How ‘Sweet’ It Is: Women Honored at Saks’ Valentine’s Tea

How ‘Sweet’ It Is: Women Honored at Saks’ Valentine’s Tea

Christine Johnson and Jody Merritt

A LOVELY AND truly heart-felt tradition continued, when Saks Fifth Avenue and its 5115 restaurant hosted the 14th annual Houston Sweethearts tea.


“Creators Anne Carl, Deborah Duncan, Sylvia Forsythe, Kim Moody, Warner Roberts and Alicia Smith welcomed over 100 guests,” said a rep for the event’s organizers, noting that the function is held each year around Valentine’s Day “simply to tell each other that they are loved and appreciated for all the time, energy, creativity and heart-felt love they give in service to the community.”

This year’s Sweethearts honorees include Lesha Elsenbrook, Tena Faust, Marilu Garza, Tama Lundquist, Elizabeth Stein and Heidi Turney. Other VIP guests included Sidney Faust, Phoebe Tudor, Hallie Vanderhider, Bobby Dees, Brigitte Kalai, Beth Wolff, Cheryl Byington, Leisa Holland-Nelson Bowman, Ellie Francisco, Kim Padgett, Sherri Zucker, Brittany Zucker, Kirk Kveton and Anna Dean.

The annual tea raises awareness for the Mission of Yahweh, a shelter for homeless women and children.

Tena Faust

Brigitte Kalai, Anne Carl and Alicia Smith

Sandra Porter, Marilu Garza, Leila Perrin and Charity Yarborough Cox

Heidi Rockecharlie and Alice Mao Brams

Deborah Duncan and Beth Wolff

Party People
Propose in Style at The Westin Houston Medical Center/Museum District

Photo by Stephen Mendoza Photography

SEEKING TO MAKE your proposal as beautiful and bright as your love? Look no further than The Westin Houston Medical Center, a haven of contemporary sophistication, where love stories unfold amidst exquisite surroundings.

Keep Reading Show less

Paella Valenciana at Mi Luna

THOUGH IT'S BEEN in Houston less than a decade, Sof Hospitality has made major inroads with foodies and critics alike. Its concepts include Doris Metropolitan, Hamsa and Badolina Bakery, all of which deliver the rich flavors of Israeli cuisine in complex, photogenic and delicious dishes. Its newest, Októ, opened earlier this year, one of several energetic restaurants to bow in the Montrose Collective, just in time for the holidays.

Keep Reading Show less
Food

Bill Viola’s ‘Ascension,’ on display as part of ‘Living with the Gods’ at MFAH

THE ARTIST WHO ushered in the expressionist movement in the early 20th century was not, in fact, Picasso or Matisse. It was Paul Gauguin, whose career spanned the decades just preceding the turn of the century. The French painter is the subject of the Museum of Fine Arts’ latest exhibit, Gauguin in the World, which was organized by Henri Loyrette (formerly of the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, Paris). The show, just one of the museum’s diverse winter season shows, debuted in Australia in June and will be on display through Feb. 16, 2025, at the MFAH, the only U.S. venue for the survey.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment