SAN ANTONIO MAGAZINE
PRIDE!
JUNE 202 1
The fascinating history and beautifully diverse present of San Antonio’s LGBTQ+ community
C ELEBRATING P RIDE / SAN AN TO NI O ' S START I NG FIV E
+ The 210’s legacy of homegrown basketball talent
Vol. 16 No. 8
15 ways to enjoy summer fun with your kids
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June FEATURES
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PA RT Y WI TH P R I D E , T HE N G E T BAC K TO WOR K
San Antonio’s LGBTQ+ community has plenty to celebrate. Decades of hard work and bravery have yielded wider acceptance and more equality than ever, yet work remains to be done.
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S PHE R E OF I NFLU E NC E
Artist Justin Parr never thought he’d devote his talents to glass blowing and hiding marbles. Now, there are a lot of people who are glad that he did.
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SAN AN TO NI O’S D R E A M T EA M
Ever wonder who would make the city’s ultimate all-star high school basketball team? We did, too. (Hint: after Shaq, it gets harder to choose).
PHOTO BY CHRISTY ANNA CAMPBELL
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June
16 FA M ILY Fifteen ways to keep your kids entertained this summer.
IN THE LOOP 1 2 COMMU N IT Y Impact Guild adds a socially conscious, nonprofit backbone to coworking. 1 4 PERSON O F INTEREST The Nonprofit Council’s CEO Scott McAninch says local charities are even more vital post-pandemic.
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6 0 L I BAT I O N S A new urban winery presents Texas wines with no pretentiousness.
64 FINAL THOUGHT For SA2020’s CEO, volunteering to better the community is deeply rooted in her culture.
18 M A KER College student Spencer Oddo turned his leather making hobby into a business. 20 FIT N ESS Add some motivation to your workout routine with a choose-your-ownadventure triathlon.
EAT + DRINK 5 8 EAT HER E N OW Brasserie Mon Chou Chou brings the flavors of France to Pearl.
63 T H E GU I D E Get back to dining out at these family-friendly spots around town.
ON THE COVER
6 2 S P OT L I G H T The south European flavors of Jason Dady’s Jardín perfectly complement the views of the botanical garden.
Christy Anna Campbell photographed artist José Villalobos, whose work comments on the LGBTQ+ experience.
MON CHOU CHOU & REROOTED: JOMANDO CRUZ; WALLET: COURTESY BROKEN AXE LEATHER CO.
D EPART M E N TS
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UP FRONT / EDITOR' S NOTEBOOK
ETC.
love San Antonio and am constantly talking up what a great place it is to live. But it’s when out-of-town friends and family come to visit—and bring along their fresh sets of eyes—that I’m really reminded of why San Antonio is so unique. Yes, the many great neighborhoods and attractions here set us apart, but here’s what truly makes our city special: the people who live here. What you’ll hear so often from both visitors and San Antonians new and old is as refreshing as it is unsurprising. A big reason so many people flock here and never leave is that San Antonio welcomes and celebrates diversity. This month’s cover feature about the LGBTQ+ community in San Antonio (page 28) is a reminder of our city’s accepting spirit. The story offers an in-depth look at the struggles, obstacles and progress toward equality that has been made locally. I was especially struck reading the “Historic Moments” timeline, which chronicles the many people who have worked so hard to forge this large and diverse community we call home—and also reminds us that there is more that needs to be done and why it’s our collective responsibility to keep pushing for full equality. I would venture to say that all of our readers are connected to the LGBTQ+ community through friends, family, acquaintances and co-workers. The profiles of various LGBTQ+ residents—especially the poignant glance that H. Drew Galloway offers about his experience being part of the LGBTQ+ community and raising children in San Antonio—offer a glimpse into what equality looks like. The answer: absolutely normal. It is great to read of his pride about San Antonio as a positive place for LGBTQ+ families. We should all be very proud of our city’s commitment to inclusion, acceptance and respect of diversity. There is a phrase that I use regularly: “Perfect is boring.” So, when I was reading through the article “Sphere of Influence,” (page 40), I loved artist Justin Parr’s approach to intentionally steering away from perfection. And that’s just what makes his wonky little creations so special—and perfect in their own way. It’s another story of acceptance. So, as our city moves forward and as we all strive to be more accepting, my goal is to celebrate and embrace the differences in San Antonio’s community—because we are not perfect and never will be. But inclusiveness is what helps us to better understand, accept, and yes, celebrate each other.
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As vaccination rates increase, we’re excited to dip our toes back into live events. If you are, too, join us June 10 at the Witte Museum for our Best of the City Party, featuring tastings from some of this year and last year’s winners. Get tickets and find information on our safety protocols and more at sanantoniomag.com/ bestofthecity.
Pride + Fiesta Fun
For best bets on events—in person and virtual—to celebrate Pride Month and Fiesta, stay tuned to sanantoniomag.com and subscribe to our Weekend Best Bets newsletter.
Outstanding Women
Know a female powerhouse? We’re looking for the women leading San Antonio into the future. Introduce us to a woman you know doing extraordinary work at editor@ sanantoniomag.com.
COMING UP NEXT MONTH In our annual neighborhoods issue, we take a look at San Antonio real estate from an architectural perspective.
BRENDA PIÑA
Kathie Anderson Publisher publisher@sanantoniomag.com
Best of the City Party
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JUNE 2021 / VOLUME 16 / ISSUE 8 WHY DO YOU CELEBRATE PRIDE MONTH?
EDITORIAL EDITOR IN CHIEF
Kathleen Petty CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Katherine Stinson, Chris Warren CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Kiran Kaur Bains, Jade Esteban Estrada, Emily Guajardo, Becca Hensley, Jennifer Herrera, Joan Kennedy, Bonny Osterhage, Edmund Tijerina, Clayton Trutor
OP E N SKY ME DIA CEO
Todd P. Paul
“I celebrate to honor humanity and love.”
PRESIDENT
Stewart Ramser VP OF SALES
Julie A. Kunkle EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Rebecca Fontenot Cord DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
COPY EDITOR
Patsy Pelton
Hollis Boice AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
“Because in a world that often feels like it is filled with violence and hate, I believe that love in all of its forms should be celebrated.”
INTERN
Jessica Lenamond
Kerri Nolan ACCO UN T IN G
A RT ART DIRECTOR
David G. Loyola
ACCOUNTS MANAGER
Sabina Jukovic
“To support and celebrate all of my beautiful LGBTQ+ friends.”
DIG ITA L CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR
DIGITAL MANAGER
Vicente Martí
Abigail Stewart
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Christy Campbell, JoMando Cruz, Josh Huskin, Louie Preciado
DIGITAL MEDIA COORDINATOR
Rosie Ninesling CO NTACT US
“To celebrate and honor all of those who championed the way for LGBTQ+ rights and to continue to fight for equality and visibility.”
ADV ERTIS ING
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Christina Olivarez
JOB & INTERNSHIP INQUIRIES
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DIGITAL SALES MANAGER
Josh Macklin
STORY IDEAS, LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
editor@sanantoniomag.com
AD SALES & SPONSORSHIP COORDINATOR
Jillian Clifton
BULK ORDERS
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INTERNS
Castille Cantu, Kelly Clifton
SUBSCRIPTIONS, RENEWALS AND ADDRESS CHANGES
EV ENTS EVENTS DIRECTOR
Macaulay Hammond
San Antonio Magazine P.O. Box 16016 North Hollywood, CA 91615-6016 818-286-3160 subscriptions@sanantoniomag.com
© Copyright: San Antonio Magazine is published by Open Sky Media, Inc. The entire document of San Antonio Magazine is © 2021 by Open Sky Media, Inc. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the express written permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of ownership or management. Editorial or advertising does not constitute advice but is considered informative. San Antonio Magazine is locally operated.
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In the Loop I N S I D E / HOW NO NPRO F ITS A RE BOUNC IN G BAC K p. 14 / SUMMER FUN FOR KIDS p. 16 / TRIATH LON TRA I N I N G p . 2 0
FIESTA MASK AR ADE
June 18 Palo Alto College alamo.edu/pac
Show Me Your Mask hile June’s rescheduled Fiesta will noticeably lack a few favorite events—including the Battle of Flowers parade in which crowds traditionally shout “show me your shoes” to the float-borne princesses—organizers have come up with some ways to celebrate the city’s most iconic party in a pandemic-safe way. Palo Alto College and District Four teamed up to create the Fiesta Maskarade, a fashion show on June 18 that will feature San Antonio residents wearing decorated masks. The models represent the finalists in four age groups (from as young as 4-year-old to seniors) of an online contest held
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this spring. The actual show, at Palo Alto, will be limited to the contest winners and host Michael Quintanilla, the famed former San Antonio Express-News fashion journalist known as “Mr. Fiesta.” But the rest of San Antonio will be able to join in the party by watching a virtual presentation. “The spirit of Palo Alto is all about corazon and character and we were happy to embrace that spirit in collaboration with Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia for the Maskarade event,” says Palo Alto College President Robert Garza. Profits from the event will support scholarships for Palo Alto students on the South Side.—KATHERINE STINSON
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IN THE LOOP / COMMUNITY
Building Businesses, Building Community A coworking space with a mission to better San Antonio
arah Woolsey wanted to improve the community. It started out as simple as where her family shopped— shifting to spend their money at locally owned businesses as much as possible. Then Woolsey, who comes from a family of entrepreneurs and is driven by her religious faith, began thinking bigger, about ways she could bring together likeminded people who shared a desire to participate in community building. The result was an entrepreneurial venture into coworking. Woolsey transformed the former Beacon Lumber Company building (featuring an iconic three-story lighthouse) in Beacon Hill into Impact Guild, a coworking space designed for mission-oriented entrepreneurs, through which Woolsey believed she could help support and shape a network of creative changemakers. Beyond providing a traditional coworking space to its members, Impact Guild puts on events and classes at the intersection of entrepreneurship and philanthropy. For example, Impact Guild offers a Make Good Fellowship, a six-month program to aid the work of social entrepreneurs working with churches and other organizations. When Woolsey and her team started planning Impact Guild almost six years ago, they also founded Mission City Renewal,
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2 MORE COWORKING SPACES
Geekdom A tech-focused coworking operation in the historic Rand Building with the motto “building San Antonio one startup at a time.” Geekdom helps startup founders by providing mentorship, connections to business and tech leaders, pre-seed funding opportunities and more. geekdom.com Launch SA Located inside the Central Library, this entrepreneurship and small business center opened as a partnership between the City of San Antonio and LiftFund in 2014. Launch SA focuses on connecting entrepreneurs with over 200 business owner mentors in a wide variety of industries. The idea is that these local connections can help young businesses grow and flourish. launchsa.org/about
a nonprofit community development incubator, which acts as a bridge to help entrepreneurs implement their best ideas to benefit the city. When Honest Soul Yoga, which has offices in the Impact Guild, wanted to use yoga to assist a veterans' organization in town, Mission City Renewal helped by hosting classes before donating all of the proceeds to the group “[Mission City Renewal] was started with the idea of ‘When we start to gather these creative, mission-minded entrepreneurs through the Impact Guild, new ideas are going to come up. How great would it be to have an organization to help develop those new ideas and launch other programs,” Woolsey says. Another recently launched program aims to help churches find ways to use their properties in ways that aid the community. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot about how the physical space at Impact Guild operates. There are more dedicated desks and temporary walls that allow everyone to maintain safe distances from one another, as well as new air purification units. But Woolsey says the pandemic only strengthened Impact Guild’s sense of purpose. "We've always said, it's not just about a building; it's not just about a space. It’s first and foremost about relationships and the connectivity between people.” Woolsey says. “COVID provided us an opportunity to be much more creative about what that would mean.”
