Saratoga's Lori Fox holds forth on both sides of the banquet table
Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Soccer Mom Plus
The 'Silicon Valley Martha Stewart' named 24th Assembly District Woman of the Year
By Mary Ann Cook
It may be true that you can't have your cake and eat it, too, but Lori Fox gives that old saw a run for its money. When there's a gala staged in this valley she could be on either side of the table. Fox could be in on the care and feeding of the movers and shakers of Silicon Valley at a charitable fundraiser, or she could be sitting at one of the bounty-laden tables, just like any of the other paying customers.
The difference is whether or not her company, Chez Vous, has catered the event. Since she describes herself as a hands-on sort of person, she may have been knee-deep in food preparation a few hours before the shindig.
For her work on both sides of the charity curtain, Assemblyman Jim Cunneen and the California State Legislature recently named Lori Fox Woman of the Year for the 24th Assembly District. "This businesswoman, wife and mother of two young children has served as a shining example for others to follow and I am proud to recognize her," Cunneen said.
Fox was 24 years old when she bought Chez Vous Catering & Events, a Belmont firm, in 1984. Her father mentioned it was for sale; she liked cooking and entertaining and so--voila--she bought the place.
Never one to stand still, she figured out right away that the way to make money in the catering field was to go for volume. Which is exactly what she did. The first job Chez Vous tackled with Fox at the helm was the San Jose Cleveland Ballet opening.
"Oh, yes, we can do that," was her response to the request for a party for 640. Since that time, of course, there have been myriad other big galas, including the opening of the San Jose Arena, the Tech Museum's opening for members and the Whitney openings at the San Jose Museum of Art.
Chez Vous also handled the IBM opening in downtown San Jose and President Clinton's luncheon at Therma. The next mega-event coming up for Chez Vous is Semi Corporation's 30th anniversary celebration on July 12, at Moffett Field. Some 2,000 people are expected for that one, including celebrity guest Colin Powell. Semi is a worldwide association of semiconductor companies.
Even though Fox has scaled back her involvement in Chez Vous, she'll oversee that entire event, not just the food. Besides all those large profile operations, more personal gatherings are not ignored. "We do a lot of weddings," she adds.
Some clients want her to be there personally--as food purveyor and guest. Finding an unusual place for a wedding is the current trend, with museums as one answer. Chez Vous is the in-house caterer for the Triton Museum. Many other museums, nonprofits and high tech companies rely on Chez Vous to help them stage fundraisers or celebrate milestones.
Besides her business and young family obligations, Fox has, for the past 14 years, been deeply involved in the Silicon Valley Charity Ball, an event that played out just last weekend. For the past four years she's been president of the board.
The ball has raised $1 million annually for various charities ever since Fox has been at the helm. In earlier years both she and her husband, Mike, were on the board. "It was great with both of us on it. We got to see each other at board meetings," she says with a smile.
But this, she adds, is her last stint on the SVCB board, at least for a while. She's cutting back on outside commitments to concentrate on family. She's reduced her business hours, too. Now she only works part time, relying on her steady, long-time staff.
Right-hand woman and Chez Vous manager is Bonnie Edens. She's been with the company for six years; chef Gisela Rabdau has worked with Fox since the beginning--for 16 years.
Says Rabdau about her employer: "Lori is very good at delegating, giving people responsibility, allowing them to make their own mistakes. She is very much solution-oriented, as opposed to blame-oriented. And she has a wonderful rapport with clients, can really read people."
Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Lori Fox (second from right) holds a staff meeting in the kitchen at Chez Vous in Willow Glen, to discuss plans for an upcoming event. Left to right are Wendy Noren, sous chef, Gisela Rabdau, executive chef, and Bonnie Edens, general manager.
Sous chef Wendy Noren was a college roommate of Fox. Noren figured she'd be at Chez Vous for a few months until she decided what she was going to do next. That was 12 years ago. The college was the University of San Diego and that's where Lori Hock met Mike Fox.
Though they both graduated from Saratoga High School--she in '77, he in '78--they didn't know each other. They met toward the end of their senior year at USD. He was the best friend of a brother of her brother's best friend.
He's cute, she thought, when they finally met. Turned out they were in three classes together. But Miss Lori Hock already had a boyfriend, so she fixed him up with her best friend for a double date. Is there any doubt about the outcome of this evening? (Or are you still sorting out brothers/best friends?)
Sure enough, the Hock-Fox duo spent the evening talking and talking, while the other two played minor supporting roles. This all took place the last month of their senior year. After graduation Lori lived in Marin, where her parents had moved.
