Escape

The Texas Caribbean: Sleek new island hideaway is full of Houston connections — and NASA architect power

The tony gathering in the private room at Americas River Oaks was all ears as architect Gui Trotti, a former University of Houston architecture professor, made his presentation on Las Verandas Hotel & Villas, a new resort on the tiny island of Roatán, off the Caribbean coast of Honduras.

Temptations to hop the next plane to Honduras ran high as slides of a white sandy beach, azure waters and palm trees blowing in a warm breeze beckoned on this particularly cold night. The spectacular Caribbean design and furnishings pictured were enough to convince anyone with beach fever to sign up. With non-stop flights between Houston and Honduras, flying time is less than three hours.

Trotti's early career in Houston included working with NASA on lunar bases, Mars vehicles and the Space Station.

Through his architecture firm based in Cambridge, Mass., Trotti designed the luxury project that stretches across 400 acres and includes an 18-hole golf course. Trotti and Bill Sharman, chairman and CEO of the Houston-based Lancaster Group, headed up the gathering aimed at encouraging investment in one of the private villas and/or reservations in one of Las Verandas' hotel rooms. The project is being developed by Houston-based Pan Caribbean Capital Partners.

Sale of the two- and three-bedroom villas is being handled by Sudhoff Properties and Jacob Sudhoff was among the small group that was wined and dined in style.

Trotti's early career in Houston included working with NASA on lunar bases, Mars vehicles and the Space Station. He designed the Challenger Learning Center for the Houston Museum of Natural Science. He later spent two years traveling the world on a sailboat, studying various regions and environments. The wisdom gained from that experience, he told the gathering, was instrumental in his design of Las Verandas.

The half-moon private beach leading to clear Caribbean waters is one of the top selling points of Las Verandas.

Photo by © Al Arqueta

The half-moon private beach leading to clear Caribbean waters is one of the top selling points of Las Verandas.

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peg-approved

Beloved Houston urban farm toasts local culinary legend with new cooking courses and classroom

Gracie Cavnar Peg Lee Culinary Classroom Hope Farms

Photo by Michelle Watson

Gracie Cavnar in the Hope Farms Peg Lee Culinary Classroom

For longtime Houston food insiders, Peg Lee needs no introduction. A lifelong local culinary instructor, she has been a fixture in the food scene since the 1970s, where she (often humorously) led cooking classes at Houston Community College.

She was a no-brainer to found and direct Rice Epicurean's cooking school. And the newly launched Central Market made waves in 2001 by enticing her to launch its now wildly successful cooking school, which, thanks to Lee, has lured top national and international chefs and food names.

Along the way, Lee mentored now well-known chefs such as Robert Del Grande, Greg Martin, and Mark Cox.

Quite apropos, the Houston legend is now the namesake for a new cooking school in one of the city's most beloved urban green sanctuaries, Hope Farms. The Peg Lee Culinary Classroom in Hope Farms' Gathering Barn now hosts field trips, classes, tastings, and free cooking demonstrations for children and adults.

Locals can also book the charming space, spearheaded by Recipe for Success/Hope Farms founder Gracie Cavnar, for cooking parties and cooking classes for anywhere from four to 24 students. Those interested can find more information on classes, which center on Cavnar's passion for healthy eating, and more here.

As for the classroom, visitors can expect a white, farmhouse-style kitchen with custom cabinets and high-end appliances, all reflective of a home kitchen. Butcherblock countertops, matte black accents, and farm-made tables and more adorn the space, while a Wolf Induction cooktop, A GE Café Smart Five-in-One Wall Oven, and other state-of-the-art appliances get folks cooking.

Fittingly, classroom water is tied into the farm's new rainwater capture system for the ultimate in sustainability.

“Peg was one of my earliest mentors in the imagining and crafting of what Recipe for Success Foundation would become,” Cavnar noted in a statement. “Then, when we began programing, she rolled up her sleeves and got to work, helping us teach children to cook and bringing her many resources to help us raise money and awareness for our efforts. It is my deepest honor to pay her tribute with the naming of our classroom.”