< Previous10 COASTMONTHLY.COM / February 2016From the EditorMy introduction to coffee houses was in the summer of 1985, in a little establishment on France’s southern coast. This was before the proliferation of Star-bucks and independent shops in Texas. And, until then, my experience with coffee was limited to Folgers and Coffee-mate.I was a little homesick and it showed. I remember an unabashed, young barista who tried to cure my obvious melancholy by waltzing with a broom. Without asking, he served me a café au lait, sweetened with two sugar cubes. I’ve been chasing the taste of that coffee, served hot and golden brown, ever since. But these days, good coffee is easy to find. What I’ve really been trying to do all these years was to import the curative and communal comfort of that French coffee shop. I’ve had success. Not a week goes by that I don’t walk into Mod Coffeehouse in the island’s downtown, where I’m sure to see a familiar face, meet a friend and be greeted by a barista who’ll make me smile.We dedicate this issue to the people, plac-es and foods that keep us warm.In keeping with our “Some Like it Hot” theme, we’ve included listings of coffee shops and features on tea and rounded up some of the best places to find a steaming bowl of gumbo or chili. Of course, such lists can never be complete. If we’ve snubbed one of your favorites, tell us about it at feedback@coastmonthly.com.And may your days be filled with warmth and dancing baristas.LAURA ELDERCoast Monthly editorWarmth and dancing baristasCoast Monthly would like to extend warm gratitude to the baristas and bakers at Mod Coffeehouse, 2126 Post-office St. in downtown Galveston. The shop has been a popular gathering spot for years and was perfect for our cover shoot. We’d like to thank owner Holly Hopkins and Mod patrons for allowing us use of the shop. also de-serving of special thanks is Rachel Delanoix, a booking and events coordinator for Mod who made the photo shoot go so smoothly. She’s also a “bakerista” — a baker and barista in one.Helping to create the beautiful latte art on the cover and in-side pages were baristas Hanna Gonzales, who has been with Mod for four-and-a-half years and Cory Clark, who has been with Mod for four years.While all Mod baristas make beautiful latte art, Gonzales and Clark have participated in extensive training and professional development in the craft of coffee. you can read more about them in this issue.a big thanks to Natalie Villarreal, a bakerista who provided scrump-tious and stylish nautical-themed cookies for our shoot. and we can’t forget barista Michael Coffey, who held down the bar while others pitched in to make the cover shoot a success.BIG THANKS TO THE MOD SQUADCONSISTENTLY RANKED AMONG THE TOP TWO PRODUCERS ON GALVESTON ISLAND FOR DOLLAR VOLUME & NUMBER OF CLOSED TRANSACTIONS• Honored 5 times by the Houston Business Journal for Closed Transactions• Honored by H Texas Magazine• Honored by Heritage Texas Properties as 2013 & 2014 Top Producer• Nationally recognized as Real Trends 2014 Top 250 Real Estate Professional for Closed TransactionsSUE JOHNSON, brokerSUE JOHNSON | Broker Associate | 409.682.9050 | sue@heritagetexas.com | heritagetexas.comwww.suejohnsongalveston.com®409.682.9050PIRATES BEACH 13923 PIRATES BEACH BLVD. | $289,000PIRATES BEACH WEST4202 RUM BAY | $1,500,000SEA ISLE4210 LIBERTY | $279,000PIRATES BEACH 13822 PIRATES BEACH BLVD. | $339,900PIRATES BEACH4106 FIDDLER CRAB | $474,900PIRATES BEACH 4102 MAISON ROUGE | $649,000BEACHSIDE VILLAGE11610 BEACHSIDE | $1,095,000NOTTINGHAM CAMPSITE4009 11-MILE RD. | $559,000PIRATES BEACH 4210 CAMPECHE | $525,000INDIAN BEACH18710 W. DE VACA | $699,000PIRATES BEACH4115 PELICAN | $469,000LAFITTES COVE13658 STEWART RD. | $539,00012 COASTMONTHLY.COM / February 2016ShorelinesWe asked on Facebook: What’s your favorite meal, beverage or way to keep warm on a cold winter’s day on the Texas Coast?eating deer chili and drinking a Shiner beer with the fireplace going.– D.J. Alvareza giant pot of my late husband’s chili (the best I’ve ever had, sorry Chili belles) with Fritos and shredded cheese.