photos by Rob Wythe and Cynthia Smoot
This past January 19, the soup line was a little more glamorous than usual for the 8th annual Stewpot Alliance Soup’s On! Luncheon and Art Sale at downtown Dallas’ historic Union Station. The Stewpot Alliance Soup’s On! Luncheon and Art Show featured a dozen of Dallas’ finest chefs serving up a signature soup as the first course of the meal. Chefs include Chef Chairman Brian C. Luscher of The Grape and Luscher’s Red Hots; Chef Brent Anderson, Wolfgang Puck Catering; Chefs Melody Bishop & Dennis Kelley, LARK on the Park; Chef Omar Flores, Casa Rubia; Chef Danyele McPherson, Remedy; Chef Misti Norris, Small Brewpub; Chef Suki Otsuki, Mudhen; Chef Janice Provost, Parigi; Chef Abraham Salum, Salum and Komali; Chef Sarah Snow, The Grape and Chef Brian Zenner, On-Premise. Micki and Mayor Mike Rawlings served as Honorary Chairs of the 2016 luncheon, co-chaired by Stewpot Alliance members Charlotte Legg and Christi Nicolas. Longtime Stewpot supporters Christy Coltrin and Brad Oldham were honored at the event with the Stewpot Alliance Recognition of Commitment Award for their ongoing dedication to The Stewpot and its clients. Keynote speaker, Collins Tuohy, whose life was chronicled in The Blind Side and shares a famously close bond with her adopted brother Michael Oher, urged audiences to see the value that every person holds and not to let presumptions skew the judgment of others. The luncheon also included an art sale of original paintings from artists of the Stewpot Open Art Program. The Stewpot, which celebrated 40 years of service to the Dallas community in 2015, provides meals to our homeless and at-risk neighbors as well as a full range of health and human services, youth activities and cultural programs for those in need. In 2014, The Stewpot invested in a downtown neighborhood revitalization project by helping to establish Encore Park. Encore Park is a nonprofit that encompasses an outdoor community garden and amphitheater, and in the future, will provide space for nonprofit agencies partnering with The Stewpot. http://thestewpot.org