COURTESY IMPACT GUILD
BY JOAN KENNEDY
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Military Olympics / San Antonio will host the 2022 Department of Defense Warrior Games, which brings together over 300 wounded, ill or injured athletes from the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy and Special Operations Command to compete in adaptive contests. The Games aim to support the athletes’ recovery and promote community and camaraderie. Resourceful or Just Weird? / In April, a brow-raising video of a San Antonio man wearing a shower curtain as protective gear popped up on Reddit. Posted by user MichaelG4, the caption read, “Anyone else see this guy in SA? 6Feet4Life.” According to commenters, the creative celebrity has also been sighted at H-E-B and Target. Lone Star Legacy / The late Walter Mercado, the Puerto Rican astrologer who provided mystic entertainment on Spanish-language television for decades, is now enshrined in a mural in the Lone Star Arts District. Artists Nik Soupé and Shek Vega, of Los Otros Murals, said on social media that the concept came from a dream. A New Sheriff in Town / The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office posted an April Fool’s Day picture of Sheriff Javier Salazar next to a unicorn, which they jokingly said was rescued during a cartel drug lab raid. Salazar said the unicorn would be named April and that it could be used for the BCSO Mounted Patrol.
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IN THE LOOP / PERSON OF INTEREST
however, could fully prepare McAninch and the nonprofits he serves for the paradoxical dilemma posed by COVID-19: how to address pressing community needs for food, shelter and other necessities with nonprofit staff and volunteers sapped by the extreme need, scarce resources and changing and uncertain times. What prompted you to leave the media world? My last job in television was as the chief marketing officer at News 9 San Antonio. In 2004, the station was pulled off the air. Because of my work with nonprofits over my broadcasting career, I received a call from the chair of The Nonprofit Council (TNC) to talk about a part-time contract position to help with the day-to-day operation of the board and committee work. In 2006, I was hired full-time as the only paid employee to expand my role as executive director. And as the council grew in member organizations and budget size, I was promoted to CEO in 2012. Since my first position with TNC, the organization has grown from 29 nonprofit members to over 200, expanded our operating budget from under $25,000 to $500,000, and grown the staff from one full-time person to three.
Nonprofit Champion If Scott McAninch learned anything during a difficult 2020, it’s that San Antonio needs nonprofits more than ever INTERVIEW BY KATHERINE STINSON
ike many of us, Scott McAninch never had a reason to join a Zoom call before the COVID-19 pandemic. But on the menu of stresses prompted by an unprecedented 2020, new modes of communication ranked pretty low. Before becoming CEO of The Nonprofit Council, which organizes the annual citywide donation day the Big Give, McAninch spent nearly two decades working in TV. Since leaving the media universe, he’s supported hundreds of South Texas nonprofits by helping them navigate the inevitable funding, logistics and staffing challenges. No experience,
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FACT FILE
Education: Bachelor of Arts, Marketing/ Communications, California University of Pennsylvania Proudest Big Give Moment: Repurposing thebiggivesa.org last March four days before the scheduled Big Give to host a COVID Emergency Relief Fund, which raised nearly $1 million.
What was last year like for nonprofits? I think overall it was fairly devastating. The majority of in-person fundraising came to a halt in the middle of March 2020. It really hasn’t gotten back to normal since. I know quite a few nonprofits have been successful in pivoting to online fundraisers and dinners but the lack of in-person fundraising was a huge blow. It was a huge impact when the nonprofits had to have employees work from home and figure out how to work with clients virtually. There was a lot of expense to do that upfront with equipment, PPE, etc. Not having Fiesta in 2020 was obviously a blow for many nonprofits that count on those events to raise a lot of their annual funds. Were general donations also down as people tried to save money in uncertain times? Or did people see the need to be more generous? A lot of the sponsor dollars for Fiesta events were already in the door prior to March, but revenue from ticket sales and attendance was lost. The Brighton Center, for example, lost hundreds of ILLUSTRATION BY VICENTE MARTÍ
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thousands of dollars because they had to cancel Taste of the Northside. They did a great job pivoting to make up for that financial loss. They utilized the Big Give for a relief campaign. It really became all about repurposing. We had to reschedule the Big Give from March to September, but it saw a lot of activity and the donors didn’t decrease. A lot of San Antonio residents still found a way to support local nonprofits. I think that people realized that there was a need and still wanted to help. This community has always been giving like that. Income disparity is quite wide here, however, this town really digs into their pockets and gives whatever way they can. How did nonprofits respond to the increased need for help? I think it’s definitely a challenge. Even early on last year, and now, people still require those safety net services, like food services, housing services, eviction forgiveness, and so on. There was support from the federal government that was enacted last year and this year. But the nonprofits are the frontlines, the ones that fill in the gap for those safety net services that the federal assistance doesn’t cover. While there’s a lot of light at the end of the tunnel and we’re making a good turn, it’s not going to end as quickly as it began. We always have had that need, and that doesn’t go away. We’ve seen a huge spike in mental health issues. It’s affecting everyone. Nonprofits’ staff and volunteers have all weathered an enormous amount of stress throughout the year and all of that takes a toll on one’s psyche. Now as we continue to support these services and the needs, how do we also continue to support our staff and volunteers as they continue to serve others? Are things turning around this year? There’s a lot of optimism moving forward. Our staff and volunteers have weathered the storm. There’s still a lot of catch-up to do, especially with fundraising. Short-term, people can support their favorite nonprofit. Volunteering is huge. If you can’t give financially, offering expertise and boots on the ground is also incredibly beneficial. We are excited to bring the Big Give back on Sept. 23. People can give as little as $10, and many nonprofits have converted that $10 dollars into $30 worth of service. I continue to get energized and enjoy working. We are here as a support system not only for nonprofit leaders, but their staff. We are here to connect them together, to help them be a support system among themselves. It amazes me every day and year after year I’ve been with this organization how The Nonprofit Council utilizes relationships to make the community a better place to live. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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E AT + D R I N K / FA M I LY
Keeping Summer Fun Our kid-friendly guide for a summer to remember BY JENNIFER HERRERA
Pearsall Park This 500-plus acre South Side gem is the perfect place to escape to for summer fun. Families can enjoy an adventure course, disc golf, a skate park and children’s playground. 4838 Old Pearsall Road, sanantonio.gov/parksandrec
San Antonio Botanical Garden The San Antonio Botanical Garden is offering in-person and virtual camp experiences starting June 29. Campers ages 6 to 12 can choose from a variety of art and nature-themed camps or hands-on healthy cooking instruction offered through a partnership with the Witte Museum. 555 Funston Place, sabot.org
Hardberger Park With the recent opening of the Land Bridge Trail, which blurs the line between nature and people like never before, Hardberger Park is a great addition to anyone’s summer itinerary. Plan ahead by visiting the park’s website to download its art walk map, which points visitors to four public art installations—including Picture Your World, which displays photos from young students who received instruction from professional photographers in the park. For an interactive activity, take advantage of the park’s Grab-N-Go Nature Kits, available every second Saturday of the month. Upcoming summer kit themes include wild things, bear’s lunch, water and bees. Hardberger Park (East Entrance), 13203 Blanco Road; Hardberger Park (West Entrance) & Urban Ecology Center, 8400 N.W. Military Hwy., philhardbergerpark.org
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Brackenridge Park When a park has been open over 100 years, it becomes more than just a place—it rises to a tradition and part of the many family narratives that make up San Antonio. It’s almost a requirement for a San Antonio summer to include some good family time in Brackenridge Park. Fortunately, there are few places with more to offer. One suggestion: Enjoy a midday picnic followed by a short stroll, and cap the day off with a ride on the San Antonio Zoo Eagle Train. Then pat yourself on the back for becoming part of San Antonio history. 3700 N. St. Mary’s St., brackenridgepark.org
San Antonio Zoo A change of environment and perspective has always been a big benefit of summer. The San Antonio Zoo makes that easy with a menu of summer camps for kindergarten through fifth grade kids, focusing on topics like A Place to Call Home, which teaches kids about how and where animals make their homes. Other fun offerings include ZSI: Zoo Science Investigator, and Camp Zoorassic, an imaginative journey back to dinosaur days. 3903 N. St. Mary’s St., sazoo.org
4 CAMPS TO CONSIDER
The DoSeum From June 7 through the week of Aug. 9, The DoSeum offers a packed schedule of camp activities for children ages 3 to 11. With topics from
anime to technology, the DoSeum will remind your kid why learning in-person is so much fun. 2800 Broadway, thedoseum.org
Cibolo Center for Conservation The Cibolo Nature Center may have changed its name to Cibolo Center for Conservation, but its mission to educate the public about the beauty and necessity of the natural world remains. Part of that mission is aimed at kids, and the center offers eight weeks of summer camps starting June 7. “We will have nature camps in the morning, art camps in the afternoon and specially tailored camps for teens, called Trailblazer Camp,” says vice president of development, Leigh Owen. Trailblazer Camp not only exposes teens to local birds and critters, it also provides a short course on land management and shows how wildlands coexist with the center’s Herff Farm. 140 City Park Road, cibolo.org
SABOT COOKING: COURTESY SAN ANTONIO BATANICAL GARDEN; HIPPO: GUBIN YURY/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; CIBOLO: RICHARD A. MCMILLIN/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
5 PL ACES TO GET OUTSIDE
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2 STORY TIMES TO TUNE IN TO
SERENDIPITY: COURTESY RACHEL TORRES; PLAYDOUGH: ILINA YULIIA/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; HAND HOLDING PHONE: CELT STUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; STORY TIME: COURTESY HEMISFAIR
Abby’s Attic Sewing & Craft Studio Abby’s Attic Sewing & Craft Studio has been educating San Antonians about sewing since it first opened in 2016. Now with a second location that debuted in 2019, owner Jennifer Nicolella has further helped slake the thirst to create with needles and thread by offering after school sewing clubs and spring and summer break camps. This year Abby’s Attic Sewing School will be hosting in-person summer camps with beach, geek and Harry Potter themes. 9815 Culebra Road, Ste. 112; 2250 Thousand Oaks Drive, Ste. 208, abbysatticsewing school.com
Serendipity at Fiorella Event and venue center Serendipity at Fiorella in Castroville also specializes in classes and camps. Weekly summer camps focus on arts and crafts, mixed media, and games and outdoor activities for campers between 5 and 10 years old. This summer will feature American Girl, Llama Late-Over and dino camps. 1212 Fiorella St., Castroville, serendipityatfiorella.com/ minimakers
3 OP TIONS FOR HOME ART PROJ ECTS
Spare Parts This local nonprofit, which has been providing opportunities for kids pursuing the arts for over a decade, recently expanded in the most logical way imaginable. It opened the Center for Creative Reuse, which offers discounted, pre-owned creative materials and supplies that would otherwise be thrown away. Put another way, Spare Parts Center for Creative Reuse can outfit you and your kids for any craft project you can dream up. 13491 Wetmore Road, sparepartssa.org
The Twig The Twig’s popular children’s storyteller, Miss Anastasia (also known as Anastasia McKenna), has a special summer in store for her devoted followers, known as Twiglets. In addition to Miss Anastasia’s usual Friday morning in-person storytimes on the grounds at Pearl (near The Twig), she’ll also continue live streaming storytimes via Instagram. 306 Pearl Pkwy., Unit 106, thetwig.com
Narwhal Sensory Box “It’s great to spark a kid’s imagination,” says Sofia Garza. Since she launched Narwhal Sensory Box in 2019, that’s exactly what Garza has been trying to do. By offering nontoxic homemade play dough scented with all-natural essential oils, Garza gives kids the materials and a gentle nudge to unleash their creative powers. Look for mermaid and shark boxes Garza plans to launch this summer. narwhalsbox.com; also available at Handmade on Main, 347 N. Main St., Ste. A., Boerne Capptivating Play Remember how much you loved mashing up and sculpting with play dough as a kid? Kids still love it! Destiny Capps creates play dough sensory kits to satisfy that urge, and this summer her company Capptivating Play is re-releasing some fan favorites, like the ice cream kit, as well as new safari- and pirate-themed kits. capptivatingplay.com
Hemisfair Sure, too much online learning is, well, too much. But some aspects can and should stick around even post-pandemic. Hemisfair is continuing its virtual storytime this summer and plans to continue to offer that option even when storytimes are held in-person again. hemisfair.org
1 WAY TO VOLUNTEER
Free Little Pantry San Antonio During the COVID-19 pandemic, food pantries were needed more than ever before. San Antonio was no different. Thirteen-year-old Summer Vinton created Free Little Pantry San Antonio, which is housed outside her parents’ business, Natural Goods. Vinton suggests three ways families can help meet the enormous demand for food: Follow local San Antonio-based food pantries on social media, donate the specific items pantries request, and do what Vinton did and establish your own neighborhood pantry. 1802 E.Commerce St., instagram.com/ freelittlepantrysa
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IN THE LOOP / MAKER
Cattle Call BY KATHLEEN PETTY
s a first grader, Spencer Oddo proudly built a reputation as the mechanical pencil kid. He set up a little shop on his desk and would collect broken pencils from his peers, swapping in parts from other devices until his friends’ writing utensils were in working order again. By high school, he was repairing the engine of a 1964 Honda CL-90 motorcycle and, alongside his dad—whose Air Force career brought the family to San Antonio a decade ago—restoring an old 22-foot boat. “I’ve been creating and building things pretty much my whole life,” he says. “I wasn’t really into TV or video games.” Oddo wanted to earn a little extra money while pursuing his mechanical engineering degree and found people were interested in what began for him as a hobby. His one-man business, Broken Axe Leather Co., officially launched in August 2019 and now offers handmade wallets, belts, leather coasters, leather “catch all” trays, laptop cases and more. Oddo started out watching YouTube videos and gleaning social media tips from other leather makers but experienced a definite
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SHOP
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learning curve. He kept at it, though, practicing the same wallet pattern until the shape, stitching and edges were clean. Now, it’s one of his top sellers. With any project, Oddo starts with a cowhide (he orders them in 25-square-foot halves from Wickett & Craig Tannery) that he traces patterns onto using his own templates. Each pattern is cut and assembled by hand, saddle stitched and, when needed, the edges are burnished. “It’s a very lengthy process,” he says. “I don’t let anything walk out the door that’s not built to endure.” The 20-year-old works in his garage between homework and online classes at the University of Texas at Austin, where he transferred last fall after starting his degree at UTSA. Oddo says he hopes to pursue a career working with engines or moving parts when he graduates, but that he intends to continue growing Broken Axe as a side business. In addition to sales via Instagram and his website, some of his goods are stocked at The Sporting District at Pearl, and he’s collaborating with a global knife company. “I love getting to have a close relationship with products and getting to work closely with customers,” he says.
