It’s a lot to take in, and an amazing aesthetic resource for local residents. RH’s President and CEO Gary Friedman shared some thoughts about the OKC gallery and the mindset behind the overall brand.

Retail concepts, dining, even private travel—what is the key to developing and executing a consistent brand through the world of RH?

Furniture is just one aspect of the RH ecosystem we are building. The next generation of galleries supports our long-term vision to move the brand beyond creating and selling products to conceptualizing and selling spaces. We believe in creating immersive spaces that activate all of the senses: sight, smell, taste, touch and sound. These new galleries and the integrated hospitality experience position our brand for the RH of the future.

Each of the RH retail concepts in its respective city reflects the lifestyle and culture of its residents—what is the research and development process that goes into each concept?

Everything you see at RH Oklahoma City is a reflection of a hierarchy that leads to harmony. We believe the most pleasing environments are a reflection of human design; they are a study of balance, symmetry and perfect proportions. We respect the hierarchy between the environment, landscaping, architecture, furniture and decor that create harmony. Ours is a discipline of addition by subtraction, where less becomes more and calm is created through continuity. Our hope is to both integrate into and elevate the local environments we inhabit.

What excites you the most about the future of innovative retail and hospitality concepts like RH?

We believe our ecosystem of products, places, services and spaces inspires customers to dream, design, dine, travel and live in a world thoughtfully curated by RH, creating an emotional connection unlike any other brand in the world.

Over the next two years we will be opening new inspiring galleries in Paris, London, Milan and Sydney with restaurants, Champagne and caviar bars, wine and barista bars and interior design offices. We will also be opening our second RH Guesthouse with our first RH Bath House and Spa.

We like to say, “We have to think until it hurts, until we can see what others can’t see, so we can do what others can’t do.”

I also like to say, “Never underestimate the power of a few good people who don’t know what can’t be done.” Especially these people.

Why did RH choose OAK for its first Oklahoma City gallery?

First, besides having the best basketball team in the world, Oklahoma City is also the 42nd largest metropolitan market in the country, and we’ve had recent success opening new design galleries in Raleigh and Jacksonville, which are a similar size.

Second, we believe the OAK is an example of a next-generation mixed-use outdoor development that is reflective of how customers want to shop and spend their time. We also had an opportunity to anchor the retail development with a three-story first-of-its-kind new design gallery with a rooftop restaurant facing the central courtyard.

Additionally, RH Oklahoma City, The Gallery at OAK, will have 45,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor selling space, presenting the most inspiring collection of luxury furniture and home furnishings in the market, more than seven times larger than our Tulsa store. The gallery will also have an integrated RH Interior Design Atelier where clients can work with our designers to create the home of their dreams.

How is RH different from other stores in its category?

Our brand is built on a foundation of great architecture and design. We either find great historical architecture and readapt it, or we build it.

Our design ethos dates back to the 1st century B.C. and the principles of  Marcus Vitruvius, the author of De Architectura, The Ten Books on Architecture. Vitruvius professed that perfect proportions exist in human design, and beauty is produced by the pleasing appearance and good taste of the whole. His groundbreaking ideas about the harmonious relationship between man and his environment came to life 1,500 years later in Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic illustration of the “Vitruvian Man,” which we use as a symbol of our beliefs.

All of this is reflected in the historical buildings we reimagine, the pieces we celebrate and the building and design compositions we create.

RH Oklahoma City, The Gallery at OAK, is a physical expression of our values and beliefs.

For those unfamiliar with RH, how would you describe the gallery and the experience of shopping at RH?

We believe the most pleasing environments are a reflection of human design; they are a study of balance, symmetry and perfect proportions.”

GARY FRIEDMAN

We like to say we don’t build retail stores. Most retail stores are archaic, windowless boxes that lack any sense of humanity. There’s no fresh air or natural light—plants die in most retail stores, and I’m sure that’s not a good environment for humans either.

We build inspiring spaces that blur the lines between residential and retail, indoors and outdoors, home and hospitality. Spaces with garden courtyard and rooftop parks. Spaces with restaurants, wine and barista bars. Spaces that activate all of the senses, and spaces that can’t be replicated online.

The response we hear the most from customers when they shop our  galleries is, “I want to live here.” I’ve been in retail for over 40 years and I’ve never heard anyone say they want to live in a retail store—but then again, we don’t build retail stores. •

RH Oklahoma City, The Gallery at OAK — including its rooftop restaurant — is located at 2110 Northwest Expressway.

Woman of Influence Katherine Craig

BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON

Katherine Craig was 5 years old when someone noticed she needed help. It was the woman next door—her best friend Katy’s mother—who saw a smart little girl adrift and lacking, and just took her in, showering her with kindness, stability and encouragement. That family loved her as their own, just like the Bible tells us to.

Katy’s family, all college educated, instilled in Craig a love of learning. “They really celebrated me when I did well academically, and at an early age, and I don’t know where it came from—but I just decided that people could take away just about anything from you, but they can’t take away your education,” she says.

It’s pretty hard not to cry when Craig talks about the difference that family made for her.

“It was just everything that was good and kind. I had a birthday party every single year at their house. They would go on family vacations, and I got to go. And so the life I experienced was exponentially different than what it could have been had they been absent,” Craig says.

That acceptance, encouragement and kindness are what Craig has worked to replicate for foster children hundreds or thousands of times during her tenure as the executive director of Anna’s House Foundation (AHF), a faith-based nonprofit whose purpose is to provide immediate, stable and loving homes for Oklahoma’s children in state custody.

Under Craig’s eight years of smart, compassionate leadership, AHF has grown. A lot. When she started, there were seven staff members; today there are a dozen. The budget has gone from about $750,000 to $1.8 million. Services provided, once limited solely to foster care (matching children in need with foster families) now also include mental health services for foster families affiliated with Anna’s House Foundation, and are also available to any vulnerable families who need them.

“In 2012, the state of Oklahoma opened up the opportunity for agencies that were serving families—in many capacities—to be able to certify, recruit, train … and support [foster] families under the contract of that organization. So we have a contract with the state that allows us to do that,” Craig says.

This “opening up” action, part of a broader set of required improvements called The Pinnacle Plan, was the result of a lawsuit which required the State of Oklahoma to reform its Child Welfare Services to address issues and improve outcomes in the foster care system. Earlier this year, a federal court declared that Oklahoma Human Services (OHS, formerly OKDHS) has fulfilled its obligations under the Compromise and Settlement Agreement that brought forward the state’s Pinnacle Plan.

“Private agencies like ours had a huge responsibility in satisfying the terms of that lawsuit and the conditions [for the State of Oklahoma] to be successful,” Craig says. “We are still a contracted agency with the state. We get about 38 percent of our funding from that contract and then we fundraise the remaining balance for our full budget.”

She speaks in a crisp, polished cadence that is both warm and commanding. She is a top-notch fundraiser, brilliantly versed in data, donor segmentation and prospect research. Her nonprofit career began in high school, which means she’s been in the field for 26 of her 42 years. She holds a degree in marketing and business and is a first-generation college grad in her family. She’s also deeply faithful and often has the perfect Bible verse at the ready. Case in point: When asked what she would say to a someone who is intrigued by the idea of fostering but also afraid, “I would say the Lord doesn’t give us the spirit of fear,” she says, paraphrasing 2 Timothy 1:7, which reads “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

At the same time, she’s not going to sugarcoat the experience of fostering a child. “Difficulty is part of it. That’s almost a guarantee, but I think time and time again, what I’ve seen from families that have served in this space and done really difficult things is that they won. Their relationship with the Lord is closer and they’re forever changed in the most positive way, because they’ve seen Him work in ways that they never would have experienced had they not stepped into this space.” She often hears foster families say that they’d gone into the experience expecting to change the lives of children, “but then they tell you that this space ‘changed me and changed my faith,’” Craig says.

Anna’s House Foundation certifies and supports foster families who take children into their own homes. Large sibling groups can be among the most difficult to place all together; outcomes are far better if the children can be kept together, but finding fosters with five or six extra bedrooms is tough. One of the best things about AHF is its bold approach to solving problems. “There was a family in Luther that decided to donate 11 acres of land to us, at the same time [that] we were getting our foster care contract,” Craig says. For the team at AHF, this was the Lord’s perfect timing. “We started building high-capacity foster homes for families whose hearts were maybe larger than what their existing home could accommodate, so we could focus on keeping sibling groups together that otherwise would be separated.”

