If you’ve ever scanned that tiny QR code attached to your seat at a TCU game, you’ve interacted with Digital Seat Media, a homegrown tech company that now boasts the Rose Bowl and AT&T Stadium among its clientele.

Or maybe your college kid has used TimelyMD, a virtual health platform that is addressing the student mental health crisis at 200 colleges and universities. This company, headquartered in the Near Southside, was the fastest growing company in our city last year, according to Inc. Magazine.

But innovation isn’t limited to technology. Innovation is all around us, even in the food we eat. After all, the ice cream drumstick, star of a million summertime memories, was invented right here in Fort Worth.

And innovation doesn’t always require a paradigm-changing, billion-dollar idea. Sometimes it just takes someone who sees a problem differently and dreams up a unique solution.

R – Quentin Crawford
L – Cameron Cushman

Meet Quentin Crawford, the entrepreneur behind Good Jerky, a company that makes jerky out of fish.

Yes. Fish jerky.

Don’t count fish jerky out quite yet. I’ve had it and it tastes like that delicious beef, bison, or venison jerky you might pick up on a family road trip. Quentin has created a great product that provides meat lovers like me with a chewy, smoky, fish-based jerky that tastes just like traditional beef jerky.

Crawford got the idea of turning seafood into a snack when he saw several members of his family struggle with health issues, and he realized that he didn’t want to suffer the same fate. He tried to become vegetarian but found himself hungry, needing to increase the amount of protein in his diet. His health coach told him to explore becoming a pescatarian.

“When you think about eating seafood for a snack, what do you think about?” he asked me on the Innovate Fort Worth podcast that I host. I had nothing. “Maybe canned tuna?” he suggested. But that wasn’t practical for someone who traveled for work and was always on the go.

On one of these work trips, he decided to see if he could bring one of his favorite road trip foods, jerky, to life in a healthier way.

And Good Jerky was born.

According to the USDA, nine out of ten Americans don’t get enough seafood in their diet. “People want to live a healthier life and adding more fish in your diet can help you do that,” Crawford said. Eating two bags of his jerky per week provides your recommended omega 3s for the week.

In 2018, Crawford started making prototypes in his kitchen and passed samples out to friends. Some were terrible, but he kept experimenting until he found the recipes that hit the mark. He started with tilapia, but that made terrible jerky. Next, he tried salmon and trout and found success. Now he’s got big plans to bring a newer fish to the American market – swai – an Asian catfish that is catching on in the United States.

Once he had the right catch, he started developing a sweet and smoky flavor that featured a maple glaze with a hint of applewood smoke. The lineup also features habanero honey, pineapple bourbon, and several other flavors.

“Certain types of flavors complement certain kinds of fish. Salmon tends to go well with sweet flavors, for instance.”

Don’t just take it from me that Good Jerky tastes good. Crawford won the Gold Award at the International Jerky Awards (yes, that’s a thing) in 2021.

Crawford said, “We were born in a land-locked city in a place where people love meat, so we had to adjust our process for carnivores. We created the first fish jerky not created solely for pescatarians. If you’re a hard-core meat eater, this is something that you will grab, and you will love.”

Crawford and his wife and co-founder Lauren have continued to utilize many of the resources that are available to startup companies in Fort Worth to help them grow, including accelerator programs. Good Jerky was a member of MassChallenge, a global zero-equity startup accelerator, and DFW-based Impact Ventures.

Good Jerky is now available at Central Market and in grocery stores throughout the state.

So you may scratch your head when you hear about jerky made from fish, but sometimes that’s what innovation looks like. It is seeing an existing product and thinking, “Could I make that a little better?” Quentin Crawford did, and now jerky made from fish is something we can all catch.

The post The Snack with a Catch first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

photo credit: 6th Ave Storytelling

Danette’s Urban Oasis, started in 2003, is located in South Main Village. Wicker is a licensed massage therapist and nail technician, but she calls herself a body worker. Her passion for helping others through body work was born out of her mother’s battle against breast cancer. Before her mother’s death at 47, aromatherapy, massage therapy, reflexology and other alternative treatments helped alleviate her pain.  

Because of their socio-economic position, Wicker’s family had not been exposed to these alternate therapies. She felt the call to not only become a body worker but to offer her services at affordable rates, making these therapies accessible to everyone. She charges $35 an hour for massages, and the price hasn’t changed in 17 years. Located near the hospital district, Wicker is able to serve a wide array of clients. “I have immunodeficient clients and wheelchair clients that need to be cared for.”  

Wicker feels that Fort Worth needs to do more to support Black-owned businesses. She has tried to get the attention of publishers and other media outlets to no avail. “I feel being a Black–owned business in Fort Worth is a tale of not being seen. Representation matters. I always ask, ‘Can you see me? Can you see Danette’s Urban Oasis? I am here!’” She built her business through her own hard work, word of mouth marketing, and personal networking.  

Then COVID-19 hit.  

“COVID-19 shut us down in one day. I had to contact 80 clients to tell them we are closed and I have no idea when we will reopen. It plunged us into debt and uncertainty.” Wicker’s business further decreased because some of her clients were furloughed or are extremely ill and don’t have the funds to afford her work. After the protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd, her business suffered further because she had to close her doors early to comply with the citywide curfew.  

photo credit: 6th Ave Storytelling

These civic upheavals, coupled with the fact that live events she planned to attend to showcase her product lines were cancelled, meant that Wicker is sitting on a stockpile of inventory with no sales outlet. Ever resourceful, she changed her business model, almost overnight. E-commerce now provides most of her income.  

Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius said, “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” In other words, the things we think are blocking our path are not blocking our path; they are our path. Wicker has openly, and with hope in her heart, embraced these words. All small businesses who strive to overcome this upside–down, post-COVID world in which we find ourselves, must do the same if they wish to survive.  

“I am not fearful that the world is going to implode. I hate the term pivot because it’s almost like it’s this nice little easy little thing you’re doing. It’s like being a marionette. It is up and down and chaotic. It’s not easy and it’s not smooth.”  

Wicker took what was a largely in-person business with limited online sales and flipped it on its head. It takes an immense amount of courage and fortitude to accomplish such a feat, especially quickly as she has done it. One of Danette’s Urban Oasis’s greatest strengths, though, are quality product lines that easily compete with any other local boutiques or department store. She can sell these lines at incredibly competitive prices because she doesn’t carry the overhead of the big box stores. She is also able to offer free shipping. In fact, during Fort Worth’s shutdown, she offered front porch delivery just to make sure she kept her customers.  

photo credit: 6th Ave Storytelling

Happily, Danette’s Urban Oasis is open again. “We have added enhanced COVID–19 protocols to protect myself and my clients. We added an extensive line of face masks, sanitizers, and unique protective gear.” In the midst of her own personal business struggles, Wicker is still able to find ways to help in our community. She is donating 10% of sales of certain gift line sales to Hope Farm in July and Young Men’s Leadership Academy in August. “We wanted to help young people in our community.” 

The post A Business Leader Is Born: Danette’s Urban Oasis first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

While we are working on new stories, here are some of our friends that would love your support and patronage. Some might even want your action. Please reach out to them and see what you can do to make their lives better and help support their causes.

In our 3rd issue of Madeworthy Magazine, we told the story of published author and Jarrel James Salon owner, Sau Le Hudecek.

photo credit: Kim Burnstad

“Set a bit incongruously, or perhaps anachronistically, on the corner lot of two residential streets in an established and affluent neighborhood north of I-30, the Jerrel James Salon caters to the cosmetological needs of many of Fort Worth’s well-heeled citizens. As I drive through quiet, well-lit streets on my way to meet Sau Le Hudecek, the owner of the salon, I pass pretty houses with manicured lawns and shiny new SUVs and sedans in the driveways. I am struck again by the shocking first sentence of Sau’s new book, The Rebirth of Hope, published by TCU Press:

‘When I was six years old, the night before school started, my sister was killed by a land mine.'”

Full story: HERE

In that same issue, we published a story about A.L. “Drew” Thomas of Drew’s Place.

photo by Jocelyn Tatum

“A medium-sized green, plastic trashcan sits zip-tied to a section of railing on Merrick Street in the Como neighborhood. It reads, ‘TRASH. Keep Como Clean,’ in black Sharpie. On the day I visited, it has a fresh garbage bag inside filled halfway with newly-accumulated soda cans and napkins. A serene lake and wildlife area surrounded by old homes, some restored and some sagging, lie just beyond the trashcan with its plea.”

Read the full story: HERE 

We featured Tareka Lofton of Loft22 Cakes on the Cover of our Nov/Dec 2018 issue.

photo credit: Beth McElhannon Photography

“First and foremost, Tareka Lofton of Loft22 Cakes is an artist. Sitting in her bakery located on Daggett Street, her work on the wall is one of the first things that she points out. ‘See that watercolor over there, that’s my work.’ I cannot help but be impressed. The work is eye-catching. Yet, it is not the only work of art in the room. Not too far away, several dozen colorful cakes and cupcakes are displayed in a refrigerated case next to the cash register.  She takes a look around the room as we talk. She seems to be in her sweet spot. If her innate artistic talent is what so beautifully and distinctively colors her work, most certainly the secret ingredient that flavors her cakes and pastries so well is grit. Pure grit.”

Read the full article: HERE

In that same issue, we featured Melvin Robinson of Doughboy Donuts.

Photos by Rory Balkin

“The first time I met him, he was covered in sweat in the Texas heat. In his hands, he carried a large box of treats. He was delivering donuts to Texas Christian University – some covered in Fruity Pebbles, and others flavored with “sriracha bacon.”I was working at TCU that summer. We were planning an event, and Melvin Roberson came to give us a taste test from his up-and-coming donut food truck. When he opened the boxes, we stared in awe at the gorgeous donuts and with unique flavors. I thought of all the sweets lovers I knew and took a picture to send to my family.”

Read the full story: HERE 

In our Nov/Dec 2019 issue, we published a story about Ernestine Edmond, owner of Mama E’s BBQ and Home Cooking.

photo credit: Reverie Photo Co.

“Driving down Rosedale Avenue, past Torchy’s Tacos and the hospital district, I spot a small brick building with barred windows and a large sign boasting ‘Mama E’s Bar-B-Que and Home Cooking.’ I pull into the gravel parking lot and make my way inside. Three women stand behind the counter, slicing brisket, buttering buns and pulling fresh, homemade pastries out of the oven. The oldest is a small woman standing just over five feet, with a smile as bright as the sun. She walks out of the kitchen through a side door covered in children’s art and hugs me.”

Read the full story: HERE 

These are just some of the stories we have shared over the years, and we will continue being advocates of Black Lives Matter and our city’s minority- and black-owned businesses. In our next blog, we will highlight some of the organizations that are making a difference in Fort Worth and how you can get involved.

The post Black Lives Matter first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.