On the Road

From tasty Texas festivals to must-see museums, Edinburg has it all

Head due south and you’ll encounter the city of Edinburg in the Rio Grande Valley, where annual events and attractions bring in locals and visitors alike while boasting big hometown flavor — both literally and figuratively.

Swap Texas Hold'em for Texas Cook’Em
Place your bets on the 16th annual Texas Cook'Em: High Steaks, an all-day event on July 2, 2022, at Ebony Hills Golf Course. The Rio Grande Valley's biggest barbecue competition awards $25,000 and bragging rights to winning competitors who battle it out on the grill for the top chicken, ribs, pork brisket, and rib-eye.

Plus, in addition to the smoky flavors, Texas Cook’Em serves up family-friendly entertainment, car shows, live music, and of course, fireworks.

Channel your inner Frida
Summertime also means the annual FridaFest in Edinburg, a festival that celebrates renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo along with the spirit of womanhood, perseverance, and empowerment.

Make sure you come in costume, as the Frida Procession strives to set a record for “largest gathering of people dressed as Frida Kahlo.” The event is free and also includes live music and dance performances, food vendors, children’s activities, and lots of great Frida-inspired art.

Get set for a movie marathon
Film buffs: This one’s for you. In the fall, the South Texas International Film Festival (STIFF) features five days of film screenings that are open to the public.

Catch local, national, and international films in a range of genres while meeting the people who brought these films to life. Past festivals have featured more than 140 films from 20-plus countries.

Learn about biker culture
The rich heritage of the bike is on display at the South Texas Motorcycle Museum, where you’ll find dozens of models from the last century.

The mission of the museum is to celebrate and preserve the culture, engineering, art, and history of these two-wheeled vehicles. Say "hi" to museum manager David Garcia, A.K.A. Dirty Dave, when you’re there as well as the volunteers who help keep the museum running on all cylinders.

For more information, visit Edinburg Chamber of Commerce.

FridaFest celebrates renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

Photo courtesy of Edinburg Chamber of Commerce

FridaFest celebrates renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

festivals movies texas promoted vacation

Deep Ellum News

Dallas celeb team to deliver newsstand themed restaurant-bar in Deep Ellum

Chloe's

Newsstand facade

A new bar with a cutesy theme and celebrity ties is opening on the edge of Deep Ellum. Called Chloe’s Newsstand, it's a restaurant-bar with a newsstand theme from entrepreneur Hank Keller, Super Bowl champion Remi Ayodele, and chef Rami Rassas.

According to a release, it'll open at The Epic, the mixed-use development on Pacific Avenue, in early 2023.

Said release is a mildly cringey read. To wit:

"With its debut edition rolling off the presses in early 2023, Chloe’s Newsstand is the definition of a newsworthy development that’s sure to capture six-inch headlines."

Decor includes booths, dimly lit walls, classic photography, a chandelier at the entrance, a rack of old newspapers, and a graffiti-filled hall.

“We’re aiming to take the Dallas nightlife experience to another level,” Keller said. “We want people to feel like they’re someplace unique and exclusive without feeling pretentious.”

The food will combine American cuisine and shareable tapas-style plates, highlighting chef Rami’s fusion of flavor and flare. Flare, do you suppose he'll be using a lot of fire?

The bar will serve old standards plus innovative specialty cocktails that are "sure to create their own headlines." Zing!

Rassas, known as Chef Rami Raw in culinary circles, is a MasterChef contestant who specializes in meal prep and in-home private dining.

Keller is the man behind Dallas’ Lights All Night music festival. He also operates Highland Concerts, a promotions and event company, and is an expert at raising capital, twice landing on Empact Showcase’s “Empact 100 List,” an annual award honoring the Top 100 entrepreneurs in America under the age of 35.

Ayodele is a DFW native who played football at the University of Oklahoma and won a Super Bowl ring with the New Orleans Saints. A graduate of South Grand Prairie High School, he's partnered with Keller on previous entertainment venues.

nightlife deep-ellum

Chef News

Former Dallas chef and Chopped winner debuts new restaurant in Frisco

WB's

A bountiful plate awaits you.

There's a new restaurant opening in Frisco from a chef familiar to Dallas diners: Called WB's Table, it's from Wade Burch, most recently chef at Perle on Maple, and it will open at 279 Main St. #132, in a former Subway, in mid-October.

The restaurant is an offshoot of WB’s Kitchen + Catering, a takeout/to-go operation Burch founded during the pandemic when he saw a market for chef-prepared high-quality meals that people could take home.

The new restaurant will open in the suite next door, providing diners with two Wade Burch options: a sit-down dinner at WB's Table or a grab-and-go at WB's Kitchen.

Prior to Perle on Maple at Le Méridien Dallas/The Stoneleigh, Burch worked at The Plaza Hotel in New York, The Pan Pacific Hotel in San Francisco, and The Hotel Crescent Court in Dallas. He also appeared on and won on Season 11 of Food Network’s Chopped.