Those 11 acres have been transformed into the Anna’s House Community, a neighborhood of eight single-family homes plus a splash pad, two playgrounds, basketball courts, a pediatric office, an art therapy room and a genuine sense of community. Each home is spacious—3,200 square feet with five bedrooms, large kitchens and plenty of room to play and grow. Lots are large, too, more than an acre apiece so the families can plant gardens, raise chickens and enjoy a bucolic lifestyle. At this writing, all but one of the homes is filled.

She tells a sweet story about a foster child’s reaction to learning about the Community: “I remember one time we had a foster kiddo that was coming out there for an Easter party. He is a foster child in a home where they live in their own home in a regular neighborhood, and so the foster mom was explaining that they were going to the Anna’s House Community and she told him that ‘there’s all these families that look like ours, but they all live in this community together.’ And he said, ‘You mean there’s a whole community of kids just like me?’” In his neighborhood, he was the single foster child.

AHF’s counseling and mental health services, which have long been available to AHF foster families and children, are now also available to many more Oklahomans. “We serve any family that has a state funded insurance, so any vulnerable family that needs access to high quality mental health, we are a solution for that, and we do not have a wait list,” she says.

Just shy of two-thirds of AHF’s budget comes from private sources. Some of those sources are of the usual ilk: grants, fundraising campaigns and so forth. Another, AHF’s annual Gumdrops & Lollipops gala, might seem like just another charity event, but like everything AHF does, it’s been amped up and optimized. Hundreds attend the candy-themed soiree, slated for Sept. 20 this year.

FOSTER CARE AND GENERAL CHILD WELL-BEING IN OKLAHOMA: BY THE NUMBERS

As of this writing, there are more than 5,800 children in Oklahoma’s foster care system. Depending on which source you look at, there are as many as 736 (Oklahoma Human Services) or as few as 450 (Oklahoma Senate) children who need foster families.

In May, there were 80 children who, in need of temporary emergency placement, spent the night in a DHS office or hotel because an adequate placement was not available.

The Oklahoma Pinnacle Plan, announced in July 2012, came out of a settlement agreement reached in a federal class-action lawsuit ( D.G. v. Yarbrough) challenging the state’s treatment of children in foster care. The system was faulted for allowing abuse of children in its care, placing children in overcrowded and understaffed emergency shelters and failing to provide secure and long-term placements, among other concerns.

Oklahoma is currently ranked 46th in overall child well-being, according to the 2025 Kids Count Data Book compiled by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Anna’s House Foundation is a faith-based organization whose mission is to provide immediate, stable and loving homes for Oklahoma’s children in state custody, offering a future of hope and faith to foster children and foster families by providing housing, support, training and resources in a Christian community setting.

Children need foster care when a judge determines it is no longer safe for them to remain with their caregivers, often their parents, for reasons including domestic violence, drug abuse, neglect, physical and sexual abuse or inadequate housing. While the child’s parents or caregivers work a court-ordered plan, children are temporarily placed in a foster care home. The goal of foster care is for children to reunite with their parents, though in certain cases adoption may occur.

Anna, for whom Anna’s House was named, was born in 2007 in the Oklahoma County Jail, with cocaine and heroin in her system, 10 weeks premature and clinically dead. Her tiny heart began to beat again, and she was placed on a ventilator at Children’s Hospital for the next six weeks. After a failed kinship placement, Anna returned to the hospital with a diagnosis of double pneumonia and failure to thrive. Though she wasn’t expected to live, Anna did, spending 70 nights at Children’s Hospital without visits from anyone other than her DHS worker.

The doctors feared that if Anna did not bond with a parent very soon, she would likely die. The Harkins family learned of her situation and, after spending many nights with her in the hospital, brought her home as her foster parents, eventually adopting her on Jan. 28, 2009.

Anna’s adopted parents, Beth and Greg, started the Anna’s House Foundation in her honor. •

Some things never change.

Chartered in 1917, First National Bank of Oklahoma recently celebrated our 108th anniversary. Although many things have changed in banking since 1917, some things have remained constant. Taking care of our customers with honesty and integrity is the basis for all we do. We will continue evaluating service enhancements with a goal of delivering all of the banking services you require, while remaining true to our banking roots.

Boom Times

Author Sam Anderson’s OKC connection reaches a Thunderous payoff

BY MICHAEL KINNEY

One of the initial people Sam Anderson talked to when he first traveled to Oklahoma City was Gary England. Anderson, a reporter for  The New York Times Magazine, had come to the state to write an article about the rise of the Oklahoma City Thunder after the team had made a surprising run to the 2012 NBA Finals. And he still wasn’t sure why so many people urged him to speak with the legendary meteorologist.

More than a decade after they first met, Anderson was back in Oklahoma City attending England’s celebration of life, which was held on June 20 of this year. England had passed away 10 days earlier, amid the hysteria of the Thunder taking on the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals.

While Anderson had been in and out of OKC covering the championship series, he made sure to be present at the funeral services—that’s the type of impression England had made on him. Their relationship was a microcosm of the connection Anderson made with Oklahoma City, as well. It was one that was unexpected and career-altering.

Instead of the kind of 2,000- or 3,000-word, long-form magazine article that Anderson was known for and fond of, he spent five years researching and penning the highly acclaimed book  Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City, Its Chaotic Founding, Its Apocalyptic Weather, Its Purloined Basketball Team, and the Dream of Becoming a World-class Metropolis

“I’d been waiting for a book. I always dreamed of writing a book that I could make just like I wanted it and be really proud of it,” says Anderson. “This was the subject that just grabbed me and made me do it. The whole thing felt charmed, and I felt, like, sucked in.”

Boom Town was released in 2018, and told about much more than just how the Thunder arrived in Oklahoma City and its band of young superstars. It’s a combination history lesson, sports docudrama and reality TV show put in book form.

“What I found is that OKC is one of the great weirdo cities of the world—it holds, compressed, the entire history of our nation,” Anderson wrote. “I tried to cram it all in: outlaws, sit-ins, tornadoes, Durant & Westbrook, The Flaming Lips, city planners gone wild, a capitalism propaganda museum, roadside trash, megachurches, grown men stoically weeping.”

Along with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Sam Presti, Anderson focused on England, the Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne, Stanley Draper, Clara Luper and the Oklahoma City Bombing, and these figures’ and events’ combined influence on the city.

The 448-page epic was named best book of the year by The New York Times Book Review,  NPR , Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, The Economist and Deadspin. Despite being born in Oregon and living most of his professional career in New York, Anderson had found something in Oklahoma, as  Boom Town became requisite reading for locals and out-of-staters.

Yet, when Anderson was first handed the assignment by his Times editor in 2012, neither of them knew what he would be writing about. “One day we were talking in his office and he said, ‘I want you to write a big, colorful cover story about something; what’s it going to be?’” Anderson recalls. “I said, ‘I don’t know.’ He then said, ‘Well, you’re a basketball fan, right?’ I said yeah, I had a stepdad who was this blue-collar Chicago guy who was crazy about sports, who got me into basketball and taught me how the game works. And I fell in love with it when I was a kid and had been a pickup player all my life. I love basketball. He said this team in Oklahoma City, they just lost in the Finals, but they shocked everyone by getting there. Fascinating personalities. But why does the city have a team?”

Anderson’s writer’s sense knew immediately there was a story to be told.

“He said, ‘Just go out there and see what you see and see what’s going on and write about the relationship between the city and the team and the personalities on the team, and take it whatever direction you want to take it,’” Anderson said.

After the Thunder lost to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat in the 2012 NBA Finals, it looked like the franchise was a dynasty in the making. With Durant, Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka, the core of the team had yet to even enter their prime. It seemed to be a given that they would win an NBA championship in the near future, if not the very next season.

At least, that is what Anderson thought.

“I remember there were all these lists. ESPN ranked the Thunder the number one franchise in all of sports,” Anderson recalls. “There are all these like future power rankings, and they were always number one. I remember talking to Sam Presti at the (OKC) Memorial back in 2012 and having this kind of a conversation and saying, ‘You’re like the envy of the league.’ And him saying, very cautiously, ‘You don’t know what’s going to happen. Everyone says we’ll be back five times to the Finals.’ Like, ‘You have injuries.’ He then listed all the things that versions of which did eventually happen.”

Along with critical injuries, Oklahoma City endured a crushing playoff loss to Golden State in 2016, Durant then surprising the league by signing as a free agent with the same Warriors team, Damian Lillard’s buzzer-beater to end the Thunder season in 2019 and Westbrook leaving two months later with no title to show for it.

Through it all, Anderson watched from afar. With  Boom Town on the shelves in bookstores around the country, he found himself keeping abreast of what was going on with the team and the city he had informally adopted.

