Chef’s Kiss! Hundreds Feast in Celebration of Urban Harvest’s 30th

Daniel Ortiz
Chef’s Kiss! Hundreds Feast in Celebration of Urban Harvest’s 30th

Diana Madero, Thea Pheasey, Alejandra Peterman, Hillary Jebbitt

EIGHT CHEFS, THIRTY years — and one big dinner! Urban Harvest rang in its fourth decade of community gardens, farmers markets and food access at their annual farm-to-table dinner cooked up by some of the most notable chefs in town.


More than 200 supporters gathered at St. John’s School, where they were greeted with a small feast before dinner even began! There were pumpkin tamales from Cuchara, and tasty apps by Chris Lott at A Bite of Hope; Holly Hearn of Game Girl Gourmet; and Dominick Lee at Augustine’s. All were nicely washed down with two cocktails from newly Michelin-starred Musaafer, and a take on a non-alcoholic margarita sponsored by Cut Above Spirits.

Janna Roberson, Urban Harvest’s executive director, welcomed guests as the first course — which was Austin Waiter of The Marigold Club’s chicken-liver mousse — was served. The meal continued with soft shell crawfish from Joe Murphy of Nobu, and pork-and-roselle salad by Burmalicious’ Suu Khin. The Woodlands’ Amrina served up Truffle Raj Kachori by chef Jassi Bindra, followed by whole-fish Collard greens Rockefeller by Lucas McKinney from Josephine’s. Still hungry? You bet we were. Next up was Culinary Khancepts’ Emily Trusler, who served coffee-cured strip steak with Kobucha squash. For dessert, Jason Gould and Samara Peña of Common Bond made little to-go boxes full of sweet treats!

“We celebrated our 30th anniversary with an evening of community, local food and talented chefs,” said Roberson. “We are grateful for the support of an amazing Houston community and look forward to expanding our impact in the next 30 years!”

The event raised $150,000 that will be used to transform food accessibility in Greater Houston.

Charlie McDaniel, Steve Roberson, Ana Beaven, Karla Contreras, Mithu Malik

Alexander Bradley, Haley Kurisky, Kay and George Kurisky

Scott Howard, Bridget Jensen, Abdissa Gemechu, Jenny Clay Combe

Heather Simpson, Abigail Simpson, James Murphy

Elias Contreras, Jorge Sanchez

Rod Borges, Fadua Borges

Sammy Ford, Sarah Nielsen, Javier Garza

Parties

Jess Bailey, Founder & Managing Attorney of Bailey Law Firm PLLC

WHAT LEADERSHIP QUALITIES are essential for thriving? Decisiveness, emotional intelligence, and the ability to inspire. Decisiveness is about making informed choices swiftly and standing by them; it’s a hallmark of leadership that instills confidence in a team. Emotional intelligence enables understanding and management of one’s own emotions, as well as relate to and influence the emotions of others. It’s crucial for building strong relationships and navigating complex interpersonal dynamics. The ability to inspire and motivate is what transforms a group of individuals into a cohesive, driven team. Leadership is a practice, not a position.

Keep Reading Show less

Brunch at Hamsa

ON A PRETTY spring Sunday, the retractable wall of windows by Hamsa’s bar open onto its patio, filled with cool people, fab food and immaculate vibes. The Rice Village Israeli resto just debuted its inventive new brunch menu, and people are already raving. Recently nominated for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur, owners Itai Ben Eli and Itamar Levy continue to retool their modern Israeli cooking for the discerning Houston foodie.

Keep Reading Show less
Food