Home Blog Page 99

The World on a Plate

Riserva's
Riserva’s market fish includes fennel, saffron tomato nage, turmeric rice, cara cara orange and ruby grapefruit. Photo courtesy Provision Concepts

A globally inspired dining destination nestled in the heart of Oklahoma City, Riserva takes guests on a culinary journey that captures the warmth of Spanish tabernas, infused with the essence of Mediterranean charm. 

The restaurant is the latest creation by Edmond-based Provisions Concepts, which has spearheaded other projects in the metro including Broadway 10, Sidecar Barley and Wine Bar, Hatch Early Mood Food and Bandee’s Barbecue. 

Brianna Wolfe, brand director at Provisions, has some Riserva menu favorites. 

“Indulge in the velvety richness of patatas bravas, adorned with a vibrant paprika aioli, and relish the zesty tang of our citrus-infused grilled shrimp and polenta,” she says. 

She guarantees that as you enjoy your meal, you’ll realize that “each dish at Riserva Bar and Tapas is not only a feast for the taste buds – but also a visual masterpiece, enticing you with its delightful palette.” 

The restaurant also boasts an extensive beverage menu.

“Enhance your experience with a curated selection of 80+ wines from across the Mediterranean and handcrafted cocktails that perfectly complement the diverse flavors of our plates,” she says.

Highlights include signature cocktails like the Brothel, with vodka, cracked pepper vermouth, olive juice, umami bitters and olives; and the Dama Blanca, with hibiscus tequila blanco, lavender syrup, hibiscus foam and rose dust. 

With the comfort of diners in mind, plenty of thought was put into the architecture and interior design of the restaurant. 

“Riserva is truly a place to escape that feels unlike anything else in Chisholm Creek,” says Wolfe. “If classic and cozy were both to be captured in colors, this would be it. We lead with a chocolate brown and walnut pairing, followed by pops of natural colors throughout. Our indoor-outdoor bar wraps around to seamlessly open up the restaurant, inviting you to indulge in the enchantment of alfresco dining.” 

Alongside the well thought-out interior design, Wolfe says the food and cocktail garnishes create an even more colorful ambiance. 

“Charm and vibrancy come into play with the supporting colors of fresh vegetables, succulent fruits and bright herbs of our plates and beverages,” she says. 

Riserva’s curated, enticing menu is the creation of chef James Fox.

“Based out of Phoenix, Arizona, Fox threw the already culinary rich market for a loop when he opened his chef-driven restaurant, Vecina,” says Wolfe. “Fox’s concept was later nominated to become a James Beard finalist for Best New Restaurant. Provision Concepts has since been lucky to partner with chef Fox.” He also helms Provision’s steak/sushi joint, Culprits. 

A few of Fox’s tapa options include short rib hummus, ground lamb flatbread, turmeric chicken kebabs and skirt steak shawarma. Desserts include cardamom date cake – replete with toasted walnut, tart cherry whip and butterscotch caramel – and a chocolate tart. 

Chef Fox’s passion for memorable cuisine lends itself to an atmosphere of learning. 

“Riserva’s menu and dining experience are meant to be fun and educational,” he says. “Items are presented in a shareable style – so you can try multiple things with friends and family. Get two or three dishes per person and share everything.”

Franco’s 

Franco’s
Photo courtesy Franco’s

Frank Vivacqua has loved cooking for as long as he can remember. He was born into a large and loving Italian-American family in Chicago. 

“From day one,” Viacqua recalls, “everything was big family parties, all the women in the kitchen making food, and me always asking questions, finding out from them how to cook. I never went to cooking school – but it’s in my blood, this passion for cooking.”

Franco’s
Photo courtesy Franco’s

Frank’s father, Constantino, had a passion for the guitar. He played with his band at the swankiest restaurants on Chicago’s Grand Avenue. While the band played, Frank was in the kitchen, getting cooking tips from the chefs. Around 1990, he opened his own restaurant on Grand. At one point he had seven. But over time, they all closed down, he left Chicago, and now the only branch of Franco’s is in Broken Arrow.

