Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/112451
JEREMY ORDAZ [OWNER, OAK CLIFF BICYCLE COMPANY] L ike most kids, Jeremy Ordaz���s first bike provided that initial taste of freedom. And, along with the majority of teens, he gave it up for coolness��� sake once high school entered the picture. But after moving to downtown Dallas 10 years ago, he realized that the scarcity of parking made bikes look good all over again. So he bought one. Then another. And yet another. When pressed today, he admits to owning somewhere in the vicinity of 40 bikes, and one gets the impression he���s still not sated. This intense interest, coupled with an aptitude for all things mechanical, resulted in a Bishop Arts���based store offering brands no one else carries, such as Salsa Cycles and Bobbin Bicycles. But what truly sets Oak Cliff Bicycle Company apart is Ordaz���s willingness to modify, customize and repair vintage bikes ��� a direct response to his affinity for classic design coupled with the disdain he feels for the gimmicks associated with certain mass-produced bikes. Case in point: He recently completed an industrial-looking design that marries machine-age aesthetics with enhancements so subtle that anyone other than a fellow aficionado might be oblivious. While this bike may best represent Ordaz���s personal taste, he���s also responsible for customizing an employee���s set of wheels in a pink-and-purple color combo so vibrant it could sear a person���s eyeballs. And he���s currently working on a sleek custom build that includes wine corks as handle bar stoppers. ���You can blame the Italians and the French for that idea,��� explains Ordaz. ���I always want perfection. That���s the sort of thing that can drive you crazy.��� Best piece of advice I could give: Irrational fear: Let things go a little easier. Constant crave: First car: ���84 Chrysler LeBaron convertible. Last traffic ticket: That I won���t get enough done. Spare time! Not in my abode: Television. Let me look through this month���s bank statements. Always in my fridge: First thing I bought with my own money: Most underrated skill: Big purchase at age 17: a ���72 Honda CB450. Last thing I misplaced: Keys ... do you have them? First job: Checkers Drive-In. Last vacation: HEAVEN ON EARTH: APPRECIATING ALL THE BEAUTY OUT THERE ��� LANDSCAPES, FEELINGS, GOOD DEEDS, CREATING. NYC ��� friends, bikes and concerts! Empty space. I cook meat dishes really well, but I���m vegetarian. Go figure. Most overrated virtue: Ouch, where would one begin? Adrenaline rush: Yes, please! Buzz kill: Judgmental or argumentative conversation. Hell on earth: Letting the weight consume you. GREG HUTCHISON [OWNER, PARTY MAKER CATERING] A steady diet of cooking-themed reality television might lead one to believe all chefs are a highly volatile lot. That myth is debunked after five minutes into conversation with Greg Hutchison. This low-key type got started after realizing his ability to enter anyone���s kitchen and make something great with whatever ingredients were available might actually translate into a career. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in New York, he put in time at a resort in Guam, The Manor Inn in Maine and a Costa Rican cruise ship before finding his place at The Food Company, where he remained for eight years. In 2006, he started his own catering company out of the kitchen of Lee Harvey���s, where he served as executive chef. ���I loved the idea that Lee Harvey���s attracted the fashion and art worlds, all coming to South Dallas to share a burger,��� he says. Since then, he���s moved his base of operations to Deep Ellum but continues to find inspiration in everything from classic French cuisine to self-described boy food, aka ���the stuff I ate growing up,��� to discoveries made while on vacation. ���I like letting food taste the way it should be,��� he says. ���Too much handling detracts from great ingredients. It���s all about finding that perfect balance of chemistry, science and creativity.��� First car: Irrational fear: 1969 Volvo station wagon. Vintage dolls. Last traffic ticket: Best piece of advice I could give: Disregarding a red light. It was yellow. Never cook bacon in the nude. First thing I bought with my own money: Constant crave: Candy cigarettes. Not in my abode: Last thing I misplaced: Sunglasses. First job: Texas Plumbing Co. I was 13. Last vacation: Venice Beach. Hell on earth: Prison. Heaven on earth: The beach, dogs, people I love, cocktails, great food, peace. WORST PIECE OF ADVICE I���VE EVER TAKEN: BET IT ALL ON NUMBER SEVEN. SEPTEMBER | PAGE 45 | 2012 Adventure, new music, food, art. Reality television. Always in my fridge: Beer, milk, coffee. Most underrated skill: Folding laundry. Most overrated virtue: Chastity. Adrenaline rush: Traveling to faraway lands. Buzz kill: Complainers.