Dessert Aid

Sugar Hooker Rebecca Masson: Online and ready to help with your holiday pies

We’ve been wondering what’s next for pastry chef extraordinaire Rebecca Masson ever since she schooled the field in last year’s Mushroom Throwdown. Her entry that night (an ice box pie with a porcini chocolate crust, candy cap mushroom custard, and toasted meringue) offered a cleverly delicious combination of savory and sweet, demonstrating just how fun dining can be when ingenuity rules the palate.

We loved her. We wanted more of her. But since Masson was the only Throwdown contestant that wasn’t backed by an actual restaurant, we couldn’t easily find her.

Great news: The Sugar Hooker (Masson's nickname) recently opened her new online bake shop, Fluff Bake Bar. Now you can easily secure the chef’s famous Fluffernutters, which tickle the taste buds at least as much as they inspire nostalgia. Also available for purchase are a range of cakes, cupcakes, pies, ice creams and other desserts.

Pretty much anything goes — you name the sweet treasure, and she can probably blow you away with her iteration. Simply place your order online, and Masson herself will be in touch to arrange for pickup or delivery. Sugar sweet, with a cherry on top, and easy as pie.

Perhaps better news for those of you who’ve yet to complete your Holly Homemaker badge, Masson is also available to help take the stress out of your Thanksgiving dinner. This year she’s offering a fabulous pecan pie with an outrageous shortbread crust and a side of philanthropy. Pies cost $25, with $5 of that going directly to the Corridor Rescue program. Order your pies online; then pick them up on Tuesday or Wednesday (between noon and 5 p.m.) at the Natural Paws store at 514 W 19th Street in the Heights.

Sound good? Masson’s got a few things up her sleeve for December, too, which will make this a happy holiday indeed.

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HRW Offshoot Returns

Houston charity dining event returns with $25 dinners and $15 lunches

Photo by Jenn Duncan

Duck N Bao serves duck, dim sum, and more.

Saturday, February 15 marks the beginning of Eat Drink HTX, the more affordable sister event to Houston Restaurant Weeks, featuring special dining deals at casual restaurants.

More than 125 restaurants are participating in the event’s fourth year, with Houston establishments like Mala Sichuan Bistro, Molina’s Cantina, and El Pollo Loco peppering the list with multiple outposts.

Following the model of HRW, participating restaurants have crafted fixed-price menus — $15 for lunch or brunch and $25 for dinner — with each meal sold generating a donation of $1 or $3 for the Cleverley Stone Foundation, which in turn donates proceeds to the Houston Food Bank and Kids’ Meals.

With prices that are more accessible than HRW's $25 lunch menus and $39 or $55 dinner menus, Eat Drink HTX opens the door for casual restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and coffee shops to join in, with standouts including The Sylvie, Andes Cafe, Duck n Bao, and Traveler’s Cart.

Traveler's Cart food spread Get a $25, two-course dinner at Traveler's Cart. Photo by Jenn Duncan

“I am thrilled to announce Kids' Meals as a 2025 beneficiary of Eat Drink HTX,” Katie Stone, Cleverley Stone Foundation president, said in a statement. “Their dedication to ending childhood hunger by providing free, healthy meals to preschool-aged children is truly inspiring. As someone passionate about supporting children and families in our community, I am confident that their impact will continue to change lives and bring hope to those who need it most.”

What sets Eat Drink HTX apart from its larger fundraising event in August is the opportunity to take advantage of the dining deals to explore more than the traditional restaurants.

Home Run Dugout lets patrons imagine what it’s like to be Yordan Alvarez. The venue’s indoor batting cages and augmented reality immerse the player in a simulation of a stadium such as Daikin Park, with soft-pitch technology that enables anyone six and over to play. The Katy baseball destination’s full-service restaurant is offering a $15 lunch and $25 dinner during Eat Drink HTX. Diners can choose from options like birria quesadillas, chicken wings, and a crushed brisket blend double-patty burger.

For a more relaxing evening, catch the latest Captain America flick without having to worry about dinner at one of Star Cinema Grill’s eight Houston-area locations. The dine-in-theater is offering a $25 two-course dinner deal featuring popcorn, fried pickles, chicken and waffles, and a goat cheese and mushroom flatbread.

“Being part of Eat Drink HTX 2025 is an amazing opportunity to turn the joy of dining out into hope for hungry children,” said Beth Braniff Harp, CEO of Kids’ Meals. “Kids’ Meals is deeply thankful for the support from participating restaurants and diners, whose generosity will help us continue to feed preschoolers in Houston and build brighter futures.”

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