A Dallas Art World Dream — Inside the Dallas Contemporary’s Spring Benefit Dinner
The $1,000-a-Seat Event Featured a Trio of Celebrated Mexican Chefs and Mariachi Sol Azteca
BY Diana Spechler // 03.06.23
Eva Yazhari, Danié Gómez Ortigoza (Photo by Sheryl Lanzel)
At Dallas Contemporary Spring Exhibitions Benefit Dinner on February 28, 2023, a collective sigh of bliss ripples through the room—maybe because halloumi cheese tends to elicit that reaction, but probably because the halloumi, resting in a spicy green corn soup called chileatole, is the sublime creation of James Beard Award semifinalist Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman. The setting is José, the Mexican spot on Lovers where Quiñones-Pittman works her magic. You might remember Jose from Netflix’s Taco Chronicles, or, thanks to the delicious LALO tequila cocktails, you might not remember it at all.
For the evening’s event, hosted by Megan and Brady Wood and Lisa and John Runyon, 100 guests paid $1,000 each for the twin privileges of supporting the Design District’s beloved art museum and experiencing three of the world’s most heavy-hitting Mexican chefs: Quiñones-Pittman, Francisco “Paco” Ruano of Guadalajara’s Alcalde, and Tomás Bermúdez of Mexico City’s La Docena. Both Alcalde and La Docena made last year’s 50 Best Restaurants list in Latin America. And Quiñones-Pittman is once again up for a James Beard Award—Best Chef in Texas.
The proceeds from the benefit will support Dallas Contemporary’s spring 2023 exhibits—the private collection of Marcela and José Noé Suro, Cerámica Suro: A Story of Collaboration, Production, and Collecting in the Contemporary Arts, and a solo exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Eduardo Sarabia called This Must Be The Place.
To give a sense of the 42,000 square-foot museum’s importance on the Texas art scene, consider one of the current showings: backward forward by Shepard Fairey. If Fairey’s name sounds familiar, that’s because he’s the artist who designed the iconic “Hope” poster for Obama’s 2008 campaign. backward forward presents work that asks discomfiting questions about whether America is progressing or regressing, and what the future holds for the planet.
The Guadalajara-based ceramics factory Cerámica Suro has produced works from hundreds of Mexican and international artists—Sarabia included. Sarabia’s sculptures and installations in This Must Be The Place pay homage to Guadalajara, not just the factory’s home but the city of his ancestry. This Must Be The Place will be on display through August, Cerámica Suro through the end of the year.
If that first-course halloumi won the evening’s gold medal, Chef Ruano’s dessert, rice pudding with truffle shavings, takes the silver. The showcasing of culinary art complements the visual art throughout Jose, including Sarabia’s grand white and blue ceramic vase on the bar; and the live performance from Mariachi Sol Azteca. Great food, great visuals, great music—a Dallas art world hat trick.
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