COURTESY BROKEN AXE LEATHER COMPANY
A college student etches out a surprising success story with Broken Axe Leather Co.
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IN THE LOOP / FITNESS
Choose Your Own Adventure DIY a triathlon course or just mix up your routine with swimming, cycling and running workouts at these six spots BY BONNY OSTERHAGE
A
SWIM
by the closures of thousands of gyms across the country, not to mention the pandemic-prompted postponement or cancellation of triathlons. But die-hard triathletes stayed fit by finding outdoor areas where they could fit in all of those training miles. In the process, many found they could even put together their own triathlon course. The following areas in and around San Antonio will help novice and seasoned triathletes prep for the return of real competition.
BIKE
Boerne Lake Just 35 miles from downtown San Antonio, Boerne Lake is a popular destination for triathletes who want to get in some open water swimming. A ban on motorized boating means that the water is usually calm and safe for swimmers, but be advised, there is no lifeguard on duty so training with a buddy is recommended.
Mission Reach Trails When it comes to biking, it’s hard to beat Mission Reach Trail. This 10-mile out-and-back path is free from vehicular traffic, blind turns, narrow lanes and other potential pitfalls. Plus, there are plenty of restrooms and water fountains along the relatively flat route that takes you past all five historic missions.
The Comal River at Hinman Island Park Although known for being full of tubers, the quiet, 30-foot-wide and up-to-15-feet-deep stretch of the Comal River at Hinman Island Park in New Braunfels is perfect for swimmers, and only around 40 miles from San Antonio.
Scenic Loop Boerne For those hill and thrill seekers, the Scenic Loop offers slightly more challenging terrain. The 41.5-mile route begins at Floore’s Country Store and winds around Boerne Stage Road and the I-10 Frontage Road.
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4 CHANCES TO COMPETE DAM 09 TRIATHLON AUG. 21 ALAMO HEIGHTS SPA GIRL TRI SEPT. 11
Leon Creek Greenway Eighteen miles of winding path not only offers runners a chance to build their endurance, but also a chance to enjoy beautiful Texas landscapes and wildlife. The Valero Park Trailhead is located at Loop 1604 and I-10 near the Drury Inn.
HYATT REGENCY LOST
Brackenridge Park The best of all worlds, runners can stay within the park itself for a 3-mile path or follow the route farther south for an 8-mile trek along the San Antonio River and into the heart of downtown, right past the Alamo.
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PINES RESORT & SPA CEDAR CREEK WURST TRI EVER OCT. 10 NEW BRAUNFELS IRONMAN 70.3 WACO
DAVID G. LOYOLA
full Ironman triathlon involves swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 miles and running a marathon. So-called “sprint” triathlons still require competitors to swim nearly half a mile, bike more than 12, and run over 3 miles. No matter what type of triathlon you compete in, training is time-consuming, physically demanding and logistically challenging. Finding places to train for all three sports is not easy. Last year, that challenge was compounded
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M A RY LO N G/S H U T T E R STO C K
San Antonio Magazine salutes the many local women effecting change and making waves in their industries. We support and highlight female entrepreneurs and business leaders with this annual Women to Watch special advertising section. Get to know some of the phenomenal women leading San Antonio in the following pages.
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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
WOMEN TO WATCH 2021
Brooklynn Chandler Willy Texas Financial Advisory Brooklynn decided on a career in financial services after her dad died suddenly without any life insurance, even though, ironically, he was a life insurance salesman. As a result, she experienced firsthand the hardships such a situation can create and dedicated herself at that moment to helping others so that they wouldn’t have to deal with a similar predicament. In 2008, that commitment led Brooklynn to establish Texas Financial Advisory, a boutique advisory firm that provides individuals and families with holistic financial-planning advice that goes beyond the numbers and focuses on the clients. The firm and its investment advisor representatives work closely with clients to define their financial goals and appropriate paths to get there, find ways to efficiently manage taxes and pay for longterm care if needed, and discover how existing investments may be optimized for their specific needs. Following in the footsteps of her dad, Brooklynn and her firm also offer insurance products, which enhances their ability to help clients achieve their financial goals. Being able to offer a wide array of both investment and insurance products has contributed to Texas Financial Advisory’s growth in assets and clients. Today, the firm boasts a team of seven professionals with 50+ years of combined experience. While their services are broad, their focus is narrow—providing holistic financial plans and comprehensive investment solutions to individuals and families with a minimum of $250,000 in assets or an annual household income of over $250,000. Brooklynn and her team look forward to getting to know you and helping you achieve your financial goals. Investment advisory services are offered by Queen B Advisors, LLC dba Texas Financial Advisory. Insurance products are offered by Texas Financial Advisory. T E X A S F I N A N C I A L A DV I S O RY.C O M | 2 1 0 - 5 3 0 -1 2 92
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WOMEN TO WATCH 2021
Jeanne Philippus J. Philippus Art Studio & Gallery Jeanne grew up on a farm in Shiner, Texas. Inspired by her father's love of art, she developed her own style using leftover paint and items she found on the farm. In her late 20s, Jeanne lost her husband to cancer after only a few short years of marriage. While grieving such a great loss, she began incorporating broken glass in her art as a metaphor for her life. Creating art from the broken and discarded materials was a crucial part of her healing process. Combining acrylics, resins and recycled glass, Jeanne began creating unique art that set the stage for her future career. She currently lives in San Antonio, where she owns J. Philippus Art Studio & Gallery. Aside from making her presence known as an acclaimed artist, Jeanne’s passion is working with all people regardless of their art experience and helping them craft pieces that they are truly proud of. From contemporary to abstract, Jeanne believes you don’t need to be an artist to create your own beautiful piece of art. For the second year in a row, she will be a featured artist with her original works displayed in the Robare Custom Home at the 2021 San Antonio Parade of Homes. This is a unique opportunity for Jeanne, as she is the only artist whose artwork will be adorning an entire home. J. Philippus Art Studio & Gallery offers a variety of classes, with new class concepts constantly being added. Featured classes include acrylic pour and glass art classes, as well as custom charcuterie board and drink coaster classes. Jeanne also offers take-home kits and classes that can be booked online.
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WOMEN TO WATCH 2021
Lisa Martén, MD South Texas Eye Institute Dr. Lisa Martén first fell in love with San Antonio when she came here for her ophthalmology residency at UT Health Science Center. She and her husband, Jorge Gorrzegz, have since put down roots here and are both enamored with all that the city has to offer. “One of the things you hear over and over about why people love living in San Antonio is that it's a big city that feels like a small town,” she says. “One of the big reasons it has that neighborly feel is because people make time to support the community. I want to make sure my patients feel this same sense of community when they come to my practice.” Dr. Martén is the owner and medical director of the South Texas Eye Institute, the first clinic in the city to perform LASIK surgery. She has developed this business to include a full suite of ophthalmology, eye exams and vision correction services, helping thousands of patients in San Antonio. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised in San José, Costa Rica, Dr. Martén’s unique combination of cultures allows her to provide her patients with the best care in their native language. “I wanted to live in a city where I could be of service to my patients who speak English or Spanish,” she says. “I grew up in Central America and feel it is a benefit to my patients to communicate in their native language. Sometimes, things are lost in translation, and patients feel more comfortable speaking directly to the doctor.” When you meet Dr. Martén, you realize that she is very passionate about ophthalmology and helping people see better. “Helping people renew their vision with cataract and refractive surgery is a big motivator,” she says. “It is a surgery that gives a great benefit to the patient without much downtime or pain.” Dr. Martén is currently a clinical professor at UT Health Science Center. She has been selected as a local Health Care Hero and was awarded the Women’s Leadership Award by the San Antonio Business Journal. Her clinic was also awarded the prestigious BBB Torch Award for Ethics. S O U T H T E X A S E Y E I N S T I T U T E .C O M | 2 1 0 - 6 92 -1 3 8 8
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WOMEN TO WATCH 2021
Dr. Elizabeth Mattsson Uptown Family Dental As a dentist, creating and reinforcing health and self-confidence within the individuals of my community is my personal mission. Positively augmenting oral health and creating beautiful smiles tailored for every person is what I do. Helping patients understand that great oral care today leads to greater heart health and lowered risk of cardiovascular disease for their future is just one example of a priority conversation I have. Explaining that the bacteria present in periodontitis directly leads to degradation of the smooth arterial walls, which then allows lipids in the arteries that can cause a stroke or facilitate a heart attack, is a crucial conversation for patients either with periodontitis, heart disease or gingivitis. We want our patients to live their healthiest, most confident lives. I believe what makes me and my office unique in my industry is my philosophy, which aims to create the best patient experience possible. We do this by making sure every patient knows that we know their name, that we know what brings them through our doors, that we address their needs in a tailored fashion, and we provide excellence every step of the way. Patient education is a valued priority in my office. It creates self-awareness, fosters confidence in my team surrounding our goals for each individual patient, and most importantly, builds trust. We gain this trust by treating every patient like a favorite family member. Dr. Mattsson is a member of the American Dental Association, the Texas Dental Association, and the San Antonio District Dental Society. She is a member of the Seattle Study Club and participates in the Los Angeles Institute of Clinical Dentistry & Ruiz Dental Seminars Inc. for continuing education/mini residency. U P TO W N FA M I LY D E N TA L S A .C O M | 2 1 0 -3 4 9 -3 7 1 5
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WOMEN TO WATCH 2021
Rachel Reuter Reuter Law Group, PC
WOMEN TO WATCH 2021
Dr. Phallon Doss Doss Audiology & Hearing Center
Rachel Reuter is the owner of Reuter Law Group, PC, a boutique family law firm in San Antonio. She is board certified in family law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. No two families are the same, which makes family law cases tremendously complex. Reuter Law Group is committed to giving each client the individualized attention they deserve. By working together, Reuter Law Group will strive to find a solution that is unique to each client's situation. Our commitment is to our clients, so when a person chooses to work with us, they can expect to be heard.
Dr. Phallon Doss is a leader in the field of audiology. She graduated summa cum laude from Texas Woman’s University and received her doctorate of audiology from the University of North Texas. Dr. Doss owns two audiology clinics in the greater San Antonio area (Schertz and Floresville). She has extensive experience in a wide range of audiologic procedures, including diagnostic hearing examinations, hearing aid selection and fitting, and cochlear implant programming. Dr. Doss is credited as performing the first cochlear implant activation in Schertz, Texas. She was named a San Antonio Business Journal 40 under 40 award winner in 2019 and a Health Care Hero in 2017. Dr. Doss has also been featured in numerous publications, including O, The Oprah Magazine, Fortune magazine and Entrepreneur magazine. Doss Audiology has been twice named the Best Audiology Clinic in San Antonio by Senior Resource Guide. Doss maintains her clinical certification from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology.
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David Garcia is the owner of Statue of Design and No. 9.
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DECADES OF DISCRIMINATION CAN’T BE ERASED, BUT TODAY’S LGBTQ+ SAN ANTONIANS ARE LIVING LIFE LOUDER AND PROUDER THAN EVER BY JADE ESTEBAN ESTRADA PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTY ANNA CAMPBELL
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R
ecent history has a way of blinding us to the past. For those coming of age in San Antonio over the past decade or so, it would be easy to assume that LGBTQ+ equality has always been a priority: That is, the queer community has always been valued and offered a seat at our collective municipal table. For example, in 2013 the San Antonio City Council voted 8-3 in favor of passing the Non-Discrimination Ordinance, which listed sexual orientation, gender identity and veteran status as protected classes. This issue struck a chord with many LGBTQ+ people, as large groups of citizens spoke out in support. A year later, the Pride Center of San Antonio opened its doors and is still in operation today. In 2015, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of legalizing marriage equality, nearly 100 same-sex couples were issued marriage licenses at the Bexar County Courthouse within hours of the landmark ruling. Then, in 2018, a privately funded rainbow crosswalk was painted on Evergreen and Main Avenue in support of inclusiveness and civil rights, essentially “claim(ing) that turf,” says Melissa Gohlke, assistant archivist at UTSA Libraries Special Collections.
But over the long sweep of history, acceptance, let alone celebration, has usually been the exception rather than the norm. Often, the LGBTQ+ community has
Milestones in San Antonio LGBTQ+ History
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had to be discreet and secretive out of legitimate fears of discrimination, or even physical violence. To be sure, though, LGBTQ+ people have always been right here with us, helping make San Antonio the city it is today. Although gay visibility in the Alamo City can be traced to the early 1900s, it was in the 1930s that drag performances gained cultural attention during what was known as “The Pansy Craze.” Local clubs like The Nite Spot, Gay Paree and Riverside Gardens would regularly feature nationally known female impersonators. In the 1940s and into the ’50s, hot spots like The Life Saver Grill, Keyhole Club, the Unknown Cafe and El Jardin offered queer clientele fun-filled nights of music, mingling and the opportunity to enjoy a relaxed environment. Still, LGBTQ+ life was far from out in the open. In the 1950s, folks fled to cozy establishments on the outskirts of town, largely to avoid potential raids and ongoing city and military police harassment. In the early 1960s, Kline’s on the Far Northwest Side was a place where lesbians could gather and socialize. For gay men, the popular rural venue of the time was Paul’s Grove, also referred to as “The Country,” near Helotes. Nearer the city center, under-the-radar pubs like the Acme Bar, Top Hat and the Rabbit Habit quietly thrived amid San Antonio’s inherently conservative military, Hispanic and Catholic influences. After the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York thrust gay rights out into the open, a new thirst for liberation began to change the local gay psyche. More queer individuals began to chafe against having to gather together in underground spots. To satisfy that demand, restaurateur and real estate developer Arthur “Hap” Veltman opened the San Antonio Country night club on St. Mary’s Street in 1973. “The San Antonio Country night club was beloved by many people,” says Noi Mahoney, creator of the 2019 documentary Hap Veltman’s San Antonio Country. “Some say it’s the birthplace of San Antonio’s gay civil rights movement.” Three years later, the first Gay Pride March was held
1930s
1960s
1969
1973
1981
1982
San Antonio clubs feature national drag performers during “The Pansy Craze.”
Queer nightlife heads to the outskirts of town as people fear raids and harassment.
The Stonewall Riots in New York inspire the gay community to form a more visible presence in San Antonio.
Arthur “Hap” Veltman opens gay nightclub the San Antonio Country.
The New York Times first writes about the HIV virus, which begins to claim the lives of large numbers of gay men in San Antonio.
San Antonio’s first Pride Picnic is held at Lions Park.
COURTESY UTSA LIBRARIES SPECIAL COLLECTIONS / LGBTQ PUBLICATIONS COLLECTION
Looking Back on a Century of LGBTQ+ History
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COURTESY UTSA LIBRARIES SPECIAL COLLECTIONS / LGBTQ PUBLICATIONS COLLECTION
in the city. “It was downtown, and 35 people attended,” says Gohlke. The next year, about 50 people participated in a march that culminated on the steps of City Hall. Progress and acceptance continued to be mixed with discrimination. Throughout the 1970s, harassment of patrons at the Country was all too common. “I think we all had our own little Stonewalls,” the late Gene Elder, co-owner and manager of the Country, says in Mahoney’s film. The Country was sold in 1981, and Veltman then bought the Bonham Exchange building across from The Alamo, where gay and straight clubgoers continue to make memories to this day. That same year, The New York Times published a piece about a “rare cancer” seen in 41 homosexuals. The AIDS epidemic would claim the lives of many in the San Antonio community, which inspired many local HIV/AIDS activists to take a stand. San Antonio had one of the highest rates of HIV in the country during the 1980s (and still does today), and the community rallied to help those who became ill. “The bars were instrumental in fundraising to support folks who had AIDS,” Gohlke says. In 1982, San Antonio held its first Pride picnic at Lions Park, a commemorative celebration that brought many factions of the LGBTQ+ community together and opened doors to diverse social groups and political engagement. After Veltman died of AIDS that year, many of the next generation of gay leaders who stepped forth were members of the San Antonio Lesbian and Gay Assembly (SALGA), which operated from 1990 to 1998 and brought together LGBTQ+ organizations, businesses and individuals for networking and support. “We were intersectional before the term was coined,” says Dulce Benavides, the organization’s former co-chair, adding “We were hopeful during that time [about San Antonio’s fight for gay rights], but also realistic.” In the mid-1990s, the LGBTQ+ community experienced a battle against the San Antonio Express-News, after the newspaper published the name of Benny Hogan, a closeted man who was arrested for indecent exposure in a park. His subsequent suicide galvanized the community to demand that the news outlet cease the practice of printing the names of arrested gay men. The 1990s and early 21st century has continued to see a mix of obvious signs of acceptance and embrace of LGBTQ+ citizens as full members of the San Antonio community along with reminders that there is still more work to be done. In 2003, for instance, the
From left: Kline’s on the Far Northwest Side was once a discreet location where lesbians gathered; in the 1970s, the San Antonio Country night club was the gay hot spot in urban San Antonio.
U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Texas state sodomy laws were unconstitutional. And here in Military City USA, Pride festival and parade attendance continued to rise through the age of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the Clinton-era policy that prohibited discrimination against closeted gay men and women while barring openly gay people from military service. “[That] was just a stressful time for [military] people,” says Gohlke, whose partner served in the military for 20 years. “Folks in the military were really forced to continue to hide. My partner entered into a couple of marriages with gay men to keep up this ruse of being straight.” An obvious reminder of how much progress the LGBTQ+ community has made toward complete equality and acceptance—and the work that remains undone—can be found in the case of Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez. In 2018, Gonzalez became the first out Latina lesbian to be elected as judge in the history of Bexar County. Then, last year, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct forced Gonzalez to remove a rainbow pride flag from her courtroom after a defense lawyer filed a complaint. “It felt like they were trying to shame me and bully me into not expressing who I truly am,” Gonzalez told a reporter. Her experience shows just how far the LGBTQ+ community has traveled towards acceptance. But full equality still requires vigilance, hard work and, yes, pride.
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1990
2005
2011
2013
2014
2018
Esperanza Peace and Justice Center is founded, offering resources for queer rights.
The San Antonio Gay and Lesbian Assembly forms, gathering LGBTQ+ business owners and community leaders for networking and support.
Elena Guajardo becomes the first openly gay candidate elected to the San Antonio City Council.
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is repealed, representing a new era of freedom for LGBTQ+ military members in San Antonio and beyond.
San Antonio City Council passes a Non-Discrimination Ordinance, which protects LGBTQ+ and other minority groups.
The Pride Center San Antonio opens.
More than 150 LGBTQ+ people are elected to office nationally, including Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez, the first out Latina lesbian to be elected judge in Bexar County.
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Pride Profiles Three generations share their stories of coming out and living with pride BY JADE ESTEBAN ESTRADA
CARTER ALEXANDER, 24 AT THE AGE OF 13, CARTER ALEX-
ander felt like the only gay person in the world. But after finding a blog geared toward a community of folks who were in the closet, he began to see a glimmer of hope for his future. “Until you really come to terms with it, I think it’s very isolating,” he says. When he was 15, he came out to his sister. Then, at age 17, he was confronted by his Egyptian-born parents, who are devout Coptic Orthodox Christians, after they discovered from his credit card bill that he had purchased makeup brushes. “[My parents] basically were like, ‘You can’t go anywhere except school and H-E-B,’ and they sent me to the prayaway-the-gay counselors,” Alexander says. Those weekly sessions lasted the six months until his 18th birthday, when he moved out. “So few people from Middle Eastern backgrounds come out. I think it’s part of the isolation factor. [Being gay] is so taboo,” he says. Today, Alexander works as an interior designer and is proud of who he has become. “[Pride] is celebrating being your uninhibited self,” he says. “I still have the makeup brushes. Every time I use those brushes, I have to laugh.”
