Locura Small Bites: Laura Carrizales and Mel Arizpe
These queer couples mix work and life to serve and create with a passion
RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
rich@dallasvoice.com
Some people marry their partners. Others are married to their work. And some just mix it all together.
These local couples and families have fused both their personal partnerships and their business lives into a workable situation. Who else better to have your back than your spouse, partner and/or children?
Here are just a few area businesses and services where no love or labor is lost.
Locura Small Bites
The couple: Laura Carrizales and Mel Arizpe (above)
This couple has long been in the public eye, first as the singing duo Mi Diva Loca and with Arizpe’s karaoke hosting duties at the Round-Up Saloon.
But they pivoted three years ago (pandemic be damned) into the culinary game.
The two opened this modest eatery first in West Dallas but now have a home in the new Shindig food park in East Dallas. With Mexican-influenced dishes, Locura serves up a variety of flavored elotes, loaded fries and meaty bites as well as daily and Sunday specials. The two have built a solid reputation and have been featured in Texas Monthly and on local news station WFAA as well as receiving Dallas Voice Readers Voice awards.
“We’ll be celebrating 16 years together in September,” Arizpe said. “Ever since we met, nothing but great things have happened from winning Voice of Pride in 2010 to National Karaoke Champions in 2018 and, now, our small queer Latina-owned restaurant. Life has been a wonderful ride and I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else besides Laura.”
JAMC Fit
The couple: Anthony Mancilla and Wesley Watson
These two coaches give focus to helping queer men “get thicc!” Whatever your fitness needs are, these two want to help transform bodies inside and out through their online training program. Challenging workouts and food-positive approaches are tools they use to help people in the community looking for a healthy outlook and lifestyle.
Watson is also a competitive bodybuilder who recently competed in the Lee Labrada Classic, snagging three silver trophies and earning National Qualifier status.
The Shindig Food Park
The couple: Kam and Teri DeLeon
These two women met when they were both working as servers in 1999. After getting together at the suggestion of some coworkers at the time, the two became an unstoppable team.
Kam finished grad school at Texas Woman’s University, and then the two moved to New York for Teri to attend the Culinary Institute of America.
Fast-forward 20 years to the opening of their catering company, DeLeon Provisions, in 2019.
This month, the two will open The Shindig in the former Keller’s Drive-in hamburger joint on Samuell Boulevard in East Dallas (yes, that same Shindig where Locura Bites will be located).
The Shindig will be a family-friendly site that not only features rotating food trucks but also a play area for children, a full service bar, wifi and private rental space.
Instagram: @TheShindigFoodPark.
Common Ground Games
The couple: Jamison Sacks and DR Hanson
The co-owners of Common Ground Games just celebrated the store’s 10th birthday this past spring. Over the last decade, this gay-owned spot for all things board games and more has become one of the most popular stores of its kind in Dallas — not only for its broad selection of games, but for the community of gamers who come together in the store’s expanded location for game nights.
Sacks and Hanson have been together for 17 years, and, while the store has a broader audience, the two have remained committed to having a presence within the local LGBTQ community.
“I heard a business owner once say ‘Hire your weaknesses’. I think that’s great advice for business but in relationships, too. I think that’s something Jamison and I both did unconsciously. We married our weaknesses,” Hanson said. “We make a great team because his strengths cover my weaknesses and vice versa.
“At first there was some miscommunication and bruised egos as we stumbled through living, loving and working together. But once we realized it was just our pesky egos we were able to see the work we needed to do and support that work. I’m grateful and lucky to say that we’ve found our groove, and the store is stronger for it.”
Common Grounds is located in the same shopping center as fellow gay-owned business Zeus Comics.
Casa M Spice
The couple: Manny and Mike Hernandez
These husbands will spice up your life with their own blends of seasonings for all your meats and foods. Casa M Spice was born in 2018, with its signature label Chain Reaction. It didn’t hurt that Mike has his PhD, lends to his crafting of flavors and mixes.
Based out of Lewisville, the brand has gone on to partner with soccer team FC Dallas and to be featured at Kroger grocery stores. On its site, shoppers can not only look through their nine seasonings but also shop a variety of gift sets.
Casa M’s own manifesto speaks to Hernandez’s (and their team’s) commitment to its product: “We believe well-seasoned food has the power to transform your dining experience.”
