Business buzz:
“I was sad to hear of Hector’s on Henderson closing. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for that place. It was my first experience as executive chef, and where I got to realize my vision for my food. I wish Hector the best, and I can’t wait to see what he does next. I have already hired one the waiters who worked with me at Hector’s, so it will be a great reunion!”
—Blythe Beck, Central 214’s executive chef, when asked about the closure of Hector’s on Henderson, where she worked her way from sous chef to executive chef
La Calle Doce and Cowboy Chicken celebrate 30 years
Happy Anniversary to La Calle Doce! The beloved Mexican seafood and Tex-Mex restaurant celebrates 30 years on September 15. Not even a fire that caused the Live Oak and Skillman restaurant to temporarily close for eight months in late 2008 and early 2009 could bring it down. Cowboy Chicken at Greenville and Lovers recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, too. The Dallas-based restaurant specializes in natural, hormone-free rotisserie chicken, and offers it in the form of platters, sandwiches, salads and tacos, along with comfort food sides.
• La Calle Doce, 1925 Skillman, 214.824.9900
• Cowboy Chicken, 5315 Greenville, 214.234.0505
Sleep Experts donates beds for homeless families
DFW-based Sleep Experts has teamed with the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance and the Dallas Housing Authority to give less-fortunate families a better night’s sleep. The mattress retailer is donating 50 beds to permanent supportive housing provided by the alliance, which helps homeless families transition from The Bridge homeless shelter to appointed housing. The first delivery of 30 twin mattress sets was to the Mayan Palms Apartments in East Dallas. Family Gateway is working to provide these families and others with fully furnished homes. “Sleep Experts’ gift of mattresses and box springs will provide more than just a place to sleep for formerly homeless children and their families,” says Robert Alberts, executive director of Family Gateway. “Having a bed of their very own will help to create a sense of home, comfort and stability that these children have often lacked throughout their lives.”
• Sleep Experts, 3007 N. Henderson, 214.237.5294
Cajun restaurant opening in Casa Linda
Alligator Café owner Ivan Pugh is opening a second location of his popular Cajun restaurant in the former Frankie’s Little Europe space in Casa Linda. The original Alligator Café at Live Oak and Carroll has been a best-kept secret in East Dallas for years. The new location will have the same tried-and-true menu as the original plus baby-back ribs, pulled pork, crab claws, voodoo jambalaya and more. “We’re adding more pork dishes to the menu to make it more Creole, plus a full bar, more jazz and blues bands, and a patio,” Pugh says. Pugh describes the intended atmosphere as that of a “nice restaurant in the French Quarter.” A Woodrow Wilson High School alumnus, Pugh is considering a move back into East Dallas, and he can’t wait to return. “I chose this location because I liked the look of the building and the area’s high traffic,” Pugh says. “This one is going to be even better than the first. This gets my creative juices flowing. You’ve got to keep going further in life, and I’ve been bored.”
• Alligator Café, 4416 Live Oak, 214.821.6900
M Streets designers launch denim line
M Streets residents Megan Carreker and Aimee Miller have launched a premium denim line called Hip Chixs. Sold exclusively at The Blues Jean Bar in Snider Plaza, Hip Chixs jeans come in two washes (light and dark) and two cuts (the boot-cut “Skinny Bootie” and the skinny jean “Straight and Narrow”), and sell for $181. Carreker and Miller, who were sorority sisters at Baylor University, started working on the line about three and a half years ago. Carreker, a fashion stylist, and Miller, who owns about 70 pairs of jeans, flew to Los Angeles with a few leads and figured out the fashion manufacturing business by trial and error. But they say they were lucky at every step, quickly finding a mentor in L.A. and meeting their website designers during an airport layover. The business partners say their jeans are comfortable and slimming, and they’re so simple that they’re wearable for years without going out of style. “Of course this is Texas, and it’s so hot. So our goal was to find the perfect fabric for Texas,” Miller says. “It’s your everyday jean because it’s so comfortable.”
• Hip Chixs, available at The Blues Jean Bar, 6810 Snider Plaza, 214.368.5326
Martial arts studio opens in Lakewood; Hollywood Heights resident opens salon for cancer patients
Chamberlain Studios of Self Defense has opened a Lakewood location on Kidwell. The city-wide martial arts instruction provider offers classes for men, women and children in kenpo karate, jiu-jitsu, aikido, judo and self-defense.
Hollywood Heights resident Theresa Worm has been cutting hair in Dallas for 30 years, and one client in particular inspired her to open her new salon, More Than a Wig. “A client of mine had just been diagnosed with cancer, and she came in holding a wig,” Worm says. “She asked that I cut and style her hair to look like the wig now, before she began chemo, so she and others could get used to the new look.” From that More Than a Wig was born. The salon carries a selection of wigs and wig-care products and specializes in helping cancer patients choose wigs that are flattering to their face shapes and skin tones. “We also offer family hair care, haircuts, coloring, manicures, pedicures, make-up applications and eyebrow services,” Worm says.
• Chamberlain Studios of Self Defense, 2114 Kidwell, 214.351.5367
• More Than a Wig, 5728 Prospect, 214.827.5588
