MIDLOTHIAN, Texas — From Dunder Mifflin Paper Company to Penn to Paper? A star of “The Office” was recently spotted at the North Texas restaurant with the director of the TV show “The Chosen.”
B.J. Novak, who played Ryan Howard in the hit sitcom, and Dallas Jenkins, the director of the TV series “The Chosen,” which has filmed in Midlothian, visited Penn to Paper in downtown Midlothian this week.
Jenkins snapped a photo of Novak posing with some of the restaurant’s staff during their visit.
Penn to Paper opened in 2022 in the 200 block of W. Avenue F in the former Big D BBQ location in downtown Midlothian. It’s named for Penn Jones Jr., a journalist who owned and operated the Midlothian Mirror from 1946 to 1974.
Jones Jr. was known for his writings calling the 1960s-era Warren Commission Report findings on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy into question, including the four-volume book “Forgive My Grief.” Some of Jones Jr.’s work can still be found on the walls of Penn to Paper, which also preserved some of the damaged floor from when the “Midlothian Mirror” offices were firebombed in 1962.
Penn to Paper's menu includes typical Texas fare of steak and brisket and ribs, pulled pork, a smashburger, and more.
It’s unclear what Novak and Jenkins ordered, though.
