Cooking Sunday supper for her friends has been a longstanding tradition for superchef Monica Pope. But after the sessions outgrew her Montrose home, the owner/chef of Sparrow Bar + Cookshop got together with John Daugherty Realtors to brainstorm a new idea.
Now there are regular "Sunday Suppers With The Pope" at prime properties offered for sale by the real estate company. It works like this: Guests, who pay $75 each, receive an email a day or two before the dinner, telling them where it will be. (Because the Houston housing market is so hot right now, a property is selected at the last minute before it has been sold.)
They're asked to bring a dinner plate from home for the buffet line — and be prepared to have a good time.
Guests are asked to bring a dinner plate from home for the buffet line — and be prepared to have a good time.
For an additional $25, which goes directly to Dress for Success, guests can take a guided champagne tour of the home. At the most recent Sunday supper, held last weekend at a home in Royden Oaks, John Daugherty sales associate Kathy Dreyfus pointed out the distinctive features of the lovely two-and-a-half-story residence with walnut floors, double crown molding, a marble island kitchen, game room with full bath, a geothermal air system that reduces cooling and heating costs, and a New Orleans-style back porch, where the garden dinner took place.
Though only on the market for a few days, several offers have been received on the house, with an asking price of $2.1 million.
Pope served up a hearty dinner for the 80 guests, including green and purple long beans with red bell dressing, pinenuts and tarragon; shrimp cocktail with avocados and tomatoes; homemade cornbread; Black Hill Swabian pork belly and spare ribs: oversized fried San Francisco sardines with aoili; and homeade ice cream sandwiches for dessert. The libations flowed freely as well.
The first Sunday Supper in July took place at a $11.9 million Shadyside mansion. John Daugherty director of public relations Roseann Rogers said future suppers will be held at an eclectic range of properties — and no two will be alike. "It's not how expensive the house is, it's whether it's conducive to the event," she said.
The monthly suppers will continue through November before taking a hiatus in December and January and picking back up in February. For more information, visit sparrowhouston.com or phone 713-524-6922.
Pope and her assistants prepared part of the meal outdoors.
