Dish-Houston

The event is coming up soon so grab your last minute tickets asap!

City Artworks had an artfully delish kick-off party at the home of Ken and Mady Kades, co-chaired by Dr. Franklin and Cindi Rose.  The art scene was well represented that night with Barbara Davis, Arturo Boada (chef and conversationalist), Kymberly Gremellion, and Deborah Colton.  Sharon Brier looked very cool with a Mona Lisa dress on, and Lynn Wyatt was magnificent in black.  In the crowd of around 80 notables included:

Spiritual TV and radio hostess Tina Marie Jones, Mia Berring, Keelan Wachman, and Michael Brier.  The fare was Asian, including sushi, spring rolls, grilled chicken in peanut sauce, and Mc Donald’s chicken McNuggets, in sweet and sour sauce.  The home owners and their children own 39 Mc Donald’s throughout Houston, and that has supplied the home with an art amusement style feeling—perhaps one of the best homes in Houston, to represent the contemporary art world. 

Cindi and Mady, also had over 8 different home-made desserts as well! 

To buy tickets for City Artworks, Art of Conversation ($125 a person) for Monday, November 14, at the Junior League, at 11:30, CLICK HERE

You go on line and reserve the conversationalist you'd like to sit with! The list includes 32 high-profile individuals including Lynn Wyatt, Mrs. Texas Kym Jackson, trial attorney Cynthia Sinatra, Shelby Hodge, Deborah Duncan, and Molly Glentzer.

Houston area kids are bringing life to the Alley Theatre's production of A Christmas Carol - A Ghose Story of Christmas! This holiday season a group of 26 area kids will be joining the Alley Theatre's production of A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas.

These young actors will be working with the Alley's Company of Actors to tell the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge's journey with the three ghosts that visit him on Christmas Eve. More than half of the cast is made up of young actors! It's so exciting! The cast members are from various neighborhoods in the Houston metropolitan area but will be transported to Victorian England to bring this classic tale of redemption to life. The group is divided into two teams - one called the "green team" and the other called the "red team" that will alternate performances.

Houston's seasonal favorite described by the Houston Press as having "Spectacular London sets ... the inimitable Dickens' tale - spiced with the usual fog and an unusual twist on the ghosts past, present and future." A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas returns this year with a re-telling of Charles Dickens' classic story, which follows Ebenezer Scrooge's journey with the three ghostly spirits that visit him on Christmas Eve. A Christmas Carol instills a powerful message about redemption and the spirit of the holiday season. (Recommended for general audiences, children six and older.)

A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas, adapted and originally directed by Michael Wilson, from the story by Charles Dickens, directed by Alley Associate Director James Black, begins previews Friday, November 18, opens Sunday, November 20 and runs through Tuesday, December 27. 

The young actors in A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas include:       

Diana Alejandra, 13 - Bellaire
Diana Alejandra is the 8^th grade at Harmony School of Arts and Technology. Her holiday wish would be to the ability to make it snow and her favorite holiday movie is Home Alone.

Liam Conner, 12 - Meyerland
Liam Conner is in the 6^th grade at St. Thomas More. His favorite Alley Theatre production is Our Town and he plays soccer and basketball.

Adele Cooper, 10 - Pearland
Adele Cooper is in the 5^th grade at Rogers Middle School. Adele wants to be a dentist and her holiday wish is for Houston to have a white Christmas.

Bryce Cooper, 11 - Pearland
Bryce Cooper is in the 6^th grade at Rogers Middle School and this is his first year in A Christmas Carol. His holiday wish would be to have snow this Christmas.

Winch Eagleton, 9 - Heights
Winch Eagleton is in the 4^th grade at Travis Elementary and this is his fifth year in A Christmas Carol. His favorite holiday movie is Christmas Vacation and he wants to be an actor when he grows up.

Ally Fleischhauer, 13 - Tomball
Ally Fleischhauer is in the 8^th grade at Bleyl Middle School. She loves being in A Christmas Carol because "it is so much fun!" Her favorite holiday movie is Elf and her favorite Alley Theatre production is Wonderland. She wants to be an actress or a vet when she grows up.

Bryn Fleischhauer, 11 - Tomball
Bryn Fleischhauer is in the 5^th grade at Tomball Intermediate School and this is her 3^rd year in A Christmas Carol. She loves to dance and if she could have one holiday wish it would be to "have 1 million Reese's."

Kyla Fleischhauer, 8 - Tomball
Kyla Fleischhauer is in the 3^rd grade at Rose Hill Elementary School and this is her 3^rd year in A Christmas Carol. She wants to be a teacher when she grows up and her favorite Alley Theatre production is Peter Pan or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up.

Sophia Jolie Groen, 9 - West University
Sophia Jolie Groen is in the 3^rd grade at St John's School. Her favorite Alley Theatre production is Wonderland .

