2006 Nutcracker Sweets
Benefitting The Children's
Shelter of Bexar County
By DEBORAH H. MARTIN
Photography ROBERT REIMAN

Exquisite pastries and chocolates, ornate gingerbread and luscious fruit creations - these abundant sweets, and the chefs who make them, are the stars at Nutcracker Sweets, the signature benefit event for the Battered Women and Children's Shelter of Bexar County.

Held every holiday season for over a decade now,  almost 20 award-winning chefs from San Antonio and the Hill Country, Texas and the U.S. create a Christmas wonderland of unlimited delectable, delicious sugary treats for hundreds of event guests.  One of the nation’s few pastry-only affairs, this evening also features colorful holiday décor and festive music, plus impressive live and silent auctions, with fantastic trips, jewelry, Hill Country wines and more. 

The 2006 Nutcracker Sweets, presented by Valero Energy Corporation, is set for December 5 inside The Club at Sonterra.

With coordination by several volunteers and support from many generous donors and event guests, the fund-raising goal is $80,000.  Contributions will help the agency continue providing  safe shelter, counseling, case management, and legal advocacy for  women, and their children, who have suffered abuse.

“We are so grateful to the individuals and organizations that help us host such a spectacular, and I would add savory, event that supports the agency’s work to strengthen families and provide the necessary tools for them to reach self-sufficiency,” said Marta Pelaez, president/CEO of the Family Violence Prevention Services, Inc., the umbrella organization for the Battered Women and Children’s Shelter. 

Nutcracker Sweets general admission tickets are $50 each.  The magical Christmas wonderland will be open from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 5 inside The Club at Sonterra, 901 Sonterra Blvd. The Club is located in San Antonio, north on Hwy. 281, just outside Loop 1604.

For tickets and information, call FVPS at (210) 930-3669 or visit www.fvps.org.

Participating chefs* include:
- Bruce Auden with Lila Bernal, Biga on the Banks (San Antonio)
- Jeffrey Blank, Hudson’s on the Bend (Austin)           
- Patrick Brown with Jenny Mattingsley, Central Market (San Antonio)
- Frederick Costa, Frederick’s (San Antonio)
- Jason Dady, The Lodge & Bin 555 (San Antonio)
- Guy Fanelli, The Club at Sonterra (San Antonio)
- Michael H. Flores, Mis En Place & Learn Aboard! (San Antonio)
- Steve Howard, Bonterra (Fredericksburg)
- Matt Martinez, Matt’s Rancho Martinez (Dallas)
- Jesse Pérez, Luciano’s at the Strand (San Antonio)
- Rebecca Rather, Rather Sweet Bakery & Café (Fredericksburg)
- Michael Regua, Antoine’s (New Orleans, Louisiana)
- Diana Barrios Treviño, Los Barrios and La Hacienda de Los Barrios (San Antonio)
- Brian West, Café Paladar  (San Antonio) * Confirmed as of September 17, 2006.

Invited, pending confirmation:
Martín Rios, The Inn at the Anasazi (Santa Fe, New Mexico)