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!
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.
It was a cold and windy day, but that didn’t stop LEAP students from doing what they do: volunteering, having fun, and learning a little. Over the course of a thirty-hour period, students helped organizers of “Chilly at the Lodge” set up their two-day chili competition, did an afternoon tour of vendors and chili cooks, and also served as chili judges.
Chilly at the Lodge–Set Up
Chilly at the Lodge was founded to provide community fun, while also raising funds for the Josey Scout Lodge, one of a small number of Huntsville structures on the National Historic Register.
The more money the organizers save, the more funds can go to the good cause of maintaining the structure. Thus, LEAP students–Jacob Wessels, Luke Hempfling, Michelle Cardenas, and Brittlyn Jackson–found themselves on the grounds of the Lodge at 6:30am in 28-degree weather.
This early morning stint involved assisting cooks with moving equipment and items from their vehicles to the grounds.
The effort soon warmed us up, and the friendliness of the cooks enhanced the warmth further.
Following a short break to hear competition regulations from Don Cullum (a champion chili cook and one of the organizers of the tournament)…
…we continued our work helping vendors move their equipment to the grounds. In all, there were approximately 80 vendors and chili cooks.
We capped our 2.5-hour volunteer stint with a surprise tour of the grounds, led by Gene Roberts. This tour included a visit to the Caretaker’s Cabin, which not even Professor Yawn had seen! It was a fitting end to a rewarding morning.
Fun at the Chilly Fest
With a bit of a break in the morning, some of us returned with a new crew to enjoy the chili, the food, and the entertainment that is the hallmark of Chilly at the Lodge.
All of us–Victoria McClendon, Stephanie Fors, Mike Yawn, Gavin Dimen, Kayla Fleming, Michelle Cardenas, Isis Hollis, Allie Plunk, Robin Houghton, Marley Hendrix, and Nathan Barron–enjoyed the different vendors, with a special fondness for honey, baked items, and, for a couple of us, leather goods.
We also really enjoyed the music, especially the work of Steve Idlett, who performed a nice mix of music, including a “A Good Day to Die.”
But, of course, what we most enjoyed was the chili…
…(with the exception of Victoria, who, as a judge, could not interact with the cooks, lest she form opinions that might bias her “blind judgment” in the official contest). In all, we had about 80 samples of chili, trying almost all of them: the good (a lot), the bad (very few), and the chili with skittles (thankfully, only one).
When the day was over, we had a nice surprise, a tutorial from Don Cullum on how to cook chili, adding an educational flair to an afternoon of fun.
The Judging
The serious side of the chili contest is judging, and fortunately, you don’t have to be a chili expert to be a chili judge. This is a role LEAP Ambassadors have enjoyed for the past three years, and we continued the tradition this year.
Following a training by the ever-present Don Cullum, we began our judging process.
In all, we judged three categories: two rounds of Traditional Red and one round of Vegetarian. The Vegetarian was the easiest because there were only eight entrants, which means that a judge can get by with about 15 spoonfuls of chili.
The Traditional Red, however, had 18 entrants, which meant that, at a minimum, we were consuming at least one spoonful of a dozen and a half different bowls of chili. But this first foray into the chili tasting is really just to rule out bowls. A second round of tasting is necessary to taste the five or six bowls you think are in the running for first, second, or third place. And then, at least for some judges, a third round of tasting is needed to help suss out the top three in order. So, we had quite a lot of chili!
And this doesn’t even count the palate cleansers that are mandated between each sample–tortilla chips, sour cream, and water.
Of course, this is only part of the fun. While we were judging, we had a chance to run into some of our favorite people: Thomas Leeper, Dr. Gene Roberts, Mandy Dunbar, Judge Tracy Sorensen, Derrick Birdsall, Paul Trevino, and Jennifer Alexander, not to mention event organizer Karla Christian.
It was, in all, a wonderful way to spend a winter weekend in Huntsville, TX.
As part of its annual “Chilly at the Lodge” event, the Josey Scout Lodge Board of Directors hosted a “Chili Master Class,” featuring cooking lessons from Don and Karen Cullum.
The class, attended by five LEAP-affiliated individuals including our newest LEAP Ambassador (Jacob Wessels) and a total of about 45 local residents, was a deep dive into red chili style chili making.
