Cliburn winners triumph in this week's 5 hottest Fort Worth headlines

June 14,2025

See full Culture Map article by Stephanie Allmon Merry here.

1. Pianist from Hong Kong wins 2025 Cliburn Competition in Fort Worth. Aristo Sham, a 29-year-old pianist from Hong Kong, China, won the Seventeenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth. Second place went to Vitaly Starikov, 30, of Israel/Russia; and third place went toEvren Ozel, 26, of the United States. The winners were named June 7 at Bass Hall and then celebrated with a fireworks display in Sundance Square.

2. Old Neighborhood Grill closing in Fort Worth's Near Southside. Venerable Fort Worth restaurant Old Neighborhood Grill, located at 1633 Park Place Ave., is closing after 27 years in the Park Place Village strip. According to a note from owners Brenda and Wallis Lester, the restaurant will close on June 15.

3. Peach Cobbler Factory to debut at DFW Airport with 2 locations. Cobbler is coming to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW): The Peach Cobbler Factory, a chain based in North Carolina, will open not one but two locations at the airport. The first DFW location will open in Terminal D in late 2025; a second location will open in the new Terminal C Pier in 2026.

4. Fun colorful boba shop from Oregon makes Texas debut in Fort Worth. A new boba tea concept has debuted in Fort Worth: Called TeaCupFuls, it’s an Oregon-based chain that has opened its first location in Texas in north Fort Worth, in a former nutrition shop at 5800 N. Tarrant Pkwy. #106, where it opened on May 31.

5. Fort Worth Botanic Garden entrance will be temporarily detoured. The Fort Worth Botanic Garden has a situation going on with its entrance but rest assured, the living museum located at 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd is still very much open. The situation is that its main entrance is temporarily closed due to construction on University Drive.