I’m a dessert gal, and my weakness is cake.  Where can you find the Best Ever Strawberry Cake?  Look no further than Ritual, in Jacksonville.  It’s one of the Best Restaurants in Texas!

As I began to write this post, I wondered:  What is a Ritual?  And how is a Ritual different from a Habit.  Somewhere on the Internets, I saw a really good answer!  When you think of a habit, you think about one specific action that you do over and over again. Flossing your teeth is a habit. Drinking water after you wake up is a habit.  Habits are a singular focus.  The beauty of rituals is that they can contain multiple habits in one ritual.

That’s the perfect description for the cutest luncheonette in all of East Texas:  Ritual!

Delicious Food, The Best Ever Strawberry Cake, and Healthy Living:  A Ritual

Proprietor and friend, Whitney Graham Carter, describes her Jacksonville, Texas establishment in this way:  “When I opened Ritual, I wanted to make this a place where customers, friends, and neighbors can change themselves from the inside out.  And adopt many lifestyle changes that become more than a habit, they become a Ritual.  So, the food we serve is as fresh and locally sourced as possible.  The curated apothecary inside Ritual carries the best products we can find for hair, skin, nails, and general holistic wellness.  And the Yoga studio upstairs, helps practitioners cleanse their internal organs, while seeking calm and focus.”

Seem pretty progressive for deep East Texas?  Yup.  It is!  But Whitney has lived and travelled all over the world. While she got to Jacksonville, Texas “as fast as she possibly could,” her wide experiences include educational training in the Honors Economics program at the University of Texas, with specialization in International Business studies at the Sorbonne in Paris, France.  There she began work for J. F. Lazartique,  then later Joseph A. Lewis III and Joseph Dinardo, the most renowned scientists in the field of anti-aging research science and cosmeceutical formulation.

Ritual opened in December 2016, and is a popular spot for folks looking for things to do in East Texas.  Ritual has quickly become a tremendously popular dining, shopping, and Yoga establishment for Jacksonville, Texas residents. Many say one of the Best Restaurants in Texas!  Day-trippers, like myself, who enjoy visiting small town Texas, and are looking for great restaurants and experiences along the way.

When Ritual first opened, Whitney explained that she was committed to including the tried-and-true Texas favorites on the menu:  Chicken Salad, Pimento Cheese, the Best Ever Strawberry Cake….yes ma’am…that’s all there, and delish, I might add!

But, Ritual expands on the traditional to include a drizzle of truffle oil on a deviled egg here, a herb-infused Quiche there, fresh gazpacho with legendary Jacksonville tomatoes…and let’s talk about Wagyu Beef Taco Tuesday….line is out the door, y’all!

East Texas friends, Ritual CATERS….pretty sure I need an entire strawberry cake STAT! If you are looking for things to do in East Texas, I suggest throwing a party!  And for dessert?  The Best Ever Strawberry Cake, obviously! Ritual has a Facebook Page, so you can reach out!

Tips for Visiting

• OK road trippers….Jacksonville is 30 minutes south of Tyler, Texas, and two hours southeast of Dallas.
• The Jacksonville Tomatoes are famous, you might want to plan a visit during the Tomato Festival, which my friend Tanya Foster detailed in this post.  But if you can’t make the Festival, Jacksonville is a darling town worth visiting any time.
• Open Monday-Friday 7:45-2:00.  Closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
• While you are out in East Texas, you might want to take the opportunity to pick blueberries, and have have several suggestions in the area.

Be sure and give Whitney a big hug from The Curious Cowgirl!  She’s a doll!

And, Whitney is not the only impressive gal to graduate from Jacksonville High School.  Don’t forget about the genius sibling film production company behind my favorite documentary, Tomato Republic.