Order what you like, as one longtime customer told us, “there’s nothing you can go wrong with.” The Chicago deep dish pizza, two inches tall, comes with a sauce that will make you swoon. Sauces are Franco’s strong point. He invented, through long trial and error, that glorious sauce. The marinara sauce on the arancini (be sure to order one!) is his grandmother’s recipe.

You can also get the thin crust pizza, invented in Chicago around 1940. Its crisp, salty crust is accented by house-made mozzarella and more of that tomato sauce, or with house-made sausage. (Ninety percent of what they serve, says Vivacqua, is made in-house.) 

Dessert? Vivacqua’s wife, Shelley, is an expert baker.

As much as you eat, you’ll leave wanting more. So … why, exactly, is the food so good?

“I’ve had 30 years to make it perfect,” says Vivacqua. “Besides, I love making food, it’s never a chore, and if you really love the food, it’s going to show.”

The Press

The Press
Photo courtesy The Press
The Press
Photo courtesy The Press

Located in the heart of OKC’s Plaza District, the Press offers reimagined classics with an atmosphere that’s anything but forgettable. With an extensive menu, including gluten free and vegan options, the Press fits the bill for delicious American food, made right.

The main menu features classic bar appetizers like nachos and larger-than-life mozzarella sticks, while also including Okie favorites like Cowboy Caviar. 

Their “Main Thangs” scream southern comfort, with dishes including chicken fried ribeye, meatloaf, pot roast and fry bread tacos. Not to mention, there are a variety of different tasty sandwiches like the Dagwood (with dijon mustard, mayo, cheddar, provolone, ham, turkey, bacon and all the toppings), the vegan Sloppy Joe, and the Theta-ish burger, with mayo, bacon, BBQ sauce, cheddar, pickles and shoestring onions. Buffalo mac and cheese, the mashed potato bowl, chili, pork belly bowl and shrimp and grits are other popular choices.

If you’re looking for a lighter meal, the Press has a variety of salads, including the Cobb, Southwest, and grilled Caesar. 

In addition, the restaurant has a killer brunch menu, including chorizo breakfast tacos, breakfast hash, pancakes and of course, boozy brunch drinks to start your day with a kick. 

You’ll never get thirsty at the Press, as the restaurant has a full bar with a variety of different beers, cocktails and wines. Popular libations include the Oklahoma Lemonade, with bourbon, amaretto, peach lemonade, lemon, cherry and a gummy, and the Happy Happy Joy Joy, replete with lemon vodka, cappelletti, orange bitters, pineapple and cranberry juice, plus sparkling rosé.

A Heart for Others

Veteran chef Lindsey Scotney
Veteran chef Lindsey Scotney runs Ellis Hospitality, a staffing avenue for chefs around the metro. Photo by Stephanie Phillips

Everyone who meets her agrees that Lindsey Scotney is the kindest person around. 

But, she says, “I became a chef out of spite. My cooking was so bad it was the family joke.” 

Veteran chef Lindsey Scotney runs Ellis Hospitality, a staffing avenue for chefs around the metro. Photo by Stephanie Phillips

As a gag, a relative gave her a cookbook, and she decided to cook every recipe in it. It didn’t take her long to fall in love, and she headed to culinary school at Platt. While there, she set up a program to give any leftover food to the homeless. These are the traits she’s exemplified all her life: she works very, very hard and she helps others. 

She became a sommelier at Platt. After graduating, she assumed the beverage director position at Polo Grill, also doing anything else that needed to be done. 

“I’d have four uniforms in my car, so I’d be prepared to cook food, serve food or advise on wine. After that, [Tulsa restaurateur] Justin Thompson stole me away.” 

