Category Archives: Food & Entertainment

Historic Home Finds New Life

The historic home was a winter retreat for three-time Democratic presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan and his family. (VBR)

The landmark house on the corner of Bryan Road and 2 Mile Line in Mission was long a source of interest for Ariel King, as it is for many area residents. The stately home with its early 1900s architecture and style has been part of Mission for nearly as long as the city has existed. It was just after the turn of a long bygone century that William Jennings Bryan,…

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Local, Healthy Eating is Made

photo courtesy of Made. Chef Prepared Meals To Go

Making smart, healthy dietary choices is challenging when combined with modern, fast-paced, hectic work schedules. With the usual fast food options, it’s difficult to make consistent, nutritious choices while trying to follow a meal plan. Imagine a meal delivery service, with expertly created, restaurant-quality weekly meal plans, prepared by a certified executive chef. For the Rio Grande Valley, this is a local reality via Made. Chef Prepared Meals To Go,…

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Bandera Brings New Brew to Harlingen

Bandera Coffee Co.

Downtown Harlingen has scored big points with the addition of the new stylish coffee shop, Bandera Coffee Co. This coffee shop just recently opened, boasting excellent roasts. It takes pride in the origin and source of its coffee with a pour over menu consisting of Ethiopian, Costa Rican and Mexican beans. Flavor profiles range from bright notes of kiwi, apple and grape to refreshing key lime, butterscotch and smooth cocoa.…

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Small Businesses Score $50K from Mission EDC

The Mission Economic Development Corporation’s small business development program, Ruby Red Ventures, named three new winners of its small business funding competition. A local all-natural, cold-pressed juice producer, a maker of pre-packaged Mexican stews and meals, and manufacturer of gourmet grilling sauces are all recent winners of $50,000 in funding from Mission EDC. Mr. Pepe, El Cazos Guisos and B. Veggie took the top three spots, respectively, in the latest round of the…

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Nutty Venture Cracks Through

Nuts and Cows owner Elizabeth Davis with products she pitched in the H-E-B Quest for Texas Best competition. (Courtesy)

Standing at H-E-B’s corporate headquarters in San Antonio, and going head-to-head with some of the top entrepreneurs in Texas, Elizabeth Davis was undeterred. The Reynosa native and former maquiladora worker started her Nuts and Cows business just three years ago with $89 and a belief that “success can come out of a crisis.” Davis spoke English sporadically growing up as a child of the border, but with a grit and…

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Valley Roots Bind Brewers

Mission native and Army veteran George Rice is one of the founders of 5X5 Brewery. (VBR)

The 5X5 Brewing Co. of Mission touts itself as being “Battle Born, Texas Made.” On both counts, the fledging beer production and distribution company fits the bill. Four of its five owners have a military background, and its original three founders are all hometown Mission boys who grew up together. “We all have an attachment to the community,” said George Rice, a veteran of the U.S. Army, who recalls as…

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Downhome Goodness Served Here

Longhorn owners Lisa and Bill Turner have found success with a downhome atmosphere and good food. (VBR)

It’s hard to believe now in seeing the robust business and overflowing lunch crowds at the Longhorn Cattle Company Barbeque & Steak Company, but at one point the San Benito restaurant was starving for business. “We put up a sign by the expressway that said, ‘Come and eat with us before we both starve,’” said Lisa Turner, who with her husband Bill, own and operate one of the more popular…

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Sesame Seeds Grow a Business

Romi Cordova, a veteran worker at Dipasa, arranges bags of roasted sesame seeds. (VBR)

The Rio Grande Valley’s ubiquitous tortillerias and tamale factories are well known as producers of popular food products that are staples to Mexican food fans throughout South Texas. But for more than three decades, a Brownsville company has earned distinction as a manufacturer of a food product more familiar in another part of the world. Since 1985, Dipasa USA Inc. has been processing roasted sesame seeds into tahini, a paste…

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Grubhub Comes to Brownsville

Grubhub

Grubhub Inc. is now servicing Brownsville and is actively looking to continue recruiting “share economy” technology companies in the area. The result, according to the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation, is to “to increase job creation, and improve commerce and the city’s quality of life.” “Tech companies, such as Grubhub, not only provide our local and chain businesses with expanded services but also provide an alternative form of income for those who…

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Primo Picks Finalists Hail From McAllen

(photo Cappadona Ranch)

Two past recipients of the McAllen Chamber of Commerce’s Innovation Grant have been chosen as Primo Picks Quest for Texas Best finalists by H-E-B. Of the hundreds of entries from across the state, McAllen-based Cappadona Ranch and Nuts & Cows have made it to the finale. Established in 2012 by Victoria Barrera Cappadona, Cappadona Ranch has developed from a simple family treat into the growing juggernaut that it is today. Cappadona develops a…

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