March of Dimes' Signature Chefs Tempts Foodies and Raises Funds for 'Moms and Babies'

Daniel Ortiz
March of Dimes' Signature Chefs Tempts Foodies and Raises Funds for 'Moms and Babies'

David Cordua

FOODIES WITH BIG hearts were in heaven at the annual Signature Chefs restaurants expo and fundraising dinner benefitting the March of Dimes. Held at The Revaire and chaired by Kristen J. Cannon and Mignon Gill, the event took in some $425,000 in support of healthier mothers and children.


Participating restaurants and hospitality outfits, working from booths ringing the room and doling out tasty treats to guests, included A Fare Extraordinaire, Clarkwood, Cut Above Spirits, Eunice, Field & Tides, Guard and Grace, Hando, Le Jardinier, Leo’s River Oaks, MaKiin Concepts Hospitality, Marmo, Money Cat, Navy Blue, Queen Bee Distilling and Relish Restaurant & Bar.

Besides great food, there were moving moments. Pete and Vivian Vandenbout, this year’s March of Dines ambassador family, shared a heartfelt story of preterm birth and infant loss.

“Signature Chefs brings together top culinary talent and the community to shine a light on the state of maternal and infant health in Houston and around the US,” said March of Dimes Senior Executive Director Jen Torres. “Locally, we continue to face significant threats to the health of moms and babies, with 1 in 8 babies being born premature and significant disparities among racial and ethnic groups.”

Kristen Cannon and Whitney Lawson

Meg and Garth Roe

Aaron Bludorn

Nicholas VandenBout and auctioneer Randy Davis

Tiffany Halik, Kristina Wilson and Nora Jarrad

Melanie Camp and Jen Torres

Milka Waterland and Elia Gabbanelli

Karen and Seth Lerner

Kat Pressly and Reagan Bregman

FORMER ASTROS PITCHER and current coach Joe Smith, along with his sportscaster wife Allie LaForce, hosted a gala at Minute Maid Park's Union Station in an effort to raise funds and awareness of Huntington’s Disease, which took the life of Smith’s mother in 2020.

Keep Reading Show less
People + Places

MORTGAGE RATES ARE high. So is the cost of living. Life milestones are coming later. The reasons that millennials are, according to society, "behind" previous generations when it comes to home ownership are finally crystal clear (and they have nothing to do with avocado toast, thankyouverymuch). But what do the statistics say about home-buying in Houston?

Keep Reading Show less
Home + Real Estate