After Multiple James Beard Nods, Cambodian-Inspired EaDo Bakery Plans Expansion to The Quad
Salted Coconut Latik Ice Cream Sandwich at Lil' Koffeteria
THERE'S SOME INTERESTING news coming out of The Quad at Britmoore, the adaptive, mixed-use development fashioned of repurposed industrial warehouses in Spring Branch near Memorial.
The Houston-based developers, Pagewood and Wile Interests, have announced that Lil’ Koffeteria will be among the eateries.
“We’re thrilled to add locally owned Lil’ Koffeteria to our office community who will serve fresh and local eats and build upon the energy we’ve created at our campus,” said Randolph Wile, President of Wile Interests.
For its part, Lil’ Koffeteria is a bit of a phenom. With its original location east of Downtown, its risen to considerable acclaim for its Cambodian-inspired café and bakery goods. “Led by chef-owner Vanarin Kuch, who recently landed a second James Beard award nomination in the Outstanding Bakery category, Lil’ Koffeteria will serve a variety of their award-winning pastries, kolaches and tacos,” said a rep for The Quad.
In addition to the Beard accolades, The New York Times recently cited Lil’ Koffeteria as of the 22 best bakeries in the country now.
The new outpost is expected to open in the spring.
Vanarin Kuch (photo by Niel Burger)
Ham and Cheese Croissants
Chocolate Cake Croissant
Crab Rangoon Croissant
Thai Om Croissantwich
Christine Johnson and Jody Merritt
A LOVELY AND truly heart-felt tradition continued, when Saks Fifth Avenue and its 5115 restaurant hosted the 14th annual Houston Sweethearts tea.
“Creators Anne Carl, Deborah Duncan, Sylvia Forsythe, Kim Moody, Warner Roberts and Alicia Smith welcomed over 100 guests,” said a rep for the event’s organizers, noting that the function is held each year around Valentine’s Day “simply to tell each other that they are loved and appreciated for all the time, energy, creativity and heart-felt love they give in service to the community.”
This year’s Sweethearts honorees include Lesha Elsenbrook, Tena Faust, Marilu Garza, Tama Lundquist, Elizabeth Stein and Heidi Turney. Other VIP guests included Sidney Faust, Phoebe Tudor, Hallie Vanderhider, Bobby Dees, Brigitte Kalai, Beth Wolff, Cheryl Byington, Leisa Holland-Nelson Bowman, Ellie Francisco, Kim Padgett, Sherri Zucker, Brittany Zucker, Kirk Kveton and Anna Dean.
The annual tea raises awareness for the Mission of Yahweh, a shelter for homeless women and children.
Tena Faust
Brigitte Kalai, Anne Carl and Alicia Smith
Sandra Porter, Marilu Garza, Leila Perrin and Charity Yarborough Cox
Heidi Rockecharlie and Alice Mao Brams
Deborah Duncan and Beth Wolff
ON JAN. 3, 2025, I observed a big personal anniversary. As of that day, it’d been 20 years since I first moved to Houston — from the Big Apple media circus, by way of my home state of Louisiana — and began working as an editor in the lifestyle-magazine biz here. It’s been two full decades, which is hard to believe! I like to joke that I’m far too young and good-looking to have done anything for two decades. But here we are.
The Houston area, increasingly diverse and cosmopolitan, has changed so much in that time. For starters, its population has grown from 5.2 million to nearly 6.9 million. It blows my mind that I landed smack in the middle of what I’ve long called “the most fascinating city in America,” just as it evolved from a sprawling, un-zoned and largely misunderstood hodgepodge of urban and suburban influences into a widely revered cultural and commercial mecca, soon to overtake Chicago as America’s third largest city.
Space City, with its renowned arts and culinary and pro-sports scenes, has become a world city, finally fully reflecting its long-held status as the capital of the global energy business, and home of the world’s biggest and finest medical center. I’ve had a front-row seat to all of it.
Now, reflecting on all those great years, it’s time to flip the script a bit. My business partners and I have decided to suspend the publication of Houston CityBook magazine after nearly nine wonderful years in print. As we assess what’s next for the CityBook brand, our digital platforms continue to operate.
I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve built. For so long, many magazines came and went in Houston. Most of them operated for a year or so and faded away. CityBook, on the other hand, survived in print for the better part of a decade. To my knowledge, we’re the only independently published, large-circulation title to have accomplished anything like that since the 1980s or ’90s.
We’ve been a must-read in many quarters, with engaging, beautiful content — including the only full-on fashion spreads regularly produced in Houston with top-notch photographers and Houston-based models, many of whom have gone on to big careers in New York and beyond after gracing our pages. And we’ve presented unique long-form content, such as our “Day in the Life of the Arts” photo-documentary projects, exhaustively reported annual best-restaurants features, the reliably racy and instantly infamous annual “Sexy Issue,” the prestigious “Leaders & Legends” portrait collections, and, more recently, the “Cool 100” features counting down the hippest Houstonians with vivid portraits and surprising characters.
They were labors of love, loved reciprocally by 120,000 readers, and celebrated with bring-the-content-to-life parties and smart marketing events that became some of the hottest tickets going.
It hasn’t always been easy. As a startup, we had to overcome an energy-biz downturn and then Hurricane Harvey. Just about the time we found our feet, Covid hit. And all along, we’ve faced valiant competition from other fine magazines, including one I happened to have helped launch years ago.
No whining though! It’s all been a thrill. And an honor. And I’ll forever be grateful that, of all places, this amazing city is where my childhood dream to launch my own magazine one day — yeah, I know it’s weird — came true. Bigger and better than ever, Houston still holds that same kind of promise for all of us who call it home.
To what shall we aspire next? I can’t wait to see.
Jeff Gremillion is the editor-in-chief of Houston CityBook magazine and HoustonCityBook.com, and the CEO of CityBook Media, LLC. He can be reached at jeff@houstoncitybook.com.