Issuu

50 Years of Junior League Cookbooks

Roni Atnipp

Thanksgiving Traditions

by Andria Frankfort

House Concerts When I’m 64 Galveston’s Military Ball New-Restaurant Roundup Traveling In Dad’s WWI Footsteps Going Green: Composting

Houston, TX

Back Porch: Thanksgiving Olé

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Baby Buzz: Turkey Trot

EDITOR’S NOTE Our Thanksgiving tradition always kicks off with a big, fat, juicy . . . argument. My philosophy is the more, the merrier. Michael, on the other hand, prefers more intimate gatherings. Every year, I promise him I’ll keep it small and simple, but every year, I don’t. While I love big, messy celebrations, cooking is another matter. I opt out of making a homemade turkey, or homemade anything. That’s definitely not the case with the talented residents featured in Jennifer Oakley’s article on Thanksgiving traditions and recipes. Also in this issue, meet the impressive women behind the classic Houston Junior League Cookbook, which turns 50 this year, as well as the Peace Meals cookbook, which turns 10. This story by Andria Frankfort takes a look at generations of women who created all the popular charity cookbooks over the years. Happy holidays to all of you, no matter how you slice your turkey. joni@thebuzzmagazines.com

THE BUZZ MAGAZINES BELLAIRE • WEST UNIVERSITY • MEMORIAL • TANGLEWOOD/RIVER OAKS Published by Hoffman Marketing & Media, LLC 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401 info@thebuzzmagazines.com • p: 713.668.4157 • f: 713.665.2940 Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter thebuzzmagazines.com Editor Publisher Associate Editors Design Manager Staff Writers

Contributing Writers Account Managers

Joni Hoffman Michael Hoffman Cheryl Laird Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld John Duboise Tracy L. Barnett Deborah Lynn Blumberg Sharon Albert Brier Andria Frankfort Angie Frederickson Todd Freed Cathy Gordon Michelle Casas Groogan Dai Huynh Annie Blaylock McQueen Jennifer Oakley Cheryl Ursin Russell Weil Cindy Gabriel, Sally Anne Schmidt Andrea Blitzer Stephanie Goldfield Leslie Little Kim Montgomery

On our cover: Roni Atnipp was chair of the Junior League of Houston’s Stop and Smell the Rosemary cookbook committee. Cover photo by Nikky LaWell, lawellphoto.com The Buzz Magazines has made all reasonable attempts to verify the accuracy of all information contained within. Advertising claims are solely the responsibility of the advertiser. Copyright © 2018 Hoffman Marketing & Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this magazine by any means without written permission is strictly prohibited. Printed on recycled paper. Please remember to recycle.

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MAILBAG

Your letters, thoughts, opinions Happy to talk gap years Thanks for sending the article [Victory Gap: Taking a year before college, by Cheryl Ursin, October 2018}. It looks great and came out incredibly well! I already shared it with some friends and family, and they all loved it! If you get any responses from potential students interested in gap years, feel free to send them my information – I would love to talk with them. Devin Gohel Editor’s note: After graduating from Episcopal High School in 2016, Devin Gohel took a gap year before college and volunteered in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos before interning in Barcelona.

Was it The Golden Greek? Maybe the restaurant Mr. Batt was trying to recall was The Golden Greek. It has been gone a long time. I enjoyed the stroll down “memory lane” [Galveston Restaurant Memories, by Russell Weil, July 2018]. Fun to read “good news” in this crazy world. Love Galveston and have been going all my life. In fact, I have postcards my mom sent my dad before they married in 1936. Keep up the good work. Linda Kimball Editor’s note: David Batt had written to us to identify a Galveston restaurant he remembered from long ago, and we included his letter in October’s Mailbag. If you missed the original Galveston Restaurant Memories story, you can find it at thebuzzmagazines.com.

Nope, it was Gaido’s and Hill’s Thank you so much for your continued follow through regarding our memory of Galveston seawall restaurants. After considering this most recent suggestion and your earlier feedback, we have come to the conclusion that the places we remember are Gaido’s and Hill’s. We can’t believe you went to such trouble to help us with this. It really helped us take a reminiscent stroll down Seawall Boulevard, and for a couple of guys in their middle eighties, that means a lot. Murray and David Batt

We vote for Karen Vine Fuller Thank you for the article in The Buzz about George McDowell [The Good Neighbor: George McDowell’s happy-hour legacy, by Karen Vine Fuller, September 2018]. He was clearly a treasure in the community. We are lucky enough to have a similar gem in our neighborhood. Karen Vine Fuller, the author of the article about George McDowell, is eminently qualified to recognize true community spirit and a generous heart. She is the very gem of whom I speak. From the moment Karen and her husband, Andrew, moved next door to us, she astounded us with her energy and enthusiasm for connecting people together. She quickly befriended everyone.... She regularly organized street parties and get-togethers. And, most importantly, she has always been there in neighbors' times of need, drumming up support, begging for prayers and holding hands. We are grateful for stories of humanity, MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 6

such as that of George McDowell, and we are grateful for every gem we find who shines as bright as him. Kamal Busaidy

Cathy Gordon gets another fan Cathy, I can't thank you enough for the story [For the Love of a House: A home’s farewell forges friendships, by Cathy Gordon, October 2018]! Julie and I have just finished reading it and it is wonderful! You captured the stories and details that you heard over the three hours in Gayle's house ... so well and so accurately. I hope that the current Bellaire residents share the pride of "place" with the Martin, Jambrina and Wells families that you have memorialized. Warm regards to you and the staff and publishers that made it possible. Sid Wells

Correction In One Giant Party: College-football tailgating [October, 2018], we slipped up and used the wrong byline. It should have read Andria Frankfort. Sorry, Andria! You can see her article at thebuzzmagazines.com. Send letters to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Please include your name, address, phone number and email address for verification purposes. Letters are subject to editing for clarity and space. Views expressed in letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Buzz Magazines, and The Buzz takes no responsibility for the content and opinions expressed in them.

What’s your story? We are looking for residents for upcoming articles who: • Have an inspirational “new self” story for the new year. • Have a special love story. • Traveled to a fascinating travel destination. • Are passionate about being “green” and protecting the environment. • Know a compelling neighbor to profile. If this sounds like you or someone you know, please contact us at info@thebuzzmagazines.com or 713.668.4157, ext 12.

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NEIGHBORS by Cathy Gordon, staff writer

Pomp and Circum-dance Fun for all at Galveston’s military ball

ans of war movies know the scene. The crusty drill sergeant pulls a quarter from his pocket and flicks it on the bunk. If the coin bounces, good cadet. If not, push-ups on the floor, make the bed once more. Chances are, a quarter would see air on firstclass midshipman Lucian Rombado’s bunk. The career-driven senior at the U.S. Naval Academy sits at his mother’s kitchen table in Briargrove this day, his description of school summed up neat and to the point, like the precision-tucked corners on a military bed. “Challenging, but rewarding,” says Lucian, who majors in cyber operations. “Everyone has the common goal of becoming the very best officer they can be.” As part of an academy team that won a National Security Agency-sponsored cyber competition, Lucian, 21, has visited the White House and toured the Situation Room, witness to some of the most critical events in U.S. history. But come the night after Christmas, it’s anchors aweigh for a night of fun and pageantry closer to home. “It’s our way of celebrating these young men and women who choose to serve,” says Lucian’s mom, Marissa Rombado, who chairs this year’s 33rd Joint Service Academy Military Ball at Galveston’s Moody Gardens Convention Center. The U.S. Naval Academy Parents’ Club of the Texas Gulf Coast is hosting the event for cadets and midshipmen from the nation’s five military academies – the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., the Army’s U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y., and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. Parents with students in the Navy, Army and Air Force, the three largest academies, take turns hosting the event, held annually on Dec. 26. Marissa, the owner of a health insurance company, has worked with committee members to ensure a memorable night, made possible by donations from corporate sponsors and families. Not even a directive calling up their keynote speaker to space can derail it. MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 10

Astronaut Sunita Williams, a former Navy pilot and spaceflight veteran, will speak to the evening’s theme “Courage and Commitment.” She is one of nine astronauts tagged for a 2019 flight to the International Space Station aboard commercially built spacecraft, marking the first crewed launch from U.S. soil since the end of the space shuttle program. “She’s not up there just yet,” quips Marissa. FANFARE & FAMILY Ball chair Marissa Rombado and husband Gabriel preCadets, midshipmen, pare for a night of fun and pageantry with Navy son Lucian. alumni and families first hop dance-off one year. gather at a reception to mingle. Just before the “It’s nice to see them let their hair down,” says main event, a wall rises, revealing a sea of dinner Barbara Price of Bellaire, a proud West Point tables, among them, a Missing Man table with mom who is helping with the ball. “It teaches empty chair representing the ultimate sacrifice. them about formality, a very respectful event. A massive American flag spans the stage. But they also get to let loose on the dance floor.” Cadets and midshipmen from each academy, Yeah, it’s nice to break from regimented sporting their military finest, march in two by lifestyle every once in a while, says her son two, respective branch theme songs playing. Jeffrey, 19, a nuclear engineering sophomore “It’s pretty impressive,” says Sydney who runs track for West Point. “I was a little Hemphill, 24, a former 2nd Battalion comintimidated going the first time because I didn’t mander at the Naval Academy. The 2016 gradknow what to expect, but it was fun. It’s a great uate is now a third-year Stanford University way to show off what we’ve learned.” medical student. “It’s this opportunity to merge Natalie Pravinkumar, 20, of West University, the worlds, to share our new military lifestyle a West Point junior, agrees. The kinesiology with our families.” major hopes for an overseas deployment before “You can definitely shed a tear. It’s pretty applying to medical school. She knows the expepatriotic, so amazing. We are so proud of her rience of a 12-mile trek with a 50-pound Army accomplishments,” says Memorial resident Katie backpack. Hitting the dance floor sounds good. Hemphill of her daughter. Her grandmother who lives in India has Equally amazing is the women’s quick-change attended the ball. out of uniform. Just after the march-in, they sweep “I love sharing with my family how the milifrom the room, returning like butterflies that have tary has shaped me,” says the 5-foot, 1-inch shed cocoons. Tresses escape tight buns; long cadet. “But I’m super short, and we line up by flowing gowns replace buttoned-up uniforms. height, tallest to shortest. I’m in the back corner After ceremonial toasts, dinner and the of every parade. I always tell my parents, ‘Have speaker, a barrage hits the dance floor. Sydney fun finding me.’” and her dad, Mark, took second-place in a sock-

NEIGHBORS by Tracy L. Barnett, staff writer

Going Green Composting: the ultimate recycling Our new series, Going Green, tells the stories of Buzz readers who are making the shift to more sustainable lifestyles. If you have an idea for a story, write to us at tracy@thebuzzmagazines.com.

