Houston’s Most Delicious Fundraiser Makes the City’s Best Chefs Want To Cook For Free — Why Chefs for Paws Means So Much

Do you have a soft spot in your heart for furry friends of the domesticated, four-legged sort, with wet noses and lots of affection to share? Is your Instagram feed filled with adorable dogs and cats doing adorably remarkable things? Same. We marvel at the wonderful ways our pets enhance so many moments in our day-to-day lives, and one of the most impactful local rescue groups in Houston — the nonprofit Rescued Pets Movement — is stepping in to help animals that aren’t lucky enough to have safe homes of their own.

To support its tireless work, Rescued Pets Movement hosts the annual delicious fundraiser Chefs for Paws to raise much-needed funds to house, feed and transport those pets who have fallen on hard times. In fact, RPM will celebrate the momentous milestone — saving more than 100,000 animals since its inception in 2013 — at the next Chefs for Paws extravaganza set for Sunday, January 18 at The Post food hall and mixed-use center downtown.

Each year, Chefs for Paws draws many of Houston’s top chefs who donate both their time and ingredients to make the lavish multi-course dinner a memorable success. The charitable and uber-talented toques who will step behind the range this January include Benchawan Jabthong Painter, the chef and owner of Street to Kitchen (which is Bib Gourmand rated by Michelin); executive chef Tim Reading of The Henry; Marie Riddle, executive pastry chef with Bludorn; Suu Khin, chef/owner of the pop-up restaurant Burmalicious by Suu (a James Beard semifinalist); chef/owner Lukkaew Srasrisuwan of the River Oaks Thai restaurant MaKiin; chef/owner Elliot Roddy of Elliot’s Table; and longtime Chefs for Paws culinary coordinator Alyssa Doled.

With capacity for just 175 seats at a newly unveiled space at The Post, this will be a one-of-a-kind dinner with mixologists whipping up specialty cocktails, an exciting live auction, and a silent auction featuring chef-catered dinners, trips, travel and more. All for a vital cause.

Since 2013, Rescued Pets Movement has worked with local city shelters and rescue organizations nationwide to transport surrendered and abandoned pets from overcrowded shelters to loving adoptive homes in states all across the country. The group’s transport-based rescue model has become one of the most successful in the nation, helping Houston dramatically reduce euthanasia rates and giving tens of thousands of animals a second chance at life.

But all this hard work takes time and resources.

“It averages about $475 per animal to make it all happen, and the need has never been greater to give these dogs, cats, puppies and kittens a second chance at life in parts of the United States where there is actually a demand for adoptable pets,” Rescued Pets Movement executive director Shelby Roquemore says. “We spent $85,000 in 2024 on fuel alone for our transports.

“Van maintenance is also a huge expense, along with in-house veterinary care for everything from medical needs and vaccines to food and supplies for our temporary fosters and our boarding facility.”

Yes, this dinner means a lot. For more information on Chefs For Paws or to purchase tickets, go here.