LITERATURE + LECTURES

Houston Tomorrow, Air Alliance Houston, and Citizens' Transportation Coalition present My Houston 2040, a Happy Hour meeting of the minds. One Thursday per month at Rudyard's Upstairs, 2010 Waugh Drive.  Free and open to the public. Food and drinks available at bar.

Houston Tomorrow, Air Alliance Houston, & Citizens' Transportation Coalition agree that Houstonians can build a better Houston today by thinking about the Houston we may inherit in 2040 and the Houston we want in 2040. Each happy hour will include time for networking and socializing, a topical speaker who will give an informational presentation on Houston urbanism, transportation planning, culture, environment, and more, and a visionary speaker who will give their “My Houston 2040” talk: what they think Houston will be like in 2040, what they want it to be like in 2040, and / or what they want us to do to make it like they want it to be in 2040.

This Month: Bobby Heugel (OKRA) and David Crossley

Speakers:

BOBBY HEUGEL (OKRA)
Since opening Anvil Bar & Refuge in his hometown of Houston, Texas in 2009, Bobby Heugel has continued to make an impression on the restaurant and bar scene nationwide. Over two and a half years since opening, Anvil has received countless national accolades -- Bon Appétit named Anvil one of the “Top Ten New Cocktail Bars” in its August 2010 issue, GQ magazine included Anvil as one of “The 25 Best Cocktail Bars in America” in October 2010 and Anvil was just recently listed in Food & Wine’s “50 Best Bars in America” in December 2011. Yet, it is Bobby’s work beyond Anvil in 2011 that has shown Anvil is only the tip of the iceberg.

In November of 2011, a group of Houston restaurant and bar owners teamed together to fight for independent businesses against misguided and looming municipal policies on parking issues and urban density. Amid that struggle, a glaring need was exposed within the Houston restaurant and bar industry: an active organization that campaigned for independent restaurants, bars, cafes, food trucks, purveyors and producers. OKRA, an Organized Kollaberative on Restaurant Affairs, is the product of a union of individuals who found that as group, not only could they have a positive impact on their industry, but rally the support of the Houston community. Bobby was quickly elected President of OKRA, which has already become an active political organization in Houston and will continue to represent the independent restaurants on political and social issues.

Beyond its political agenda, the organization also plans to host quarterly food festivals that will benefit rotating charities, teach classes on food, wine, and spirits monthly, and host other events. Most exciting, however, is Bobby’s dream of opening a non-profit bar that will finally become reality under the operation of OKRA. The group hopes to refurbish an existing bar to minimize costs and generate as many funds as possible for charity. While the search has just started, OKRA isn’t looking to reinvent the wheel; instead, the organization is attempting to open a simple, neighborhood bar that allows Houstonians to support their community by buying a drink. Bobby and his OKRA colleagues plan to open this bar in the summer of 2012 – a concept that challenges restaurants and bars nationwide to pursue collaborative efforts that engage their communities.

Bobby feels that the future of this industry hinges upon an ability to engage social and business endeavors with equal consciousness. At only 28 years of age, we are certain to see this perspective continue to have an impact on the food and beverage industry nationwide.

DAVID CROSSLEY
David Crossley is president and founder of Houston Tomorrow, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for all the people of the Houston region through research, education, and discussion. Houston Tomorrow’s vision is that, on its 200th birthday in 2036, the Houston region will be home to the healthiest, happiest, most prosperous people in the United States.