parties

Truffles, Risotto and Wine — Oh My! Foodie Festival Savors Its 15th Year

Truffles, Risotto and Wine — Oh My! Foodie Festival Savors Its 15th Year

Tim and Kristen Delgado, Selena Mackay and Charles Martens

A BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY contributed to the 15th annual International Risotto Festival's astounding turnout.

More than 725 Houstonians hit up the Houston Design Center for a full afternoon of food and fun. Chef stations featured tastings of antipasti and fine wines — and, of course, risotto: Eight chefs competed for the ultimate title of Best Risotto Dish, and the honors went to Maurizio Ferrarese for the third time. The Alba Ristorante chef's creamy saffron risotto with black truffles and short rib certainly earned the top prize, while Concura's Angela Cuppone garnered second place for his pumpkin risotto.

The rest of the afternoon also adopted an Italian theme. The Design Center's grounds featured both Italian music and exotic cars, and the hundreds of guests — including Federico Ciattaglia, the Consul General of Italy — spent hours strolling, sipping and savoring.

The afternoon grossed more than $135,000, and net proceeds will go to Second Servings of Houston, a "food-rescue" org whose mission is to minimize food waste and fight hunger.

Kristine Cruz and Magdalina Spangelo

Camille Buffalo and Jessie Joseph

Joey and Elizabeth Borski

James Madget, Martha Adger, Marilyn and Michael Smith

Carlos and Karina Barbieri

Chef Maurizio Ferrarese of Alba Ristorante at The Hotel Granduca

Annaliese Settles and Ariana Fathivand

Faith Pate and Uriel Quintanilla

David and Jodie Stocker

Daniele Pinto, Gina Musachia and Stephanie Perkins

Consul General of Italy Federico Ciattaglia, Sheri Roane, Barbara Bronstein and Rose-Ann Aargon

Chris and Ashton Joseph

From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Food
promoted

Exclusive Furniture’s Sam Zavary Credits Luck, Hard Work and ‘Mom’s Prayers’ for His Success

Exclusive Furniture’s Sam Zavary Credits Luck, Hard Work and ‘Mom’s Prayers’ for His Success

How did you get to where you are today? I am a firm believer that hard work and having dreams that you strive to achieve will motivate and inspire people to achieve their potential. Working hard, dreaming, and making sure to take advantage of every opportunity is something I learned at a young age. I credit God and God’s grace firstly, but I know that success is a direct result of hard work. I tell my podcast subscribers and followers to continue setting goals, evolving, improving, and planning, and I practice what I preach. I am proud to have started my business in the fastest growing major city in the United States, and I attribute a lot of the success of Exclusive Furniture to the family culture we create in the best city — Houston’s diversity, philanthropy, and innovation have helped me achieve a lot of the milestones in the furniture business (and the “low prices”) you see today!

Keep Reading Show less
art

‘Birds, Bugs and Flowers in the Oven!’ Foltz Presents Playful Work by Gardner, Other Texas Artists

Rachel Gardner with her flower necklaces and, at left, Calla Lilly necklace

ON SATURDAY JULY 27, Foltz Gallery presents Endless Summer, a lively, playful exhibit of works by a multi-generational group of 28 emerging and established Texas-based artists. Taking its name from the 1974 Beach Boys double-album, which compiled the group’s early 1960s hit singles, the show is a visual “mixtape” of colorful paintings, prints, photographs, wall-based installations, ceramics and sculptures, installed lovingly throughout Foltz’s spacious and sunlit galleries. Among the works in Endless Summer are several examples of handmade “sculptural jewelry” by artist Rachel Gardner — a series of wearable wildflowers and fruits, including olives and strawberries.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment
parties

Reality Star Aesha Scott of ‘Below Deck’ Makes Splash at Rooftop Soirée

Roshan Moayed

Aesha Scott, Jack Vielhauer, Courtney Scott

AFTERNOON SHOWERS DIDN'T stop a gorgeous gaggle of yo-pros and creatives from filling downtown’s Z on 23 rooftop lounge to meet Aesha Scott, the standout star of Bravo’s Below Deck reality show.

Keep Reading Show less
Parties