She became general manager at Juniper, a popular downtown Tulsa dining destination. At some point there, she ran into caterer and food truck impresario Joel Bein. 

“I’d been his fangirl ever since I learned he donated much of his food to the homeless,” Scotney recalls. “We met and clicked immediately. The first day I worked was St. Patrick’s Day. We worked from 6 a.m. straight through till 2 a.m. the next day. It was just a lot of fun.”

Was that her toughest gig? 

“No, that would be the day at Tulsa Tough when the power went out and we had to keep on serving. The thermometer in our truck read 160°. Joel works constantly, and if you’re his right hand, as I was, it’s nothing to work seventeen hour days for seventeen days in a row. We were a great pair: he, the wild genius chef, and me, the classically trained one.” 

They worked together for three years. Then came COVID-19. Scotney, working on her own now, was told that no one could find workers for private events. They called it “the great resignation.” People don’t want to work anymore, they said. 

Scotney set up a staffing agency anyway, called Ellis Hospitality. From the beginning, she was mobbed with applicants. Why? Scotney had a revolutionary idea. She pays everyone $25 an hour – everyone. 

“People really want to work,” she explains. “They work so hard when they’re paid fairly. It’s wonderful to see what that extra pay does. Women leave abusive relationships; now they have the money to be independent. Servers free themselves from decades-long debt. We’ve had weddings. Couples finally have the money to get married.” 

Scotney designed an app; it’s like Uber for chefs. Let’s say someone needs 40 servers and 15 cooks tomorrow evening. That goes on the app, and if you’re qualified, your cell phone will ring. Within five minutes, all those jobs are gone. For Mayfest, it took 36 hours to fill 800 jobs, and it took that long only because they were catering LIV Golf the same week. Ellis does Drillers games, events at the University of Tulsa and a hefty heaping of elegant country clubs and restaurants. They might even be cooking your food tonight.

Most people who have a great business going say they want to help their workers. Scotney really does. She founded an organization that gets health insurance, retirement benefits and life insurance for workers in an industry that has often gone without. She’s planning an open commissary, a fully equipped kitchen for chefs who have catering jobs but no place to cook. 

“My goal is to help the workers,” she says. Sean, her totally devoted admirer and husband, sums it up well: “She has such a heart for people.”

Creativity Abounds

Photo courtesy Celebrity Attractions

Looking for live entertainment to finish out the summer? Luckily, September is jam-packed with extraordinary performances all across the state. 

At the PAC, Tulsans can enjoy Prelude, presented by the Tulsa Symphony, on Sept. 9. For fans of female singer-songwriters, check out Jagged Little Pill, the musical backed by Alanis Morrisette’s extensive discography, presented by Celebrity Attractions on Sept. 12-13, as well as Beautiful, the true musical story of Carole King’s life, presented by Theatre Tulsa from Sept. 15-Oct. 1. For some family fun, Celebrity Attractions presents Aladdin from Sept. 26 through Oct. 1. Round out the month with Signature Symphony’s presentation of Bluegrass to Bohemia at the TCC VanTrease PACE on Sept. 30.

Photo courtesy Celebrity Attractions

For those in the OKC area, there are plenty of live performances in September. Taking place on the 10th and 24th is the Sunday Twilight Concert Series, an evening filled with varying music genres and family friendly fun at the Myriad Botanical Gardens. Presented by Lyric Theatre from Sept. 13-Oct. 1, Concerto is a celebration of Tchaikovsky’s infamous 1878 violin concerto. On Sept. 15, enjoy the Oklahoma City Ballet’s presentation of Ballet Under the Stars. For the theatre aficionados, Oklahoma Shakespeare presents Romeo and Juliet from Sept. 14-24 at the Shakespeare Gardens. And you won’t want to miss Six – a pop musical about the lives of Henry VIII’s six former wives – presented by OKC Broadway at the Civic Center Music Hall from Sept. 26-Oct. 1. 

