The Oklahoma County Medical Society Alliance will showcase innovative, beautiful and cutting-edge kitchens in the Oklahoma City metro area at the 31st Annual Kitchen Tour, scheduled from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22. This year’s event will feature five incredible local kitchens, and event proceeds benefit two important nonprofit initiatives.
Tessa Wicks and Margo Ward are serving as the 2023 chairs of the Kitchen Tour, bringing with them a collective 20 years of experience volunteering with the alliance. For the pair, the event is a labor of love with an important goal: promoting and increasing health and wellness throughout Oklahoma City.
“Tessa and I both have always had a passion for event planning and bringing people together,” explains Margo. “We really appreciate the homeowners over the past 30 years who have opened their homes to help us raise money for worthy local health- and wellness-related causes. And who doesn’t love seeing all the gorgeous kitchens!”
“The alliance is a group of physician families who support each other and promote health and wellness throughout Oklahoma County,” Tessa adds. “One of the ways we are working for a healthier Oklahoma is by assisting nonprofit organizations that meet a health-related need within Oklahoma County.”
This year’s tour will benefit Vizavance and Healthy Schools Oklahoma, an initiative of Bethany Children’s Health Center.
Vizavance (formerly Prevent Blindness Oklahoma) advances children's education by identifying vision issues as early as possible. The organization provides free screenings at public and private schools, daycares and Head Start Centers in all 77 Oklahoma counties.
Healthy Schools Oklahoma promotes healthy lifestyle choices among children, families and school faculty by improving the quantity and quality of health and physical education programs statewide.
The tour also funds the alliance’s Community Service initiatives, in which the organization donates funds, goods and volunteer hours to support nonprofits in Oklahoma County year-round.
“One hundred percent of the earnings from the tour go directly to our two beneficiaries and the alliance’s community service projects we work on year-round,” Margo says. “In addition, many wonderful local businesses partner with us for fundraisers and shopping nights that benefit our projects, including Rustic Cuff, Pearl’s, Kendra Scott and Papa Dios.”
Highlights of the tour include kitchens outfitted with the latest smart technology appliances, an inside look into a professional organizer’s own streamlined kitchen and pantry, a dreamy open-concept kitchen that opens to an outdoor oasis, and a Spanish-modern remodel on a 1930s-era home.
In addition to getting a look at each of the beautiful kitchens, tour patrons will enjoy string quartets and gourmet coffee, and have the chance to win organizational services courtesy of Well Kept. Bath Sorbet will be on hand with their locally handcrafted bath bombs, with a percentage of all sales supporting the tour. And Diamonds Direct will raffle off a chance to win beautiful jewelry, with all proceeds donated back directly to the alliance.
Advance tickets are available on the alliance’s website (www.ocmsalliance.org) and at Culinary Kitchen, 7222 N. Western Ave. Tickets are also available at the door of each featured home on the day of the tour. Tickets are $20 and include admission to all five homes.
“In the 10-plus years I’ve been a dedicated member of the alliance, I have loved serving on the board with really wonderful women,” Margo said. “Being able to work together for the betterment of our community is so rewarding. We hope to see you at the tour!”
