“Wine & Bites with Keri” blog, Founding Member and Wine Consultant with Scout & Cellar, and manager of “Curing Caroline”
Interview by Wendy Jackson Slaton | photography by Kelli Nicole Photography
DETAILS
Age: 37 • From: Houston • Education: Texas A&M University B.A. International Studies
Favorite Destination: South America • Hobbies: entertaining, Orange Theory Fitness, girl’s nights, embarrassing my family by taking pictures of food • Favorite Restaurants: Himalaya, anywhere in Chinatown, Houston’s, most taco trucks
Keri Henry is an energetic mom, wife, and a lover of food, wine, people and dogs! Her career expands from the corporate world to the classroom. She’s co-owned a food business and worked as a food stylist. She gained national attention for her “do-it-yourself” relief efforts that started during Hurricane Harvey. Keri continues to help others, and today is on a bigger mission…to fund a cure for her niece who has a rare genetic disorder.
Tell us about your family
I have a wonderfully supportive husband, two kind-hearted daughters, and two rescue mutts. We are surrounded by immediate family who live in the same neighborhood, so we get to spend a lot of time with family! Our dream is to be able to travel to faraway lands with our girls!
You have a lot going on these days, how do you balance it all?
I’m not sure I do balance it all! With the help of a supportive family and a wonderful, long-time sitter, I am able to have a voice on different platforms with a goal to be transparent, yet create beautiful art, use humor, and share fun content in order to help others. My husband and I alternate nights for networking/wine work/social life. Finding small tasks in work or life that can be outsourced is really helpful. I’m about to get a “virtual assistant” which I’m really excited about!
When you have free time, what do you do?
Free time during the week is usually spent with our neighbors during what we call “driveway hangouts” while the kids play. During the weekends, we visit our family ranch (just outside of Houston) or spend time with friends in Galveston. I love my girl’s night out dinners, The Mommie Series events, attending wine tastings, random concerts, food festivals, or art events around town. Houston is such an incredible city for families, foodies, businesses, artists, and nightlife. I absolutely am obsessed with this city.
So, tell us about Wine & Bites with Keri and Scout & Cellar?
During the aftermath of Harvey in 2017, I saw Houston helping Houston via Facebook and figured out how I could do the same. I spent a year helping with relief efforts from other disasters and became so consumed with it all. I needed to step back and find a way to channel all of that energy into something for my family and myself.
A friend brought over a bottle of “clean-crafted” wine and told me about a new start-up E-commerce company with this wine (the company had just launched two months prior). I tried the wine, and I tasted and felt the difference in drinking wine without the added sugar, thickeners, or additives. And, that’s how it started…
Today, I am working on “Wine & Bites with Keri,” a blog, where I can collaborate with multiple businesses: chefs, wine experts, skincare experts, organizers, and so many more, on a variety of fun and educational topics.
Curing Caroline
My six-year-old niece Caroline (who is a twin) was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease called Charcot-Marie-Tooth. Today, she is wheelchair-bound, and every day is a challenge for my brother and my parents. My father, a pediatric neurosurgeon has miraculously organized a team of scientists, researchers and doctors to help discover a cure…a cure that could help 2.8 million others with her same disease. I’ve created “Curing Caroline,” on social media platforms in order to raise funds and spread awareness…and help my Caroline live her best life!
For more information visit Keri at www.clean-wine.com.
fb @keriscellar and instagram @keri_henry