He had no idea it would take 13 years for league MVP Shai GilgeousAlexander and a new cast of stars to put it all together and bring Oklahoma its first professional title. But this season, when the clock struck zero and the confetti dropped, Anderson watched their story and his come full circle from his media seat in the Paycom Center.

“What I found is that OKC is one of the great weirdo cities of the world — it holds, compressed, the entire history of our nation. I tried to cram it all in: outlaws, sit-ins, tornadoes, Durant & Westbrook, The Flaming Lips, city planners gone wild, a capitalism propaganda museum, roadside trash, megachurches, grown men stoically weeping.”

SAM ANDERSON

“So for me, this is without question, like the great magical experience of my writing career,” Anderson says. “I don’t think anything will ever approach it, which is a little sad. But also, I’m just endlessly proud of what I was there to see. And I’m proud of the book and the writing I did.”

Anderson is fully aware that he caught lightning in a bottle with  Boom Town. While he would love to pen another novel that reaches the same level of satisfaction, he is under no illusion that he will be put in a similar situation, with a similar cast of characters and the type of access he earned. For that one moment in time, it all seemed to come together for him.

“Media has changed so much, even since I first came out in 2012. People’s relationship to reading has changed so much since then, and it’s going to keep changing,” Anderson says. “I don’t know if that kind of book will exist anymore or if I’ll ever write another one. I don’t know. So, I have looked back many times and been like, ‘I’m so glad I did that when I did that.’ It came out the way it did, and I’m just really proud of it.”

Anderson went into this project as just a writer looking for a story. Looking back on the journey of Boom Town, he got much more than he could have ever imagined.

“I feel such affection for Oklahoma City and the bizarre history of that place and the people I’ve connected with,” Anderson said. “I find myself, like, really watching games with my son, who’s now about to turn 18. We’re watching games at home and he’s like, ‘God, you really are a Thunder fan now.’” •

Full Circle

The debut of the Gratz Guillotine in OKC

BY CARRIE KENNEALLY

Joseph Hubertus Pilates, the inventor of Pilates (though he called it Contrology; it was only after his death that it was named for him) who passed in 1967, famously said that he was 50 years ahead of his time. With how popular Pilates has become 58 years later, it is striking how accurate that statement is today.

Pilates built his own equipment, or apparatus. The best known, with which many people are familiar, is the Reformer or Universal Reformer. Second is perhaps what he called the Table or Trapeze Table; “the Cadillac” was a nickname coined for it by one of his clients, since the Table has so many wonderful exercises on it, and a Cadillac car was one of the nicest around during that time period.

“Full Circle” is the name of an exercise done on a piece of apparatus not so well-known, called the Guillotine. Pilates originally designed the Guillotine to fit into a railroad-style New York City apartment, which had a linear layout like a train car; basically, the Guillotine was installed floor-to-ceiling, with the springs attached while in use and put away when not in use.

Pilates’ protege, Romana Kryzanowska, was a ballet dancer training with George Balanchine in NYC before she met Pilates. She had an ankle injury, and Balanchine told her to see Pilates at his studio before returning to ballet class. It was the beginning of a fruitful and lasting relationship; she worked with and for Joseph and Clara Pilates for years, and after they passed, she inherited their NYC studio. Her dedication helped preserve the Pilates’ legacy: She traveled the world for six decades to educate the next generation of Pilates instructors. Kryzanowska’s daughter, Sari Mejia Santo, also had the opportunity of training directly with Joseph and Clara Pilates, and taught beside her mother for more than three decades. Daria Pace, owner of Romana’s Pilates International, is also Santo’s daughter, and joined her mother and grandmother in teaching the Pilates method.

I had the great fortune to be trained and certified at their NYC studio, and to teach there alongside all three generations for almost eight years. Some of the original equipment that Pilates built was in the studio and used every day, and some of the clients who came in for weekly Pilates sessions were originally taught by Joseph and/or Clara Pilates. This past April, I visited Sari and Daria at their studio, now located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They generously took the time for photos and questions for this article.

Despite its intimidating look and name, the Guillotine has a variety of exercises ideal for many clients. Sari and Daria said, “Romana always kept the Guillotine mats open, so that it didn’t look so intimidating. She wanted people to feel comfortable using it.” The Guillotine is ideal for taller clients who need more space than the Cadillac offers, and for someone with broad shoulders and less flexibility. Sari and Daria also told me that Romana preferred the “Tower” and “Monkey” exercises to be done on the Guillotine; she thought it was safer there than on the Cadillac. (The Tower exercise, not to be confused with a Tower unit.) And I remember Romana frequently said to everyone, teachers and clients alike, that Pilates could be described in five simple words: “stretch and strength, with control.”

The Guillotine is versatile and can be used in many ways: while lying down, standing on the floor, standing on the bar, for pull-ups or when hanging from the bar. And while there is a “front” and a “back” to it, it can be used on both sides. Not to be confused with the “SemiCircle” exercise done on the Reformer, the exercise “Full Circle” can fully go in both directions, arching and rounding the spine, on each side of the Guillotine. When using the bar of the Guillotine, the bar has to be level horizontally to ensure the person is as symmetrical as possible. That’s similar to the pedal/bar on the Foot Corrector, another of Pilates’ inventions and, from my understanding, the first piece of apparatus that he patented.

Of course, after inventing the apparatus, someone had to learn how to produce more examples of it. Quoting The Gratz Pilates website: “Gratz is the original manufacturer of the Pilates apparatus,” and “He invented it; we make it.” Its website also has an interesting article written by Roberta Gratz, whom I taught on a few occasions at the NYC studio. She writes that in 1965 her husband, Donald Gratz, “… explained that he had gone to the studio of the man who designed the apparatus, and that it was some new kind of exercise equipment. I don’t remember if he told me that the studio belonged to a man named Joe Pilates; it would have meant nothing to me at the time.” Then, in 1968, Kryzanowska asked Donald Gratz to replicate that apparatus, which began a new production line. To this day, Gratz Pilates continues to manufacture the apparatus that Pilates invented, and Romana’s Pilates International studios continue to use worldwide.

While being one of my favorite exercises on the Guillotine, the title of this article is meaningful on a personal level. With the addition of a Gratz Guillotine, all of the equipment that was in Romana’s NYC studio where I trained and taught for almost eight years, I now have in my Midtown OKC Pilates studio, bringing it “full circle” for me. •

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Revealing Light

The poetic photography of Yousef Khanfar

STORY BY GREG HORTON PHOTOGRAPHY BY YOUSEF KHANFAR

Yousef Khanfar is one of the world’s most elusive photographers. That’s an odd thing to say considering one of his home bases is in Oklahoma, but he spends so much time traveling, exploring, writing and setting up shots that finding free time to talk with him is a challenge. When you do finally find him in OKC, there is a high probability that he will be lunching at La Baguette Bistro or The Metro Bistro. In those booths, we’ve had a handful of conversations about Dubai, incarcerated women, photographing Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, writing, digital and analog technology, film vs. digital photography, Palestine, politics, Rumi — not the love poem version sold in paperbacks on bookstore tables, but the Sufist Rumi who weaves theology into his poetry in The Masnavi — and how one of the world’s great photographers finds himself in the Sooner State.

“At the U.S. Supreme Court, I asked Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, first female Justice, to open the curtains as a metaphor for opening the door to the many women justices who would follow in her footsteps.”

The Kuwait-born Palestinian American came to the U.S. alone with no English. He stopped in New York, which was entirely too cold for the desert kid, and so he came to Oklahoma to visit his cousins. And that is how this city, which was then not even close to the city we are today, landed the photographer who wrote In Search of Peace, a book selected by the Fulbright Center for Peace in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the Global Symposium of Peaceful Nations. He wasn’t that Yousef Khanfar then, but he’d already fallen in love with the world and its beauty.

“I was 6 years old when an American friend of my father brought a book of photographs of the United States,” Khanfar says. “At that time, the only world I knew was desert — sand, dunes, heat — and here was this place of breathtaking beauty: lush forests, flowing rivers, and I finally saw the third dimension of our world — mountains.”

The experience shaped him in ways he can still wax poetic about, and it really was the beginning of the photography passion that would shape his professional life.

“In my landscape photography, I explore the sacred relationship between humanity and the natural world,” he says. “I hope my images reflect the awe and fragility of the Earth, portraying natural beauty not simply as scenery, but as a living extension of ourselves.”

On photographing high-profile individuals, Khanfar reflects, “People are like icebergs; what’s visible is the top third. But I’m drawn to the hidden two-thirds beneath the surface: their upbringing, their joys and hardships, and what motivates them. In every portrait, I try to reveal the essence that lies beneath.

