PLAN BEE

San Antonio restaurants flutter into fall with Monarch fest menus

Geranium Club has created pollinator-themed lemon berry basil cakes for a Wildcraft General popup on September 5.

Photo courtesy of Monarch Butterfly & Pollinator Festival

For a decade, San Antonio’s annual Monarch Butterfly & Pollinator Festival has highlighted the animals that keep the world blooming. Now, organizers have launched a new month-long promotion sure to make foodies aflutter.

Throughout September, some of Alamo City’s best restaurants will be highlighting dishes made possible by the hard work of bees, butterflies, and bats. During the inaugural Migratory Month, locals can enjoy dishes and drinks like Sonoran wheat tortillas at Mezquite, hibiscus teas at Liberty Bar, and a farm salad at Howdy Child. Find a full list of participants online.

"San Antonio sits in the heart of the Texas (migratory) Funnel, welcoming billions of migrating animals each year — from monarch butterflies to ruby-throated hummingbirds and many more, making it critical for our community to support these vital species," says Ashley Bird, the creative director for the festival, in a release. "Pollinators are a critical part of our ecosystem as they make one in every three bites of food possible!”

Migratory Month leads up to one of San Antonio’s most colorful traditions, the free fest held between 9 am-2 pm on October 3 at Brackenridge Park. Planners say Pecan Grove will be buzzing with new experiences.

Organizers have teamed with Blooming With Birdie, an educational design company, to launch educational activations that immerse guests in the migratory action. Participants can race across North America while dodging environmental hazards or take flight as birds soaring through a 1,800-square-foot maze.

More competitive revelers can race against the clock to gather pollen from giant Texas wilflowers and build a bumblebee colony.And like previous years, the park grounds will be filled with parades, educational booths, and opportunities to adopt a local tree for ecological conservation. Face painting, flamboyant costumes, and a few stray homages to Dolly Parton are all highly encouraged.

Presented by Project Bloom, the festival has grown by leaps and bounds over the decade, with an attendance goal of 10,000 for 2026. The location recognizes that San Antonio is a vital stop for the butterflies on the way south — and a nectar-rich buffet that pollinates the entire region.

The Alamo City has long been a leader in preserving its pollinator populations. The National Wildlife Federation named San Antonio its inaugural Monarch Champion City in 2015 for instituting two dozen recommended conservation tactics that preserved access for the butterflies.

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OPENING ALERT

Mediterranean bowl chain CAVA opens first New Braunfels location

Photo courtesy of CAVA.

CAVA wants to bowl over New Braunfels.

September 7 might be Labor Day, but CAVA is getting down to business. The quickly growing Mediterranean fast-casual chain is opening its first New Braunfels location at 323 Creekside Crossing in the Town Center at Creekside development.

First-generation Greek Americans Ted Xenohristos, Ike Grigoropoulos, and Dimitri Moshovitis first launched the brand as a full-service restaurant in Rockville, Maryland, in 2006. The dips and spreads were so popular that they spawned a product line in 2008 and, later, a fast-casual restaurant that was a template for the chain.

The restaurant applied the Chipotle model to Mediterranean fare. Guests start with a base of greens, grains, or pita and build their own dish with proteins such as braised lamb and harissa honey chicken, adding various toppings, spreads, and dressings like strawberry sesame or yogurt dill.

The formula makes CAVA one of the few success stories of the shrinking fast-casual market. The current craze for high-protein meals, plus modest price increases during inflation, have helped form an ambitious plan to expand to 1,000 units by 2032.

“Our mission is to bring heart, health, and humanity to food, and everything we do at CAVA is grounded in that spirit of generosity, to our guests, our team members, and our community,” said Louie Lovejoy, Regional Director, in a release.

The New Braunfels outpost will serve from 10:30 am-10 pm daily, and it comes with a philanthropic push. Before the restaurant opens, CAVA will collect donations for the San Antonio Food Bank during two community days. The chain will match all gifts up to $1,000.

The debut puts the restaurant in the middle of one of New Braunfels’ most transformative developments. Among its fellow tenants will be budget-minded gym Eōs Fitness, sneakily named Kentucky steakhouse Texas Roadhouse, Orlando-based chain Jeremiah's Italian Ice, and a Chick-fil-A drive-thru.

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