Lee Pennell, owner of Wild Meadow Boutique, shows off an art print. The store opened in the former Sears block and Pennell is excited that construction is winding down. 

Art store opens in Hawn West

DAVID STONE | DOWNTOWN ADVENTURE

Opening a new business inside a construction corridor has been tough for Lee Pennell, but the Florida-native plans to “stick” with it.

Her store, Wild Meadow Boutique, is the first store to open inside Hawn West, aka the former Sears store. The business features 21 Central Texas artists who sell a variety of crafts from clothing and body oils to art prints and stickers. Lots of stickers.

“It’s a very whimsical shop,” she said with a grin. “I’m a fun person, and I want my store to be cheery. I have an entire wall of hundreds of cool art prints and stickers. I have six artists who specialize in stickers.”

Pennell opened Wild Meadow in February, and she said times have been tough because of ongoing construction on Hawn Plaza and City Center, an improved section of Central Avenue.

“It’s been a struggle getting people inside the store,” she said. “RIght now, there are only two businesses inside Hawn West — my store and a brow studio.”

“I found this place two years ago when it was very much under construction. Downtown Temple has such a charm to it — I’ve been obsessed for a long time.”

“I’ve been doing vendor pop-up events all over Texas since 2019,” Pennell said. “The weather — especially the heat — makes it tough doing pop-ups. I decided I needed a store where the focus is on art and artists.”

Artists at Wild Meadow focus on a variety of projects, including tapestries, coffee mugs and bookmarks. Pennell is busy bringing in more artists to fill the store with their works.

“We have so much cute stuff,” she said, still smiling. “If I’m being silly and having fun, work doesn’t stress me out.”

Right now, Wild Meadow is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but once City Center is officially finished, she will expand those days to include Wednesday and Thursday.

“I’ve really enjoyed the First Friday events. I’ve decided to make it a First Friday weekend. In May, we had candle painting where guests decorated candles, and in June I’m setting up a DYI perfume bar. Customers can come in and make their own perfume.”

Pennell includes herself in the 21 artists who display items at the store.

“I make my own products at home and bring them in,” she said. “I have a line of funny stickers, plus art prints and screen printed t-shirts.”

“I’m so excited about my space and being part of the downtown area. There are lots of cute shops, and everyone is so friendly — it’s not like that everywhere. 

Sandra Escalante cooks up gourmet dogs at Haute Dog in downtown Temple. Escalante has teamed with Krista Snyder of Blackbird Books & Spirits to open Pinky’s Bar in Belton, a sports bar of sorts that focuses on Lifetime movies and The Golden Girls. 

Business booms for Haute Dog creator

DAVID STONE | DOWNTOWN ADVENTURE

Sandra Escalante has been creating gourmet hot dogs in downtown Temple and in the surrounding area for several years. But now, along with Krista Snyder of Blackbird Books & Spirits, she has added a second business — Pinky’s Bar, located at 201 N East Street in Belton.

“I have a five-foot hotdog cart that has a griddle and warmer on it,” Escalante said this week. “I’m self contained and can create all kinds of items with my space, but my goal was to get a food truck one day. The plan was to get one this year, but I was contacted by Krista about an idea she had for a place called Pinky’s.”

The idea was to make Pinky’s a type of sports bar without the sports. Geared toward women, Pinky’s televisions would instead play reality shows, Golden Girls, rom-coms and Lifetime movies.

“It’s a welcoming place for everyone, but we definitely gave it a pink and fun spin,” Escalante said. “We host trivia games, singles nights, happy hour specials, curated tastings, Bingo, singalongs and brunch.”

According to Escalante, the plan was to have an attached kitchen to serve “girl dinners,” a fun way of saying comfort foods and treats.

“Krista loved my hot dogs, and I loved Blackbird and the concept for Pinky’s,” she said. “We went to work in November to create the space. I created the menu by building on my Haute Dog offerings.”

“With a full kitchen, I was now able to expand the menu and offer more of my specialty dogs with upgraded ingredients. For example, the Buldogi is one of my most requested dogs at the cart. But it has several components. It’s a quarter-pound all-beef hotdog grilled with my bulgogi beef, spicy mayo, cabbage, kimchi and cucumber slices.”

“At the cart, I use ground beef for the bulgogi, but now with Pinky’s I am able to upgrade the meat to steak,” Escalante said. “It really makes a difference. I am also able to make fresh street corn for my famous Elote Dog. It’s fire-roasted corn with creamy mayo and cilantro on top of a hotdog.”

Pinky’s biggest sellers, especially late-night, are gourmet nachos, loaded fries and Gouda Vibes, a take on a grilled cheese with garlic-grilled sourdough with havarti and gouda cheese and prosciutto.

“Yummy,” Escalante said with a laugh.