s a health and wellness coach, Cynthia Portugal has long thought about ways to contribute to a healthier lifestyle, and that has always included the larger environment. She and her family eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, and she used to be bothered by the food waste her family generated. For years she had wanted to compost that waste, transforming it into rich, black soil, as she had back in the days when she and her family had rented a home in Boston with a compost area they shared with their landlord. But the compact backyard in her Bellaire neighborhood didn’t seem to permit that, so she resigned herself to throwing it all away. Daughter Sarah, however, went off to see the world and came back with different ideas. Sarah was fascinated with sustainable lifestyles and organic farming, and she traveled the country, working on different organic farms in exchange for her room and board under the WWOOF program (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms). When she came back to visit, she was increasingly bothered by the waste. Composting was easy, she told her parents, and it didn’t require a lot of space. In June Sarah came for an extended visit, and Cynthia finally decided to make the leap. Now she’s joined the growing numbers of people trying their hand at composting – illustrated by the 54 people who signed up for a composting workshop organized by the West University Recycling and Waste Reduction Board last month. Americans lead the world in wasted food, with an estimated 50 percent of produce in the U.S. going into the nation’s landfills, or about 60 million tons a year, according to one report. Architect, environmental educator and West U resident Steve Stelzer presented that composting workshop for his neighbors as part of his outreach to help reduce waste more generally. “It is the ultimate recycling because it’s nature,” said Stelzer. “You are merely utilizing the MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 12

microbes and the natural decomposition process.” Stelzer has drawn inspiration from Kristin Ohlson’s book, The Soil Will Save Us, and also Drawdown.org, which promotes 100 strategies aimed at reversing global warming. Reducing food waste is No. 1 on the list of what individuals can do. It’s a problem that needs to be tackled at every stage in the process, beginning at the point of production, he said. Rotting food in landfills is a huge generator of methane – a greenhouse gas 30 times more potent than carbon. Composting that waste, in contrast, helps restore the intricate network of BACK TO THE LAND Buzz residents Cynthia and David Portugal have joined a wave of converts to the composting revolution. They are using a simple Geobin commicrobial life that poster in their yard and a stainless steel canister in the kitchen to collect the scraps. healthy soil requires – ents in it – just vegetables, leaves and scraps, and with an added bonus. “If we were to scale this leave out the meat, dairy and eggs. I haven’t realup, we could sequester an amazing amount of ly had a smell problem – so it’s not going to be carbon,” he said. “That’s a form of healing – and something that’s weird and stinky in your yard.” we need more people healing this planet, To Cynthia, it all comes back to just doing because we’ve abused it badly.” your part. “There are things going on in our Like Cynthia, Lauren Figard was bothered by environment and our world that we might not the vast quantities of food waste entering the be happy with, and sometimes it’s overwhelmnation’s landfills. Lauren, a molecular and cell ing,” she said. “Sometimes you feel that you biologist at Baylor College of Medicine, also can’t make a difference. I don’t agree with that. ended up buying a kit from Amazon, which We’re just trying to make a difference in our included a two-chamber bin. In the three own little family and do the best we can in our months she’s been composting, she’s filled the own little environment. It’s not moving mounfirst chamber and now is “letting it cook” while tains but it’s doing something to contribute; filling the second chamber. we’re just making small baby steps, but every It was surprisingly easy, she found, and it’s baby step is a step in the right direction.” been great fun to share it with 19-month-old daughter Gwen. The hardest part, she said, was just getting started. See thebuzzmagazines.com for links and a Q&A “I was concerned about smell, but that wasn’t with Steve Selzer, who shares his composting savvy. a problem, as long as you put the right ingredi-

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NEIGHBORS by Deborah Lynn Blumberg, staff writer

House Concerts Stehls host musicians and fans

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The Stehls began hosting concerts nearly two years ago, by chance. Ada had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis after giving birth to their twins, Charlie and Niki, now 5. Erik, 7, is their first born. All attend Annunciation Orthodox School. After her diagnosis, she and Erik started seeing live music every few weeks. “It helped me de-stress more than anything NO PLACE LIKE HOME Top photo: Musicians Jana Pochop (at left) plays with else,” she said. Susan Gibson (right), whose song Wide Open Spaces was recorded by the They saw Americana Dixie Chicks. Bottom photo: Ada and Erik Stehl host small concerts in their house singer-songwriter Jeff and, along the way, have made a lot of new friends. Plankenhorn perform members really listen. “You can tell if you take on several occasions. Soon, he started recognizthem by surprise or make them feel something,” he ing them in the audience, and they became said. “Ada and Erik are some of the warmest people friends. Then, one Labor Day weekend, he called and most avid music fans I know. Playing their Ada. “He said his October was slow, and did we place just feels like you're playing for your friends.” want to host him one night,” she said. “I thought, Westbury resident James Cross, a musician himI can’t say no. He’s going to play at our house.” self, has attended two Burlinghall concerts. He So, the Stehls said yes. That first night, they likes live music, but strays away from large venues invited friends and family and packed the room. like the Toyota Center given the crowds and the Plankenhorn played hits and new songs. Ada hassle. He’s made friends at the Stehls’ house. and Erik served gyros, hummus, and tzatziki. Concert attendees can make a donation to “The audience loved it,” said Ada, “It gave us artists. Typically, $20 is suggested. Shows are for the confidence to keep on going.” After adults, and the Stehls can fit 40 people in their Plankenhorn’s show, they booked another artist, space. They announce shows, which run yearand then another. round except in December and August, on their Since then, they’ve hosted 20 shows, and Facebook page. Ada, who’s self-employed as a their schedule is full well into 2019. The Stehls dyslexia therapist, gets cooking help from her reach out to performers they admire and have Westbury parents, Kosta and Nikkie seen perform live. Artists – most are from Austin Kyriasoglou. Sometimes, the menu matches the – also reach out to them. They’ve hosted music. Ada’s parents also babysit the kids at Grammy-award winners and performers like their home during shows. Susan Gibson, who wrote the song Wide Open “At this point, we consider a lot of attendees Spaces, which was recorded by the Dixie Chicks. as our friends,” Ada said. “It’s been a fun ride.” Performers sing, play guitar, banjo and the harmonica. The Stehls also have a piano, and some Editor’s note: To be added to the email list, meshave used amplifiers that Erik, who repairs sage Ada on the Facebook group Burlinghall power tools for a living, has restored or built. House Concerts. Houston musician Matt Harlan said audience Dylan Aguilar

n what’s usually the playroom Ada and Erik Stehl set up for their kids, Austin singersongwriter Brian Pounds tunes his guitar and regales locals with stories of his life as a touring songwriter. Behind Pounds hang pictures of the couple’s three children; across the room, framed concert posters dot the wall. It’s a Saturday night on a quiet street in Westbury, and 30-odd neighbors and strangers have gathered at the Stehl house for a homecooked meal and a music show in an intimate setting. Pounds, who appeared on the TV show The Voice and has opened for artists including Blake Shelton, entertains attendees with his original folk songs and chats with guests during a break in the two-hour performance. His appearance is part of the Stehls’ Burlinghall House Concerts series, a monthly music show featuring Americana, folk and folk rock performers they host in their home. “It’s stripped down,” said Erik. “It’s just the musician and their instrument. It’s really about that connection with the artists that you don’t get with a digital download.” For the audience, the concerts are an opportunity to mingle with neighbors and hear new tunes from professional musicians. For performers, it’s a chance to connect in a setting that’s cozier than a bar, and it’s often a much-needed boost to income – and morale – at a time when it’s harder than ever to make a living as a musician. “You’re hearing stories about songwriting, jokes, the tuning,” said Erik, gesturing with enthusiasm. “All the stuff that would normally be cut out.” “People are here to listen,” says Ada, flashing a wide smile, “and musicians love the home environment. It’s a refreshing change.” Across the country, the house-concert circuit has been going strong for decades. But it’s become more popular of late as artists seek out venues outside the traditional circuit, which often pays little. It comes at a time when music sales have declined and artists get pennies when a song is streamed. The Stehls’ series is the only one of its kind in southwest Houston. Others exist in the Heights, Sugar Land, Pasadena and The Woodlands.

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NEIGHBORS by Cindy Gabriel, contributing writer

When I’m 64 Comfortable in my own skin

ourteen years ago, I wrote a Buzz column on turning 50. It was an age-defiant piece typical of its time, which was the same year Oprah turned 50. We weren’t those ladies in hose and girdles with matching earrings and necklaces. Heck, we are the generation that invented hip-huggers and bell-bottoms. I wanted to call this new piece, “Now that I’m Finally Comfortable in My Own Skin, It’s Wrinkled.” But it’s too long. This month I’m turning 64. I never thought much about that age, except for The Beatles’ song When I’m Sixty-Four, which implied a time when things were winding down. But 64 for me is more of a wake-up call. All the things I’ve been waiting to get to my whole life are standing just across a line of things I will do once the chaos and the busy-ness of life lets up. In the game of life, you might say I’m “rounding third” and heading home. In a metaphorical sense, home doesn’t have to be the end. Home, at least in baseball, is a good place that, at a minimum, rates a high five. In baseball, it is often the fastest, most focused run you make because it’s the point of the whole game. From 50 to 64, I would take more risks than I ever had. Sometimes I would hit the goal; sometimes I would miss. I would be divorced, married and widowed. I would lose my parents, my husband’s parents and, finally, my husband, all in five years. Three of those parents would be gone within 72 days. I would be diagnosed with a brain tumor the size of my fist. It was a benign meningioma. I would have brain surgery. I would live. I would accept a full-time job, which I still have. Here’s another way to look at it. I would fall in love after 50, twice, resume a career as if I’d never left, live in the shadow of downtown and walk along Buffalo Bayou to work; buy a house at a good price when the economy was down, retreat to Hunt, Texas, to a house my father left, and never miss a meal. Everyone younger than I, siblings, children, nieces and nephews, is alive and well. My two daughters would fall in love and get married within six weeks of each other. I’m about to be a first-time grandmother. I’m becoming a gym MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 16

LIVING LARGE Cindy Gabriel shares a sunny day in Laguna Beach, Calif., with Stan “the Man” Ehrenkranz.

rat, after self-identifying my whole life as a nonathlete. And now, along comes Stan-the-Man. He can’t fix a darn thing, but he loves to cook. I wake up happy a lot more days than I did when I was younger, where you are up when you win and down when you lose. That perspective I’ll leave for baseball. When I notice myself feeling anxious, judgmental or worried, I call myself out and sit on the bench until it goes away. I try to spend less time separating people in my mind by their political or religious views. You may disagree with someone’s view, but you can’t disagree with their experience. So, what have I learned? For one, that I will never stop learning. Life is far too mysterious to ever get enough. That winning and losing blur together the further they get in the rear-view mirror. That pain has a precious side to it. That every one of the 5,110 days of these last 14 years I have slept in a climate-controlled environment,

awakened with a fresh cup of coffee, never felt hunger and always knew I was loved by someone, some place. At one point, I thought, “I’m a widow and an orphan.” That meant I was free to be absolutely nothing but myself, whoever that is. The less I try to define myself, the more myself I am. The more myself I am, the more I am exactly what the world needs me to be. One of my jobs is to be happy. It is not to get more things or rearrange people or circumstances to make me happy. It’s not about being who someone else wants me to be. It’s just to be present. To give space and room to each moment because now is really all I have. To breathe and to realize that the only essential thing in the room with me is oxygen, the one thing I cannot see, touch or hear. To realize that whatever I want changed about the world begins with me.

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FOOD by Jennifer Oakley, staff writer

Thanksgiving Traditions Family feasts and favorites

ere at The Buzz, we want to talk turkey with all the trimmings. We want to dish about the best dishes to eat, so we turned to four local families who love Thanksgiving to get their take on the holiday. “I am the son of a serial canner,” says Jack Daniel, laughing, looking at the jars of blueberry marmalade, chili sauce, bread and butter pickles, tomato chutney and peach butter spread across his kitchen counter. “My mom [Polly] is a lifelong foodie and canner extraordinaire, and these are just some of the foods she cans. I grew up on the corner of Reba and Bellmeade [in River Oaks], and I used to watch my mom in the kitchen, and I learned from her. We know our way around a mason jar!” Jack and wife Mary’s Thanksgiving meal is traditional, with every branch of the family contributing to the feast. Jack always makes the turkey, which he brines to bring out its fullest flavor and also because they usually drive to Mary’s grandmother’s farm in Camden, Texas. “We want things that are easy to travel with. The beauty of this turkey breast is that you can even brine it in a stock pot for up to 72 hours and can take it with you and air dry in a fridge on a rack. Because of the brine, when it is done it is so nice, with that crispy brown skin.” Along with their daughters, 18-year-old Claire and 24-year-old Martha, and black Labrador Blue, the Daniels share family favorites of oyster dressing, homemade gravy, cranberry sauce, cornbread with sweet jalapeños and pumpkin chiffon pie. Inspired by his mom’s canning, Jack noodled around in his kitchen more than a decade ago and created sweet jalapeños to give as gifts. What started as a kitchen hobby grew into a small business when demand for the jalapeño slices grew. “There is something about gathering around the table and breaking bread that provides comfort and connection and laughter and lore,” says Jack, who named his jalapeño creations JED’s Finest. (Mary is a cross-country coach at St. John’s School.) “It seems like every fun family memory comes around the dinner table.” Meyerland resident Morgan Jankovic says good food and good memories go hand in hand MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 20

