REGIONAL
Full stories online at communityimpact.com
Abridged stories from our other editions
BUSINESS FEATURE DINING FEATURE Euro Bakery & Greek Restaurant Cafe SPRING When the original owners of Euro Bakery & Greek Restaurant Cafe closed the restaurant July , , loyal patrons and spouses Adnan and Farah Qureshi bought and reopened their favorite eatery two weeks later. “This place has been here for years, and I used to come here all the time with my friends, so we personally knew this place before we bought it,” Farah said. “There aren’t really any other Greek restaurants around here.” As the business originally began as just a bakery, the couple said they have stayed true to its roots by oering a variety of custom cakes; tarts; pies; KINGWOOD Through closures and ooding, Pet Ranch has provided supplies for Humble and Kingwood residents’ furriest friends for more than years. Owner Kent Stevens said his in-laws opened the rst Pet Ranch in downtown Humble in . Stevens said he and his wife took ownership of the current Kingwood store aer his in-laws retired. Although the rise of online shop- ping and big-chain pet stores have created challenges, Stevens said the value of having a person to be held accountable for customers’ pets is something they value. “Here, you get the satisfaction of talking to someone who’s very knowl- edgeable,” Stevens said. “When you can actually discuss something with somebody and show them why you should not use this toy, ... the advice is invaluable.” When Hurricane Harvey hit the area in August , Pet Ranch took on / feet of water. Stevens said the storm destroyed up to , pounds of pet food and supplies. Although Stevens considered closing the store aer Harvey, he and his wife reinvested their savings aer customers asked them to come back. He said the customers and strangers came around them to help support their recovery. “They unloaded wheelbarrows and shovels and asked, ‘What do you Pet Ranch
DINING FEATURE TOMBALL Co-owners Brooke Mackin and Amber Powers have worked in the food service industry for about years, Mackin said, with their work ranging from serving to management. When space opened up on North Eldridge Parkway, Mackin said it was time for the two to open a restaurant rather than just working in one. Mackin said they wanted to have a breakfast or brunch concept but added a Cajun twist to make Sizzle & Brew, which opened in December, dierent from other breakfast cafes. “Most of [the other breakfast restau- rants] have a little bit of a play on the Tex-Mex side,” Mackin said. “Cajun’s been an up-and-coming popular thing, so we wanted to do that instead of what everyone else does.” Powers said two of the restaurant’s top-selling dishes feature Cajun cuisine: the Crazy Cajun Benedict, which includes Andouille cornbread topped with a crunchy boudin ball and an over-easy egg, and the Orleans Omelette, a three-egg omelette lled with seasoned shrimp, Andouille sausage and cheddar cheese. Sizzle & Brew oers a lunch menu as well, including sandwiches and salads, and both breakfast and lunch are served all day, Powers said. Coees, teas, mimosas, beer and wine are available, and customers can enjoy an outdoor patio, Powers said. “Having the option to have mimosas or Bloody Marys with their breakfast Farah, who serves as both the eatery’s chef and baker, said although the new owners have kept much of the menu the same, they have added some more vegan options to the original menu and tweaked some of the original recipes. “I’ve always been cooking, but I was a stay-at-home mom, so I cooked for my kids,” Farah said. “We put a lot of spices in Pakistani food, so I can taste if something is missing from a recipe, so we’ve added more avor to the sou- vlakis and the soups. I put a lot of love into all my recipes.” In the future, the duo said they plan to add more items to the menu and may eventually move to a new location north to The Woodlands or west toward The Vintage. FULL STORY BY HANNAHZEDAKER Sizzle & Brew
European pastries and cookies; and Greek desserts, such as baklava. “We do everything from scratch,” Adnan said. “It’s really unique that we have the bakery and the restaurant together.” The Qureshis said aer the bakery had been open for some time, the original owners decided to add the restaurant component, featuring Greek staples such as gyros, chicken souvlaki pitas and falafels, in addition to soups, salads and Greek takes on items such as burgers and pizzas. “Gyros have become pretty uni- versal, but I think a lot of people get intimidated if they don’t know how to say [the name of a dish], so that’s why we put photos of them and the English name [on the menu]—so they aren’t afraid to order it,” Adnan said. need?’” he said. “My wife and I just cried seeing it all.” It took two weeks to put the store back together, during which Stevens said he provided free pet food for Kingwood residents who were not able to get supplies for their pets. Stevens said he hopes to expand the store in the near future, but no matter how he expands, the King- wood community will always be what drives the store’s mission. FULL STORY BY ANDY LI
N
5010 Louetta Road, Spring 281-257-3023 www.eurobakery-cafe.com Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
isn’t something you can do at every place,” Powers said. Mackin said while the Tomball-Cypress area is growing, the small-knit community is what has helped drive business for Sizzle & Brew. “For as big as Tomball and Cy-Fair [are], it’s still a small community. Everyone knows everyone,” Mackin said. “We’ve been pretty lucky as far as the locals supporting us, from the people to the other small businesses.” FULL STORY BY KARAMCINTYRE
R .
SPRING CYPRESS RD.
N
N. ELDRIDGE PKWY.
N
4411 Kingwood Drive, Kingwood 281-361-4300 www.petranchinc.com
16949 N. Eldridge Parkway, Tomball 832-698-1038 www.sizzleandbrew.com Hours: Sun.-Sat. 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
Hours: Tue.-Fri. 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat. and Mon. 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
63
The Woodlands edition • November 2019
Powered by FlippingBook