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    Tastemaker Awards 2018

    Dallas-Fort Worth food fans toast to local culinary stars at Tastemaker Awards

    Stephanie Allmon Merry
    Apr 20, 2018 | 7:20 pm
    Dallas-Fort Worth food fans toast to local culinary stars at Tastemaker Awards
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    It was wall-to-wall food and drink at the 2018 Tastemaker Awards, CultureMap's celebration of the top restaurants, bars, and culinary masters, held at Dallas event space Sixty Five Hundred on April 19.

    More than 30 bars and restaurants dished out their best in a hedonistic feast, serving spectacular tastes ranging from meatball sliders to hamachi crudo to Texas quail. The fifth year of the annual event, presented by Woodford Reserve and benefiting Bonton Farms, it drew a sold-out crowd of more than 750 attendees and proved to be the most assured and polished yet.

    Lines formed quickly for small plates and samples from some of Dallas-Fort Worth's most popular and influential eateries. Buzzy dishes included warm and spicy elote-style corn at Trompo; tenderloin slider at Bob's Steak & Chop House topped with a witty pickled carrot; red snapper ceviche at Cedars Social; Texas quail at Tillman's Roadhouse; fava bean veloute from The French Room; mini-biscuits with sausage gravy from Norma's Cafe; pulled pork on a Hawaiian roll from Ferris Wheelers; and the massively popular breakfast-at-dinner cinnamon-pecan bread pudding French toast from Crossroads Diner.

    A bartenders showcase sponsored by Woodford Reserve featured Bartender of the Year nominees Trevor Landry, Jonathan Garcia, and Austin Millspaugh, mixing up signature Woodford cocktails.

    Landry's drink, called the Second Wind, combined Woodford Reserve with cacao-infused Flor de Cana rum, Braulio amaro, Disaronno Amaretto, and mole bitters. Garcia's "3:10 to Iwo Jima" combined Woodford Reserve with strawberry shoshito, lemon juice, and ginger beer. Millspaugh's "In the Summer of '62" featured Woodford Reserve with Chartreuse and Averna liqueurs, golden syrup, and chocolate bitters, topped with a head of whipped cream. This one contained a decadent surprise: a chocolate mousse cake ball with a crunchy coating floating inside.

    At the Tastemaker Hall of Fame corner, Charlie "Pap" Papaceno, 2017 Bartender of the Year, created a jalaeño-topped "Barbed Wire Fence" cocktail alongside a dish of braised pork and cabbage from Josh Sutcliff, 2017 Rising Star Chef of the Year winner.

    The Woodford Reserve main bar poured potent Old Fashioneds, TexaTucky Tea, margaritas, and more. Korbel offered garnished bubbly at the Bubbly Bar; wines by Sonoma-Cutrer and beers from Deep Ellum Brewing, Alaskan Brewing, and Community Beer Co. were served; and guests paced themselves at the Topo Chico Hydration Station.

    Desserts got their very own dedicated Compass Sweet Suite, where pastry chef nominees Eric Cobb, Katrina Kent, Keith Cedotal, and Erika Lucio turned out an array of gorgeous sweets such as Orelys "blond chocolate" panna cotta with banana and passion fruit, and a toasted marshmallow and chocolate layered verrine with chocolate-chip cookie butter and chocolate "crack."

    But this party wasn't just a feeding frenzy; we had some awards to present. CultureMap senior editor Teresa Gubbins welcomed the crowd and introduced celebrity emcee Jane McGarry​, who announced the winners from restaurants and bars across Dallas-Fort Worth. They were selected by judges Charlie Papaceno, Dan Murry, Jeffery Hobbs, Jesus Garcia, John McCaa, Josh Sutcliff, Kevin Martinez, Malcolm Mayhew, Nancy Nichols, Nico Sanchez, Rich Hicks, Rodney Haas, Sandra Bussey, Sarah Green, Stephen Rogers, and Gubbins.

    One of the biggest awards of the night was for Best New Restaurant, voted on by the CultureMap readers and sponsored by Whole Foods Market. The winners were Ferris Wheelers in Dallas and B&B Butchers in Fort Worth. They were greeted with some of the loudest applause and cheers of the night.

    Winners went home with major bragging rights, a trophy, and a gift from Seasoned, one of the event's generous sponsors.

    Between feasting and celebrating, guests stopped to snap Insta-worthy photos at the SmileBooth and bought raffle tickets benefiting Bonton Farms, an urban farm in South Dallas. DJ Blake Ward kept the music lively all night.

    Spotted in the crowd were Dallas dining VIPs and influencers including Monica Greene, Brad Woy, Tim McIneny, Jose Meza, David Denney, Victor Rojas, David Gow, Sander Wolf, Jon Alexis, LeAnn Berry, Phil Schanbaum, Brian McCullough, Christian Armando, Brandon Baker, Rachel Pinn, Susie Oszustowicz, Junior Borges, Tammany Stern, JaLisa E. Vaughn, and Alyssa Harker.

    Now go read about all the winners, and we'll see you next year.

    Guests enjoy the SmileBooth photo booth.

    Dallas Tastemaker Awards 2018, SmileBooth
      
    Photo by WJNPHOTO
    Guests enjoy the SmileBooth photo booth.
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    Hot to trot

    Equest Dallas patrons pony up record $700K at blue ribbon-worthy ball

    Stephanie Allmon Merry
    May 9, 2025 | 1:45 pm
    Equest Blue Ribbon Gala 2025
    Photo by Tamytha Cameron
    Honorary co-chairs David and Natalie Taylor, Auction chair Norma Jean Schaltenbrand, and Gala co-chairs Kristin and James Hallam

    A sold-out crowd of 570 supporters stampeded into Gilley’s Dallas on April 25 for the 44th Annual Equest Blue Ribbon Gala. The Western-chic affair, always one of the most highly anticipated galas of spring, would have a record-breaking night.

    Co-chairsKristin and James Hallam and honorary chairs The Sam and Helga Feldman Foundation and Natalie and David Taylor welcomed patrons decked out in cowboy boots and hats to Gilley's, which had been transformed into a shimmering celebration of all things Equest by event designer Steve Kemble. A “disco saddle” centerpiece even hung from the ceiling.

    Emcee Calvert Collins-Bratton welcomed the crowed with a hearty "yee haw!" Equest founder Susan Schwartz presented the Founders Award to Carol Chamberlin, whose three decades of service as volunteer, donor, and barn manager have made her an Equest organization legend. The Citation Award went to Donna and Tim Weber and their daughter Katherine, an Equest client.

    New CEO Eric Lindh took the stage to underscore Equest’s mission to provide equine-assisted learning, therapies, and counseling (much of it free of charge) to children, adults, and veterans. He shared the nonprofit's bold vision for the future, focusing on the number “22,” a call to action inspired by the 22 percent of Dallas County residents living with a disability, the 22 veterans lost to suicide daily in the U.S., and the 22 percent of Americans living with mental illness, while less than half of those receive treatment.

    His pledge to expand services to first responders struck a chord with the crowd, as did the moving testimonials from Equest clients.

    Auction chair Norma Jean Schaltenbrand urged the crowd to “Bid boldly. Bid big. Bid with heart,” and patrons did that in spades. Auctioneer Louis Murad encouraged bidders to raise paddles stridently, starting from initial $10,000 bids onward. Bidding got fast and furious live auction packages that included fabulous trips (with destinations such as France, Antigua, and Montana) and more. The most memorable moment came when a guest insisted Murad - ever the showman - auction off his own sparkling jacket. It fetched $2,000, a purchase by Tim Weber (who clearly loves a good statement piece).

    In total, the gala raised $700,000, the largest fundraising amount in Equest’s 44-year history. The Blue Ribbon Ball's proceeds go directly to equine-assisted therapies and other services provided by Equest; for more information, visit the organization's website.

    Equest Blue Ribbon Gala 2025
      

    Photo by Tamytha Cameron

    Honorary co-chairs David and Natalie Taylor, Auction chair Norma Jean Schaltenbrand, and Gala co-chairs Kristin and James Hallam

    After a night of sipping, dining, and fundraising, patrons tried their luck at casino games and danced the night away to Jordan Kahn’s Manhattan Orchestra.

    Spotted in the crowd, enjoying the evening, were Donna Weitzman, Nancy Greenbach, Natalie Taylor, Therese Rourk, Anne Seanor, Courtney Conley, Maggie Spiegel, Tyler Bridges, Lea LaFortune, Lee and Paul Michaels, Ryan and Kelly Casey, Christina Eubanks, Megan Pharis, Julie Bagley, Laura Johnson, Parker and Katy Brooks, Sharon Lee Clark, Max Clark, Jordan Glasgow, Anna Gresham, Khaki Christopher, Jessie Dornak, Jeff Netzer, Lynn McBee, Sarah and Trey Pederson, Luis Araujo, Amy Green, Kayten Elder, Sila Grogan, Melissa Placet, Tayler Reiter, Danny and Tanya Rice, Tina and Michael Beasom, and hundreds more patrons and supporters.

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