Blurring Lines, Hunger Strikes and Wine & Food Festival Kicks-off!

Society with Ruchi

It has absolutely been Hot Hot around Houston Town! 99 Degrees and higher but the party animals show no signs of slowing down. HTown might be getting hot and sweaty but the June events keep getting bigger and better. Art enthusiasts gathered on Friday June 3, 2011 for the opening of Blurring Lines an exhibit of recent works at Wade Wilson Art by gallery artists Lucinda Cobley, Danielle Frankenthal, Jill Moser, Joan Winter and introducing special guest artist Coco Blaffer.

The title of this exhibit, Blurring Lines successfully captured the spirited vision of five artists who launched the works selected for this exhibit from a similar starting point by employing lines in their aesthetic expressions. Speaking to Lucinda Cobley I learnt her fascination for bark and trunks of trees and that reflects in her work. The works of Cobley, Frankenthal and Moser are all now part of the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.

The exhibit opened with a wine reception for the artists on Friday and will remain on view through July 2, 2011 at the Wade Wilson Art gallery which is located at 4411 Montrose Blvd., Suite 200, Houston, Texas, 77006.

Not particularly convinced if this will help eradicate corruption in India, but most definitely has created a buzz when Yoga Guru Swami Ramdev decided to go on a two day hunger strike on June 4-5 2011 in India as a protest against corruption in India. Houston’s Indo American community joined hands in solidarity with his worldwide movement against corruption.

This hunger strike was held at the Arya Samaj in Houston followed by public programs along with Bhishma Kumar Agnihotri, former Ambassador-at-Large of India and chairman of Bharat Swabhiman Overseas as the chief guest. Over 100 prominent community workers participated in the fasting. Houston was not the only city supporting the movement. Dallas, Tampa, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Washington, New York/New Jersey, Long Island, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles were also participating.

Well for those who are not so much into the fasting there is some great news as Houston pops the cork for the Wine & Food Week with a toast to true Southern hospitality. According to sources and past records more than 10,000 people are expected to attend Texas’ largest culinary and wine explosion.

Foodies and wine-lovers, mark your calendars for Houston’s 7th Annual Wine & Food Week scheduled for June 6-12, 2011. Guests will enjoy exceptional wine experiences, for the novice to the enthusiast, paired with culinary creations by some of America’s top chefs. This Wine & Food Week is the largest, most comprehensive epicurean extravaganza from New Orleans to Aspen and 2011 celebrates Southern cuisine.

The big three not-to-be-missed events include Thursday, June 9ths H-E-B Wine Walk @ Market Street, a taste and stroll experience in a European-style center featuring 40 wine tasting stations, light bites, live music and interactive fun; Sips, Suds & Sliders, a Texas-size celebration featuring live music, craft beers, wine tastings and a gourmet slider competition on Friday, June 10; and the ultimate adult evening is Saturday, June 11: The Wine Rendezvous Grand Tasting & TEXAS MONTHLY Chef Showcase where guests sample delectable cuisine and hundreds of wines as chefs representing more than 50 restaurants compete for the national Wine & Food Week’s Waterford Crystal “Chef of Chefs” Award and a $5,000 cash and prize package. To complete the evening, the epicurean experience culminates with the “Just Desserts” contest presented by My Table, a confectionery competition to crown the night’s dessert extraordinaire.

So here we go, get set ready, for a fun fashionable weekend ahead. A few wardrobe tips for those planning to attend the The Grand Tasting:

1. Wear sophisticated yet comfortable attire.
2. Avoid whites specially when you are planning to sample all the yummy food and hundreds of wines.
3. Ladies wear comfortable shoes and carry handbags, no clutches as it will not be very practical to walk around holding a plate, wine glass and a clutch.
4. Very long flowy dresses can be difficult to manage as the ballroom can get packed.

Lights Camera Action has been covering the Wine & Food Week for over three years and can confidently declare that this event is not to be missed.