D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A C I T Y H A R V E ST H O ST E D “A N E V E N I N G O R P R AC T I C A L M A G I C ” AT C I P R I A N I 4 2 N D ST R E E T
Anne Burrell and Max Wilder
Lise Evans, Marcus Samuelsson and Carola Jain
decisively positive impact on the objective: a cure. Then, up at The Pierre, the Versailles Foundation and Giverny hosted its annual do “in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses The Hereditary Prince and Princess Bernhard of Baden.” This is always an interesting dinner, organized and hosted by Barbara de Portago, whose mother and stepfather (Florence and Gerald van der Kemp) had been fund-raisers, with her stepfather serving as curator of Versailles during its restoration. I was unable too attend this year as I was one of the honorees at the City Harvest dinner, along with Tom Colicchio 24 QUEST
and Richard Berry, but I can attest that it is fascinating to hear of these royals born into families of historical thrones that are now defunct. These descendants express a nobility of interest in their country and their countrymen that is missing in modern politics and government today—no matter the type of government. They don’t talk about their country in a “political” way, as if to imply that maybe they should resume power. Instead, their messages are of respect for their country and their countrymen (the working people who make the nation) and about delivering as a government. It’s an
Louis Ceruzzi, Chrissy Teigen and Geoffrey Zakarian
Jilly Stephens
interesting irony. And so it is. City Harvest—which started as one woman’s idea to use food that was left at the end of the day, redistributing to those in need—is so simple and yet so brilliant. The dinners were much smaller when I began to attend. And the funds that were raised were smaller too, especially when compared to other events that I attended. It is a tendency for the “Big Money” in philanthropy to focus on health and education because of their relationship to these issues. Hunger is not so prominent on the agenda, because it’s not in the consciousness of many of those with deep pockets—or even
John Legend and Eric Ripert
Max Adler and Heather Mnuchin
the rest of us who don’t go to bed hungry. However, that evening there was a big crowd—one of the biggest I’ve ever seen in this massive, cavernous, faux Gothic space. Heather Mnuchin and her associates have turned a noble but un-alluring event into a party of contributors cheering on City Harvest. They raised a record amount for the organization to make a difference in the community, day after day. And you could tell by the cheers and laughter that they were having a good time. The chefs of New York are generally big supporters of City Harvest’s work. Their
PAT R I C K M C M U LL A N
David Patrick Columbia