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    Even More Coffee Talk

    Origin Natural Food debuts on McKinney Avenue, with new faces and flavors

    Conner Howell
    Jan 23, 2013 | 11:32 am

    A few months ago, we told you about Origin Natural Food, a healthy food spot and coffee shop coming to the Knox-Henderson area. At the time they didn’t have a permit to start construction, but this past week they’ve just finished all the finer touches. They got their brewing machines and a new chef to boot as they prepare for their grand debut Friday.

    Jeff Smith is that new chef. When he was looking to expand his catering business from California, Smith had talked to a few other companies in Dallas before he met Origin owners Jessica Myers and Russell Aldredge. But when he learned about Origin, the off-site kitchen in Addison and their plans for the future, he was sold.

    “It seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up,” Smith says. And Smith’s expertise in healthy cuisine made him a match for Myers and Aldredge as well.

    “I think it’s important to offer a menu that’s easy and simple, with some seasonal specials, and to treat this place like a restaurant,” says chef Jeff Smith.

    “I think it’s important to offer a menu that’s easy and simple, with some seasonal specials, and to treat this place like a restaurant,” Smith says.

    Simple and organic, with free-range chicken from Windy Meadows Family Farm and fresh eggs from Vital Farms. They tried to find grass-fed beef locally, but with the drought, Smith will have to source it from California for the next year or two.

    “I knew about the drought in Texas, but it’s been exceptionally impactful,” he says.

    Smith and his staff will prepare fresh meals on a day-to-day basis, cooking the day before and delivering the meals to Origin for people to enjoy the following day.

    And the coffee?

    Cue Louie Corwin, a barista and new addition to the team. He is the coffee manager for Origin.

    A friend of Origin’s manager, Andrew Key, Corwin got involved on a chance meeting with the three owners at another coffee shop, and he is now leading the training on the barista staff. Key is training the staff on point of sale and food knowledge.

    “Consistency is our main focus,” Corwin says. “We want every barista to be at the same level, so no matter when a customer comes in, they can expect the same thing they got before.”

    “Consistency is our main focus,” says coffee manager Louie Corwin. “We want every barista to be at the same level.”

    The Origin standard is an artisan brew using blends from Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters, such as Hidden City, which is used for the signature espresso.

    Origin’s founders are committed to what is fresh and wholesome and serving it on a plate or in a cup, so rather than recruit people with years of barista or restaurant experience, they instead wanted people with a passion for learning and sharing with customers.

    “You can learn coffee brilliance and food brilliance, so we wanted to train a team with the personality to involve people in the process from food to coffee,” Key says.

    Big brown refrigerators line the walls by the entrance. So you can pick your meal first, or walk over to the menu literally hanging on the wall and see what Chef Smith has prepared for that day.

    The coffee bar works in clockwise motion from the front of the shop to the back, but only when it’s busy. There’s enough room to casually browse the menu, check out all the new machines — like the lime green La Marzocco — and even peruse the self-serve Sterling Tea nook in the back corner.

    And likely Key and Corwin will be there, fixing drinks, talking coffee and food with staff and customers, and tackling the daily grind of Origin coming into its own.

    Although they are still trying to find solid ground, Corwin, Myers, Aldredge and Key are all hopeful about the future of their new Origin shop.

    “It doesn’t stop with one,” Key says.

    Louie Corwin and Andrew Key train the staff and mange the day-to-day grind for Origin Natural Food.

    Origin Natural Food
      
    Photo by Conner Howell
    Louie Corwin and Andrew Key train the staff and mange the day-to-day grind for Origin Natural Food.
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    Tastemaker Awards

    Dallas' best chef, restaurant, and more win at 2025 Tastemaker Awards

    CultureMap Staff
    May 1, 2025 | 8:45 pm
    Mister Charles
    Mister Charles
    Mister Charles

    The votes are in and the winners revealed at the 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards celebrating Dallas' best restaurants, bars, and chefs who've impacted the local dining scene most in the past year.

    After months of buildup, the winners were crowned at an awards ceremony and signature tasting event on Thursday, May 1 at the Astoria Event Venue in Irving.

    In the weeks leading up to the big event, we published a special editorial series highlighting nominees. A panel of expert judges helped select all of the winners, except Best New Restaurant, which was determined in a bracket-style tournament.

