Prosper - Celina | November 2025

Dining

BY KAREN CHANEY

Deviled Egg Cupcakes ($11) include ve deviled eggs that look like cupcakes.

Ahi wonton tower ($19) features wontons topped with ahi tuna and avocado tossed in a Sriracha aioli.

Tenderloin tacos ($15) includes three street style tacos featuring grilled USDA tenderloin, house made sweet jalapeno elote, pickled onions, queso fresco and fresh cilantro.

PHOTOS BY KAREN CHANEY COMMUNITY IMPACT

Heyday nds success in cross-utilizing ingredients

When Heyday co-owner Michael McGowan con- templated what to name the new restaurant he and restaurateur Anthony Morel were opening in Celina, he found the answer while perusing a thesaurus. “I came across ‘heyday’ and said it out loud. I said, ‘That could be a bar, a brunch spot or a restaurant.’ We didn’t want [the name] to ... limit what we could be,” McGowan said. The restaurant and bar opened in 2024 in downtown Celina. On the menu McGowan said the original menu featured mostly Morel’s recipes. Now the menu, which changes twice a year, is under the direction of Executive Chef Joey Dawkins. Tenderloin tacos have been a top seller since the business opened, McGowan said. McGowan said they are very proactive about not being wasteful. He points to their use of post-juiced jalapenos used in their cucumber and jalapeno margarita. “We juice the jalapeno, and then you’re left with the meat, the actual vegetable,” McGowan said. “We don’t want to just throw it away. We reduce it down and turn it into a sauce for elote which ends up on the taco.” He said pineapples go through a similar process. Once juiced for a martini, the pineapple is turned into pineapple sauce and served with their pork chops instead of a traditional apple sauce.

Looking for a libation? McGowan credits Wilborn Blalock for develop- ing Heyday’s bar program. “Our cocktail program is incredible,” McGowan said. “It’s probably going to sound a little braggado- cious, but I would 100% put our cocktail program against anybody in DFW, and maybe even the state.” Dr. Feelgood, featuring Old Grand-dad Bonded bourbon, smoked peach, brown sugar and bitters is a top selling cocktail. Another crowd-pleaser is their espresso martini. “Most places give you Bailey’s, they shake it up,” McGowan said. “We grind our own beans, make our own cold brew and our own brown sugar, vanilla syrup. We use a nicer coee liqueur. We take all that, put it into a keg and push it with nitro- gen, so it’s like a Guinness coming o of the tap.” Quote of note Although this is the only restaurant McGowan co-owns, Morel also owns Celina’s The Nook and Grati Pasta in Denton. However, McGowan and Morel hope to open other restaurant concepts in Celina within ve years. “We opened the doors on a Thursday to the pub- lic. We didn’t promote or advertise. We unlocked the doors and within four minutes, I had a full bar top. Within 30 minutes, every seat in the restau- rant was set,” McGowan said. “This is a commu- nity that just supports the heck out of itself.”

Michael McGowan co-owns Heyday with Anthony Morel.

Heyday opened in 2024 in downtown Celina.

455

322 W. Walnut St., Celina www.heydaycelina.com

PROSPER CELINA EDITION