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SARAHJANE REIL, 63 GROWING UP IN THE PHILIPPINES, SARAHJANE REIL WASN’T
attracted to boys. She did, however, have close relationships with other girls. “In the Phillipines, they are predominantly Catholic, so even if we go out with [someone of the] same sex, they think we’re just friends,” she says. After high school, Reil married a man—but not just to abide by social expectations. “I wanted a child,” she says, “and I couldn’t achieve that with a woman.” In 2000, 42-year-old Reil came out. “It was not that long ago because...see, we’re Catholics,” she says. “Being gay is always a no-no. Growing up with a Catholic family, we’re not honest to ourselves and to others because of the fear that we will be shut down by our family.” She has no regrets about not coming out sooner. “I was just making my family happy,” she says. But now her family is supportive because they know Reil is content. Today, she’s happy to be in a relationship with her partner of five years. “I am true to myself now,” she says. “I am not ashamed being a lesbian. For me, pride is a respect to humanity. Pride is just showing: I am a person. I can be supportive to you; you can be supportive with me.”
H. DREW GALLOWAY, 38 THE ALAMO CITY HAS A REPUTATION OF BEING A POLESTAR FOR SAME - sex
couples with children. “It’s an incredible place to be a part of when it comes to being [an LGBTQ+] family that’s raising children here in the city,” says H. Drew Galloway (pictured, second from right), the father of two teenage sons—17-year-old Drew and 15-yearold Graham—whom he raises with his partner, Martin Martinez. Galloway didn’t always feel so accepted. “I grew up in rural Georgia, where there was lots of homophobia and stigma, and not really a sense of community,” he says. “I came out when I was 29 years old, and I was married prior to that, and so I had two sons. I came out, and then met my partner, Martin.” Galloway says he’s encouraged that some attitudes toward LGBTQ+ people have changed over the past decade. “I have not only seen marriage equality become a reality, but we’ve also seen the Non-Discrimination Ordinance in San Antonio help protect workers and LGBTQ+ members of the community.” He looks forward to safely celebrating Pride this year, noting that it’s always an important reminder about the importance of being honest with yourself: “[Pride] means being your true self and bringing that true self to everything that you do.” JUNE 2021
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Activism and the Arts How LGBTQ+ artists use their work to share their experiences and spark conversations BY EMILY GUAJARDO
W
ith the purpose of bringing new perspective and understanding to the community, LGBTQ+ arts in San Antonio has swung over time between traditional Latinx culture and new-age modernism. Today, the work of artists represents the full spectrum of the LGBTQ+ experience, including messages of hope and acceptance, pain and struggles, and the polarizing narratives of religion and science. The mediums are as diverse as the topics, ranging from feminista graphic art to mixed-media sculptures. Wanting to bridge the polarizing gap between a human’s biological makeup and cultural upbringing, international artist and Southwest School of Art professor Chris Sauter uniquely frames his pieces to explore complex topics, including the narrative between
“I get confused when people say that being gay is something about nature versus nurture, when really it’s not,” says artist Chris Sauter. “It’s actually both.”
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nature versus nurture, the past and present, and the personal and universal. Known for artistically juxtaposing topics and his creative use of materials, Sauter has crafted pieces that speak to everyone, not just the LGBTQ+ community. Exhibited pieces like Thomas and Church Banners have injected religious themes into his work, with the aim of sparking discussions and understanding. “As a queer man, who was raised in church but is also an artist, I try not to bring so much politicization into my work,” Sauter says. “Any item that I make is not about me, and it has nothing to do with me. Sure, I might use items that used to be mine, but really it’s up to the person to decide what the artwork is saying. That’s what I liked about Thomas. A believer could see it and get something out of it, but a gay member can see it and get something totally different.” Other artists, especially women, have been more outspoken about their sexuality and queer identity. Co-founders of the brand St. Sucia, Isabel Ann Castro and Natasha Hernandez have utilized their creative skills to express their overwhelming support for women’s rights and social justice within various communities. Creating a platform focused on empowering mujeres of all walks of life and sexual orientations, St. Sucia prints zines with personal stories and poems about sex positivity, rape, relationships and feminism. Hernandez says the goal behind St. Sucia was always to present honest, personal stories—even if that meant talking about things no one wanted to vocalize. “Sometimes you don’t know you need something until you see,” she says. “Growing up, I didn’t see any materials or books that I could read as a bisexual woman. … People actually want to start reading what we, and our submitted authors, have to say about gender nonconformity and other topics.” Remaining steadfast in their craft and symbolism, artists have also found unique and personal methods to educate the community on acceptance. Creatives like José Villalobos and Cedric Thomas Smith are two of many advocates using fashion and film to showcase the difficulties of coming out in traditionally masculine cultures. Taking conventional Norteno clothing, multimedia and fashion artist and co-director of Clamp Light Artist Studios & Gallery, Villalobos deconstructs toxic Latino masculinity by altering formal men’s fashion into statements about remaining anonymous and being culturally accepted. “When I was younger, I just faced a lot of backlash if I was acting too feminine and not masculine enough, which is why it was so hard to come out or to know if I was gay,” Villalobos says. “That’s why now my pieces are meant to be seen as imagery for classic Latino culture. I used face coverings to show how sometimes you just want to be anonymous when you’re living in those types of situations. Now, I use more different objects to kind of show a bit more aggression like ‘I’m here, see me.’” Villalobos’ art protests the culturally accepted traits of toxic masculinity and the silencing of diverse queer
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José Villalobos combines feminine materials such as colorful fringe and flowers with knives and sharp barbed wire to represent the struggles and resilience required of closeted people. voices through performance, installation, sculpture, drawings and fashion in order to address the stereotypes of being a maricon and assimilating to the cultural expectations set by the Hispanic community. Filmmaker and director of Well Ced Productions Cedric Thomas Smith had to work through his own dilemmas of being accepted and rejected by two communities. “As both a Black man and a gay man, it used to be really hard for me to just be myself,” Smith says. “I would be called profane things as a Black man by gay people, and I would be called things as a gay man by Black people. And it took me a while to realize that I don’t have to choose—I am fully me.” Through his work in films like Symphony of Silence, Smith says he seeks to bring audiences from all backgrounds to experience his interpretation of both gay men and Black men walking through life and the struggles that come with that. “I represent two unique voices that may feel voiceless at times,” Smith says. While artists and organizations are bringing the topic of acceptance and tolerance to the table, some creative thinkers believe that the real change will happen only when older and younger generations unite under one commonality: understanding the other’s struggles. Writer and multimedia artist Anel Flores has taken this issue head-on. Through her series of internationally recognized books, short stories, poems, art, and graphic art stories, Flores is one of the few prevalent non-binary, queer and lesbian voices in the local or state LGBTQ+ community. “I remember I just knew I was a writer when my teacher made me read House on Mango Street,” Flores says. “Back then, I was reading just a bunch of old white man literature and I hated it. My teacher was
like ‘Anel, you’re a writer’ when I turned in my House of Mango Street reflection, and I was like ‘What? No, I’m not. I don’t want to be like those guys.’ But really it was that I could be a writer and write my own stories with my own voice.” Today, Flores has taken her skills to new heights and collaborates with publishing houses around the state and country to bring her words of love, Latinx culture and queer generation education. Encouraging younger queer writers to read and listen to older authors, Flores says the hard-earned progress of the past should be valued and honored today. “I tell a lot of young queer writers, ‘You have no idea how lucky you are,’” Flores says. “A few years ago, we didn’t have queer language that we could use freely. We had to come up with phrases and sayings, and now younger people are just being born knowing them. That’s why I encourage younger writers to utilize what they have now so that they can write their story and tell it using the right words.” Flores also says that while the language of acceptance is often thrown around, the reality is that members of the LGBTQ+ community are still being persecuted. “For a while I thought that all of our problems were solved,” she says. “And then events like the Orlando shooting really put things into perspective. There is still a lot of racism and homophobia happening, and I don’t think it’s just going away like that. It’s going to take time, and it’s going to take writers and artists to keep doing what they’re doing.” JUNE 2021
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By embracing her identity today as a Latina, Chicana, lesbian, non-binary woman, Anel Flores says she finds herself writing a lot about acceptance, racism and past generations. “What happened back then, the words that were written back then, affect me now,” she says.
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Open Waters Kristi Waters may be shy, but she’s no drag BY BONNY OSTERHAGE
5 Fun Facts About Kristi Waters She took her stage name from her hometown of Corpus Christi. In her first performance, she wore a neon green, rhinestone skating costume and performed “River Deep Mountain High” by Celine Dion. Her favorite divas to impersonate are Lady Gaga and Cher. Her biggest influence is a California queen named Sasha Colby. Her relationship status: “single and looking!”
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herself, but for the drag scene in San Antonio. Her shows attract people of all ages, races, genders and sexualities who flock to Paramour to forget their worries and have a good time. “My job is to take people away from their everyday lives for an hour,” she says. She credits the success of RuPaul’s Drag Race for helping to “demystify” the drag scene and for helping people understand that it’s just another form of art—one that you don’t have to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community to enjoy. “Our biggest demographic is straight women and their husbands,” Waters says. “We’ve had a 79-year-old grandma, too.” Between her one-woman stand-up comedy shows, her “Drag Queens Read” program for children, and planning, coordinating and finding talent for the Paramour’s Sunday Drag Brunch and new “Paramour Peep Show,” Waters is serving us a lot of looks. This month, Waters will be hosting an all-day, all-ages Pride festival at Woodlawn Point that will be open to the entire community. “We are just here to have fun, and we welcome everyone,” she says. “After this past year, we need to come together and celebrate life more than ever.”
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ne of the hardestworking queens on the scene, Paramour Bar Entertainment Director Kristi Waters is more than just an award-winning performer. Waters is a multi-talented powerhouse who helped catapult the drag culture in San Antonio from “hush hush” to loud and proud. Audiences pack the Paramour’s Sunday Drag Brunch every week to watch her vamp it up with her glam costumes and raucous humor. But what they may not realize is that Waters is an introvert by nature. “I’ve always been really shy,” she says. “It’s only when I’m in full drag that I come out of my shell. To me, it’s like a mask, and if you can’t see who I am, then I can say what I want.” T he you n ges t o f t h re e children, Waters grew up in a conservative Catholic family in Corpus Christi. Bullied throughout most of her school years, the stage was the one place where Waters found community. She majored in theatre at Del Mar College and landed the role of Brad in a production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. That role ultimately determined the path of her career when, after a performance and while still in costume, she won first prize at a gay club’s “talent night.” A star was born. “I wasn’t even out to my parents yet, I didn’t know the drag culture at all and I had never seen a drag show, but they offered me a recurring gig,” she says. “It was a snowball effect that never ended.” Waters moved to San Antonio at the age of 21 and taught fifth grade by day while moonlighting in drag on the weekends. As her performance career took off, she knew she had to make a choice. “Things were more ‘taboo’ back then, and I was a little fearful of the school parents finding out,” she says, adding that the money she was pulling in at her shows was comparable to her teaching salary. “I had to ask myself if I wanted to follow someone else’s rules and guidelines or make my own. Looking back, it was the right thing to do, but there was that moment of ‘Holy s***, I’m giving all this up to dress up as a woman and lip sync to other people’s songs.’” Today, the five-time “Brit Sis Award” winner for “Best Drag Queen” has made a name not only for JUNE 2021
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Pride Profiles Queer pride is part of the business model for these three entrepreneurs BY BONNY OSTERHAGE
Megan Morales Chef and Owner, Cereal Killer Sweets CHEF MEGAN MORALES STARTED HER CEREAL
Killer Sweets business in 2018 with a playful concept: reimagining cereal bar flavors. Some of her popular flavors include Unicorn Cake, which combines Fruity Pebbles and white chocolate, and a more traditional cookies-and-cream cereal bar. Morales, a San Antonio native, came by her culinary creativity naturally. Her mom is the former owner of Sugar Hill Bakery, and Morales spent a lot of time watching, learning and cultivating her own style and ideas. “I grew up knowing that I wanted to do something in the cooking field, but I wanted it to be completely different and my own,” she says. After successfully running and eventually closing Pink’s Popcorn, Morales began experimenting with cereal bars and selling them online before opening her current location in what was once a cookie bakery. The shop’s history opened a whole other avenue for the chef’s business. “After we opened, customers still came in asking for cookies, so we decided to branch out and include them on our menu,” she says. True to form, Morales doesn’t offer a straightforward menu of cookie flavors. Instead, you’ll find creations like birthday cake cookies stuffed with a Funfetti cake ball, snickerdoodle filled with cream cheese icing and a “Half-Baked” cookie that combines Oreos, cookie butter, caramel and chocolate into one delightfully decadent treat. “The cookies have become our most popular items,” says Morales. “The chocolate chunk is the most requested.” As a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, Morales makes a point to donate to the local nonprofits that support her community. From the beginning, she has always been transparent about who she is and what she represents. “We’ve never shied away from saying we are a female-owned and LGBTQ+ business,” she says. “That’s a large part of who we are, and we want to put it out there to show people that you can be an openly gay, successful businesswoman.”