– Lisa Wilson VelasquezSitting close to a bonfire on the beach at Port bolivar, drinking beer and eating tuna we just grilled. and grouper.– Connie DeRome-Drydenroll the convertible top down and cruise with the heat blowing.– Sheryl Denton JohnsonStart a pot of chicken broth, add vegetables and rice or orzo, let it simmer all day, filling the house with good smells — have an early supper of soup and a nice crusty bread.– Elisabeth PelhamDrink a cup of hot buttered rum (made with blue bell) and watch a movie under a soft blanket on the couch.– Brenda Bumpas Johnstonea walk on the beach toward the sun warms me up. My favorite is West beach by Isla Del Sol.– Melissa LockhartWe enjoy a big, roaring fire in the fire pit behind the barn, complete with Jimmy buffett music and tropical drinks.– Jim Guidrya yummy, hot bowl of three-bean chili from Oasis.– Veronica HuggerI love to eat raw oysters and drink bloody marys at Nick’s. also, gumbo at The Gumbo Diner.– Ginny McDonaldraw oysters with plenty of horseradish and a cold beer always warms me up.– Nelda Engstromblankets and english tea on the beach watching the water.– Susana FinkelPulling on my hoodie and gloves and going for a walk on the beach.– Belinda Reyes SandovalDrinking coffee outside.– Robert Taylora cozy fireplace, a big fluffy blanket, a great movie and someone special.– Cynthia WanderHere’s what people are saying at coastmonthly.com:“Thrill of the chase”: Catching sharks, burping fish all in a day’s work on a charter boat (January 2016)Fishing is my favorite thing to do. I had no idea about burping and massaging a fish back to health. Thanks for the tips. I can’t wait for the next fishing trip.— Diego PerezFor a song: Old Quarter in isle’s downtown is among Texas’ favorite listening rooms (September 2015)On a road trip from austin to New Orleans, I stopped at this iconic venue. I was glad I did, as I will always remember my visit. There were only a handful of people in the bar but each person performed their own original (and great) songs. at first I just listened. Then I went out to the car and got my button box accordion. When I came back in with the accordion, I was immedi-ately invited up to the stage to accompany the current performer. I became fast friends with everyone there and suddenly my money was “no good” there anymore. I stayed for quite a while until it was time to go. There is a little more to the story but I will leave it at that for now. I really felt the history of the venue and all the legendary performers who had played there. What a great time I had there that I will never forget.— Dave DugganPhoto by Jennifer Reynolds1 IN 3 WOMEN DIE FROM HEART DISEASE. EARLY DETECTION CAN PREVENT IT.18300 St. John DriveNassau Bay TX 77058houstonmethodist.org/stjohnThe signs and symptoms of coronary heart disease in women are not easily recognizable. At Houston Methodist St. John Hospital, our expert cardiologists offer the most advanced technologies and specialized treatments to help women avoid the disease. By assessing the individual risks of every patient and helping establish a plan to maintain greater heart health, we’re preventing heart disease in women before it can even begin.To learn if you’re at risk, visit connect.houstonmethodist.org/heartquiz and take a heart disease risk assessment, or call 281.333.8899 for a physician referral.Houston Methodist St. John Hospital provides exceptional care in an accredited Chest Pain Center, 24/7, by board-certified interventional cardiologists. In a cardiac emergency, there’s only one place you need to be — Houston Methodist St. John Hospital.14 COASTMONTHLY.COM / February 2016Story by Leslie WattsWhen the late George P. Mitchell decided to throw a party — the biggest and best party his hometown of Galveston had ever seen — he meant business.Known as Mardi Gras, that same party 31 years later not only is still going strong, but is the third-largest such celebration in the nation. And the business it has gener-ated — not to mention hometown pride and prestige — has grown by leaps and bounds.For many who participate, it’s a 12-day stretch of par-ties, parades and revelry. But the Texas coast’s major com-mercial interests also hail it as a major financial engine. Amid the screaming of “Throw me something, mister!” — the traditional parade-side plea for a shower of colorful beads or other trinkets — there’s a serious side.