Star Chefs Team Up for Wellness Week

03282018_IHWSH_aescottdesignsphotography-7

It’s no secret that prolific chef-restaurateur Ryan Pera — Coltivare, Revival Market, and about a million forthcoming restaurants — is a busy guy. But his wife, Lori Choi, can keep up. A vascular surgeon by day, she founded I’ll Have What She’s Having in 2017. Her nonprofit raises healthcare funds for female food and beverage industry workers, and is celebrating its first-ever WellWeek Oct. 7-13, a series of events that promote mental health awareness.


The initiative kicks off on Sunday with the Depressed Cake Shop, a bake sale and cake auction at Silver Street Studios, “to remind us that one in five Houstonians can have trouble appreciating the sweetest things about life,” says Choi.

On Monday at The Dunlavy, a Happy Birth Day pop-up dinner, prepared by chefs Jane Wild (The Dunlavy), Jill Bartolome (Aqui) and Dawn Burrell (Kulture), benefits the Shades of Blue Project, which supports minority women with postpartum depression.

And throughout the week, restaurants — including Feges BBQ, Morningstar, Nancy’s Hustle, Paulie’s, all of Pera’s popular spots, and more — will offer a mocktail or “depressed” dessert on their menu, to spark conversation. “We're aiming to stimulate conversation and chip away at the stigma associated with mental illness that may prevent our friends and loved ones from seeking the help they need,” says Choi. Proceeds from the campaign benefit Legacy Community Health mental health services, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Southern Smoke Foundation.

For more on Choi and Pera, see “Make It a Double! H-Town Power Pairs,” CityBook’s list of Houston’s most dynamic duos, in this newsletter and in the October issue out now.

Wellness+Giving Back
Consistent Focus on the Patient Is What Sets Montrose Med Spa Apart

Owner Maricela Olivo and Montrose Med Spa

WHAT MAKES MONTROSE Med Spa stand apart from the competition? We set ourselves apart from the competition by being consistently focused on one thing: the patient. With that focus, we will succeed in a successful and healthy experience and loyalty to Montrose Med Spa. Staying true to our message of intentional wellness is a point of difference where I see other spas being unclear and distracted in their direction. By listening to our patients, we ensure we meet and exceed their expectations. We continually stay on top of the market by offering the best innovative body sculpting and skin treatments that invigorate and energize and are specifically designed to restore balance and strength and renew youth to the body. We also utilize a number of marketing programs to stay on the minds of our guests, including radio, TV, direct mail, email blasts, and unique invitations for exclusive treatments. One element that helps to establish the bar and sets us apart from our competition is our emphasis on providing a complete medical gym experience—from the varied treatments with Emsculpt Neo to a personalized health and wellness and skin evaluation for each individual by our certified staff. We also provide a noninvasive, pain-free, and needle-free facelift through EMFace in addition to offering monthly beauty memberships that create a commitment to the overall wellbeing of the patient.

Keep Reading Show less

Santé's Verde Room

COCKTAILS ON FIRE, caviar carts, and three-hundred-year-old olive trees, oh my! It’s all at Santé (French for cheers!), which has bowed on Richmond in Upper Kirby.

Keep Reading Show less
Food

The Rusty Parrot's courtyard

THE CLUES ARE there from the start: The Jackson Hole airport entrance is marked with an iconic arch made of elk antlers. The airport-transfer driver has binoculars perched on his dash. And the famously jagged Tetons immediately beckon on the picturesque drive to the lodge.

Keep Reading Show less
People + Places