The food has been so accepted by Pinky’s customers that Escalante and Snyder have added weekend lunch buffets — 10 to 2 on Saturdays and all day Sundays.

Although Belton is home to another popular hot dog vendor — High Five Hot Dogs — Escalante said there really isn’t a competition.

“Jennifer (Ryder) and I don’t compete, we collaborate,” she said. “There are so many events, and with more than 100,000 people in the  area, there is definitely room for us both. There’s room for all of us to succeed.”

Haute Dogs still serves downtown Temple, especially during big events.

“I don’t usually do a solitary pop-up downtown Temple,” she said. “I try to go where the events and crowds are. It just so happens that I do a lot of Downtown events. The city of Temple has made moves to make Downtown more appealing and build more foot traffic. The events are well attended and so much fun, and I also help out with school fundraisers when possible.”

“My hotdogs are so special because they are made with lots of love. I want to create food that is fun, delicious and just makes you happy. I love fusion food and I try to combine elements of my favorite cuisines in unexpected ways. Who doesn't love a good hotdog? And a grilled hotdog with a snap and loaded toppings. That's a chef’s kiss!”

“I think being local is also special,” she said. “People who patronize either location are keeping their money local. It helps our communities and strengthens our local economy. Big chain corporations won't care about you spending $20 with them, but for us small businesses, it makes a huge impact.” 

Escalante still hopes to add a food truck in the near future to make Haute Dog more mobile.

“I have had far too many tents ruined because of the elements. My goal is to have a fully operational food truck by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Pinky’s will continue to serve the community and be a fun hangout for everyone.”

Cantina 1948 draws late-night crowd to downtown 

DAVID STONE | DOWNTOWN ADVENTURE

A Mexican restaurant and bar located in the heart of downtown Temple is quickly becoming a premiere night spot for late-night eats and drinks.

Cantina 1948, the latest restaurant by the famed Leon family, has been open for about a year on South Second Street. It is owned by Marcos Leon, along with sister Lili and brother Christian. Seven Leon brothers and seven sisters own a dozen restaurants across the state, including eateries in Temple, Belton, Killeen and Jarrell. The family owns the Taqueria Mexicano Grilles in Temple.

“Cantina 1948 is very different from other Mexican restaurants and bars,” Marcos said last week. “Our menu also is different. Our nachos, for example, are made with white queso — other places make them with cheddar and Monterey. White queso is made with extra-melt white American cheese — it’s more expensive and of better quality than the other cheeses.”

Marcos said Cantina also offers a wide selection of seafood, great ceviches and oysters, plus shrimp cocktails.

“In our bar, we use nothing but fresh produce and herbs,” he said. “We invested a lot of time, money and effort to create a place where you feel like you are in a small town.”

“Our most popular dishes are Nachos Supremos, Mango Ceviche and Ahi Tuna Tostadas,” Marcos added.

“A lot of folks don’t realize we are open for lunch, but we are getting a decent lunch crowd,” he said. “Our lunch specials, such as enchiladas and taco plates, are very affordable and we cook them within 10 minutes of the ticket printing in the kitchen.”

While many local residents enjoy Cantina’s menu at lunch and dinner, the big crowds hit the former Corky’s establishment late at night.

“Most of our business comes late night,” Marcos said. “We don’t just have bartenders, we have mixologists who have taken classes from professionals. We have mixologists on all shifts.”

“Everyone has a bartender who pours beer and makes basic drinks, but our mixologists make drinks that aren’t available anywhere else. They are really good, and their creations are amazing.”

“Our house tequila for margaritas is the famous 1800. Other bars and restaurants use cheaper brands for their house margaritas. 1800 is a very good tequila, and we also use fresh fruits in our drinks.”

Cantina 1948 features karaoke on Fridays from 9 p.m. to close, and live music and other entertainment throughout the year, Marcos said.

Cantina 1948 opens at 11 a.m., and closes at midnight Monday through Thursday and at 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

The first Leon family restaurant opened in Houston in 1977 by brother Orlando. The family gained experience in that establishment, then branched out across Texas.

Charcuterie is big business at Kerley’s Market

DAVID STONE | DOWNTOWN ADVENTURE

Business is booming at Kerley’s.

The little market on Central Avenue has been grinding meat and cutting steaks for Temple-area residents for close to 100 years, and owner Lynette Talasek recently boosted business by introducing charcuterie cups, boards and grazing tables.

“There’s a lot happening at Kerley’s,” Talasek said with a grin. “We are still a full-service meat market, we grill out every day at noon (except Monday when the business is closed), we build custom meat bundles and the charcuterie business is taking off.”

“Several big events are coming up that will involve the charcuterie tables,” she said. “They are $250 and can feed around 25 people. They come in stackable boxes, so events with big crowds may need several boxes.”