“In my book Invisible Eve, I chose not to see the incarcerated women as inmates, but as human beings with stories to tell. I wanted to restore their dignity, to humanize them and to give them a voice. I took their portraits against a seamless white background, for I wanted them to leap out of the image, leap out of whiteness.”

In these pages, Khanfar has allowed us to share some of his neverbefore-published digital images, the juxtaposition of which showcases his brilliant eye, diverse subject matter and commitment to revealing the world in all its beauty and complexity.

ABOVE:

“Mention New York and a skyline comes to mind, half glass and half ambition, half fashion and half art.”

RIGHT:

“In India, a Sadhu is a holy person who has renounced worldly life in pursuit of spiritual liberation. They cover their bodies with gray ash—a reminder of where we all return: dust to dust.”

LEFT:

“Bridge of time; one holds a world in her phone, the other holds a world in her memory.”

BELOW:

“Dome of the Rock, inlaid with precious stones and gold, rests upon four columns, symbolizing four seasons. Between each pair of columns, three arches, total 12, reflecting 12 months of the year. Surrounding it, 52 windows mark the 52 weeks of the year. The most charming building I have ever seen.”

“Holy men perform the mesmerizing Ganga Aarti in Varanasi, India; an evening ritual of light and devotion offered to the holy river, uniting earth and spirit.”

“At the heart of the images, Light writes and speaks. It dances across landscapes and with living souls. And every detail seems to echo a sacred truth: that the human soul, like the light, is drawn upward, not merely to escape, but to remember its roots, to reach for what is timeless and to dissolve into the silence where eternity begins.”

YOUSEF KHANFAR

To create great photography about a subject, Khanfar believes: “To capture the furious lion, you need a strong steel net. To catch the delicate butterfly, you need a fine silk net. But to capture the soul of the image, you must become the net. One must deepen rather than widen. Then, one stops creating art and starts releasing it. Just like the energy of an electric company, your passion for the subject has already been harvested and stored within you. And when the moment is right, simply flip the switch and let the light flow — illuminating the darkness.”

On photography equipment, Khanfar says, “The best equipment is your eyes. Train them to photograph with beauty what they see with the truth.”

As for the best light to photograph, he shares: “I photograph first light at dove, and last light before raven, and I never touch noon.” •

View more by Yousef Khanfar at YousefKhanfar.com and follow him on Instagram at @yousef.khanfar.

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A Starring Role in the Future of Film

deadCenter’s new Executive Director Amy Janes knows it’s Oklahoma’s turn

STORY BY ALEXANDRA BOHANNON PHOTOGRAPHY BY DASphoto

Just halfway through 2025, Oklahoma’s already had a big year. First, Oklahoma City was officially announced as a satellite Olympic site for canoe slalom and softball for LA28. Then, of course, the Thunder finally brought the trophy home.

The energy in the state is palpable, infectious, electric—and not just in the world of sports. Film producer and creative powerhouse Amy Janes, named deadCenter Film Festival’s newest Executive Director during the 25th annual festival in June, knows Oklahoma’s renaissance is just getting started.

“I am beyond excited. I mean, my skin is crawling. I am so excited about what’s happening here,” remarks Janes, wearing this year’s limited edition yellow deadCenter tee. Her enthusiasm is wellwarranted: Attendance at the 2025 fest is up significantly for both day- and night-time programming and film viewership.

The success of the latest deadCenter installment is just a microcosm of what Janes, a 30-year vet of the film industry, sees as all the signs of an independent film revolution. And she believes Oklahoma is charging ahead to take center stage.

“I mean, you’ve seen it,” says Janes. “It’s our turn. It’s 100% our turn.”

BIG BETS

Early in her life, filmmaking grabbed Janes and never let go. After facing financial turmoil and failing out of three different college majors, she decided to bet on herself; changing her major to film studies and transferring to the University of Colorado at Boulder. After college, Janes worked at a small production studio editing documentaries for PBS, which eventually led her to pursue and receive her MFA in the Producer’s Program at UCLA.

Her two decades in Los Angeles were storied—she served as vice president of film production at Paramount-based Parkchester Pictures, consulted on major documentaries and founded her own media agency, Fanology, which developed groundbreaking work for “Pretty Little Liars” and Toyota’s Olympic campaigns.

Despite her overwhelming success, there was one problem: Janes loathed L.A.

“I made websites sitting on my back porch in L.A., crying because I f***ing hated L.A., trying to dream about how we could have our own studio and be able to support people,” says Janes.

So, making another life-changing big bet, she and her family— within three months of visiting Oklahoma for the first time—packed up their lives and moved to the state in 2018. Quickly, Janes got to work in investing in her new film community and eventually cofounding the Filmmaker’s Ranch, Oklahoma’s first Hollywood-grade soundstage. Another pastime during her time here so far? Relocating L.A. filmmakers and artists.

“Collectively, my husband and I, in the seven years we’ve been here, probably moved 35 people out of L.A., families and individuals. We don’t have to say anything; they just come, and they recognize what’s possible,” says Janes.

The switch isn’t a hard sell. Among many factors, filmmakers and crew are flocking from L.A. due to the inability to get regular work there, with the cyclical boom and bust of the studio system to blame.

FILM SCHOOL

Rewind to the 1970s. The bottom has fallen out of the studio system in Hollywood; executives are left scratching their heads at the taste of the average American moviegoer; film’s Classical Age is officially over. Due to the lack of studio backing, independent filmmakers (some of whom eventually became part of the New Hollywood movement) are cultivating their voices, making waves and becoming the auteurs now studied in film school classrooms.

Fast forward to the 1990s. Janes was at the start of her career, and the independent voice at film festivals across the country was strong. In this time period, an indie film with a prominent festival play could potentially entertain widespread distribution. For instance, Kevin Smith’s cult classic Clerks famously played Sundance and was picked up by Miramax for a theatrical run.

But this era didn’t last.

“If you study the history of film, we are a very cyclical industry. So it goes from studios to independent, independent to studios,” says Janes. “So what happened during the last era of studio control, most of our film festivals had to change their models to stay alive.”

Janes explains that festivals like Sundance had to shift their model by premiering films that already had big budgets, secured distribution and massive stars, just to keep themselves financially solvent. A far cry from premiering a film like Clerks, which was shot for $27K and had no big names attached.

“We are coming out of the most—how do I say it nicely?—we’re coming out of a very strong studio era. That has really taken a toll on a lot of smaller and independent filmmakers, because there is really no distribution for them,” says Janes. “We were looking at all the little streamers, who would be picking up those films. Well, that era has also gone.

“So we are now moving back to what I believe will very seriously be the 1970s era of filmmaking. Some of the best, most incredible voices will be coming out of independent filmmaking, and the studios won’t have the cash to fund their own $200 million [film], so they’ll be looking back to the markets, which are the film festivals.”

It’s Janes’ thesis that deadCenter can become the next steward of indie filmmaking, becoming a prime market for film distributors—a movement she is uniquely positioned to shepherd.

Tapping her decades of industry know-how and a contact list of extensive connections, Janes has a vision of what she wants deadCenter to be; think Sundance, with Keri Putnam (serendipitously Janes’ mentor) at the helm. Could the next Clerks be sold due to screening at deadCenter?

“If we can become a strong business, we have an opportunity to not only re-label how people view Oklahoma through a more artistic and independent voice, but also we have an opportunity to get our filmmakers sold, get our filmmakers seen and have the world look to Oklahoma,” says Janes.

‘ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE’

Since the festival was founded in 2000 by brothers Justan and Jayson Floyd, each executive director has made their unique mark on the festival. Former deadCenter Executive Director Cacky Poarch and deadCenter co-founder Justan Floyd, along with Melissa Scaramucci, Brian Hearn and Geoffrey L. Smith, relocated the festival to downtown OKC, where it has been held annually for most of the past two decades. Every year, each executive director and festival team worked tirelessly to get the screened films, many from Oklahoma, their due.

Janes says that deadCenter has been repeatedly told the festival leadership has cultivated “the best volunteers” and hopes to build on that base as the festival grows, especially into LA28, when deadCenter will participate in the cultural Olympiad. Even outside the annual festival and the upcoming Olympics, Janes wants there to be yearround opportunities to get involved and experience film in a way that’s uniquely Oklahoman.

“The vision is to really keep building on the platform that all of the EDs before me have [built],” says Janes. “Again, I’ve only been here seven years, and I know the amount of work that people have put into making the city phenomenal, to making Tulsa phenomenal. So I can’t take any credit for that.”

Before she moved to the state, Janes shared a moment with a former deadCenter executive director that changed the trajectory of her life for good.

