The wine auction hosted by the Southern Smoke Foundation in Houston raised $700,000 for food and beverage workers on Saturday, April 20.
Top chefs and over 50 winemakers were present at the El Dorado ballroom for the inaugural Southern Smoke Decanted event. The goal? To raise funds for the betterment of food and beverage workers of America. Founded by James Beard Award winner Chris Shepherd and his wife Lindsey Brown in 2015, the nonprofit provides a safety net for hospitality workers by providing emergency grants and facilitating mental health care. Since then, they have distributed millions of dollars for disaster relief, mental health support, and scholarships for people of color in wine-related fields.
“Decanted brought Texas’s wine lovers together to support a great cause — aiding F+B workers in crisis across the country,” executive director Lindsey Brown said in a statement. “We are grateful for their support and to all our partners who helped make 2024 the inaugural year.”
The evening started off with some of Houston’s most notable chefs serving snacks, including Bobby Matos (La Lucha), Anita Jaisinghani (Pondicheri), Yotam Dolev (Hamsa), Victoria Elizondo (Cochinita & Co), Shaun King (Hai Hospitality), Marie Riddle (Bludorn), and Van Teamer (Pudgy's Fine Cookies). Attendees sipped on wines from all over the country and Spain before raising their paddles at the auction.
Prizes up for bid included a lot of First Growth Bordeaux including a 6-Liter Chateau Haut-Brion; a dinner at Chris Shepherd’s home with Top Chef judge Gail Simmons, and winemakers Jasmine Hirsch and Michael Cruse; and a trip to the heart of the French Wine Country. The auction itself was sponsored by Lexus.
The Southern Smoke Foundation was originally formed when sommelier Antonio Gianola was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. To acknowledge that legacy, the event raised $36,000 for the MS Society.
“The MS Society was the beneficiary of the Southern Smoke Festival back in 2015 and 2016 before we shifted our focus to crisis relief for the food and beverage industry,” said Brown. “We donate back to the MS Society every year — we have to remember where we came from!”
Another $19,000 was raised for The Root Fund, which funds education opportunities to communities of color. The rest of the money raised goes into the foundation's general fund. Their next event, Respect the Rosé: Run for the Rosé, will take place on Saturday, June 29 at Brennan’s of Houston in Midtown, with a multi-course dinner and, obviously, more wine.
The 220 attendeeds included a number of notable names, including master sommelier Paul Roberts, Chuck and Vanessa Ames, Chris and Kristy Bradshaw, Ben and Meredith Marshall, Amanda McMillian and Ben Holloway, Mitchell George and Stanley Curtis, and Karen and Kevin McCarthey. Southern Smoke Foundation board members were also in attendance, including president Dr. Kevin Gee and his wife Brandi Montgomery, Ben Fink and wife Jennifer, LeighAnn Bakunas, master sommelier June Rodil, and Immediate past president Petter Pettersen and wife Mari Mena.
Photo by Daniel Ortiz
The event raised $700,000 for the Southern Smoke Foundation.
