Houston’s Spicy Night Of Crawfish, Country Music and $780,000 Raised — Cotton Holdings Keeps the Good Times Rolling

A New Retreat In Columbus, Texas Is Coming

By Shelby Hodge // May 14, 2025

Photography courtesy of Cotton Holdings

1/0

Zinat Ahmed snuggles with the chocolate lab at the 13th annual CrawFest (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings)

Country music legend Mark Chesnutt performing at the 13th annual CrawFest (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings)

Hayden & Bailey Layne at the 13th annual CrawFest (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings)

Zinat Ahmed, Pete Bell at the 13th annual CrawFest (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings)

Heather Almond, Zinat Ahmed at the 13th annual CrawFest (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings)

Karson Ludwick with Serene Saddles' Cupcake at the 13th annual CrawFest (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings)

More than 6,500 pounds of boiled crawfish served at Cotton Holdings' CrawFest fundraiser (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings)

Chance Jones, Brittany Hildebrand, Zinat Ahmed, Robert Murphy, Laura & Johnny Hlavinka at the 13th annual CrawFest (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings)

Fady Armanious digging into crawfish at the 13th annual CrawFest (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings)

Bayou Roux opens entertainment at the 13th annual CrawFest (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings)

Pete Bell, Foster Thompson at the 13th annual CrawFest (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings)

Stacey Lindseth, Fady Armanious, Ally Ehrman at the 13th annual CrawFest (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings)

Classic crawfish plate from Cotton Culinary at the 13th annual CrawFest (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings)

Stacey Lindseth, Fady Armanious, Zinat Ahmed, Ally Ehrman at the 13th annual CrawFest (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings)

What: Cotton Holdings’ 13th annual CrawFest

Where: The Cotton Ranch in Katy

PC Moment: Let’s start with the fact that renowned country artist Mark Chestnut closed the evening’s entertainment. No wonder this crawfish boil/music fest/fundraiser earned a record $780,000 for the Cotton Foundation. There was even a killer buffet for the 1,700 guests.

Country Music Legend Mark Chesnutt performing at the 13th annual CrawFest; photo courtesy of Cotton Holdings, Inc. (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings) — Country music legend Mark Chesnutt performing at the 13th annual CrawFest (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings)

Cotton Culinary whipped up its magic with 6,500 pounds of spicy boiled crawfish paired with classic Cajun fixings of corn, sausage and potatoes. Add to the feast Gulf Coast-inspired dishes such as lobster fritters, seafood fondue, crawfish hand pies, boudin balls, chicken and sausage jambalaya, beignets and bread pudding with Jack Daniel’s cream sauce.

Cotton Culinary is no stranger to massive feedings as it is in charge of feeding the crowds that pour into the company tent during the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.

Pete Bell and Foster Thompson at the annual CrawFest; photo courtesy of Cotton Holdings, Inc. (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings) — Pete Bell, Foster Thompson at the 13th annual CrawFest (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings)

Proceeds came from ticket sales, event sponsors, donated funds and gifts directly to the company’s nonprofit arm.

Welcoming everyone to the event were founder and Cotton Holdings co-CEO and chairman Pete Bell; Zinat Ahmed, executive vice president of marketing and branding; and James Scaife, president of Cotton GDS.

The foundation was launched by Cotton Holdings in 2004 with a holiday toy drive. Today, the foundation provides assistance to families affected by disaster, illness and hardship. Initiatives include Taylor’s Place, a retreat in Columbus, Texas set to open this fall for families navigating terminal illness.

Stacey Lindseth, Fady Armanious, Zinat Ahmed, Ally Ehrman; photo courtesy of Cotton Holdings, Inc. (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings) — Stacey Lindseth, Fady Armanious, Zinat Ahmed, Ally Ehrman at the 13th annual CrawFest (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings)

The star of this Cotton night was a lovable chocolate Labrador puppy in the live auction, who found a new home with Ahmed who named the puppy Blue Bell. He will go through training to be an emotional support animal for those staying at Taylor’s Place.

During the event, the foundation announced the launch of Serene Saddles Equine Therapy, a therapeutic program offering both stationary and mobile services while providing individuals with physical and emotional support through horse-assisted therapy.

Chance Jones, Brittany Hildebrand, Zinat Ahmed, Robert Murphy, Laura and Johnny Hlavinka; photo courtesy of Cotton Holdings, Inc. (1) (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings) — Chance Jones, Brittany Hildebrand, Zinat Ahmed, Robert Murphy, Laura & Johnny Hlavinka at the 13th annual CrawFest (Photo by courtesy of Cotton Holdings)

PC Seen: Cotton Holdings president and co-CEO Bryan Michalsky, COO Randall Thompson, CFO Kevin Freeman, chief legal officer Jeff Erler, senior VP Derek Clark, Brittany Hildebrand and Chance Jones, Stacey Lindseth, Ally Ehrman, Whitney Kuhn Lawson, Robert Murphy, Laura and Johnny Hlavinka Heather Almond, Kristen Cannon, Fady Armanious, Shelley Ludwick, Karson Ludwick, and Ellie Francisco.