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| An intimate moment in Central Park. 4:30 PM. Photo: JH. |
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| Thursday, April 10, 2014. Another beautiful Spring day in New York, fair and mild with the temperatures hovering around 60 degrees midday. The weatherman is predicting that by Monday we’ll see temperatures as high as 70. Spring is here. Diary readers have seen this picture before– my benchmark to tell me that Spring is actually here. I’ve identified this bush in Carl Schurz Park as forsythia and then a reader corrected me saying that it was Witch Hazel. Okay. But yesterday while walking the dogs just outside the park I stopped to ask a couple of volunteers working on spiffing it up for the new season what name of it was. Aha! It’s called Cornus Mas. It’s a species of flowering plant in the dogwood family, native to Southern Europe from France to Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkey, Lebanon and Syria. And Carl Schurz Park. |
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| It’s a large – as you can see – deciduous shrub or small tree that grows anywhere between five and twelve feet tall. The flowers are small (5-10 mm in diameter) with four yellow petals produced in clusters of 10 to 25 together in late winter before the leaves appear. It produces a fruit that is like an oblong cherry, containing one seed which when ripe resembles coffee berries (it ripens in late summer). The fruit is edible and only ripens after it falls from the tree. When ripe, the fruit is dark ruby red or a bright yellow. It has an acidic flavor best described as a mixture of cranberry and sour cherry, and is mainly used for making jam. Now we know. |
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Yesterday was Wednesday and it was Michael’s for a lot of people. My lunch was canceled and so DPC did not attend. However, a little bird gave me a rundown of the room which was filled with “the regulars” and here are some of them (with some exceptions to the “regular” qualification): David Schiff, Kelly Simon, Dave Dyer (VP Warner Brothers), Bonnie Fuller of Hollywoodlife.com; Pauline Brown (LVMH), Judy Licht (Mrs. Jerry Della Femina)with Liz Aiello; Steven Greenberg (of Allen & Co), Nina Griscom, Glenn Horowitz, Jerry Inzerillo (Pres. CEO IMG Artists), Walter Isaacson, who was honored last night at the World Monuments Fund gala,with M. David Skorton, new head of Smithsonian; Pamela Keogh; Henry Schleiff; Stan Shuman; Liz Smith with Jay Springer and LeRoy Rimes; Richard Turley with Rikki Klieman; David Zaslav (president of Discovery Channel) with Joe Squawk; Beverly Camhe; Alexandre Chemla; Jim Bell with Jonny G Weir; Joan Gelman; Scott Greenstein; Star Jones with Holly Phillips MD; Wayne Kabak; Neil Lasher of EMI Publishing; Anne Martin-Vachon of HSN; Steve Mosko President of Sony Pictures Television; Harvey Weinstein, and scores more just like ‘em.
Antiquaires and auctioneers, Leigh and Leslie Keno emceed. They honored outgoing President Thomas J. Edelman for his “outstanding leadership and support to benefit” the House (as it’s referred to by those who participate). Veranda magazine was the media sponsor for the event. Lenox Hill Neighborhood House is one of New York’s premier nonprofit organizations, begun 120 years ago. In his speech last night Mr. Edelman explained how more than a century ago, the Upper East Side had a different face. The wealthy lived on Fifth and Madison Avenues. Park Avenue was still known as Fourth Avenue and the railroad tracks spewing their sooty smoke ran down the middle of the avenue. There was also an elevated train that ran along the center of Third Avenue (the Third Avenue El) which was the dividing line between the wealthy and the working poor. Some very enterprising ladies from Fifth and Madison started the Neighborhood House to assist these families – especially the children and the elderly – in their daily lives. In time they developed many programs for children and adults for their health, childcare, learning and diet. More than a century later, the House serves more than 20,000 neighbors a year. Last night after the speeches, they introduced a 14-year-old girl of Albanian descent who has been going to the Neighborhood House since she was three. Her days there were spent learning, exercising and socializing with others. Her experience attending the House daily for the variety of programs she could participate in has prepared (and her mother and her sister) her so that she was accepted to begin studying at the Bronx HighSchool of Science. She was so sharp in describing the benefits of the House that it was hard to believe she was only 14. |
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| The Lenox Hill Neighborhood House is one of the great things about New York, this vast city of millions of lives where people actually share neighborhoods and learn and learn about each other. Diana Quasha, who has been President and is now Chairman of the Board, told the guests that Mr. Edelman had helped the organization in myriad ways including expanding the endowment for all the programs it funds, as well as improving the physical plant. His daughter, in introducing her father last night, told how they spent their Thanksgivings at the headquarters on East 70th Street (between Second and Third Avenues) serving all those who had no place to go for the holiday dinner. The black tie evening is always a glamorous affair attended by more than two generations of volunteers and members, many of whom live on the Upper East Side. It began at 7 with cocktails and a preview of the designer tables. There were more than 50 tables and I was able to photograph more than 30. The tables were spectacular and set the tone for the evening. |
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| Catching up: This past Monday night's Edible Schoolyard NYCheld its Spring Benefit "Putting Down Roots" at 23 Wall Street, an industrial space transformed by event designer Bronson van Wyck. The sold-out event — with 420 attending and 32 participating chefs — raised more than $1 million for ESYNYC to continue building organic gardens and kitchen classrooms in underserved communities. |
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| Participating chefs designed and prepared a four-course dinner for each individual table. The chefs included the event’s Culinary Chair David Chang (Momofuku) and Mixologist Dave Arnold (Booker and Dax), as well as: Einat Admony, Balaboosta; Nick Anderer, Maialino; Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern; Joaquin Baca, The Brooklyn Star ; Jonathan Benno, Lincoln Ristorante;; Fredrik Berselius,Aska; April Bloomfield, The Spotted Pig; Danny Bowien, Mission Chinese Food/Mission Cantina; Marco Canora, Hearth; Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli,Prime Meats; Tom Colicchio,Craft; Matt Danzer & Ann Redding,Uncle Boons; Mark Gandara & Marcus Samuelsson, Red Rooster Harlem; Brooks Headley, Del Posto; Gavin Kaysen, Café Boulud; Anita Lo, Annisa; Ignacio Mattos,Estela; Joe Ogrodnek and Walker Stern, Battersby; Kevin and Alex Pemoulie, Thirty Acres; Alexandra Raij, Txikito; Ruth Rogers, The River Café, London; Justin Smillie and Joel Hough, Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria/ll Buco; Alex Stupak, Empellón; Rich Torrisi, Torrisi Italian Specialties; Christina Tosi, Momofuku Milk Bar. Guests included Martha Stewart, Oliver Platt, fashion designer Lela Rose, restaurateur Danny Meyer, jewelry designer Waris Ahluwalia, fashion consultant Julie Gilhart, artist Mickalene Thomas, gallerist David Maupin, artist Julie Mehretu, Proenza Schouler designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, W Magazine Editor in Chief Stefano Tonchi, bon appétit Editor in Chief Adam Rapoport, and PAPER Editor in Chief Kim Hastreiter, as well as Clifford Brokaw and Leah Carpenter, Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman, Jeffrey and Elizabeth Leeds, Aby and Samantha Boardman Rosen. Questlove DJed the night. |
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| ESYNYC is a nonprofit organization established in 2010 to provide underserved NYC public school communities with experiential, inter-disciplinary seed-to-table garden and kitchen education in order to transform their relationship with food. ESYNYC is one of six founding affiliates of the Edible Schoolyard Project, which was started by renowned Chef Alice Waters in Berkeley, California. The organization aims to improve children’s health outcomes and relationship with food by teaching kids in disadvantaged areas how to grow, cook, and love healthy food. ESYNYC is currently building a second Edible Schoolyard in East Harlem, also designed by WORKac, with a plan to expand across all boroughs. |
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| This past Tuesday nightat the 69th Regiment Armory, a big crowd of models, celebrities and fashion industry leaders came out to support the 11th annual Jeffrey Fashion Cares 11th Annual New York Fundraiser hosted by Anna Chlumsky. Guests sipped champagne and mingled before heading into the awards presentation, live auction and runway show. Rob Smith was presented the Jeffrey Fashion Cares Community Leadership Award by Steve Madden. |
