EVENT CHAIRS
Robbie Kruithoff and Ryan Ross
honorary co-CHAIRs
Lois Finkelman and Joan Walne
Underwriting packages, event tickets, and sponsorships are available online now!
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PRESENTED BY
The Eugene McDermott Foundation
HERD OF ELEPHANTS
Diane and Hal Brierley
Lyda Hill Philanthropies
POD OF HIPPOS
Carol and Don Glendenning in honor of
Mary McDermott Cook and Grace Cook
Dawn and Steve Moore
Ruth O. Mutch
Gayla and Jim Von Ehr
Joan and Alan Walne
TROOP OF GORILLAS
Ainscow Family
Purvi and Bill Albers
Jennifer and Peter Altabef
ANDRES Construction Services LLC
Kate and Lane Britain
Tom Connelly
Emily and David Corrigan
Jennifer and John Eagle
Marena and Roger Gault /
Kim and Greg Hext
Cindy and Chuck Gummer
Jackson Walker LLP
Ambassador Ron and Matrice Kirk
Robbie Kruithoff and Ryan Ross
Carol and John Levy
Deedie Rose
The Robinson Family
FLAMBOYANCE OF FLAMINGOS
Tiffany and Bobby Abtahi
The Andrea-Mennen Family Foundation
Mickie and Jeff Bragalone
Nina and Blake Byrd
Shannon and Fred Cerise
CLR Design
Erin and Michael DeJesus
Jennifer and John Gates
Linda and Robert Graham
GuideIT
Gummer Capital Partners LLC
Debra and Ken Hamlett
Husch Blackwell
J.P. Morgan Private Bank
Cynthia and Jim Leano
The Mahaney Family
Jill Mellinger
Muse Family Foundation
Dan Patterson
Nancy P. Patterson and Larry A. Maxwell
Pegasus Bank
Stephen Penrose
Sarah and John Putman
PwC | Jerry Miller
Nancy and Doug Rabe
Rogers-O’Brien Construction Company
The Rosewood Corporation
Ruff Family Foundation Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas
RUTH RUHL, P.C.
Lisa K. Simmons
Dr. Ann Stuart Ph.D. in memory of
Ray R. Poliakoff, her beloved husband
Steven J. Roth and Thai-lan Tran
Cindy Wolf
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Diane Brierley
Marena Gault
Cindy Gummer
Kim Hext
Gayla Von Ehr
UNDERWRITING COMMITTEE
Rob Swift, Co-Chair
Stefanie Tsen Ward, Co-Chair
Carol and Don Glendenning
Nancy Patterson
Steven J. Roth
LIVE AUCTION COMMITTEE
Marjon Henderson, Co-Chair
Mary McGreevy, Co-Chair
Stephanie Ainscow
Diane Brierley
Big Board
Cindy Gummer, Chair
Miles Trapp-Danielson
SILENT AUCTION Chair
Chuck Steelman
RAFFLE Chair
Grace Cook
SOCIAL MEDIA & MARKETING COMMITTEE
Darryl Ratcliff, Chair
CHEF WRANGLER
Brett Krafft
CHEF RECRUITER
Jimmy Contreras
HONORARY CHEF
Dan Landsberg
HOST COMMITTEE co-CHAIRS
Mary McDermott Cook and Grace Cook
Tiffany and Bobby Abtahi
Stephanie and Donald Ainscow
Purvi and Bill Albers
Bonner and Thomas Allen
Nicole and Justin Anderson
Jennifer and Peter Altabef
Mary and Travis Andres
Angela and Alex Arellano
Connie and Nick Babikian
Wesley Bailey
Jayda Batchelder and Michael Guirguis
Britt and Jake Bender
Carole Braden
Diane and Hal Brierley
Kate and Lane Britain
Kevin Brown
Lisa Browning
Rhealyn and Dale Carter
Robyn and Chris Chauvin
Calvert Collins-Bratton and
Vince Bratton
Lane Conner
Cristin Dalecki and Thomas Smith
Nicolle Davis
Barb and Steve Durham
