Say Cheese

Brooke Burke lights up Houston’s Operation Smile glam gala

Houston A-listers went full glam at the Royal Sonesta Houston for the ninth annual Operation Smile Houston Gala. Co-chaired by Stacey Lindseth and April McGee, alongside auction co-chairs Lara Bell, Kristen J. Cannon, and Whitney Kuhn Lawson, the gala was a sensory feast from start to finish.

Photo by Johnny Tran Photography

Ajay, Sippi, and Seva Khurana with Nick, Sneha, and Zenya Merchant with Brooke Burke, Chelsea Cordner, and Scott Rigsby.

Guests began the September 27 evening with craft cocktails courtesy of Cocktails Unlimited before stepping into a ballroom blooming with magenta florals, mirrored tables, and candlelight. The scene had even the most seasoned gala-goers pausing for photos. Strike a pose?

Celebrity auctioneer Johnny Bravo guided the crowd through a night of moving tributes and spirited bidding. Honorees included Laura and Dave Ward, who accepted the John Connor Humanitarian Award, and sisters Tena Lundquist Faust and Tama Lundquist, who received the Wallis Annenberg Public Service Award for their advocacy in animal welfare. Julia Dang earned the inaugural Hoang and Merchant Philanthropy Legacy Award, while Brooke Burke and her family were honored with the Founders Circle Award for their global volunteerism with Operation Smile.

Burke, joined by daughter Sierra Skye Fisher and son Shaya, shared moments from their June mission trip to Guatemala. Sierra’s heartfelt performance—featuring “Dreams,” “How You Treat Me,” and “Giving Tree”—set a soulful tone for the night. Burke’s acceptance speech drew applause as she reflected on the organization’s transformative work.

“It’s not just surgeries,” she said. “Together we build hope.”

The live auction dazzled with once-in-a-lifetime experiences, from luxury vacations to an exclusive dinner with Burke and Astros legend Roger Clemens, while Bulbo the Band kept the dance floor alive late into the evening.

The event raised more than $650,000 for life-changing cleft lip and palate surgeries.

As founders and longtime co-chairs of the Houston gala, Viet Hoang and Sneha Merchant have led the event for nine years, raising more than $3.5 million for Operation Smile, with new co-chairs joining them each year to continue expanding its impact.

Alongside Operation Smile founders Dr. Bill and Kathy McGee and their son Todd McGee were Naureen Malik, Sippi Khurana, Anu Reddy, Kanchan Singh, Habiba Dhanani, Nina Magon, Chelsea Cordner, Keani Hunt-Cordner, Sue Smith, Hallie Vanderhider, Rachelle Rowe, Nick Merchant, Habiba and Aly Dhanani, Maria Moncada-Alaoui and Omar Alaoui, Linda and Patrick Magill, Brittany and Dana Wetterer, Laura Escalona, Kevin Pickett, Dr. Katie and Dr. Bar Nguyen, Mateo and Odette Bolano, Henri Merceron, Teresa Hoang, Michael Vu, Purvee and Kartik Mehta, Dr. Dane and Isabella Hoang, Charlotte Magee, Scott Rigsby, Sandra Cooper, Alice Mao, Christina Zhou, and Yasmine Haddad.

fundraisers operation smile gala

Party Watch

Food-focused Houston nonprofit rounds up top chefs for Sunday Supper

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Natalie Vaclavik, Ben Ackerley, Will Hoke, and Anthony Greene.

What: Urban Harvest Sunday Supper

Where: J-Bar-M Barbecue

The scoop: More than 200 Houston food lovers donned their finest Western wear for Urban Harvest’s 31st annual Sunday Supper. The annual event always features some of the city’s finest chefs showcasing ingredients from local farms, fisherman, and ranchers, and this year was no exception.

Led by Felipe Riccio of one-star Michelin March and Bryan Caswell, whose Memorial eatery Latuli has quickly established itself as one of the year’s most promising newcomers, the lineup also included Micheal O’Connor (Doris Metropolitan), Jane Wild (Jane and the Lion Bakehouse), Marco Incerti (Tavola), Hilario Zamora (Zanti Cucina Italia), and host chef Arash Kharat, whose smoked lamb t-bone had the crowd asking for seconds. Pre-dinner snacks were provided by chefs Holly Hearn (Game Girl Gourmet) and Josh Sutcliff (55 Seventy Houston).

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Natalie Vaclavik, Ben Ackerley, Will Hoke, and Anthony Greene.

Before supper, guests sipped a signature vodka cocktail from Camellia Monday Hospitality, beers from Saint Arnold Brewing Company, and zero proof cocktails from Cut Above Zero Proof Spirits. Dionysus Imports provided wines to pair with the meal.

A lively auction that included trips, VIP treatment at top Houston restaurants, luxurious at home dinners, and other splurges contributed over $46,000 to the evening’s $165,000 total. That money will help Urban Harvest fulfill its missions of community gardens, farmers markets, gardening classes, and other endeavors to support a more sustainable, healthier food system.

Who: Maria Rene Parada, Connie Sue Ellis, Roy Clark, Anne Lewis, Beth Clark, David Morris, Mark Marmon, Terry Garner, Geraldine Barrett, Ana and Steve Roberson, Diana and Alejandro Madero, Matt and Natalie Vaclavik, Rachel and Blair Kern, Father James Murphy, Russell and Mary Beth Hillenburg, Martin and Elizabeth Coleman, Bailey Dalton, Ellen Weitz, Kevin Lofton, David Young, Kirsten Chong, Ana Beaven and Charlie McDaniel, Ben Ackerley, Judge Beau Miller, Sammy Ford, Kevin Naderi, Mary Clarkson, Howard Stone, Tom Howell, Ashley and Tyler Horne, Dan Lindner, Charlie Talisman, Mary Beth Hillenburg, Alefiya Suby, Caroline Sievers, and Paige Hawley.