‘Top Chef’ Stars Whip Up Four-Course Feast for Urban Harvest Supporters

‘Top Chef’ Stars Whip Up Four-Course Feast for Urban Harvest Supporters

Sasha Grumman, Evelyn Garcia and Dawn Burrell

THE CURRENT SEASON of Top Chef is filming all over H-Town, and 100-plus foodies had the opportunity to savor the talents of three local contestants — current competitor Evelyn Garcia, and past participants Dawn Burrell and Sasha Grumman — at The Butcher’s Ball benefitting Urban Harvest.


Under a large tent at City Place Plaza in Spring, decorated with flowers and farmhouse-style tables, the four-course dinner kicked-off with prosecco from Poggio Costa with chilled snapper, charred citrus and crispy plantains by Garcia. Grumman followed with the second course of smoked mushrooms and potatoes served with her namesake Sasha’s Focaccia. Burrell served up perfectly spiced beef cheeks with tomato and corn curry. And all three chefs collaborated on the grand finale: a berry crumble topped with sweet-corn ice cream and fish-sauce caramel.

Post-dinner, guests enjoyed whiskey from Still Distillers and Old Humble Distilling and stogies courtesy of an onsite cigar-roller from Lucho Houston. The dinner served as the kick-off event for the inaugural City Place HTX Whiskey Weekend, which featured tastings, meals and classes all weekend.

Urban Harvest aims to enrich the community by coordinating community gardens and farmers markers and educational opportunities for youth and adults. The evening’s proceeds will go toward furthering its efforts citywide.

Dwayne and Teresa Mason

Echo and Ryan Dalton

MKT Distillery Tasting

Natalie Galgano and Sonia Quinonez

Nathan and Angela Crissey

Steve and Val Rupp

The Butcher's Ball Dinner Tablescape

Tommy Ralph Pace and Terrell Thomas

Evelyn Garcia serving attendees at The Butcher's Ball Dinner

Food

A next-gen artificial heart from BiVACOR has successfully been implanted in a patient at Texas Heart Institute. The patient survived more than a week, until a donor heart was found for a transplant.

THE PIONEERING CARDIOVASCULAR inventors and surgeons at The Texas Heart Institute (THI) in the Texas Medical Center have made another huge leap forward in the treatment of heart disease, officially announcing yesterday what they’re calling a “monumental advancement."

Keep Reading Show less
People + Places

Rachel Gardner with her flower necklaces and, at left, Calla Lilly necklace

ON SATURDAY JULY 27, Foltz Gallery presents Endless Summer, a lively, playful exhibit of works by a multi-generational group of 28 emerging and established Texas-based artists. Taking its name from the 1974 Beach Boys double-album, which compiled the group’s early 1960s hit singles, the show is a visual “mixtape” of colorful paintings, prints, photographs, wall-based installations, ceramics and sculptures, installed lovingly throughout Foltz’s spacious and sunlit galleries. Among the works in Endless Summer are several examples of handmade “sculptural jewelry” by artist Rachel Gardner — a series of wearable wildflowers and fruits, including olives and strawberries.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment