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

Thrive & Inspire: Creating ’Something Bigger Than Ourselves’ Drives Gooch and Pappas of RYDE

Ashley Gooch and Andrew Pappas, Co-Founders

WHAT INSPIRES YOU as you grow RYDE? The RYDE community and our team inspire us every day. The goal from the start was to create something that is bigger than ourselves — our community is just that. We want to push the limits of what a fitness experience can be. Our new Heights studio is a testament to that commitment, offering a high-energy indoor cycling experience in a stunning space. RYDE Heights opens in April, exactly eight years after our first location opened on West Gray in River Oaks.

Keep Reading Show less

Toca Madera Bird's Nest patio (photo by Connie Anderson)

FINALLY, FALL WILL arrive this week. Grab a bite and a drink or linger over a multi-course meal at these cool spots — the patios are calling!

Keep Reading Show less
Food

The Camino Huichol over the Wet Deck

VERDANT, WINDING BRANCHES arch up and over a pathway as a soundtrack of herons and chachalacas (and the occasional monkey) plays overhead. Concrete rectangles artfully jut up through the green, painted in rays of sunlight. Eventually, the path leads down to the beach, where the streaks of sun create a cinematic moment: A slim, tan couple emerges from the ocean with their surfboards in hand and their dogs at their heels, the scent of the Pacific lingering in the thick, humid air.

Keep Reading Show less
Style