Jennifer and John Eagle
Tucker and Rich Enthoven
Alina and Ruben Esquivel
Julie and Bill Evans
Raymond Ferrell
Lois and Ross Finkelman
Jennifer and Matt Garcia
Jennifer and John Gates
Marena and Roger Gault
Carol and Don Glendenning
Monica and Manuel Gonzalez
Greenburg Traurig LLP
Hazel “Scrappy” and Dave Greene
Alisha and Chris Gummer
Cindy and Chuck Gummer
Michelle and Ryan Gummer
Debra and Ken Hamlett
Kathy and Kevin Hanrahan
Edna and Xavier Henderson
Marjon Henderson
Claudia and Preston Hext
Kim and Greg Hext
Shawna and Josh Hinkel
Alison Hollender
Amber and Grafton Ifill
Kiyundra Jones
Joshua T. King
Amb. Ron and Matrice Kirk
Joyce and Larry Lacerte
Cynthia and Jim Leano
Nicole and Nico Leone
Carol and John Levy
Whitney and Chequan Lewis
Sarah and Alan Losinger
Enrique MacGregor and Mark Niermann
Pat and Charles McEvoy
Mary McGreevy
Jerry Miller | PwC
Jared Miller
Dawn and Steve Moore
Ruth O. Mutch
Dr. Hector Nazario
Dawn Neufled
Melissa and Matt Papenfus
Dan E. Patterson
Nancy P. Patterson and Larry A. Maxwell
Stephen Penrose
Sarah and John Putman
Nancy and Doug Rabe
Steve Rahhal
Darryl Ratcliff
Gaby and Gunner Rawlings
Sherri and Brad Rejebian
Jeff and Darrel Rice
Hon. Paul E. Ridley
Stacy and Rudy Rodriguez
Deedie Rose
Steven J. Roth and Thai-lan Tran
Leslie and Ivan Roussev
Suzy Ruff
Matt Ruff
Debbie and Gavin Ryan
Andrea Sanders
Stefanie Schneidler and
Jeffrey Robinson
Melissa and JP Sevilla
Gretel and Justin Shipley
Lauren Short
Lisa K. Simmons
Ambassador J. Ernesto Lytton Snead and the Hon. Gloria Snead
Chuck Steelman
Tammany and Robert Stern
Whitney and Rob Strauss
Ann Stuart in memory of Ray R. Poliakoff, her beloved husband
Tamela Thornton
Miles Trapp-Danielson
Fallon and Robie Vaughn
Emma Vernon and Chance Jones
Alicia Voltmer
Gayla and Jim Von Ehr
Joan and Alan Walne
Margaret and Mark Walsh
Julie and Jacob Walter
Stefanie Tsen Ward
Stephanie and Autry Warren
Honorable Chad West
Lori and Chuck Whitten
Jane Williams
Avra
Chef George Ortega
Celebrated chef with over two decades of experience in the hospitality industry.
Boxwood Hospitality
Chef Justo Blanco
A Dallas-native whose talent and curiosity have led him around the world.
Café Momentum
Chef Aaron Collins
Culinary leader advancing farm-to-table cuisine at Cafe Momentum for 10 years.
Cenzo’s Pizza
& Deli
Chef Jason Smith
Master craftsman of pizza with 12 years of experience across Texas kitchens.
The Crescent Club
Chef Guillaume Chhun
Executive Chef guiding the kitchens of Hotel Crescent Court and The Crescent Club.
Curio Kitchen + Market
Chef Chris Patrick
Chef-Owner of Curio Kitchen + Market, a chef-driven market and natural wine shop in Lancaster.
Empire Baking Co
Chef Meaders Ozarow
Baking pioneer with husband, Robert, serving DFW fresh artisan bread since 1992.
Emporium Pies
Chef Landon Perdue
Master pie maker devoted to making Fine Pie for Fine Folk.
Encina
Chef Matt Balke
Texas-born restaurateur crafting seasonal award-winning cuisine with refined culinary technique.