Around the state, Medicine Park is hosting the Blues Ball at Town Center Mainstage on Sept. 1-3. Josh Roman, Oklahoma native and cellist, performs at Armstrong Auditorium in Edmond on Sept. 12. And last but not least, the New York Philharmonic visits Stillwater’s McKnight Center for the Performing Arts from September 22-24.

Closers and Openers

Photo by Don Tomkalski

While the weather is slowly starting to cool off, spend the last days of summer watching a plethora of sporting events. 

Photo by Don Tomkalski

With baseball season coming to a close this month, join the Tulsa Drillers for their final games from Sept. 1-3 and 12-17 at ONEOK Field. Tulsa FC Soccer is taking over the venue on Sept. 3 and 9. Expo Square hosts two different horse racing events: the Tulsa Reining Classic through September 3 and Simulcast Horse Racing through November 4. College football season kicks off at the University of Tulsa with the Golden Hurricane playing at home – H.A. Chapman Stadium – Sept. 16 and 28. You can watch the top tennis players compete at the ITA Men’s All-American Championships, Sept. 30-Oct. 8, also at TU. 

The OKC Dodgers are closing out their season with games from Sept. 1-3 and 12-17 at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Paycom Center will host PBR Freedom Fest from Sept. 8-10 for a fun evening of professional bull riding and pyrotechnics. Sept. 24 is the annual Oklahoma Derby Day, hosted by OKC’s Remington Park. Just outside of the city, the University of Oklahoma Sooners will have their first football games at Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium on Sept. 2 and 9. The Oklahoma State Cowboys also have their season opening games on Sept. 2 and 16 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater.

A Mixed Bag

Oklahoma River Cruises
Photo courtesy Oklahoma River Cruises

With September comes a wide range of community centric events for the whole family. 

Oklahoma River Cruises
Photo courtesy Oklahoma River Cruises

For the artsy Tulsans, the First Friday Art Crawl kicks off the month throughout downtown Tulsa on Sept. 1, and the Second Saturday Architecture Tour takes place on Sept. 9. For exercise fanatics or those who enjoy a bit of friendly competition, Conquer the Gauntlet Obstacle Race will take place on Sept. 2 at 181 Ranch, Bixby. Tulsa will be hosting a wide variety of cultural events in September, such as Scotfest, Sept. 15-17 at Broken Arrow Event Park; the Taste of Nigeria Festival on Sept. 16 at Greenwood Cultural Center; Los Festivales Y Mercados: Dia De La Independencia on Sept. 16 at First S. Lewis Ave.; and the Tulsa Greek Festival on Sept. 21-23 at 1222 S. Guthrie Ave. Finally, fair season is about to be in full swing with the Tulsa State Fair planting its stakes at Expo Square from Sept. 28 to Oct. 8. 

Located in the Paseo Arts district, the First Friday Gallery Walk will take place on Sept. 1. On Sept. 8, Myriad Botanical Gardens invites guests for their Guided Garden Tour. Myriad also hosts a Full Moon Bike Ride on Sept. 29. For the cocktail connoisseurs, enjoy a Cocktail Cruise, Fridays and Saturdays through Sept. 30 in OKC’s Boathouse District. If Autumn activities sound more appealing, the Oklahoma State Fair will be in town from Sept. 14-24 at Oklahoma State Fair Park. 

Across the state, enjoy the Black Towns Motorcycle Tour on Sept. 1-2; the Cherokee National Holiday in Tahlequah on Sept. 1-3; and the Okeene Germanfest on Sept. 23 at 101 N. Main St.

Kicking Off Fall Cinema

Photo courtesy Black Bear

September has a wide array of cinema choices – from surreal to science fiction to comedy. That being said, hopefully you’ll see something you like! Also, and most importantly, it’s my birthday month, so please send your gifts in a timely fashion.