“We build them in the store and for a small fee we set it up. You just slide the charcuterie out of the box, place the crackers, trim the paper and straighten up any stray fruit.”

While the charcuterie products are custom made, the tables usually include strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, seven different cheeses, carrots, cucumbers, grapes, celery, stuffed peppers, meats, pickles, olives, cheese spread and chocolate-covered pretzels.

“We are selling a lot of these,” Kerley said. “Charcuterie has become a big part of our business. I did one for the VA that included slider sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls and chicken quarters.”

“We also can cater chicken, brisket, sausage and ribs — they come on a tray so you just reheat,” she said.

Kerley’s also sells different sizes of charcuterie boards and charcuterie cups.

“The cups are a big seller,” she said. “They are 14 ounce cups for one person. I put salami, pepperoni, cheese, nuts, fruit, crackers and a little chocolate. The cups sell for $7, but there is a 10-cup minimum.”

Lunchtime is a busy place at Kerley’s. The outside grill is fired up Tuesday through Saturday, and during the week city crews and railroad workers line up for a tasty lunch.

“We take the meat off the grill at noon and sell it until it’s gone,” Talasek said. “We don’t put together sausage wraps or hamburgers, instead we sell foil packs. The pack of sausage has four links with bread and mustard, and each link is big enough to make a sausage wrap. Meats vary by the day, but we have packs  of hamburger patties, pork chops, pork steaks, ribs and ribeyes. The ribeyes go quickly.”

Talasek posts the meat of the day on her Facebook page.

“We also have lunch specials,” she said. “We have chopped beef sandwich on Tuesday, ground beef nachos on Wednesday, three-quarter pound chili dogs and Frito pie on Thursday and smoked hamburgers on Friday, Saturday is pot luck.”

The lunch specials run around $5.

“We also bundle meat packages — it’s a good way to shop and try our different meats,” she said. “They start at $55 and go to $275.”

The $55 bundle includes three pounds of burger meat, two pounds of pork chops, a pound of sirloin steak, three pounds of chicken and a pound of sausage links. Orders must be placed in advance either online or at the store.

“We make four kinds of sausage — green onion, hot and mild, and a German sausage. The hot is pork mixed with jalapeño and habanero peppers.”

Kerley’s also carries products produced by Temple-based Spice Emporium.

Kerley’s carries a line of seasoning that has caught on with competition chefs, Talasek said.

“We carry a dry rub for barbecuing, and a lot of people have won a lot of trophies using our rub,” she said. “People from all over stop by and buy our rub. We also have seasonings for pinto beans, baked potatoes and other foods.”

Main Street Farmers Market to open Sept. 5

DAVID STONE | DOWNTOWN ADVENTURE

A partnership between Christ Episcopal Church and Make-a-Way Wellness will bring a new farmers market to downtown Temple beginning in September.

Main Street Farmers Market will be held monthly April through November in conjunction with the city’s First Friday celebrations, according to Keith Pozzuto, rector of Christ Episcopal. The first market will be Sept. 5 from 3 to 7 p.m.

“The market will be held in our Community Garden, located just across Main Street from the church,” Rector Pozzuto said. “We will be bringing in a variety of artisans and food vendors. Fresh produce and canned food items that people jar will be sold, as well as other items.”

“The farm food items will be local, and some of the produce will be very local,” he said.

Some items could come from the same Community Garden that will house the market. The garden is farmed primarily by residents of Golden Haven Apartments, Calhoun Square Apartments, the Kyle Hotel and surrounding neighborhoods, Pozzuto said.

“We started the Community Garden five years ago,” he said. “But it has really taken off the last two years. We have more than a dozen people farming at the garden.”

Pozzuto said most of the food grown in the garden goes to the farmers, some produce ends up at Feed My Sheep and Churches Touching Lives for Christ, both located on Avenue G in Temple.

Christ Episcopal’s partner in the Main Street Farmers Market, Make-a-Way Wellness, also farms in the downtown area, but not inside the Community Garden.

“I founded Make-a-Way Wellness in 2020 in Temple to start programs that engage in community development,” said Deonte Davis, executive director of the nonprofit organization. “One of those programs addresses food insecurities in low-income neighborhoods.”

“People don’t always have enough food or can’t afford to go purchase food,” David said. “We are transforming vacant lots into community farms. Right now, we have two farms — one at 416 N Katy and the other at 305 S. 22nd.”

But, within weeks David and Rector Pozzuto expect that number to double. 

“Christ Episcopal is purchasing two more lots near the Community Garden that will be transformed into more garden space,” Pozzuto said.

“Our Community Garden is a mission of Christ Church to let our immediate neighbors know that we want our community to be a place of health,” he added. 

“Jesus went into the fields and asked his friends for a bit of wheat, and he turned it into loaves. We hope our garden is able to be multiplied to help fee the community.”