Mexican Delights & Mediterranean Bites: Retreat Eating, Done Right

Food is comfort, culture, community, and one of the many things LEAP explores. In Houston for the weekend for a retreat, the LEAP Ambassadors and other students enjoyed some local flavors.

Cochinita & Co

Written by Isis Hollis

We kicked off our retreat’s first food experience with a very enjoyable meal from Cochinita & Co. This brick-and-mortar location blends traditional Mexican cuisine with modern dining to bring Houston delicious bites for all to enjoy!

Photo by Chelsea Thomas

Victoria Elizondo, a two-time James Beard Award nominee, is the owner and chef of the restaurant that started out as just a small food truck. Her experience helped her curate an undoubtedly top-quality menu for the restaurant, ranging from appetizers to desserts. To start, we enjoyed the flavorful dishes of elote (roasted corn with cheese and morita aioli), totopos (freshly made seasoned chips), and guacamole.

​With the appetizers quickly gone, the main courses came out hot, fresh, and so visually appealing we could hardly resist digging in before the photos. At the suggestion of LEAP Ambassador Michelle, two of us got the signature entrée, the Cochinita Pibil. The dish consisted of pulled pork, a citrus marinade, and pickled onions, with excellent additions of side dishes of rice and beans.

​Professor Yawn indulged in the breakfast chilaquiles. The crispy tortilla chips paired with the spices from the chorizo made for a tasty meal that nearly everyone at the table tasted. Avocado, fresh cheese, cilantro, and other toppings not only decorated the plate but also served as even more flavor enhancers.

​After the relished meal and engaging conversations, everyone credited the great experience at Cochinita & Co set the stage for a productive day of “retreating”!

Phoenicia Specialty Foods

Written by Jacob Wessels

We also visited Phoenicia Specialty Foods in downtown Houston on the second day of our weekend retreat, and that experience also exceeded our expectations.

From the moment we entered the market, it was clear that this store had an enormous selection, making decisions on what to eat very difficult. Filled with international snacks, spices, sauces, cheeses, and deli meats that are clearly a curated selection from around the world, it’s easy to come in for one item and leave with several others, each unique and carefully chosen.

As impressive as the market is, the real highlight for our group was the hot meal bar. Phoenicia makes it easy to grab a full meal, whether you’re looking for something quick or want to sit down and enjoy your food. The options range from shawarmas to plated meals, with enough variety that you’ll likely reconsider what you planned to order.

Many of our members chose different entrees (such as shrimp pasta, salads, hummus, dolmas, and falafel)…

…but the shawarma stole the spotlight–those who chose this dish agreed on the warmth, level of seasoning, and that it was a dish packed with flavor. In fact, we each agreed our choices had unique attributes, from bold spices to satisfying textures, but all had that “made with love” feel.

Throughout the entire meal, it was clear we all genuinely enjoyed the experience. Phoenicia Specialty Foods is more than a lunch stop; it’s a downtown Houston experience. Between the global variety on the shelves and the meal options that truly deliver, it’s the kind of place that feels worth the visit. Several of us plan on returning; if you’re looking for something different, flavorful, and fun to explore, it’s a spot you should add to your list.

A Roman Holiday During a Working Retreat

Written by Robin Houghton

One part of LEAP’s mission is to expand cultural horizons, and this includes exposing students to classic films. Thus it was on the Sunday of our retreat in Houston, we attended a showing of “Roman Holiday” at the historic River Oaks Theatre.

Directed by William Wyler, “Roman Holiday” tells the story of Princess Anne (Audrey Hepburn), who, overwhelmed by the tedium and responsibilities of her title, escapes the embassy for a night in Rome. She stumbles across reporter Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), who, upon learning her identity, realizes he has a chance at a scoop of a lifetime.

Of the seven students attending, five of us had never seen the film, and it was a treat to find it witty, charming, and romantic, with Audrey Hepburn stealing the show.

Her on-screen chemistry with Gregory Peck was palpable, and it was a surprise to learn this was her first starring role!

Roman Holiday both subverted and helped shape the modern romcom genre. It includes the classic “meet-cute,” montages of Anne and Bradley falling for each other, and many comical and romantic touches throughout.

It does not (spoiler alert), however, include the happy ending that some viewers expect (talking to you Michelle Cardenas) from their films. Princess Anne chooses to resume her duties as a princess; Joe foregoes the story he could have sold. Both do their duty and both willingly take on the personal cost of doing so, making the ending even more romantic.

As a side-note, this was one of the first American films to shoot on location overseas. The entire film was shot in Rome, displaying iconic landmarks (including the “mouth of truth,” one of our favorite scenes) and the charm of post-war Italy.

After the film’s release, Rome transformed into a top tourist destination, in part due to the unique filmmaking choice made by William Wyler.

The ending was, in many ways, the perfect end to our retreat–a flavorful and light scoop of gelato, following a weekend of substantive progress and hearty fare. It was the treat of the retreat.

Contracts, Promissory Estoppel, & Chess: Simulated Law Class with Professor Val Ricks

Last week, LEAP students had the opportunity to experience what it’s like to be in a law class led by Professor Val Ricks at South Texas College of Law Houston! From cold calls that made us lean in with anticipation…

…to deep dives into Promissory Estoppel, Professor Ricks left us all with new knowledge and a new way of viewing words.

The mock class started with defining what law is, specifically:

Law: a set of words that, independent of anyone involved in litigation, describes or establishes a standard of conduct which against the actions of those involved in litigation — including the judge — may be measured. 

Why do humans form law? Would law exist if humans didn’t? The simple answer is: Law is just a standard of conduct humans use to govern themselves. Even though we write them down, without us here to interpret those words, they would have no value.

Professor Ricks related law to a game of Chess, each piece on the board is affected by a rule, that, in turn, influences the sequence of the game.

Then it was time for the case: G.D. Holdings, INC. v. H.D.H. Land & Timber, L.P., a civil case revolving the transaction of 300,000 dollars in exchange for nine acres of land IF the land were to be surveyed, cleared, and level. Professor Ricks provided us with the facts of the case and turned it over to us, cold calling on students…

…to give the other aspects of their case briefs.

Learning from each other, we began to apply the rule of Promissory Estoppel, re-defining its three requisites.

As a class we came to understand that Promissory Estoppel is when a promise is made and the person making the promise can reasonably predict that the person agreeing to the promise will rely on that promise in a detrimental way.

In the example case, the promise was the purchase of land by G.D. Holdings from H.D.H. once the land got cleared.

We also learned that even though both parties signed a contract, because one party crossed out a clause in the contract before signing, the law considers that to be two different contracts meaning there wasn’t ever a valid contract.

After we dissected the case and the language used in it, we got to practice our application with a few examples and found that Professor Ricks (to no one’s surprise) did an excellent job at teaching us the concepts so we all properly applied the learned rules to other cases.

We also got the chance to ask Professor Ricks about law school admissions, grading, as well as what to expect in similar law school classes. Of course, we had to get our signature selfie to finish the class, but the learning didn’t stop there as even afterwards, all of us were beaming with a new passion for contract law and hopes for what future knowledge lies ahead.