around a dining table – in her case, a custommade one. “We had a specially made dining room table made,” says Morgan. “It’s a rectangle, and it’s basically a tree cut in half, and we can seat 12. It’s a great entertaining space where we have the food as a buffet in the kitchen, and we can LIKE MOMMA Morgan Jankovic hopes to pass along her love of cooking to drink wine and eat.” daughter Sophia, pictured here in their Meyerland kitchen. Jankovic, along with grateful for our family,” says Melissa, “and I love all husband Zach Jankovic, a video producer, and the fun and laughter and making amazing memotheir 15-month-old daughter Sophia, host their ries.” A full-time mom to 11-year-old twin sons extended families for the holiday. “My Hudson and Jackson and 9-year-old daughter, Thanksgiving is very family-oriented and is kid Georgia, she has honed her menu over the years. friendly,” says Morgan, a former personal chef “Five years ago we decided as family to move turned full-time mom. “My approach with kids towards enjoying the time together, being is to give them all that we eat. I cut up a little thankful for our family and health,” says Melissa, bit of the turkey, and the sweet potatoes are easy who is married to entrepreneur Jason Holton. for babies to eat because they are pureed.” “We wanted that huge celebratory meal that is Morgan makes traditional Thanksgiving dishenjoyable, but we also wanted to feel good afteres but recently has switched from roasting the wards. It’s all about balance, so we have been turkey in the oven to cooking a turkey breast evolving and trying new recipes.” sous vide, which is a process of vacuum-sealing She aims for fresh, healthy fare filled with taste food in a bag, and then cooking it to a precise and nutritional value. “Our family’s philosophy is temperature in a water bath. to find beautiful seasonal food to enjoy,” says “The sous vide is a relatively new way for me,” Melissa, who attended the French Culinary says Morgan, who also trained in the pastry proInstitute in New York City. “I believe that food you gram at Houston Community College. “When I put in your body matters. We like being healthy.” got the machine two years ago I realized that it She created a menu to feed the 19 extendedmade the best turkey ever – it’s succulent and moist family members that meet at her in-laws’ ranch. and not dry. It’s so hard to mess it up. With gravy Two turkeys are roasted, there is cranberry chutadded that is the punch of flavor, it’s so good.” ney, root vegetables (root-vegetable tarts or Besides the turkey breast and gravy, her menu bacon-wrapped vegetables), a sweet potato includes green beans, a sweet potato casserole, mash, “Celebration” kale salad and two bread rolls, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. “My options: whole grain and dinner rolls. mom is from Alabama, and she would make all Desserts get top billing with relatively healthy these wonderful Southern meals, and she loved poached pears and the standout family recipe from being in the kitchen, and I would just sit and Jason’s grandmother: Mama G’s Sour Cream watch her. I went to college, and that was the Apple Pie – so beloved that Melissa printed the time I finally had my own kitchen and I started recipe on tea towels for family members. Another thinking I really like this.” family tradition includes a family “Turkey Trot,” West University Place resident Melissa Holton where everyone runs a one-mile loop race on the loves Thanksgiving. “Every year I think: I am so

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COOKED TO PERFECTION At left, top: Jack Daniel says his Thanksgiving turkey is tender with crispy skin because of the brine he uses. At left, bottom: Homemade Pumpkin Chiffon pie, cornbread and canned homemade condiments are some dishes served at the Daniel family Thanksgiving feast. At right: Jack Daniel enjoys cooking year-round but especially so at Thanksgiving, where family recipes are shared.

ranch after they wake up on Thanksgiving – and then go home to rest and eat that feast. “It’s just blissfully fun and feels like what Thanksgiving should be,” she says. Fun and frying – turkey frying, that is – is the 20-year-old Thanksgiving tradition for Brandy and Yanni Demeris. “Frying turkeys became a fad back then,” Brandy says. “My husband fries all kinds of weird stuff, all kinds of vegetables. So in 1998, he said, ‘I am gonna fry a turkey for Thanksgiving.’ I was like, ‘That’s fine, but I am not gonna serve that. We are having roast turkey and a ham – a traditional Thanksgiving.’” Yanni did end up deep frying a turkey for immediate-family members. “Oh my gosh. It’s fantastic,” says Brandy, remembering the initial taste of the fried turkey. “He put in Cajun spices and Italian seasoning. It’s just kind of fun.” Their neighbors showed up the next year to have their turkeys fried too. And so the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Fry at their Rummel Creek home began. What started with just one turkey for each of their brothers has morphed into a full-fledged Thanksgiving frying party that starts before sunrise on Thanksgiving Day. “We easily have 65 to 75 people who show up with a turkey to fry,” says Brandy, a teacher at Rummel Creek Elementary School (Yanni is in the landscaping business). “Last year we had eight fryers going. Yanni tells people to bring a 10- to 15-pound turkey to fry, and they start frying at 6:30 am in the morning. My husband has

a tradition when you come up the driveway you have to have a shot of ouzo – which is a Greek liquor that tastes like licorice and it is horrible!” With two decades worth of frying parties in the books, Brandy has this down to a science. She provides breakfast for all the guests (“probably 100 come in and out during the morning”), along with mimosas and Bloody Marys. “My kids live for this event,” Brandy says of their children, Caroline, 23, a Texas A&M graduate, and Emmy and Andrew, a senior and sophomore at Texas A&M. “All of their friends come by, along with everyone else, and by noon everyone leaves. Then our parents and families come over, and we have our meal. Our house is totally trashed. It’s sticky, and oil is everywhere. But it’s so fun.”

Sous Vide Turkey Breast by Morgan Jankovic 1 large bone in turkey breast (about 5 lbs. Ask your butcher to debone and truss) Kosher salt Freshly black ground pepper Remove the skin on the turkey. Using a boning knife, remove the breast meat from the breastbone. Season turkey generously with salt and pepper. Place 1 breast half, cut side facing up, on a cutting board. Place the second breast half facedown forming into an even cylinder. Tie the breast at 1-inch intervals using butcher’s twine and transfer to a zip-top bag. Fix your sous vide water bath to 145 degrees. With your

bag open, slowly lower bag into water letting the pressure squeeze out the air from the bag. Seal bag completely once air is out. Let turkey cook for 2.5 hours. When turkey is cooked, remove from water and unseal the bag. Carefully remove butcher’s twine and slice into ¼-inch slices. Serve immediately.

Turkey Gravy by Morgan Jankovic ¼ cup butter ¼ cup flour 4 cups turkey drippings or turkey stock Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Melt butter over medium high heat in medium saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring frequently, until golden blonde, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in turkey drippings or stock in a steady stream. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until reduced to 3 cups, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to a week, reheating over medium-low heat before serving.

Homemade Green Beans with Fried Shallots by Morgan Jankovic Shallots: ⅓ cup all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon garlic powder (continued on page 22) MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 21

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TECHNIQUE AND TRADITION At left: Morgan Jankovic uses the sous vide technique to cook a turkey breast for Thanksgiving. At right: Morgan Jankovic’s homemade green bean casserole is topped with crispy fried shallots for Thanksgiving.

½ teaspoon onion powder ⅛ teaspoon cayenne ¼ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper 4 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced into rings Canola oil Green beans: 2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and halved 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 16 ounces sliced baby bella mushrooms ⅓ cup shallots, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped ½ cup all-purpose flour 1 cup low sodium chicken stock 2 cups whole milk 2 Tablespoons soy sauce 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce ½ cup grated parmesan cheese Kosher salt, to taste Black pepper, to taste

(continued from page 21)

In a gallon-sized zip-top bag, mix together flour, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt and black pepper. Add sliced shallots, close the bag and shake until the shallots are evenly coated. Pour canola oil into medium saucepan, 1inch depth, and place over medium-high heat. Heat to 325°F, using a deep-frying thermometer. Fry shallots in batches until golden brown and lightly crispy. Make sure not to let them get too dark. This should take about 3-5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and set MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 22

aside. (This could be prepared a day early and stored in a covered container.) For the green beans and homemade sauce: Preheat oven to 375° F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add green beans. Cook beans for 2-3 minutes, until bright green in color and tender crisp. Drain beans and pour into a large bowl of ice water to stop from cooking. Drain again and set aside. In an extra-large skillet with tall sides, over medium to mediumhigh heat, add 2 tablespoons of the butter and melt. Once butter is melted, add the mushrooms and stir to incorporate. Cook, stirring regularly, until mushrooms are softened. Add shallots, garlic, rosemary, and thyme, stirring to incorporate. Cook for another 2–3 minutes, until garlic is fragrant. Now slide everything in the skillet to one side. Add remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to other side of skillet. When the butter is melted, sprinkle the flour over the butter, whisking all the while. Draw in as much liquid as you can, into the flour. The mixture will be very thick. Let it cook for one minute, until slightly browned and fragrant. Slowly whisk in chicken stock until flour mixture is smooth. Then whisk in the milk. Now bring the entire contents of the skillet together, scraping the bottom of the skillet and folding to incorporate. Turn heat up to medium-high and cook until thickened and bubbly, about 4-5 minutes, stirring periodically. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Then sprinkle Parmesan over the top and stir to combine. Add

more salt and pepper, if desired. Fold in blanched green beans. Transfer mixture to a baking dish and place in oven to bake for 30 minutes. Remove casserole from oven and arrange fried shallots over the top. Place in oven and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until edges of casserole are bubbling and the top is golden. Remove from oven and let rest for a few minutes before serving.

Simple Turkey Brine by Jack Daniel ¾ cup, plus 2 Tablespoons Kosher salt ¾ cup sugar 1 carrot, peeled and diced 1 large onion, peeled and diced ¼ cup diced celery (about 2-3 ribs) 2 large sprigs fresh thyme 2 bay leaves 1 Tablespoon black peppercorns ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds 1 whole turkey or breast up to 16 pounds Bring salt, sugar and 4 cups water to boil in 16-quart stockpot, stirring until salt and sugar are dissolved. Turn off heat and add remaining ingredients to brine base. Refrigerate uncovered until cold. Add 6 quarts cold water to pot; then add turkey. Turkey must be entirely submerged – place a plate on top of bird if necessary to keep it submerged. Cover pot and chill in cooler or refrigerator for up to 72 hours, with 24 hours being a minimum. A longer time in the brine yields a juicier turkey breast.

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BEARING FRUIT At left, top: Mama G’s Sour Cream Apple Pie is a beloved recipe in the Holton family. Melissa even had tea towels printed with the recipe. At left, bottom: Melissa Holton’s cranberry chutney is served two ways for Thanksgiving: as a stand-alone side dish but also as an appetizer, combined with goat cheese and served on baguette slices. At right: Melissa Holton relies on healthy foods such as pomegranates and figs to make her Thanksgiving dishes shine.

Jack’s Roasted, Brined Turkey Breast with Crispy Skin by Jack Daniel Turkey breast, brined (see previous recipe) 2 Tablespoons melted butter ½ cup choice of: water, white wine or chicken stock For best results, air dry brined turkey breast for 24 hours in refrigerator or cooler for 24 hours. Prior to cooking, allow turkey breast to rest at room temperature for 2-3 hours before roasting. Set oven to 450 degrees. Trim excess skin at neck opening and discard. If pop-up timer comes in the breast, leave it in place until carving time. Place turkey breast skin side up on lightly oiled rack in shallow roasting pan, with narrow pointed end lower on the rack than larger neck end. Liberally brush skin of turkey breast with melted butter. Add ½ cup liquid to bottom of pan to prevent drippings from burning. (Total roasting time is 60-75 minutes). Place the turkey breast in oven with wide neck end toward the rear of the oven if possible. Roast 15 minutes; then rotate roasting pan. Roast another 15 minutes; then reduce heat to 325 degrees. Rotate pan again after 15 minutes at the lower temp. Check turkey breast again after another 15 minutes. If roasting color is uneven on narrow pointed end, then raise that end using Pyrex

bowl or measuring cup for final 10-15 minutes of oven time. Pop-up timer will indicate when internal temp is 170 degrees. Remove turkey breast and let rest 20 minutes before carving.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie by Jack Daniel Crust: 1¼ cups graham cracker crumbs (9 whole crackers or 1 package) ¼ cup sugar ⅓ cup butter, melted Filling: 1 cup canned pumpkin 3 eggs, separated 1 cup sugar, divided in two halves 1 cup milk ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ginger ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 Tablespoons melted butter 1 Tablespoon plain gelatin ¼ cup cold water ½ pint whipped cream Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter, and then transfer and press onto bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pan with a removable bottom.