Spokesperson Sherry Woodard says that the Table will be a completely different menu from what Burch is serving at the Kitchen, where the menu was crafted with the idea of meals at home featuring comfort food dishes such as beef stroganoff and spaghetti & meatballs.

"WB's Table will have a more upscale menu, with a full bar including craft cocktails and a curated wine list," she says.

Wine will occupy a big role. Burch trained at the School for American Chefs at Beringer Vineyards in Napa Valley, and as well as Windows on the World Wine School in New York. He's into wine.

"He'll be able to offer advice on pairing with meals and to tell you the story of the food," Woodard says.

The space seats about 45 and they've completely redone the interior to mirror the comfortable style at WB's Kitchen.

"The idea with WB's Table is that it’s upscale dining but in a casual atmosphere," she says. "It'll definitely have a chef menu but with a come-as-you-are atmosphere, mimicking exactly how it would be if Wade were cooking for you at home."

openings chefs

Parties for a cause

Arty party and auction raises record $1.45 million for Dallas children

Photo by Tamytha Cameron

Co-chairs Evan Westerburg, Victoria Brown, and Kate LaGere

What: Art for Advocacy benefiting Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center

Where: General Datatech in the Dallas Design District

The 411: Art for Advocacy, the annual fundraiser and silent art auction that benefits Dallas Children's Advocacy Center, brought in a record-breaking $1.45 million at the 2022 event on September 10.

Hosted by Stephanie and John Roberts and chaired by Victoria Brown, Kate LaGere, and Evan Westerburg (with honorary chairs Ellie and Sam Lam), the evening attracted a crowd of 700.

The event included cocktails, a seated dinner, paddle raise, silent art auction featuring 84 works, and live art auction of five pieces. The highest selling work was Threads of Happiness, 2022, by Carlyn Ray, which went for an impressive $30,000.

All proceeds will go toward DCAC's mission to fight child abuse and provide healing for families and children who are impacted throughout Dallas.

Who: Emily Clarke, Maleiah and Ryan Rogers, Beth Babb, Sharon Lee Clark, Abby Evans, Ashley Nowak, Jessica Bolander, Julie and Kevin Linderman, Lindsay and Chuck Jacaman, Marisa and Frank Howard, Macy and Gordon Huddleston, Kacy Tolleson, and Katie Walters.

Kate LaGere, Kacy Tolleson, Katie WaltersPhoto by Tamytha Cameron

Macy and Gordon HuddlestonPhoto by Tamytha Cameron

Marisa and Frank HowardPhoto by Tamytha Cameron

Lindsay and Chuck JacamanPhoto by Tamytha Cameron

Julie and Kevin LindermanPhoto by Tamytha Cameron

Honorary chairs Ellie and Sam LamPhoto by Tamytha Cameron

Maleiah and Ryan Rogers Photo by Tamytha Cameron

Carlyn Ray, Emily ClarkePhoto by Tamytha Cameron

Beth Babb, Sharon Lee Clark, Abby Evans, Ashley Nowak, Jessica BolanderPhoto by Tamytha Cameron

Event hosts Stephanie and John RobertsPhoto by Tamytha Cameron

fundraisers galas

On the Road

From tasty Texas festivals to must-see museums, Edinburg has it all

FridaFest celebrates renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

Great Wolf Lodge breaks ground on massive indoor water park resort in new Texas city

Dallas grilled cheese restaurant abruptly closes location in Oak Cliff

Mom-and-pop chef team opens Lubellas Patisserie in Dallas' Casa View

Deep Ellum News

Dallas celeb team to deliver newsstand themed restaurant-bar in Deep Ellum

Great Wolf Lodge breaks ground on massive indoor water park resort in new Texas city

Dallas grilled cheese restaurant abruptly closes location in Oak Cliff

Mom-and-pop chef team opens Lubellas Patisserie in Dallas' Casa View

Chef News

Former Dallas chef and Chopped winner debuts new restaurant in Frisco

Great Wolf Lodge breaks ground on massive indoor water park resort in new Texas city

Dallas grilled cheese restaurant abruptly closes location in Oak Cliff

Mom-and-pop chef team opens Lubellas Patisserie in Dallas' Casa View

Parties for a cause

Arty party and auction raises record $1.45 million for Dallas children

Great Wolf Lodge breaks ground on massive indoor water park resort in new Texas city

Dallas grilled cheese restaurant abruptly closes location in Oak Cliff

Mom-and-pop chef team opens Lubellas Patisserie in Dallas' Casa View

On the Road

FridaFest celebrates renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

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Deep Ellum News

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Chef News

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Parties for a cause

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome Get Dallas intel delivered daily.

We will not share or sell your email address.

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome

Get Dallas intel delivered daily.

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome

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CultureMap Emails Are Awesome

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