Houston Farm Dinner Sees Top Chefs Creating Delicious Alchemy in a Truly Fresh Garden Night
Providing Farm Fresh Produce For Weeks
BY Shelby Hodge // 05.13.22Mary Brunson, Gracie Cavnar at the Recipe for Success Delicious Alchemy Banquet at Hope Farms (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)
What: Recipe for Success’ Delicious Alchemy Banquet
Where: Hope Farms
PC Moment: The dinner evening spotlighting the fresh produce that Recipe for Success grows on its seven-acre urban farm featured the talents of 10 chefs who volunteered their expertise to provide a fresh-from-the-garden dinner. With a few proteins thrown in for good measure. Think snow peas, carrots, tomatoes, green beans and Hope Farms Pepper Jelly.
The feast began with appetizers — crab cakes from Sysco Chef Javier Lopez and wild mushroom pierogis from Recipe for Success board member Chef Barbara McKnight of Culinaire. Once seated, guests dined on veggie dishes from Chef Martin Stayer of Nobie’s and The Toasted Coconut, Chef Caitlin Streets of Theodore Rex — with a vegetable laden pasta from ROMA Chef Kevin Bryant.
Main courses included Ouzo Bay Chef Thomas Laczynski‘s roasted octopus and potatoes dauphine, Le Colonial Chef Charlie Ho‘s tea smoked squab with carrots and fig jus, and Bistro Menil Chef Greg Martin‘s 12-hour short ribs, which were provided by Gourmet Ranch.
When it came time for dessert, Recipe for Success co-founder Gracie Cavnar challenged guests to “earn” the sweets by contributing to Hope Farms program of delivering fresh produce to 132 food insecure families in the neighborhood. The $10,000 raised guaranteed that Hope Farms will deliver farm fresh produce to all for eight weeks. A nice paycheck for desserts from Kiran’s Chef Kiran Verma and AV Bakery’s Chef Alejandra Salas.
Outdoor Dining with Bering's
The open air Gathering Bar was dressed to impress on this evening. A single 50-foot long table was decorated with the freshest flowers grown on the farm under auspices of Recipe for Success co-founder Cavnar’s Flower Child Urban Flower Farm & Studio. The florals, arranged by Cavnar, graced the table, which was dressed in copper Fortuny fabric and topped with teal blue tooled leather.
Honorees Suzanne and John Fain were presented proclamations from Congressman Al Green and Mayor Sylvester Turner in recognition of their impact on Houston’s healthy food scene.
PC Seen: Recipe for Success co-founder Bob Cavnar, Peg Lee, Ford Hubbard, Virginia and Will McMullen, Kathryn Ketelsen, Kim Tutcher, Lance McKnight, Karen and Roland Garcia, Alice Mao, Sneha and Nick Merchant, Shelly and Warren Span, Anita and David Garten, Katherine Warren, Glen Gonzalez, Ashton and Dallas Garrison, and Steve Summers.