Bake 6 to 8 minutes. Cool. Place pumpkin in the top of a double boiler and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. In a bowl, mix egg yolks, ½ cup sugar and milk. Add to pumpkin with salt, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and butter. Stir and cook until of custard consistency. Meanwhile, soften gelatin in cold water. Remove pumpkin mixture from heat and add softened gelatin. Chill in refrigerator. When pumpkin mixture begins to stiffen after 1½ hours or so, beat egg whites in a bowl. As peaks begin to form, gradually add remaining ½ cup sugar. Gently fold beaten egg whites into pumpkin mixture. Place filling in crust and chill. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Yanni’s How to Fry a Turkey by Brandy Demeris 1 turkey, 10-15 pounds, defrosted. 1 17-ounce container of Tony Chachere’s Injectable Creole Style Butter Marinade Peanut oil for the fryer The night before you fry the turkey, inject the marinade under the turkey skin. Keep in fridge overnight. Fill a turkey fryer about ¾ of the way through with peanut oil. Once temperature reaches 350°, lower the turkey in and fry for three minutes per pound. Some people say to (continued on page 24) MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 23

Dylan Aguilar

JUST FRY IT At left: Brandy, Yanni, Andrew (standing), Caroline and Emmy (seated) have fried turkey for Thanksgiving. At right, top: Yanni Demeris gets the fryers ready for up to 75 turkeys at his annual Thanksgiving Turkey Fry. At right, bottom: For 20 years the Demeris family has been hosting their annual Turkey Fry. The Demeris children, all Aggies, look forward to reuniting with their friends from high school at the Turkey Fry each Thanksgiving. This photo from 2017 includes former classmates and parents from Stratford High School. (continued from page 23) fry the turkey closer to five

minutes per pound, but in our situation with people planning to reheat and serve it later, three minutes a pound will ensure that it won’t be overcooked. Remove the turkey and place it on a platter and cover with foil. Refrigerate if not planning to eat within the next hour.

10 ounces goat cheese at room temperature Cranberry Chutney (see recipe above) Slice the bread and brush a light coating of olive oil. Bake in a 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway, until crispy. Top the crostini with goat cheese and then a dollop of cranberry sauce.

Celebration Kale Salad Cranberry Chutney by Melissa Holton 4 cups fresh cranberries 1¼ cup packed organic coconut brown palm sugar (you can substitute ½ cup honey) 1 cup raisins 1 cup water ½ cup almond slivers, toasted ¼ cup fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon grated onion ½ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground cloves Combine all of the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer the chutney for 35 minutes, or until thickened. You can also use the Cranberry Chutney as a Thanksgiving appetizer.

Chutney Appetizer by Melissa Holton 1 small loaf whole grain bread, or french baguette MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 24

by Melissa Holton Salad: 4 cups chopped kale 4 cups chopped/shaved Brussels sprouts 6-8 strips bacon, cooked and chopped ½ cup shredded Pecorino cheese (omit if dairy free) Generous sprinkle of shelled sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or hemp hearts Sea salt and pepper to taste Optional add ins: Toasted hazelnuts, chopped toasted almonds, dried cherries. Dressing: ½ cup balsamic vinegar 4 Tablespoons good quality olive oil 2 Tablespoons honey 1 teaspoon soy sauce Dash of red pepper Combine all salad ingredients together in a bowl. Mix dressing ingredients together in separate bowl and briefly warm in microwave. Pour over

salad and toss. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Mama G’s Sour Cream Apple Pie by Melissa Holton Pie: 2 Tablespoons flour ¼ teaspoon salt 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped Pie crust Topping: ⅓ cup sugar ½ cup flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon ¼ cup butter, chopped in small pieces Sift dry ingredients together. Add egg, sour cream and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add apples and mix well. Pour into a pie shell. Mix topping ingredients together in separate bowl. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then in a moderate oven of 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and add topping. Return to oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Top with a scoop of your favorite vanilla gelato or ice cream.

MORE ONLINE See thebuzzmagazines.com for more recipes.

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FOOD by Andria Frankfort, staff writer

50 Years of Junior League Cookbooks A history of Houston women, told through recipes

Houston Junior League Cookbook Though Houston Junior League Cookbook was published in 1968, it remains a first, and a classic. “It’s my go-to cookbook for anything,” says George Craig, whose mother Alice Craig – or Mrs. Douglas S. Craig, as she’s listed in the book – served on the first cookbook committee. Alice just recently passed away, but George says she loved cooking. “Growing up,” he says, “she found her love of cooking from her mother’s housekeepers. Then I learned to cook from my mom.” Alice, along with a team of volunteers, hometested each recipe submitted to the book by MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 26

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ince 1968, Junior League of Houston cookbooks have inspired countless home cooks. Often handed down generationally, from mother to son or daughter, with notes scribbled in margins and spills on time-worn pages, the books are much more than mere mélanges of recipes. They’re the products of hundreds of hours of work – all volunteer – and glimpses into the ever-changing ways we eat and entertain. “I inherited [Houston Junior League Cookbook] from my mother, who was not a member of the League, nor am I,” says Margery Anderson, a retired nurse. “Still, I know so many people who have this book. It was our guide to graciousness and good taste, even though the recipes are very down to earth.” Houston Junior League Cookbook was the League’s first publication in 1968. After that came The Star of Texas Cookbook in 1983, Stop and Smell the Rosemary in 1996 and Peace Meals in 2008. All the books celebrate good food while benefiting the Houston community. In 2018-19, the Junior League of Houston will contribute approximately $2 million in volunteer time and financial support to our community. Cookbook sales account for part of that. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Houston Junior League Cookbook and the 10th of Peace Meals. In celebration of the philanthropic and cultural influences of all four Junior League of Houston cookbooks, we are taking a look back at the generations of women who produced them, and what it took to create these historical records of food, family and friends.

COOKS AND COLLABORATORS Dena Prasher, Alafair Kane, Roni Atnipp, Anne Tucker, Peggy Roe and Leslie Wade (from left) represent four generations of the Junior League of Houston cookbook volunteers.

League members. “I was part of the testing process, because when I was at UT, I’d come home and she’d say, ‘Well, we’ve got this to try and this to try,’” George says. “My favorite was the Crab Imperial. And my mother’s Peach Ice Cream was one of her favorites.” The chair and co-chairs of the book are also gone, but Alafair Kane, listed in the book as Mrs. George V. Kane, Jr., fondly remembers serving on the committee with them all. “I remember being a busy gal cooking. And I loved it, I might add,” she says. “I had a growing family with three young children. While it was the practical thing to try to test recipes they would like – rice dishes and desserts – I did test some recipes they did not enjoy. Sometimes my children would see me in the kitchen working away and they’d say, ‘Not another Junior League recipe!’”

Alafair fondly remembers cookbook meetings. “We’d cook and bring things to the meetings to taste, and to hear everyone’s comments was quite humorous.” The book took several years to make, as recipes were all handwritten or typed. “We took our time because we wanted to be sure everything was highly approved. And we were all pleased with the way it turned out.” Anne Tucker, a former League president who married just as the book was released, calls it “the bible of how we learned to cook.” Her mother was a League member as the book was being produced, and many of her friends had contributed recipes. “There was a wave of weddings then, and this was the standard gift for a whole generation of us,” she says. “Thank goodness for this book! It presumes no knowledge on your part, but not in an offensive way.” Anne

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GUIDE TO GOOD THINGS At left: The Houston Junior League Cookbook celebrates its 50th anniversary this year as the original “guide to graciousness and good taste,” as reader Margery Anderson describes it. At right, top: Stop and Smell the Rosemary chair Roni Atnipp says the Citrus Cranberry Relish is so good that everyone will want leftovers. Special thanks to the Junior League of Houston for providing a beautiful turkey for this photo shoot. At right, bottom: Peggy Roe, who tested recipes for The Star of Texas, makes Cranberry Salsa with Warm Brie and Pistachios from Peace Meals.

says that having cooks’ names below each recipe makes it more personal than its successors. “It was special because you knew the person who made it and maybe you’d eaten it in their house. “I know that now nobody would get a can of tomato soup to baste with, but we did,” Anne says. “It’s old-style, and it has an economy of cost that the newer books don’t because they assume you can buy a lot of spices or an heirloom tomato.”

The Star of Texas Cookbook After she was married for a while – and she had learned to cook – Anne found herself on the board of the League while The Star of Texas Cookbook, published in 1983, was being produced. “The first book was published by the League, not an outside publisher,” she says. “We just did it.” But for the new book, they hired Doubleday, which brought a level of sophistication. “The presumption was that we would include names with recipes again, but Doubleday said no. That was a discussion highly fraught with great unhappiness,” Anne remembers. “We would have board meetings to talk about these things from 9 until 2:30, and the only reason they ended was because we had to go to carpool. We had lots of time to be fraught.” Betty Cochran, chair of the new book, says it took almost six years to put together. “It was before computers,” she says. “We had meetings constantly Monday through Friday and some-

times on Sunday.” But that was a good thing, she says. “The first book was such a success that we had thousands and thousands of recipes submitted. They had hundreds.” Betty, an accomplished cook, remembers home cooks hosting seated dinners and cocktail parties as recipe testing grounds. “They were more formal affairs [than more recent testing parties],” she says. The long production process didn’t daunt Betty. “The only thing that became problematic was the amount of space it took,” she says. “We bought a bigger house, and everything grew and grew. My children would say, ‘What is all this stuff?’ They knew it was Junior League.” Peggy Roe was one of many volunteers who tested recipes for The Star of Texas. “I still had kids at home, and one morning I was making four biscuit recipes,” Peggy, now a nonprofit consultant, says. “I made the kids sit at the table until they had tried all of them. “That book was a really big part of our lives,” she says. “Some of us gained a lot of weight that year! We talked about it and about our recipes. And we knew then who submitted the recipes, so we could look at them and say, ‘Ohhhh…’ “I loved the idea that a bunch of housewives could create a cookbook that would sell and make money for charity.” “The first book wasn’t conceived as a national effort,” Anne says, “but this one was, and it won all kinds of awards. The best ones were Denver’s

and ours. But don’t get me wrong, Baton Rouge was no slouch.”

Stop and Smell the Rosemary Roni Atnipp, chair of the 1996 Stop and Smell the Rosemary, says, “Every generation of League members wants to do their own book. And you get that, because things change and the way we eat changes.” Roni, who used her experience at the League to launch a publishing consulting business, says the League’s board initially approached her to create a new cookbook, similar to the ones before. “I was like, ‘Huh, I wonder if we can do something else.’ At that point, 1994, there were only two leagues that had done big, beautiful cookbooks – Jackson, Miss., and the Junior League of St. Louis. That was it. “So I called the chairmen of these books in the other Junior Leagues to learn about their projects, and I went to our board and made a little proposal to do a big, beautiful book, and they were like, ‘Alright, you want to do it, let’s do it.’ So I put together an amazing group of women who were really smart and super talented and had amazing taste. Every day we came up with the next step, and the next step, and the next step.” Roni’s group launched an underwriting campaign and a recipe campaign. “We worked hard to do it right,” she says. “We tested and tested and tried. When we had (continued on page 28) MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 27

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FAVORITE RECIPES At left, top: Dainty Lemon Bars come from the Houston Junior League Cookbook, which former League president Anne Tucker calls “the bible of how we learned to cook.” At left, bottom: Alafair Kane, a member of the first Junior League of Houston Cookbook Committee, says her grown children still ask her to make Banana Muffins. At right, top: Blueberry Pine Nut Coffee Cake is one of Peace Meals’ chair Dena Prasher's favorite recipes. At right, bottom: Leslie Wade, assistant chair for Peace Meals, says her family got turned on to brussels sprouts when she started making Brussels Sprouts with Prosciutto. (continued from page 27) too many tortilla soups,

we had a tortilla soup cook-off.” Stop and Smell the Rosemary’s original print run was 85,000, and they sold out in 10 months. “It was new and different and interesting,” Roni says. “Nobody else had done what we had done. These were the most talented women – three or four hundred volunteers – who worked hours and hours and hours, and it was really fun.” Roni’s committee conceived a new version of “tasting parties,” where volunteers would make recipes and set them on a buffet at a party, and everyone there would sample them. “You wanted to come to a tasting party, you wanted to try a dish,” she says. “We had them in beautiful homes, and this group of girls would stay after and compile the data and what people liked and didn't like. Then we would have another tasting party to get to the best recipe.” Recipes came in handwritten, on note cards, on scraps of paper. “We took so much time to make sure all of them were written correctly. But at least in 1995 we had computers!” How did such a huge project affect her family? “It was total chaos in my world,” Roni says. “I had three children then [now she has four]. I was juggling a lot, but that's what Junior League volunteers do. We multitask to the nth degree. We stay up late, get up early, drag our kids around. MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 28

One of Roni’s favorite Stop and Smell the Rosemary recipes is Citrus Cranberry Relish. “It is literally the easiest, most delicious recipe for Thanksgiving,” she says. “I always double it because we want to eat it for a week after. I’m talking super easy and really, really good.”

