Big bucks, big smiles
A smashing success: Houston Restaurant Week donates a record $585,562 to FoodBank
Houston Restaurant Week founder Cleverley Stone, center, took the lead inpresenting the check to Houston Food Bank.Carolina Astrain
Houston Restaurant Week was bigger than ever. It started as a 21-day event andwas extended two more weeks to Sept. 6.
Who says eating out isn't a worthy endeavor?
Cleverley Stone, the founder of Houston Restaurant Week, saw the event almost double its total donation to the Houston Food Bank this year compared to last. A whopping $585,562 was given to the Food Bank Monday night at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse.
Each year, Houston Restaurant Week showcases and promotes the city's restaurants while raising money for the Houston Food Bank. One hundred and thirty-three restaurants teamed up to help the hungry this year in a mega-sized restaurant "week" that was extended until it ran the entire month of August and then some. Three dollars of every $20 special lunch menu and $5 of every $35 special dinner menu went to the Food Bank.
Del Frisco's led the participating restaurants in donations and was granted the honor of hosting the check-unveiling party.
Wine was provided by Messina Hof Winery & Resort at Monday night's celebration and hors d'oeuvres were served to about 60 attendees. Stone, the master of ceremonies for the event, sported dark green Crocs. Many thanks were given to the sponsors and contributors to Restaurant Week before the unveiling of the check.
The guests were as chatty as students in a school cafeteria, Stone had to hush everyone several times throughout her speech — clearly the unveiling was a swinging good time for old friends and rivals to schmooze and celebrate their largest contribution to the Food Bank since Restaurant Week’s dawn in 2003.
Marc Zimmerman, 24, co-owner of La Colombe d'Or, celebrated the occasion with fellow restaurateurs.
“I think what Cleverley has done is massive for the community,” Zimmerman said. “The numbers speak for themselves.”
Zimmerman and his family are celebrating their restaurant’s 30th anniversary this year. Recently, La Colombe d'Or founder Steve Zimmerman turned the business over to his two sons, Marc and Dan.
In her remarks, Stone talked about the 7,000 followers Houston Restaurant Week accumulated on Facebook and the total amount of donations given throughout the years, now amounting to $926,271 and 1.75 million meals provided to Houston’s hungriest bellies.
