Houston Ballet dancers, celebrity chefs raise $90,000 at virtual dinner
Ballet dancers are having a moment. Just last month, Vogue.com spotlighted Houston Ballet soloist Harper Watters for his must-follow content on TikTok.
For the foreseeable future, Watters and company (pun intended) may be out of the studio and off the Wortham Theater Center stage, though these days, anyone with an internet connection can feel closer than ever to their favorite danseur or danseuse.
Take Sunday night. Thanks to co-chairs Mignon and Steve
Gill and Samira Salman, this year’s Raising the Barre ticket holders were able to dine like Houston Ballet stars — from the comfort of their own homes. Principal dancers Connor
Walsh and Yuriko Kajiya, first soloist Oliver Halkowich and soloist Alyssa Springer were each partnered with a local celebrity chef to create a fourcourse, one-night-only feast.
Some 80 of the event’s reservation holders swung through the Georgia James’ valet over the weekend, where ballet staffers loaded custom meal kits into each vehicle.
For the first course, Walsh and Kata Robata chef Manabu
“Hori” Horiuchi served salmon carpaccio with lump crab meat. “It’s the ballet’s 50-year anniversary, so I put the gold flakes to make it fancy,” Horiuchi said via a QR-coded YouTube video.
Next came Kajiya and H-Town Restaurant Group executive chef/owner Hugo Ortega’s duck tamales wrapped in banana leaves with mole poblano. A grilled herb-marinated chicken breast with green papaya salad from Halkowich and Underbelly Hospitality chef/owner Chris
Shepherd followed. The year 2020 marked the duo’s second time to collaborate, Shepherd explained via video. They first paired up 11 years ago.
“We’re both fans of Vietnamese cuisine,” he said. “The restaurant industry and ballet are similar when it comes to dedication and practice, effort and time of life put into your craft.” Fluff Bake Bar pastry chef
Rebecca Masson has a longstanding relationship with the event, too. She’s participated every year for the past decade.
“I put together a box of greatest hits,” she said of the dessert box she dreamed up with Springer. Diners received a Veruca salt cupcake, couchpotato cookie, gooey butter cookie and blueberry financier. The latter arrived with a charming serving suggestion: “Great for a Monday morning breakfast!”
“This event is a good way to be together when we couldn’t get together,” Masson said to close the virtual program.
High-level donors were privy to an extra treat. In homage to honorees Courtney and Bill
Toomey, of presenting sponsor Truist Bank, select patrons also received a set of engraved steak knives. The added touches went a long way; their efforts helped raise more than $90,000.
And as Houston Ballet artistic director Stanton Welch noted, “Every dollar helps keep our company dancing.”