Peace Meals “I got called in and asked if I was interested in doing a cookbook and if I would put together a business analysis of a new book,” says Dena Prasher, chair of Peace Meals, published in 2008. “I had no idea how to do that. But I was interested, and I thought I could just sit down and figure it out. “They did not ask me because I was a cook,” she says. “They asked me because I love projects, I love collaboration, I love creativity. So one of the first things I did was call Roni. She told me there would be times I would be hiding in my closet on the phone because my family would be so tired of me being on the phone. And she was right. “It was a three-year commitment, all-consuming, and it was way more than 40 hours a week. I dragged my girls with me everywhere for tastings and photo shoots. It was a big part of all of our lives, not just mine. I changed clothes in the car a lot.” Dena has since returned to a career in mar-

keting, and she is proud that the book made the best use of her committee’s different strengths and talents. “We edited and edited and edited, because we shared the goal that if we had put so much into it, it darn well better be perfect.” To begin, every potential Peace Meals recipe was given to two home cook volunteers. Most were submitted online; testers did not know whose recipe they were testing. Based on testers’ input, recipes went on (or didn’t) to tasting parties. “After the rounds and rounds of testing, the [cookbook] executive team made every single recipe in the book, just to make sure we hadn’t made an error in ingredients or cooking times or anything like that.” Dena says her team worked to produce the best cookbook possible, not the best Junior League cookbook possible. “We wanted to brand and market it as Peace Meals, a great cookbook that happened to be created by Junior League volunteers.” Dena often hears from people who say they make certain recipes from Peace Meals over and over. “I love the Blueberry Pine Nut Coffee Cake,” she says. “I make it all the time for morning-after hostess gifts, and I bring it to the office. Usually people come to me and say, ‘I hate you! I ate the whole cake!’ I still make a lot of them.” Was she pleased with the result of three years

and hundreds of volunteers’ work? “There’s nothing I would do differently. Except make the type bigger! Ten years ago when people would say they wanted bigger type, I’d say, ‘What are you talking about?’ Now I get it.” To order a special anniversary bundle, including “Houston Junior League Cookbook” and “Peace Meals,” along with a tote bag and a Texas-shaped bamboo cutting board, go to jlh.org; click on Support and then Books. Proceeds benefit the League’s community projects.

Brussels Sprouts with Prosciutto from Peace Meals 2 ounces prosciutto, sliced into thin strips 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, stems trimmed and halved 2 Tablespoons butter ¼ cup minced shallots ½ cup heavy whipping cream Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In a lightly oiled skillet, sauté the prosciutto until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Add the sprouts to the boiling water and cook until tender, about 3 minutes; drain. Melt the butter over medium-high heat in the skillet used to sauté the prosciutto. Add the shallots, sauté for 2 minutes; then stir in the sprouts. Add the cream, simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, and season with salt and pepper. Top with the prosciutto before serving.

Blueberry Pine Nut Coffee Cake from Peace Meals 1¾ cups sugar, divided 6 ounces cream cheese, softened ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 eggs 1½ cups all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 cups fresh blueberries ½ cup pine nuts, toasted ½ cup powdered sugar Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9inch springform pan with cooking spray. Combine 1½ cups of the sugar, the cream cheese, butter and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed until well blended, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat at low speed until blended. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and the cinnamon; gently stir in the blueberries and pine nuts. Fold the mixture into the batter and pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool completely on

a wire rack. Release the sides of the pan and dust with the powdered sugar. Because this cake is so light in texture, it is best to cut it with a serrated knife.

Cranberry Salsa with Warm Brie and Pistachios from Peace Meals Cranberry Salsa: 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries ½ cup chopped green onions 2 small jalapeños, seeded and chopped ½ cup sugar ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus additional for garnish 2 Tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice Brie: 1 small round of brie cheese (about 8 ounces) ½ cup chopped pistachios, toasted Water crackers This recipe requires advance preparation. Rinse the cranberries and discard any that are soft or bruised. Reserve several of the whole cranberries for garnish. Place the remaining cranberries in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped (do not overprocess). Transfer to a bowl and stir in the remaining salsa ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the brie on a rimmed baking sheet and heat for 15 to 20 minutes until softened. Transfer to a serving platter and top with the Cranberry Salsa. Sprinkle with the pistachios, reserved whole cranberries and additional cilantro. Serve warm with crackers.

Banana Muffins from Houston Junior League Cookbook submitted by Mrs. Bruce E. Barnett (Ann Poyner) ½ cup shortening 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 or 3 bananas) 1½ cups sifted flour 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons hot water 1 teaspoon vanilla Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs and bananas; mix well. Stir in flour and nutmeg. Dissolve baking soda in hot water; add to banana mixture. Stir in vanilla. Fill greased muffin pans, or paper baking cups, about half full. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. These are a favorite for children’s school lunches and stay moist and fresh quite a long time. Makes 24 medium muffins.

Dainty Lemon Bars from Houston Junior League Cookbook submitted by Mrs. James Howard Park, III (Bette Naylor) 1 cup flour

½ cup butter, softened ¼ cup powdered sugar 2 eggs, beaten 1 cup sugar 2 Tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon lemon rind Combine flour, butter and powdered sugar; mix thoroughly. Spread in a 9-inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together eggs, sugar, lemon juice and lemon rind; spread over first layer in pan. Return to oven for 25 minutes. When cool, frost with Lemon Glaze. Cut into 1-inch x 1½-inch bars. Makes 3 dozen bars. Lemon Glaze: ½ cup powdered sugar 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon water Mix powdered sugar, lemon juice and water together and spread thinly over Dainty Lemon Bars.

Riz Biscuits from The Star of Texas Cookbook 5 cups flour 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 Tablespoons sugar 1 cup shortening 1 package dry yeast ¼ cup lukewarm water 1¾ cups buttermilk, room temperature Butter Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or fork. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add slightly cooled yeast to buttermilk and blend into dry ingredients. Form into a ball and place on a lightly floured board. Roll out the dough until thin and cut into small biscuits. Brush biscuits with melted butter and place on a cookie sheet in stacks of two. Let biscuits rise until doubled. Bake for 12 minutes. Serve warm. Yields 3 dozen.

Citrus Cranberry Relish from Stop and Smell the Rosemary 1½ cups sugar ¾ cup water 1 bag (12 ounces) fresh cranberries ½ cup orange marmalade juice of 1 large lemon ½ cup chopped walnuts Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Make a simple syrup by bringing to a boil, then simmering 5 minutes. Add cranberries. Stir over medium heat about 20 minutes, or until all berries burst. Remove from heat. Add marmalade, lemon juice and walnuts. Stir to combine. Cool. Transfer to a serving bowl. Cover and chill thoroughly. Serve chilled. MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 29

Silhouette

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MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 30

MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 31

NEIGHBORS

by Sharon Albert Brier, staff writer Provada Photography

Rumor Has It Fashion always in style. The Houston Junior League fashion show, Haute Fashion, Cool Couture, featured Elizabeth Anthony flounce, feathers and ruffled fashions after the Tea Room events chair Linda Knapp welcomed the sold-out crowd. President Stephanie Magers and tea room director Semmes Etheridge Burns applauded the member models Trenette Allen, Morgan Bellows, Laura Bonck, Caroline Cavanaugh, Margaret Clare, Kay Edwards, Libby John, Lisa Meeks, Kimberly Rawson, Sara Rogers, Audrey Skelton, Kristin Turnak, Sally Ann Varner and Alicia Whitley – and Julie Roberts, fashionable store owner. Ping it. Brendan Gilbert, whose job took him to Dubai for 18 months, was welcomed back with love on the tennis court by his wife Jenna Jackson. Despite the rain, friends played tennis at the Houston Racquet Club with drinks and food at the courtside bar at Court 35. Happy hour and dinner ended with a custom tennis cake by Three Brothers Bakery – Memorial. Brendan played in Dubai at a tennis club where Roger Federer trains, and although he loved the place and instructors he missed Friday nights at the HRC. Head pro Thomas Cook and wife Nathalie, Tiffany and Randall Wong, Dr. Roberto and Tiziana Velasco, Lindsey and Scott Gilley, and Christine and Jay Sherman joined the ball of fun. Whirlwind romance. A widow for 10 years, Charlene Horton briefly met widower Ben Boyd at a Cancer Fighters charity event this summer, and a stolen glance was all she needed. Their mutual friends, Maureen and Mark Hay, arranged to have them meet again at a dinner at their house. Although Ben left for a family trip soon after, he called her every day from Russia. Once back in town, they knew their future would be together; she is 80 and he is 78. Joanne Naponic and Traci Shaffer threw a surprise lingerie bridal shower just weeks before the wedding at Chapelwood. After a honeymoon in Hawaii, a new life began with the couple and small dog Peggy Sue. Big gift. The decorated fall table reflected Paulette Levine’s September birthday and a rise to the seventh decade. While Claire Daum arranged the party, hosted by Paulette’s friends, MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 32

Jean Robin went on the search mission for the right purse to replace a turquoise one that has been well-loved a little too much. Paulette turned 70 in style at La Griglia’s private room with 15 friends, who gifted her (with others not present) with a Tom Ford leather purse, large enough to love for a very long time. She was on time. Dr. Carl Schmulen hosted his wife Lyn Schmulen’s 100 closest friends at a private party at Tony’s to celebrate her 70th birthday. In keeping with Lyn’s notorious CAKE, ANYONE? Dr. Carl and Lyn Schmulen admire the ice cream-cake trait of being late, the delight in honor of her 70th at Tonys. party was a month later, trip was all about hikes and some fresh outdoors but she was on time. Friends that have known air – mission accomplished. Lyn for decades, Barbara Josephson, Roseanne Inspiring morning. Tammie Kahn and Rubin, Joyce Fadem and Jill Racusin, presentCarol Shattuck were honored as Women of ed a clever skit about Lyn. Daughter Caren and Influence from the National Council for Jewish Rob Sweetland, son Brian and Danielle Women for their part in the community. Since Schmulen, and son Mark and Lindsay 1995, Tammie has been the executive director Schmulen presented a humorous caricature of of the Children’s Museum of Houston, regularly skits about Lyn and “Lyn-ica,” which means ranked the No. 1 children’s museum. For 20 presents can be given at any time during the years, Carol was the president of Collaborative year, not just Hanukkah. A mélange of events for Children, which partners with parents and that included her grandchildren talking to Lyn early-education programs to help young children in a video was the perfect finale before the grand reach their potential. The other “influencers,” multi-colored bombe cake was presented with Council co-presidents Aliza Plotkin and Lisa sparklers. Stanton, event chairs Bonnie Herst and Glenda Who owns Colorado? There are probaKirshbaum, community service vice president bly more Texans in Colorado during the sumJayme Schlackman and Deedee Ostfeld, mer. At least it seemed that way to Barbra thanked the extensive committee. Women rock. Markman, daughter Staci Watson and granddaughter Alex Watson. They spent some quality time in Aspen this summer with half of See Rumor Has It at thebuzzmagazines.com for Houston. They ran into many friends but had additional photos. Have some good news to share? dinner with Debby and Alan Stanton and Email us at info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Sandy and Lindy Kahn and Lauren Kahn. The

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MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 33

KIDS

by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

Buzz Baby

The Turkey Trot

Buzz Baby is a column about life with little ones. Writer Annie McQueen has three children age 4 and under.

