parties

At Steak 48, a ‘Back to School’ Bash With Class

Joanne King Herring, Trey and Blakely Griggs

Billed as a “back-to-school" affair and kickoff to the city's fall social season — a moment worth celebrating given that so much of it was washed out by Harvey last year — a rather unassuming cocktail fete upstairs at River Oak District's Steak 48 restaurant last night may have been the hottest invite of the week.

Some of Houston's best-known philanthropy-gala hostesses — Phoebe Tudor, Becca Cason Thrash, Elizabeth Petersen, Leigh Smith and Greggory Burk — came together for a just-because to-do, welcoming a roster of swells to the glitzy steakhouse. Steak 48 honchos Jeff Mastro and Oliver Badgio also played host.

Wine flowed, and Exec Chef Jeff Taylor's passed snacks were rich and delicious, especially for a Monday night! Think New York strip, sautéed Maine Lobster, salmon with caviar, and Maryland-style crab cakes. Folks “inhaled the burrata on crostini like it was their full-time job," gushes a publicist for the eatery.

The guest list, touted as a “who's who of hobnobbing" by the same wordsmith, included Joanne King Herring, Dominique Sachse, Nick Florescu, Tony Bradfield, Shannon Hall and Allison Weaver of the Moody Center for the Arts. Also in the mix were Ursaline Hamilton, Alicia Smith, Houston Ballet's Oliver Halkowich, Matt Donowho, Tony Gibson, JD Adamson, Mia Matsamiya, Debbi Festari, Rudy Festari, Jo Furr, Jim Furr, Duyen Nguyen, Marc Nguyen, Holly Waltrip, Isabel David, Brandon McLendon, Diane Lokey Farb, Lindsey Love, Jeff Martin, Annie Amante, TV host Derrick Shore, New Orleans real estate doyenne Judy Oudt and Meghan Thrash.

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Leadership in Action: ‘Family, Community and Spiritual Connection’ Drives Success for Henry Richardson

Al Torres
Leadership in Action: ‘Family, Community and Spiritual Connection’ Drives Success for Henry Richardson

How did you get to where you are today? The present moment is a combined history of my family, my time as an athlete, my passion for learning, and my desire to see the world be better. I grew up as a successful springboard and platform diver, however, an injury caused me to seek alternative treatments to heal my body. In that process, I discovered the power of yoga, exercise, meditation, mindset, and nutrition. This holistic approach eventually led me to open a Pilates and cycling studio called DEFINE body & mind. I opened studios around the nation, and after selling most of my business between 2017-2019, I was ready to explore how I could make an even greater impact on the wellbeing of our community. In 2023, I started actively working on a brand new multi-family/apartment concept called, Define Living. The idea focused on offering health and wellness services within a beautiful apartment setting to increase the wellbeing of our residents. Having a strong sense of community is the number one factor in living a happy life, so why not build a community where daily fitness, cooking classes, and social connection are the norm? We opened Define Living in March of 2024, and we couldn’t be happier with how things are being received. We are already looking at building more concepts like this in the Houston area and beyond.

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Symphony Springs to Life with Floral-Fabulous Fete

Jacob Power and Priscilla Dickson

Chairs Brady and Zane Carruth, Brittany and Adam Clark

IT ALREADY FEELS like spring in Houston and the spring social season is here with it! 375 guests donned in white-tie flocked to The Post Oak Hotel for the annual Houston Symphony Ball, one of the city’s most anticipated and A-list galas.

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Parties
food

The Truffle Masters Returns — with a New Competition — Benefitting Southern Smoke

THE TRUFFLE MASTERS is returning for its 11th year on March 3rd. Now a Houston tradition of sorts, the competition sees top chefs creating a dish using black truffles all benefitting Southern Smoke.

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