“Lance McDaniel was the very, very first person I met. And he looked at me and I said, ‘Why are you here?’ like this beautiful, vibrant man, like he could be anywhere in the world,” remembers Janes. “He looked at me and he goes, ‘Amy, anything’s possible in this city.’”

Now we’re in the process of seeing just how right they are. •

Anywhere You Want It, That’s Where You Need It

Director and star of feature film Anywhere on the magic of shooting in Oklahoma

BY ALEXANDRA BOHANNON

Wisconsin-based director Adam Seidel could have shot his award-winning feature film Anywhere, well, anywhere. But after conversations with Oklahoma-based film producers Nicholas Clement, Kyle Kauwika Harris and Jacob Ryan Snovel, he knew our state was the right place for the film.

And even before he knew the film would be set in Oklahoma and shot in Lincoln County, he couldn’t think of anyone else but L.A.-based and Oklahoma-native actress Hayley McFarland playing the top-billed lead. McFarland is known for her roles in “Sons of Anarchy,” The Conjuring and “Lie to Me,” but Seidel encountered her work for the first time through Okie auteur Mickey Reece’s 2021 nunsploitation film Agnes and Harris’ 2022 film Out of Exile.

“I talked to Kyle and Jacob about ‘Would you like to do this on a micro budget level in Oklahoma?’ Instantly, I was like, ‘Well, it’s gotta be Hayley. It’s gotta be.’ And that was it,” says Seidel.

McFarland feels like she’s finally broken out of the box of “child actor” roles after being cast as Agnes in Reece’s film. After Agnes, she was ready for a role like Syd in Anywhere.

“The experience of filming it, the creative union of all of us, the collaboration of it cracked me open in a way. I’m changed because of it,” says McFarland regarding her time shooting Anywhere, which played at the deadCenter Film Festival this June.

SHOOT TO THRILL

Anywhere, Seidel’s directorial debut after years as a playwright, had its start as a play. Seidel’s roots as a playwright come through strongly on the screen, with sometimes intentionally stage-like blocking and many fixed camera placements.

Originally titled California , this neo-noir, black comedy, early Coen-esque thriller explores what happens to a marriage in a desolate, small town when two opposing wills collide. John (Joshua Burge), a roughneck described by townies as a “drip,” and the ambitious-at-anycost Syd (McFarland) have very different ideas of what they want out of life. Syd wants to get out, to California or “anywhere” else, using whatever means possible.

“John is, I guess, the main character, but he’s not really the main character. He’s like the lens,” says Seidel. “John is, in many ways, like Syd. He’s someone who wants to feel fulfilled. So he’s sort of on this journey where he’s trying to achieve that, but he’s a very passive person, you know? He doesn’t make a lot of decisions. He doesn’t make any decisions, really, without being goaded.”

Due to the dynamic opposition of these two characters, Syd quickly triggers an out-of-control cascade of events that culminates [spoilers] in a grisly fate for many of the film’s characters.

“It was so wildly different from any role I have been considered for,” explains McFarland, who describes her process for preparing her performance using physical acting techniques. “Sometimes I can get so in my head. I will just get disconnected from my body. And this really helped me fully embody this person that is just so vastly different from me.”

There were three entry points for McFarland to step into Syd: using physical acting techniques; conducting sociological analysis of how women in such an insular, suffocating small town would likely be treated; and incorporating analysis of how that would affect her character’s psyche and behavior. That work was critical, considering that toward the end of the film, Syd perpetrates an act of sexual violence toward awkward-creepy landlord Wade (Sean Gunn), filmed in one long shot. The prospect of that scene was intimidating to McFarland, who worked closely with intimacy coordinator Kaylene Snarsky.

“It’s such a cathartic moment. And the big scene that’s the seduction lead-up, it was the thing I was the most terrified of doing the whole time. Just because it’s so intense. ‘Can I pull this off?’” recalls McFarland, whose fears were unwarranted; she only needed one take to nail the performance Seidel sought.

Overall, Seidel explains that while the film didn’t turn out as he originally pictured in his mind, “it turned out better.”

“That in itself was worth being a director,” says Seidel. “And then getting to work with Hayley, who I think is the finest actor I’ve ever worked with. A consummate professional. That was just a tremendous honor that I’ll have the rest of my life.”

TEAM WORK

As a first-time director, Seidel faced a steep learning curve on set. For example, due to changes in hair length and style, Burge and McFarland’s final climactic moment on screen was one of the first days Seidel was in the director’s chair. The scene was fairly complex, especially as a fledgling director.

“That was my first ‘real’ day as a director. I had to look at the monitor and had to call like six different cues,” recalls Seidel, who noted the complexity of the scene, cuing actors and multiple Steadicam movements, all while still trying to be present and watch the monitor. And, as a stressful bonus, the golden hour was quickly fading.

“The entire crew is over there watching and we’re losing the sun. So it’s like, ‘Aah, we got four minutes,’” says Seidel. “That was insane. That was like, ‘Oh, so that’s what it’s like to be a director.’”

But an experienced, largely Okie crew made all the difference. On one of the few overnight shoots, Seidel noted that McFarland and the entire crew were “hitting mental roadblocks” around 3 a.m.

“The setups were melting our brains,” says Seidel, who explained they originally had at least three camera and lighting setups for this physically demanding sequence. Brainstorming with the cast and crew, they decided that director of photography Adam J. Minnick should opt for a handheld approach for the sequence.

“We just came together as a group, and we executed that, and it was a really uplifting moment for everyone. And I think that comes across in the scene,” says Seidel.

NO PLACE LIKE OKLAHOMA

Anywhere played at deadCenter Film Festival twice, where it took home the Best Oklahoma Feature Award and Minnick snagged the Special Jury Prize for Cinematography, before heading back on the festival circuit.

But as much as the cast and crew enjoyed their time with Anywhere, both McFarland and Seidel have already moved on to future projects. McFarland, a 2025 deadCenter Oklahoma Film ICON honoree, stars in American Comic, a mockumentary about the lives of stand-up comedians, which is currently playing at festivals nationwide. Seidel wrote the screenplay for Original Sound, a feature currently in post-production that stars Laura Marano, Eric Stoltz and David Lambert.

Even though McFarland and Seidel don’t have any upcoming projects shooting in Oklahoma (yet), they know they’ll be back. Seidel noted that if he didn’t have young kids, he’d be moving to the state from Wisconsin in a heartbeat.

“The community here is just like nothing you can find in L.A.,” says McFarland. “It really feels like coming home anytime I do something here. All the movies that I have seen since I’ve been here are so good; they just have this spirit and this fire that is so invigorating. I’m just happy to be a part of it.” •

Learn more about the feature film Anywhere by following the movie on Instagram @anywhere_film. Follow Adam Seidel and Hayley McFarland on Instagram at @ad_m_sei and @hayleymcfarland.

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Distant, Never Disconnected

Out-of-state success stories reflect on their Oklahoma ties

BY MEGAN SHEPHERD

Oklahoma has been a launch pad for talent for decades, and for good reason. There seems to be something in the state’s red dirt that both conjures and conducts the raw materials for greatness: resilience, ingenuity and the kind of warmth that comes from a community that lifts up its own.

If the yet-to-open OKPOP museum reminds us of one good thing, it’s the unsung but steady drumbeat of talented Oklahomans who’ve departed to create waves in other cities. From Kristin Chenoweth to Bill Hader and Sterlin Harjo, Oklahoma has seen some of its biggest talents strike out to claim their stake. And yet, many who leave feel a strong pull back—either to live, produce projects or draw creative inspiration. What do we make of that inclination to return?

There’s something ineffable about Oklahoma, and to understand it is to reconcile tensions. It’s a place that is at once chronically overlooked and yet impossibly full of life; a young state built on bootstrapped reinvention, stolen land and grave atrocity that holds stories older than we can name. To be from here is to inherit a set of qualities that can’t be manufactured: humility, curiosity, the instinct to create something out of nothing and the arrogance to believe that you can. And perhaps most importantly, an imperative to reckon with complexity without rushing to resolve it.

The “Okie spirit,” it seems, is magnetic, keeping people tethered long after they leave to thrive beyond its borders. But what does it mean to be from a place that is constantly trying to reinvent itself? What happens when the reinvention doesn’t match the picture you’d imagined? And why, no matter how far we roam, do so many of us feel the alluring pull of open pastures calling us home?

Some questions don’t have easy answers, but in the year of our OKC Thunder National Champions 2025, Okie excellence is enduring and visible, and that alone is worth a conversation. We asked a few Oklahomans who’ve set out to build their creative practice in other cities how they feel about their home state now; how that connection drives their work; and if they ever feel the pull back. Here’s what they had to say.

