Chef Shawn Virene founded the French-style restaurant known as a’Bouzy in 2017 after a vision came to him during a birthday trip in a region of France called Champagne.

The inspiration: The concept of a’Bouzy is centered around the sparkling wine and sells over 300 types of champagne, from glasses to bottles. Guests are even welcomed to try the brand’s signature pairing of champagne and popcorn when they sit down.

“a’Bouzy comes from my love of champagne,” Virene said. “It’s such a versatile wine. It goes with almost every food there is. It’s not just used to celebrate. Everyone has that stuck in their head that it’s only for celebrations, but it’s really not. It pairs well with almost everything you put on a plate.”

Virene tests that theory by pairing different types of champagne and wine with a menu that showcases speciality dishes ranging from French comfort foods to French-American fusions. The restaurant also offers pairings of caviar, meat and cheese boards that complement various wine and champagne selections.

• 2300 Westheimer Road, Houston

Amped Fitness, an immersive fitness brand, opened its newest location Sept. 1 on Westheimer Road, its seventh venue in the Greater Houston area.

The details: The Westheimer club, according to an Aug. 27 news release, brings the brand's signature services to Houston, including a training floor, premium strength equipment, professionally instructed reformer Pilates, immersive cardio, recovery experiences, kids' club and private multipurpose spaces.

“Houston continues to be an exciting market for Amped Fitness, and we’re thrilled to expand our presence with the opening of our Westheimer location,” CEO Travis LaBazzo said via news release. “Our goal is to create an experience that gives members more than a traditional gym membership."

More information: Per the news release, members can train with intensity, participate in a professionally instructed reformer Pilates session, watch a movie while completing cardio, slow down inside a mindfulness environment on the moon, recover after a workout with infrared or use a private space to create content, record a podcast, take a virtual meeting or focus without distractions.

• 10707 Westheimer Road, Houston

The YMCA of Greater Houston will host a Senior Open House on Sept. 9 in honor of Healthy Aging Month, YMCA officials announced in an Aug. 27 news release.

What's happening: Open to residents age 55 and older alongside their families, friends and caregivers, the open house will take place at YMCA locations across the Greater Houston area. Per the release, the event will allow attendees to explore their local YMCA and learn more about ForeverWell programming. Open house activities will include:

• Vendor fairs with community partners

• Facility tours

• Prize drawings and giveaways

• Educational programs with demonstrations
  

Quote of note: "Many are entering a new phase of life, and doing so alongside a community while participating in activities that encourage movement, relationship building and exploring new interests keeps adults of all ages active and engaged," said Stephen Ives, president and CEO of YMCA of Greater Houston, in a statement. "Through our ForeverWell program, specifically for adults 55 and better, we create opportunities for connection and engagement."

The Texas comptroller's office is requesting that lawmakers provide more than $2 billion for the state's education savings account program, which subsidizes private education and homeschooling for participating families.

How we got here: The legislature created the program in 2025, allocating $1 billion for the 2026-27 school year. Nearly 110,000 students have received state dollars from the program so far, and officials said funding should be doubled to ensure more students can enroll in the next two years.

Zooming in: According to the comptroller's legislative appropriations request for the 2028-29 biennium, it would cost:

• $916 million per year to continue funding the roughly 110,000 students currently enrolled

• $82 million annually would be needed to fund siblings of participating children who will soon qualify for the program

• $980 million per year to provide funding for more than 106,000 students on the program's waitlist

Something to note: The comptroller's $2 billion base budget request would not fully cover the waitlist and interest list, which would cost nearly $4 billion for the 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years.