hanksgiving. For many, it’s a day filled with family togetherness, some football and turkey soaked in homemade gravy. And maybe a nap after. But for some, Thanksgiving also means another tradition: trotting. Every year on Thanksgiving morning, thousands line up in the Galleria area at 7:30 a.m. for the charity running/walking race known as Turkey Trot Houston. The Turkey Trot has three options: a 10k, 5k and a non-timed 1k (otherwise known as the Kids’ Run). Families race together, with children and even babies in strollers. For some, the race is a chance to honor a family member, inspire togetherness, or introduce a child to running. It’s a way to start the day of thankfulness – and calories – with a healthy challenge. Mom-of-two and business analyst Anna Kimball married into the Turkey Trot tradition. Even when her two boys, Phin, now 6, and Si, 4, were infants, she woke up early with her husband Tripp on Thanksgiving to trot, baby stroller and all. Included in the Kimballs clan are parents,

2018 Houston Turkey Trot Date: Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018 Start times: 7:30 a.m. (Phillips 66 10k, for serious runners); 8 a.m. (Phillips 66 5k, recreational, medals for all); 9 a.m. (1k, untimed, kids/families) Where: Post Oak Boulevard near Westheimer Road Registration: For faster check-in, register online. Fees are $20-40. Parking: Options include Container Store, Dillard’s, Galleria orange lot, T.J. Maxx, Best Buy. Website: houstonturkeytrot.org MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 34

grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. “We all meet at the start line amongst all the participants,” said Anna. “Some of us run the 10k, some the 5k and some walk, but we cheer each other on and join up for coffee and breakfast afterwards.” When Phin was 3, he was riding in a jogging stroller. “He kept begging to get out of the stroller and run with us,” said Anna. “We held him off until the THANKSGIVING CALORIE BURN Tripp and Anna Kimball and sons Si and Phin (holding his medal) have a tradition of running in the Houston Turkey Trot each year, last mile, and along with the rest of their extended family. when we finally let Another Buzz family who pounds the pavehim run, he ran his heart out for every bit of that ment at the Trot every year is the Smooke fammile and crossed the finish line.” ily. They have participated for the past 10 years, The tradition has become more important starting when their daughter Madison was 2. than ever since the loss of Tripp’s beloved Uncle At the starting lineup are parents Adam and Ed O’Neill, a dedicated recreational runner and Jacqueline, girls Hannah and Madison Smooke, the person who inspired their family to particinow 7 and 10, grandparents Sharon and Rich pate. He signed the family up every year. “The Malone, and grandparents Joan and David Turkey Trot has been part of the Kimball Lebow. “The best [part] is just all of us being Thanksgiving tradition for as long as [Tripp] together and getting in some exercise before we remembers,” said Anna. have our big feast,” said Jacqueline. The tradition became extra meaningful for The theme for this year’s Turkey Trot is a celthe family five years ago when Uncle Ed was ebration of Houston’s recovery so far from the diagnosed with cancer. “We all showed up to devastating impacts of Hurricane Harvey and run with him. It was his favorite part of the brighter roads ahead. The theme is Thanksgiving,” said Anna. Uncle Ed passed #HOUareStronger. away earlier this year, and his legacy is continuParents running with strollers are asked to ing, as his family prepares to Trot again this year. line up towards the back for safety. “It gets very The Turkey Trot is a fundraiser that benefits crowded,” says Anna. “Just be patient, and if you BakerRipley, a non-profit that has served the are planning to run, just be ready to maneuver Houston community for 110 years. Among your stroller through the crowds.” other things, it teaches people how to earn So go ahead, Turkey Trotters. Help yourself wages, learn skills and belong in the community, to seconds. Take a long nap. You deserve it. through programs and community centers.

MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 35

TRAVEL

by Tracy L. Barnett, staff writer

Travel Buzz

In Dad’s World War I footsteps

n estimated 20 million dead, 21 million wounded, and 7.7 million missing or imprisoned. It began in 1914 as just another European war – and by the time it ended in 1918, it came to be called the War to End All Wars. An unduly optimistic appellation, as it turned out. With the Great Depression and World War II right on its heels, it became the war eclipsed by history. Now, as the centennial of Armistice Day, the end to World War I, approaches on Nov. 11, the Great War is getting a fresh look, by researchers and travelers alike. Attorney Kelly Frels grew up knowing his father had fought in World War I. When he and his wife Carmela saw a PBS special series last year on the war, they pulled out his father’s “memory box.” There, along with a collection of photographs and a pair of U.S. and German helmets, they found the diary he had kept of his service in the American Expeditionary Forces of the U.S. Army in Northern France in 1918 and 1919. There, too, was his epic battlefield poem about the watershed Meuse-Argonne Offensive. That battle, as war historian Geoffrey Wawrow wrote for Time magazine on Sept. 26, its 100-year anniversary, became a turning point in the war. The British and French had already lost more than 3 million men between them. Kelly’s father, a schoolteacher by the name of Leon A. Frels, was among the 350,000 U.S. troops that pushed the German forces back out of France – a decisive offensive that ultimately shifted the balance in favor of the Allied Forces. Inspired to learn more, Kelly and Carmela decided to extend a planned trip to Europe. They were already slated to join a late April riverboat trip to the Netherlands and Belgium to see the tulips in bloom, so they decided that afterwards, joined by daughter Catherine, they would retrace the footsteps of Kelly’s father in Northern France. Their foray into the past opened their eyes to the bitter realities of that war, and the way it set the stage for the next one. Kelly had the diary transcribed and used it as the basis for their trip. An alum of The University of Texas at Austin, he reached out to the Flying Longhorns, who found a retired MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 36

EXPLORING AMSTERDAM Kelly and Carmela Frels on an Amsterdam Canal as they get ready to depart on a train for Paris to meet daughter Catherine and their guide. They had just finished their cruise to view the tulips.

French college history professor, Jean-Noel Mesnil, to serve as their guide and driver. JeanNoel used the diary to plan an itinerary of the towns and locations mentioned. The Frels’ home base amid the rolling hills of Verdun was the Château des Monthairons. This 19th century turreted castle served as a hospital for the Allied forces during World War I and as a German military headquarters during World War II. The Chateau has since been converted to a hotel and spa, where the granddaughter of Gen. John J. Pershing stayed during the commemoration celebrations, as well as the Eisenhowers in their day. They began their trip where the Second World War ended: in Reims, the unofficial capital of the Champagne wine-growing region, where then-Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower had his headquarters during the Second World War, and where the Germans signed their surrender. Not far from there, in a railroad car in the forest of Compiègne, the Armistice for World War I was signed as well. It was a good place to put

everything into context, Kelly said, because of the way it pulls the two wars together. “The maps on the wall had pictures of all the battle sites and transportation systems of World War II,” said Kelly. “Included in that was Verdun… and Le Havre, France, where my father’s ship landed in 1918, when he got shipped over from the U.S.” Leon Frels was the penultimate child of 13 born to German immigrants in the town of Taiton, not far from El Campo, Texas. He was only 22 at the time of the first draft since the Civil War. His older brother, Louis, was eight years older and had already been serving in the National Guard. “Dad reported for induction in San Antonio on September 19, 1917, where he and his fellow draftees underwent training before being shipped to South Hampton, England on June 12, 1918, aboard the “Olympic,” then to Le Havre, France, on “King Edward the VIII,” Kelly wrote in a report he shared with family and friends. Leon Frels was a peace- (continued on page 38)

MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 37

RETRACING STEPS At left: Kelly Frels emerges from a tunnel into a mountain in Northern France, where World War I French, British and German soldiers placed explosives to blow up each other’s positions on the mountain itself. At right: Kelly and Carmela Frels with daughter Catherine (from left) retraced the steps of Kelly's father in the World War I battlefields of Northern France. At the base of the American Memorial at St. Michel, nature has healed the scarred landscape with lush greenery. (continued from page 36) ful, sensitive man, Kelly

says. He was not a warrior by nature. He served in the signal corps; a lover of literature, he listed the books he was reading in his diary. That literary affinity went on to inspire his battlefield poem, “The Shocking 360th,” which celebrated the victory from the perspective of the 360th Infantry of the American Expeditionary Force. While the death toll of World War II was significantly higher, 10 million soldiers alone died in World War I. The total deaths of 20 million at that time was staggering. The intensity of the trench warfare during World War I led to battles with astronomical casualty rates – among the highest in history. The Battle of Verdun alone, for example, ended with nearly a million casualties. The Frels were taken aback by the sheer bloodiness of it all. “The ammunition and weapons tell a part of this story as to why the war was so deadly,” said Kelly. “They used 20th century weapons with 19th century tactics, with trench warfare as close as 100 yards apart, shooting at each other with machine guns and rifles while being bombarded with mortars and heavy artillery." Poison gas was another constant threat. Conditions in the trenches were horrifying, standing for days, even weeks, in the mud and cold under heavy fire, infested with rats and lice and surrounded by death. "To give you an idea of how deadly it was, the trenches were protected by steel piers. Soldiers strung barbed wire between these piers at the front of the trenches to create a barrier," Carmela said. "As enemy soldiers advanced, they had to cross the barbed wire. If killed while MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 38

crossing, their bodies would hang there. They could not be rescued or removed because of the fierceness of the battles, so the bodies remained on the wires and deteriorated until only their clothes remained – so soldiers referred to that as 'the clothesline.'" Several of Leon’s diary entries were of historical significance. He describes “going over the top” and “suffering significant casualties” in the battles of Saint-Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. “‘Going over the top,’ used by Dad to describe soldiers exposing themselves to rifle and machine gun fire by getting out of the trenches and charging the enemy, is a phrase that continues in today’s description of being involved in events of exposure,” wrote Kelly. The Frels visited the site of the first offensive action by U.S. soldiers in WWI, the battle over the Saint-Mihiel salient, an effort east of Verdun, France, that pushed the German soldiers back toward Germany. Then they made their pilgrimage to the site of the second major effort of the U.S. troops, the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Leon’s entry from Nov. 11, 1918: “The war is over boys, let’s build fires and warm our feet. Bosche finish. Bosche finish (“Bosche” was WWI slang for German).” He continued to state he was relieved to not hear any more “mine wavers and wiz bangs,” a reference to the German minenwerfers or mortars whose shells continually exploded above the trenches and spewed deadly shrapnel. The Frels’ full immersion in the story of the war plunged them into some of humanity’s darkest hours, making their way into the trenches and battlefields, visiting the memorials and

museums. Some towns had been obliterated – nine villages in the Meuse department alone – and, as a memorial to their loss, the French had decided not to rebuild there. But always they would emerge into the sunshine and the green rolling hills of Northern France. Families would be picnicking and children playing at the memorials built to honor the sacrifice of those who gave their lives. The Frels had traveled here before with a much lighter focus; as part of traditional champagne country, the rolling hills around Reims have long attracted travelers. This year, with the centennial of WWI, the area took on additional significance. “The scars of war inflicted on the landscape where millions perished in 1914-1918 have been replaced with fields and forests, with the exception of noticeable depressions in the earth caused by artillery bombardment especially around the Verdun area, where that intense battle was fought,” wrote Kelly. “It is amazing how nature can heal the landscape.” Leon Frels, like most combat veterans, didn’t talk much about the horrors of the war. “His comments, when made, were more about the suffering of the civilians and the soldiers affected by the conflict. He felt that war was a terrible waste of people and a squandering of resources. He believed that world leaders should take extraordinary caution to avoid wars, because what started as another European war of seemingly limited scope became the first world war.”

MORE ONLINE For travel tips and links to mentioned sites, as well as Leon Frels’ poem, see this story at thebuzzmagazines.com.

MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 39

FOOD by Sally Anne Schmidt, contributing writer

The Junior League of Houston

Cooking Buzz More holidays, more fun Cooking Buzz is produced in partnership with the Junior League of Houston, a women’s charitable and education organization founded in 1925.

