Photo by Daniel Ortiz
Iris Shaftel, Ellen Weitz, Bailey Dalton, and Alston White.
A group of talented Houston chefs showed their support for local agriculture at Urban Harvest’s annual Sunday Supper fundraiser on November 5.
Held at Georgia James steakhouse in the Regent Square mixed-use development, the event raised more than $100,000 for the nonprofit’s programs that include community gardens, youth education, increasing access to nutritious food for underserved communities, and its popular weekly farmers market.
Participating chefs included Elaine Won, chef-owner of CultureMap Tastemaker Awards nominee Dumpling Haus; Michael Hoffman, executive chef of River Oaks favorite Brasserie 19; Matthew Hamilton, chef de cuisine of Tastemaker Awards nominee Rosie Cannonball; Tastemaker Awards nominee Tim Reading of the upcoming restaurant Leo’s River Oaks; and Scott Muns, culinary director for hosts Underbelly Hospitality.
Picking a favorite from among the courses would be a difficult task for any of the 200-plus food-obsessed attendees, but a consensus emerged around Hamilton’s Butternut Squash Pappardelle with Lira Rossa Stacchino cheese and Mushroom Gremolata. Rosie Cannonball and Brasserie 19 collaborated on the dessert, which boosted the usually ho-hum panna cotta by topping it with a spot on taste of fall — roasted persimmon with citrus and persimmon marmalade.
All five courses used ingredients sourced from Urban Harvest’s weekly market vendors, including Atkinson Farms, Three Sisters Farms, Flying Saucer Farms, Blackwood Educational Institute, Rio Grande Organics, and Lightsey Farms. Held every Saturday morning on the campus of St. John’s School, the market has grown from seven vendors in 2004 to more than 150 today. All of the vendors — a group that includes farmers, ranchers, and others — come from within 180 miles of Houston; prepared food vendors must source at least 51 percent of their ingredients locally.
Prior to dinner, attendees enjoyed a cocktail hour that featured drinks from Tito’s, Champagne Madame Zero, and local wine distributor Dionysus Imports. Habitat for Humanity sponsored a wine pull that saw many attendees stocking their home cellars with choice bottles.
“The Sunday Supper dinner is an amazing event which centers around great chefs, fabulous food, and local product sourcing,” Urban Harvest executive director Janna Roberson said in a statement. “We are so grateful to all our supporters who help bring this night to fruition.”
Several notable names attended the sol- out event, including Mavis and Wendy Kelsey, George Peterkin, Heather Simpson, George and Kay Kurisky, Stuart Rosenberg and Jose Ocque, Haley Kurisky, Hilary Jebbitt, Charlie and Jill Talisman, John and Lindsay Socha, Matthew Massey, Sarah Self, Mark Marmon and Sharon Mills, Cuchara owners Ana Beaven and Charlie McDaniel, Tyler Horne, and Taylor Kaminsky. Urban Harvest board members who served on the event’s host committee included Heather Houston, Jerry Fabian, Beth Clark, Katherine Chambers, Bailey Dalton, Sammy Ford IV, Tiffany Dugar Hatchett, Molly Lamme, Mark Licata, and Jake Slosburg.
