Gracie Cavnar believes that you can do anything you put your mind to, and she’s spent a lifetime proving it. Once she makes up her mind, it’s a done deal.  The San Antonio native put herself through school parading down the catwalk and vamping for fashion photographers.  Perhaps her ease under the scrutiny of cameras from such an early age is what set the stage for a fearless existence.  Forever curious, afflicted with the perfectionist gene, and easily bored, her professional life wandered off the runway and across a broad landscape of creativity—architect, hospitality executive and consultant, caterer, event planner, public relations wiz, marketing rainmaker, and widely read feature writer—one career leading seamlessly to another over thirty years.  Along the way, she raised children, learned French, painted, gardened, traveled, entertained on micro and macro scale around the world, shot photos, dabbled in graphics, designed the occasional ensemble, and raised millions of dollars for charities and progressive politicians across Texas.

In 1998 a news item about vending machines in elementary schools caught her eye.  Incensed at the volume of marketing dollars assaulting unsuspecting children, she focused on removing junk vending from schools in Texas—an initiative that was successful.  During that process, Gracie learned about the widespread epidemic of childhood obesity and the astounding affect it was having on America lives and wallets and adjusted her energies to obesity prevention through nutrition education.   She spent years researching best practices around the world before launching Recipe for Success Foundation in 2005 to change the way children understand, appreciate and eat their food.

She has received numerous national awards for her work.  Now in its second decade with 35,000+ children taught in Houston and beyond, Recipe for Success Foundation is the largest initiative of its kind in the country and has attracted attention from many activists, the White House and national press.  Its signature Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education™ program, now available through a network of Affiliate Partner schools, is in demand from coast to coast.   In 2012, she published Eat It! Food Adventures with Marco Polo, an adventure cookbook for children that earned 13 publishing awards. Her annual public service campaigns: the VegOut! Challenge designed to raise awareness, normalize the concept of healthy eating, and drive behavioral change in every age group has caught fire in all 50 states and as far away as Australia and Dubai. In 2017 Recipe for Success Foundation was adopted by The Meredith Corporation (the country’s largest publisher) as a Partnership to Change the World.  In the meantime, Gracie’s vision for Hope Farms, an ambitious 7-acre urban agricultural project that trains the next generation of farmers to grow food, distributes affordable produce in Houston’s food deserts and gives the entire community a touch point with locally grown food, has taken root in Houston’s historic Sunnyside neighborhood and recently earned the largest ($1mil) award from the USDA to train U.S Veterans to farm.

In 2020, adapting to the challenges of quarantine, Gracie reimagined her signature Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education™ to create a learning site, EatItFoodAdventures.org, designed expressly for children.  And she launched Flower Child to make it easy for Houstonians to buy locally grown flowers with a small carbon footprint. “It’s a made for Instagram business, with a social conscious,” she says.

As CEO, Gracie manages every aspect Recipe for Success Foundation and continues to serve on other non-profit boards. In 2013 she convened the Houston Chapter of International Women’s Forum and chaired the organization’s 2017 Global Leadership Conference, which brought 1,000 women leaders from 41 countries to a 3-day conference in Houston and bestowed a Lifetime Achievement award to Hillary Clinton, who was also in attendance.

As former Houston Mayor Bill White says, “Gracie Cavnar can get things done.”

Awards and Recognition

2007

Best Charitable Event of the Year: Houston Grand Opera Cinderella Ball

Citizens for Animal Protection, PAWS Gala Honoree

2008:

Dr. Mehmet Oz and HealthCorps Foundation: “Significant Contribution to the Health and Wellbeing of American Youth” (national)

The Houston Junior Forum “Shining Star Award”

Macy’s and the Houston Chronicle 36th annual “SAVVY Award”

Mayor’s “Volunteer Houston” award (Houston)

“President’s Volunteer Service Gold Award” President George W. Bush (national)

L’Oreal Paris “Woman of Worth” (national)

2009

Houston Woman of Distinction, Channel 13, Chrons and Colitis Foundation Harlequin Publishing “More Than Words Award” (national)

Houston Grand Opera Opening Night Honoree

2010

The Glynwood Harvest “Good Food for Health Award,” (national)

Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women

Houston Social Book “Treasure” Honoree

2011

Houston Chronicle “Best Dressed”

Texas Medical Association Foundation “Houston Health Leader”

Self Magazine “Women Doing Good” (national)

Longines/Town& Country Magazine “Women Who Make a Difference” (national)

2012

Greater Houston Women’s Hall of Fame

Mom’s Choice “Silver Award” for Eat It! Food Adventures with Marco Polo (national)

2013

Awards for Eat It! Food Adventures with Marco Polo, by Gracie Cavnar:

Purple Dragonfly Book Awards-2013 Winner, Cookbooks/Food

International Book Awards-2013 Winner, Children’s Mind/Body/Spirit

National Indie Excellence Awards-2013 Winner, Book Cover Design for Children’s Fiction

San Francisco Book Festival-2013 Winner, Best Cookbook

IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards, The 2013 Bill Fisher Award for Best First Book 
(Children’s/Young Adult)-Silver Medalist

Next Generation Indie Book Awards-2013 Finalist, Parenting/Family

Purple Dragonfly Book Awards-2013 Honorable Mention, Best Illustrations

Purple Dragonfly Book Awards-2013 Honorable Mention, Historic Fiction

New York Book Festival -2013 Honorable Mention, Cookbooks

New England Book Festival-2012 Honorable Mention, Children’s Books

2014

“Texas Health Champion Award,” Dell Center for Healthy Living at UT Austin & Live Smart Texas

2015

Houston Chronicle “Best Dressed”

2016

“Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Award”

2017

“The Most Influential Women in Houston”

Family Circle Magazine “Mother of the Year”

2019

Houston Modern Luxury “Houston Health Champion”

Houston Chronicle “Best Dressed Hall of Fame”

L’Oreal Paris, Woman of Worth 2019 “Global Impact Award”