The National Kolache Craze and Its Houston Connection

The talented guys at Revival Market Ryan Pera and Morgan Weber made it into the New York Times, but it wasn't for their master butchering skills. They along with local shops Christy's Donuts in Montrose and Shipley's on N. Main were mentioned in a Times article referencing the peaking of the artisan kolache that started with roadside stands in Texas. Kolache Mama and Kolache Factory, chains that originated in Houston were also credited with influencing the craze. Part of the kolache movement is said to have originated from the concentration of Czech-Americans in Texas, with original versions mutating to reflect one profile of our culinary scene. Because it's usually our immoderate Tex-Mex food consumption that seems to reach nationally, it makes sense that some expatriate Texans who open kolache shops in places like Oregon and New York have infused Mexican flavor into their offerings: "Many Czech-Americans here, rather than feeling threatened by new varieties of kolaches that may obscure the pastry's origins, are so confident of their cultural and culinary patrimony that they embrace them." And judging by the sales of the jalapeño and cheese iteration, it looks like "Czech-Mex" kolaches are here to stay.
· The Kolache: Czech, Texan or All-American? (All Three) [NYT]