When we moved to Sulphur Springs, Texas, four years ago there weren’t any Indian or Nepali eateries nearby. My wife Jasmine would crave it, so we would drive to Dallas. Now there is one close. They serve beautiful butter chicken, naan, momos & more at affordable prices.
After seeing it promoted in Sulphur Springs 411 and being in Commerce on an East Texas A&M home game day, we gave Curry Fusion a try. The food was excellent!
Contrary to what may appear on Google Street View, it’s not in a gas station.
It’s an independent restaurant and there’s plenty of inside seating! They even have a selfie backdrop. It’s a clean establishment with great service. A wonderful young married couple own and operate it. The wife (and chef) has a business degree from East Texas A&M. Give it a try!
After eating lunch, we attended the newly renamed East Texas A&M (formally Texas A&M at Commerce) home game.
Currently I am an MBA student at East Texas A&M University, thus we felt the need to show some support for the school by attending one of the few football home games.
Although, the result didn’t turn out in our favor (38 – 24), it was still a good game that was tied at halftime. The marching band did an amazing job. All-in-all it was an inexpensive family fun thing to do in the nearby county of Hunt County.
Friday of last week, our family played 18 holes of mini golf – also known as putt-putt. We had become aware of this local mini golf course due to it being advertised by the wife of the husband-and-wife ownership team.
A video, created and narrated by who we would later meet, was posted to a Facebook group called Sulphur Springs 411. We were further exposed to the business because it was a suggested Facebook fan page to like due to the local algorithm. Winnsboro is a town of 3,500. It’s 23 miles from Sulphur Springs, in Wood County. By the looks of the photos on the Facebook fan page, the course was ripe for photo ops, which I knew my wife would appreciate even if she was just learning how to putt. I hadn’t putted in 30 years up until last Friday.
We left for Winnsboro in the afternoon in order to beat the crowd and be able to play when the sun was still shining. We were pleasantly greeted by Stephanie, one of the owners. We could tell this was a passion business project and thus asked her to tell us the story. She warned us that could go on and on, but we were not dissuaded. We asked her to tell us the whole story. She didn’t hold back.
This family was originally from the Houston area. They had enjoyed putt-putt as a family for many years. She had taught gymnastics for many years and her husband was in construction. Purchasing this course fulfilled a multi-year dream of owning a course. They had planned on buying land and starting from scratch, but that wasn’t going to work in or around Houston with the price of land being astronomical.
Then, one night after some intense prayer something told her to search on Facebook marketplace for a mini golf course. Low and behold there was one for sale in Northeast Texas. Her and her husband made contact with the then owners and in short order they had brought and rehabbed a 70-year-old course in Winnsboro, Texas. This all happened in a matter of weeks.
It was an inspiring tale and the fruit of their labor shown through with how much love was put into the unique designs for each green. These green were really mini-art installations featuring pop culture personalities and Texas landmarks – such as Amarillo’s Cadillac Ranch pictured below.
We were able to get out of the house, enjoy ourselves, and experience an inexpensive family-friendly and care-free activity in the state of this economy. We’ll certainly enjoyed this activity will again in the future. One could say it’s par for the course!
Honorable Mention Campsite and Costume goes to site #68 Joel Newsom and Charlene Youngblood, sponsored by Newsom Health and Wellness.
Campsite and costume winner this year was site #130 Curtis Fulgham and Ramon Diaz, sponsored by Hopkins County Veterans of Foreign Wars post 8560. Their $200 prize was provided by: The Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce.
Honorable Mention Super Campsite and Costume goes to site #210 Juan Ortiz and Ashley Ortiz, sponsored by The Rustic O.
The John Chester Award for Super Campsite winner was site #204 Patricia Grossenbacher and Aaron Davis. Sponsored by: Bob Evans Foods. Their $250 prize was provided by: Saputo.
Tailgate Appetizer Contest third place was site #130 Curtis Fulgham and Ramon Diaz Sponsored by: Hopkins County Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 8560. Their $75 prize was provided by Lady Rebel Bookkeeping.
