“Rockport Food & Spirits Culture”

New Book Celebrates Rockport Food Art and History

Rockport Food and Spirits Culture features historic images local artwork and 68 recipes

ROCKPORT, Texas — A new book exploring Rockport’s art, history and culinary culture brings together rare photographs, local artwork and 68 recipes while answering some colorful questions from the community’s past.

“Rockport Food and Spirits Culture,” written by Kay Betz and Vickie Merchant and sponsored by the Rockport Cultural Arts District as a heritage project, is now available. A book signing featuring the authors, artists and chefs is scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 10, 2026, in the Education Room at the Texas Maritime Museum. The full-color, 161-page signed books will be sold for $60, with all proceeds benefiting RCAD programs and projects.

The book explores which Rockport cafe displayed the original Big Blue Crab on its roof, the story behind an iconic 1915 photograph of hundreds of people gathered at the Rockport Railroad Depot, Rockport’s role in the green sea turtle industry at the turn of the 20th century and the Guy Clark songs that center on food.

“The book is a landmark publication that documents Rockport’s culinary and artistic legacy,” said Jennifer Day, executive director of RCAD. “It is a scrapbook of evocative postcards and other never-before-seen images of Rockport’s most treasured and iconic spaces, from the winemaking vineyards of Frandolig Island to the Toast of the Coast fish logo holding a cocktail. It is also a delightful cookbook with recipes from talented chefs, mixologists and favorite cafes and restaurants.”

The publication includes work by artists from every era of the local art colony, including founder Simon Michael and 14 Rockport Center for the Arts Master Artists. Featured artists include Harold Phenix, Herb Booth, Steve Russell, Evelyn Atkinson, Hal McCaskill, Kay Barnebey, Carol Koutnik, Thom Evans, Susie Bracht Black, Joey Blazek, Lisa Baer Frederick, Robin Hazard and Barb Robinson. Other contributors include Dinah Bowman, Mary Downing, Jackson Ehrlich, Shirley Farley, Larry Felder, Audrianna Gonzalez, Pam Heard, Dick Haseley, Robin Renee Hix, Frances Iles, Stan Irwin, Elsa Mathews, Maria Nesbit, Patti Schermerhorn, Buck Schiwetz, John and Jamie Speck, Ellie Specht and Greta Watkins.

“Who knew artwork of lettuce, beans, cakes, pies and doughnuts could be as spectacular as Rockport’s wildlife and landscapes?” Merchant said. “The book is also a journey through the development of the Texas Gulf Coast aesthetic that helped Rockport be recognized as one of the top 10 coastal art colonies in the United States.”

Among the book’s historical discoveries is new context for a widely circulated photograph of a crowd gathered at the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway Depot. Previous researchers had dated the image to 1915 but could not determine the occasion. Betz and Merchant connected it to an Aug. 12 barbecue honoring Texas Gov. James “Pa” Ferguson, who was vacationing in Rockport with his family.

Newspaper accounts reported that neighboring communities traveled by rail to attend and that Ferguson later addressed approximately 2,000 people. During the same visit, Ferguson sent an urgent telegram to President Woodrow Wilson requesting federal forces in response to escalating raids in South Texas. The authors’ research suggests that, for several days in August 1915, Rockport became a center of state decision-making during an international conflict.

The book’s 68 recipes represent restaurants, cookbook authors, chefs, caterers and members of the community. Contributors and sources include Pik-Nik, Copano’s, Susie Black, Kayla Butts of Four String Farm, Monica Burdette, Karey Swartwout of the former GLOW restaurant, the late Terry Thompson-Anderson, Vicki Comisso, Lars Flores and Tony Legner. Recipes and memorabilia also represent Angel Rose Bed and Breakfast, Apple Dumpling Deli, the Duck Inn, Greek Bros. and Greek’s 205, Gidget + Grace Bakery, Key Allegro’s Islander Club and the Vietnamese community. Drink selections feature Big Tree Oyster Company, Anne Bergstrom Hunt and the 1868 R. H. Wood House, Reel’em Inn, Winery on the Bay and other local mixologists.

The publication coincides with RCAD’s inaugural Texas Culinary Arts Show, scheduled for Oct. 24–25, 2026. Tickets are available at texasculinaryarts.com.

Betz and Merchant have written several other books about Rockport history, including “The Story of the Rockport-Fulton Art Colony: How a Texas Coastal Town Became an Art Enclave,” published by Texas A&M University Press; “Foodways: The Culinary History of Aransas County”; and “The ABCs of the Rockport-Fulton Art Colony.”

More information: rockportculturalartsdistrict.com | facebook.com/RockportCAD