A story idea quickly develops from a passing commentary.

Heard in the newsroom of Port Arthur Newsmedia one day this spring, a writer mentions the new Mexican pizza at Mexican restaurant Carmela.

The bestselling restaurant off US 69 is easily visible to northbound drivers.

Its delicious offerings and family environment have developed a wide variety of customers. Now they serve pizza. Yes, we are intrigued.

Would Carmela’s executives share a recipe or break from their busy schedules to tell the story of where the restaurant came from?

Journalist Mary Meaux gave it a try and came back with one of the articles from the upcoming Greater Port Arthur The Magazine, which is sure to delight our readers.

During her trip to the restaurant, Mary met a group of brothers who usually meet for breakfast Monday through Thursday, as they enjoy pretty much everything on the menu.

Mary also learned from the Abarca family the special meaning of the restaurant’s name, the hard work of generations to learn the business and start theirs, and how an important visit from a priest to Arizona led to the beginning and present day of operation of the restaurant.

As a Mexican food fanatic, I loved that Mary also had the story of the New Mexican Pizza and a recipe to share with readers for restaurant quality salsa.

This story is one of many that will be featured in Greater Port Arthur The Magazine when Volume 4 is released this month for our community.

I was fortunate enough to contribute to this issue via a worldwide interview with Gregory Davis Jr, native of Port Arthur and graduate of Memorial High.

Thanks to the email miracle, Davis’ remarkable dedication to getting the job done, and the help of the military, we were able to put together an interview style story of my office in Port Arthur and his office on base. flight of Erbil in Iraq. .

Davis is now a leader in the National Guard, working every day to defeat Daesh and the remnants of ISIS throughout the Middle East.

It takes a lot of responsibility and commitment, and I feel comfortable saying the world is a safer place because of women and men like Gregory Davis Jr.

It is an honor to share his story.

Former Port Arthur teacher Linda Griffin-Lucas has made an impact in the classroom, in her neighborhood and through generations of community members helped by Linda’s Lighthouse, a non-profit organization founded five years after the Griffin-Lucas dies due to cancer complications.

His daughter Amber Lucas continues to keep Port Arthur in the spotlight, as evidenced by a planned school supply drive in August – this engagement story is not to be missed.

There are many other highlights in this summer edition, including a Top Golf business profile, a musician’s feature film with flamethrower JaKeithen Green, and spotlights of fireworks attendees’ photo pages. artifice of Port Arthur and the return home of Sabine Pilots in Port Arthur.

The magazine is expected to arrive late next week, and when it does, feel free to pick up a free copy (or two) by stopping by our office on 2349 Memorial Blvd. in Port-Arthur.

If you would like to receive a 6 editions per year subscription delivered straight to your mailbox, call 409-721-2400 for details.

Stephen Hemelt is the president of Port Arthur Newsmedia, which publishes The Port Arthur News, panews.com and other products. He can be contacted at stephen.hemelt@panews.com or 409-721-2445.