D’Andra Simmons Lock and Jeremy Lock were very busy the first week in November in the Turtle Creek hood. First there was the Cancer Blows Kick-Off Party on Tuesday, November 1, at Ashley Tatum‘s and Newt Walker‘s mansion on the east side of Turtle Creek. That’s when the CB Co-Chair Locks announced official plans for the May 8-10th event.
Then just a couple of days later the twosome were on the other side of “the Creek” at Vinette and Mike Montgomery‘s home-sweet-home for the kick-off party for KidLinks’ Symphony of Chefs, which they’ll be honorary co-chairing. Here’s a report from the field:
Fresh off the heels of the CancerBlows Kick-Off, Symphony of Chefs Honorary Co-Chairs D’Andra Simmons-Lock and Jeremy Lock joined friends and supporters on Thursday, November 3, at Vinette and Mike Montgomery’s Highland Park home for the 7th Annual Symphony of Chefs Kick-Off Party. Benefiting the music therapy non-profit KidLinks, the fundraising event will take place on Monday, February 27, at the newly named Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station, Symphony of Chefs.
As guests including Dee Simmons, Ashley Berges, Regina Bruce, Sandy Sule, Aneeta Goomar, Doris Jacobs, Debbie Murphy, Nathan Shea and Kimberly Alexander mingled in the backyard of the Montgomery’s home overlooking the Dallas Country Club and the sun began to set, emcee Jane McGarry took the mic to introduce two of the Event Chair duos, Bonnie Shea and Marc Lyons.
Bonnie and Mark shared the duties of providing remarks thanking a host of sponsors and partners for their support of the kick-off including SweetBeat Vodka and 4R Ranches’ Willem Johnson, who selected the Empson USA Inc. wines served on the night. They also spoke of their connection to KidLinks and the power and impact that music therapy has among children and families in hospitals. For them it was a personal connection and the reaction of seeing a child’s life changed through the power of music. And what better way to bring the love of music together with a great meal raising money for KidLinks.
After sharing their stories it was on to the unveiling of the new logo design, which shone brightly on the cobblestone among the onlookers. Chief Executive Officer Diana Crawford reiterated words of appreciation to attendees and shared statistics on the importance of music therapy entertainment announcing that KidLinks was not impacting the DFW market but because of their online network of low-cost, free content available through HugWorks, they would be able to reach and impact children worldwide.
As the speeches came to a close and with references to the definition of a symphony, Jane introduced several changes to the 7th annual event. These changes included adding a mixology themed cocktail reception featuring rising star chefs, a four-course wine-paired dining experience where chefs would cook at the table for 10 guests followed by a decadent dessert reception paired with port and after-dinner cocktails. She went on to announce a partial list of committed chefs including Bravo TV’s “Top Chef” alumni Tiffany Derry, Asador Restaurants’ Brad Phillips, Madrina’s David Fingerman and Proof+Pantry’s Nick Hurry with many more to be announced in the coming weeks. Finally she announced just one of the pastry chefs who would create the dessert course — former Rosewood Mansion pastry chef Gianni Santin.
As the night came to a close, 5 of the 20 available tables had been sold, leaving just 15 left. Guests were encouraged to confirm their sponsorships, tables and tickets (at $1,000 per seat) soon because the event would be a sell-out.
For more information about KidLinks and the Symphony of Chefs evening of culinary composition visit www.thekidlinks.org.
* Photo credit: Thomas Garza