As Mavericks settle into the summer semester, several university facilities have adjusted their hours to accommodate the seasonal schedule. Maverick Activities Center 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. Closed Saturday. 2 to 10 p.m. Sunday. Connection Café Breakfast from 7 to 9 a.m., lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Brunch from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Market in the University Center 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday. Closed Saturday and Sunday. The UC Starbucks Closed during the summer. The UC Subway 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Closed Saturday and Sunday. University Center The UC has adjusted hours of operation until June 21. 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 18 and closed June 19. Central Library 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Closed June 19 and July 4. Health Services Available by appointment 8 a.m. to 5 p.m Monday through Friday. The pharmacy 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Closed one hour for lunch. @samip.parajuli.54 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

After weeks of deliberation, the Tarrant County Commissioners Court will vote on controversial redistricting maps that could split Arlington into multiple precincts on Tuesday in Fort Worth. The proposed maps could shift Precinct 2, Arlington’s main precinct represented by Democratic commissioner Alisa Simmons, to lean more Republican, according to county data. Simmons’ term ends in 2026, and she will have to run for reelection to keep her position. Seven maps that will affect parts of north, east and west Arlington are in consideration, determining whether areas are part of Districts 1, 2 or 3. Plans to redistrict moved into motion early April when the commissioners court approved an agreement with the Public Interest Legal Foundation. The foundation is providing legal guidance on potential changes to district boundaries for the 2026 primary and general elections. The redistricting is seen as a political and partisan issue by several stakeholders. In a statement, Republican Commissioner Manny Ramirez said he leads his work with a strict focus on conservative policies and values, giving limited attention to political noise. “However, there is one distinct responsibility of this job that is, in my opinion, very political and that is redistricting,” he said. “Conservative policies and values continue to make Tarrant County the greatest and most successful county in the nation.” On May 23, 10 Tarrant County mayors signed a letter opposing redistricting. In the document they voiced concern that the data used from the 2020 census is outdated and won’t effectively represent demographics due to recent growth in the county. The letter urges the commissioners to wait until the 2030 census is released, when data will be more representative. Since the letter was sent, the mayors of Dalworthington Gardens and Pantego have requested their removal from the statement, now in support of the redistricting, according to a Facebook post from County Judge Tim O’Hare. Simmons said in a press release that the mayors are right to speak out. “This is not just a minority issue, it’s a community issue,” Simmons said. “It’s an attack on our values, on good governance and on the wallets of hardworking families across our county.” Texas Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, said the redistricting proposals violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965. “A mid-decade redistricting is a completely unnecessary, foolish endeavor that will undoubtedly expose Tarrant County taxpayers to costly litigation,” he said. On May 26, the Arlington city council voted 8-1 on a resolution opposing the redistricting. Other councils in Tarrant County have voted on similar resolutions, with varying outcomes. Fort Worth’s council passed its resolution in a 6-4 vote. Dallas County last redistricted in 2021, when the census data was just a year old. It has been more than a decade since Tarrant County changed its voter maps. @wall035203 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Downtown Arlington Management Corp. will host its fourth annual Downtown Arlington Classic Car Show from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 7 at the Vandergriff Town Center. This event will showcase over 150 classic and antique cars from the ’20s through the ’70s, representing half a century of restored, maintained and beloved vehicles from the past, according to the event listing. The free event features a live DJ, food from Prince Lebanese and Chick-fil-A and the new Rotary Dream Park. General car registration is $25, and vehicles must be registered separately and be built on or before 1979. Registration ends at noon Thursday, and all entry fees will be donated to the Arlington Police Foundation. Car owners must arrive between 7 and 8:30 a.m., with no entries allowed after 8:45 a.m. All cars must be pre-registered, and there are no walk-ups due to limited space. Maggie Campbell, Downtown Arlington Management Corp. president and CEO, said the car show resonated with the community when they first did it after the pandemic. Since then, the car show has consistently drawn between 2500 and 3000 people per event, Campbell said. “It keeps growing and getting better year after year,” she said. Ten judges will select first and second place from each of the five decades at 2 p.m. The winning cars will be given trophies for best of show, best story, best club participation, mayor’s choice, best hometown car and people’s choice. The top 10 cars will also receive a commemorative license plate, and other winners will receive gift certificates. The winners of the best story and best hometown car will be featured in an Arlington Today Magazine issue about the 2025 car show. Best of show will receive two free Texas Rangers home game tickets and a one-night stay at the Loews Arlington Hotel. Seniors, first responders and veterans receive a discount for registration. For the promo code, contact damc@downtownarlington.org or call 817-303-2800 for more information. “[The event] instills a sense of civic pride and a sense of community, and that is something that is very important, but it’s hard to measure,” Campbell said. “You know it when you see it and you feel it when you’re there.” news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

You’re reading Meet The Shorthorn, a series of short articles explaining our processes and providing clarity for our readers. During the summer semester, The Shorthorn has about 20 staff members, and nine of them are editors. The editors assign and edit content, as well as hire and manage their staff members. Get to know the summer 2025 editor team below. Pedro Malkomes is the incoming editor-in-chief and a journalism senior with a technical writing minor. He manages the entire newsroom and is responsible for the publication’s content direction. Malkomes enjoys playing video games, reading sci-fi books and manga and playing soccer with his friends. He also enjoys biking and listening to a superfluous amount of music. @PMalkomes | editor.shorthorn@uta.edu Leslie Orozco is the incoming managing editor and a criminal justice and psychology junior. She helps wherever needed as she manages daily production cycles and newsletters and supports fellow section editors. In her free time, Orozco tries to enjoy some peace and quiet before needing something to do again. She also enjoys playing video games, rewatching comfort shows, reading psychological thrillers, drinking coffee and watching Formula 1. @_.lexlie_ | managing-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu Rachel Kenealey is the incoming copy desk chief and an English junior with creative writing and technical writing minors. She leads a team of copy editors that ensure accuracy, clarity and consistency in articles before publication. In her free time, she is usually rewatching a sitcom, reading Brandon Sanderson or Mary Oliver or listening to a musical. She also enjoys crafts and runs a crochet business. @rlkenealey | copydesk-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu James Ward is the incoming news editor and an English senior with business administration and creative writing minors. He is responsible for all content across news and life. Ward enjoys listening to indie and alt music as well as watching foreign movies in his free time. He is also an X-Men superfan. @james_e_ward_ | news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu Taylor Sansom is the incoming associate news editor and a criminal justice junior. She helps manage the news desk alongside the news editor. Outside the newsroom, Sansom enjoys flipping through a good book, adding to her mini figurine army and listening to music under the ever-watchful gaze of her favorite South Park plushie. @tay._.sansom | news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu Kale Ivie is the incoming sports editor and a journalism senior. He leads a team of reporters to produce in-depth coverage of local and on-campus athletics. Ivie has a deeply rooted love for all sports, primarily soccer, and spends his time away from the desk playing video games and hanging out with friends or family. A typical day ends with an indoor pickup game at the Maverick Activities Center and heading home to watch a show or read a book. Ivie is also a big DC Comics fan and has a wide range of musical interests. @kaleivie_ | sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu Haley Walton is the design editor and an interactive media senior. She leads a team of designers and illustrators to create visuals that complement articles and designs the look of the print edition. Walton enjoys telling stories and educating people through art even in her personal time. She loves legos, video games and immersing herself in Norse mythology. @yasursketches | design-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu Sairam Marupudi is the engagement editor and a marketing and English junior. She oversees every social media platform for The Shorthorn and its daily newsletter. Marupudi loves anything superhero or mythology related, especially if they’re together. She spends her free time catching up on her never-ending list of books to read, hyperfixating on her hobbies, stress baking and collecting Funko Pops. @marupudisairam | engagement-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu Samarie Goffney is the incoming multimedia editor and a journalism senior. She oversees a desk of creative individuals who produce visuals for the publication, including photos and videos. Goffney enjoys music, playing piano and gaming. She also loves a good horror movie or book. @pixaperfect_ | photo-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

UTA baseball (19-31) capped its regular season with an 8-1 win over Seattle University (20-32) Saturday at Clay Gould Ballpark, building momentum for next week's Western Athletic Conference tournament. Under first-year head coach Mike Trapasso, the Mavericks navigated a season of highs and lows this spring. Trapasso helped steer the team through the transition and into postseason fulfillments. UTA finished 11-13 in WAC play, just shy of a winning conference record, securing the No. 7 seed for the upcoming tournament. Junior infielder Xavier Melendez led the Mavericks at the plate, posting a team-high .320 batting average out of those with at least two plate appearances per game and 75% of games played. Before the first pitch, UTA honored its 12 seniors with a Senior Day ceremony, presenting each with a framed photo and Mavericks jersey. “The obvious is that you’re happy for your seniors, and it's always good to win on Senior Day,” Trapasso said. ”Particularly when the reason you’re winning is because of the seniors and the way they played.” Despite the bolstering win against the Redhawks, the team couldn’t secure the series, dropping the first two games with a 6-2 loss Thursday and a 10-5 loss Friday. Pitching stood out at today's game, stopping Seattle in its tracks. Senior Jack Hagan recorded five strikeouts, and along with senior Aaron Calhoun, only allowed five hits in the game against 30 at-bats. Putting the seniors’ performances aside, Hagan tipped his hat to the defense, noting zero errors in the game. “Our defense today was absolutely outstanding. Being up there knowing that your defense got your back is probably the best feeling ever – you get more relaxed,” Hagan said. “You can give up a ground ball, a fly ball, and you know they’re gonna make the plays.” A strong start from the Mavericks gave them an early 3-0 lead, immediately countering a Redhawks run in the second inning by scoring again in the third. A Redhawk error gifted another run for the Mavericks in the seventh, followed by three more runs off loaded bases in the eighth. The team had no shortage of offensive pressure, with 10 hits to double the Redhawks’. All but one of the runs scored were produced from RBIs. Redshirt junior infielder Tyce Armstrong went 2-3 in the batter's box today and contributed three runs for the Mavericks. With the regular season wrapped up, UTA now turns its attention to preparations for next week’s WAC tournament, which begins Tuesday and will run through Saturday’s championship round. The full schedule isn’t finalized, but UTA is slated to face in-state rival Tarleton State University in Game 1 at noon opening day. “It’s just been a roller coaster of adversity and the kids have hung in there, and just to see them play well now,” Trapasso said. “Hopefully, we’re on the high end with the peak of the roller coaster next week and go from there.” @kaleivie_ sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

A boisterous, sold out crowd packed the seats at UTA's College Park Center on Friday in anticipation for No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers’ professional debut in the Dallas Wings 2025 season opener against the Minnesota Lynx. The University of Connecticut alum joined the Wings in the offseason as one of the team's newest rookies, following her standout collegiate career, which includes an NCAA national championship. Bueckers earned a spot in the starting lineup and recorded just shy of 30 minutes in the Wings’ first regular-season home game. She finished with 10 points, six rebounds and two assists. Her first WNBA points came 46 seconds into the game, scoring on a rebound from her own missed shot to open the scoring. Despite the crowd’s unending support, the team struggled late in the game which led to a 99-84 loss against the Lynx. “We don’t want to overreact to the loss,” Bueckers said. “We also know there is a lot of things you gotta clean up and get better at, just starting it off, starting this journey and continue to build on it the next day at practice.” The game marked the Wings’ final season at College Park Center, the team’s home for the past nine seasons. The team’s previous season in the stadium ended with a 9-31 record that petered out on a nine-game losing streak. Wings guard DiJonai Carrington focused on the positives, praising the team’s effort and the bond they built. “I think we did a great job of staying together. When we got down, we were still talking to each other on the court, on the bench, whenever we huddle together,” Carrington said. “So I like that, especially from a young team, it's easy to start to go your own ways.” Carrington scored 15 points in her debut for the Wings and added four rebounds. In the second quarter, she made a crucial steal that led to a layup by Wings forward Maddy Siegrist in the final seconds of the first half, tying the game at 46. With the team having undergone roster changes for staff and players, newly appointed head coach Chris Koclanes is set on giving everyone opportunities. He said he likes the current lineup, but will continue working to find the best fit for the team. After a nail-biting first half, the Wings started to crumble under pressure. Multiple personal fouls and turnovers found the Wings down 81-66 in the final minutes of the third quarter. The Wings tried closing the gap, but the Lynx pulled away as the game neared its end. By the four-minute mark in the fourth quarter, the Wings trailed by 17. Koclanes called a timeout to assess the damage in the final moments. Back-to-back threes from Lynx guard Courtney Williams crushed the Wings’ chance of recovery as they fell 99-84. “I think for us as well as a staff, it’s a learning process, so we’re not going to be perfect early,” Koclanes said. “We’re going to learn and get better from it, how we can best support these players and put them in positions to be successful.” The Wings will return after the weekend to face the Seattle Storm at 7 p.m. Monday at College Park Center. Live streaming for the game will be available on ION. @kaleivie_ sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

With their 2025 home opener set for Friday, the Dallas Wings are rolling into the summer with several changes in the works: a new staff, a rebuilt roster and one final year at College Park Center before relocating to downtown Dallas. The Wings began their partnership with CPC after relocating from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and have called Arlington home for the past nine seasons. Pending approval from the WNBA, the team will move to Dallas for the 2026 season, set to play in the heart of the city at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas. The Wings struggled to find success early in their tenure in Arlington. Despite having advanced to the semifinals in 2023, the team has yet to make it through the playoffs with a positive record. With a vast roster rebuild, the team hopes to revert to winning ways. During the off season the Wings introduced Chris Koclanes as the new head coach and Curt Miller as the new general manager and executive vice president. Koclanes was previously the defensive coordinator for the Connecticut Sun and an assistant coach at the University of Southern California. Under Koclanes, the Connecticut Sun ran a bolstering defense, leading the league in defensive scoring average and defensive field goal percentage in 2021. The coach also helped the team reach the 2019 and 2022 WNBA finals. Miller is the first general manager for the team since they moved to Arlington. He served as the Los Angeles Sparks head coach for two years and worked with Koclanes as the Connecticut Sun general manager and head coach for seven seasons. “It’s fantastic being back with Curt. He’s been a tremendous mentor for me and to have that support system there, someone who’s lived this and breathed this,” Koclanes said. The two share a vision for the team and staff. Koclanes said Miller is consistently available for guidance without overstepping, and is an invaluable resource for him and the staff. The Wings also drafted five players to the roster this preseason, including No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers. DiJonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris and NaLyssa Smith have joined the team as free agents. The Wings also obtained the reserved rights to Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, who joined as part of a four-team trade. The Wings have maintained three members from the 2024 roster: Teaira McCowan, Arike Ogunbowale and Maddy Siegrist. Ogunbowale joined the Wings out of University of Notre Dame in 2019 and became a staple for the team’s success. “I think people are catching on, and I think the players we have are gonna embody that type of style and grace and just support the city, and just put the city on the map, so I’m excited for that,” Ogunbowale said. Koclanes said he’s focused on flexibility to build a game plan that fits the roster and reflects the team’s strengths. Players already have strong chemistry, and he expects it to keep growing. The team has an autonomous dynamic, and he said he believes accountability and leadership will develop organically. Bueckers said that the team has acknowledged the challenges of a young team and is prepared for growing pains. “You never want to get used to losing, but you want to get used to learning from good games, learning from lessons, and moving forward and taking whatever you learned from the last game, the last practice, the last whatever to continue to make you better for the future,” she said. With the team’s final preseason game in the books, the Wings open up their season against the Minnesota Lynx at 6:30 p.m. Friday at College Park Center. @kaleivie_ sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The Arlington Renegades (3-4) faltered to No. 1 Michigan Panthers (5-2) 25-24 in the inter-conference match Saturday, crushing hopes in their last home game of the season. The game marked the fourth overall loss to Michigan, breaking a 3-3 tie between teams. Despite the loss, the Renegades were applauded by Michigan head coach Mike Nolan, who noted the team's fight throughout the game. “They played an outstanding game, they had a heck of a game plan, both sides of the ball and all the faces, my hats off to them,” Nolan said. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for them.” Arlington struggled in the first half, unable to reach the end zone until the fourth quarter. Kicker Lucas Havrisik’s four field goals accounted for half of the Renegades’ points. The momentum swung on Arlington’s side in the third quarter where the team produced two field goals and recovered two fumbles to take a 12-9 lead. That energy carried into the fourth quarter with the Renegades scoring an early touchdown from wide receiver Tyler Vaughns, who caught a 29-yard deep left pass from quarterback Luis Perez. A failed two-point conversion left Arlington with an 18-9 lead. Only four touchdowns were produced between both teams. The Renegades’ lead was snatched by the Panthers on the next play after they scored on a drive, tying the match with a successful 3-point conversion. Panther quarterback Bryce Perkins was a notable threat to the Renegades’ defense. He averaged 8.2 passing yards and 7.5 rushing yards throughout the game. “That fourth quarter, we had all kinds of pressure on [Perkins], or guys grabbing him, he’d just find a way to fling it to somebody or get out,” Renegades head coach Bob Stoops said. “I don’t know how many times we thought we had him sacked or broken up, and he’d find somebody.” Arlington responded with a late fourth-quarter touchdown off a pass from Perez to tight end Sal Cannella, reclaiming the lead. The Panthers regained possession at the two-minute warning. After a series of completions and timeouts, Michigan found itself deep in Arlington territory. Perkins scrambled out the pocket and gained 10 yards to put the Panthers in scoring position. With one second on the clock, Michigan running back Toa Taua rushed up the middle for a touchdown, finding a 24-24 game. The Renegades' defense set up to hold the lead, but a successful one-point conversion sealed the game for the Panthers. “These games, win or lose, they’re always tight, close games, so I’m sure next week will be no different,” Stoops said. “Hopefully we could be on a better side of some of these calls that we’re getting, but we gotta do our part to acknowledge what can be better with us.” Arlington will return to XFL conference play against the D.C. Defenders at noon May 18 at the Audi Field in Washington, D.C. Live streaming will be available on ESPN. @kaleivie_ sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Marc Fadel woke up at 7:40 a.m. on a Thursday. Around noon, he would start prepping for his barbecue food truck’s 5 p.m. Friday opening. Trim the brisket. Make the rubs and sauces. Prep the vegetables. But there was an issue. “I got to UTA so fast,” Fadel said. “I’m running across campus, and I got there, 8:02. Luckily, the professor still let me take the exam.” At 18 years old, Fadel is a construction management freshman at UTA who also runs his business, Habibi Barbecue, on West Arkansas Lane. During the week, he enjoys college life: taking some classes online at Tarrant County College, playing basketball at the Maverick Activities Center and eating Panda Express in the University Center. Starting Wednesday, he begins prepping his barbecue rub for Friday and Saturday openings. On one Saturday, his brisket and ribs sold out within two hours. “Almost 200 pounds of meat — gone,” Fadel said. The food truck, which opened in September, is already on Texas Monthly’s radar. It’s a family affair. His parents, both UTA alumni, help with prep and service. His girlfriend works the counter. Born to Lebanese immigrants, Fadel creates a fusion of traditional Texas barbecue with his favorite flavors from his culture — garlic potatoes, hummus, house-made garlic aioli and tzatziki. As Fadel talked about his food truck, his face beamed with pride as he went through every piece of equipment. It’s that attention to detail that he brings to his barbecue. The bark on his roundly trimmed prime brisket. The pork belly cubes, hand-seasoned one by one. He dry-brines his meat a day in advance, then makes all his rubs and sauces by hand, including a signature bright red sauce made with Big Red. He then smokes the meat with seasoned post oak sourced from Paris, Texas. Fadel credited his drive to high school. As an Arlington Independent School District senior, he juggled culinary competitions, working 40 hours a week as a pitmaster at Tex-Ethiopian restaurant Smoke’N Ash BBQ and filming a TV documentary called “BBQ High” on Max — all while being a student in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. “I put my heart and my soul in this. I love it. Sweat, tears, blood,” he said. “A lot of blood — I cut myself a lot.” Fadel doesn’t talk much about the future for fear of jinxing himself. However, he has thought of a restaurant with a few booths and a nice wood finish in five years. He wants it to be in Pantego, Texas, or Dalworthington Gardens in Arlington. He has been playing “Restaurant Tycoon” on Roblox to prepare for that moment. For now, though, he’s enjoying UTA, which he loves despite it not being his first choice. He’s staying in school in case the barbecue business doesn’t work out as planned. He doesn’t mind being recognized on campus or while shopping for ingredients for his documentary appearance. And on Sundays, Fadel puts on his “body by brisket” shirt and enjoys sleeping in. @DangHLe news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Barbecue has been a journey for 225° BBQ co-owner Rene Ramirez — literally. Before settling into its current location on East Main Street in east Arlington, 225° BBQ started as a food truck in Dallas in 2018. Then, it bounced to Grand Prairie, Texas, to various parking lots and eventually to where it is now. Although the location didn’t work out for a while, they were asked to come back and now own the spot. But Ramirez has not settled. He starts his day at around 3 a.m., trimming briskets, boiling beans and prepping sides. Some nights, he doesn’t sleep until midnight. “By the second day, third day, I’ve already worked like 40 hours, and then the week just started,” he said. At its current location, where the smoky scene of brisket drifts through the air, a mural of singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez lies on the wall as an intentional effort to represent the marriage of Texas pride and Mexican culture. It’s that culture of identity, history and hustle that led 225° BBQ to become KERA’s best barbecue joint in North Texas, voted by more than 9,000 readers in 2023. The Mexi-cue fuses traditional Texas barbecue with Mexican flavors and draws a loyal following. Ramirez estimated that around 70% of his customers are from word-of-mouth, with some coming religiously around once or twice a week. On the menu, brisket and shrimp tacos both have places alongside barbecue plates. With its meat, 225° BBQ provides something savory, sweet — and plenty of spice — that goes beyond salt and pepper. The rub has barely changed since the start. That meat is smoked with post oak and pecan wood in a two-to-one ratio that Ramirez sources from east Texas. After years of bouncing around, 225° BBQ now has a team of seven or eight. Ramirez never forgets its beginning. It’s the years of practicing barbecue in his backyard, taking orders from roadside pop-ups to the food truck, that have brought him here. It’s that failed brisket at his family cook-off over a decade ago that started it all. His brother, who won that cook-off, is now his business partner. “It’s still my baby at the end of the day,” Ramirez said. “I gotta make sure everything’s right.” Multimedia editor Ronaldo Bolaños contributed to this reporting. @DangHLe news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Behind the modest-sized, single-story Hurtado Barbecue restaurant on East Front Street, five 1,000-gallon smokers run simultaneously. It’s around 2:15 p.m. on a recent Friday. Two pitmasters have been in the smoker area trimming and preparing the meat since 4 a.m. Soon they will tag out for the two other pitmasters who will stay past closing when necessary. “There’s no cutting corners, any of that,” pitmaster Chris Kurosky said. The smokers cook the chickens, sausages and briskets — all menu items that brought Hurtado Barbecue from serving at pop-up events to opening three brick-and-mortar locations in two years. Outside of the Arlington location, UTA alumnus Brandon Hurtado and his wife own restaurants in Dallas, Fort Worth and Mansfield. What makes Hurtado’s winning recipe? “The love we put into this,” Kurosky said. Hurtado Barbecue’s Mexi-cue flavor offers unusual fare like quail and sweet, plump bacon burnt ends. Its cultural influence is presented from the dry rubs to sides like street corn with spices and crema. On adventurous days, you can get the tostada, which consists of smoked brisket topped with refried beans, salsa verde, Valentina hot sauce, cotija cheese, cilantro and onions. As Kurosky sliced raw pork belly, his fellow pitmaster Joe Ponce tossed them in the spice blend, which is a Hurtado’s recipe but is packaged from a manufacturer that can produce big volumes. They work in tandem. Kurosky has more than 15 years of barbecue experience. “We all got a good amount of experience. This isn’t the place you come to learn barbecue. It’s a place you better know your barbecue,” he said, laughing. Heat radiates from the smokers. Once summer hits, the smoker area may reach around 135 degrees, Kurosky said. As the time goes on, they are gradually turned off. But as of right now, they need to make enough briskets for customers. No one wants a barbecue place that runs out of briskets, he said. At the front, customers lined up from the counter to outside the door, eager to put in their orders for Hurtado’s bold, sweet and spicy interpretation of Mexi-cue. @DangHLe news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Fasicka Hicks still remembers the aroma of berbere, a classic Ethiopian spice blend, in her mother’s kitchen when she was a child living in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. “I always think back when I work on any of the things that I do in this restaurant because it takes me back to the time that I spent with my mother,” she said. Berbere differs depending on each household, but it has more than a dozen different spices, starting with chili pepper. Fasicka Hicks’ sister prepares the spice blend using their mother’s recipe and ships it to her. The Ethiopian flavors now make up a whole section of the menu at Smoke’N Ash BBQ, Hicks’ restaurant that she co-owns with her husband, Patrick Hicks, on South Cooper Street. Patrick Hicks grew up in Waco, Texas, and barbecue is his life, his wife said. “The skill level on the barbecue was his, and the skill level on the Ethiopian side was mine,” Fasicka Hicks said. “So, we were just doing our own thing, and at the end, where we combined everything, where we can help each other as well.” Depending on the previous night’s preparation, the Hicks’ may arrive at their restaurant as early as 4 a.m. for the day’s work. She’s still hanging on to the Ethiopian recipes. “I have learned so much about my husband now than ever, and I think we understand each other much better now than ever because we’re here together,” she said. Smoke’N Ash BBQ was recently recognized by the Michelin Guide as one of the state’s best restaurants and named a best Texas chef semifinalist for the 2025 James Beard Award. Fasicka Hicks is proud of the recognition, but she won’t grow a big head because of it, she said. “What matters is those people coming in here just waiting for the food,” she said. At Smoke’N Ash BBQ, traditional barbecue flavors blend with Ethiopian spices. The smokiness of the meat is paired with the spiciness of the seasoning. It’s rich, sweet and savory. The restaurant also serves lamb as an alternative to pork. Fasicka Hicks said she never thought there would be a platter that offers both Texas barbecue and Ethiopian dishes. If she were a first-timer, she would have doubted Smoke’N Ash BBQ the same way people have doubted them. But barbecue is about community, and Ethiopian food is about getting together. Smoke’N Ash BBQ is about sharing a meal together and hearing laughter at the table. Them being on the same platter makes sense, she said. @DangHLe news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu