Houston’s Best Chefs, Dancers and a Girl on a Swing Bring Back the Roaring ’20s: This is a Big Spender’s Dinner

It was a tasty night for certain when 11 chefs joined the friendly competition to win the hearts of more than 450 partygoers who gathered at The Corinthian for the March of Dimes Signature Chefs Gala. Through rounds of Roaring ’20s style partying and intense programming, the night was a success of more than $400,000.

Applause, applause for chairs Christie and Mark Sullivan and Kathy and Paul Mann and for Community Honorees Cora Sue and Harry Mach and Corporate Honoree H-E-B.

Congratulations go to Brennan’s chef Joe Cervantez, who won Best Signature dish for his shrimp creole tamales, and to Emmaline chef Dimitri Voutsinas, who earned Best Presentation honors for his salmon wellington. And then there was the People’s Choice winner — chef Hilda Ysusi of Broken Barrel, who melted our hearts with her confit of apricot pork belly with potatoes and jicama slaw.

Culinary chair Matt Harris rounded up the coterie of chefs that included Del Frisco’s James Cole, Pax Americana’s Martha DeLeon, Nothing Bundt Cakes’ Eduardo Garcia, Kuu’s Adison Lee, Potente’s Danny Trace, The Pit Room’s Bram Tripp and Harold’s Antoine Ware.

Providing a heap of thematic fun were the Charleston dancers from J&D Entertainment and the girl in feathers gliding on a gilded swing. We particularly loved the $100 bottomless champagne glasses that qualified us for a chance to win something sparkly from the Tenenbaum “Gem Pull.”

That was the fun part of the evening — the lengthy cocktail hour giving guests plenty of time for tasting, savoring and schmoozing. And that was a good thing. Because once guests were seated for dinner, it was non-stop programming including two lengthy videos, nine live auction items and fund-the-mission.

With little time to visit with one another during the program, there was ample time to indulge in the yummy Platinum Label (big spenders) dinner. Danny Trace provided the spaghetti with black truffles, Jackson and Company the spiced lamb chop entree, Houston Dairymaids the cheese course, and assorted chocolates and cake balls from Cacao & Cardamom and Petite Sweets.

Who: Millette and Haag Sherman, Joella and Steve Mach, Carmen and Butch Mach, Valerie and Tracy Dieterich, Rosemary Schatzman, Mimi and Robert Del Grande, Gina and Dr. Devinder Bhatia, Chree Boydstun, Rachel and Jason Volz, emcee Samica Knight, auction chair Kelly Sklar, and March of Dimes market leader Darcie Wells.