“It’s a party, for sure — a big party — but it also gen-erates good will, civic pride and international prestige, not to mention providing an opportunity for major eco-nomic growth,” said Galveston native Dancie Ware, who was Mitchell’s public relations consultant. Ware has been on board with Galveston’s modern Mardi Gras since before its 1985 re-introduction.“Mr. Mitchell loved to have fun, but he also recognized back in the early 1980s that this was a way to give the island’s struggling downtown area the boost it needed to become once again a vital part of Texas culture and commerce.”Mardi Gras wasn’t new to Galveston. As a young boy, Mitchell had enjoyed Galveston’s earlier celebrations, be-fore World War II intervened and put more serious mat-Wars, storms and financial troubles couldn’t keep a party town downMARDI GRASTHROUGH THE YEARS COASTMONTHLY.COM / February 2016 15Businessman and philanthropist George P. Mitchell spearheaded the revival of Mardi Gras on Galves-ton Island in the 1980s with the help of Dancie Ware, a public relations consultant for Mitchell.(Above) Mardi Gras, 1986Photo courtesy of Rosenberg Library(Left) The famed Italian Flagmen of Sansepolcro, Italy, perform during Mardi Gras 1988. (Far left) Revelers fill The Strand for the Knights of Momus Grand Night Parade.Photo courtesy of Dancie Ware16 COASTMONTHLY.COMters before the nation. Mitchell, who went on to become a highly successful oilman and developer, remembered attending parades with his brothers and how much fun he had as just another kid on the street, never dreaming that one day, he would be the one spearheading the event, Ware said.Whether to revitalize Galveston’s Mardi Gras was a big decision for Mitchell. But as a former wildcatter, he was accustomed to taking chances and rolling the dice. Not only was Mitchell resourceful, but he knew the town, knew the people and knew that if anyone could pull it off and get all the pieces in place, it would be Ware.Careful research revealed just how integral Mardi Gras had been to Galveston in its ear-ly days. There’s some evidence that a cele-bration of “Fat Tuesday” had been organized by Galveston founder Michel Menard in the 1840s, and a documented celebration took place in 1867. That event included a dramat-ic presentation from Shakespeare’s “Henry IV” and an opulent masked ball in Turner Hall at the corner of Sealy and 21st streets.In 1871, two competing krewes were at the forefront of the celebrations, and both the Knights of Momus and the Knights of Myth were hosts of parades and balls. By 1872, the competition was such that one regional newspaper exclaimed that year’s upcoming Mardi Gras “promised to eclipse anything ever attempted on Texas soil.” Texas Gov. Edmund J. Davis made his way to the event in 1873. But by 1880, mounting financial pressures had forced the discontin-uation of street parades.In 1900, a death knell to all celebrations on the island was delivered by The Great Storm, a hurricane that killed between 6,000 to 12,000 people. But by 1910, the city and the Port of Galveston had recovered suffi-ciently to once again host Fat Tuesday festiv-ities. The Mystic Merry Makers gave its first dance in 1914, and in 1918 introduced His Majesty King Frivolous along with his queen and court. By this time, however, World War I was occupying the global picture, and all celebrations soon were scaled down. Next came a period of financial troubles that forced Mardi Gras proponents to rely on civ-ic groups to keep the party going. With the outbreak of World War II, Galveston Island began operating under “blackout” conditions because of concern over possible enemy at-tack, and Mardi Gras was abandoned, except in private gatherings.It’s hard to keep a party town down, however, and by the late 1940s — with the restoration of world peace — a group of Galveston residents once again turned their Photos courtesy of Rosenberg Library(Above) Grand