KAITLIN

BUTTS

Singer-Songwriter and Country Music Artist Raised in Tulsa, Lives in Nashville

How’d you get your start?

“I started out in musical theater, taking voice lessons, ballet, tap and jazz at Theater Arts in Broken Arrow, and was placed in spaces where I could really use my voice. Later, I went to ACM at UCO in Oklahoma City to study music business and started playing shows. When it came time to decide whether to pursue a BA or keep going with it, Chris Hicks—Reba McEntire’s former guitarist—told me, ‘You’re ready to get out there and learn, and you’ll learn more on the road than you will here.’ It helped me take the leap.”

How does being an Oklahoman show up in your work?

“It’s impossible to separate from my music, even intentionally. I feel so severely connected to it. And I don’t even realize how woven it is into my style until I’m around a bluegrass, folk or mainstream artist. I feel like I’m in this middle space that doesn’t really have a category, and that’s what Okie music sounds like to me. It’s just a part of me. I can tell if someone has blown up in that Red Dirt scene. There’s an unpolished-ness to it that I really love.”

How would you describe the core spirit of Oklahoma?

“No frills, in the best way. Authentic. Unlike anything else. When I see something that’s ‘Okie as hell,’ I just know it.

What are some of your proudest accomplishments?

“My new record Roadrunner is one of the proudest achievements of my career. I don’t know what I’m gonna do next, but it’ll feel so small compared to trying to recreate something as big as Oklahoma! in an album. I really wanted it to feel parallel to Rodgers & Hammerstein and the motion picture.

“I’m also so proud of the stages I’ve played on: The Boys of Oklahoma, Jamie Wilson, touring with Sierra Ferrell. Being part of the Opry NextStage 2025 and CMT’s Next Women of Country Class of 2025 has also been incredible.

“It feels like I’ve kind of been outside this circle for a while … but being 100% authentic, leaning into musical theater and my love for country music—it’s only solidified that being my most authentic self is the only way to go.”

CALEB GAYLE

Author, Professor and Writer for The New York Times Magazine

Raised in Tulsa, Lives in Boston

Oklahoma is central to your recent work. Why did you choose to center it creatively?

“Growing up, the goal was to get away from Oklahoma and forget about it. But the reality is that there’s so much about America that I didn’t understand until I returned to the story of Oklahoma. And I think it can help us understand who we are collectively as a country.

“As a writer and historian, the goal is always to help mine that for a reader. Speaking in true market dynamics, it’s fun to give a reader something they otherwise wouldn’t have. There are over 16,000 books about Abraham Lincoln in print currently. But stories like Edward McCabe’s [featured in Gayle’s forthcoming book, Black Moses] are rarely told. So zigging while others zag keeps me more engaged, and helps me understand myself a bit more.

“I also didn’t realize how attracted to ambition I was. The throughline to most of my work is not perfect people living middling lives, but imperfect people trying to live lives greater than they thought possible … I find resonance in subjects that narrate this story with me.”

Do you feel pride about being from Oklahoma?

“There’s just no question that it’s a special place, and there’s a reason why of all the places I’m going to go for this book tour, we’re starting in Oklahoma. It’s not just to see my parents and eat their food, but also because I love the place. And for better and for worse, it raised me.

“I think I have this pride of being part of ‘flyover country’—in part because the term also pisses me off. If I tell someone I’m from Tulsa, there are one or two (probably wildly incorrect) images that probably come to mind, that have nothing to do with our experience of growing up there. Admittedly, being from Oklahoma makes me a far more interesting person than a lot of the people I meet here.”

Do you recognize a sense of pride in other Oklahomans you meet on the coast?

“I think there is this feeling, not that we ‘made it out’ —that’s not the testimony we share; it’s more so like that Paul Rudd video on ‘Hot Ones’ where he’s like, ‘Look at us.’ We know what it is to be from the same place … the proximity of our experience develops a certain level of kinship.”

Is there something in Oklahoma’s spirit that makes its people great elsewhere? Or do you have to leave to find greatness?

“I think we are told over and over again that we need to leave in order to achieve something great, which is really sad, and either a reflection of the institution, universities, jobs or what the outlook might be in a place in Oklahoma. We’re preached to that Oklahoma is not a place where you can grow and develop, that you’ve got to leave to achieve anything. And I don’t subscribe to that. I don’t think I needed to leave and go back to be something meaningful.”

BRYAN BAUER

Production Stage Manager, Oh, Mary! (Tony Award-winning Broadway play)

Raised in OKC, Lives in New York City

Describe your current work, and your path to it.

“I’m the production stage manager for Oh, Mary! on Broadway, which means I’m tasked with maintaining the artistic integrity of a show each night.

“Before Oh, Mary! , I was managing a touring production, but I didn’t love life on the road. I got a call from a producer about a new downtown show—something ‘gay, stupid and fun,’ as he described it. I was in. The whole idea with Oh, Mary! was that it was just going to be a fun gay romp, an eight-week run at a 200-seat theatre in the West Village. But it ended up being an overnight hit, and now it’s the longest running play on Broadway in the past 10 years.”

Did you always dream of doing this?

“Yes and no. I went to Oklahoma City University on a business scholarship, but realized I needed to pursue the arts, and added a BFA in theatre. I never clocked that this was something feasible. We don’t have super strong examples of people making a living on theatre in Oklahoma, but I interned in NYC my sophomore year, and I realized that this was a real thing.

“From then on, I became laser-focused. Once I decided I wanted to be a Broadway stage manager, I didn’t stop. Being able to do it at 30—I don’t take that lightly.”

How did you feel about Oklahoma when you left, and how do you feel about it now?

“I have a deep admiration for Oklahoma. I feel like when you tell people here you’re from there, they give you an, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry.’ But I don’t feel shortchanged by my experience at all. I grew up feeling part of a community, and I miss that feeling. I loved having a presence in OKC, where it kind of felt like everyone was your friend. It’s classic ‘small fish, big pond’ in New York.”

How does being an Oklahoman show up in your work today?

“Tangibly, I learned how to be a stage manager and grew up under the guidance of stage managers in Oklahoma, and owe that to them. But my job also requires an endless amount of holding people’s emotions. And I think Oklahomans are really good about seeing the humanity in people. It’s deeper than ‘being friendly’—I think we look for the heart, and I try to bring that into my style every day.”

Do you recognize that Oklahoma “magnetism” in yourself, or Okies you meet in NYC?

“I do. A lot of my closest friends in New York are from Oklahoma, even though we didn’t know each other back home. There’s a shared pride there, partly because people often have such a limited view of Oklahoma. We want to show that Oklahoma is fun, vibrant, full of incredible food and culture. We’re inclined to push against it.”

JOSH CRUTCHMER

Author, Planning Editor at The New York Times, Freelance Writer for Rolling Stone

Raised in Okmulgee, Lives in New York City

Describe your current work, and your path to it.

“I’m a planning editor at The New York Times, and a freelance writer for Rolling Stone, No Depression and other outlets. I’ve also written books, and all those last things are somehow tied to Red Dirt music. It’s funny—I consider myself the journalist of record for that genre, and here I am living and working in New York. But most of what I write about is happening in my home state.”

Why is being an Oklahoman so central to your creative work?

“I fell in love with Red Dirt while living in Oklahoma and it gave me something to relate to. And I feel a responsibility as a journalist to help tell that story because I’m very familiar with it.

“My colleagues are always asking me about the music I’m covering. Ken Pomeroy played in New York recently and my email blew up. The most common reaction is, ‘What’s in the water in Oklahoma?’ I try to explain to them that Red Dirt music has its roots in Woody Guthrie, and has been around for half a century, that these singers were always there.”

Do you recognize that Oklahoma magnestism, or state pride, in yourself?

“Absolutely; it’s home and familiar. I think there’s also that sense of being overlooked—you can call it state pride, but it certainly resonates for me. I don’t pay lip service to being from Oklahoma; I think it’s really cool that a public school kid that went to a public university in Oklahoma is so heavily involved in the editorial decisions of The New York Times’ front page—a place that most critics associate with really high-end universities. I wear that as a badge of honor in and of itself.”

Do you think there’s something about being raised here that trains people to be great in other places?

“There’s something inherent in growing up or being educated there, and interacting with the people you interact with, that prepares you to experience the rest of the world. If you can get past the idea that there’s any reason not to do that, it’s wonderful and freeing.”

Would you ever move back?