Sean Holshouser, 12 - Northwest Houston
Sean Holshouser is the 6^th grade and this is his first year in A Christmas Carol.  He loves to sing and has performed with the Houston Symphony, The Moore's School and HITS Theatre. 

Tinsley Maier, 12 - Bellaire
Tinsley Maier is in the 8^th grade at Pershing Middle School. If she had one holiday wish it would be for snow in Houston.  Her favorite Alley Theatre production is Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap.

Brock McEldowney, 9 - West University
Brock McEldowney is in the 3^rd grade at West University Elementary. This is his first year in A Christmas Carol and he wants to be a baseball player when he grows up.

Cole McEldowney, 11 - West University
Cole McEldowney is in the 5^th grade at Lanier Middle School. He wanted to be in A Christmas Carol again "because last year was a blast!" If he has one holiday wish, he would wish "to go on a trip around the world with my family."

Allan Perez, 8 - Sharpstown
Allan Perez is in the 3^rd grade at Harmony School of Arts and Technology. This is his first year in A Christmas Carol and if he had one holiday wish, he would wish to be Spider-man.

Lucas Phillips, 12 - Tomball
Lucas Phillips is in the 7^th grade at Tomball Junior High. This is his first year in A Christmas Carol and he is very excited to be a part of the production. His favorite holiday movie is Elf.

Artemis  Melania Postolos, 9 - River Oaks
Artemis Postolos is the 3^rd grade at Annunciation Orthodox School. This is her 5^th year in A Christmas Carol. Her holiday wish would be "for all of my family and cousins to be together."

Kyriaki Postolos, 5 - River Oaks
Kyriaki Postolosattends Annunciation Orthodox School. This is her first year in A Christmas Carol and she would love to play the Spirit of Christmas Past when she's older.

Dylan Ramsey, 8 - Clear Lake
Dylan Ramsey is in the 3^rd grade at Lutheran South Academy. His holiday wish is for "a new skateboard" and his favorite holiday movie is Elf.

Catherine Ribbeck, 11 - Galleria
Catherine Ribbeck is in the 6^th grade at The Kinkaid School.  Her favorite holiday movie is A Year Without A Santa Clause and she wants to be a singer when she grows up.

Molly Ribbeck, 10 - Galleria
Molly Ribbeck is in the 4^th grade at The Kinkaid School.  This is her second year in A Christmas Carol and her favorite holiday movie A Year Without A Santa Clause.

Cody Smith, 9 - River Oaks
Cody Smith is in the 4^th grade at The Kinkaid School. He wants to be an actor when he grows up and his favorite holiday movie is Elf.

Ellie Smith, 11 - River Oaks
Ellie Smith is in the 6^th grade at The Kinkaid School. This is her first year and she wanted to be in A Christmas Carol because "my brothers have been in the play before, so I thought it would be fun." 
Ian Tonroy, 10 - Spring
Ian Tonroy is the 7^th grade at Doerre Intermediate and this is his second year in A Christmas Carol. His favorite holiday movie is It's a Wonderful Life and he loves being in A Christmas Carol because it "gets me in the Christmas spirit."

Chantellie Wesley, 8 - South Houston
Chantellie Wesley is the 3^rd grate at Poe Elementary and this is her third year in A Christmas Carol. She wants to be a scientist or an artist when she grows up and her favorite holiday movie is The Nightmare Before Christmas.  

Christopher Wolff, 7 - Hedwig Village
Christopher Wolff is in the 2^nd grade at Awtry International School. He wants to be a veterinarian when he grows up and his favorite holiday movie is Frosty the Snowman.

Peyton Wood, 12 - Katy
Peyton Woodis in the 7^th grade at Mayde Creek Junior High. This is Peyton's first year in A Christmas Carol and she wants to be actress or a singer when she grows up.  Her favorite holiday movie is A Year Without A Santa Clause.


Another notable event happening at the Alley in regards to Christmas is DECK THE TREES
November 18- January 3
Alley Theatre's Deck the Trees Celebration kicks-off with a Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 18. Trees will be on display until January 3.

Tickets to A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas start at $25.  Performances of A Christmas Carol are Tuesdays through Sundays at 7:30 p.m. and Matinees at 2:30 p.m. All tickets to A Christmas Carol are available for purchase at www.alleytheatre.org at the Alley Theatre Box Office, 615 Texas Avenue, or by calling 713.220.5700. Groups of 10 or more can receive special concierge services and select discounts by calling 713.220.5700 and asking for the group sales department.

Normally this would be posted under the Health DISH Section of our little magazine however it's something that DISH publisher Lori Freese has really seen a huge difference in while partipating in and she wanted to give this top billing!

