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After being diagnosed with uterine cancer last year, Houston Restaurant Weeks founder Cleverley Stone has died.
A press release announced on Thursday that Stone passed away on May 28 at the age of 68 years old. A fixture of Houston food media, Stone founded Houston Restaurant Weeks in 2003, and the event has raised more than $16 million for the Houston Food Bank in its history. Stone also hosted a weekly food talk radio show on CBS Houston, and operated the massive Houston Foodie Friends restaurant recommendations group on Facebook.
A fierce advocate for Houston’s restaurant scene, Stone moved to the city in 1989 and worked for the now-defunct Houston Post as a columnist and editor. When the paper folded, she kicked off her second act by launching a newsletter about restaurants, which she sent to subscribers via fax. Stone’s radio show premiered in 2003, the same year that Houston Restaurant Weeks was founded.
She is survived by her daughter, Katie, son-in-law Joe, and a grandson named Luca. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, a “celebration of life” event will be held for Stone at a later date. In the meantime, donations in Stone’s memory can be made to the Houston Food Bank.