Second place in the Tailgate Appetizer Contest was site # 200, Thomas Miner and Orin Miner. Sponsored by: Donnie’s Heat and Air. Their $100 prize was provided by AK Gillis and Sons.
First place in the Tailgate Appetizer Contest was site # 70 Austin Ferguson and Emily Orren. Sponsored by: Austin Ferguson Custom Homes. Their $200 prize was provided by Super Handy Convenience Stores.
Best New Stew Cook: Site # 483 Tina Flora. Sponsored by: Mattison Insurance. Their $100 prize was provided by Berger Horticulture Products.
Honorable Mention: Beef Stew: Site #485 Michael and Miranda Stout Sponsored by: One Church.
Third place beef stew winner was the team of # 478 David Slaughter Sponsored by: Slaughter’s Barbecue. Their $100 prize money was provided by Heath Hyde, Attorney. Their third-place stew was purchased for $250 by Saputo.
Second place beef stew winner was the team of # 124 Nathan and Tina Crist Sponsored by: the Crist Family. Their $150 prize money was provided by AK Gillis and Sons. Their second-place stew was purchased for $450 by Clayton Homes.
First place beef stew winner was the team of # 50 Koyt Koon and Brandon Walker Sponsored by: Oncor. Their $300 prize money was provided by Superior Cleaning. Their first-place stew was purchased for $600 by Nottingham Sulphur Springs Dodge.
Honorable Mention: Chicken Stew: # 155 Matthew Ragan and Cameron Horton. Sponsored by: Flowserve Corporation.
Third place chicken winner was the team of #196 Molly Stevens and Monique Jackson Sponsored by: Jackson Dental. Their prize money of $100 was provided by AK Gillis and Sons. Their third-place stew was purchased for $250 by CPI Products.
Second place chicken stew winner was the team of # 13 Debbie White and Ann Tanton. Sponsored by: Hopkins Rains County Farm Bureau, Their prize money of $150 was provided by Grace Family Church, Their second-place chicken stew was purchased for $450 by Clayton Homes,
First place chicken stew winner was the team of #95 Cydney Williams and Cami Lane Sponsored by: CAW Contracting, Their prize money of $300 was provided by RBC Construction, Their first-place chicken stew was purchased for $600 by Berger Horticultural Products.
Honorable Mention: Super Stew Beef: #60 Rob Cody and Ryan McKenzie, Sponsored by: Grocery Supply,
Third place Super Stew Beef award was won by #477 Kelly Perry and Kaley Williams Sponsored by: EMC Hauling, Their prize money of $100 was sponsored by Jiffy Signs, Their third-place Super Stew Beef was purchased for $300 by Cattleman’s,
Second place Super Stew Beef award was won by #62 James and Tonya Ross, Brent and Lacy McClendon, Sponsored by: Catocon, Their prize money of $250 was sponsored by Texas Heritage National Bank, The second-place Super Stew Beef was purchased for $500 by Oncor Electric Delivery,
First Place Super Stew Beef winner was the team of #480 Steve Littlefield and James McMahan, Sponsored by: ReMax Advanced, Their prize money of $500 was provided by Jay Hodge Chevrolet, Their winning quart of Super Stew Beef was purchased for $900 by Farm Country,
Honorable Mention: Super Stew Chicken: #86 Elaine Merrell and Doris Humphrey Sponsored by: Christus Mother Frances Hospital Sulphur Springs,
Third place Super Stew Chicken award was won by #482 Steve Littlefield and Dwayne Sears, Sponsored by: Ben E Keith, Their prize money of $100 was sponsored by Circle E Western Wear, Their third-place Super Stew Chicken was purchased for $300 by Berger Horticulture Products,
Second place Super Stew Chicken award was won by #117 John Mark and Savanna McAfee, Sponsored by: McAfee Farms, Their prize money of $250 was sponsored by Clayton Homes, The second-place Super Stew Chicken was purchased for $ 500 by Saputo,
First Place Super Stew Chicken winner was the team of #11 Linda Blount and Brandon Brewer, Sponsored by: City National Bank, Their prize money of $500 was provided by Farmers Electric Cooperative, Their winning quart of Super Stew Chicken was purchased for $900 by Interstate Body Shop.
