Wine, Women and Words was the talk of the town on Wednesday, September 26, 2018, as Houston philanthropists dashed to M Penner, the city’s ultimate destination for luxury labels, for a wine dinner and conversation. Fashionable ladies chatted and helped raise funds to support Houston Aphasia Recovery Center (HARC), Houston’s premier resource for those whose lives are affected by aphasia.

Surrounded by the latest fall fashion trends at M Penner, Karen Penner and Belinda Hillhouse welcomed guests to the table and introduced special guest Gabrielle O’Connell from O’Connell Family Wines. O’Connell shared her wines, which are accented by the bounty from their Napa Valley vineyards estate gardens. While O’Connell shared a few words on how she came to be in the wine business, the ladies enjoyed a lavish 4-course meal which was created by Gary Mercer of City Kitchen and included the perfect pairing for wine tasting along with salts and olive oils from the winery, including:

Miniature Leek and Gruyere Tart with Fresh Thyme

Corn Fritter with a Citrus Emulsion and Jumbo Lump Blue Crab Meat

Bacon wrapped Quail Breast stuffed with Jalapeno

Pietro Family Cellers, Sauvignon Blanc

Baby Kale with Heirloom Tomatoes, Burrata with Saba, Gabrielle Olive Oil and Sea Salt

Pietro Family Cellers, Chardonnay

Medallions of Prime Aged Beef Tenderloin with Zinfandel Reduction

Haricot Vert Sautéed in Gabrielle Olive Oil

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary Gougeres

Gabrielle Collection, Juxtaposition

Chocolate and Coffee Ice Cream Tartuffo with Toasted Walnuts,Shaved Chocolate and Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce

Gabrielle Collection, Vertex Blend

Also joining the dialogue was Debbie Greenbaum from Liza Beth Jewelry for the official launch of Texas based Liza Beth Jewelry at M Penner. Each piece is an unexpected, nontraditional and electric combination of diamonds and pearls on an exclusively custom-made oxidized steel chain. A portion of jewelry sales during the evening benefited HARC.

Eleni Christou-Franklin, Executive Director of HARC expressed her gratitude for the support from all the attendees that are helping HARC provide persons with aphasia communication skills to improve their confidence and overall quality of life to live successfully with aphasia. Aphasia is a difficulty with communication, speaking or understanding words, as a result of a stroke or brain injury. She invited the chatty crowd to continue supporting the cause by attending HARC’s Let’s Talk Luncheon, on Wednesday, March 27, 2019, at 11:30 a.m. at The Post Oak Hotel. Luncheon Chairs Belinda and Corky Hillhouse will introduce Honorary Chairs Bill Baldwin and Fady Armamious and welcome guests to join the conversation with guest speaker Sarah Scott who is known worldwide for her advocacy for aphasia.

The evening was supported by many individuals, generous sponsors, including: Kristi Breaux, Laura K. Devitt, Shelly de Zevallos, Janet James, Rita Justice, Barbara Hauser, Belinda Hillhouse, Kristi Ison, Melissa Ison, Maria May, Kristi Neal, Karen Penner, Lisa Riney, Elizabeth Santos, Barbie Schaffer, Kim Schuenemann, Jeanie Sweet, Renee Thevenot, Jane Wagner, Beth Walker and Vicki Weyel

For more information on HARC, visit http://www.harctx.org/.