Vol. 69, Issue 12
Est. 1981
N o v e mb e r 1 9 - N o v e mb e r 2 6 , 2 0 2 4
THE PAISANO
Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio Community /PaisanoOnline
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San Antonio receives its first michelin star, along with other recognitions By Laynie Clark News Editor
T
he Michelin Guide has made its way to Texas for the first time ever, leaving several awards and recognitions in its wake. All of the major Texas cities took home awards, including San Antonio.
Recommendations
The Michelin Guide has many different recognitions, one of them being the “Michelin Guide Recommendations.” This recognition, according to the Michelin Guide website, is the sign of a chef using quality ingredients that are well cooked and simply a good meal. It means that the inspectors have found
Courtesy of The Down Market Media Group LLC
the food to be above average, but not quite at star or Bib level.” Seven San Antonio restaurants now hold this recognition. • Barbecue Station • Garcia’s Mexican Food • Leche De Tigre • Little Elm’s Oyster Bar • Nicosi • Signature • 2M Smokehouse
Bib Gourmand
The Bib Gourmand is a recognition that falls right under the star. It is named after Bibendum, the official mascot for the Michelin Group. This
recognition is a “just-as-esteemed rating that recognizes friendly establishments that serve good food at moderate prices.” San Antonio now has five restaurants that are “Bib Gourmand” recipients. • Cullum’s Attaboy • Burnt Bean Co. • The Jerk Shack • Ladino • Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery
Michelin One Star
A Michelin star is an award given to restaurants considered to be very good in their category. A restaurant
with one Michelin star is known for using high-quality ingredients to create exceptional cooking. For the first time ever, Texas is now home to 15 Michelin Star restaurants. Out of these 15, San Antonio is home to one: Mixtli. Mixtli is a progressive Mexican Cuisine Restaurant that has a revolving 45 day menu. Each menu is centered around a different region in Mexico, furthering their goal of making people fall in love with Mexico.
Other half of Spirit of the Roadrunner duo: Russel Ogbor
daily actions and serve as ambassadors to By Jasmine Williams the university at various UTSA-sponsored Copyediting Coordinator events throughout the year,” according to The Spirit of the Roadrunner program, UTSA’s website. formerly known as Mr. and Ms. The two students recognized this year UTSA, recognizes a pair of are computer science major Alessandro students every fall Espinosa with his platform initiative “who embody “Better Together” and real estate and the spirit of finance development major Russel “Russ” UTSA while Ogbor, whose platform initiative is striving for “Roaming New Frontiers.” the highest Espinosa’s feature with The Paisano levels of can be read online at paisano-online.com. academic Featured below is the other half of the achievement, duo, Ogbor. c a m p u s Becoming Spirit of the Roadrunner involvement and has given Ogbor a new perspective on community service. UTSA and the city of San Antonio. It They demonstrate has deepened his connection the Roadrunner to the area and furthered his Creed in ambitions to add value to their the community. “The Spirit of the Roadrunner is the active symbol of what it means to be a student here at UTSA. It’s the embodiment of engagement, passion and appreciation for what the university has to offer,” Ogbor said. “For me specifically, it allowed me to connect with UTSA on a whole new level. I sought to explore new opportunities and experiences that would allow [me] to enjoy my Courtesy of Russel Ogbor time in San Antonio while
I’m here for school. “Originally being from Houston, I only saw S.A. as a tourist attraction, but ever since enrolling at UTSA, I’ve been able to embrace the culture, pride, history and lineage that makes up this vibrant city. So now being Spirit of the Roadrunner, I can continue adding value and be integrated with UTSA’s mission and its effect on the community.” Ogbor thoroughly enjoyed applying to the program. It bolstered his confidence as a candidate and provided him with a memorable campaigning experience that he would happily repeat. “It was a fairly competitive yet fun application process. There were so many worthy and valuable candidates throughout the entire duration who all would have been impactful with their efforts,” Ogbor said. “It started with a general application wanting to know ‘Who you are’ and ‘What you do here at UTSA,’ along with your platform idea that you wanted to carry out during your term as SOTR. It led to a unique ‘TED TALK’ style presentation elaborating on your platform, which was exhilarating. It gave me the confidence to ensure that I can be worthy of this position. It ended off with a week of campaigning during Homecoming Week where I got to go to a variety of UTSA events and spots on campus to talk about why I should be voted SOTR. “Plus, I got the chance to walk on the football field during the HOCO game where they announced the winners — I felt like a true celebrity. It was an amazing experience that I would do all over again,” Ogbor added. He hopes to bring more attention to the Downtown Campus during his tenure, coinciding with UTSA’s recent increases
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its enrollment. “With my time as Spirit of the Roadrunner, I seek to accomplish the goals of my platform: ‘Roaming New Frontiers’,” Ogbor said. “UTSA is a booming university, and we’re growing rapidly. As we’re seeing this growth, UTSA is looking to move various degree programs to our Downtown campus — DT Proper, Southwest and San Pedro I & II — to ensure their highest and best use of education. I want to focus on bringing better awareness to that section of UTSA as it plays an important [role in] the school’s future.” Ogbor cited “site tours/workshops, UTSA events that mirror [those at the] Main Campus and surveys/questionnaires to gauge what students want to see implemented for future development,” as ways to improve awareness of the Downtown Campus. “As we activate the engagement students have with UTSA downtown, we also stimulate the urban core of San Antonio allowing the city to prosper and flourish as a prominent market not only in Texas but around the U.S.,” Ogbor said. “Outside my platform, I want to ensure students feel comfortable, accommodated and heard to express themselves in a safe environment. I know this doesn’t occur overnight, but I want to use [the] SOTR position to take those necessary steps forward to make UTSA truly thrive.”
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