“We like to make these dinners memorable for the food,” Board Director Dr. Penny Grant told Hamptons.com about The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s Food and Wine Gala at the Metropolitan Club on Monday, November 14th. From the Caymus and Tournesol wines to Gramercy Tavern and Untitled (at the Whitney) Chef Michael Anthony’s cuisine, this was a night worth the splurge. It’s the only gala where the celebrity chef waxes poetic about the menu; a night that ends with the vow to diet tomorrow.
Kimberly Guilfoyle, a member of The NYSPCC’s Children’s Council, hosted. Dr. Mary L. Pulido, Executive Director of The NYSPCC, spoke. Neil and Amanda Friedman were honored. Lydia Fenet served as Auctioneer. Cheryl Casone, Deborah Norville, Diandra Douglas, Elizabeth Mayhew, Jennifer Creel, Susanne Schalin, Valesca Guerrand-Hermès, Wilbur & Hillary Ross, Jean Shafiroff, Michele Witmer and Victor DeSouza were among the supporters.
The NYSPCC, established in 1875, is the first and one of the most respected child protective agencies in the world. Their programs to identify, counsel and protect against child abuse serve as models.
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Dr. Penny Grant, Neil Friedman, and Amanda Friedman. (Photo: Jared Siskin/PMC) |
Bon Appétit Editor-in Chef Adam Rapoport said, “Food is what brings parents and children together at the dinner table. It is bonding. It should warm your heart – make you happy to eat.” With a nod to “those places, with the foams and the airs and all that nonsense” where “I’m thinking how much money to eat – what is that?” he added, “It should not make you pretentious and confused. It should be something you relate to, and I think Michael is doing an amazing job.”
“Every chef will say that their cooking is simple,” Chef Michael said, who hopes his will also be memorable. “We intend to create an indelible mark with each dish and that dish should be balanced as to ingredients that distinguish what grows in this area, who we are and how we make our decisions.” And that are linked to life events. For example, that mushroom lasagna. Six years ago, one New Year’s Eve, with his daughter one day old, “My colleagues came in force to the hospital and bought a huge tray of this very lasagna,” he explained. “I’ve always loved this dish but that night I loved it more than ever. I hope with each one of these bites, there will be an indelible memory for all of you.”
For more information about The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, visit www.nyspcc.org.
