Hosts With the Most
Meet the Austinites on list of nation's best party hosts and hostesses
As Austin was again named one of the top party cities in the nation, it's no surprise that we would have many locals who know how to throw a good bash. Austin-based The Salonniere entertaining website has come out with its annual list of America's 100 best party hosts and hostesses, and a few Austinites are on the list.
To compile the list, national and local society reporters; cultural figures; and leaders in the arts, business, and nonprofit worlds were surveyed for their confidential input. Those mentioned most often were then reviewed by a group of national and local social experts and members of The Salonniere’s editorial team to determine the final list of honorees. Professional event planners and experts were considered only in their capacity as hosts in their personal lives.
"Anyone lucky enough to have received a holiday party invitation from one of these folks should raise a toast to the party gods," The Salonniere officials noted in a press release.
In Austin, count yourself fortunate if you have received an invite from fundraising expert Bobbi Topfer or power couple Eugene Sepulveda and Steven Tomlinson. Salonniere founder Carla McDonald, who was also named to last year's list, opted out of this year's The Salonniere 100 to give her "seat" to another guest.
In Dallas, the top hosts and hostesses are Cindy Rachofsky, Elisa and Stephen Summers, Gene Jones, Heather and Ray Washburne, and CultureMap lifestyle editor-at-large Kimberly Schlegel Whitman. Rachofsky, Jones, and Whitman are returnees to the list.
Houstonians Lynn Wyatt, Becca Cason Thrash, and Phoebe Tudor return from last year's list, along with The Salonniere 100 newcomers Isabel David and Lucinda Loya.