DISH has been in love with The Leaky Boob for a while for her passion, her support for breast feeding mommies and her family ...all 5 daughters!!! There is a new post on her website and it was so DELISH that we had to share it with you!

Congrats FAMILY!! xo

Sounds like two things a gal can't have too much of and for Joanne King Herring, a staple in the Houston social scene, in Washington, D.C. and the Afghan countryside...they are two things she possesses in piles.

Meeting her at an event you feel her energy, you can't help but be moved by her and want to know more about everything about her. Getting to sit down with her is everything you would expect on Christmas morning if you could unwrap a human. The way this interview came about was through two very good friends. One, August Skamenca first sent me Mrs. Herring's assistant's name and number but in a wild desire to clean the entire world I accidentally deleted the info! I requested it again but August was on assignment for CBS Radio and couldn't get back to me. Not being one to be deterred, I sent a message to her via facebook knowing full well there would be a huge firewall to get through. Turns out the firewall was another friend, Corbett Parker who has been working with Joanne with Afghanistan and on this book for more than three years. Needless to say, when I did finally call they were waiting for me! Imagine...Joanne King Herring waiting for YOUR call! It was a Thursday and I was sitting in the hairdresser's chair...in Dallas... when I had time to actually dial the phone and the most refreshing thing happened, Joanne answered her own phone. There are no airs about this woman, she really is as approachable and down to earth as Julia Roberts portrays her if not more so. She let me know instantly that she had a goal and it was to have her new book Diplomacy and Diamonds be number one on the best sellers list by Saturday and since DISH is an online magazine and we can publish instantly she wanted to do the interview RIGHT THEN! I was grossly unprepared! I said I could call back in a bit or come back from Dallas early that evening to interview her. She, of course, had an event that she was willing to "get sick" for to make this interview happen. When she revealed that she has purchased a table (meaning she was hosting 10 people) I offered to meet her at her event and interview her in the lobby to which she responded,

"Well why don't you just join us, wear jeans and a sweater it's a picnic in the park!"

Who could refuse! She had a goal and I wanted that interview! I left the hairdresser's with wet hair, packed and drove the 4 hours home a day early.

In 50 degree weather with the sounds of Grammy Award Nominated Mary Griffin singing in the background we sat in the corner and chatted away. I wanted to know everything I could before we turned blue.

I started with the obvious question: Why Afghanistan? To which she educated me ever so gently,

"In all of the years our military has been over there they have yet to create one self sustaining village. With our non-profits we have one almost finished in only four years. We've created a 6 month long educational program for their military so they can read a manual, write and do small sums, we're educating their children so they can grow up to be leaders, and develop and sustain a democracy. We're teaching them how to get clean water, grow their own food like soy that they can then sell for profit and creating a minimal medical system so the women won't die in childbirth and will be able to create healthy milk for their new babies. The Afghan people have been enslaved and kept ignorant and in poverty by the Hezbollah, Hamas, and Muslims. The only way the Afghan people will be free is for us to give them tools and skills to break free."

She went on to inform me that Gene Green and Michael McCaulare leaving tomorrow (Nov 4, 2011) to visit the model village in Afghanistan that is being built. The goal isn't to send a bunch of Americans over to do it but to have a few key folks who can help them help themselves. They are also creating a sewing building in each village where designers Kate Spade and Cesar Galindo have already agreed to employ the women in the village after they learn how to sew.

The really fun part about this entire project is that America has spent 14 BILLION and achieved nothing in setting the Afghan people up to be prosperous for themselves. The Marshall Plan Charitiescan do that for just 2 billion and set up EVERY village. It's already been launched and it was paid for by Houstonians. Not one penny was taken from the US government.

With the heavy lifting for the brains put aside because we were getting cold and our wine glasses had run dry she left me with a few anecdotes.

The first one was telling me how to get someone's attention in a receiving line if you'd really like to meet them. She started with Prince Philip.

"I have trouble sleeping you see, so when you're having trouble sleeping I always think about dancing with a handsome man and Prince Philip is handsome now but was VERY handsome when he was younger. So when I met him in line I mentioned to him that when I had trouble sleeping I thought of dancing in the Buckingham Palace Ballroom with him, after he finished blushing he asked me to dance! His assistant told me later that he never thought anyone could ever make Prince Philip blush!"

The last story was my favorite:

"One of the things I do is crisis management! When a politician or Hollywood celebrity is in trouble I help them out! SO what do you do when you're at a formal dinner and a big MARRIED celebrity puts his hand on your thigh?"

I waited with baited breath...WHAT WHAT WHAT???

She responded with the greatest giggle I've ever heard,

"Read the book!"

Favorite qoute of the evening: "I never wanted to shatter the glass ceiling, I wanted to tap dance on it" -Joanne King Herring