In March 2020, I started working remotely; I could work wherever there was a Wi-Fi connection, including road-side cafes. This gave us some time and flexibility to explore the surrounding areas from DFW as we looked for a community where we could call home. This is how we discovered Hopkins County and Sulphur Springs.
It must have been the 4th Saturday of Oct. 2020 when my then fiancé, now wife, and I visited Sulphur Springs for the 2nd or 3rd time. It just happened to be the day of the Hopkins County Stew Festival and Contest for 2020. We had visited earlier in August of that year.
Something kept drawing us back to Sulphur Springs even after the novelty of the glass bathrooms and 30-foot cows, and allure of other things to do in Sulphur Springs had worn off. We were set to be married in Dec. 2020, and we were trying to locate a town where we would start our journey and raise a family. That year, in the middle of COVID, everything was a bit different. The stew festival was drive-through only and it was heavily raining.
These would-be hindrances didn’t stop us from observing some characteristics that made Hopkins County different. One was the support and love for locally owned, independent, businesses. The banners for businesses sponsoring the stew competition were prominently displayed on the outside fence of Buford Park. Being entrepreneurially minded as a couple and with dreams of starting a new business or two, these small signs meant something to us.
Hopkins County Stew Festival & Content Schedule & Tickets
The 55th Annual Hopkins County Stew Festival will take place on Saturday, October 26, 2024 at Buford Park in Sulphur Springs, Texas:
Stew Cooking: Teams of four cook chicken or beef stew in cast iron pots over wood fires.
Stew Sampling: Teams must provide samples to judges by 10:30 AM.
Stew Serving: Served at 10:45 AM.
Camping: Spectators can visit campsites for $8.
Stew Prizes: Teams can compete for “Best Campsite and Costume”
In subsequent years, we’ve been able to attend a few times. Each year we tell ourselves that will compete in the competition. However, only this year, in 2024, do we now have a brand we’d like to represent. To enter there are fees and the winners also get cash, but the real value is the bragging rights and branding opportunities of the businesses those winners represent.
I’d love to practice all year making beef stew. My wife would prefer to practice chicken stew. However, it would be a big commitment to get good enough to compete.
History of Hopkins County Stew Festival & Competition The cooking competition began in 1969, but the roots of the dish date from the late 1800s. The county had approximately 100 schools back then, and it became customary to celebrate the end of each school year with stew suppers that were cooked in iron pots over open hardwood fires.
For just $8, attendees will receive a bowl (for all the stew they can eat), along with cheese and crackers. Then, if visitors want to take some stew home, they may purchase quart containers for $15 and enjoy the stew for many nights to come.
As a husband-and-wife Realtor team with Coldwell Banker Watson Company here in Sulphur Springs, a 2nd gen broker, we feel it’s our duty to spread the love to businesses around town, shop local, and show why Sulphur Springs is such an awesome town. Hopkins County Stew Contest is one of those small festivals in the City of Celebration that makes Sulphur Springs different.
Get Tickets to the Hopkins County Stew Festival & Competition
The John Chester Dutch-Oven Cook-off is an annual event held in Sulphur Springs, Texas. Most of the time it is held in Heritage Park. This year, 2024, was the 20th year in a row that it has been held. John Chester started the cook-off in 2004. John is no longer with us. However, they choose to honor him by the festival bearing his name.
What is a Dutch-Oven?
A Dutch oven, Dutch pot (US English), or casserole dish (international) is a thick-walled cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. Dutch ovens are usually made of seasoned cast iron; however, some Dutch ovens are instead made of cast aluminum, or ceramic.
Why a Dutch-Oven Cook-off?