’m just going to say it – day-to-day cooking is not my favorite. Planning meals, finding time to grocery shop, and cooking after a long day at the office or meal prepping on Sundays while my 3-year-old and 6-month-old daughters are playing nearby is not high on my to-do list. We eat out and pick up more than we should. But, the holidays are different! Planning, shopping, cooking, setting a beautiful table and spending time with my family and friends are my favorite things about November and December. I am fortunate that my family gets to celebrate it all. My husband is Jewish, and I am Episcopalian. Our daughters are being raised Episcopalian, but they are also being taught the Jewish traditions and holidays their father was raised with. Not only do we celebrate Advent and Christmas; we also celebrate Hanukkah. We plan on celebrating the eight nights of Hanukkah once again by lighting the candles on our menorah, one passed down from my husband’s grandparents, and spending time with my husband’s parents and our closest friends. Traditionally I make the Herb Roasted Chicken from Stop and Smell the Rosemary on the first night. It is an easy and delicious recipe that pairs well with the traditional fried latkes with applesauce and sour cream. During the time it takes the chicken to roast in the oven, I fry the latkes and set the table. We also have time to light the candles and play a few games of dreidel. Last year, a friend who spends time in Israel each year visiting her family introduced us to sufganiyot, a round doughnut filled with jelly or custard, fried, and topped with powdered sugar, popular in Israel during Hanukkah. I found them so scrumptious that I called my favorite bakery to place an order for our gathering the following night. For Christmas, my family travels to my sister’s house. Although this year we have two children, including a baby, and all of our Christmas presents to load in the car, my husband and I wouldn’t miss Christmas with my sister, brother-in-law MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 40

READY FOR THE HOLIDAYS Consider the Herb Roasted Chicken from Stop and Smell the Rosemary as a main dish for a holiday table.

and 15-year-old niece for anything. My sister takes after our father – she loves to cook and loves Christmas. We begin on Christmas Eve by baking Gingerbread Boys from the original Houston Junior League Cookbook. Not only are they tasty, but baking and decorating them is a fun, memorable activity we can share with our daughters. We let the cookies cool while we attend the early children’s mass at their Catholic church and go out to dinner. Afterwards, we eat a few of the tasty gingerbread boys while my brotherin-law reads ’Twas the Night Before Christmas as we admire the Christmas tree. After my niece and my older daughter go to bed, my sister and I prepare the Savory Breakfast Strata from Stop and Smell the Rosemary while “the elves” get ready for Santa’s arrival. (The adults might also enjoy a Holiday

Coffee from Peace Meals.) Our family likes to enjoy a big breakfast after the rush of gift opening on Christmas morning, and this egg casserole is a tasty favorite. You prepare it the night before and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator. We find it easy to pop the strata in the oven during the Christmas morning rush. For a special treat, we serve it with cinnamon rolls and freshly squeezed orange juice. With Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas all around the corner, I am excited to show our girls the joy of the holidays. No matter the holiday, gathering with family and friends to share a meal makes for fantastic memories. We are lucky to celebrate more than once.

MORE ONLINE See thebuzzmagazines.com for recipes from this story.

MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 41

DINING

by Dai Huynh, staff writer

New-restaurant roundup

fter the summer lull, fall is an exciting time for the restaurant industry. The anticipation of Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, etc., pushes many to roll out their new concepts ahead of the holidays. This November is especially electrifying for diners looking for new options for wining and dining out-of-town guests. Here is a short list of new restaurants that have opened this month or relatively recently.

Heart of Montrose Going “clean,” in addition to “green,” is BIG these days. Located in the old McGowen Cleaners, Vibrant (1931 Fairview) focuses on wholesome dishes free of gluten, dairy, refined sugar and GMO (genetically modified) food. It uses pasture-raised eggs and meats, and strives to source locally when possible. Perhaps the most anticipated Montrose opening is Chris Shepherd’s Georgia James (1100 Westheimer), replacing the James Beard Awardwinning chef’s acclaimed Underbelly, which shuttered in March. The chef-driven steakhouse is named for his mom, Georgia, and dad, James. Both live down the street. “The thought process was if I was inviting you over to my home, what would I serve?” Shepherd said. “It would be steak night at my house. Growing up, Mom always cooked, so it made sense to call it Georgia James.” Shepherd also noted that the hustle-bustle always seems to center around steakhouses – old and new – around town. “They’re always busy, and, eventually, they become classics because they’re consistent,” he said. A few months before Shepherd started searing 100-day wet-aged flank steaks and whipping up batches of creamed collard greens at Georgia James, he opened UB Preserve (1609 Westheimer), an homage to Underbelly’s ritual of showcasing Houston’s eclectic food cultures and, hence, the “UB.” Shepherd put chef de cuisine Nick Wong in charge of the kitchen. Wong, a chef to keep your eye on, has earned praise for his astute translations of such dishes as duck-egg curry, grilled pork jowl pastor, and Tejas crispy chicken – not surprisingly, considMEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 42

ering his pedigree. A California native who started cooking at age 6, the French Culinary Institute grad has cooked at New York’s Gramercy Tavern, Momofuku Ko and Momofuku Ssam Bar.

Julie Soefer Photography

Chef’s Corner

East Downtown (EADO) Talk about being in a pressure cooker. Ryan Pera opened not one, not two, but four different concepts in East Downtown. Like any dining venture, he and Agricole Hospitality partners Morgan Weber and culinary director Vincent Huynh are taking a big risk, but even more so since EADO is still going through gentrification. Then again, Pera was among the pioneering toques who jump-started Heights dining, and look at it now. Despite the uncerSTEAK NIGHT Chris Shepherd’s steakhouse Georgia James has replaced tainty, Pera is encour- Underbelly. The James Beard award winner also opened UB Preserve, which aged by the success of showcases Houston’s eclectic food cultures. his EADO neighbor, charred broccolini – that allows for pie creativity. Nancy’s Hustle (2704 Polk), not to mention Miss Carousel (inspired by the song from that a new $150 million hotel and condo tower Townes Van Zandt) is a 3,500-square-foot is planned next door on St. Emanuel Street. His lounge with mid-century modular furniture and team also is bolstered by the fact that a menu that focuses on shareable fare, like beetHoustonians seem to gravitate toward Pera’s and-carrot tartare, caramel popcorn with wasabi unassuming approach to food. and crispy duckling wings tossed in an herbVinny’s, Miss Carousel, Indianola and a baninfused Vietnamese fish glaze sauce. quet facility are housed in a former industrial Lastly, Indianola is a modern American electrical warehouse on the corner of 1201 St. restaurant inspired by what “we believe America Emanuel and Dallas. Vinny’s, a neighborhood represents to us,” Pera said. Take breakfast, for pizzeria, has an a la carte menu – from chicken example. It will feature (continued on page 44) meatballs and Brussels sprouts to chorizo and

Julie Soefer Photography

THE CLASSIC ALL DAY The puffed baby Dutch pancake studded with berries and peaches is a brunch hit at Benjy Levit’s new The Classic All Day. (continued from page 42) baby Dutch pancakes,

Asian rice porridge and huevos rancheros.

Greater Heights Northwest of downtown is still going strong. Greg Gordon opened a new chapter with La Vista 101 (1805 W. 18th Street) in Timbergrove, but don’t expect this to be an ode to his shuttered, modest, Italian BYOB in Briargrove. This is a modern, more “worldly approach” to Italian, along with other Mediterranean inspirations. Veteran restaurateur Benjy Levit recently debuted his new American bistro, The Classic All Day (5922 Washington Ave.). The airy space, formerly benjy’s on Washington, is divided by center tables, banquets and comfy, retro avocado green booths. Chef Mike Potowski oversees the kitchen, humming with juicy $8 burgers and daily specials such as blackened redfish with a haricot vert salad tossed in a light dressing, bolstered by chopped egg whites. The contemporary menu, while provocative, is wholly relatable, much like the ever-present and stellar Mom’s Chocolate Cake. Simple and delicious, courtesy of Levit’s mom, Leah. Atlanta-based Ford Fry expanded his dining empire in his hometown with Superica and La Lucha, located on a nearly 9,000-square-foot plot at 1801 N. Shepherd, across from the newly transplanted Hawaiian Teapresso (718 W. 18th MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 44

Street, Suite H), an adorable organic coffee and brewed-to-order boba milk tea shop. "La Lucha is inspired by Fry’s childhood memories of the San Jacinto Inn,” said State of Grace and La Lucha executive chef Bobby Matos, showing us the menu, which highlighted the Inn’s oysters and chicken dinners. Fry and Matos serve up their interpretation of these classics with a half or whole fried chicken dinner, served with homemade biscuits and pickles. But here is an update: It comes with a choice of green harissa, honey sambal or oyster mayonnaise condiments. Diners also can add a halfpound of fried shrimp for $16.95. However, Matos is particularly proud of his fried oyster loaf, sandwiched between Mrs Baird’s white bread and slathered with Duke’s Mayonnaise. The approach to food here is laid-back, much like adjacent Superica. The 4,850-square-foot Tex-Mex hub dishes out such classics as chicken flautas, beanand-cheese nachos, cheese enchiladas and tacos al pastor. And, of course, there are the grilled fajitas, menudo, ceviche, and posole.

West University, Galleria & Beyond Along with Spicy Girl (3285 Southwest Freeway), a Sichuan Chinese restaurant, West University is now home to Pizza Motus (6119 Edloe), which serves Roman-style pizza characterized by a light, airy center and crispy bottom. But don’t overlook its deftly crafted paninis, par-

ticularly the fried rosemary-brined chicken. Across Highway 59, Flower Child (1101‐06 Uptown Park Blvd.) of Fox Restaurant Concepts is riding high on the clean-eating trend. During weekday lunch, expect a long wait. The line is out the door with sweat-beaded Houstonians hankering for gluten-free mac and cheese, sustainable salmon with quinoa and sweet corn, or a bowl of ancient grains. You get the drift. The beef is grass-fed, the chicken is all natural, and the tofu is non-GMO. Jonathan’s the Rub has called Hedwig Village home for a decade. Now, owner Jonathan Levine has a second home: Jonathan’s the Rub at Memorial Green (12505 Memorial). Here, you’ll find the self-proclaimed oldest line cook’s Brooklyn Italian dishes, steaks, chops and chargrilled cheeseburgers (which we’re fans of). But make note, too, of the menu section titled “New Houston Cuisine,” with dishes such as braised Denver steak, bacon chipotle pork, Hill Country fried chicken, and shrimp and chicken mole poblano. More restaurants are on their way for December and 2019, including several food halls. The food-court trend, big on the East and West Coasts, is picking up steam in the Bayou City, but more on that some other time. Editor’s note: Buzz dining columnist Dai Huynh is a James Beard food-journalism award winner and longtime Houston-based restaurant writer.

SPORTS

by Todd Freed, staff writer

SportzBuzz T

hree years removed from winning a state championship in six-man football, the Emery/Weiner Jaguars are looking to make their mark again this season. The Jaguars opened the year with victories in their first four games, including a pair of wins by the “mercy rule,” where the Jaguars owned a lead of at least 45 points. In addition, the Jaguars had a No. 3 ranking in TAPPS Division 1 six-man football “We had a down year last season, with a 3-7 record, so the guys really worked hard in the offseason to make this a bounce-back year,” said Jaguars first-year head coach Jason Reimers. “Only one player on our roster remains from our state-title team, and that’s senior Simon Gerst. He’s one of the team leaders.” Offensively, quarterback Josh Strauss threw for over 700 yards and 11 touchdowns through the first four games, with his favorite target being receiver Sam Kasser. Kasser had 10 receptions for over 100 yards and a touchdown in those four games. In addition, senior Troy Hays had four touchdown receptions, while running backs Austin Smith and freshmen Leo Gerst were making major contributions on the ground. Defensively, senior linebacker Mitchell Robbins had 53 tackles and six sacks through the four-game stretch. In the traditional 11-player game, the Second Baptist Eagles were in pursuit of a sixth consecutive district championship. Second Baptist jumped out to a solid start, with a 4-1 record through the first half of the season. “We only have 10 seniors, but they’re all good players,” said Eagles head coach Terry Pirtle. “We also had some big holes to fill with the loss of standout players like Deion Smith and Victor Curne, who are now playing college football at Colorado and Washington, respectively, so our kids have done a really nice job.” Offensively, quarterback Josh Johnson had already accounted for over 1,000 yards worth of offense through the first five games, while receiver Christian McMillan had 23 catches for 302 yards. In addition, Jaylon Coleman had 16 catches for 220 yards and four touchdowns. Plus, junior Cameron McKeon, who split time with Johnson at quarterback, had thrown for 462 yards and three touchdowns. MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 46

GREAT DIG Memorial Mustang Lauren Elie dives for a save in an early-season match against Tompkins. Elie is one of several sophomore standouts for the Mustangs.

