Coffee Talk

Two guys, a girl and new coffee shop on McKinney Avenue

From left: Andrew Key, Jessica Myers and Russell Aldredge.

Photo by Conner Howell
The 1,900 square-foot space will have a bar in the center with seating along thewall stretching from front door to back.

Photo by Conner Howell
The front door of Origin Natural Food's future location.

Photo by Conner Howell

A promising new addition is coming to the Dallas coffee scene, and its name is Origin Natural Food. Set to open mid-December in the Knox-Henderson neighborhood, the shop will offer healthy, to-go morsels and brew — all from local providers and roasters.

Founders Jessica Myers, Russell Aldredge and Andrew Key look like they’re ready to do some entrepreneurial heavy lifting, probably because they’ve all worked in the fitness industry in one way or another. Aldredge has opened two Crossfit gyms, Key works at a Crossfit gym and Myers was a regional manager for Lululemon Athletica.

Origin is a combination of what they love about healthy living and dining in Dallas.

“We wanted to provide a quick option for people to pick up and go and feel good about what they’re eating,” says co-owner Jessica Myers.

“We wanted to provide a quick option for people to pick up and go and feel good about what they’re eating,” Myers says.

With Key’s help, the trio is blending into the mix a serious passion for coffee.

The idea has only been six months in the making, but they’re now leasing a 1,900-square-foot space on McKinney Avenue near Roti Grill. At the moment, the space is still empty while they wait for the city to administer proper permits to begin construction, which may take another month or so to get underway.

The plan is to have a big bar in the middle of the rectangular space with a long row of booth and table seating from front door to back. Then they’ll split the bar between a quick to-go section and create a community lounge area for chilling out. They’ll use tablets and smartphones instead of a cash register for fast self-checkout.

Chef Rudy Rodriguez (Eatzis, Nick & Sam’s) will prepare the meals at an off-site kitchen; they will be stored, ready-to-eat, at the coffee bar. Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters will provide the coffee, brewed in a hand-made La Marzocco espresso machine.

Key expects such an arrangement to encounter a hiccup or two once it’s in motion, but he and his partners feel good about what’s ahead.

Chef Rudy Rodriguez (Eatzis, Nick & Sam’s) will prepare the meals at an off-site kitchen; Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters will provide the coffee.

“The plan is to perfect the formula here in a forgiving market with friends and family until we can branch out,” he says.

The only competition in the area is a nearby Starbucks, and Myers and her co-founders are confident the area will become a retail destination in the next five years. Not to mention that Myers and Aldredge both live in the area and know it to be an increasingly health-conscious part of town.

“The cool part about this area is it’s slowly becoming more of a fitness hub,” Myers says.

Origin could become a nutritional hot spot for the neighborhood, thanks to its proximity to Katy Trail, the Body Bar Studio and a new Crossfit gym.

There’s still a lot to be done as the healthy triumvirate rustles up a few more local providers, trains a barista staff and literally builds Origin from the ground up. Although this venture will be demanding — and somewhat unfamiliar — Myers, Aldredge and Key look bright and eager as they leap headfirst into it.

“Passion, in this case, is more important than experience,” Key says. “And it’s taking that limited experience together and combining it with the potential we three have together and implementing that into an idea.”

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Spring Arrival

West Dallas gets new Spanish-Peruvian restaurant with big-name chef

Photo courtesy of Ulloa's

Paella will be on the menu.

A new restaurant with a high-profile culinary director will bring Spanish and Peruvian flavors to West Dallas: Called Ulloa’s, it is coming to 727 Fort Worth Ave., with a projected opening in March 2027.

The concept is from philanthropists Susan and Woodrow Gandy, who were previously investors in the historic Belmont Hotel just around the corner. They've teamed up with Dallas celebrity chef Kent Rathbun as culinary director, along with Christopher Tunnell as general manager to lead the front of the house.

Rathbun is a name Dallas diners know well, with a resume that includes The Mansion on Turtle Creek, the Landmark Restaurant at the historic Melrose Hotel, Seventeen Seventeen at the Dallas Museum of Art, Abacus, Jasper's, Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen, and more. He's won numerous awards and made multiple appearances on Food Network. He was most recently behind the launch of On The Rocks, an Italian bistro in Burleson.

Chef Kent Rathbun will be the culinary director of Ulloa's. Photo courtesy of Kent Rathbun

Tunnell’s background spans both culinary direction and front-of-house operations. He worked at Los Angeles hot spots Ketchup, Geisha House, and Les Deux, as well as the Mandalay Bay and The Mirage in Las Vegas, before moving to Dallas to open The Mexican, the upscale restaurant in the Design District.

“I am truly excited to partner with Chef Kent Rathbun, whose reputation is amazing — not only in the DFW Metroplex, but in the culinary world,” Tunnell says. “He has been with this project since the beginning, helping develop it; this will be a very chef-driven, culinary-forward restaurant.”

The team's vision for Ulloa’s is both culinary and urban, with hopes of anchoring the corridor and attracting other businesses to Fort Worth Avenue — a stretch connecting downtown Dallas with Oak Cliff that remains somewhat underdeveloped despite its panoramic skyline views.

The restaurant is named for Spanish explorer, astronomer, and scientist Antonio de Ulloa, who spent extensive time in the Mexican peninsula before becoming Louisiana’s first governor. During his travels, Ulloa documented a fogbow — a circular rainbow formed when sunlight meets mist that causes silhouettes standing between the sun and fog to appear ringed in light, a phenomenon known today as “Ulloa’s Rings.”

That vibrant phenomenon inspired both the restaurant's identity and logo. The concept promises "bold, worldly flavors in a welcoming neighborhood setting inspired by exploration and discovery,” the owners say.

Ulloa's Rendering of Ulloa's.Rendering courtesy of Ulloa's

While the menu remains in development, Tunnell describes the culinary direction as “Spanish soul with a Peruvian heart.” The kitchen will merge the coastal flavors of both traditions — ranging from paellas and ceviches to crafted cocktails and signature adaptations by Rathbun.

The 200-seat, two-story space will feature a downstairs dining room, a large bar, and an outdoor patio. Upstairs, plans call for a secondary bar, a private dining room, a patio, and an expansive balcony patio, offering views of the city's skyline and of the Margaret Hunt Hill and Margaret McDermott bridges.

While the upstairs space will be available for private events, the owners intend for it to operate primarily as an organic extension of the main restaurant. The buildout will include a guest elevator along with ample parking, including both self-parking and valet options.

The team says the restaurant will have have an aesthetic that's “warm, theatrical, generous, elegant but alive, with the energy of a great Spanish tapas bar and the soul of Peruvian hospitality.”

Ulloa’s plans to launch with dinner service first, followed by lunch and weekend brunch.

restaurants bars peruvian flavors west dallas oak cliff kent rathbun