BALLET SAN ANTONIO
Ballet San Antonio celebrates its opening season at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts with Fête Nocturne, a Dracula-themed Gala Oct. 11 at Club Giraud. Enjoy an evening of dinner and dancing ahead of the critically acclaimed Dracula Oct. 16-19, Ballet San Antonio’s debut as the Tobin’s resident ballet company. For tickets and more information: balletsanantonio.org.
CHEERS FOR CHEF DELLA CASA
Sometimes you win, and sometimes you claim second place! Congrats to executive chef Luca Della Casa of Silo and Nosh, who has kept us on the edge of our seats as we followed, cheered, voted and waited impatiently to see who would be crowned the next Food Network Star. Chef Luca Della Casa was born in Torino, Italy (we love the accent), and has a passion for cuisine and cooking, entertaining, teaching how to cook and sharing recipes inspired from his grandmother. Fans had a few words to share in their disbelief in his coming in as runner-up. Regardless, don’t look for chef Luca to slow down. He recently created the concept for Panzanella Pizzeria, serving artisan-style pizza and seasonal salads and wine and beer to go. Check for locations and opening dates at 111 W. Crockett St. on the River Walk, adjacent to Swig Martini Bar, and 401 Pearl Parkway. Despite all the cheers and tears, the rest of America is now discovering what we here in SA already knew — you are our CULINARY STAR in SA! Bravo!
CHAIRS FOR CHARITY
The Ronald McDonald House’s 4th Annual Chair-ity Gala featured an eclectic array of 60-plus chairs decorated and designed by talented artists. Performers Shavonne Conroy, Ken Slavin, Nichelle N. Hosley and Sam Stern, along with the band C-Rock, entertained two rooms of guests at the annual event, which featured a live and silent auction of unique chairs, auction items and dining. Kimberly Crawford, host of Fox San Antonio Daytime at Nine, emceed the event. Special attractions included a dessert room with over 700 cupcakes from generous bakers across the city. The event, held at Old San Francisco Steak House and catered by Absolutely Delicious Catering, raised $78,000 to support the mission of the Ronald McDonald House.
KOKO FITCLUB ALAMO HEIGHTS OPENS
Koko FitClub is the first health club that uses technology to bring strength training, cardio exercise and nutrition planning together in one place for the maximum results in the shortest time possible. Koko is a digital gym — a fitness studio driven by technologies, data and exercise science. Its cardio and strength machines know your body and guide you more skillfully than a personal trainer. Your progress is tracked and accessible in the cloud, available from all your devices. The Koko Smartrainer acts as a virtual personal trainer: guiding you through every step of your custom workout via an interactive touch screen. With Koko, you can get a total cardio and strength-training workout in 45 minutes or less. The club is located in the Shops at Lincoln Heights at 999 E. Basse, #184.
HANDMADE JEWELRY FROM ALAMO HEIGHTS
Dare to dazzle? Alamo Heights graduate Jenna Marshall has been designing and producing jewelry since October 2013, and has now been selling for six months. J. Marshall Jewelry features handmade designs ranging from casual wooden bead necklaces with leather tassels, to semiprecious stone necklaces with druzy agate slices — her favorite. She’s scoured locales from New York City to Dallas to Colorado gathering perfect pieces to please her customers and provide affordable designs. Everything is sold through Instagram. She posts the pictures of items on the Instagram account, and when you have made your selection, you can email j.marshalljewelry@gmail.com to place an order. Customers can easily see new pieces by checking their Instagram feed. Be on the lookout for an online store in the future.
MORE WORK IS COMING
More headaches in store if you live on Ivy Lane, Elmcourt or South Vandiver Road. Road construction will begin in the fall — basic upkeep and maintenance. Brace yourself for yet more detours and delays. Good news: After nearly one and a half years, much anticipated and traveled Hildebrand Avenue returned to a two-way street with improvements. New turn lanes will guide motorists turning left from northbound Broadway onto Hildebrand and turning left from eastbound Hildebrand onto Broadway. You can hear tenants from The Broadway and businesses along the intersection singing hallelujah!
