Out to Lunch!

Springtime means it’s luncheon season in H-Town! The annual Hats in the Park event, chaired by Francine Ballard and Greggory Burk, was once again a glam slam, raising $400K for the Hermann Park Conservancy. ... The Christus Foundation for Healthcare welcomed Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, to speak at its spring lunch, which raised nearly a quarter-million dollars. ... And more than 200 supporters of the Children’s Museum gathered at the River Oaks Country Club for its Friends and Families lunch. Guests enjoyed fig-and-pecan-glazed chicken as keynote speaker Jennifer Arnold, best known as half of The Little Couple on TLC, gave a motivational message — and Sprinkles’ cupcakes to-go were a sweet parting gift.

‘Friends’ by Wilson Parish; ‘Hats’ by Jenny Antill Clifton


Isabelle Swartz, Gloria Luna Bounds and Anna Kaplan at ‘Hats’

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Leadership in Action: John Kuykendall Traded Newcaster Dream for Success in Luxury Retail

John Kuykendall, Showroom Manager, Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove

How did you get to where you are today? Growing up I had envisioned myself as a news anchor, living in NY and enthusiastically saying into the camera “Good Morning America!”. To this day, I am still a news/political junkie. My mother owned fur salons so specialty retail, luxury retail was in my blood through the family business. Eventually, mom shuttered the stores and I was recruited to a large specialty retailer. Over the next 30 years, I was in commissioned sales on the sales floor, became a department manager, worked my way up to buyer and store manager. Although I never became a newscaster, I did live in NYC for a few years. But Texas is home and with aging grandparents, I felt the pull to come back to my roots. A headhunter approached me. I never envisioned myself in the high-end appliance market, but there are so many similarities. Clients want a memorable experience; whether shopping for diamonds and fur or remodeling their kitchen.

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THE TRUFFLE MASTERS is returning for its 11th year on March 3rd. Now a Houston tradition of sorts, the competition sees top chefs creating a dish using black truffles all benefitting Southern Smoke.

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A new look from the soft landings collection

FROM THE OWNERS of popular Montrose haunts Traveler’s Table and Traveler’s Cart is another jetset-focused business. Owners Thy and Matthew Mitchell launched Foreign Fare in the fall of 2023 with long-haul travelers in mind. The pieces are wrinkle-free and designed to be functional as well as stylish. The line was recently featured in Travel & Leisure as a “first class look.”

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