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Your weekly guide to Houston: Five (plus) don't-miss events — chef corn throwdown included

This week is all about haute corn, modern goods, lots of wine, culture outdoors, wondering dance and underground music.

Click on the "deets" links below each event. There, you will find helpful features, like the ability to download the details to your calendar, and intel like where to eat, drink and shop around your final destination.

Young Texans Against Cancer's "Kiss My Grits Gulf Coast Throwdown"

Don't judge me for loving My Cousin Vinny. Amid Marisa Tomei's memorable quotes and Joe Pesci Yankee-isms, one of the arguments that shifts the plot of the trial-by-jury film is about grits. Because no self-respecting southern gent would ever be caught stirring the instant, ready-made version.

Young Texans Against Cancer owe much to the porridge, the food du jour for this young professionals fundraiser where the upper echelon of Houston chefs will vie for the title of corn overlord. Event chairs Katy Mayell, Meredith Staggers and Stephanie Weaver will try to surpass last years' numbers, and surely the competitive chefs will try to dethrone last year's winners, the Uchi team led by Philip Speer.

The deets: Thursday, 7 p.m.; 5226 Elm St.; tickets start at $80.

Houston Modern Market 2013

Add a touch of mod sass to your abode by visiting the three-day Houston Modern Market. Winter Street Studios will be seized by a flock of mid-century hipness with vendors offering one-of-a-kind finds, including fine art, furniture, jewelry and personal objects. For best selection, begin your shopping spree at the preview party on Friday, 6 p.m. (tickets start at $50). The design bacchanal continues through the weekend.

Many more events await mid-century modern junkies through Houston Modern Market Week.

The deets: Friday through Sunday; Winter Street Studios; admission starts at $10.

2013 Menil Community Arts Festival & Houston Indie Book Fair

The Menil Collection and neighborhood friends will come to play to host a lively festival that showcases the cultural jewels that reside in the community. Gallivant around to partake in live music, film screenings, readings, workshops, yoga and children's activities. Look for literary treasures at the Houston Indie Book Fair, stroll through the museum galleries and purchase art at the Houston Center for Photography's Collaborations X Print Sale. Much more is on tap.

The deets: Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Menil Campus; free event.

Brenner's on the Bayou's 2013 Wine Fest

An ode to the grape orgy that Dionysius would be proud of, Brenner's on the Bayou's 2013 Wine Fest is a wine binge where more than 25 varietals will blitz your palate alongside chef-inspired cuisine and music by Midstream. Plus the restaurant's bucolic setting can't be beat, particularly with the forecast calling for sunny temperatures in the mid 70s.

The deets: Saturday, 3 p.m.; Brenner's Steakhouse on the Bayou; tickets start at $65.

43rd Annual Houston International Festival (iFest) "Brazil"

If you missed last week's iFest kick off musicale, it's not too late to get a taste of Brazil without boarding on a plane. The tropical destination was chosen by popular vote, so expect higher attendance numbers this year. With live music, dance and cultural offerings on 10 stages, the Houston Festival Foundation brings a slice of Carnaval to downtown Houston.

The deets: Saturday and Sunday this weekend and next, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sam Houston Park; tickets start at $18.

Arts smarty pants and in-the-loop dance maven Nancy Wozny's pick: Hope Stone Dance Company presents one-step promenade, please

Nancy says: "Shopping and Modern Dance. Why not? Hope Stone Dance Company takes to the streets with one-step promenade, please, a site specific work set in and around the eclectic Heights 19th Street shops, galleries and eateries.

"Choreographer Jane Weiner is known for her wit, athletic moves and adventurous use of venues, so this event feels like the next step. This 'dance/art crawl' will gathers at 19th Street and Ashland and progress through area shops, making stops inside some shops before culminating just before Yale and 19th Street. Guest artists include Greg Harbar, Kristen Jensen, Kirk Suddreath and Ana Trevino-Godfrey and the Hope Stone Kids Ensemble."

The deets: Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m.; 19th Street Shopping District; free event, donations will be accepted.

Staff writer and totally awesome guy Tyler Rudick's pick: Crystal Castles in concert

Tyler says: "The dark and dancey Crystal Castles returns to the House of Blues to show off its new third album. Since signing to Robert Smith's Fiction label, the Toronto duo's music has veered closer and closer to witch house — a genre that started largely in Houston by marrying the city's homegrown chopped-and-screwed scene with goth and industrial sounds. Think DJ Screw meets Joy Division."

The deets: Saturday, 8 p.m.; House of Blues; tickets start at $25.

One-of-a-kind finds, including fine art, furniture, jewelry and personal objects will fill Winter Street Studios for the Houston Modern Market.

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building ballet's brand

Houston Ballet recruits ex-Netflix exec to serve as first-ever CMO

Photo by Grace Hwang

Adama Sall starts as the Houston Ballet's first-ever chief marketing officer on January 26, 2026.

The Houston Ballet announced it has hired Adama Sall as the organization’s first-ever chief marketing officer.

Sall, who starts her tenure with the Ballet on January 26, will oversee all marketing and brand strategy as part of the executive leadership team. Sall brings more than 20 years of experience building global, culturally influential brands to this newly created role.

“Having worked with the best and the brightest, Adama is passionate about what Houston Ballet is set to accomplish, including building a brand that feels essential, modern, and deeply integrated into people’s lives,” executive director Sonja Kostich said in a statement. “We are focused on aligning how we show up across ticketing, digital platforms, public relations, events, education, and community engagement — so that every touchpoint tells a cohesive, compelling story. This is not about following traditional ballet marketing playbooks, this is a rare opportunity to shape the identity of an already stable, well-resourced organization and bring fresh creative energy to an institution poised for reinvention. We are thrilled to have her joining us at this pivotal moment for the Company’s growth.”

Sall is excited for what comes next.

“Sonja's vision for elevating Houston Ballet into a global cultural force resonates,” Sall tells CultureMap. “It reflects the kind of bold ambition I grew up with in advertising: building iconic brands, reshaping categories and setting aspirations that inspire not just an entire organization, but the culture at large.”

Throughout her career, Sall has worked with both top creative agencies and held in-house leadership roles at some of the most innovative, culture-shaping companies in the country. She is known for collaborating with deeply creative teams and partners who are ready to think differently, and for translating big, imaginative ideas into scalable strategies. She has partnered with leading agencies including Mekanism, Ogilvy & Mather, BBDO, McCann, TBWA\Chiat\Day, and R/GA, and has led brand strategy for some of the world’s most recognized companies, including Disney, Coca-Cola, HBO, Gap, Peloton, Starbucks, Ben & Jerry’s, Samsung, Jeep, Nasdaq, HP, GE Appliances, and UPS.

During her time as director of global brand strategy at Netflix, she helped create brands that maintained consistency in different mediums worldwide. That worked is credited with helping the streaming platform drive "global cultural conversation," according to press materials.

“Arts marketing is similar to my work in entertainment at Netflix,” she said, explaining how marketing an organization like the Ballet can be unique. “We weren't just selling a product or a service. The marketing was centered on building meaning, emotion and cultural value. In the arts, brand doesn't just support the mission, it is the mission made visible. At its best, arts marketing invites people into something that matters, amplifying artistic intent.”

As chief marketing officer, Adama will develop integrated marketing campaigns that elevate Houston Ballet locally, nationally, and globally. She will oversee digital, social, content creation, public relations, and brand storytelling, all designed to raise Houston Ballet's profile and make a compelling cultural case for ballet overall.

“I'm eager to dive in,” Sall said. “One of my favorite parts of brand strategy is listening and learning, then translating those insights into a fresh perspective that inspires people to see ballet in a new light. Houston Ballet is a powerhouse, and I can't wait for more people to discover it.”

Sall holds a degree in Cultural Anthropology from Columbia University and is a longtime mentor, educator, and advocate for diversity in the creative industries.

In a press release announcing her appointment the Ballet noted that Sall’s hiring reflects a continued evolution toward a more integrated, future-facing approach to the Ballet’s brand and audience engagement.

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