… introduced Don and Karen Cullum–both champions on the chili circuit–and the instructors for today’s crash lesson.
While even amateur cooks might be able to manage a solid pot of chili, championship-level preparation requires attention to nuances.
Have you considered that the wind may affect the heat of your flame and, accordingly, considered buying a wind guard? At your last cookout, did you think of the humidity level when considering how much water to add?
These are some of the nuances described by Don Cullum as he went through the chili-making process.
We also learned, of course, of ingredients, the preparation, and he even offered the recipe he used (or a close approximation to it) when winning the ICS National Championship.
Upon completing the class, we all had a chance to sample Don’s small-batch chili.
And, pleasingly, while he was preparing his small-batch chili (which is what is used to compete because the cook has much more control over the variables), his wife, Karen, was preparing a large batch–large enough for the audience!
Thus, we ended our Saturday morning with a lunch-time meal of chili, courtesy of the Chilly at the Lodge event. You can join the fun on Saturday, January 31 from 11am-3pm, when chili-cooks, vendors, and musicians will come out for a day of food, wares, and entertainment. Visitors can tour the Josey Scout Lodge, stop by booths for all sorts of goods, and with the purchase of a $5 sampler kit, get six spoons to try different versions of Texas-made chili!
With finals and papers (mostly) complete, LEAP students signed up for an adventure, an exploration of Houston. This exploration involved one of the City’s parks, a culinary adventure, and a foray into the world of architecture, all in the spirit of fun, education, and engagement.
While Houston’s larger parks receive a lot of attention, Smither Park is a gem. Designed by former SHSU professor Dan Phillips, Smither Park reflects the designer’s beliefs in organic processes. “Through the use of color and composition,” Phillips once told a LEAP group on a tour, “you employ repetition to create a pattern, and soon you’ve created art.”
The art was on display throughout the Park, and the students enjoyed the process of finding art in each station, pathway, and niche.
Each student had their own favorite, but simply seeing the creativity of the designs (did you know a spatula could be a dragonfly wing?) was part of the wonder of the experience.
Indeed, it was the majority of the student’s favorite event of the day.
Houston is gaining a reputation for its food scene, and one of the places receiving more than its share of notices is Cochinita & Co., whose chef, Victoria Elizondo, has twice been named a James Beard semi-finalist. The attentive staff–we were recognized upon entering (“Is this SHSU’s group of Pre-Law students?”)–helped us with menu selections. Mikaela went with vegan tacos; Professor Yawn went with the Cochinita Pibil tacos; Moya went with chicken tacos; Sofia went with the excellent Posole; and Katie, needing a pick-me-up, had a Latte with her lunch. We all tried the elote and guacamole, and Mikaela got some pastries to go (allegedly to “share” with her family).
Fortified by food, we ventured into the world of architecture, stopping by The University of St. Thomas, where we visited Philip Johnson’s Academic Mall and Chapel of St. Basil. Johnson’s most notable Houston works are the ones that dot the skyline, but few are as beautiful or as textured as his Chapel. Composed of a Cube, several planes, and a sphere and adorned with rectangles, a triangle, and crosses, the structure is a visual and spiritual delight.
While we each explored the various aspects of the space, we tried to capture some of its magic through photography. Our efforts, however, didn’t quite capture the essence of the structure in the same way we did on our 2024 visit.
Part of the spirit of LEAP is to mix in new explorations while revisiting the seemingly familiar, only to find that return visits allow us to see with new eyes, a reflection of continued growth, an ongoing sense of wonder, and the promise of new possibilities.
In a week full of reminiscing, celebrating, and reconnecting, the highlight event that truly brings Bearkats home to Huntsville is the Distinguished Alumni Gala.
While our group of LEAP students aren’t quite alumni yet, a few of us are in the final stretch of our undergraduate journeys, making the evening timely and motivating.
We were honored to be guests of Mac and Leanne Woodward (with tickets provided by the Woodwards and the McCarleys)…
…joining them at their table along with Charlie Vienne, Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations and Annual Giving. At another table, Professor Yawn and Stephanie…
…hosted several LEAP students who had the chance to visit with Ken and Nicole Holland.