For your dark comedy piece, peer around the corner to find Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose. Based on an alleged “true story” about a “real” talking mongoose from the 1930s, the plot centers around Nandor Fodor (Simon Pegg, Shaun of the Dead) as he travels to a small island to see if there’s any truth is to be found about this talking animal. Along the way, he comes into contact with a bevy of bizarre, untrustworthy people. The trailer has Pegg putting on a wonderfully strange, comedic lilt to his voice, and the cast is rounded out by Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future) and Neil Gaiman (author of Coraline and Good Omens). Seek the truth when it hits theaters on Sept. 1. 

Photo courtesy Black Bear

If instead what you seek involves vengeful violence, look no further than The Equalizer 3. Loosely based on the television series of the same name, Denzel Washington returns as Robert McCall, a retired U.S. Marine and former DIA officer now living in southern Italy – away from his past and, for once, looking forward to his future. This all comes crashing down with the entrance of the Sicilian mafia, which moves in to take control of the area and McCall’s newfound friends. The trailer shows a handful of stylized kills coupled with Washington’s signature gravitas. Get some vengeance when it releases on Sept. 1. 

Now, for your biographical film about, let’s see here, the stock market? Yep. And GameStop. A story that happened … two years ago. They sure do work fast in Hollywood! Titled Dumb Money, the film follows Keith Gill (Paul Dano, The Batman) as he puts the squeeze on two hedge funds that bet GameStop shares would fall. Based on the real event from 2021, the movie’s version looks to present the story with some style and big actors, including Pete Davidson (Saturday Night Live), America Ferrera (Barbie), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation), Seth Rogen (a variety of movies centered around marijuana) and Shailene Woodley (Divergent). The film drops on Sept. 22.

For a massive dose of action and muscles, look out for The Expendables 4. Back again for another mission with killing and explosions, Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) gathers a rag tag group of mercenaries who are assigned to stop a terrorist from smuggling in nuclear warheads. Stallone, who has a more limited role in this film, claims this is his final appearance in the series, as co-star Jason Statham looks to take over. Things will get loud and more-than-likely cheesy when it arrives on Sept. 22.

Lastly, don’t miss The Creator. Starring John David Washington (Tenet), the trailer shows a future where – surprise! – artificial intelligence has gone to war with humanity and must be stopped by killing the Creator, the architect of this advanced AI. Directed by Gareth Edwards (Rogue One), the art direction, production design and plot look fantastical – and it’s a joy to see more sci-fi flicks based solely on the writer’s imagination and not an existing IP. It lands on Sept. 29.

Closing Thoughts: Wes Mitchell

Wes Mitchell

Wes Mitchell is the newly appointed executive director of Tulsa Area United Way’s 211 Eastern Oklahoma program. On June 1, TAUW assumed leadership as the owner and operator of 211EOK, a 24/7 free service available to citizens across 37 counties of Eastern Oklahoma through a direct phone call, live chat, text message or online search at 211EOK.org. 

Following his graduation from Howard University, Mitchell built his career with a foundation in the corporate IT world at Hewlett Packard and also served as the director of business services for Green Country Workforce before joining TAUW.

With his background working with respected organizations like the Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma, Junior Achievement Tulsa, Tulsa Community College, Teach for America and the Greenwood Cultural Center, Mitchell brings extensive experience to this position. We caught up with Mitchell and got his thoughts on … 

… how his career impacts his strategies with 211EOK.

The strategic impact of my experience lies in leveraging an organization’s strengths. This enables the creation of a culture focused on continual improvement and innovation. By implementing efficient processes, it ensures the maximization of return on investment (ROI) in a constantly evolving market. The translation to the 211EOK work is redefining ROI to match the measurable results of a community, ensuring all of its members flourish and thrive.  

… what made him pivot from the tech industry to serving the
community. 

The enjoyment of changing the trajectory of families that I experienced in my volunteer work.

… what inspires him to help others. 

