Cynthia Smoot
The Gala Brought The Magic With Nonstop Excitement At The $1.5 Million Night
By Cynthia Smoot Photography by Sheryl Lanzel
THE SCENE: Over 800 guests gathered at the Dallas Zoo on Saturday, November 1, for Zoo To Do 2025: Nocturne. It was an enchanting evening filled with food, music, and mission that raised an outstanding $1.5 million in support of the Dallas Zoo’s mission of “Engaging People & Saving Wildlife.” Event Chairs Robbie Kruithoff and Ryan Ross, alongside Honorary Co-Chairs Lois Finkelman and Joan Walne, led this year’s annual event. Zoo To Do’s Nocturne celebrated the transformation from day into evening, with a party that truly was a luminous celebration of the Dallas Zoo.
The evening began with cocktails and up-close animal encounters in the entry plaza, where animal ambassadors and the Dallas Zoo’s Animal Adventures Outreach team greeted attendees. With welcome drinks in hand, guests could be whisked away on trams or strolled over to begin their evening in the Gregg Hudson Giants of the Savanna area.
Almost 40 of Dallas’s top chefs converged upon the Dallas Zoo for Saturday night’s soiree, serving up signature bites and inventive nibbles from their stations across the Wilds of Africa side of the Dallas Zoo. The open-air tasting tour featured flavors inspired by near and far.
This year’s Zoo To Do featured a list of chefs, a mix of familiar favorites and exciting new additions, all representing some of the hottest restaurant names in Dallas. Participants included Chef Meaders Ozarow from Empire Baking Company; Chef Mauricio Travesi from Mozzarella Company; Chef Sara Toth from The Zodiac Room; Chef Jimmy Contreras from Taco y Vino; Chef Justo Blanco from Boxwood Hospitality; Chef Jeff Bekavac from Goodwins; Chef Stephen Rogers from Gemma and Sachet; Chef Dan Landsberg from The Texas Barn at Circle T Ranch; Chef Gerardo Calderon and Chef Jim Severson from Sevy’s Grill; Kerri A. Slifka, M.S., Curator of Nutrition from the Dallas Zoo William M. Beecherl Animal Nutrition Center; Chef Brad Miller from Punch Drunk Chef Meal Prep; Chef Dohnovan Davis from Sushi by Scratch; Chef George Ortega from Avra; Executive Chef Antonio Rendon from Nobu; Chef Chris Patrick from Curio Kitchen + Market; Chef Gilbert Garza from Suze; Chef Janice Provost from Parigi.
Also, Chef Abraham Salum from Salum Restaurant; Chef Aaron Collins from Café Momentum; Chef Ryan Oruch from Sea Breeze Fish Market and Grill at The Wilfred; Chef William Salisbury from Las Palmas Tex-Mex, St. Martin’s Wine Bistro, and Urbano Café; Chef Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman from Eledi; Chef Skye McDaniel from La Bodega Rotisserie & Goods; Chef Rich Vana from The Heritage Table; Chef Mark Wootton from Garden Café; Chef Taylor Rause from rye. and Apothecary; Chef Jon Stevens from Stock & Barrel; Victoria Parshikova from MVP Coffee Company; Chef Matt Balke from Encina; Chef Landon Perdue from Emporium Pies; Chef Omar Hernandez from Manny’s Tex Mex; Chef Sara Dipinto from The SSA Group; Chef Diana Zamora from Hugs Café; Chef Jill Bates from Sugar & Sage Bakery; Chef David Pena from Goodfriend Beer Garden; Chef Jason Smith from Cenzo’s Pizza & Deli; and Chef Dunia Borga from La Duni Latin Café.
THE VIBE: This year’s Zoo To Do saw the relocation of one VIP area to the Serengeti Grill – by day, a place for sandwiches and snacks, and by night, a cozy lounge area. The always popular DJ Endolena was spinning tunes in that area, which filtered out of the lounge to serve as background music as guests enjoyed magical views of the Dallas Zoo’s elephants, giraffes, and lions. A second VIP area popped up in the Simmons Hippo Hut, complete with a 360-degree photo booth for fun snaps later in the evening.
As the evening unfolded, guests mingled beneath twinkling lights. They explored the items available in the silent auction and on the Big Board, featuring luxury getaways, jewelry, private dining experiences, and exclusive behind-the-scenes Dallas Zoo adventures.
DJ Tony Schwa picked up the DJ duties when the Wilds of Africa Plaza opened to guests for the second half of the evening, as guests could explore a handful of other talented chefs serving late-night bites and sweet treats.
Dallas Zoo’s CEO, Lisa New, recognized Mary McDermott Cook as representing the event’s presenting sponsor, The Eugene McDermott Foundation, and thanked Mary for her endless support and contributions to the Dallas Zoo’s past and future. The always-exciting live auction kicked off with a surprise appearance by the Neiman Marcus Santa Claus, who made a splashy entrance accompanied by music and projected snow falling all around the guests! Wes Pool of Pool Auctioneers, clad in a leopard-print blazer, continued to lead a high-energy live auction featuring unforgettable experiences, keeping the crowd cheering as bids climbed higher. The Dallas Zoo’s All-Star Chef Dinner sold multiple times and brought in record bids of $60,000, following personal stories from the chefs and a great sales job by the auctioneer.
The Manhattan Band then filled the stage and took the energy level up another notch, and kept the dance floor filled until they left the stage at 11 p.m. As guests departed, they could pop into a Nocturne-themed elevator and capture slow-mo videos of their elevator exits – a good time was had! And those who needed an extra bite on the way home could enjoy party favors in the form of hot chicken bites from Hattie B’s Hot Chicken and individual boxes of warm Tiff’s Treats. And the Dallas Zoo says, mark your calendars now for the 2026 Zoo To Do on Saturday, November 7, 2026.
THE NON-PROFIT: Proceeds from Zoo To Do support the Dallas Zoo’s ongoing efforts in animal care, education programs, and global conservation initiatives, helping further its mission of Engaging People & Saving Wildlife.
The Dallas Zoo is dedicated to creating a better world for animals. Consistently named one of the nation’s Top 10 Zoos by USA Today, it is the most significant zoological experience in Texas. The Dallas Zoo has been continuously accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums since 1985. It includes a 106-acre park, more than 2,000 animals, keeper chats and animal encounters, and opportunities to engage, explore, and learn through the Dallas Zoo‘s robust schedule of education and conservation programs.