Hopkins County has Dutch roots. Many early Hopkins County settlers came from the Netherlands. These Dutch folks have their own traditions, and this cook-off is an attempt to remember how settlers survived.
Dutch-Oven Cook-off in Sulphur Springs Review:
Although we’ve been in Hopkins County and Sulphur Springs since Dec. 2020, this was the first time we’ve attended The John Chester Dutch-Oven Cook-off. It was also the first time we were able to check out Heritage Park. We live just a couple blocks down on College Street. We had seen the photos from the actual settlers’ cabins, churches, and gas stations to create a pho 1850s – 1880s style town behind the museum. It does spill over into the 1920s because there’s gas station represented as well.
We enjoyed walking around and trying the food. For $5 one could sample as much Dutch-oven cooked food from the competition participants as one would like. We tried both beef and chicken. The Dutch-oven did give the meat a soft tenderness that was nice from a texture standpoint.
The Hopkins County Historical Society charged $3 on top of the $5 for the all-you-can-eat food to check out Heritage Park. The park is opened periodically and for special events throughout the year. Thus, it was $8 for adults and free for children under five. We spent $16 since our child is under five.
John Chester Dutch-Oven Cook-Off 2024 Winners
1st Place: Rachel Bobo and Nancy Phelan
2nd Place: Melinda Hitt and Crew
3rd Place: Margie Ford and Crew
Best Meat: David Wilhite
Beat Bread: Donnie and Katie Martin
Best Vegetable: Jody Bobo and Crew
Best Dessert: Enola Gay and Frank Boyd
Conclusion
It was a nice and economical way to spend a Saturday afternoon since you can’t go to Whataburger for less than the total we paid. We took some photos and gleaned some history. It’s not packed full of musical or performance entertainment, but if you like food, history, and old buildings, it might be for you. If you’re thinking about attending The John Chester Dutch-Oven Cook-off next and you are visiting Northeast Texas, we say give it a try, but add a few more things to do on your list while you’re in Hopkins County.
This evening in our third year, 10th month, and 3rd day living in Sulphur Springs, Texas, we visited TA Boba Tea House located at 1707 S Broadway Street Suite 9.
To further clarify to those that know Sulphur Springs or are better at landmark orientations, TA Boba Tea House is near Walmart, and in the same shopping center as Great Clips. This is the 3rd or 4th time we’ve been to TA Boba Tea House in Sulphur Springs. Each time has been a delight.
You may know what Boba Tea is or you may not. It’s better known by Americans as the “milk-tea-with-little-balls-in-it-that-you-suck-up-in-a-big-fat-straw.” This is how I used to ignorantly refer to those drinks. Now I’m more sophisticated : ). Below is a more precise definition along with exactly what makes up those little balls.
What is Boba Tea?
Bubble tea (also known as pearl milk tea, bubble milk tea, tapioca milk tea, boba tea, or boba; Chinese: 珍珠奶茶; pinyin: zhēnzhū nǎichá, 波霸奶茶; bōbà nǎichá) is a tea-based drink that originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s.
Taiwanese immigrants brought it to the United States in the 1990s, initially in California through regions including Los Angeles County, but the drink has also spread to other countries where there is a large East Asian diaspora population.
What are the little balls in Boba Tea made from?
A tapioca pearl, also known as tapioca ball, is an edible translucent sphere produced from tapioca, a starch made from the cassava root.
Review of TA Boba Tea House
My wife and I both had one of the coffee-flavored “Freezers.” My wife chose to have the bobas (tapioca balls). I choose not to have them in mine. Both were refreshing and tasty.
We highly recommend visiting TA Boba Tea House in Sulphur Springs, Texas, for something a little different.
As Realtors in Sulphur Springs, we feel it’s our duty to spread the love to businesses around town, shop local, and show why Sulphur Springs is such an awesome town. This site, HopkinsCountyHome.com, is a love letter to the people of Hopkins County, the businesses, land, lakes, and homes in which they reside.
