Bespoke Boots, Custom Hats and Original Grit Tequila Arrive at Hotel Granduca
Kemo Sabe hats are coming to Hotel Granduca.
By Jeff Gremillion
Hotel Granduca is bringing a little Aspen swagger — and some fabulous top-shelf tequila — to Houston.
The Uptown luxury hotel has expanded its relationship with Kemo Sabe, the iconic Western atelier, into a lineup of exclusive experiences built around custom hats and boots, private celebrations, corporate gatherings and a new cocktail program that puts trendy and tasty Original Grit Tequila behind the bar at Remi and Bar Remi. The collaboration gives Houston guests something they could previously only find in places like Aspen, Vail and Jackson Hole: trunk shows, custom boot bars and other immersive Kemo Sabe activations, all staged through the hotel.
Hotel Granduca says the programming will be available exclusively there. “Hotel Granduca and Kemo Sabe share a belief that the most memorable luxury experiences are rooted in exceptional hospitality, authentic craftsmanship and meaningful personal connections,” said Thomas Duncan, managing director of Transwestern Hospitality Group. “That common philosophy makes this a natural alignment and allows us to offer our guests an entirely new collection of bespoke experiences unlike anything else available in Houston.”
Wendy Kunkle, president and owner of Kemo Sabe, called the pairing an obvious one. “There has always been such a natural connection between Aspen and Houston, and we love the opportunity to bring more of the Kemo Sabe experience to a community that already knows and loves the brand,” she said. “Hotel Granduca gives us an incredible home for those experiences in Houston.”
Original Grit, the Western-inspired tequila tied to the brand, is now available exclusively at the hotel. Crafted in El Arenal, Jalisco, by the fifth-generation Partida family from 100 percent Blue Weber agave with no additives, it is poured in Blanco, Reposado and Añejo expressions. Guests can already find it in three house cocktails: the Kemo Sabe Margarita, with Original Grit Blanco, fresh lime, agave and cucumber bergamot foam; Crystal Frontier, a clarified mix of Reposado, apricot liqueur, pineapple and lime finished with brûléed orange; and Wrangler’s Reserve, a richer pour with Amaro Montenegro, turbinado, chocolate and walnut bitters and a smoked aromatic finish.
The partnership’s next moment is the Original Grit Tequila Experience on Thursday, Sept. 10, an intimate multi-course dinner by Executive Chef Maurizio Ferrarese with pairings for each expression. Tickets are $195 and on sale now. Hotel Granduca is at 1080 Uptown Park Blvd. Details and reservations are at granducahouston.com.
Original Grit tequila
Bar Remi at Hotel Granduca
With Billowing Blooms and Evocative ‘Clowns,’ Williams’ Opera Ball Celebrates $2 Million Take
Patrick Summers, Margaret Alkek Williams and Khori Dastoor (photo by Michelle Watson)
By Jeff Gremillion
Originally published April 2025
When the grande dame of Houston philanthropy steps up to chair the annual gala for one of Houston’s most elite cultural institutions, expect high elegance to abound and big bucks to roll in.
Such was exactly the case when Margaret Alkek Williams chaired the 2025 Opera Ball at the Wortham Center, raising a record of more than $2 million for Houston Grand Opera — with a romantic, old-school, spring-savvy “Love Is in the Air” theme, brought to life with thousands of fragrant pastel-colored florals at every turn, and a sea of ballgowns in shades of seasonal pink and green. This was the second $2 million+ ball Williams has chaired for HGO, with this year’s haul beating her own personal best from back in 2014.
A surprise highlight of the evening was a stirring performance honoring the gala’s honorees, Dian and Harlan Stai, who have supported the opera company for decades. HGO General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor “welcomed legendary mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade to the stage, where she performed accompanied [on piano] by HGO Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers,” noted a rep for the company. “Her moving interpretation of Stephen Sondheim’s seminal classic, ‘Send in the Clowns,’ left the audience spellbound.”
Dinner was decadent, with a chilled Romanesco soup, a pairing of prime beef and pan-seared seabass, and a chocolate explosion of a dessert, with bits of fudge cake and chocolate ice cream and mousse, all bursting from a tempered sphere — again, lavishly old school. After dinner, dancing broke out on the gleaming dance floor.
In room full of VIPs, some of the top-tier swells included Anna Dean, Anne and Albert Chao, Betty and Jesse Tutor, Brigitte Kalai, Alicia Smith, Charles and Lily Foster, Cynthia and Tony Petrello, Fady Armanious, Bill Baldwin, Franklin and Cindi Rose, Hallie Vanderhider, Jim and Dancie Ware, Jim and Molly Crownover and Leisa Holland-Nelson Bowman.
Nancy Gonzalez, Denise Reyes, Christina Jack, Destiny Fernandisse (photo by Emily Jaschke)
Brigitte Kalai, Betty Tutor and Ann Ayre (photo by Michelle Watson)
Ilyas and Elizabeth Abraham (photo by Emily Jaschke)
Frederica von Stade (photo by Michelle Watson)
Jim and Dancie Ware (photo by Michelle Watson)
Jonathan and Ann Ayre and Rachel and Warren Ellsworth (photo by Michelle Watson)
Michael Broderick and Cindy and Franklin Rose (photo by Emily Jaschke)
SNL’s Armisen Headlines Laugh-Filled Fete for Children at Risk
By Jeff Gremillion
“A big crowd turned up at the Post Oak Hotel for the Children at Risk gala, raising some $360,000 focused on “understanding and addressing the root causes of child poverty and inequality,” per its mission statement.
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BY Jeff Gremillion
“A big crowd turned up at the Post Oak Hotel for the Children at Risk gala, raising some $360,000 focused on “understanding and addressing the root causes of child poverty and inequality,” per its mission statement.
Fred Armisen of Saturday Night Live and Portlandia fame was the headliner, entertaining the crowd of 430 with offbeat comedy and musical bits.
Suzan and Jeremy Samuels and Beth Wolff served as event chairs for the Stand Up for Children event. Other big shots were on hand, including emcee Khambrel Marshall and honoree Sippi Khurana. “Khurana gave impassioned remarks that included statistics for Texas showing the importance of Children at Risk’s research and advocacy, pinpointing the areas needed for change in health, education and welfare of children,” said a rep for the event organizers. “Her 3 d-grade daughter Seva gave a beautiful invocation to start the evening.”
VIP guests included and Ed Wolff, Cynthia Wolff, Courtney and Zac Harmon, Ann and Jonathan Ayre, Ajay Khurana, Kristen Cannon, Alice and Matthew Brams, Shaina Perry and Jeremy Ross, Shawn and Donald Bowers, Amy and Rob Pierce, George Connelly, Evelyn Leightman, Katie and Seth Tsuru, and David Charles.”
Bob and Ellen Sanborn (photo by Daniel Ortiz)