MALAKOFF
PROFILE HF FAMILY TABLE & MARKET
STORY AND PHOTOS BY SHELLI PARKER
Gather Around the Table
HF Family Table & Market offers food, culture and community
G
athering around the table is a
valuable part of our past that
is gradually disappearing. Busy
families now often gather around the
TV or eat in the car. With the loss of
the dinner table comes the lost art
of dinner conversation. Without the
opportunities for your children to tell
about their day or get updates on what
is happening in each others lives, a
chance to connect is lost.
Joe Hessley, of New England
and R.J. Flowers of Grapevine met
in Chicago where they both were
working at the time. Being away
from family, their friends became an
extension of that and they frequently
hosted dinner parties where they
gathered around the table.
Hessley and Flowers moved to
Texas where they settled in Malakoff.
“We fell in love with the town and
the people,” Flowers said.
They opened Mister Sweet Tooth
in Malakoff and offered gourmet
truffles, custom cakes, and other
sweets. The endeavor was successful
and they started catering some events.
Flowers and Hessley scoured
old family recipes and started
construction on a new project around
the corner, H&F Family Table &
Market, which opened July 5.
“The focus is on great food, great
wine, and the things we do with our
families...it is an extension.”
The market started with gourmet
food items, craft beer and a nice wine
bar, which they meticulously selected
from a quality assortment not found
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T H E T E X A S F O O D IE
“The focus is on great food, great
wine, and the things we do with our
families...it is an extension.”
locally.
“R.J. sought out wines we really
enjoy, he brought those in and the
same with beer. We wanted to give
people a unique reason to come here.”
Hessley said.
Inside the market, at 213 S. Terry
St. in Malakoff is a restaurant with
specially selected and cherished family
recipes. Many of the Italian recipes
are Hessley’s and the southern ones
stem from R.J.’s Texas roots. They said
countless hours were spent reviewing
old family archives choosing only the
best.
“We went through collectively and
came up with the absolute favorites.
We wanted to share these with others
and let people come in with their
family and enjoy them like we would,”
Hessley said.
Recipes use only the highest grades
of meats, grass-fed and nice cuts. They
have fresh seafood every week.