“I feel that pull, but also have this growing realization that I’m never going to get to move back. In [my book] Red Dirt Unplugged , there was a lot of soul searching, and I wondered if it’d end with me moving back home. Not only did that not happen, it’s also okay to stop dreaming that it will. I’ll probably have to love Oklahoma from afar.”

How do you reconcile that?

“I think if my relationship with Oklahoma were to be taken to its extreme, it could be described as tragic. Everything I am—the curiosity instilled in me as a person and as a journalist—it all comes from Oklahoma.

“But the ties of where you’re from, they don’t leave when you leave the state. I spoke about that when I gave the commencement address for OSU (where I still have season tickets), and it was one of the highlights of my life. There’s always a way to get back to them.” •

Ready, Set, Bake!

Meet the face of new Classen Curve cakery SusieCakes

BY CHRISTINE EDDINGTON

One of the newest shops in Oklahoma City’s Classen Curve, SusieCakes has arrived in a flurry of confectioner’s sugar—and not a moment too soon. When is the last time you had a fat slice of grandma-grade six-layer cake? Not a big-box layer cake and not a grocery store layer cake; simple, scratch-made, diabolically delicious, fresh-baked cake? Whatever your timeframe, it’s been too long, and Susan Sarich just made it easier to get your cake on.

The idea for SusieCakes came to Sarich suddenly in San Francisco. She and her sweetie, Houston Striggow, were having dinner and when it came time to hear about the evening’s dessert offerings, Sarich remembers hearing a blur of words like peppercorn, gelato and basil. She felt something inside her crack. “I was thinking over-complicated desserts with sugar cages and smoke were not okay, especially given everyone just wanted a piece of chocolate cake!” California, she determined, was definitely dealing with a dessert deficit and, armed with her grandmothers’ recipe tins, she set out to fix it.

On the northwest side of Chicago, in the middle of the 20th century, Mildred and Madeline lived across the alley from each other. Theirs was a quintessential Chicago neighborhood of its era: heavily Catholic and filled mostly with Polish and Italian families. The women were both lifelong homemakers and brilliant bakers. They were also Sarich’s grandmothers, who sat her down with great slabs of cake each day after school. Unbeknownst to them, they’d also created recipes which would launch Sarich’s wildly successful business on hundreds of 3 x 5 index cards kept in little tin boxes. We can all picture those yellowed cards: dotted with butter stains, bent corners, careful script in fading pencil.

“For me, it was like this full circle moment … my grandmothers — who were homemakers from humble backgrounds — taught me lessons as a girl that have never left me. They told me I could do anything I wanted in this country if I simply worked hard and was nice to people,” Sarich says.

SusieCakes is premised on that memory of grandmothers, the Sunday dinner makers and caregivers who told us we could be anything. As for Madeline and Mildred, Sarich loves honoring them and wonders how they would feel to know that their recipes are at the heart of a $55 million company.

The road to SusieCakes wasn’t always easy. After college, Sarich began her career in hospitality in Chicago, working for a series of prestigious companies: Hyatt Hotels Corporation; Lettuce Entertain You, a company with 60+ restaurants; and a five-diamond, five-star French restaurant. It was there that Sarich encountered a gaggle of male French chefs who pretended not to speak English, to better ignore the “woman in the kitchen,” she says. “We had an 800-bottle wine list. I learned fine dining.” She describes this job as a “juncture in her journey.” It was quite a contrast, as her previous job was working for House of Blues — a fun gig for a while, but in the end “it was too much sex, drugs and rock’n’roll for me.”

Her next stop was Portland, Oregon, where she and Striggow, also a career restaurateur, opened a bistro in June of 2001. They’d taken over a well-known spot, and it was initially a smashing success. “The first three months we were open, we were the hottest thing in town; but once 9/11 hit, the business literally halted.” The terror attack slowed the economy and rattled consumer confidence for months afterward, and Sarich’s restaurant limped along until the couple finally sold it at a loss.

SusieCakes is another Sarich-Striggow collab. The latter now serves as the company’s chief development officer, while the former is its CEO. There are 30 SusieCakes cakeries throughout California, Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee. The company employs some 500+ people, 85% of whom are women. The company also pays all employees a living wage, often upward of $20 an hour. “I loved my hospitality career and wouldn’t change a thing; but I worked tirelessly and wanted to create a business where women could have progressive careers in food service without having to work 24/7. When I realized that many intelligent, driven women leave [the industry] around the age of 30, it further fueled my passion to create SusieCakes, ” she says.

Like most businesses, SusieCakes was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. “I can’t overemphasize how horrible COVID was. We had to immediately close 20+ bakeries in California, one of the most restrictive states, and had zero revenue coming in.” She made the gutwrenching decision to lay off the majority of her staff, keeping on a tiny crew which she dispatched to the stores in pairs, where they baked and sold two types of cake and chocolate chip cookies.

To make matters worse, Sarich herself couldn’t be in the stores to help. “I was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer during COVID but thought it would be bad for my team’s morale, so I hid it from everyone — even to point of letting them think I was breaking rules

and going to the salon for great hair, when I really was in a wig.” She beat it, twice, and now jokes about how great her “hair,” which was secretly a wig, looked in Zoom meetings.

Today, with all of that in the rearview mirror, Sarich and the entire team are hyper-focused on steady growth while maintaining SusieCakes’ legendary top-tier customer service, something baked into the company’s culture. “Whether a guest spends $4 on a cookie or $400 on a wedding cake, all guests are equally important,” she says. “They are the ones keeping us in business, so I overemphasize the importance of making each guest feeling valued and special.” •

MADE SIMPLE

If you want a healthy breakfast in Oklahoma City, we understand that convenience is important to maintain healthy daily habits. Our goal is to provide a quick, consistent, delicious product that is nutrient-packed and easy to consume on the go. Order ahead on our app to have your order ready to grab at our pickup counter/freezer or use UberEats for delivery!

To Le Gala and Beyond!

The OKC streetwear store at the center of the fashion universe

BY ANDREA SCHULTZ PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF LE GALA

Le Gala, formerly known as The Laboratory, owes its reputation to being the first sneaker and streetwear consignment shop located in OKC’s Midtown, and has been Oklahoma’s leading destination for sneakerheads and fashion enthusiasts alike since 2016. On June 7, the transition to Le Gala was made official under new ownership—the grand re-opening ushered in with raffles for Pop Mart Labubu’s The Monsters and gift card giveaways, free taro milk tea and butterfly lemonade with branded Le Gala to-go cups, exclusive merch, live screen printing and a DJ set by local favorite Kora Waves. With a line of eager customers extending along NW 11th Street from the time the doors opened, the traffic (and excitement) remained steady the entire day— and considering that it was a rainy Saturday morning in Oklahoma City, it was a good sign that the momentum won’t be slowing down anytime soon.

New owner Jack Dao was one of the key suppliers responsible for bringing in much of the exclusive and fashion-forward merchandise for “The Lab” over the past few years. Born and raised in Hanoi, Vietnam, Dao moved to Oklahoma in 2013 to attend the University of Central Oklahoma. An opportunity to attend high school in Seattle initially brought Dao to the United States, thanks to an Action Student program he was accepted into as a teenager. When it came time to seek colleges, he had his sights set on a university in Maryland, but credited one particular conversation with his dad that encouraged his decision to choose Oklahoma instead.

“I actually got a better scholarship offer in Maryland, but my dad worked for the Ministry of Education in Vietnam,” he says. “The country had sent him to UCO in 2011 to do a 10-month study in Oklahoma. When it was time for me to go to college, UCO also offered me a scholarship and my dad told me, ‘Just test it out in Oklahoma. You’ll like it.’ So I picked Oklahoma and majored in mechanical engineering, because UCO has a very good engineering program, and I’m now still here.”

Dao began to make new friendships and connections in the streetwear community after moving to Oklahoma City. “I never moved back to Vietnam, but I go back to Vietnam often,” he says. “There was a time after I graduated that had me thinking that I really wanted to go back, so I went home for three months. But my dad keep telling me to ‘Just go, do something on your own, and you can always come back home later.’ In Oklahoma, everything was not so expensive and had easy living conditions.”

Being so close to China and parts of east Asia where the majority of global fashion production takes place, Vietnam has naturally become a hub where the fashion industry thrives. For example, a childhood friend of Dao manufactures clothing for many activewear brands including household labels like Calvin Klein and DKNY. Dao’s connections like this to Vietnamese brands and manufacturers have given Le Gala the ability to design and create unique merchandise for the store. He wants its pieces to look and feel like the kind of clothing that you want to be a part of your everyday wardrobe, versus typical “merch” that generally consists of graphic logo tees normally found at consignment sneaker stores. “I also want to bring a lot more Vietnamese brands to the U.S. I want people to know that, hey, Vietnam can create incredible things; we can really produce anything, just like China.”

