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    One helluva party

    Surprise 50th birthday bash is one for the record books as swank restaurant transformed

    Shelby Hodge
    shelby hodge
    Aug 22, 2014 | 10:02 am

    You simply would not have recognized Tony's on Saturday night. In a 17-hour transformation, the already-swank restaurant blossomed into a sophisticated dinner club for a 50th birthday bash that will have guests talking for months to come.

    Citigroup investment banker Steve Traubercompletelysurprised his wife, Leticia, with the party for 190 and surprised those guests with the elaborate decor and planning.

    Steve gave event planner Lisa Newburn carte blanche with only a few instructions — the color pink should prevail as that is Leticia's favorite; the valet court in front of Tony's had to be enclosed, air-conditioned and outfitted like a very classy cocktail lounge; and a top-notch band was requested as was a memorable dessert presentation. And he wanted a video tribute.

    "I wanted to create something incredible and special for her and something that Houston had not seen before."

    The team of more than 60 workmen started the transformation at midnight Friday, after the Restaurant Weeks crowd had cleared. Out went all furnishings other than the dining tables. In came acrylic "ghost" chairs, miles of sparkling table linens, special china and monogramed napkins. Austin-based florist David Kurio worked his magic with phalaenopsis and cataleya orchids, all in shades of fuschia, a visual riff on the birthday girl's pink fettish. In all, Kurio brought in more than 4,700 orchids to create the rich tableau.

    "Leticia is probably one of the kindest people I've ever met," Newburn said after the party. "I wanted to create something incredible and special for her and something that Houston had not seen before." This was the third party that she had done for the couple. Her first was Leticia's 40th birthday in Napa Valley.

    The biggest challenge was transforming the valet area into a sleek nightclub. The roof was covered, Lucite walls installed and 85 tons of air-conditioning was pumped in to the space where over-stuffed banquettes, chairs and ottomans and banks of ferns and orchids created the sophisticated setting that Steve had commanded.

    Guests sat down at the elaborately dressed tables that spread throughout the restaurant including the bar and wine room. Tony's team served a spectacular four-course dinner that concluded with the restaurant's traditional and dynamite ice cream bombe and individual chocolate birthday cakes by Who Made the Cake — the ultimate ice cream and cake combo.

    The 30-minute video of friends from around the country was another surprise for the birthday girl. "Steve put together a beautiful tribute video that left everyone in tears," Leticia said, "and culminated the evening with the best dance band (Starlight Experience of New York) in the country. We didn't leave Tony's until 1:09 a.m."

    Revelers included Leslie and Tom Hix, Clayton and Shel Erikson, Mindy and Jeff Hildebrand, Beverly and Jim Postl, Paula and Jeff Hayes of Dallas, Terri and John Havens, Andrea and former Mayor Bill White, Yava and Milton Scott and Penny and Paul Loyd.

    Both graduates and supporters of Rice University, the Traubers included Y. Ping Sun and David Leebron, Rice president, on the guest list. Their son, JT Trauber, starts Rice as a freshman this year. Their daughter, Lexi Trauber, flew in from Los Angeles for the party. Serious basketball fans, the Traubers also welcomed to the party Clyde Drexler and his wife, Tonya, and Dikembe Mutombo and wife, Rose.

    Leticia and Steve Trauber, left, with Tonya and Clyde Drexler.

      
    unspecified
    news/society

    Springtime Splendor

    Fashion, fun, and funds soar at Houston's $1 million+ Bayou Bend weekend

    Joel Luks
    May 9, 2025 | 9:30 am
    MFAH Bayou Bend Weekend 2025
    Photo by Wilson Parish
    Connor Huff, Alanna Flores, Jim and Cherie Flores, and Caldwell Flores.

    Houston's stylish convened for a three-day cultural escape as the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston hosted the 2025 Bayou Bend Weekend from March 28 to March 30. With its lush gardens and historic charm, Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens set the stage for a memorable weekend of fashion, family fun, and twilight revelry.

    MFAH Bayou Bend Weekend 2025
      

    Photo by Wilson Parish

    Connor Huff, Alanna Flores, Jim and Cherie Flores, and Caldwell Flores.

    The festivities launched Friday afternoon with the eighth Bayou Bend Fashion Show and Luncheon, chaired by Gillian Sarofim. Beneath a sweeping garden tent dressed in olive greens and coral-pink blooms by The Events Company, 200 guests feasted on a City Kitchen-catered menu.

    The real treat? Texas-born designer Lela Rose wowed the crowd with 37 radiant looks, her Neiman Marcus-presented runway show earning nods from oohing fashionistas and seasoned museum patrons alike.

    Saturday's scene shifted into full whimsy for the annual Children's Party, where more than 250 guests wandered into The Secret Garden, a wonderland imagined by chairs Carrie Compton and Jill Wright. Activities like Mary's Magic Bubbles, Face Paint Petals, and The Enchanted Workshop turned the day into a colorful dreamscape for little ones and their grown-up companions.

    Sunday evening’s record-breaking Bayou Bend Garden Party was partly thanks to Lugano’s support as principal underwriter, ushering 325 guests to mingle at twilight under a tent blooming in lavender and spring green hues. Cocktail hour was extra nostalgic as guests sipped Fish House Punch, a concoction dear to Ima Hogg herself, its 293-year-old recipe charmingly printed on custom napkins. Jazz Revisited set a mellow groove before Manhattan amped up the night for dancing under the stars.

    Thanks to generous support, the weekend soared past expectations, raising more than $1,275,000 for Bayou Bend's operating budget.

    Among those spotted in the chic garden crowd—and it’s quite a list—were Irma Castor, Ashlee Schneider, Ann Bookout, Lilly and Thurmon Andress, Kathy Leigh, Kari Dagley, Tiffany McCauley, Susanne and Bill Pritchard, Clayton Erikson, Polly and Murry Bowden, Denise Monteleone, Meredith and Mason Barker, Alanna Flores, Morgan Allen Neal, Kendall Allen Strait, Logan Dresser, Lisa Dodd, Lilly Cullen, Anne Chao, Carolyn Sabat, Rose Cullen, Anne Duncan, Shelli and Steve Lindley, Nancy and Butch Abendshein, Frances Lummis, Eleanor Lummis, Tye Leon, Betsy Goodman, Lauren Gray, Lauren Reckling, Randa McConn, Christiana Reckling, Barbara Gamson, Sima Ladjevardian, Cherie Lindley, Whitney and Jim Crane, Phoebe Tudor, Liz McIngvale-Mackey, Moti Ferder, Josh Gaynor, Stuart Winston, Leslie Duncan, Nancy and Rich Kinder, Will Mathis, Cherie and Jim Flores, Lynne and Joe Hudson, Franci Neely, Karl and Ann Stern, Lisa and Downing Mears, Kate and Steve Gibson, Diane and David Modesett, Kelly and Bill Montgomery, Laura and Keefer Lehner, Janie and Daniel Zilkha, Cynthia and Tony Petrello, Sara Dodd-Denton and Will Denton, Isabel and Ransom Lummis, and Aliyya and Herman Stude.

    museum of fine arts houstonbayou bendfundraisers
    news/society

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