An 'Enchanted' Lunch Honors Rodeo Trailblazers — and Lassos a Record-Breaking Crowd of Thousands

An 'Enchanted' Lunch Honors Rodeo Trailblazers — and Lassos a Record-Breaking Crowd of Thousands

Camille Connelly, Audrey White, Julie Chen, Amanda Boffone, Daniella Hernandez, Melissa Moncrief

THE 24TH ANNUAL Trailblazers Awards luncheon and fashion show kicked off Rodeo season in style! The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo took over the entirety of the Hilton Americas-Houston's ballroom spaces and welcomed a record-setting crowd of more than 2,000 for its big afternoon fete, which this year adopted the theme of Enchanted Garden.


This year's honorees, recognized for all the time, talent and generosity they've lent to the Rodeo over the years, included Isela Garcia, Michelle Iversen Jeffrey, Kristie Manning, Nancy Motley, Taryn Sims and Jennifer Currey Van Matre. Recipients from previous years were also in attendance, cheering each other on during the fashion show, produced by Lenny Matuszewski and Tamara Klosz Bonar.

The main event featured spring fashions from Saks Fifth Avenue (and cowboy dancers, naturally). Inspired by the production, many attendees sipped and shopped around a colorful marketplace erected in the hotel, and others stayed in the ballroom for an afterparty with tunes courtesy of DJ Johnny Bravo. Yee-haw!

Katy Tomasini, Jennifer Arnold, Heather Loesberg

Victoria Nelson, Debbie Young

Amanda Alvarez, Laura Salinas-Pruneda, Susie Molina, Leticia Rios

Vanessa Kriegel, Roxy Sanford, Sylvia Ready

Tiffany Halik, Tricia Verbois, Lesley Noto, Krista Shamaly

Cassie Sinor, Christina Wilson , Dana Barton

Carol Sawyer

Susannah Causey, Johnny Causey

Fashion models

Chris and Kendall Hanno

Steve Newmyer, Andrew Clendennen, John Grimes

Erin and Preston Hall

Kelly Larkin, Anita Sehga

Julie and Alan Kent

Daniella Hernandez, Cinthya Reade ,Felicia Stone

Heidi Turney, Liz Weisberg, Hasina Starks

Jarrett Adame, Tyson Dunn, Joe Van Matre, JW Daubert

Parties

A rendering of Hotel Saint Augustine (courtesy of Lake Flato Architects and Ten Eyck Landscape Architect)

CELEBRATED CHEF Aaron Bludorn is on a roll. After successfully opening three Houston restaurants including the recent Bar Bludorn, he has set his sights on the boutique Hotel Saint Augustine to open this fall.

Keep Reading Show less
Food

Curried Mussels

JASON GOULD IS best known as the chef behind Common Bond, one of Houston’s go-to spots for easy French-inspired bites and pastries. But now, Gould has created a comfort-food menu for another locally-owned resto — 1891 American Eatery & Bar in the Heights. It’s part of a partnership with Garza Management Group that has recently taken over Common Bond. Boasting an expansive patio, the new resto describes itself as having a “family-friendly pub atmosphere."

Keep Reading Show less
Food