She worked for her dad's high-tech advertising firm, Pinne, Garvin and Hock. And Mike went back to Saratoga to join the family business--E.M. Fox, beverage distributors. They married after dating for a couple of years.
Fundraising became a large part of the young Foxes' life, just as it was for the senior Foxes. Mike and Lori were part of the Curtain Raisers, a group of young people who raised funds and awareness for San Jose Repertory Theatre in its early days.
They are also major fundraisers for Sacred Heart Church. Though she is not a Catholic, both of her children attend Sacred Heart School. Megan is a first grader, and Michael is in third grade. Last year their mother organized a dinner and auction that raised $135,000 for the parish school.
She's chairwoman of the fundraiser this year, too, to be held May 13. In the past the Silicon Valley Martha Stewart, as her friend Shari Boxer calls her, also has been instrumental in raising money for the Junior League and the Santa Clara Rotary Club. Chez Vous once had its offices in Santa Clara but now is based in Willow Glen.
The Foxes are active in political circles, too. Michael and his 9 year- old son walked precincts for the election of San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales. And they've worked for Jim Cunneen.
It's symptomatic of Lori Fox that the honor of being named Woman of the Year slipped by almost unnoticed. Close friend Tracey Enfantino says she only heard about it almost as an afterthought, that Fox was embarrassed to mention it.
"She doesn't do all that she does for personal recognition," attests Enfantino, who has worked with Fox on many charity events through the years. "Lori gets in with both feet. She doesn't consider herself above any of the chores. She has an amazing ability to organize, to get everyone working.
"And she keeps her eye on what matters. The Silicon Valley ball isn't just a party. It's about the charities. She's able to push all the fluff aside to get to the stuff that matters. Her logistical skills are evident in every part of her life, in everything she does--from charities to Little League to beach parties."
Now the logistical maven will concentrate her considerable energies mainly on family. Soccer mom will take more dominance over fundraising or businesswoman mom. "We want our children to have family traditions. My family did it for me and I want to do it for my children."
Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Lori Fox was honored as Woman of the Year for the 24th Assembly District.
To this end, most of the Fox social life--besides attending galas--means gatherings where the whole family is involved. Ever since they've been married the Foxes have hosted an annual Half Moon Bay pumpkin festival. With a coterie of friends, they pick out pumpkins for the season, then spend the afternoon at the beach.
The Foxes host an annual Christmas tree hunt, with a party later, which includes Santa himself. There's a Super Bowl party. And a ski trip to the Tahoe area during spring break is becoming a family tradition. In warmer weather, there are gatherings around the pool with Mike at the barbecue.
"My husband is a wonderful cook. He's the one who should be doing what I do," Lori declares.
A design major in college, she was her home's decorator. The house they live in was the home of her best friend in high school days. "The first time I ever saw the upstairs was after we bought the house." And Mike grew up in a house just four doors away.
Today her design leanings are spent on small crafts work such as painting a piece of furniture or art projects with the children. She's her son's baseball team rep and his room mom at school.
Lori Fox describes herself as structured--first and foremost--active, people- oriented and sentimental. Her mother's handmade dolls are showcased behind glass in the living room. Each doll represents 100 hours of work.
Owen and Jane Hock now live at Lake Wildwood, another destination for the family. Fourth of July is usually celebrated on the lake with the whole family decorating the Hock party boat for the parade on the water.
Mike Fox characterizes his wife as creative, organized, specific and relentless. Megan describes her mother, not surprisingly, as "always on the phone."
Once the children are older, Lori Fox visualizes herself devoting more time to volunteering. She would like to work on the issue of unwanted children, tackling the problem before it becomes a problem, and educating youngsters about what an incredibly demanding job motherhood is--long before they are in a position to take that step.
Her husband is fourth generation Michael Fox and her son is fifth. The older one being addressed is Mike, the younger one Michael. Husband Mike is sometimes called junior, because there's some doubt if one can be fourth generation if a generation is skipped, as is the case with his grandfather.
Despite the emphasis on galas with charitable work and a catering business, the Fox life is not all partying, as Shari Boxer can attest. Her husband, David Malish, a doctor specializing in allergy, has been seriously ill for the past year and a half, since he was diagnosed with cancer.
"A day doesn't go by that Lori doesn't step in. She's there for us making meals for us, bringing coffee when we're at the hospital, picking up our son, and making play dates for him. And Mike sits with David for hours when he's getting chemotherapy.
"Of all the people I know, she personifies the term 'true friend.' She's incredible."
Saratoga, California Since 1955