There are two things that encourage me to help others: making a positive change inside my circle of influence, and paying it forward to repay those who have helped me. [I am] adopting the Covey philosophy of focusing on the things I control, in order to change the things with which I am concerned. I start with “the man in the mirror.” 

… he and his team’s day-to-day. 

My goal is to inspire our team to deliver a consistent, quality experience to both our callers and referral partners. Our work is in facilitation: facilitating the process of uniting people and resources to improve lives and strengthen our communities. We do this by working to continually improve 211EOK.  

… his goals for 211EOK. 

We plan to transform 211EOK into a world class collaborative ecosystem that serves as an intersection between community services and needs. We’re solving for today’s need and the root cause of that need. We are creating an ecosystem that utilizes data-driven decisions to proactively close community gaps in services as well as help circumvent emerging negative trends.  

… what success looks like for 211EOK.  

Success is 211EOK being recognized as the preferred method for uniting the community and resources. My definition of success is when 211 becomes a verb.  

… what he wants people to know about 211EOK. 

Just remember, 211 is a verb. If you have an issue and you’re not sure where to start, call 2-1-1 or find us online at 211EOK.org.

… his favorite out-of-office
activities. 

Spending quality time with my wife Yolanda, family and friends.  

Exploring All Black Towns

The prevalence of all-Black towns in Oklahoma, most widespread between 1865 to 1920, represents a truly unique time period in American history. Although the Greenwood District, commonly called Black Wall Street, is well known as a Tulsa staple, there were – and continue to be – a plentiful amount of towns that were started and run by Black communities. 

“African American ex-enslaved people of the Five Tribes in eastern Oklahoma were allotted land by the Dawes Commission,” says Larry O’Dell, a state historian at the Oklahoma Historical Society. For protection and economic security, these residents often stayed close to each other.

“They would choose land near each other and many times, a town or community would evolve, especially along railroad lines,” says O’Dell. 

Entrepreneurial prosperity was a quick side effect. Farming communities led the way to support businesses, schools and churches, combining to form towns that thrived. Word spread quickly and more residents migrated to Oklahoma. 

The Land Run of 1889 also encouraged growth in Black communities within the state. 

“In western Oklahoma, Black people would make the land runs and settle near each other – and a town or community may evolve or be created by a town site company,” says O’Dell. 

Edward P. McCabe, a political figure from Kansas, helped to found the town of Langston. He utilized traveling salesmen and newspapers to circulate information about the newly formed municipality. The town still houses Langston University, formed in 1897, and it remains the only historically Black college in the state. Although the goal of an all-Black state was never realized, over fifty towns were created, many of which still exist today.

“Boley was the most successful, largest and most popular,” says O’Dell. “Its location on the train line, the number of African Americans in the area, and the advertising throughout the south had the population in 1911 at 4,000.” 

Unlike many other Black towns at the time, Boley was somewhat isolated from others of its kind and became a center of regional business. It grew to become one of the wealthiest Black towns in the United States and had two banks, including the first nationally chartered bank to be owned by a Black person, plus three cotton gins and its own electric company. It was also home to two colleges, Creek-Seminole College and Methodist Episcopal College, which both closed in the 1920s due to economic downturns. 

Booker T. Washington visited Boley and proclaimed it to be the finest Black town in the world, incorporating it into many of his speeches. 

Although many of the original all-Black towns have faded, thirteen still exist today. 

“Boley is making a resurgence; the other towns seem to be just holding on,” says O’Dell. 

Large towns like Clearview have had their populations dwindle over the years, but they haven’t disappeared just yet. 

“Senator Kevin Matthews is working to help create cultural tourism to get people to the towns,” O’Dell continues. 

Matthews hopes to add some locations in Oklahoma to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, which includes historically significant areas important to the movement of racial equality.

Main image cutline: Pictured above are members of the town council in Boley, one of Oklahoma’s most prosperous all-Black towns. Photo courtesy the Oklahoma Historical Society