Duchess of Texas Carolyn Laura Bryan, 1930s. (Right) Katherine Campbell at the Buccaneer Hotel, 1935.Mardi Gras COASTMONTHLY.COM / February 2016 17thoughts to Mardi Gras.In addition to private celebrations, the exclusive Galveston Artillery Club began or-ganizing balls, and a Treasure Ball for young people was established as a benefit project for local Catholic schools.The 1980s brought with them a renewed awareness of Galveston’s historic impor-tance. Concerned about the deteriorating state of the rare 19th-century architecture in his hometown, Mitchell — by this time among the richest entrepreneurs in Texas — launched an all-out effort to pull The Strand downtown area back from the brink of ruin. Building by building, he and his wife, Cynthia, began a rescue effort fueled by love and a lot of their own personal cash. Little by little, historic structures were renovated, with the most impressive project being the transformation of the 1879 Leon & H. Blum Building into an upscale, luxury hotel.It was determined the opening of the new hotel — bearing the name of The Tremont House — would provide a perfect oppor-tunity for a citywide Mardi Gras celebra-tion, also spearheaded by the Mitchells. Twenty-five committees were organized to produce that first year’s event, including a grand, mile-long night parade.Ware sought out experts from New Orle-ans and persuaded them to contribute their expertise to the Galveston event, and the 1871 Knights of Momus krewe was revived by a new generation of local city leaders.Finally, when the floats began to roll for the first time in four decades on Feb. 16, 1985, the city sprang to life as if it had been electrified. “The Age of Mythology” was the theme that year, and for many, it seemed as if a myth — the myth of Galveston Mardi Gras — had come to life with a force never before seen on its historic streets. By the time it all was over, some 75,000 revelers had come to the party, filling the streets, cheering, screaming, laughing and even crying with joy.The success of the event was staggering, and almost immediately, planning began for an even bigger and better celebration the fol-lowing year. To add more interest, legendary musician Pete Fountain was named parade marshal and a series of seven celebratory “Fantasy Arches” were constructed at key points in the downtown area. The arches proved so intriguing, they were featured in Photos courtesy of Rosenberg Library(Top) Mary Lee Campbell, 1949. (Above) Ann Furman, 1953. (Right) Mardi Gras Ball, 1922.18 COASTMONTHLY.COM / February 2016Mardi GrasThe New York Times, and one remains today in front of The Tremont House.As the parades — and subsequent years — rolled by, Galveston’s Mardi Gras became an apparent keeper. Each year, a new theme was in the spotlight, and revelers were treat-ed to the sights and sounds of the Caribbean in 1987, Venice in 1988, France in 1989 and Brazil in 1990.The success of the event was such that it seemed even Mother Nature had difficulty dimming the widespread enthusiasm that had grown up around the island’s Mardi Gras. Despite an ice storm that closed bridg-es and overpasses leading to the island in 1989 and another major hurricane in 2008, crowds have grown to several hundred thou-sand attendees in recent years. Additional krewes have been formed, many with fam-ily-friendly formats, such as the Mardi Gras Children’s Parade and the Krewe of Barkus & Meoux Parade featuring pets.Before the 12 days of festivities end, and the curtain is brought down on Galveston’s Mardi Gras for 2016, more than 3 million colorful beads will have been thrown and the island will have been host to more than 30 concerts, 22 parades and numerous view-ing parties. Mardi Gras this year began Jan. 29 and is through Feb. 9. Photo courtesy of Dancie WareThe late Cynthia and George P. Mitchell with Dancie Ware.The Krewe of Babalu float rolls under the Mardi Gras arch at Mechanic and 24th streets in 2006. Built by architect Boone Powell, the arch is one of seven that were commissioned in 1985 by George and Cynthia Mitchell for the 1986 Mardi Gras celebration.Daily News file photoSynergyNext >