But, the most eye-popping statistic belongs to defensive back Johnathon Gooden, who in his last 13 varsity games has accounted for a remarkable 10 interceptions. “That’s a pretty incredible feat,” said Pirtle. In addition, senior linebacker Tyler Holt led the Eagles with 59 tackles through those first five games. “Our team has a really positive camaraderie,” said Pirtle, “and we’re getting contributions from a lot of kids.” In volleyball, the Memorial Mustangs were enjoying another successful season with an overall 22-12 record halfway through district play. The Mustangs, who advanced to the UIL 6A regional quarterfinals last season, are again led by senior Sanaa Dotson. A two-time all-state player, Dotson will play college volleyball for the Oklahoma Sooners. “She started for us back as a freshmen, which is pretty unbelievable,” said Mustangs volleyball coach Beth Gammill. “Sanaa is also on the American Volleyball Coaches Association Phenom List. She’s just a great player.” Another great player for the Mustangs is senior setter Jessica Mayer, who will play college volleyball at Southwestern University in Georgetown. In addition, Gammill had high praise for a number of other players across the Mustangs’ lineup, including middle blocker Brooke Duncan, outside hitter Jessica Hausmann, senior Caroline Isaac, libero Sydney Schroeder and middle blocker Caroline

Isaac, as well as sophomores Lauren Elie, Lyla Traylor, Logan LeRoux and Kingsley Wallace. “We have four sophomores seeing significant playing time, so to have a 22-12 record at this point says a lot about their talent,” said Gammill. With several returning senior starters, the St. John’s Mavericks’ field hockey team entered the season with high expectations. The Mavericks were SPC champions in 2015 and 2016, but slipped to fourth place last season. “We have a talented team with a lot of depth,” said Mavericks head coach Craig Chambers. “Our senior class is the core of this roster. The Mavericks seniors include Frederique Fyhr, Jaya Krishnan, Natalie Stone, Isabel Chambers, Amelie Perrier, May McCabe, Hatley Post and Amy Worscheh.” “Six of our seniors have committed to play field hockey in college,” said Chambers. “Most of them are heading to Ivy League Schools such as Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Penn and Harvard. “Plus, another four of our underclassmen have already committed to play at the college level.” Editor’s note: Todd Freed is the Emmy Awardwinning co-host and producer of the KUBE SportsZone, which airs Saturday and Sunday at 6 p.m. on Channel 57-KUBE. To submit high school sports news for possible inclusion in SportzBuzz, please email todd@thebuzzmagazines.com.

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Get Your Morning Buzz Every weekday morning, enjoy your coffee + the buzz in your inbox. Our e-newsletter, Morning Buzz, features buzzworthy stories about neighbors every day, Monday-Friday. Sign up to find out what we’re buzzing about at thebuzzmagazines.com/morning-buzz.

MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 47

SPORTS

by Angie Frederickson, staff writer

SportzBuzz Jr. W

elcome to SportzBuzz Jr., a column spotlighting neighborhood athletes in elementary and middle school.

Memorial Drive Elementary second graders Charlotte Riley and Mary Mae Bechtol (top photo, from left) are all smiles after a soccer victory. The rainy weather has interfered with games and practices, but the Spring Branch-Memorial Sports Association 7/8 girls Predators team has managed to learn and perform under the less-than-stellar conditions. The Predators are off to a strong start with one win and one tie. Charlotte had a standout moment as goalie when she leapt in the air to block a ball and prevented the other team from scoring. Coached by Leo Ibanez and Carter Bechtol, the Predators are Wiley Janke, Isabella Petree, Sammy Krueger, Karis Ibanez, Sofia Mathew, Nellie Newtown, Ashley Swinbank, Leighton Lufburrow, Sophie Klimchuck, Evelyn Mankarious, Shayli Dubey, Charlotte and Mary Mae.

Tackling the competition Tackle-football Raiders Gage Rogers and Will Connally (middle photo, from left) run down an opposing Cowboy during a game at the fields at Memorial Middle School. The Rummel Creek Elementary students are players on the Spring Branch-Memorial Sports Association’s freshman-tackle Raiders team, coached by Taylor Johnson, Tommy Connally, Keith Malloy, Justin Reichenau and Jason Rogers. The team began the season with an impressive 3-1 record, and the boys are looking forward to the rest of the games. The Raiders are Case Oncale, Carter Oncale, Will, Adrian Torres, Daniel Morales, Lance Malloy, Conner Johnson, Eli Dominguez, Damien Jackson, Jarrius Massey, Gage, Julian Ruiz, Graham Walker, Landry Reichenau, Kobe Reed, Caden Graham, Dylan Evans and Tanner Ball.

Repping Briargrove Elementary Friends and teammates Ford Steward and Thomas Rissmiller (bottom photo, from left) are enjoying their first season with Spring BranchMemorial Sports Association soccer. The boys are not new to soccer, but this season they have joined a new league. This fall, as the only students from Briargrove Elementary on the SBMSA 8U boys Predators team, Ford and Thomas have met players from several other schools and are having a great season. First grader Thomas loves playing goalie, while first grader Ford’s specialty is kicking the ball hard. They both love competitive sports, and also play baseball and basketball together. Editor’s note: Send your best high-resolution photos and behind-the-scenes stories about young local athletes, in both team and individual sports, to SportzBuzz, Jr. at info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Include all contact info, names, ages, grades and schools. Featured athletes must live in Buzz-circulation neighborhoods. Items will be published on a space-available basis. MEMORIAL BUZZ NOVEMBER 2018 48

Rachel Walker

Soccer standouts

Air filters “What kind of air filter should I buy for my allergy?” The answer is “it depends on what you’re allergic to.” If you are allergic to cat dander or grass pollen, we recommend investing in an advanced filter. These allergens are small; thus, they are lighter than air and stay airborne long enough to be filtered out of the air. Compare that to dust mite allergy, which is relatively large, staying airborne for only 15 to 20 minutes after being disturbed (such as making the bed). There’s no way a filter can catch much dust mite allergen once it has settled back onto the bed or carpet. Electrostatic filters are interesting. You get a permanent metal filter taking the place of your disposable fiberglass filter. This metal filter is better at trapping allergens than less expensive fiberglass models. If you use an electrostatic, run your air conditioning system using “ON” rather than “AUTO”. You just paid for a good filter, and you want it filtering 24/7, not just when the compressor or furnace turns on. Be sure to clean the filter regularly with a strong flow of water at least once or twice a month. If you don’t keep an electrostatic filter clean, it will become less effective, increasing the drag on your entire HVAC system. Many HVAC companies don’t like electrostatic filters at all, saying they reduce the life of the entire system. Instead, they recommend disposable 3M Filtretes. If you get a free-standing filter, should you go HEPA filter or a Sharper Image Ionic Breeze? This depends somewhat on budget and noise tolerance. The HEPA filters have fans that make some noise. You have to change the pre-filter every two or three months. It’s very easy to change, but take the unit outside before you disassemble it so the dust doesn’t make a mess inside.

Changing the main filter is almost as easy, and it only has to be done every couple of years. Post-bankruptcy, Sharper Image stills sells the Ionic Breeze, and Consumer Reports still recommends you don’t buy them. Here’s a line from their article: “By that logic, my coffee table is also an air filter because it collects dust.” Look at a store’s return policy to see if you can try the filter out first. You can usually return them before 30 or 60 days. Keep all the packing materials and your receipt. No matter what filter you buy, remember that a filter is just one step in a long process of allergen avoidance. If recommended by your doctor, you should also cover your mattress and pillow with impermeable covers, wash sheets in hot water, remove carpet from your bedroom, and keep the humidity in your home low enough to reduce growth of dust mites and mold. No one nose allergies like we do.™ Note: Information contained in this article should not be considered a substitute for consultation with a board-certified allergist to address individual medical needs. David B. Engler, M.D., The Allergy Clinic, 7707 Fannin, Suite 100, Houston, Texas 77054, 713.797.0993, *1200 Binz, Suite 180, Houston, Texas 77004, 713.522.9911, www.allergyclinic.com, *Operating as Houston Allergy and Asthma Clinic

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SPREADING JOY Jordan Fein (on left, a sophomore at The Kinkaid School) and Lauren Elie (on right, a sophomore at Memorial High School), worked with their moms to create an organization that recycles flowers after events.

KIDS by Lauren Elie and Jordan Fein, age 15

Buzz Kidz

The power of flowers

he bespectacled senior citizen at the Neighborhood Community Center got tears in her eyes talking about the flowers we gave to the center for low-income senior citizens. She said, “Oh darlin’, this is so wonderful. I’ve never seen such beautiful flowers.” Our effort to bring joy to seniors, veterans, public servants, families of sick children, homeless people, single moms and low-income citizens began in October 2015. We joined forces with our moms, Dr. Kelli Cohen Fein and Gina Gaston, and came up with a plan to create Flower Power Gives. The goal was to salvage as many flowers as possible from events like galas, luncheons, bar/bat mitzvahs and weddings. Thousands of dollars are spent on flowers for events, and usually they’re thrown away afterward. We’ve now

salvaged about a half million dollars’ worth! After an event, we gather the arrangements, put them onto a cart and transport them to our cars or a delivery truck. We then bring the flowers to a facility that we’ve scheduled to get the haul. For our first delivery, we went to Star of Hope, a charity for homeless people, and handed out roses from the Women’s Fund of Houston “Rockin’ Resiliency” luncheon. At the sight of the flowers, tears started falling down the faces of some of the women. One told us, “This is a gift of love. I love y’all too.” The woman had received flowers only once before, for Valentine’s Day from her husband when he came home from serving in Iran. But she had never received them without a reason. We’ve learned that small gestures can impact

people’s lives in positive ways. We meet people from different backgrounds, some of whom share their stories with us. The best part is witnessing the faces of people transform from a glum demeanor, maybe feeling overlooked, to a bright countenance, lighting up with joy. The feeling we get when we bring a smile to others is one of the greatest feelings in the world. Want to be a Buzz Kid? Email approximately 350 words, a high-resolution photo and caption to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401.

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A Woman First approach to care Every woman has her own story to tell. What’s yours? As the CEO of The Woman’s Hospital of Texas, I proudly lead a team of physicians, nurses and staff who strive to ask that question of every one of our patients every time we see her. Every woman is one of a kind. Each woman deserves the best in understanding, compassion and support for who she is at every stage of life. This is especially true when it comes to healthcare. While a woman is known for putting others first, who puts her first to ensure a lifetime of good health? In order to better understand how the women in our city approach their own healthcare, The Woman’s Hospital of Texas conducted an online Google survey in September 2018. More than 1,500 Houstonians responded to questions about their health habits and concerns, including how often they see a physician and how they prioritize their own healthcare versus that of a family member. The findings clearly indicate that in the majority of the respondents’ households, it is a woman who is the main decision maker for health care decisions. She is responsible for scheduling doctors’ appointments for her family and making sure her loved ones are well taken care of. She puts her family’s health before her own and often does not attend to her own health needs. Thirty-eight percent of respondents report having a physical exam only sporadically. But at The Woman’s Hospital of Texas, our care philosophy is Woman First. It’s in our name, and it’s in our founding mission. Over the last several decades, we have been committed to taking a lead in educating and empow-

ering women to make smart choices for a lifetime of good health. A Woman First approach to care helps end misconceptions and reduces health issues that have prolonged sometimes irreversible effects on our community. If we encourage the women of Houston’s households to better care for themselves, imagine what impact that would have on our entire city? As a first step, let’s reaffirm our respect for women as the heroes of their own narrative, and give them unconditional permission to voice healthcare questions and concerns. We must encourage honest, open dialogue around women’s health and treat every woman as one of a kind. You can start by asking the question, “What’s your story?” We cannot do this alone. I invite you to join my personal calling, along with The Woman’s Hospital of Texas, to speak up and share knowledge, expertise and, perhaps most importantly, your own personal stories. Ashley McClellan, CEO, The Woman’s Hospital of Texas, 7600 Fannin, Houston, Texas 77054, 713.790.1234, www.womanshospital.com

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