Photos by Samantha Jane Beatty
Styling by Kate Stukenberg
Grooming by Tonya Riner for Page Parkes Agency
Models Madison Johnston for Wallflower Management and Jake Atterberry for Page Parkes Agency
Photo assistance by John Lewis
Styling assistance by Molly Jodeit
Men’s styling consulting by Cody Sever
and Whitney Wiggins for M Penner
Shot on location at Hotel Alessandra in Downtown
A cheesy spread at Via 313
Via 313's Redwing Pizza
This new Detroit-style, Austin-born pizza joint is paying homage to its roots with the Red Wing Pizza — named after Detroit’s hockey team — available through March 31. This beauty is crafted with fresh mozzarella, garlic, natural casing pepperoni, marinated tomatoes and red onions, fresh Parmesan and basil. Yes, please!
Craving pi-gantic flavors? On March 14, the popular eatery will kick off its month-long Pi Day celebration by launching 10 regional pizzas and one national pie, each inspired by both regions in Italy and North Italia’s restaurant locations across the country. Each regional pizza was dreamt up by a North Italia chef and pays homage to a region in Italy. Houston locations at CityCentre and The Woodlands will offer The Heatwave (isn’t that appropriate?), inspired by Calabria and made with nduja, poached shrimp, potato, charred green onion and caciovallo. The nation-wide Hot Honey & Smoked Prosciutto pie will also surely be a hit. The $20 pies are available at their respective locations through April 10 for dine-in, takeout, or delivery via DoorDash.
Home Slice
Another Austin-born pizzeria, Home Slice in Midtown serves New York-style pies with 2-3 toppings. But Houstonians wanted more, so on March 14, they are rolling out the new ‘supreme’ style. Referred to as #8, the supreme will be topped with pepperoni, Italian sausage, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, and black olives. On Pi Day, slices of the newbie will be available at the Houston shop for $3.14. “Ever since we opened in Houston, people have been asking us for a supreme pizza,” explains Home Slice Partner Jeff Mettler. “This is new for us, but the people have spoken and we’re finally ready to make the supreme a permanent menu item.”
Pizzana
Want a piece of LA’s hottest pie? In other pizza news, Pizzana will be the newest kid on the block in burgeoning River Oaks Shopping Center when it opens later this month. Expect tons of creative options with consciously sourced toppings like the Corbarina with squash blossoms, burrata and gremolata. LA’s best Caesar salad, Best Cali-Ital, and Essential West LA Restaurants are a few of its many accolades. We’ll be reporting back on this!
Jerod and Madison Durst, Bailey Bell, Hayden Layne
Cotton, once again the Cook-Off title sponsor, called its fancy digs the Cotton ’Q Club. The outfit, a leading disaster and infrastructure support services company headquartered in Houston, welcomed some 2,000 guests over the three nights of Cook-Off, with a special event on the first evening featuring a performance by superstar country acts Big & Rich, whose extended rendition of “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” brought the house down. The “Redneck Woman” herself, Gretchen Wilson, also took the stage, as did young country heartthrob William Beckmann of Del Rio, just 24 years old, who crooned in both English and Spanish.
The environs were, as ever, over the top. “More than 10,000 gold, hand-painted roses by Flora & Eventi filled the Cotton ’Q Club to mark the milestone anniversary of the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest,” noted a Cotton rep. “The navy fabric draped ceilings, antler and crystal chandeliers, mounted taxidermy from … Bell’s ranch, and three iconic seven-foot-tall mosaic horses with cascading rose saddles all returned for the third year.” Even more cowboy-style glam was to be found in the V-VIP Gold Pony Lounge behind the stage, where caviar and bubbly awaited a small, handpicked posse.
The main menu at ’Q was extravagant and award-winning. The Cotton Culinary team’s “Duck Duck Crunch,” which took second-place honors at this year’s Rodeo Uncorked! Roundup & Best Bites Competition, was a highlight of Executive Chef Wade Schindler’s voluptuous vittles. Also on offer: Angus Ribeye with Chimichurri and Bacon Bearnaise Sauce, Pecan Smoked Pulled Brisket Tacos, Cotton Brie Balls with Peach Bourbon Chutney, Pepper Chicken Bites with Whistlepig Whiskey Glaze, and Hickory Smoked BBQ Brisket.
Notable guests included Duke Austin, CEO of Quanta Services, who joined Bell onstage on opening night to welcome the crowd. Also on hand were Mayor John Whitmire, Tilman Fertitta, Cal McNair and Hannah McNair, rapper Slim Thug, Andre Johnson, Najee Harris, Hallie Vanderhider, Alicia Maguire Smith, Tony Bradfield, Frank Billingsley, Kevin Gilliard, Chita and Lane Craft, Deborah Duncan, Derrick Shore, Brandon Bourque, Fady Armanious, Shelley Taylor, Heather Almond and Rodeo honchos Chris Boleman, Pat Mann Phillips and Lisa Schutzenhofer.
Pete Bell, Zinat Ahmed, Hannah McNair, Cal McNair, Slim Thug
Lauren and Tilman Fertitta
Amy Birdwell and Jenci Bice
Cotton Holdings CEO Pete Bell, Mayor John Whitmire, Quanta Services CEO Duke Austin
Pittsburgh Steelers Running Back Najee Harris with Zinat Ahmed
Country music band Big & Rich performing
Fady Armanious and Tony Bradfield
Kevin Fowler, Melysa and Bryan Michalsky