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26 Extraordinary residential real estate service and knowledge. Every time. 713.553.4255 m a r y h a l e m c l e a n . c o m The Huntingdon Gracious Living Recipe for Success' first decade was worthy of one heck of a dinner party: The Banquet lived up to that and more (see page 58). Now the nonprofit that has educated 33,000 kids in Houston and beyond about nutritious food is gearing up for a sequel — and it's timed to launch this month's Houston Arts Week. Founders Gracie and Bob Cavnar have cooked up Delicious Alchemy: The Art of Food, a special cocktail party and art auction at the Four Seasons, official hotel for Texas Contemporary Art Fair. (Recipe is also collaborating with the Fair on VIP tickets for exhibitors and collectors to Delicious Alchemy.) Bid on original drawings sketched on fine linen napkins and acquire collectible-edition sets of napkins by artists selected by former Lawndale director-turned-art adviser Eleanor Williams and Paper- City's Catherine D. Anspon. Also on board are Paul English as music curator and Amy Corron Power as wine chair. Art stars from Texas and beyond create the foodie-inspired drawings. Headliners include David McGee, Andrea Bianconi, Michael Bise, Kent Dorn, Susan Plum, Texas Artist of the Year Kermit Oliver, Bennie Flores Ansell, Geoffrey Winningham, and photographer Jay Rusovich, who will document your next dinner party — making this arguably Houston's tastiest art auction ever. PaperCity serves as media sponsor. Delicious Alchemy: The Art of Food, Tuesday, September 27, 7:30 pm, at Four Seasons Hotel; tickets from $250, tables from $1,500; 713.520.0443, recipe4success.org. James Brock THE ART of FOOD INDEED Amy Evans' Art of Food napkin David McGee at work on his Art of Food napkin Neva Mikulicz' Art of Food napkin Birch Modern Blooms A fabled family, great wealth and privi- lege, a tragic childhood, repressive and unhappy marriages, and bitter dynastic power struggles — such is the plot in Doubleday heiress Neltje's unflinching auto- biography, North of Crazy: A Memoir (St. Martin's Press, $25.99), which debuts this fall. Tell-all volumes by other blue bloods (Brooke Hayward, Sean Wilsey) may come to mind, but that's only part of this story. Neltje — the granddaughter of Frank Nelson Doubleday, founder of the publishing empire — is an artist/philanthropist/ steward of nature and preservation who's made an impact in an unlikely place: the state of Wyoming. There she's carved out a space reminiscent of Donald Judd's role in Marfa. Read more in our Round Top section, on the occasion of her na- tional book debut during the hamlet's antiques fair. In October, Neltje signs books in Houston at Bayou Bend Visitor's Center with PaperCity's Curate Books Tuesday, October 4, 6 to 8 pm (6:30 pm reading), then at Georgia Brown Home (books available at the event) Wednesday, October 5, 10 to 11:30 am; these signings are free, but reservations are required through rsvp@papercitymag.com (specifying which event). She will also sign books at Brazos Bookstore Wednesday, October 5, 7 to 8:30 pm (no RSVP required). Also in October, watch for our PaperCity exclusive: an eye-opening visit with Neltje in her Wyoming home. Then catch her in Austin at Texas Book Festival Saturday, November 5. Catherine D. Anspon A WOMAN of Art, Land, and Letters N oting a lack of unique goods outside the loop, Katie Ingram and Shelley Kaplan are filling the void with a shop of their own. This month, they debut Birch Modern Mercantile, showcasing uncommon finds from De Petra jewelry, Garza Marfa handmade furniture, Houston-based Mirth caftans, Salemtown Board Co.'s vibrant skateboards, and more. The area where Birch is located isn't known as a mecca for design shops, thus the name, as the birch tree can sprout in almost any surrounding. Birch Modern Mercantile, 1856 Fountain View, no phone number at press time, birchmercantile.com. Jailyn Marcel Neltje The engagement ring is the symbol of a couple's personal love story, enriched with meaningful details, says Harvard Business School grad turned jewelry designer Zameer Kassam. Kassam has partnered with De Beers to make choosing an engagement ring the per- sonalized expedition it should be. Kassam and his team discuss momen- tous occasions to commemorate, share design ideas that infuse elements of a couple's journey such as tiny carvings to signify heritage or a hidden symbol celebrating the moment when he knew she was the one. The ring is then handcrafted in New York City, and ready for delivery any- where from three weeks to three months. Inquiries on custom design, forevermark.com. Hannah Swiggard ENGAGED? Ring for De Beers Garza Marfa furnishings Salemtown Board Co. Katie Ingram and Shelley Kaplan DAVID SCHREIBER COURTESY THE ARTIST AND KOELSCH GALLERY COURTESY THE ARTIST AND ANYA TISH GALLERY