March of Dimes' Signature Chefs Tempts Foodies and Raises Funds for 'Moms and Babies'

Daniel Ortiz
March of Dimes' Signature Chefs Tempts Foodies and Raises Funds for 'Moms and Babies'

David Cordua

FOODIES WITH BIG hearts were in heaven at the annual Signature Chefs restaurants expo and fundraising dinner benefitting the March of Dimes. Held at The Revaire and chaired by Kristen J. Cannon and Mignon Gill, the event took in some $425,000 in support of healthier mothers and children.


Participating restaurants and hospitality outfits, working from booths ringing the room and doling out tasty treats to guests, included A Fare Extraordinaire, Clarkwood, Cut Above Spirits, Eunice, Field & Tides, Guard and Grace, Hando, Le Jardinier, Leo’s River Oaks, MaKiin Concepts Hospitality, Marmo, Money Cat, Navy Blue, Queen Bee Distilling and Relish Restaurant & Bar.

Besides great food, there were moving moments. Pete and Vivian Vandenbout, this year’s March of Dines ambassador family, shared a heartfelt story of preterm birth and infant loss.

“Signature Chefs brings together top culinary talent and the community to shine a light on the state of maternal and infant health in Houston and around the US,” said March of Dimes Senior Executive Director Jen Torres. “Locally, we continue to face significant threats to the health of moms and babies, with 1 in 8 babies being born premature and significant disparities among racial and ethnic groups.”

Kristen Cannon and Whitney Lawson

Meg and Garth Roe

Aaron Bludorn

Nicholas VandenBout and auctioneer Randy Davis

Tiffany Halik, Kristina Wilson and Nora Jarrad

Melanie Camp and Jen Torres

Milka Waterland and Elia Gabbanelli

Karen and Seth Lerner

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.

Keep Reading Show less

Windsor Fire cocktail at Marigold Club

HOUSTON BARS AND restaurants are making the most of Dry January by revamping their cocktail and mocktail lists. Increasingly, patrons are searching for non- and low-alcoholic options to capitalize on health and wellness benefits — and the city's best mixologists are taking note. Standard offerings like a virgin mule or a fun lemonade remain, but read on for some of the more inventive mocktails you'll find on menus around town!

Keep Reading Show less
Food

John & Amanda Taylor, Stephanie Willis, Jason Weddle

AMONG THE MANY festive fetes held at The Post Oak Hotel over the Christmas season was the 50th annual Spindletop Holiday Ball.

Keep Reading Show less
Parties