Decanted donations

Chris Shepherd's nonprofit raises $700,000 for hospitality workers at wine-fueled bash

Southern Smoke Foundation hosts swanky gala for food and beverage worker relief.

A night of fine foods and wine for a good cause

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

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.

chefs fundraisers southern smoke foundation wine

RIP, Wally

Texan Wally Funk, oldest woman to travel into space, dies at 87

Wally Funk aboard Blue Origin New Shepard

Photo courtesy of Blue Origin

The 82-year-old Wally Funk became the oldest person to go to space on July 20, 2021.

GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) — Wally Funk, an aviation pioneer who was the oldest woman to launch into space, has died. She was 87.

Funk died Wednesday, July 8 at her apartment in an assisted living facility in Grapevine, Grapevine City Councilwoman Duff O'Dell said Thursday. O'Dell, who described herself as Funk's caregiver, said she was by Funk's side. Funk had fallen a couple of times recently and had an infection in her leg.

“It took its toll,” O'Dell said in a phone interview.

Wally Funk became a hometown hero in Grapevine. Facebook/Wally Funk's Space for Race

Funk was one of 13 female pilots who went through the same tests as NASA’s all-male astronaut corps in the early 1960s but never made it into space. In 2021, she got her chance aboard Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket. At the time, the 82-year-old was the oldest person to go into space, though the record was later broken by “Star Trek” actor William Shatner and Ed Dwight, America’s first Black astronaut candidate. They were both 90.

Bezos chose Funk as an “honored guest” to ride alongside him and two others on an up-and-down hop from West Texas aboard his Blue Origin rocket.

In interviews after the 11-minute flight, Funk enthusiastically told reporters, "I loved every minute of it. I just wish it had been longer.”

Wally Funk in her '20s as a flight instructor. Facebook/Wally Funk's Space for Race

She became a hometown hero when she returned home to Dallas-Fort Worth; the city of Grapevine threw a parade for her history-making experience.

“Wally Funk never stopped believing that one day she would reach space. Her passion for flight, perseverance, and love of exploration will continue to inspire generations of Americans. Godspeed, Wally,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman posted Thursday on X.

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This story contains material from CultureMap story archives.

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