in honor of julia

3 Houston A-list chefs headline fundraising dinner honoring Julia Child

Three of Houston’s best chefs are teaming up to pay tribute to a culinary icon. Chris Williams (Lucille’s), Aaron Bludorn (Bludorn, Navy Blue), and James Beard Award winner Chris Shepherd will collaborate on a meal that honors the legacy of Julia Child.

Held on Thursday, February 8 at the historic Eldorado Ballroom, the dinner is part of a series being presented by The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts as part of a tour that celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Julia Child Award, which honors “those who foster profound change in the way America cooks, eats, and drinks,” according to a release. Food writer and cookbook author Toni Tipton-Martin, who received the Julia Child Award in 2021, will co-host the dinner.

The meal will begin with Bludorn’s seafood gumbo. Shepherd will follow with a family-style platter of dishes inspired by both Child and Tipton-Martin that includes smoked ham ribs, chicken and rice flour dumplings, and two vegetable sides. Williams will close out the meal an allspice cake with spiked cream.

Shepherd tells CultureMap that Tipton-Martin’s participation is one of the reasons he agreed to participate in the dinner, which will raise funds for The Smithsonian Food History Project at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington D.C.

“Toni Tipton-Martin, I’ve looked up to her for a long time. She helped start Southern Foodways Alliance. I just asked her to be on the board of Southern Smoke,” Shepherd tells CultureMap. “When my cookbook came up for a Beard Award, hers beat me. She’s just such a great human being and a great advocate for food and foodways.”

Although Shepherd is known more for taking inspiration from Houston’s immigrant communities than French cooking, he cites Julia Child as an early influence on his decision to become a chef.

“Watching Julia Child every Saturday, it influenced where I wanted to go,” he says “I found myself in the kitchen reading cookbooks. Her words of food got me to where I’m at now.”

Tickets for the dinner, priced at $275 per person, are on sale now through January 31. The series will continue with dinners in New York; Chicago; Madison, Connecticut; Washington, D.C.; and Los Angeles.

“It’s a privilege to honor the diverse contributions of 10 years of Julia Child Award recipients through a series crisscrossing the country," said Eric W. Spivey, Chairman of The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts. “Julia would be delighted by all the recipients' achievements and that we are bringing people together around the table to raise vital funds for the Smithsonian since she valued culinary history so highly.”

Courtesy of Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University

The dinner honors Julia Child's legacy.

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Big Spenders

Retro futurism meets philanthropy as Houston museum gala raises $3.6M

Houston Museum of Natural Science Gala 2026

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Will Lee, Britton Daugbjerg, Ella Fertitta, and Jason Fertitta.

Big spenders to the front, please.

On a night when Houston’s black-tie crowd orbited the worlds of science, style, and a little retro-futurism, the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Futurama: A Stardust Odyssey Gala 2026 felt less like a traditional fundraiser and more like an expedition through the museum’s halls.

Chaired by Randa and Charlie Williams alongside Susanne and Joel Bartsch, the gala welcomed more than 350 guests who arrived ready to lean into the evening’s mid-century futuristic theme. Instead of a traditional program, tables were scattered throughout the museum, an intentional design that encouraged guests to roam. Blooming Gallery’s décor channeled a bright, Jetsons-inspired palette before shifting into a copper-and-marigold Mad Men mood as the evening progressed.

Let’s talk about the Vault Auction, as it had a gravitational force all its own, delivering a treasure trove of museum-worthy marvels and luxury collectibles.

Among the headliners was a jaw-dropping 90–troy-ounce crystallized gold specimen from the Beta Hunt Gold Mine in Western Australia, with a $850,000 starting bid. A Chanel brooch centered on a GIA-certified yellow sapphire had a starting bid of $180,000, while a dazzling pair of earrings featuring Paraiba tourmaline, Mahenge pink spinel, and diamonds was valued between $800,000 and $1.2 million. The crown jewel of the display? “Rocks in a Box,” a museum-quality curated mineral collection assembled by HMNS curators selling for $1.8 million.

Need a ride? We got you. A 1965 Jaguar XKE Series 1 4.2 Coupe donated by Stephanie and Frank Tsuru was up for grabs.

Gulf Coast Entertainment’s Justin and The SwingBeats Quartet filled cocktail hour with jazz standards and retro pop. Later, diners gathered in Morian Hall of Paleontology and the Morian Overlook for a multi-course meal of elevated Southern fare.

After dinner, the celebration shifted into high gear in the Grand Entry Hall. Joystix Entertainment transformed the space into a retro arcade with glowing pinball machines, Donkey Kong cabinets, and pool tables. Flamingo showgirls by J&D Entertainment strutted through the crowd. Guests danced to live music, sipped milkshakes, nibbled late-night mini grilled cheese sandwiches, and even tried their luck at claw machines filled with gemstones and minerals.

The affair became the most successful gala in the museum’s history, raising $3.6 million to support educational programs, exhibitions, and outreach initiatives.

Orbiting the scene were Mary and Ron Neal, Patty and T. Mark Kelly, Caroline and Jack Williams, Nancy and David Pustka, Cynde and Chris Stravros, Mary Helen and Pete Bowden, Meg and Dick Weekley, Al Walker, Joella and Steve Mach, Monica and Fox Benton, Lisa and Mike O’Leary, and Chandos and Ike Epley, alongside many of Houston’s leading philanthropists and community supporters.

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Will Lee, Britton Daugbjerg, Ella Fertitta, and Jason Fertitta.