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Cristina Martinez Owner, Very That INSPIRED BY HER LATINA HERI-
tage and the strong women in her life, Cristina Martinez pays homage to her roots through the accessories and lifestyle products she designs. And Martinez uses her Very That showcases at the Brick at Blue Star to showcase other LGBTQ+ artists and performers. “The most important part of being a queer artist or designer is living freely and authentically out loud,” she says. “My events highlight friendship and community, and I try to queer them up as much as possible.”
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6 Nonprofits to Know Fiesta Youth Fiesta Youth supports and empowers LGBTQ+ youth ages 12-18 to explore themselves and build a sense of community through friendship, weekly programs and events. fiesta-youth.org Thrive Youth Center Established in 2015 to alleviate the LGBTQ+ homelessness epidemic, Thrive Youth Center is one of the only LGBTQ+-specific shelters in Texas. Residents ages 18-24 stay at the emergency shelter on Haven for Hope’s campus or are re-housed in apartments and receive support and resources. thriveyouthcenter.org San Antonio AIDS Foundation Providing care since 1986, San Antonio AIDS Foundation supplies comprehensive health services to those affected by HIV/ AIDS and helps prevent the spread of the disease through testing and education. sanantonioaids.org The Pride Center San Antonio Serving LGBTQ+ people of all ages and their families, the Pride Center helps connect clients with available resources and offers opportunities for connection through group therapy, events and more. thepridecentersa.org
David Garcia Owner, Statue of Design and No. 9
American Veterans for Equal Rights - Lone Star Chapter This veterans service organization supports active, reserve and veteran LGBTQ+ service members who have been historically disregarded by Armed Forces policy and discriminatory laws governing military service and benefits. texvet.org/resources/averamerican-veterans-equal-rights-lone-star
WHEN IT COMES TO FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS, DAVID GARCIA’S SHOW-STOPPING
designs make any occasion a cause for celebration. Garcia has been an active voice in the LGBTQ+ community for many years, lending his time and talents to various causes, including the local Pride Center, where his partner sits on the board. For him, Pride is so much more than a month-long event—it’s a way of life. “A lot of businesses that aren’t LGBTQ+-owned like to promote Pride in June, but it’s a celebration for us all year-round. June is just a good excuse to throw a party.”
BEAT AIDS Black Effort Against the Threat of AIDS assists minority communities and disproportionately affected groups battling HIV/ AIDS by meeting them where they are to provide testing, health services and support. beataids.org —JESSICA LENAMOND
Pride Bigger Than Texas To celebrate Pride Month safely, Pride San Antonio’s annual parade and festival are combining into one virtual event livestreamed from Bonham Exchange that will feature performances and guests. Join the livestream on Pride San Antonio’s Facebook page or YouTube channel. Saturday, June 26, 6-10 p.m. pridesanantonio.org For more ways to celebrate Pride this month, visit sanantoniomag.com/pride-events. JUNE 2021
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Artist Justin Parr discovered a passion for glass art that he explores by making marbles and drinking glasses. In the process, he helped build a community of fervent marble hunters. BY KATHLEEN PETTY PHOTOGRAPHY BY LOUIE PRECIADO
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J
ustin Parr knows how to make the perfect drinking glass. But, he says, it’s not only “super boring,” it’s also exactly what you can purchase at any big box store without a second thought. “A lot of craftspeople lean toward perfection. If you’ve made something 100 times, you’re going to make it perfect,” he says. “My goal has never been to do that.” Instead, each of the thousands of glasses he has created since getting into glass art over a decade ago are unique. With flat bottoms for easy storage in cupboards and glass thick enough to not break with everyday use, they’re utilitarian. “But they’re kind of a little wonky and have the look that someone made them,” he says. “They’re all personal.” The maker never intended for glass to become his primary medium. A contemporary artist, photographer and owner of Flight Gallery, Parr says the first time he tried glass blowing, he enjoyed it. But he also thought it was something he’d never do again. Then friend and fellow artist Jake Harper opened Zollie Glass Studio across from Flight Gallery, when it was still on South Presa Street. Parr tried his hand at the kiln again and says, “I just kind of never left.” Zollie became a hub for San Antonio’s robust glass blowing community. The artists gathered to make complex marbles and other art pieces, all while collaborating and becoming friends. Harper’s studio has since closed (although it's slated to reopen this summer), but Parr says the community continues to thrive, mostly working in their own studios but sometimes getting together to collaborate and create. For his part, Parr can usually be found in the private studio atop his shipping container home adjacent to Hot Wells Conservancy. “It’s heaven,” the artist says. “I’m surrounded by windows, and my studio looks out into the trees.” He made his first set of kitchen glasses for himself and quickly found that friends and visitors were interested in purchasing them. Demand grew from there, and his glasses are now carried in stores throughout the state and collected by people nationwide. “Before I realized it, I was doing a lot more glass than anything else,” he says. “I really do love it. I like making tactile objects that people can use and appreciate in their daily lives.” To start, Parr uses 5-foot tubes of borosilicate glass that he pulls into points and then crafts using a traditional Italian lampworking technique. Then he finishes out his works with his “own flair.” During COVID-19, demand for his products grew exponentially and Parr says he’s been meeting holiday-level demand for about a year, churning out as many as 12 to 20 glasses per day while still making the occasional marble or other piece. “You can only do it for two to three hours before you have to take a break,” he says. “You’re working with a flame that is close to 3,000 degrees, and when it hits the glass, it reflects off and on to you, so it beats you up in an unusual way.”
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These tools are used to shape the glass into marbles and drinking glasses.
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Justin Parr’s work station with colored rods of glass, tools, some of his signature DNA marbles and handmade glass cups.
Parr combs through rods of colored glass, which he uses to create his marbles. Parr melts a small piece of dichroic glass to incorporate into a marble. Dichroic glass bounces and reflects light, giving a rainbow of colors that sparkle and almost look like shattered glass.
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The artist continuously heats the glass in order for the marble to maintain its shape.
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LOST ART IT TAKES ONLY A SINGLE ONLINE CLUE
After heating and melting small rods of glass onto the end of the melted glass rod, the marble and vortex design begin to take shape. Two large rods of glass with melted ends are joined together to form the final stages of the marble.
for dozens of members from Esferas Perdidas to set off on their next hunt. A Facebook group launched over seven years ago by artists Justin Parr and Sean Johnston, Esferas Perdidas (Lost Spheres) started as a fun way for the San Antonio glass-blowing community to introduce people to its work through handmade marbles. It still does that, but with 8,000-plus members, it also has become a popular treasure hunting pastime that often has people competing for weeks or months to be the first to find the latest hidden gem. “My girlfriend and I shared clues for a road trip search that included drawings that corroborated with points on Google Earth,” Parr says. “It took the group two-and-a-half months, but one day someone realized exactly where it was. He drove to Port Aransas and picked it right up.” Many of the marbles are hidden around San Antonio at places like the Japanese Tea Gardens, Landa Library or even random parking lots. Most locations are easy to access and allow for plenty of social distancing, making it a pandemic-friendly pastime. To start a hunt, an artist or marble hider will post “Lost” along with a photograph of the marble and a picture, drawing or illustration that provides a clue about where to begin looking. Group members typically update after a successful search with a “Found” post that gives more details about where the piece of art was hidden—whether in a small fountain, under a park bench or dropped amid the brush. Parr says he and Johnston have learned a lot about humanity through the group. People are both kinder and more frenzied and competitive than you would think when a free piece of glass is at stake. It also has grown into a larger community than they could ever have imagined back in 2014. “It’s gotten people interested in marbles and glass art,” Parr says. Plus, it’s good old-fashioned fun. Join the hunt by searching “Esferas Perdidas” on Facebook and requesting access to become a member. JUNE 2021
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3 PLACES TO LEARN GET A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT HOW GLASS PIECES ARE CREATED AND TEST YOUR OWN HAND AT THE ART FORM
Caliente Hot Glass Like so much else, its classes turned into virtual demos during COVID-19. The professionals who craft custom glass creations here are already welcoming back visitors who make appointments to observe and even try glass blowing under their guidance. calientehotglass.com Garcia Art Glass The family behind this studio welcomes guests for a narrated glass-blowing demonstration and studio tour that allows you to see how a piece goes from idea to finished product. After a pause during the pandemic, the studio has restarted in-person demos with limited capacity. garciaartglass.com
After various colors of glass are melted together onto the marble, Parr uses a tool to draw designs onto the back side of the vortex marble.
Tembo Glassworks Groups of six or fewer can book glass-blowing experiences or lessons in this Five Points studio. The studio and its artists create everything from sculpture and custom glassware to lighting fixtures. temboglassworks.com
The marble is shaped inside a mold one final time before it’s removed from the glass rod.
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Parr inspects the marble before placing it into the kiln, which will safely bring the marble to room temperature. Cooling too quickly can result in the marble cracking internally. JUNE 2021
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BY CLAYTON TRUTOR
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ILLUSTRATIONS BY VICENTE MARTÍ
The city’s hoops reputation goes beyond the Spurs with a legacy of homegrown talent at the high school level
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SAN ANTONIO'S STARTING FIVE
When basketball fans think of talent factories, places like New York, Chicago and Philadelphia typically come to mind. They think of the asphalt at Harlem’s Rucker Park or the hardwood of Philadelphia’s Palestra. But they should also think of the gyms at Wagner and Cole High Schools in San Antonio. Indeed, any list of America’s best basketball towns ought to include the 210 area code. That's because, over the years, San Antonio has consistently proven itself to be one of the best pound-for-pound producers of basketball talent in the country. Nearly 25 current or former NBA or WNBA players were born in San Antonio or hail from the city— including a handful of legitimate superstars in both the professional and collegiate ranks. So, if the basketball towns of America were facing off on the hardwood, here’s the allstars who would make our starting five.
