Editor’s Note: In September, Houston fitness specialist Shana Ross will lead a group of seven Houston women, all of whom faced or are facing serious health challenges in their lives, to Tanzania, where they plan climb Mount Kilimanjaro.  She is writing about the experience for CultureMap. This is the third installment.

A little over two weeks ago, Becky Pope learned that her ovarian cancer had recurred for a second time since she was first diagnosed in 2009. Becky, her partner Pam and all of the Kilimanjaro climbers were shocked. We gathered in my studio that night and surrounded Becky with our love and support — and then we did a workout.

The following is the note I wrote that evening before going to bed. It’s not a polished article and it’s not a chronicle of how we’ve prepared for the climb, which is the next installment I had promised. But this is the way the story is unfolding, and we all feel that it’s important to be honest and communicate our journey in real time. We ask all of our Culture Map readers to keep Becky in your thoughts.

Need another reason to support the Houston Food Bank (or turn out for the end of Houston Restaurant Weeks)? Here’s a good one: The charity, which distributes food to 18 counties in the Houston area, has been named to Charity Navigator’s “10 Top-Notch Charities” list.

Charity Navigator ranks over 5,500 charities nationwide, helping potential donors find groups with strong financial health that use money in an efficient manner. For their “top-notch” list, Charity Navigator culled the list to not only those groups who were most effective financially, but that also met its 17 metrics for accountability and transparency. With a charity score of 69.58 (out of 70) and a four-star rating, Houston Food Bank ranks ninth nationwide.

Philadelphia has its cheesesteaks. Chicago has its hot dogs. And Houston, of course, is the Mexican Food Capital of the World.

“Houston is ground zero for stateside Mexican food,” says shopping center leasing specialist Matt Keener of the CB Richard Ellis commercial real estate firm. “Southern California, you hear about that a little bit. But it’s nothing like this. If you want good Mexican food and lots of opportunities to eat it at good Mexican joints, Houston is the place.”

R ead the full story at CultureMap, http://houston.culturemap.com/newsdetail/08-29-11-houston-is-a-mexican-food-capital-that-eats-national-chains-alive-limp-giants-cannot-compete-with-beloved-locals/

Entertainers performing in the spotlight, check. Caterer serving plentiful light bites, check. Bars in full operation, check. More than 300 partygoers enjoying plenty of elbow room in the dramatic setting, check.

All systems were go Saturday night at the Houston Ballet Center for Dance where the Houston Downtown Alliance kicked off the 2011-12 Houston Theater District season with its “Raising the Curtain” party on the eve of the Theater District open house.

There were plenty of proud partners in the house including HDA president Andrew Huang; Houston Ballet managing director C.C. Conner, who spearheaded the Center for Dance project; and Jim Furr of Gensler, architects for Houston Ballet’s dazzling new home.

Honorary chairs of the evening were Capital One Bank’s Frances and Bill Herrington and Dephny and Freddie Raines. Capital One Bank was the sponsor of the evening and the Theater District Open House on Sunday.

While noshing on hors d’oeuvres from Smith & Wollensky and schmoozing through the setting, guests were intermittently entertained by talent representing several of the theater district members. Guitarist Blake Shepard kicked off the brief performances by singing two Beatles numbers in a salute to Broadway Across America‘s November presentation of Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles and the Houston Symphony Pops presentation of Live & Let Die: The Music of Paul McCartney, also in November.

Performances followed by dancers from Dominic Walsh Dance Theatre, soprano Rebecca Kier representing Houston Grand Opera and performers from Masquerade Theatre.

Stepping out on this culturally-rich evening were Alley Theatre managing director Dean Gladden and wife Jane, Central Houston Inc. president Bob Eury and wife Gayle, Masquerade Theatre board chair Paula Smith, Victoria and Marshal Lightman, Katharine and Stephen Newman, Jo Furr, Reyne Hirsch and Bellaire City Councilman Corbett Parker, Tammy Dowe, Miya Shay and Gene Wu and Cary Byrd.