A dozen diners once gathered around chef Chris Shepherd at Catalan on Washington for what felt like a charming experiment. Fast-forward to April 26, and Houston Ballet’s Raising the Barre arrived at Navy Blue in full bloom, now one of the city’s most coveted culinary tickets.

Photo by Annie Mulligan

Rench Soriano, Alyssa Springer, Marianne Geagea, Lenni Burke, Sayako Toku, and Saul Newport.

The sort of invitation where, once the next date is announced, seasoned regulars simply buy first and ask questions later.

More than 150 guests in cheerful spring attire filled the chic Rice Village eatery for the annual fête benefiting Houston Ballet. Co-chaired by Lenni and Bill Burke and Marianne and Joe Geagea, the evening honored Shepherd for his longstanding partnership with the ballet and years of helping this delicious institution pirouette forward. In a sentimental gesture, Shepherd held a photo from that very first gathering.

Because some of the best traditions begin modestly, then grow legs. Preferably in heels.

The now-signature format paired top chefs with Houston Ballet dancers to create a four-course dinner inspired by heritage, hometowns, and personal taste. Opening the menu, Chef Chris Williams teamed with Demi Soloist Rench Soriano for lumpia with talong-style black-eyed pea relish and house-made sweet and sour sauce, a tribute to Soriano’s Filipino roots and his father.

Chef Seth Siegel-Gardner with Soloist Sayako Toku, serving takoyaki arancini with roasted bone marrow — playful, rich, and rooted in Toku’s Japanese background. Chef Aaron Bludorn and Soloist Alyssa Springer delivered a surf and turf inspired by their shared West Coast ties. Dessert landed with a sweet wink courtesy of pastry chef Jared Adams, representing Rebecca Masson, paired with Corps de Ballet member Saul Newport. Their New Zealand-inspired Hokey Pokey Sundae was vanilla bean ice cream heaven with house-made honeycomb and honey caramel.

The event raised more than $100,000 in support of Houston Ballet’s performances, artistic excellence, and education initiatives. While Shepherd’s wife, Lindsey Brown, one of the original architects of the event’s concept, couldn’t be there in person, a few of us managed to say hello via FaceTime.

CultureMap seen were Sonja Kostich, Julie Kent, Kristy and Chris Bradshaw, Leigh and Reggie Smith, Susan Binney, Michelle Jeffery, C.C. Conner, Jo Furr, Terry Jones, Jane DiPaolo, Marguerite Swartz, Mary Sage, Mitchell George, Stanley Curtis, Victoria Gutierrez and Nick Pierce, Beth Muecke, Kristen Cannon, Dannika Simpson, Shawn Stephens and Jim Jordan, Ileana and Michael Treviño, Allison and Troy Thacker, Christine and David Underwood, Zoe Cadore, Gina Bahr and Anthony Bahr, Sasha Davis and Geoffry Oshman, and Akemi Saitoh.