Sold-Out Wine Dinner at Tony’s Toasts CanCare’s Hope-Filled Mission

Sold-Out Wine Dinner at Tony’s Toasts CanCare’s Hope-Filled Mission

Martie and Mark Alsop

SUPPORTERS OF THE Houston-based organization CanCare gathered at fine-dining stalwart Tony’s to toast the nonprofit — literally — during a sold-out wine dinner.


A three-course meal, beautifully prepared by exec chef Kate McLean, was served alongside wine pairings selected by sommelier Scott Banks. The crowd, which included Tony’s own Donna Vallone and Harris Health System CEO Esmaeil Porsa, raised more than $100,000 — thanks in part to a very full-bodied raffle prize. Winner Mark Alsop took home two dozen bottles of fine wine.

Co-chair and Kinder Morgan president John Schlosser and CanCare president Darcie Wells each spoke to the guests about the organization’s mission to “provide a survivor by the side of anyone facing cancer,” ensuring that patients experience greater healing and don’t lose hope.

Brad and Patty Jones

Vivek and Ishwaria Subbiah

Brig and Marcia Smart

Peter and Gordana Vickers

Norman and Donna Lewis

Ed and Denise Knight

Esmaeil and Alizia Porsa

Mark and Shannon Nini

Jeff and Barbara Steen

Lisa and Eric Elder

John Schlosser, Mel Edwards, and Susan and Kirby Greteman

Leslie and Val Brock

Parties

David Ansell, Bennie Flores Ansell, Thuy Tran and James Tiebout

THE ROTHKO CHAPEL held its Inspirit fundraiser — a celebration of the power of art and activism — at the industrial-chic Astorian. The evening featured cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and an onstage conversation with actor Cheech Marin, one of the world’s foremost collectors of Chicano art; 2023 Art League of Houston Texas Artist of the Year Vincent Valdez; and legendary civil rights advocate Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers of America with César Chávez. (She’s 93, by the way!)

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment

Cheech Marin reflecting outside of The Cheech (photo by David Fouts)

WHEN YOU TALK to Los Angeles-born actor Cheech Marin, regardless of how serious the subject, you can’t help but smile. His pop-culture presence is infused with an astute awareness of politics and history, and a “can do, make do, find a way to move ahead” spirit he connects to the word “Chicano,” a derogatory term that came to signify resilience, creative thinking, and social consciousness. “My dad, who died at age 93, always described himself as a Chicano, because it described him,” says Marin.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment