The 15th Annual Symphony of Chefs was held on Monday, February 24 at Astoria Event Venue. This event is a unique experience unlike any other chef-driven charity event in the DFW Metroplex in that the city's most notable chefs participate in a culinary evening that is out of this world. Guests enjoy a chef-prepared & interactive four-course dinner, wine pairings from some of the world’s best vineyards, a silent auction of experiences and much more! Honorary Chef Chairs Janice Provost, Chef & Owner of Parigi and Dan Landsberg, Executive Chef of The Texas Barn at Circle T Ranch, were the driving forces behind this year’s ultimate chef-driven culinary dinner experience benefiting KidLinks. Notable supporters in attendance included Founding Event Chairs Bonnie and Nathan Shea, Cristi and Kevin Ryan, Jodie and John Ludwig, and Lisa & Stuart Sides.
The evening kicked off with hors d’oeuvres prepared by James Ash of Harwood Hospitality Group and a luxurious caviar bar hosted by Black River Caviar. While guests shopped the silent auction, a livestream of Chef Ash preparing these delicious bites was shown. Hamilton A Sneed of HAS Events was the visionary behind this culinary concept. DJ Yojina set the vibe spinning tunes as guests entered through draped curtains, revealing tables placed throughout Astoria’s spacious setting. The scene was set for what was a lively evening of culinary composition. The reception was followed by a seated dinner where 17 of Dallas’ most notable chefs prepared a unique four-course dinner tableside for guests with wine pairings from Banfi Wines, Delicato Family Wines, Willamette Valley Vineyards, HALL Wines, Copper Cane Wines, Riboli Family Wines, Rootstock Wines, Times Ten Cellars, Sonoma Time, and Lewis Cellars.
In addition to Honorary Chef Chairs Janice Provost and Dan Landsberg, participating chefs included Uno Immanivong, Chef & Owner of Red Stix Asian Street Food; Brendan Lee Davey, Executive Chef of Ellie's Lounge & Restaurant at Hall Arts Hotel; Giuliano Matarese of Miss Pasta; Estephan Fernandez, Executive Chef of Truluck's; Nikky Phinyawatana, Owner/CEO of Asian Mint Restaurant Group; Jennie Kelley and Brandon Moore, Co-Chefs & Owners of Fond; Aubrey Murphy, Executive Chef of SĒR Steak + Spirits; Miriam Jimenez, General Manager & Partner of Miriam Cocina Latina; Mollie Guerra, Owner of Chef Mollie G, LLC;Rodman Shields, Senior Culinary Director of Milkshake Concepts; Aaron Collins, Chef de Cuisine of Café Momentum; Carlos Ayala, Sous Chef of Nick & Sam's; Michael Matis, Chef de Cuisine of Fearing's; Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman, Executive Chef of José; and Mario Hernandez, Executive Chef of NURI Steakhouse. Following the coursed-dinner, Featured Pastry Chef Yasmin Mondragon, Pastry Chef at Eataly Dallas at NorthPark Center created masterful desserts as an ending note to the evening.
Sarah Blaskovich, Food Writer for The Dallas Morning News, served as the evening’s emcee and introduced Temira and Jerry Wagner, who shared how music therapy sessions provided by KidLinks had impacted their son, Jerry Allen Wagner II (whom they affectionately call JAWS), who was was diagnosed at 9 months with a rare chromosome deletion. He has complex medical care needs along with developmental delay and is on the spectrum for Autism. JAWS is non-verbal, but music communicates to him and thanks to several years of KidLinks therapy, now communicates via beats by clapping along with the tempo, using some sign language, and can now wave a lot to say "Hi!"
Temira also shared, “Seeing the quality sessions and outcomes helped us to see the value and importance of such work. We had an in-depth conversation at our church, Disciple City Church and by mid-summer 2024, KidLinks was able to launch a music therapy clinic at our church in Oak Cliff. Typically, in urban and rural communities, families must commute far for services and even spend more for quality sessions. Now, families in the Oak Cliff area and in neighboring communities have better access to these blessings of services.”
Paul Pass, Co-Executive Director (Development) of KidLinks addressed the room saying, "For over four decades, KidLinks has positively impacted more than 439,000 children and caregivers through direct service programs and thousands more through our online platforms. We have provided healing and therapeutic music through a library of songs, in-hospital performances at special care centers, and board-certified music therapy sessions. Your support of this event helps to fund resources that build children’s self-esteem and help them navigate physical, social, and emotional needs.Together, we can spread the power of music, giving kids throughout North Texas the confidence to let their light shine and realize their potential!" Learn more about KidLinks at www.kidlinks.org