Summer 2018: On Location
Check out behind the scenes of the swimwear shoot at H-Town's most expensive home on the market.
Jun. 5, 2018
John Kuykendall, Showroom Manager, Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove
How did you get to where you are today? Growing up I had envisioned myself as a news anchor, living in NY and enthusiastically saying into the camera “Good Morning America!”. To this day, I am still a news/political junkie. My mother owned fur salons so specialty retail, luxury retail was in my blood through the family business. Eventually, mom shuttered the stores and I was recruited to a large specialty retailer. Over the next 30 years, I was in commissioned sales on the sales floor, became a department manager, worked my way up to buyer and store manager. Although I never became a newscaster, I did live in NYC for a few years. But Texas is home and with aging grandparents, I felt the pull to come back to my roots. A headhunter approached me. I never envisioned myself in the high-end appliance market, but there are so many similarities. Clients want a memorable experience; whether shopping for diamonds and fur or remodeling their kitchen.
What lessons have you learned that might enlighten and inspire others? The best advice I ever received was “Hire happy people”. There is a wealth of knowledge to be absorbed in any specialty field. Most companies have various trainings and on boarding practices to ensure all that knowledge gets shared. But even the best trainers cannot impart the fundamentals of being happy, in your workplace or personal life.
I believe happiness comes from within and is an active practice. I became a widower in my 40’s and at the time, my son was still in high school. Navigating the devastating effects of cancer from diagnosis to hospice takes a toll. But self-pity, doubt, and negativity could not creep into our lives. There had been so much hardship, it was my responsibility to ensure he saw optimism, and enthusiasm for the life we have now. I could not dwell on the loss but chose to move forward with gratitude. I now try to carry that attitude in everything I do.
The pandemic was a prime example of why hiring happy people matters. With everyone spending significantly more time in their homes, we saw a huge surge of kitchen remodels and demand, while keeping our USA manufacturing moving forward became a challenge. The work and dedication from everyone in this organization, down to my very own team, are what got us through, and we are now stronger than ever. That hard, dedicated work had its origins in happy people coming together, and I am so proud of the efforts made by everyone to keep us moving forward.
What’s new or upcoming for Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove? In recent years, our engineering teams have put significant innovation into the aesthetics of our appliances. From a complete revamp on the features of Sub-Zero Classic Series Refrigeration last year, to the introduction of Wolf’s Accent Door Collection this year, featuring white and black ranges to accompany an assortment of knob and bezel options that help personalize your cooking appliances to your design style. Both lines look incredible, and we are thrilled to see where this will lead us in the future. We have all of these new appliances on display, so we welcome folks to make an appointment and see them in person.
What do you like most about what you do? I strongly value working for a company whose values align with their product. Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove appliances are built to last 20+ years of daily use and the performance is incredible. Whether a customer is looking for our iconic red knobs, or the equipment to make their culinary dreams a reality, we help find the best configurations for their space and are confident in the appliances we put in their home.
What drives you? My mom instilled a great work ethic in my siblings and me. Working alongside my team to surpass expectations keeps me motivated. The Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove showroom has a hard-earned reputation in the market for elevated experiences from client demonstration dinners to happy hour for our dealer partners, and events for the designer community.
Snacks and apps at 1891 (photo by Andrew Hemingway)
WE ARE A couple weeks out from Super Bowl LIX, and it's not too early to be thinking about parties, food, and party food. We rounded up some of the most unique and bang-for-your-buck eats to make the event memorable.
Appetizer platter at 1891 (photo by Andrew Hemingway)
This Heights neighborhood hangout has a couple of options for party platters that include everyone's favorite part: snacks!!! One has crispy pork rinds; corn chips with smoked queso; and cornbread bites with jalapeno jam (serves 8-10, $60.99). And another inclues soft pretzels with chili-crunch butter and smoked queso; pimento cheese with tortilla chips and "wickles;" and hot honey ribs (serves 8-10, $89.99). Need something a little bigger? Snag 12 sliders smothered in spiced aioli, cheddar cheese and grilled onions for just $59.99.
Gameball Cake (courtesy of Carvel)
No party is compete without dessert! Score a Gameball Cake (serves 10-12, $29.99) made with Carvel ice cream from Buttermilk Baby, also in the Heights. The three-layer ice-cream cake includes vanilla ice cream and chocolate ice cream, separated by a layer of the brand’s famous Chocolate Crunchies. Cakes are available for walk-in pickup at Buttermilk Baby, or call the restaurant to place an order.
Beef fajitas at Candente (photo by Jenn Duncan)
Tex-Mex made with smoked goodness? Sign us up. Candente's Fajita Feast — mesquite-smoked chicken or beef fajitas with all the fixings — can be scaled to feed up to 50 people (10lb, $999).
Carnitas at Hugo's
Opt for the usual suspects — carnitas, enchliadas, taquitos, and quarts upon quarts of margaritas and other large-format cocktails — or choose the mouthwatering Carne Brava Family Meal. It comes with 1lb of marinated wood-grilled skirt steak, onions, poblano peppers, salsa and a dozen corn tortillas ($55).
The delectable restaurant with locations in Katy and The Woodlands supplies some fun twists on standard game-day fare. Try the salt-and-pepper wings — breaded, fried salt-and-pepper style with red onion, jalapeño, Thai basil, and a 13-spice house blend. They come with a choice of sweet mango chili or Phat curry sauce. Or, for a little variety, snag a party tray of Malaysian street food. Phat's famous roti canai with curry dip; equally famous and award-winning beef rendang; satay skewers; stir-fried noodles and veggies; and salt-and-pepper calamari are among the options. Choose a half-tray or full tray.
This Third Ward bar has an electric game-day atmosphere, but is catering to at-home parties, too! Its Super Bowl special offering is the Savoy Super Platter with a whopping 300 wings, naked or in a variety of sauces, with fries for $450. Preorders are required and can be made on The Savoy's website.
Level up the bar with a selection of two dozen grab-and-go frozen craft cocktails. This fun spot on the Southwest Freeway has great deals on offer for Super Bowl weekend, including a half-gallon of frozen sidecars for $60; a gallon of Shan's Lemon Drops for $100; and 8oz variety packs starting at $50. It's also a one-stop shop for food, with gallons of gumbo and chili, red beans and rice, and scratch-made fried chicken available for pickup as well.
THE BARNES & NOBLE in Town & Country Village has been closed since February 2024, but on Wednesday, Jan. 29, it reopens with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and book-signing.
During the renovation, the building was taken down to the studs, and it now showcases a sleek design that emphasizes books and the joys and comforts of reading; it will still also sell toys, games and gifts, and tout a remodeled B&N Café. The layout is similar to that of other recent Barnes & Noble openings, and the bookseller's new look has been well received across the country since 2022.
"We are thrilled to welcome our customers back into this beautifully redesigned Town & Country Barnes & Noble,” said CEO James Daunt in a statement. “We thank our loyal customers for their patience during the rebuilding and also thank our bookselling team for the momentous work they have undertaken. There is a particular pleasure to bring such an ambitious new bookstore back to a community in which Barnes & Noble has for so long been embedded.”
The grand opening (Jan. 29 at 10am) is hosted by bestselling Houston-based fantasy author Katherine Quinn, who will sign copies of her books, including the newly released To Shatter the Night, book two of The Mistlands Duology.
“I am so excited, humbled and honored to be bringing our new format Barnes & Noble store back into the Memorial community,” said Store Manager René DeLaPortilla. “We are so happy to be a part of the fabric of this area again.”