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Shaquille O’Neal Center Orlando Magic (1992-1996) Los Angeles Lakers (1996-2004) Miami Heat (2004-2008) Phoenix Suns (2008-2009) Cleveland Cavaliers (2009-2010) Boston Celtics (2010-2011) IN 1989, THE 7-FOOT-1-INCH SON OF AN ARMY
sergeant guided Cole High School to its first and only state championship before it brought home the title again this March. Born in Newark, O’Neal spent much of his youth on U.S. military bases in Germany before his father was transferred to Fort Sam Houston. In two seasons at Cole, O’Neal guided the military base’s high school to a 68-1 overall mark. Individually, he earned Mr. Texas Basketball honors in 1989, throwing down 31 points, snatching 22 rebounds, and registering nine blocks per game in his senior season. From Cole, Shaq headed to Louisiana State University, where he became one of the most dominating forces in the history of college basketball. O’Neal was twice named the Southeastern Conference’s Player of the Year, was selected Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year in 1991 and established himself as one of the greatest rebounders and shot blockers in NCAA history. In 1992, Shaq was selected by the Orlando Magic as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, kicking off a Hall of Fame career. He earned four championship rings, three NBA Finals MVPs, and, in 2000, league MVP honors. As part of the NBA’s 50th anniversary in 1996, O’Neal was named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. Off the court, the big kid from Cole High became one of the most recognized people on the planet with his rapid emergence as a media icon early in his NBA career. In the decades since, he’s made himself known as a rapper, a corporate pitchman, an actor, a reality television and video game star, and—of course—a basketball commentator.
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SAN ANTONIO'S STARTING FIVE
Jeff Foster Forward Indiana Pacers (1999-2012) JEFF FOSTER’S PATH TO THE NBA WAS AN
unlikely one. The 6-foot-11-inch forward played just one year of high school basketball at Madison High School, but showed enough promise (and size) to earn a scholarship offer from Southwest Texas State (now Texas State University). Bobcats head coach Mike Miller oversaw the transformation of Foster into a genuine low-post presence. Foster twice averaged better than 10 points and 10 rebounds per game for the Bobcats while earning All-Southland Conference honors. In 1999, the Golden State Warriors selected Foster in the first round but immediately traded him to Indiana, where he spent his entire distinguished NBA career. For more than a decade, Foster earned a reputation as one of the league’s best defenders and best rebounders. Pacers fans adored Foster for his hustle and grit. Following his retirement, Foster returned to Texas, settling his family in Austin. Foster was known for his frugality as a player and saved much of his earnings. In recent years, he has also been noted for his success as an investor in tech and biomedical startups.
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Charles “Bo” Outlaw Forward Los Angeles Clippers (1994-1997) Orlando Magic (1997-2002, 2005-2007) Phoenix Suns (2002-2003, 2004-2005) Memphis Grizzlies (2003-2004) CHARLES “BO” OUTLAW GREW FROM JUST OVER 6
feet tall to 6-foot-7-inches over the course of his high school career at John Jay High School in Northwest San Antonio. Coached in high school by the legendary David Stelmazewski, Outlaw led the Mustangs to a 37-1 record and a trip to the state championship game in 1989. He starred at South Plains College in Levelland before bringing his talents to the University of Houston. In the 1992-93 season, Outlaw was named the Southwest Conference’s Player of the Year. He also led the nation in field goal percentage for the Cougars but was not selected in the 1993 NBA Draft. After brief interludes in the Continental Basketball Association and the Spanish professional league, Outlaw found a spot with the Clippers and spent the next decade-and-a-half in the NBA. An elite athlete, Outlaw was one of the league’s best all-around players throughout his career. He was a consistent contributor on the offensive end and well-known for his lockdown defense and leaping ability. Though never a superstar and often a reserve, Outlaw is 61st all-time in career blocks and earned almost $40 million playing basketball. He retired in Orlando, where he enjoyed the prime years of his career with the Magic.
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SAN ANTONIO'S STARTING FIVE
André Roberson Guard Oklahoma City Thunder (2013-2020) Brooklyn Nets (2021) BORN IN LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO, BUT RAISED
in Bexar County, Roberson attended the thenbrand-new Karen Wagner High School just northeast of San Antonio’s city limits. At Wagner, Roberson joined forces with slick shooting guard and future NBAer Jordan Clarkson. Together, they transformed the Thunderbirds into a Texas high school basketball powerhouse. In both 2009 and 2010, Roberson and Clarkson led the Thunderbirds to the semifinals of the state basketball tournament. Wagner has since retired both of their high school numbers, and their jerseys now hang from the rafters in the high school’s gymnasium. Roberson played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes. The 6-foot-7-inch Roberson was initially recruited as a power forward but was converted into a small forward and, eventually, a shooting guard over the course of his college career. The large and athletic Roberson earned All-PAC 12 honors as a junior, averaging in double figures in points and rebounds for the second straight season. He left Colorado after his junior year and was selected 26th overall in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft. For seven seasons, Roberson was a stalwart in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s starting five, battling through injuries and becoming one of the league’s best defensive players in lineups alongside the likes of Russell Westbrook. In the 2016-17 season, Roberson was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team. In February 2021, Roberson signed with the Brooklyn Nets and played for them briefly; he is currently a free agent.
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Jordan Clarkson Guard Los Angeles Lakers (2014-2018) Cleveland Cavaliers (2018-2019) Utah Jazz (2019-Present) THE SON OF TWO MEMBERS OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE,
Clarkson moved to San Antonio in first grade. Co-starring with the aforementioned André Roberson, Clarkson led the Wagner Thunderbirds to the upper echelons of Texas prep basketball. While Roberson was a big leaper, Clarkson was an energetic scoring machine for the Thunderbirds, averaging nearly 20 points a game in both his junior and senior seasons. He was named San Antonio’s High School Player of the Year for the 2009-10 season. Clarkson began his college career at Tulsa, where he earned All-Conference USA honors as a sophomore before transferring to the University of Missouri. At Mizzou, Clarkson continued to thrive, averaging 17.5 points per game and earning second-team All-SEC honors. The Washington Wizards drafted Clarkson 46th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft and traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers shortly thereafter. Clarkson’s prowess as a scorer became evident immediately. He averaged nearly 12 points a game in his first season and was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie Team. Eight years into his NBA career, Clarkson has averaged better than 12 points per game every season. In the 201819 season, he enjoyed a career year with the Cleveland Cavaliers, posting nearly 17 points per night.
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Eat + Drink I N S ID E / A TAST E O F F RA NCE p .58 / TH E BEST TEXAS W IN ES IN ON E SPOT p. 60 / JASON DADY ' S JAR DÍN p . 6 2
Beer with a Mission or Roadmap Brewing co-owner Dustin Baker, the release of its new West Coast–style IPA this month is about more than just a good brew. Dubbed “Things We Don’t Say,” the beer was created as part of a national initiative for mental health awareness and is inspired by Baker’s childhood friend Chase, who took his own life at the age of 12. Baker also wanted to impart onto his Roadmap Brewing team the importance of paying attention to mental health. “We have an extremely small staff here which allows us to be nimble and fast, but it also means that people are often playing in multiple roles and being pulled in different directions,” he says. “We want to make sure that everyone
COURTESY ROADMAP BREWING CO.
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in the immediate and extended Roadmap family knows that it’s OK to be mentally worn down as a result of the madness that the world throws your way. It’s not always something that people want to talk about, but if we can spark the tough conversation by simply releasing a beer, then that’s what we want to do.” Set to debut on June 18 (what would’ve been Chase’s 31st birthday), Things We Don’t Say has an approachable bitterness with notes of grapefruit and pine, says Baker. The beer’s label will feature artwork by Chase, and proceeds will go to nonprofit Hope for the Day, the organizers of the Things We Don’t Say initiative, and another local nonprofit chosen by Chase’s family. roadmapbrewing.com—KATHERINE STINSON
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BR ASSERIE MON CHOU CHOU
312 Pearl Pkwy., Bldg. 2, Ste. 2104 210-469-3743 brasseriemonchouchou.com Lunch and dinner daily; brunch Sun
Paris in Pearl Brasserie Mon Chou Chou combines the best of French cuisine with South Texas friendliness BY EDMUND TIJERINA
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hen creating a classic French menu, the decision of what cut of beef to use for steak frites takes on heightened importance. So chef Laurent Réa pondered several different possibilities for Brasserie Mon Chou Chou. He considered one of the traditional French options, a bavette (flank steak) or onglet (hanger steak) but, instead, decided on a corn-fed classic. “I told (fellow co-founders) Jérôme (Sérot) and Philippe (Placé), the steak frites has to be a signature item,” Réa says. His choice: a gorgeously seared 12-ounce New York strip topped with a dollop of herbed butter. It’s an all-American cut of beef that elevates a French restaurant standard and plants the Art Nouveau décor firmly at home in South Texas. Indeed, I have to say that when we’re able to travel again and my wife and I can take our 12-year-old son to experience Paris for the
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PHOTOS BY JOMANDO CRUZ
4/28/21 4:12 PM
OFF MENU News from the restaurant scene
ORDER THIS
Raclette Escargot Steak Frites Steak Tartare
first time, I’m a little concerned that he’s going to say he likes Brasserie Mon Chou Chou better than the bistros and brasseries in France. Of course, there’s truly no substitute for the experience of interacting in another language, immersing in local customs and basking in a beloved expression of French culture. Still, the experience at Mon Chou Chou delights like few other restaurants in town. Almost any dish on Réa’s menu sings “La Marseillaise” with an inspiring clarity. The steak tartare unites the gently firm texture of minced raw beef with the brightness of capers, a pop from finely minced shallots and the lusciousness of a quail egg to create one of the finest examples of this dish I have ever tried. Like the steak frites, the usually humble raclette receives a glamorous and delicious makeover. Traditionally, the melted cheese is served with boiled potatoes, some pickled vegetables and often cold cuts and other accompaniments. At Mon Chou Chou, a server scrapes a generous portion from a broiled half wheel of raclette onto a sliced baguette that’s slathered with aioli and accompanied by a side of cornichons. You will want to add the side of Bayonne ham, a Basque
specialty of Southwest France that may remind you a bit of Italian prosciutto. Whether you indulge in the escargot, an endive salad, or a vol-au-vent with crab and spinach at brunch, the menu consistently delights. And if you were wondering, the steak frites delivers on its promise and absolutely thrills. Meanwhile, the service steers clear of the French formality that’s often misconstrued as aloofness, with knowledgeable servers and managers who wrap a strong sense of professionalism with South Texas friendliness. “Usually when you go to a French restaurant, you don’t get the warm fuzzies. If you get a smile at the end of the meal, you’re doing great,” says French native Philippe Placé, one of the restaurant’s founders and partner at the Southerleigh Restaurant Group. “I think we’re doing my idea of Southern hospitality in a French restaurant.” Opened in December in the former Nao at Pearl space, Mon Chou Chou has drawn a packed house since its debut. “I thought bringing a piece of Paris would bring a lot of people who wanted to come. We knew we were going to be busy, but not that busy,” Réa says. “I think San Antonio is ready for this.” JUNE 2021
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Earth Burger opened up its fourth storefront at the Stone Ridge Market. / Savage Coffee Co. had its official opening at the end of April. / Chef Stefan Bowers parted ways with the Goodman & Bowers Restaurant Group (Battalion, Rebelle, Playland, formerly Feast) to take full ownership of the group’s downtown pizza spot, Playland. He also remains involved with Rebelle and just launched his own food trailer, called The Pump Wagon, giving a permanent home to his burger pop-up. / Tidy Ben’s Sloppy Joes, a vegan sloppy joe restaurant, opened up in Southtown at the end of March. / Stixs and Stone, an Asian-Mexican fusion restaurant from Catch the Wave’s Chef Leo Davila, opened up on Wurzbach Road. / Chicago Hot Dogs opened up its first storefront on Jones Maltsberger Road. / Smoothie and juice bar Coco Bliss opened near Lackland Air Force Base. / Chef Jesse Kuykendall (Ocho) opened a brick-and-mortar location of her food truck Milpa at The Yard in Olmos Park. / Curry Boys BBQ was recognized in Texas Monthly’s BBQ Joint Reviews. / Tuxedo Cat’s Coffee relocated to Heath Road at the Palm Buddha garden center.
