Photos by Samantha Jane Beatty
Styling by Kate Stukenberg
Grooming by Tonya Riner for Page Parkes Agency
Models Madison Johnston for Wallflower Management and Jake Atterberry for Page Parkes Agency
Photo assistance by John Lewis
Styling assistance by Molly Jodeit
Men’s styling consulting by Cody Sever
and Whitney Wiggins for M Penner
Shot on location at Hotel Alessandra in Downtown
Model wearing Mason's Daughters Designs & The Vintage Contessa
A seasonal fashion show featured lots of local talent, including clothing and accessories by M. Penner, Miron Crosby and Vintage Contessa, with commentary by Lyndsey Zorich of The Avenue and Ahshia Berry with Sarah Jayne Smith of Magpies & Peacocks. Select items were available before and after the fashion show at the Hope Farms Store, which was transformed into a chic boutique for the day.
Guests took in the lovely looks from their seats at tables dressed in paisley linens with centerpieces of white watering cans spilling over with gorgeous hand-picked flowers — zinnias, snapdragons, mums and more — from the Hope Farms fields. Central Market put on a beautiful charcuterie spread, while Bistro Menil, Le Jardinier, Josephine's Gulf Coast, Kriti Kitchen and Culinaire teamed up to provide the rest of the brunch buffet — salmon with grits and greens, and fruit-covered pancakes with smoked ham were among the hits.
A paddles-up raffle sale resulted in an instant $5,000 raised for R4S's Delivering Hope mission, and the adorable daughters of the day's chairs, Jen and James Cunningham, drew for prizes that included shopping sprees, cooking classes and more.
Jen Cunningham with Virginia McMullen and Kristin Blomquist
Aashish Parehk, Rudy Guerra & RJ Jenkins with Gracie Cavnar
The team from Le Jardinier
Lyndsey Zorich
Models wearing Magpies & Peacocks
Greg Martin, Felipe Botero, Gracie, Lucas McKinney, Mary Cuclis, Juan Gonzalez, Karla Espinosa
Miya Shay and Vanessa McGowan
Virginia McMullen with daughters Elizabeth and Vivienne
The Cunningham family
Baked and fried oysters at Bar Bludorn (photo by Lauren Holub)
With Bar Bludorn, he's put the cooking in the hands of head chef Alexandra Pena, who you’ll spot in the shiny open kitchen. Our first visit ushered in punchy flavors of mostly classics with some twists — like carrot-ginger soup with fresh and candied ginger, a Wagyu short rib Rueben sandwich on housemade bread we would gladly eat daily, and green pea hummus singing with fresh garlic (order extra pita bread, it’s that good!).
Expect a wide range of entrees, including a beautiful Ora King salmon filet with yogurt-dill sauce; tender steak frites draped in au poivre vert; and roasted duck with mango and yam. Fried chicken gussied up with peanut-butter gravy, mashed potatoes and collard greens is a popular option, and of course there’s a towering tavern burger. But one of the best dishes is homemade tortellini: so perfectly al dente with a unique artichoke stuffing and garnish of bright tomato confit and lemon zest. Addictive.
The handsome, softly lit and intimate restaurant has a timeless clubby look, while still being everyday-comfy. Although it is a bar and restaurant, according to the team, its design concept is somewhat of an extension of the spacious bar at Bludorn restaurant in Montrose. The new tavern is located in the nondescript, red-brick rectangular building previously home to Jonathan's the Rub. Walls between the adjacent tenants were all knocked down, and Bar Bludorn is one giant open-concept space.
Planning to pop in without a reservation? The bar area typically fills up daily by 5:30pm, so advanced planning is recommended to snag a coveted dining-room table. Cheers!
Tortellini at Bar Bludorn (photo by Lauren Holub)
Lemon-ricotta ice cream sandwich (photo by Caroline Fontenot)
Bar Bludorn (photo by Claudia Casbarian)