As the evening began, our groups settled in among warm greetings and lively conversations that filled the room…
…a room filled with many familiar faces from SHSU and the Huntsville community, such as President Alisa White, General Glaser, Dean Lyons, and Dean Li.
After opening remarks by Matt Bethea, Vice President for University Advancement…
…the program began under the direction of our Master of Ceremonies, Mia Gradney, an SHSU alumna and news anchor for KHOU 11.
She guided the evening with professionalism, beginning with the posting of the colors by SHSU’s ROTC and a fantastic performance of the national anthem by a member of the SHSU choir.
Throughout the evening, six remarkable Bearkats were recognized for their achievements, each introduced through short video tributes that highlighted their journeys, impact, and connection to SHSU.
Clyde “Kooter” Roberson, the unmistakable voice of Bearkat Athletics for nearly five decades, kicked off the awards. His long career behind the microphone–calling games for both SHSU and Huntsville High School, and working for KSAM radio–made him a fixture in the community and an enduring symbol of local pride. Fittingly, they displayed a photo of his work for KSAM’s annual food drive, known to Huntsvillians as M*A*S*H (Make A Smile Happen). Upon his retirement in 2019, he has since realized the joy of being able to watch several games at once from the comfort of his own home!
Jenna Zibton was honored for her excellence in journalism and public communication. From her time as a morning anchor at WSLS in Virginia to her leadership in community initiatives like 30 Days of Hope and Solutionaries–which help orphans find homes–and even fostering children in her own home, Zibton’s career has lived up to her alma mater’s motto: “The measure of a life is its service.”
Eddie Blazek, a rancher, businessman, and devoted supporter of SHSU’s agriculture programs, was recognized for his commitment to education and mentorship. His work connecting students with hands-on experiences at Mound Creek Ranch reflects the spirit of giving back that defines so many Bearkats. Additionally, with SHSU’s rodeo program happening over the same weekend, the timing felt especially fitting.
Although Councilmember Tiffany D. Thomas was unable to attend due to a speaking engagement in Washington, D.C., her nephew (currently an SHSU student), accepted the award on her behalf. As the first woman to represent Houston’s District F, Thomas has advocated for housing affordability, equity, and disaster recovery funding. With plans to meet with her the following day (stay tuned for the blog!), LEAP students couldn’t help but feel excited and inspired by her work.
Senator Borris L. Miles was celebrated for his decades of advocacy and leadership. From his early career in law enforcement to his work as a state legislator, Senator Miles has dedicated his life to improving education, healthcare, and public safety for Texans. When he gave his speech, he looked to his children and said, “This is where it all began for your dad.” The entire room felt the weight of that statement.
Finally, Russell Molina, a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist, was recognized for his business achievements and community leadership. From revitalizing a business known as The Hat Store, to leading several companies and chairing the Sam Houston University Foundation, Molina exemplifies the values of hard work, innovation, and service that SHSU seeks to instill in its graduates.
After the awards were all dispersed, the evening ended on a musical note. The crowd sang our school song in unison, followed by the lively and well choreographed SHSU Marching Band.
The Distinguished Alumni Gala reflected what makes Sam Houston State special: a community built on service, resilience, and purpose. What stood out most by the end of the night was the connection between the honorees and the students in the room. Each story carried the same mix of persistence and pride that runs through SHSU’s history. The evening served as a reminder that the values shaping our time here are the same ones that carry forward long after graduation.
With limited resources, LEAP layers its activities, making the most of each opportunity. Accordingly, when a learning activity took students to Houston, LEAP students sought out new experiences.
On the way to Houston, we stopped at SHSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine in Conroe, where we introduced some of our newer students to alum James Surls. Not in person–but through his art. His work, “Pitcher with Flowers,” was designed in 2014, and it was installed at the College of Osteopathic Medicine in early 2020.
The vase with flowers, according to Surls, represents giving “life to new growth,” and, accordingly, was “perfect for the site.” It was also, we thought, a perfect introduction of Surls’ work to students who might not have gone out of their way to explore art.
We took the same approach to food. We stopped at J.Alexander’s, which serves a wide and rich variety of food. We tried a lot of it! We began with smoked salmon, avocado bombs, and artichokes.
It was Ashton’s first time to try salmon, and for several of the students, it was the first time to try artichokes.
The entrees ranged from the basic (burgers and salad)…
to the moderately interesting–salmon, crab cakes, and pork tenderloin.
In typical LEAP fashion, we sampled from each other’s plates, and this led to Ashton discovering a third dish she had never tried before: crab cakes. It was also her favorite!
Perhaps the favorite course was the dessert, which featured carrot cake (favorites of Michelle and Mike), chocolate cake (Ashton’s favorite), peanut butter pie, and Key Lime pie.
It was a wonderful outing, complemented by the opportunity to try new foods, discuss our experiences at Sam Houston State University, and get to know one another better.
LEAP students added another country to its World Affairs Council culinary passport: Italy. While Italy is most known for pizzas, pastas and their ketchup-despising attitude, it is also known as the wine capital of the world. We learned more about wine and its profound impact on people’s lives.
In true European fashion, there was plenty of snacking to be had, rather than a full-course meal. A variety of cheeses and meats ensued, and we spent time conversing in the beautiful Italian Cultural and Community Center.
The speaker for the evening, Ferdinando Favara, has grown up appreciating this aspect of Italian culture his whole life. His family, who has longstanding roots in the wine industry, have a vineyard in Sicily–which we came to learn is on the up-and-up in terms of regional “quality”. Favara helped his grandmother in the wine fields starting at just 14 years old.
Ferdinando spoke about how wine helps to bring people together. His “philosophy”, so to speak, is that wine creates stories, keeps stories alive, and connects people in a vital way. While LEAP students didn’t personally indulge in any wine tasting, it was fun to partake in the storytelling and learn about the many intricacies that come with a high-quality experience. Much like the efforts of the LEAP Center!
He also talked about the deep history of wine which started 3,000 years ago in Sicily. Sicily, which is the largest island in the Mediterranean, uses a terrace-type farming technique. It uses this form of farming because it has the largest active volcano in Europe! Our discussion then traveled to Piemonte, once the land of the King of Italy. While on the verbal excursion, we learned the king entrusted his vineyard to one of his servants (who was rumored to be one of his lovers!), a legacy that lives on today. This region is home to one of the oldest vineyards in all of Italy.
LEAP students truly appreciated attending another World Affairs Council program which has helped broaden our understanding of the world around us. While we didn’t engage in the wine component of the evening, we definitely appreciated Italy’s culture, history and significance in the wine industry.
The LEAP Center is known for its interdisciplinary adventures, and today was no different, as we visited another state capitol, the estate of literary lion, and a Guatemalan restaurant–in Hartford, CT, no less!
Connecticut State House
Nestled in the 41-acre Bushnell Memorial Park in Hartford, the Connecticut State Capitol first welcomed the General Assembly in January 1879 after eight years of planning and construction. A commission formed in 1871 selected architect Richard M. Upjohn, whose father also worked on the Boston Commons, providing us with generational and geographical continuity, even as we visit different sites built in different locations.
James G. Batterson supervised construction, and he significantly altered Upjohn’s design. Using marble and granite from New England, he built a beautiful sculpture that prompted the New York Times to note, that in the sun, the building “sparkled like a fairy palace of frost work.”
It didn’t sparkle on the day we visited; it rained, which also discouraged us from getting a shot of the exterior, but the LEAP Ambassadors of 2018 took a photo on a similar trip.
The building features a gold-leaf dome, and the structure is sometimes referred to as “high Victorian” and sometimes as “Eastlake,” a confusion caused, in part, by the competing visions of the architect and construction supervisor.
Both the exterior and interior feature emblems of the state’s past. One of the more interesting of these is the Charter Oak. Connecticut had a royal charter that largely gave it control over its own governance, but this was threatened in the late 1600s, when King James II tried to revoke the Charter and exert more control. When the King’s men tried to take the Charter, the colonists–Captain Joseph Wadsworth, in particular–took the document and hid it in a white oak tree, which is, not surprisingly, the state tree.
That tree became known as the Charter Oak, and although a storm toppled the tree in 1856, the wood was used to create other items, some of which can be found in the capitol. Its image is also featured on the state’s quarter and on a stamp.
Of course, the Capitol also houses both legislative chambers—the State Senate Chamber and the Hall of the House of Representatives—as well as offices for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Secretary of the State.
It also houses “The Genius of Connecticut,” a 17 foot, 10 inch statue created by Randolph Rogers. The winged figure holds immortalis in her right hand; a mountain laurel (the state flower) in her right; and her head is wreathed in leaves from the white oak.
Formerly, “The Genius of Connecticut” was perched atop the capitol, but she was removed following a hurricane. The statue was melted to make ammunition during World War II. Fortunately, however, the original plaster model was found, and in 2009, a replica of the original was returned to the capitol, albeit in the rotunda rather than in the cupola/dome.
Aurora’s Restaurant
Texans believe that eating Latino cuisine outside of a border state is questionable at best and potentially dangerous. But we are not faint of heart, and we know that immigrants who know food are not limited in where they settle, so we happily braved the rain to visit Aurora’s Restaurant, which serves Guatemalan food, in Hartford, Connecticut.
The staff were welcoming and courteous. They spoke Spanish when not speaking to us, adding to what would prove to be a rewarding an authentic culinary experience.
We sampled a variety of dishes, including the Burrito Bowl, Tortillas con Chorizo, an Aurora Bowl, and plantains–the latter drizzled with crema and topped with queso fresca. All of the dishes were excellent, but the plantains were among the best we had ever had.
We left with full stomachs, and also ever more aware that, to paraphrase Mark Twain, travel is fatal to preconceptions.
Mark Twain House
by Olivia Discon
Samuel Clemens—better known as Mark Twain—was one of America’s most influential authors and storytellers. His works such The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Life on the Mississippi are classics. But while his writing is widely known, fewer people know about the man himself, the life he led, or his stunning Victorian home in Hartford, Connecticut.
We weren’t allowed to take photos inside, but our tour guide, Josh, brought the house to life with vivid stories. The home has had many lives—at one point an apartment building, later a school, and even a library—before being restored as a museum. Over time, renovations stripped away original touches, including designs by Louis Comfort Tiffany (which, to my dismay, were once considered unfashionable). Thankfully, the museum has worked to restore the home as closely as possible to how it looked when the Clemens family lived there, guided in part by the memories of their daughter, Clara.
The library was the most charming room. Its mantelpiece, a hand-carved work from Ireland, is extravagant. Whimsical portraits—a cat, a rabbit, and a woman in blue affectionately named Eveline by the Clemens daughters–hung on the walls. Each night, Twain would spin bedtime stories using these characters. If he ever repeated a storyline, his daughters would call him out, forcing him to start fresh. According to Josh, Twain may have done this intentionally just to test whether they were paying attention. The library also included a small conservatory filled with greenery, along with a decorative frog—a playful nod to Twain’s famous short story, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.
We also visited Twain’s office, which doubled as his billiard room. It was here that he wrote, smoked cigars, played pool, and paced while working through drafts. A shelf of cubbies held his unfinished manuscripts—something I secretly envied.
The house also carries the weight of the family’s tragedies. Their daughter Susy died of meningitis in the home at just 24 years old. And, owing to financial difficulties, the family eventually had to sell the home, much to Twain’s chagrin.
Even with its history of sorrow, Twain often described the Hartford house as the setting for some of the happiest years of his life. It was, he noted, “the loveliest home that ever was.” Walking through its cozy, richly detailed rooms, we found ourselves understanding that sentiment.
Photo Ops
Following our day in Hartford, we headed north, toward Stockbridge, MA, preparing ourselves for another full day tomorrow. But along the way, we stopped to see Herman Melville’s home, “Arrowhead”…
Herman Mellville’s “Arrowhead,” (Photo by Daderot)
…and “The Mount,” the home of Edith Wharton.
Edit Wharton’s “The Mount” (Photo by David Dashiell)
Concluding Thoughts
It’s difficult to organize disparate adventures into a memorable and cohesive learning experience. But through some preparation, a desire for new experiences, and an open mind, we managed to see quite a lot and assimilate almost as much. A beautiful state capitol designed by Richard M. Upjohn, a great Guatemalan restaurant in the heart of Hartford, and the “loveliest home that ever was” by the quintessential American author–all in the day of LEAP Ambassador.
Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics 
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