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    Celebrating a big 20th

    President George W. Bush and six top toques headline Baker Institute 20th anniversary celebration

    Shelby Hodge
    Sep 27, 2013 | 12:48 pm

    The sleek invitations hit mailboxes earlier this week as the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy gears up for a spectacular 20th anniversary celebration with former President George W. Bush as the headliner and with a remarkable collection of six of the city's leading chefs preparing the dinner.

    Plans have been in the making for more than a year for the Nov. 8 gala that will take place in an elaborately-decorated party tent on the Rice University Campus where Baker Institute founding director Edward Djerejian will lead "A Presidential Conversation" with Bush. Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and Rice president David Leebron will be on the program as well.

    The evening will celebrate the institute's international stature that includes rankings as the 13th best university-based think tank in the world and sixth among energy research programs worldwide. Nationally, the Baker Institute ranks 21st among the U.S.'s prestigious think tanks.

    Complimenting the cerebral component, the gala promises a first-of-its-kind culinary celebration as well. Each of the chefs participating are James Beard Award-nominated talents. Sharing their expertise will be Reef's Bryan Caswell, Hugo's Hugo Ortega, Sparrow Bar + Cookshop's Monica Pope, Underbelly's Chris Shepherd, Uchi's Philip Speer and Michael Cordúa of Americas, Churrascos and Artista fame.

    Joining forces as chairs of the gala evening are Cynthia and Bucky Allshouse, Phoebe and Bobby Tudor and Sheridan and John Eddie Williams. Add to that powerful mix Shahla and Hushang Ansary, who serve as anniversary celebration chairs. It will be a special evening for the Ansarys as Hushang will receive the James A. Baker III Prize for Excellence in Leadership 2013. Details on attending the gala are available here.

    The gala is the first of two celebrations, the second of which the following night is geared for young professionals and among the co-chairs is Bush's daughter Jennifer Bush Hager and her husband Henry Hager. Check back at CultureMap for details on that party, dubbed "Club Berlin: A Night in Awash in Digital Grafitti."

    Michael Cordúa will be among the talent chefs backstage at the Baker Institute gala.

      
    Photo by © Julie Soefer
    Michael Cordúa will be among the talent chefs backstage at the Baker Institute gala.
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    Pas de Deux Dining

    Houston Ballet's gourmand bash delights with chef-dancer collabs

    Joel Luks
    May 23, 2025 | 11:30 am
    Houston Ballet Raising the Barre 2025
    Photo by Melissa Taylor
    Houston Ballet danced united with some of Houston's top chefs for Raising the Barre.

    What began as a young professionals’ soirée has gracefully pirouetted into one of Houston’s most anticipated culinary-meets-culture nights.

    And this year’s Raising the Barre delivered a standing ovation-worthy performance. Hosted at Caracol, the fan-favorite tasting event drew nearly 160 guests on May 4, where balletomanes (and those who love them) mingled, noshed, and toasted to an artful cause.

    Co-chaired by Duyen and Marc Nguyen and Dr. Tatiana Sorkin and Michel Coret, the springtime soirée raised nearly $110,000 for Houston Ballet, supporting its mission to inspire a lasting love for dance through performance and education. But this wasn’t your typical rubber-chicken charity dinner. Here, dancers became muses and sous chefs, joining forces with Houston’s culinary stars to serve up an inspired four-course meal, each dish a storytelling moment in its own right.

    Each course hit the table like a pas de deux.

    Chef Aaron Bludorn kicked things off with soloist Danbi Kim, channeling her Korean childhood through a delicate sesame-crusted hamachi, balanced by gochujang vinaigrette and marinated cucumbers. Chef Chris Williams and demi-soloist Estheysis Menendez served a soul-warming lobster stew with plantain fufu and jalapeño pesto, a dish rooted in global tradition and personal memory, honoring the dancer’s Cuban heritage and her mother’s love of herbs and wellness.

    Then came the entrée: Chef Hugo Ortega teamed with principal Chase O’Connell for picanha a las brazos, a coulotte steak celebration dressed in pasilla mole and earthy mushroom zacahuil. The duo riffed on Chase’s ritualistic pre-performance steak dinners, adding Ortega’s signature Latin American soul.

    Pastry powerhouse Rebecca Masson of Fluff Bake Bar partnered with first soloist Gian Carlo Perez to close out the show with a guava pastelillo topped with cream cheese ice cream and honey, a nod to his Cuban childhood sweets.

    Adding to the evening’s thoughtful twist, those lush floral centerpieces didn’t just wilt away post-party. Thanks to Houston nonprofit Bloom Again, the arrangements were repurposed and delivered to local hospitals and care facilities, offering cheer beyond the ballroom.

    Among those soaking up the delicious scene were Beth Muecke, Patti Murphy, Ann Bean, Dr. Patrick Benge, Susan Binney, Jennifer Kushner, Kristy Bradshaw, Lindsey Brown, Andrea Medina, Lenni and Bill Burke, Anne and Albert Chao, Jo Furr, Mitchell George and Stanley Curtis Jr., Paula Whitten-Doolin, Victoria Gutierrez and Nick Pierce, Carey Kirkpatrick, Deborah and Edward Koehler, S. Shawn Stephens and Jim Jordan, Liliana Soltero and Mike Hawkins, Yana and Warren McFatter, Kris and Richard McGee, Teal and Jeffrey Reamer, Julie Kent, Jim Nelson, Melissa Reihle, and Laura and Brannon Robertson.

    Houston Ballet Raising the Barre 2025
      

    Photo by Melissa Taylor

    Houston Ballet danced united with some of Houston's top chefs for Raising the Barre.

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