“Benefitting Camp H-Town, this much-anticipated evening is one of the city’s premier philanthropy events,” noted a rep for the hotel. The event raised a record $360,000.
More than a dozen chefs turned out for Celebrity Chefs Against Cancer, offering tasting-size delights, washed down with inventive cocktails and special wines from Maisons Marques & Domaines. Participating chefs included Bludorn’s Marie Ridle, Field & Tides’ Travis Lenig, Hando’s Man Nguyen, Nobie’s Martin Stayer, Roma’s Shannon Scott, Uchi’s Stephen Conklin, Uchiko’s Shaun King, Xochi’s Hugo Ortega and two chefs from the hotel — Jonathan Esparza of Toro Toro and Four Seasons Exec Pastry Cheff Krystin McCarley.
“Celebrity Chefs Against Cancer brings our incredible Houston community and the city’s top chefs together,” said Tom Segesta, general manager of the hotel. “In addition to being a fun and indulgent evening of amazing food, drink, connection, we raise a lot of money to provide these amazing and brave children with a summer camp experience created just for them.”
TV’s Miya Shay served as emcee for the event, and Johnny Bravo was the auctioneer, selling off such gems as a puppy, an original painting by Taft McWhorter, a five-night stay in an overwater bungalow suite at Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora, and a white gold, sapphire, and diamond pendant by Peter Martino.
Conducted in collaboration with the University of Texas MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital, the oncology camp provides kids who have been touched by cancer with a fun and safe sleep-away camp environment at no financial cost to the campers’ families.
