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Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Lori Fox was honored as Woman of the Year for the 24th Assembly District.
She's a soccer mom plus
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 StateLegislature recently named Lori Fox Woman of theYear for the 24th Assembly District.The district encompasses many valley communities including Sunnyvale. "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.
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."
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 theUniversity 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--hey didn't know each other. They met toward the end of their senior year a 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 youngpeople 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.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
