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    party watch

    Houstonians go farm fabulous at sumptuous summer dinner party

    Steven Devadanam
    Jun 21, 2019 | 6:00 am

     What: Chefs in the Field — A Tomato Tribute

     

     Where: Hope Farms

     

     The scoop: Under a full strawberry moon (a tasty beacon, indeed), Gracie Cavnar, founder of Recipe for Success, orchestrated her popular Chefs in the Field supper. Hosted by Recipe for Success Foundation at Hope Farms, the evening brought the farm to the table, featuring fresh produce and a menu showcasing the best of the season.

     

    The event, held on the pastoral grounds of the farm, raised funds for the foundation’s community outreach efforts. It kicked off with a tasting of more than two dozen unadorned Hope Farms heirloom tomato varieties. Guests sipped on Basil Lemon Collins — craft cocktails created with Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Art Car IPA, and Original Dry Cider from Saint Arnold Brewing and Wycliff Brut California Champagne.

     

    As the sun set, guests took their seats in the open-air Gathering Barn. Your Butler’s Pantry provided vintage blue glassware and the long, rustic table topped with blue and white ticking and Blue Willow porcelain cache pots that overflowed with Van Gogh-inspired sunflowers and colorful blossoms.

     

    To begin, Dylan Murray, executive chef of Local Foods and Benjy’s, served a summer field salad with cucumber-chili vinaigrette, charred fennel, Hope Farms heirloom tomatoes and Brazos Valley smoked Texas Gouda cheese.

     

    Ben McPherson, chef and owner of BOH Pasta & Pizza, served Tomato Leaf Rigatoni with Hope Farms smokey heirloom tomatoes, garlic, chives, basil, olive oil, and Grana Padano.

     

    Troy Guard, chef and owner of the soon-to-open Guard & Grace, presented the main course. His open-fired Gulf Red Snapper was served over Hope Farms cucumber and heirloom tomato acqua pazza with soy bean and shitake mushroom pico.

     

    For the grand finale, Murray returned with a tomato pistachio cake with basil-lemongrass crème anglaise.

     

     Who: Gracie and Bob Cavnar; Ally Shell-van Koolwijk and husband, Martijn; Bryan Christ and wife, Stacey; Priya Coffey and husband, Brad; Amanda Boffone; Carrie Brandsberg-Dahl and husband, Sverre; Rudy Guerra; Nico Gleza; Melissa Sugulas and Elizabeth Williams; Suzanne Williams and husband, Brad; Mike Parmet; Yoon and James Smith; and Barbara Van Postman.

    Stephanie Fleck, Courtney Campo, and Sofia Champalanne.

    Chefs in the Field Hope Farms Summer 2019 Stephanie Fleck, Courtney Campo, Sofia Champalanne
      
    Photo by Daniel Ortiz
    Stephanie Fleck, Courtney Campo, and Sofia Champalanne.
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    Silk and Sequins

    Cultural fashion takes center stage at Runway to Asia in Houston

    Joel Luks
    Jul 10, 2025 | 12:30 pm
    Asia Society Runway to Asia fashion show 2025
    Photo by Annie Mulligan
    Rekha Muddaraj, Shazia Sultan, Danny Nguyen, Zang Toi, Bonna Kol, Phoebe Tudor, and Leigh Smith.

    If fashion is a language, Runway to Asia spoke it fabulously fluently.

    The ballroom of The Post Oak Hotel shimmered with silk, sequins, and sartorial splendor as Asia Society Texas debuted its first-ever Runway to Asia style-studded affair — a glamorous gala-meets-catwalk moment where heritage was hand-stitched into haute couture.

    More than 300 guests filled the swanky venue for the event, greeted by models perched like living mannequins in Danny Nguyen’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection, each ensemble a fabric-forward love letter to cultural identity and avant-garde vision. This was a glamnifesto on what it means to wear your roots with pride and purpose.

    Leading the stylish charge were co-chairs Leigh Smith, Shazia Sultan, and Phoebe Tudor, who curated the afternoon like seasoned couturiers. Attendees noshed on a three-course lunch before the real feast began: a full-throttle catwalk presentation honoring two design dynamos — Danny Nguyen, Houston’s own silhouettist supreme, and international fashion luminary Zang Toi.

    Rekha Muddaraj, former KHOU 11 anchor turned emcee extraordinaire, welcomed the crowd with poise, passing the mic to Asia Society Texas president Bonna Kol, who framed the gathering as more than just fashion, but part of the nonprofit’s mission to celebrate cultural diversity through art.

    The applause crescendoed when Michael Buening, the organization’s director of performing arts and culture, announced the event had raised more than $300,000 to fund more than 20 annual programs.

    Pro tip: philanthropy always looks better in couture.

    Then came the honors. Nguyen was honored with the Texas Trendsetter Award, praised by Shazia Sultan for blending traditional elegance with avant-glam silhouettes. Meanwhile, Tudor crowned Toi with the Global Icon Award, charting his runway rise from Malaysia to Manhattan.

    Toi’s “Opulence of the Orient Express” collection brought the house down with 37 jaw-dropping looks: Ottoman-inspired caftans, midnight velvet suits, pearl-dusted evening gowns, and coat-dress hybrids that defied the laws of layering. Each ensemble whispered luxury and screamed craftsmanship.

    The raffle added a thrill of retail roulette with prizes including a luxe Hill Country escape, personal styling sessions with the honorees, and golden tickets to Zang Toi’s Fall 2026 New York show.

    Soaking in the scene were Sushila Agrawal, Nancy Allen, Fady Armanious, Kristy Bradshaw, Divya Brown, Tripp Carter, Theresa Chang, Anne Chao, Molly Crownover, Kari Dagley, Chloe Dao, Debbie Festari, Kathy and Marty Goossen, Brigitte Kalai, Mandy Kao, Sippi Khurana, Karen Kwok, Teri Lee, Kelley Lubanko, Christy Lynn, Petra Martinez, Sneha Merchant, Duyen Nguyen, Cabrina Owsley, Akemi Saitoh, Miya Shay, Sue and Randy Sim, Shawn Stephens, Y. Ping Sun, Ileana Trevino, Janae Tsai, Stephanie Tsuru, Heidi Turney, and Asha Virani.

    Asia Society Runway to Asia fashion show 2025
      

    Photo by Annie Mulligan

    Rekha Muddaraj, Shazia Sultan, Danny Nguyen, Zang Toi, Bonna Kol, Phoebe Tudor, and Leigh Smith.

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