Houston’s Top Chefs Partner Up With Elegant Ballet Dancers On an Unforgettable Dinner — Unexpected Dream Teams Cook

When top chefs team up to create a special meal, the results are always delicious. When they combine their culinary skills with cream of the crop Houston Ballet talents, the result is a great meal and a deliciously fun event. So it was when chefs Aaron Bludorn, Rebecca Masson, Hugo Ortego, Chris Shepherd and Chris Williams headlined the annual “Raising the Barre” evening benefiting Houston Ballet.

We doubt there could have been a more illustrious gathering of the Bayou City’s top toques.

Kudos to chairs Heidi and Marcus Smith and Roslyn Bazelle Mitchell and Derrick Mitchell, who helmed the evening that saw 200 people pour into Caracol and exceeded the Ballet’s goal by raising $110,000.

The curtain was raised on the four-course feast with Chris Shepherd of the Southern Smoke Foundation elaborating on his wine selections paired with each course.

Williams of Lucille’s fame joined forces with soloist Eric Best to begin the feast with a delectable lamb stew comprised of sweet potato puree, coconut collard green pesto and a garnish of roasted peanuts.

Corps de ballet dancer Zoe Lucich‘s California roots came into play when she and Bludorn of his namesake restaurant prepared an indulgent nine herb ravioli with a carrot ginger puree, fresh gremolata and pecorino romano cheese.

Ortega of H-Town Restaurant Group and Houston ballet principal Skylar Campbell selected Pacific halibut with ginger broth and puya peppers for the entree service. Both the chef and the ballerina have special affection for Pacific Coast, more specifically a quaint seaside town in Mexico called Puerto Nuevo. This shared love inspired the special seafood entrée.

Fluff Bake Bar owner and pastry chef Rebecca Masson and demi soloist Kellen Hornbuckle donned aprons together to create a mouthwatering maple bacon crème brûlée. Bonus: On their exit, everyone got treated with cosmic brownie cookies courtesy of Fluff Bake Bar.

PC Seen: Kristy Bradshaw, Lindsey Brown, Mignon and Stephen Gill, Jane DiPaolo, Lenni and Bill Burke, Allison and Troy Thacker, Helen and Jim Shaffer, Anita Smith, Marguerite Swartz, Ileana and Michael Treviño, Ann Ayre,  Stephanie and Frank Tsuru, Jesse Jones and Terry Wayne Jones, and Zoe Cadore.