It’s hot, it’s rainy, and we are just at the beginning of that beautiful part of the year we call summer in Houston. There are two things that I think of that can help us get through — rosé wine and a party.
Not just any party but one that lets you get loose, dress for an occasion, and celebrate life’s great days together. Luckily, I know of one of these amazing days. They don’t come along very often, but I have one that you cannot miss. This party is somewhat of a revival in many ways. Here are all the ways that this party — we call it Respect the Rosé — is amazing.
First, we are bringing back the Respect the Rosé crew of chefs. Michael Hudman and Andy Ticer from Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Hog & Hominy, and other amazing restaurants in Memphis; Ryan Prewitt and Stephen Stryjewski from Peche, Cochon, and other fine restaurants in New Orleans; and Victoria Dearmond and myself (I get to do a course!) from Southern Smoke and the crew from Brennan’s of Houston! We have been doing this dinner for more than seven years together and every one is better than the last.
These chefs like to party — and drink rosé.Courtesy of Chris Shepherd
The idea for this dinner was born back in 2016 when Michael, Andy, Ryan, Stephen, and I were all at an event, and we kept finding ourselves sitting back and enjoying some rosé. Keep in mind that rosé all day was not a thing back in 2016, so believe me when I say we started the trend! This is something to be celebrated!
Second, we are reviving your Derby day outfits as this year’s party has been deemed
Run for the Rosés! The chefs will do our takes on classic Kentucky dishes like tea sandwiches, the Hot Brown, Derby Pie, and more. Is porchetta a classic Kentucky dish? I don’t think so, but Andy and Michael make an outstanding one, so that’s what you can expect from them.
For the wine, well, you guessed it! We’ll be pouring rosé from some of our favorite producers like Hirsch, Robert Sinskey Vineyards, Handwritten Wines, Simon, Raventos, Robert Mondavi Winery, Cruse Wine Co, Rumor, Miner Family Vineyards, and more! It’s not just going to be all rosé but red wine and other libations, too!
You can check out some new cars from our presenting sponsor Lexus with fun activities like making your own flower bouquets and posing for vintage photos. Our friends at OpenTable, Tabasco, and Pellegrino will be there, too!
The third revival is a personal one for me. I get to come back to the place that really set me on my way. I get to go home for one night to Brennan’s of Houston where I worked earlier in my career for nine beautiful years. I learned so much from my time there that absolutely put me on my path. I learned how to cook there, how to be an organized cook, a thoughtful cook, a cook that learned seasonality and how to source locally. I learned how to apply a gentle steady pressure on myself to be better.
Nice hat, Chris.Courtesy of Chris Shepherd
I had the chance to work for seven years in the kitchen and run the wine program for the last two. The family at Brennan’s embraced my desire to learn more and be more. I will forever be grateful for my time there and the friendships I made there.
The fourth and final revival is that of an industry. This dinner is a big fundraiser for the Southern Smoke Foundation, which is building a safety net for the food and beverage industry that has seen a lot of turnover in the last few years. People found other careers because when times got tough, they got really tough for the restaurant industry. We need to rebuild it brick by brick — when affordable health care is available or when there is enough money in the bank account to be able to refill a refrigerator when unexpected storms come through our area leaving homes and restaurants without power, we will no longer be needed. Let’s be honest. That’s not happening anytime soon, so we all have to come together to do our best to take care of those farmers, cooks, waiters, bussers, bartenders and everyone else that helps to put food and beverage on the table, makes your cup of coffee or works those long lines at Chick-fil-A.
Yes, Southern Smoke helps to provide emergency relief and access to no cost mental health counseling across the nation in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Since 2017, Southern Smoke has granted over $12 million and provided access to over 5,000 mental health counseling sessions. It’s doing the actual work, and the team is not slowing down. Southern Smoke has granted more than $260,000 just to those in our area affected by the Derecho storm last month and is still funding. We haven’t even gotten into the season that we don’t talk about.
So what does all this mean to you? If you skipped all the way to the bottom of this or you actually read it (I thank you for that), then I’ll tell you. You get to dress up and have a party! You will eat some amazing food from some amazing chefs. You will drink some absolutely fantastic wines from some fantastic vineyards. You will get to support an industry that needs it more now than ever and here is the bonus — you can get all this and a tax write off! It’s an absolute WIN WIN! I will see you there!
Buy tickets ($500 each) at the Southern Smoke website.
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Contact Chris via email at chris@chrisshepherd.is.
Chris Shepherd won a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2014. The Southern Smoke Foundation, a nonprofit he co-founded with his wife Lindsey Brown, has distributed more than $12 million to hospitality workers in crisis through its Emergency Relief Fund. Catch his TV show, Eat Like a Local, every Saturday at 10 am on KPRC Channel 2.
