So many factors go into a great party.
It takes someone with good organizational skills, the right venue,
terrific food and booze and a convivial blend of people for an
event to soar. All of those things came together on June 13,
when many of the borough’s restaurants and wineries, artists
and writers, fashion designers, models and partygoers, gathered
for a spirited arts festival.
The event was "Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation
2006," a benefit that helps fund organizations committed
to addressing immediate and long-term solutions to hunger and
poverty.
Randee Braham of Pass It On Public Relations in Park Slope served
as the chairperson.
"It was a great cultural event. Everywhere I looked, people
were smiling. The sponsors I spoke to said they got as much back
from the crowd as they gave. All and all it was just a wonderful
time," Braham said the day after the party.
The Tobacco Warehouse – a huge, open-air brick structure, that
was covered with a tent for the evening’s festivities inside
the Empire Fulton-Ferry State Park in DUMBO – served as a hip
setting.
For "VIPs" (those who purchased a ticket to the event
for $125, or $50 more than the regular admittance, and were allowed
to enter an hour before the general public), a tent with a flower-bedecked
entrance served as a private club. Inside, attendees lounged
on silk-covered chairs and placed their cocktails on low tables
strewn with gardenias. Partygoers nibbled on sushi from Blue
Ribbon in Park Slope, while sipping glasses of crisp Iron Horse
Classic Vintage Brut 2001 from Charmer Industries. After the
sushi, they cleared their palates with Fritz Knipschildt’s classic
chocolate truffles offered by Park Slope’s The Chocolate Room.
Most of the fun transpired in the huge, main area, where a catwalk
was erected centerstage. Midway through the evening, bootylicious
models shook their bods in fashions by Big Girls United, designed
for "thick and sexy ladies." Brooklyn Industries (with
several locations in the borough, and two Fifth Avenue shops
in Park Slope), Razor for men, and Serene Rose (who supplied
garments by Shawn Christopher Kelley’s "Christopher"
label) contributed outfits for the runway.
Of course, there was great food. More than 25 restaurants contributed
dishes. Chef Julie Farias, of Fort Greene’s Ici, sprinkled big
grains of crunchy sea salt over her chicken liver "schnitzel"
for a delectable snack. Marc Lahm of Henry’s End in Brooklyn
Heights cut the richness of raw tuna with a sinus clearing dab
of mustard oil. Chef Amanda Freitag of Park Slope’s Sette Enoteca
e Cucina, topped a chickpea fritter, called "panelle,"
with a rich, sweet and sour eggplant caponata. Paul Vicino of
Five Front in DUMBO offered messy-but-delicious lamb ribs with
mint chutney.
And that was just some of the offerings on the savory side of
the menu. Thomas Ferlesch of Thomas Beisl in Fort Greene, served
a warm farmer cheese strudel with vanilla sauce and berries.
Chocolate lovers snacked on bittersweet brownies from Red Hook’s
Baked. There were slices of Junior’s cheesecake from the famous
Downtown Brooklyn restaurant, and rice pudding with summer fruit
from Taco Chulo in Williamsburg.
Attendees could get their groove on with a nice booze buzz courtesy
of Soda Bar in Prospect Heights, which poured a refreshing mint
julep made with Woodford Reserve bourbon, and The Lighthouse
Tavern in Park Slope’s sweet "watermelon whisky smashers,"
made with Jack Daniel’s.
Local businesses were generous with their auction donations.
Chef Saul Bolton offered lucky bidders the "Saul Tasting
Menu for Two," a dinner paired with wines at his cozy Smith
Street eatery.
A makeshift gallery was erected to display local artists’ work
and several authors, including Crown Heights author Joel Derfner
(Random House’s "Gay Haiku"), were on hand signing
copies of their latest books.
Braham didn’t have an exact figure for ticket sales, but she
estimated the event brought in $20,000 (not including bids from
the auction). One hundred percent of the monies go to organizations
like City Harvest and God’s Love We Deliver that offer aid in
the form of food and education to low-income individuals.
At the end of the evening, the sky had turned a pinkish hue and
the lights of the Brooklyn Bridge twinkled. It was a fitting
finale for a great party held for such an important cause.
For more information about Share Our Strength, visit www.strength.org.