    Without further delay, let's raise a glass to the 2025 Dallas Tastemaker Awards winners:

    Rising Star Chef of the Year: Roman Murphy, Perch Bistro
    Murphy started in Austin where he was a chef at restaurants such as Congress, 2nd Bar + Kitchen, Peche, and Jeffrey’s. In 2015 he was named one of Zagat Austin’s 30 Under 30: Rockstars Redefining the Industry while at the helm of Sandra Bullock’s Bess Bistro, and was Executive Chef of North Italia at both Austin locations. He brings his passion, creativity, and dedication not just to Perch, but also siblings Shinsei and Lovers Seafood.

    Pastry Chef of the Year: Ryan Stipp, Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa
    Stipp attended culinary school then worked his way up through a series of appointments at restaurants across the southeast from Tennessee to Virginia to North Carolina. He joined the brilliant team at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort in 2023. He's a big enthusiast for competing on TV, and has made multiple appearances on shows such as Holiday Wars, King Of Cones, and Haunted Gingerbread Showdown.

    Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: The Porch
    What a wonderfully long, strange trip it's been for The Porch, starting out more than a decade ago as a trendy place by chef Nick Badovinus before joining the Tim Headington (The Joule Dallas) fold, then morphing into a beloved staple on Henderson Avenue. At The Porch, you can always count on good stick-to-your-ribs food and drink, with intriguing seasonal dishes rotated in, not to mention the cool patio and always busy brunch.

    Bar of the Year: Columbian Country Club
    Premier cocktail lounge in east Dallas from a trio of hospitality veterans pays tribute to an iconic Dallas golf club with a swinging retro flair — very New-York-City with a Wolf of Wall Street vibe. We're talking martinis, a tequila program, a piano player — a place you can have a cocktail after work or go out on a date, nosh on a sushi roll or a little caviar, with good music, where you can dance if you want.

    Best Coffee Shop: Merit Coffee
    A mainstay that got its start in San Antonio in 2009, Merit has made quite a name for itself. With locations across Dallas since its 2018 debut in Deep Ellum and Highland Park, they use beans from South America and Africa and roast locally. Their trendy drinks include the cereal milk cold brew topped with crushed Fruity Pebbles cereal, strawberry matcha, and hot and iced teas.

    Best Eatertainment: Chicken N Pickle
    Kansas City-born chain delivers what the name promises, combining pickleball with a dining and entertainment venue. It's an indoor/outdoor entertainment complex with a casual restaurant and sports bar serving rotisserie chicken, sandwiches, and salads. Plus shuffleboard, ping pong, picnic benches, and yard games like cornhole. And pickleball, of course. There are locations in Grand Prairie and Grapevine, with a third opening in Allen in May.

    Best New Restaurant: Nikki Greek Bistro & Lounge
    Upscale Greek restaurant is from Lisa and Tom Georgalis, who also own Ivy Tavern, the neighborhood bar on Lemmon Avenue, and who were inspired by their heritage to open this spot on Lovers Lane in the former City Cafe space. They're doing dinner, drinks, and dishes from family recipes such as Pefti Kreatopita (falling meat pie), stuffed squash blossom with kefalograviera cheese, and Greek avgolemono soup..

    Chef of the Year: Jeff Bekavac, Goodwins
    There may not be a more well-regarded in Dallas right now than Bekavac. His low-key charm and sharply tuned wit — not to mention a notoriously buzzy burger — have helped turn Goodwins, the restaurant he and partner Austin Rodgers opened in the iconic former Blue Goose Cantina on Greenville Avenue, into one of the city's most popular restaurants. Bekavac originally went to Texas A&M before pivoting to restaurants, working with present-day legends such as chefs Jason Dady and Nick Badovinus (Neighborhood Services, Town Hearth, Montlake Cut) before finally opening his own place.

    Restaurant of the Year: Mister Charles
    Sophisticated restaurant and bar from Duro Hospitality would be swoon-worthy on its own with its globally-inspired plays on French and Italian dishes, its soaring 38-foot ceilings, iconoclastic design, classic cocktails, and rare wines. Not to mention menu highlights such as egg salad sandwich & caviar, a cured salmon tart with crème fraîche, or corn and truffle beignets. The capper is the location itself, one rife with local history: the former Highland Park Soda Fountain building at 3219 Knox St. The Tastemaker Awards is not alone in its admiration: the restaurant also earned a nod from the Michelin Guide.

    The Tastemaker Awards ceremony was brought to you by The Yuengling Company, Brioche Gourmet, Still Austin Whiskey, Hornitos, Whataburger, Reyka Vodka, Silent Pool Gin, Saratoga Spring Water, Alive & Well Kombucha, and PicMe Events. A portion of the proceeds will benefit our nonprofit partner, Harvest Project Food Rescue.

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