Garden Cafe
Chef Mark Wootton
Community-focused chef sustaining Old East Dallas landmark Garden Cafe, in Old East Dallas.
Gemma & Sachet
Chef Stephen Rogers
With wife, Allison Yoder,
co-owner of Michelin-recognized and James Beard-nominated Dallas restaurants.
Goodfriend
Beer Garden
Chef David Pena
Dallas chef and pitmaster, creating inventive fare at Goodfriend and Fortunate Son.
Goodwins
Chef Jeff Bekavac
Chef and owner of Goodwins, and passionate Zoo To Do supporter.
The Heritage Table
Chef Rich Vana
Chef-owner championing Blackland Prairie Cuisine, a culinary philosophy rooted in North Texas farms and ecology.
Hugs Cafe
Chef Diana Zamora
Award-winning local pastry chef, leading a social enterprise empowering individuals with developmental disabilities.
La Bodega
Rotisserie & Goods
Chef Skye McDaniel
Oak Cliff native chef and owner with a passion for feeding her community.
Las Palmas Tex-Mex, Bowen House, Mike’s Gemini Twin,
St. Martin’s Wine Bistro, and
Urbano Café
Chef William Salisbury
Chef overseeing kitchen operations and menu development at these beloved Dallas restaurants.
Manny’s Tex Mex
Chef Omar Hernandez
Industry veterans who started as young dishwashers over
20 years ago, now shaping flavorful Tex Mex cuisine.
Mozzarella Company
Chef Mauricio Travesi
Working owner and President, leads this award-winning artisanal cheese factory.
MVP Coffee Company
Victoria Parshikova
Entrepreneur and coffee lover bringing community together through quality coffee.
Nobu
Chef Antonio Rendon
Culinary veteran bringing over 30 years of experience to Nobu Dallas.
Parigi
Chef Janice Provost
Proprietor and Chef of Parigi, celebrated for seasonal cuisine and generous community contributions.
Punch Drunk Chef Meal Prep
Chef Brad Miller
Dedicated chef and advocate for positive change through food and community.
Rye & Apothecary
Chef Taylor Rause
Executive Chef of Walkabout Hospitality; consisting of Rye, Apothecary, & Flamant.
Salum Restaurant
Chef Abraham Salum
Born in Mexico, with 25 years of experience, has been shaping Dallas dining since opening Salum 20 years ago.
Sea Breeze Fish Market & Grill
at The Wilfred
Chef Ryan Oruch
Chef owner has been with Sea Breeze since its opening in 2007.
Sevy’s Grill
Chef Jim Severson and Gerardo Calderon
Veteran sous-chef delivering excellence to Sevy’s guests for 28 years.
SSA Group
Chef Sara Dipinto
Experienced chef bringing extensive hospitality expertise to the Dallas Zoo’s culinary offerings.
Stock & Barrel*
Chef Jon Stevens
Chef owner serving Bishop Arts community with 30 years of culinary dedication.
Sugar & Sage Bakery
Chef Jill Bates
Executive pastry chef creating signature desserts at Sugar & Sage Bakery.
Sushi By Scratch
Chef Dohnovan Davis
Hailing from Houston, trained at Uchi, and sharing his skills at Scratch.
Suze
Chef Gilbert Garza
Chef and proprietor running Suze, a Dallas favorite and award winner for 25 years.
Taco Y Vino
Chef Jimmy Contreras
Once ashamed to have tacos in his lunch box as a kid, now proudly serves them in Bishop Arts and Garland.
The Texas Barn at Circle T Ranch
Chef Dan Landsberg
Classically trained chef blending Napa Valley elegance with Texas wood-fire influence.
The Zodiac Room
Chef Sara Toth
New Orleans native crafting refined cuisine inspired by heritage and joy.
*VIP
PRESENTED BY
The Eugene McDermott Foundation
Official Zoo Airline
OFFICIAL AUTOMOTIVE SPONSOR
Auction Sponsor
Chef Sponsor
Decor Sponsor
HOST COMMITTEE RECEPTION SPONSOR
Party Favor Sponsors
ENTERTAINMENT PARTNERS
