Fertitta's 'True Blue' Backyard Bash Raises $1M for Houston Police

Fertitta's 'True Blue' Backyard Bash Raises $1M for Houston Police

Matt Clark, Julia Morales Clark, Laurie and Bret Sanders

TILMAN FERTITTA AND his family hosted the 15th annual True Blue fundraising fete benefiting the Houston Police Foundation. More than 600 supporters — clad in denim and beautiful shades of blue, naturally — helped make it a record-breaking event, with $1 million raised for the department's equipment and training.


This year's True Blue bash was Hawaiian-themed, and touted fire dancers, hula girls and drumming luau performers. And, of course, given the access to Landry's best and brightest, the food impressed: Restaurants like The Palm, Willie G's and Brenner's provided bites such as green papaya salad, bluffing tuna poke, teriyaki beef kabobs and more.

Meanwhile, HPD's robotic dog, Spot, roamed the grounds looking for photo ops, and wasn't even frightened during the casual-cool evening's finale — an eye-catching, ear-popping 15-minute fireworks display!

Blake Fertitta, Tilman Fertitta, Blayne Fertitta and Patrick Fertitta

Whitney and John Whitmire

Michael Kaplan and Garrett Kaplan

Twila Carter with Spot

Keith and Alice Mosing

Tim Phillips and Pat Mann Phillips

Monica and Russell Ybarra

Tilman Fertitta, Laura Ward, Police Chief Troy Finner

Paul and Kristina Somerville, Frances Moody Buzbee and Tony Buzbee

Sam Pena, Joan Huffman, Keith Lawyer

Sunny and Mac Haik

Parties

Mercy Renteria (Photo courtesy of Undebel Flamenco)

RING IN THE new year a bit early at Queensbury Theatre near CityCentre. On Dec 30, the Energy Corridor of Houston Orchestra (ECHO) presents Dance the Night Away — an exciting evening of Spanish and Spanish-tinged music, including works by Isaac Albéniz and Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona y Casado; selections from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein (Have you seen Maestro yet?); dances from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker; and a special performance on the second half of the program by Houston-based, internationally recognized flamenco dancer, Mercy Renteria.

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One Fifth closed in 2022; a new concept will open in the space in 2025. (photo by Julie Soefer)

IT'S ONE OF the most iconic restaurant buildings in town, having once been the home to Mark's American Cuisine and, most recently, Chris Shepherd's groundbreaking rotating concept One Fifth, which closed in January 2022. Now, we know what's next for the cathedral at the corner of Westheimer and Dunlavy.

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Food