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| Among the guests were: Anna Wintour, Steven Kolb,Roopal Patel; models Constance Jablonski, Carla Ciffoni, Kate Bock, Nina Agdal, Ji Hye, Zuzana Gregorova, Amanda Norgaard, Caroline Brasch Nielsen and Heidy De la Rosa; designers Erin Beatty of Suno; Joseph Altuzarra, Tony Mellilo, Scott Studenberg and John Targon of Baha East; and Dennis Basso.Chairs for the evening were Christian Langbein and Michael Krans. Host committee chairs were Prabal Gurung, Mickey Boardman and Justin Tarquinio. They raised $669,811, which will benefit The Hetrick-Martin Institute, Lambda Legal, ACRIA & The Point Foundation. Jeffrey Fashion Cares was established in 1992 in Atlanta by Jeffrey Kalinsky, fashion pioneer and community leader. He launched the first ever Jeffrey Fashion Cares event to heighten awareness of the plight of people living with HIV/AIDS and members of the LGBTQ community. |
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| Jeffrey brought his fashion show and reception benefit to New York in 2003. In just 11 years, the event has raised nearly $5 million for LGBT and LGBT youth charities here in New York City. Each year the Jeffrey Fashion Cares event attracts an A-List guest-list of socially-minded philanthropists, top celebrities, famous socialites, fashion executives and designers, international marketing, sales, and banking executives, media executives and editors, well-known models, stars of film, stage, and television, and world-renowned artists. In the past 22 years, the event has raised more than $11 million in Atlanta and New York events, for the LGBT communities’ most important charities and non-profit organizations. 95% of every dollar raised goes directly into the coffers of the beneficiaries. www.jeffreyfashioncares.org |
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| Last Friday night at Three Sixty Tribeca at 10 Debrosses Street, Mohonk Preserve celebrated its 50th Anniversary at a gala with Robert DeNiro as Honorary Chair of the evening (and speaker). Located in the Shawwangunk Ridge, a section of the Appalachian Mountains, 90 miles north of New York City, in Ulster County, with headquarters in the town of Gardiner, NewYork. It was created in 1963 by guests of the Mohonk Mountain House and the Smiley Family. The Preserve manages more than 7000 acres of land with 30 miles of carriage roads and 40 miles of trails for hikding, biking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and horseback riding. One of their objectives is to reduce ecological damage – including loss of bird habitat by deer overbrowsing. Mohonk in the native Lenape language means “lake in the sky.” The Mohonk Preserve is New York State’s largest non-profit nature preserve. |
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| Honorary Chair was Robert De Niro. Also attending were Jane Rosenthal, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., Mary Wittenberg (President of the NY RoadRunners), Brian McCarthy (interior designer), Scott Stewart, Mike Keegan, Noah and Maria Gottdiener, Glenn Hoagland, Paul B. Guenther. The event also marked the success of the organization’s multi-million dollar campaign. This was a fun night celebrated by men and women dedicated to the cause, their cause. The crowd was in good humor – as was Mr. DeNiro, who teased that he had two speeches saying, “I was going to mix them both, but I’m probably going to take the safe one because I want to get out of here without looking like an a-hole." |
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| He went on to thank “Maria” (although he was introduced by Noah Gottdiener, her husband), because “That’s what was written for me.” “Mohonk Preserve is a shining example of the good that came from smart sensitive care of our natural resources. Not long ago, that seemed like a good choice, now it’s a matter of life and death. We can all agree on that.” Mr. DeNiro went on to talk about environmental catastrophes — including the recent mudslide in Washington — which could have been avoided by choosing the environment over commerce. “Traffic on the George Washington Bridge — well, that was something else entirely.” |
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| He concluded his remarks with a one-liner that brought the house down, “This should be the first commandment: ‘Don’t f - - k with Nature.’” Later in the evening, during the speech of M&T Bank’s Mike Keegan, the jovial Honorary Chair called out “Is there a Smiley in the house?” after the Bank Executive referenced the family which founded Mohonk Mountain House and helped found the preserve 50 years ago. It was clearly an offer the present member couldn’t refuse: The speech was sidetracked briefly when the award-winning actor gave Maria Guralnik— the Smiley family member in the room — a hug to thank her for their efforts. |
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Contact DPC here. |