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E AT + D R I N K / S P OT LI G H T
Raise a Glass
RE : ROOTED 2 10 URBAN WINERY
Re:Rooted 210 Urban Winery offers approachable introductions to Texas wines at Hemisfair
Thurs-Sun, 1-9 p.m. 623 Hemisfair Blvd., Ste. 106 rerootedwine.com
BY JOAN KENNEDY
very kid from San Antonio knows the story of the haunted railroad tracks. The urban legend goes that the ghosts of children who lost their lives in a tragic bus accident stayed behind, and they now guide stalled cars safely over the tracks, leaving their handprints behind on bumpers covered in baby powder. San Antonio adults can relive that childhood fright and satisfy a thirst for ghost stories with Re:Rooted 210’s “Ghost Tracks” wine—a unique blend served on tap, whose name is inspired by the story. “We had sauvignon blanc and albariño, and we couldn’t fully get them to blend, so we added a third grape which turned out to be our first ghosts to push the wine off the tracks to safety,” says sommelier Jennifer Beckmann. Also in their offerings are an ode to the skyride gondola cars from the 1968 World’s Fair and a “Riverwalk Red.” Beckmann, a San Antonio transplant and the 441st person in the world to be named a Certified Wine Educator by the Society of Wine Educators, opened Re:Rooted in hopes of creating a space where wine is approachable, urban and Texan. The tasting room is located in a sun-drenched building in Hemisfair Park. In addition to their custom blends on tap (produced and barrel-aged at Slate Mill Wine Collective in Fredericksburg),
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3 TEX AS WINES TO TRY, IF YOU DON ’T KNOW WHERE TO START
1. The grape that put all eyes on the Texas wine market: William Chris Vineyards 2018 Mourvedre High Plains 2. For the white wine lover: Kuhlman Cellars Texas High Plains Roussanne 3. Quality grapes from a quality grower: Lost Draw Cellars 2019 Marsanne
Re:Rooted’s wine menu includes bottles from Texas vineyards. A cadre of interactive offerings, from classes to monthly subscriptions, are made to fit seamlessly into peoples’ real lifestyles. That takes the form of potato chip pairings, kegs and no condescension. In classes, Beckmann doesn’t stop at the history and chemistry of different wines, but also talks about the science of what happens to a tippler’s brain while imbibing—so that people can walk away with a better idea of what they like and why. “People are so intimidated by the wine world, and everybody’s got a story of how they’ve been approached or talked to by someone who has made it an uncomfortable experience, and we really just didn’t want that,” says Beckmann. PHOTO BY JOMANDO CRUZ
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E AT + D R I N K / D I S H
Hummus Haven Can you even have a proper Mediterranean meal without dining on hummus? At Jardín, choose from the classic house-made hummus with zahtar, tahini and extra virgin olive oil, or add extra flavor with a variety of featured toppings such as: Blue crab, sweet corn, thyme and brown butter Crispy pork belly, harissa oil and pickled peppers Saffron-pickled cauliflower, mint and pumpkin seeds
JARDÍN
San Antonio Botanical Garden 555 Funston Place jardinsatx.com
Fresh Fare Jason Dady’s latest restaurant brings Mediterranean flavors to the San Antonio Botanical Garden
verlooking the San Antonio Botanical Garden’s Sacred and Rose Gardens, Jardín bridges the gap between sea, land, and south European flair. The restaurant from Jason Dady combines Turkish, Spanish, Italian and Greek flavors, filling what Dady says was a hole in the local dining scene. “This also just so happened to be the type of food that we were wanting to eat and cook, too,” he says. The menu at Jardín (pronounced jar-deen) focuses on seasonal and locally sourced food, with mix-and-match mezze plates, like the Bolognese-stuffed arancini with mozzarella and black truffle aioli, shareable fresh hummus platters like the crispy pork belly seasoned with harissa oil and pickled peppers, and classic Mediterranean courses,
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such as house-made edamame falafel, ras el hanout spiced lamb meatballs, and saffron-glazed roasted chicken. The natural inspiration is carried through to its full-service bar featuring signature fruit and herb cocktails. The botanical garden has a rocky restaurant history, and Sabina Carr, the garden’s newest chief executive officer, says understanding that bumpy past allowed her to recognize Jardín’s potential. “It’s important to have the right fit,” Carr says. “[Dady] had the right energy and set of values. He is committed to delivering fresh and local foods—sometimes straight from our garden. And he knows his clientele really well. Plus, the garden is a cultural institution and it was important to find someone who understood that and wanted to be a part of it.”
COURTESY JARDIN
BY EMILY GUAJARDO
JUNE 2021
4/30/21 11:13 AM
T H E G U I D E / E AT + D R I N K
8 Eateries to Dine at with the Whole Family
the fresh air. Even more important, The Cove’s dedicated kids’ menu remains, including hamburgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs and grilled cheese made with sustainable, organic and local ingredients. 606 W. Cypress St., thecove.us
EARTH BURGER (North Central, Northeast) Earth Burger may sound like an oxymoron: a vegan fast food drive-through that actually appeals to kids. But this offshoot of Green Vegetarian offers a 100 percent vegan menu with kid-friendly options like grilled cheese, corn dogs, Chik-No tenders, and the classic Earth Burger. Finish your meal off with a vegan chocolate or vanilla shake, coconut soft serve, or chocolate chip cookies. 20821 Hwy. 281 N., Ste. 102; 2501 Nacogdoches Road; 818 N.W. Loop 410, earthburger.com
BIG’Z BURGER JOINT (Rogers Ranch) Big’z Burger Joint bills itself as family-friendly and the restaurant lives up to the claim. Its classic burger menu is a good start, and there’s ample outdoor space for kids to run around and play. Rent out the Party Barn for a birthday party and get four hours of dedicated staff time, assistance in curating a party from the Big’z menu, use of the expansive outdoor yard and more. 2303 N. Loop 1604 W., bigz-burgerjoint.com
THE BOTTLING DEPARTMENT
BURNWOOD ’68 (Northeast) If
(Pearl) San Antonio’s first food hall opened in 2017, but novelty is not the only reason to bring the kids for a well-earned meal. The fact that the hall is located next to Pearl’s spacious dog-friendly lawn means that outdoor seating is plentiful. So, grab some chicken tacos from Chilaquil, classic burgers and fries from Fletcher’s Hamburgers, ramen from Tenko Ramen or some Lil’ Buddies Sliders from Bud’s Southern Rotisserie, and enjoy the weather outside while the kids play on the lawn to their heart’s content. 312 Pearl Pkwy., Bldg. 6, atpearl.com
the pandemic has reminded us of anything, it’s that our definition of family needs to include its fourlegged members. Burnwood ’68’s large outdoor bar and patio is welcoming to two- and four-legged family members alike. Order a reasonably priced family pack of four brisket sandwiches and four bags of chips for less than $20. There’s plenty of live music performances and cocktails for the adults. Sip and listen while the kids play on the patio with their furry siblings. 18745 Redland Road, burnwood68.com
THE COVE (Five Points) Even
DAVID G. LOYOLA
though their outdoor playground remains closed due to COVID-19, The Cove is still a go-to restaurant for families eager for a meal made outside their home kitchen. The kids may not be able to slide and tumble on the playground, but there’s outdoor seating to enjoy
MARISCOS EL PAISA (Bulverde)
This Mexican/seafood hybrid restaurant has something for everyone, from classic carne asada to octopus tostada, shrimp tacos and a dedicated kid’s menu that includes bean and cheese burritos, cheese quesadillas, chicken tenders, and chicken nuggets. There’s cocktails for the adults (try the wine-a-ritas or micheladas),
outdoor seating, and even a playground area for kids. 29094 N. Hwy. 281, mariscoelpaisa.net ALAMO BBQ COMPANY (Government Hill) Nobody can accuse Jason and Jake Dady of overlooking the needs of kid customers at the Alamo BBQ Company. The founders of Two Bros. BBQ Market came up with a special Little Tykes menu that includes a quarter pound of brisket, turkey or smoked sausage with a side and a drink. Their attention to families goes beyond the menu, with a large outdoor playground and patio, where live music is commonplace. Also, drinks are available to suit everyone, whether a frozen margarita for grownups or a locally crafted TexaCola for little ones craving something sweet. 511 E. Grayson St., alamobbqcompany.com CREPECCINO USA (Medical
Center) Life is short, eat dessert first. Sure, aphorisms printed on T-shirts are always glib, but head to Crepeccino USA on Babcock Road and you might find some wisdom behind the saying. Enjoy an assortment of sweet crepes with flavors like caramel, Nutella banana or dulce de leche. If your taste leans savory, try the fajita, four cheese, or chicken alfredo options. Not a fan of crepes? A variety of waffles, like honey nut and triple chocolate, will keep you happy. 5500 Babcock Road, Ste. 104, crepeccino.com Menus and service at many restaurants has been impacted by COVID-19, so please call ahead. For our full directory of San Antonio restaurants, visit sanantoniomag.com/ restaurants-bars.
Where do you go when you’re craving noodles? We’re fortunate to have some very tasty noodles around town. Some of my favorites are the hand-pulled delights at Kungfu Noodle, the Cambodian comfort food at Golden Wat Noodle House and the noodle section of Ming’s. I’ll give a special shoutout to the tom yum noodles at Hello Paradise and the cold Sichuan noodles at Sichuan House. I’m not including ramen–that category deserves a list of its own. Have a question for our resident foodie? Email asked@ sanantoniomag.com. JUNE 2021
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A Culture of Belonging SA2020 CEO and 2020 Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity Kiran Kaur Bains learned to shape the city she loves at a young age
rowing up in San Antonio, my mom dropped me off all over town after school and through the summers to volunteer anywhere that would take me. I volunteered at senior centers, hospitals, and libraries. One time, she walked me down to the neighborhood Methodist church and asked if there was anything I could help them with. But it wasn’t just volunteering. My mom was instilling seva, a tenant of my family’s Sikh faith, in me. It’s hard to translate seva. There’s a line in San Antonio’s shared Community Vision, written first in 2010 then reaffirmed by nearly 12,300 people in 2020, that speaks directly to my heart: “Our entire community takes responsibility for our collective well-being.” This is the meaning of seva. Today, I’m the president and CEO of SA2020, a nonprofit that’s one of its kind in the country, driving progress toward this vision. Reaching the Community Vision means everyone who calls San Antonio home actually belongs—in the arts, the
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education system, the workforce, the transportation system, the health care system and the environment. In between volunteering at Morningside Manor and candy striping at Northeast Baptist Hospital, I often felt that my Brown, Punjabi-speaking, turban-wearing, working class, immigrant family of all daughters didn’t quite belong in my own hometown. Looking back, I see why I have made it my job to create spaces where more people belong. San Antonio’s shared Community Vision is powerful not just for what it says, but for the pathways it offers anyone to make a greater impact in our community. What speaks directly to your heart? What do the people who love you think you’re really good at? Consider the answers to those questions, and then reflect on how might you make the greatest impact on people’s lives and help achieve San Antonio’s shared Community Vision. To learn more about SA2020, San Antonio’s Community Vision, and how you can get more engaged in leading change, visit SA2020.org.
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ILLUSTRATION: DAVID G. LOYOLA; KIRAN: COURTESY SA2020; CONFLUENCE PARK: ASHTON RODGERS; HOUSES: BIBADASH/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; GRAPH: IKRILL/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
FINAL THOUGHT
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SAN ANTONIO MAGAZINE JUNE 202 1
C ELEBRATING P RIDE / SAN AN TO NI O ' S START I NG FIV E
Vol. 16 No. 8
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