Sunset Park
Special confections
Get your sweet tooth ready for this — chef Jacques “Mr. Chocolate” Torres hosted an extra-special gala in recognition of the sixth World Prematurity Day on Nov. 17, the very first March of Dimes Light BKLYN Purple — a lovely evening to help babies born prematurely.
More than 150 guests — including Standing O pal John Quaglione, chairman of the Brooklyn Committee of the March of Dimes New York and aide-de-camp to state Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge); his lovely wife Kerry and March of Dimes staffers Marcie Haley, Julia Briggs, Eileen Hochberg, Amy Bishop, Elizabeth Harper, and George Georgaklis — were treated to a golden ticket tour of the factory including hors d’oeuvres and a dessert table chock-filled with Jacques’ scrumptious chocolates.
The chef was born prematurely, and he recently became a dad to a son also born prematurely, so it is very fitting that he team up with March of Dimes to raise awareness of the crisis. According to the organization, each year in the United States one in 10 babies is born pre-term, and worldwide, an estimated 15 million babies are born too soon, with nearly one million of them dying due to complications of pre-term birth.
In appreciation for hosting the event and raising awareness, Chef Torres was presented with a special purple onesie that said “Proof That Miracles Happen.”
And they do, especially in Brooklyn.
Standing O says, thank you Chef Torres. Now you have a Standing O, too.
Jacques Torres Chocolate (140 58th St. in Building B, Suite 6H, in Sunset Park, www.mrcho
