Follow8-F and Many More: Business and Civic Leadership in Houston
By Joe Pratt To click here to read the pdf of the full article.
Blue Bell: The Cream Rises to the Top
104 years, eight managers, and one family turned a down-home creamery in Brenham, Texas, into one of the most respected companies in the region and the country. The name Blue Bell has become synonymous with ice cream, and the little creamery in Brenham now sets the gold standard for ice cream production while retaining the […]
Sonny Look: A Humble Showman
I will never forget the first time I saw Sonny Look. My family went to Look’s Sir-Loin House to celebrate a special occasion in 1960, a time before eating out was common or Houston had become a national restaurant capitol. Not long after the hostess seated us, a man approached our table, a larger-than-life kind […]
Food for the Body, Food for the Spirit: Irma Galvan and her Award-winning Mexican Restaurant, Irma’s
In the 1940s, young Irma González Galvan moved with her family from Brownsville, Texas to Houston’s Second Ward. As children, Irma’s brothers shined shoes, while Irma and her sister worked at their school cafeteria and neighboring bakeries in order to help their mother. These early experiences, combined with later work in retail, and the desire […]
Ideal Housewives: Home Economics at the University of Houston
The Home Economics Department at the University of Houston lasted from 1945 to 1977. According to the 1950 University of Houston Yearbook, The Houstonian, Home Economics offered instruction in food and nutrition, institution administration, clothing, textiles, costume design, interior decoration, child development, family life, and home economics education.
The Raw Truth: A Conversation with Cheryl Pradia and Ezell Wilson
For a few years in the mid-2000s, S.H.A.P.E. Community Center in Houston’s Third Ward was the home to The Raw Truth Vegetarian Restaurant and Vegan Café, a local eatery that served both cooked and raw food meals to a varied clientele. One of the restaurant’s defining and unique characteristics was its raw food preparations.
Eat Fresh, Eat Local: A History of Urban Gardening and Food Education
There is a movement that places importance on knowing where food comes from for nutritious, environmental, and economic reasons. This trend has taken many forms, such as community gardening, schools gardens, farmers’ markets, and even restaurants that support local growers. The UH – Oral History of Houston has collected several interviews that document this endeavor. […]
“Any day above ground is a good one.” A Conversation with the National Museum of Funeral History’s Director, Genevieve Keeney
Robert L. Waltrip founded the National Museum of Funeral History in 1992 in order to “educate the public and preserve the heritage of death care.” Waltrip’s family founded the Heights Funeral Home in Houston, Texas, and Waltrip became director upon his father’s untimely death. He expanded the business, Service Corporation International, into what is today […]
Letter from the Editor: Blue Bell Memories
One of my earliest memories is the regal feeling of sitting on top of a hand-cranked freezer as my dad grinded away making home-made ice cream. The anticipation that grew during the long process of mixing and cranking enhanced the enjoyment of the final product, which was much better than the cheap mellorine my mom […]