Rock & Roll Picnic 2023: I'll Have What She's Having

Texas has a lot to offer. Bustling metropolitan cities. Wide open roads. Great food.

What Texas does not have is affordable healthcare for millions of people. While many politicians boast about the Lone Star State's appeal to big businesses and transplants from other states, they gloss over the high maternal mortality rates and millions of Texans without health insurance.
Why voters still keep people in office who care not a jot for women's rights or reasonably-priced healthcare for their constituents is a topic for another time. However, there are some folks in our city of Houston who are trying to ease the human suffering caused by bad policies and corporate greed.

One of these local organizations is I'll Have What She's Having, a local 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to helping hospitality industry workers get life-saving medical screenings, mental health counseling and reproductive healthcare. Founded in 2017 by Dr. Lori Choi, Karen Man, Lisa Seger, Monica Pope and Erin Smith, the group is a mix of Houston chefs, business owners and physicians who saw the lack of affordable healthcare among employees in the food and beverage industry. Many other professionals have come on board since then to address the problems that politicians and medical insurance companies seem apathetic to.
IHWSH is not the first local non-profit geared toward helping those in the hospitality industry. Southern Smoke Foundation has raised millions of dollars since its inception for The Multiple Sclerosis Society and for restaurant workers and local food purveyors struggling with financial issues from the pandemic, natural disasters and medical emergencies.

The restaurant industry is not an easy one and profit margins can be quite low. It is very difficult for employers to offer any sort of healthcare insurance to staff due to high premiums. Oftentimes, restaurant jobs are seen as temporary work for young people despite the fact that millions of Americans are employed in the hospitality industry, supporting themselves and their families. Even with a decent income, the lack of medical insurance means that many are one step away from financial disaster if there is a pregnancy, cancer diagnosis or medical situation. Medicaid, which has been severely cut in Texas over the years, is often unavailable to working people who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford exorbitant premiums and deductibles from insurance companies.
And uninsured or underinsured Texas women face not only financial and emotional issues with regards to reproductive issues but also the possibility of death. High maternal mortality rates in Texas are a tragic fact, disproportionately affecting women of color.

The number one cause of maternal death is obstetric hemorrhage, according to the Texas Tribune. The most common cause of obstetric hemorrhage is an ectopic pregnancy. However, there are legislators across the country making medical decisions about banning healthcare for pregnant women because they don't even know what an ectopic pregnancy is, as in the case of Brian Sietz of Missouri and Ohio state legislator John Becker. We're pretty sure a number of our Texas legislators are just as clueless.
And then, there's mental health care, a subject often referenced by our governor, Greg Abbott, and his fellow politicos every time there's a mass shooting in Texas. However, psychologists and psychiatrists are very expensive and therapy is often not covered even if a person has medical insurance. That goes for behavioral issues and certain medications as well.

This lack of access leaves many Texans vulnerable to  physical, emotional and financial hardship. And grass roots organizations are sometimes the only hope when Americans are failed by their leadership.

When folks in the restaurant and beverage industry need to raise funds for their own, they go to their best source of doing so: feeding people. Everyone likes a foodie festival or fun-filled party and IHWSH has raised over $850,000 by hosting pop up culinary events and classes.
This past weekend, it hosted its 2nd Annual Rock & Roll Picnic at The Last Concert Cafe, 1403 Nance, to raise funds through general admission tickets, VIP tables, special curated picnic tiffins and a silent auction.

My companion for the event was my friend, Big Hair Kim, a former nurse who has worked doing community outreach for uninsured or underinsured Houstonians, many in the LGBTQ community. Hoping our vehicle wouldn't get towed in front of a broken meter, we made our way toward The Last Concert Cafe, a venue I have not been to in 20 years.

The event was held outdoors under a large permanent tent. Though the rain made it a little humid, the attendees were able to enjoy the food and drink available without anything worse than frizzy hair and sandy feet.
We were given three drink tickets so we headed toward the bar where several tattooed mixologists were making mocktails and cocktails. I ordered a smoky frozen mezcal margarita while my friend opted for a ranch water. Lisa Seger, a founding member of IHWSH and also owner of Blue Heron Farm, welcomed everyone to the event and introduced musical performer Sara Van Buskirk who played the first set.

We then grabbed a few bites from some of the food tables that were staffed by familiar local chefs. The Blood Bros. BBQ fellows had an interesting take on banh mi with smoked cha lua, a Vietnamese pork sausage. At another table, Nick Wong and his team were dishing out a crispy rice salad full of herbs and raw veggies while Magnol Bakery was offering slices of its beautiful baguettes and whole-grain loaves. With butter and Brittany salt, no less.
The cheese plate from Houston Dairymaids earned the local cheese mongers a new customer in my friend, Big Haired Kim. We were both surprised by the smoothness of the goat cheese which did not have the fierce tang that chevre often has. However, the cheddar on the plate was a particularly piquant one.

A scoop of Laura Chenel goat cheese ice cream from Underground Creamery had a little tangy bite but it was beautifully balanced with an Aleppo pepper sauce, tangerine oil and candied pecans, making a dreamy sweet and savory treat.  An ice cream cookie sandwich filled with blueberry frozen custard was another tasty frozen confection from Honeychild's Sweet Creams.
After indulging in the bites offered by the participating chefs, we had another round of beverages while listening to Marley Moon's music off her new record. We perused the auction items and my friend is still bummed that she was outbid for the in-home dinner for ten from Kriti Kitchen.
Despite the rain, the bonhomie of like-minded folks was evident from the young moms with babies slung across their breasts to the hospitality professionals hugging each other in recognition. They were there for a cause, one that becomes more important each day as everyday Texans become less and less important to those in our state legislature.

For those in the restaurant and bar industry without insurance, IHWSH may be able to help with mammograms, pap smears, contraception and vasectomies. They also have mental health care options.

The organization is partnering with local healthcare providers to offer free IUDs, Nexplanon and free vasectomies along with STD testing and more May 20 from 8 a.m.  to 11 a.m. For more information go to illhavewhatsheshaving.org. Applicants may also text or call 281-631-5667 or email [email protected].