For the past 25 years, Austinites have known the cozy cottage at 900 W. 10th as a destination restaurant: Basil’s for much of that time and, more recently, as Cafe Caprice. However, scattered descendants of the Tankersley family fondly remember the cottage as their ancestral home in Austin, built by the Rev. William G. Tankersley (1890-1958) and his wife, Mary Lea Tankersley (1894-1991), probably in 1937. Tankersley descendants from all over Texas and as far away as New York City gathered in Austin for a family reunion the weekend of May 19. Four generations of women celebrated family history and togetherness with a luncheon at Cafe Caprice on Saturday, May 20. Among the guests were the Tankersleys’ two surviving daughters, Frances Tankersley Messer and Billye Jean Tankersley Townes, both in their 80s, as well as the newest female members of the clan, infants Mason Godici and Olivia Greene. Cafe Caprice owners Paul and Joni Constantine served the ladies Bibb Lettuce Salad, choices of Citrus and Garlic Shrimp With Vermicelli and Fresh Vegetables or Filet Mignon With Creamy Mashed Potatoes and Buttermilk Shallot Rings, and Strawberry Rhubarb Tarts With Homemade Ice Cream or a Chocolate Praline Torte.
Before the big event, family historian Shella Thornton Massey generously shared some of her family’s cherished memories. The Tankersleys married in 1910 and had four children: son Randle Tankersley and daughters Cleon Tankersley Thornton, Frances, and Billye Jean. William was called to the ministry as a young man and worked his way through Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene before embarking on a preaching career. After church postings in Oklahoma and West Texas, he and Lea brought their family to Austin, where he was the pastor of the Kinney Avenue Baptist Church from 1940 to 1946. William sold dry-cleaning supplies during the week and preached the gospel on Sundays. The patriarch placed a premium on college education – many of Tankersleys descendants are UT graduates pursuing careers in pharmacy, medicine, and community service. The family was always very musical: Cleon and Billye Jean both played piano during their father’s revival meetings and church services, while Randle was an accomplished saxophone player who played in marching bands at Austin High and UT, as well as heading up his own dance band, which held weekly rehearsals in the house. The Tankersley home was the site of many celebrations for the family and the congregation: weddings, birthday parties, fish fries, and family reunions were held in the back yard overlooking Shoal Creek. Considering that, it seems a natural progression that the Tankersleys’ beloved home would become a restaurant, the site of thousands of special occasions, eventually to be owned by another musical family, the Constantines.
Trivia Quiz: Name at least three Austin restaurants that are housed in older homes and win a dinner for two at Cafe Caprice. E-mail answers to food@austinchronicle.com.
This article appears in May 26 • 2006.