Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Foxy Lady: Lori Fox relaxes in her backyard patio in Saratoga. She was honored recently as Woman of the Year for the 24th Assembly District.
Working both sides of the table is a specialty
'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 food chain. She 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 as any other paying customer.
The difference is whether her company, Chez Vous in Willow Glen, 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 25 when she bought Chez Vous Catering & Events, then 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 immediately that the way to make money in the catering field was to go for volume. That 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, 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. Despite all those large operations, she doesn't ignore more personal gatherings. "We do a lot of weddings," she says.
And some clients want her to attend as food purveyor and guest. Finding an unusual place for a wedding is a current trend, and museums are 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 family obligations, Fox for the past 14 years has been deeply involved in the Silicon Valley Charity Ball. For the past four years she's been president of the board.
The ball has raised $1 million annually for various charities since she's 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 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 Bonnie Edens has been with the company about 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 Fox's roommate at the University of San Diego. Noren thought 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.
It was also at USD that Lori Hock (her maiden name) 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.
After graduation, Lori worked for her dad's high-tech advertising firm, Pinne, Garvin and Hock. Mike went back to Saratoga to join the family beverage-distribution business, E.M. Fox. They married after dating for a couple of years.
Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Kitchen Cabinet: 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.
Fundraising became a large part of the young Foxes' life. They 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 Lori Fox is not Catholic, both of her children attend Sacred Heart School, Megan in first grade, Michael in third. Last year their mother organized a dinner and auction that raised $135,000 for the parish school.
She's chairwoman of the one this year, too, to be held May 13. In the past, the "Silicon Valley Martha Stewart," as her friend Shari Boxer calls her, has also 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 is now is based in Willow Glen.
The Foxes are active in political circles, too. Michael and 9-year-old Michael walked precincts for the election of Mayor Ron Gonzales. And the Foxes have worked for Jim Cunneen.
It's symptomatic of Lori Fox that being named Woman of the Year almost slipped by unnoticed. Close friend Tracey Enfantino says she heard about it almost as an afterthought and 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 is going to 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," she says. "My family did it for me and I want to do it for my children."
To this end, most of the Foxes' social life--besides attending galas--means gatherings where the whole family is involved. Ever since they've been married they have hosted an annual Half Moon Bay pumpkin festival. Along 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 after, 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, the clan gathers 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 Fox declares.
Fox describes herself as structured, 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.
Mike Fox characterizes his wife as creative, organized, specific and relentless. Megan describes her mother, not surprisingly, as "always on the phone."
Despite the emphasis on galas, charitable work and a catering business, the Foxes' life is not all partying, as Shari Boxer can testify. Her husband, David Malish, was diagnosed with cancer a year and a half ago.
"A day doesn't go by that Lori doesn't step in," says Boxer. "She's there for us: makes meals for us, brings coffee when we're at the hospital, offers to pick up our son, makes 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."
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
