Steak 48 was all abuzz as they rolled out the red carpet for a V.I.P. gathering of Houston friends of The Queen Sofía Spanish Institute, a non-profit based in New York, that will be making its first awards presentation outside of New York in May when it comes to Houston for their 2023 Sophia Awards for Excellence Gala! The gala is on May 17 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, with Her Majesty Queen Sofía of Spain, herself, in attendance. This first ever Houston gala and awards ceremony recognizes those that build appreciation of Spain and the Spanish speaking-world through wisdom and humanitarianism in numerous fields. The event will take place in the Nancy and Richard Kinder Building at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
The invitation-only event will honor at the gala, eight time Grammy award winner, Gloria Estefan and her music producer, manager husband Emilio Estefan. The duo have been credited with paving the way for the crossover explosion of Latino music. Also, MFAH Wortham Curator of Latin American Art Mari Carmen Ramírez, and lastly, Barcelona native and Tricon energy Founder and CEO, Ignacio Torras, also known affectionately in our town as “Nacho” is also owner of popular Spanish restaurants BCN Taste & Tradition and MAD. Torras’ restaurants will provide the Spanish-influenced meal for the evening. Also, in the audience for this very special private reception as a kick off the festivities, Steak 48 hosted a private reception for the Houston Host Committee Members, QSSI supporters, arts patrons, philanthropists, civic leaders, and Spanish delegates.
Chairing the very distinguished QSSI Host Committee of all women, power houses in their own right is Joanne King Herring, with some of the Committee to include Nancy Kinder, Phoebe Tudor, Renu Khator, Hannah McNair to name a few. Chairing the coming events and introducing the program for the evening, is Houston native and New York resident, Dixie Deluca, who serves on the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute Board of Trustees.
QSSI will also be hosting a special presentation of the Portal of Hispanic History at the Downtown Houston Public Library on May 16. This unique portal, developed by Spain’s Royal Academy of History, has geolocated the entire history of Spain and the territories that were once under its administration. It’s pretty groundbreaking stuff!
The Executive Director of QSSI, Begonia Santos, was thrilled with the response they’ve received from everyone in Houston. She talked about additional QSSI-led programming, including a partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History that has reached over 6,000 public schools throughout the U.S.
All in all, it sounds like it’s going to be an amazing event. I can’t wait to see all the beautiful Spanish art, culture, and history on display in our city.
Amy Purvis, Phoebe Tudor and Dixie De Luca at the Queen Sofia Kick-Off event at Steak 48 Wednesday March 29,2023.
photography by David Rossman