Settled more than 150 years ago, Bishop’s Lodge is steeped in history and a profound sense of place. As its General Manager, I take special pride in our team’s sensitive restoration and preservation efforts. Authenticity infuses our entire approach, and one extraordinary tribute—both to the diverse native communities that have long made New Mexico their home, as well as to Santa Fe’s deep artistic roots—can be found in our Dining Room. Taking pride of place are four newly restored oil paintings by Warren E. Rollins of Puebloan life from the 1920s.

I’ve been standing outside the doors to the Round Top Antiques Fair for 30 minutes, but if you’re not here before the doors open, you’ll miss your chance on the best items. I’ve been coming to Round Top since I was a little girl, when my mother, aunt, and I would drive over from Louisiana. Since those early days, Round Top, just an hour and 15 minutes outside of Austin, has evolved from a flea market into a European antiques fair, with big-name dealers coming in from all around the world to sell their rare collectibles.

I’ve created custom ceramics under the Whiskey and Clay line for restaurants in Marfa, Texas to Beverly Hills. But SkyFire at Bishop’s Lodge is the first restaurant in Santa Fe for which I’ve crafted unique pieces. Drawn to Santa Fe by its vibrant arts scene, proximity to nature, and slower pace of life, I moved here a few years ago—so it’s a huge honor to already be a part of such a treasured Santa Fe landmark. (Local friends have shared stories of horseback riding and cherished family holidays at the Lodge, and I hope to create my own memories, too, when it reopens.)

My husband and I are driving the backcountry roads that wind through the Texas Hill Country, heading to Fredericksburg. An hour and a half west of Austin, the country drive takes us past Texas Longhorn cattle with three-feet-long horns, and enticing mom-and-pop antique shops that will have to wait for another time. On these last days of summer vacation, we are on a mission to eat the peaches that Fredericksburg is famous for. That rose-gold fruit has always represented summer to me - the long, slow days of youth that stretch out forever - and I’m nostalgic for the floral fruit.

I’d come to Austin for a chance to kick back and take in some of the stunning hill country scenery but my day soon took a twist I hadn’t anticipated. I’m taken in by the history that surrounds me at the estate – built as a country home by Edgar “Commodore” Perry, a longtime Austin real estate developer in the late 1920s – and I stop to talk with Jackie to learn more.

Walking these halls each day, I’m always taken in by the attention to authentic historical detail that greets me at every turn – from the incredible Mediterranean-style architecture and design to artful décor and landscaping that all pay homage to the estate’s rich past and the vision of its original owner, Edgar Howard “Commodore” Perry.

Santa Fe has always had a certain kind of magical hold over me. I have so many memories, with the most amazing being the opening party for Mark Miller’s Coyote Café in the ‘80s—a seminal moment for Southwestern cuisine. A group of us—myself, Mark, Robert del Grande who had Café Annie in Houston at the time, and Stephan Pyles who had just opened up Routh Street Café in Dallas—had started this movement of cooking with indigenous Southwestern ingredients. This was its big moment, when Southwestern cuisine finally got its deserved space in the spotlight.