Dao’s multicultural upbringing is reflected in his approach to bridging his two worlds through fashion. “I love history and the stories behind different cultures, because I learned Vietnamese history, then I came here and I learned about U.S. history. Even though I learned about the same topic, everyone had different angles. Like, how every book is speaking from different perspectives. So it’s good to know other than just, you know, one country’s history.”

“A lot of people say that the Oklahoma City Thunder has the best-dressed team in the NBA, so they have to be able to shop somewhere.”

Le Gala’s logo represents the “galaxy” that Dao aims to create, with the stars representing the dots he’s connecting across the global fashion communities of Oklahoma, Vietnam and beyond. “I love my country; I love Vietnam,” he says. “Even though I’m a U.S. resident now, I want something that connects us and Vietnam. I also want the store to have a little taste of French culture, because Vietnam was under French colonization for 40 years—a lot of culture, architecture and food was impacted by French culture and is still seen in Vietnam today.” This multidimensional concept inspired the rebrand, thus renaming the store “Le Gala.”

The current growth of Oklahoma City reminds him of the rapid growth that Vietnam has seen in the past 10 years. “I can now go back to Vietnam and tell people I’m from Oklahoma and people know where that is,” Dao smiles. The recent NBA championship has brought a new wave of attraction to the city, which also makes it an exciting time to breathe new life into the local streetwear scene. He remarks, “A lot of people say that the Oklahoma City Thunder has the best-dressed team in the NBA, so they have to be able to shop somewhere.”

Dao’s overall vision is for Le Gala to be a place that people can come to find a community of like-minded people who love fashion and pop culture. “We have talented people in-house, and we can help you put up your feet for the day, or show you a new brand you might love if you come by the store.”

JACK DAO

Stop by Le Gala to check out the new space stocked full of rare sneakers, exclusive streetwear and limited-edition apparel. From brands like Nike, Jordan, Yeezy, Supreme, Chrome Hearts and Bape to Pop Mart Labubu’s The Monsters, Le Gala aims to curate only the highestquality inventory met with a unique in-store experience blending fashion, culture and community. •

Follow Le Gala on Instagram @legalastoreokc and shop online at legalastore.com or in-store at 525 NW 11th St., Suite 123, Oklahoma City.

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In Praise of Grower Champagne

Find quality and flavor beyond the big labels

BY GREG HORTON

There is no other wine region in France in which the mass-produced wine is considered ‘the good stuff,’” Chris Putnam says. The expert distributor and I were talking about Champagne, a region dominated by wine professionals called negociants, whose main job is to negotiate the sale of grapes to large Champagne houses — as those houses don’t grow enough of their own grapes to create the massive supply to which we in the U.S. are accustomed.

For the wine lover who seeks quality and exclusivity, Grower Champagne is a category designed to showcase small production wineries where the family who grows the grapes also makes the wine, thus the name. For Americans, the category wasn’t available until the mid-1970s when J. Lassalle arrived in the U.S. It would be another 20 years before Oklahoma got its first shipment.

Serious wine drinkers eventually discover French wines, and they learn what generations of oenophiles have come to understand while drinking their way through wine-growing regions: No one does it better than France. It’s the international standard in wine—sorry, Italy— and much of its reputation was built on family owned, beautifully crafted, small production wineries. For those wineries, case production usually runs in the lower thousands, but for Champagne, some of the most popular brands produce as many as 1.5 million cases per year, making them the “critter label” offerings of France.

“(Wine critic) Robert Parker once wrote that he’d been in restaurants and bars all over the world, and he was mystified as to how Dom Perignon could be in every restaurant,” Putnam says. “I remember when Irma’s kept a couple of bottles in stock. Nothing wrong with Irma’s, but if a burger joint has Champagne, you have to wonder at the production levels.”

For the record, Dom Perignon, a brand of Moet & Chandon, produces about one million bottles or more in the years in which it’s made. Compare that with the more popular if less prestigious Veuve Clicquot, which produces roughly 18 million bottles per year, of which 4.8 million bottles make their way to the U.S. Not exactly the numbers we associate with exclusivity. Again, compare those numbers to an accessible, affordable, delicious Grower brand like L. Aubry Fils at about 144,000 bottles, or a slightly pricier Marc Hebrart at 70,000 bottles.

But does production size matter? When Alex Kroblin first added Grower Champagne to his Thirst Wine Merchants portfolio in 2014, he did brown-bag, blind tastings in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. I was invited to one of these, and as someone who had been writing about wine for nearly a decade at that point, I felt the anxiety at having to blind-taste a new product against some of the more prestigious brands in the category. The nicest way to say it is that it was glaringly obvious which of the bottles were Grower Champagne and which were big house versions.

Those tastings were instrumental in a broader acceptance of the style. To Kroblin’s credit, while he wasn’t the one who first brought the style to Oklahoma—that was Tulsa’s Fred Parkhill in about 1995—he was the one who created a wider awareness of Grower Champagne, much as he did for Washington State red wines using the same tactic of brown-bagging them in blind tastings against Napa. (Washington won easily.)

Certified sommelier and wine sales rep Ian Clarke started selling Grower Champagnes when he worked for Putnam Wines, and he’s still selling them for Revolution Wholesale. He says, “Not only do Grower Champagne wineries produce significantly less wine than the big Maisons — which is almost always a good thing — they tend to focus on the same things as the great producers of Burgundy and Rhône, most notably terroir and craftsmanship. Growers feature complexity and individuality, whereas the big houses focus on a familiar house style.”

Why is Grower better? Kroblin’s tastings drove the point home: They just taste better. Yes, you will still get the toasty, yeasty notes familiar to Champagne drinkers, but you won’t have your palate crushed by sulfur, which the big houses use in abundance as a preservative, and you will taste fruit, lots of fruit. Side by side in the tastings, the big houses taste like burnt matches compared to the burst of fresh apples from the Grower offerings.

Combined with Clarke’s comments, you get the gist: Grower Champagne aims to taste like a product that began as fruit that was grown in a very specific place, so the taste of that place comes through.

In terms of finding these bubbles in your local stores, good wine shops will always have some on hand; think of places like Freeman’s, Spirit Shop, Edmond Wine Shop and George’s in the OKC metro; and Old Village, Parkhill’s, Parkhill’s South and Ranch Acres in the Tulsa metro.

The bottle will have a small RM on the label—very small; it’s the boozy version of Where’s Waldo, but it’s there—which stands for Récoltant Manipulant . No RM, not a Grower, though there are interesting exceptions. The brilliant and delicious Billecart-Salmon is roughly 80% Grower, but since some grapes are purchased from other wineries, they can’t use the RM. Good wine shops will know, though, so you need not reach for the reading glasses to find the clue.

To get you started, we’ve created a Luxiere List of bottles we highly recommend in multiple price points. •

THE LUXIERE LIST

Grower Champagne

Domaine Jean Vesselle Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs

Berries and apples, round, easy to like and an excellent intro to the style.

L. Aubry Fils 1er Cru Brut

Very complex for the price, with red fruit, herbs, toast and lively acid.

J. Lassalle Brut

Weird to call Champagne fun, but this one is, with orchard fruit, berries and some citrus on the finish. It’s also a blend of all three Champagne grapes.

Domaine Michel Turgy Grand Cru Reserve

Very floral, but not in a “grandma’s sachet” kind of way, and an interesting mixture of toasty, briny and yeasty. It’s a serious wine.

Marc Hebrart 1er Cru Brut

Another stellar introduction to the style, featuring orchard fruit, red berries and a nutty rather than toasty component.

Pierre Peters Grand Cru Reserve

Outside of Burgundy, this is what Chardonnay should taste like. This one is 100% Chard, with a very traditional flavor profile that makes the transition from big house to Grower a little more familiar.

J. Lassalle Cuvee Angeline

An absolute stunner. Full, rich, beautiful. I would drink this every day.

Pehu-Simonet Face Nord Brut Grand Cru

Majority Pinot Noir for an aggressively delicious mouthful of red fruit, black fruit, tea and just enough floral notes to keep it balanced.

Paul Bara Rose

The first Grower Champagne I truly loved, and one I still seek out. This one has the somewhat rare addition of Bouzy Rouge, still Pinot Noir produced in Champagne. It leads to a punchy, red-fruit-and-flowers masterpiece.

Larmandier-Bernier “ Latitude ” Extra Brut 1er Cru

This one is all Chardonnay too, but it’s bracing and clean, with lemon, citrus zest and toast. This wine was made for seafood.

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