Houston’s Barbecue King Makes this Vivacious Beauty’s 50th Birthday Unforgettable

The Ballroom at Bayou Place provided the perfect setting for Alicia Smith‘s triple header “Fifty & Fabulous” birthday celebration. Guests are still raving about the party that included not only a seated dinner, orchestrated by famed chef Ronnie Killen, but also a variety of entertainments and a rocking disco.

Following a “50 Shades of Fabulous” theme, the cocktail hour featured loads of bubbly, shadow box dancers and aerial artists who entertained guests, many of whom had donned the 50 Shades masks they were given on arrival. 

The second act of the energized celebration transported guests to New York City with a nod to the Waldorf Astoria. Imagine sparkling chandeliers above dinner tables dressed in silver and white. While  Chef Killen was not in the house, his numero uno — Joe Cervantez — was on hand throughout the evening to insure that dinner was perfection. The menu included seared tuna, spinach and Froberg Farm’s strawberry salad and a main course of filet and lobster Oscar.  The aerial artists continued their show overhead as guests dined.

A three-tiered birthday cake served as dessert, that confection accompanied by one of the birthday girl’s BBFs, Deborah Duncan, warbling the requisite “Happy Birthday.” Toasts and roasts abounded, tears and laughter flowed thanks to lifelong friend Kim Freeman, sister-in-law Angela Finney and husband of the night’s star, Lance Smith. The Smiths’ three sons — Chandler, Cole and Justin — were among the many saluting their vivacious, much-loved mom.

Next stop, Club 50, where event designer Kirksey Gregg had flipped the reception area into a chic disco lounge complete with white leather couches, disco balls and an LED light show. Louisiana’s DJ Tony spun the discs that kept the crowd rocking into the wee hours of the following day.

Revelers: Margaret Alkek Williams, Hannah and Cal McNair, Kim and Dan Moody, Anne and Noble Carl, Joanne King Herring, Rosemarie Johnson and Rocky Sembritzky, Warner Roberts, Jenee and Nick Stefanakis, Luba and Alan Bigman, Ursaline Hamilton, Donae and Rob Chramosta, Ericka Bagwell, Diane Lokey Farb, and Mehrnaz and Ned Gill.