Press Releases

Restaurant patrons have the opportunity to meet comedian Carlos Mencia during the Grand Opening of his new restaurant Maggie Rita’s Mexican Grill & Bar, 111 23rd Street, in Galveston on July 29-July 31. This is the first celebrity owned restaurant to open in Galveston and is the only Mexican eatery located in The Strand National Historic Landmark District. Actor/Comedian Carlos Mencia is known for his Mind of Mencia comedy series on Comedy Central.

Maggie Rita’s restaurant patrons have the opportunity to meet comedian Carlos Mencia during the Grand Opening of his new restaurant Maggie Rita’s Mexican Grill & Bar in Galveston. This is the first celebrity owned restaurant to open in Galveston and is the only Mexican restaurant located in The Strand National Historic Landmark District.

Who doesn’t love a good bowl of gumbo? Visitors can sample gumbo from professional cooking teams as part of the inaugural Galveston Island Shrimp Festival. Shrimp Festival activities begin on Friday, Sept. 24 and continue through Sunday, Sept. 26. Events include a 5K run/walk, gumbo cook off, children’s parade, merchant walkabout and bicycle ride followed by a tailgate party. Gumbo lovers can sample and judge wild shrimp gumbo prepared by area restaurants participating in the professional category.

Two generations of stone masons have a personal tie to one of Galveston’s most photographed historic buildings – the Hutchings-Sealy Building, 2328 Strand. This week, fifth-generation stone mason Curtis Hunt IV will remove and patch deteriorated stones and stabilize cracks to this 1895 building designed by famed architect Nicholas J. Clayton. The Hutchings-Sealy Building is one of more than 20 buildings owned by George Mitchell and the Mitchell family. Mitchell bought the building in 1985 and Hunt’s father, Curtis Hunt III, worked with Ford, Powell & Carson Architects on the building’s restoration in the 1980s.

Actor/Comedian Carlos Mencia, in partnership with the Restaurant Resource Management Group will open Maggie Rita’s Mexican Grill & Bar in early July at 111 Tremont (23rd Street) in historic downtown Galveston. Santiago Moreno and David Quintanilla own Restaurant Resource Management Group which operates several Ninfa’s restaurants in Houston and Serranos in Austin.

Two generations of stone masons have a personal tie to one of Galveston’s most photographed historic buildings – the Hutchings-Sealy Building, 2328 Strand. This week, fifth-generation stone mason Curtis Hunt IV will remove and patch deteriorated stones and stabilize cracks to this 1895 building designed by famed architect Nicholas J. Clayton. The Hutchings-Sealy Building is one of more than 20 buildings owned by George Mitchell and the Mitchell family. Mitchell bought the building in 1985 and Hunt’s father, Curtis Hunt III, worked with Ford, Powell & Carson Architects on the building’s restoration in the 1980s.

As summer approaches, Galveston’s historic downtown district is gearing up for a variety of free monthly weekend events held at Saengerfest Park, 23rd and Strand. The popular Movie Nite on the Strand is scheduled on the first Saturday of the month through October. Movie goers are encouraged to bring their own chairs and grab dinner as they enjoy these free outdoor movies.

Christine Hopkins, public relations manager with G-1 Corporation, part of Mitchell Historic Properties, successfully completed the Examination for Accreditation in Public Relations, entitling her to use the APR professional designation. The accreditation is awarded by the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB), a consortium of nine professional communication organizations that directs this competency certification program.

The 14th Annual Yaga’s Wild Game BBQ Cook-off benefiting the Yaga’s Children’s Fund will be held May 7 - 8 at Pier 21 on Galveston Island. The competition allows backyard chefs, sportsmen and women, and outdoor enthusiasts to show off their culinary skills and enjoy some good old fashioned fun, fellowship and food. Organizers expect 80 teams to participate making this the largest wild game cook-off in the United States. Five years ago, the state legislature declared Yaga’s Wild Game Cook-off as the Official Wild Game Cook-off of the State of Texas.

The inaugural Galveston Island Food and Wine Festival has partnered with eight popular restaurants to host wine pairing dinners on Saturday, April 17. Following the “Tasting in the Park,” from 2:30 – 5:30 p.m., local restaurants are hosting wine pairing dinners. Participating restaurants include 901 Postoffice, Luigi’s Ristorante Italiano, M&M Restaurant, Olympia The Grill at Pier 21, Rudy & Paco, Saltwater Grill, Willie G’s, and Yaga’s Café. Pricing for the dinners range from $62 to $125. Advance reservations are required and can be made on the festival website.